Especially a keyboard.. You don't sit at your desk, on your office chair with its comfortable typing position.
Actually I do. I have a PS3 with an office style setup on a desk sitting next to a 19" HDTV, the keyboard and mouse are on the pullout tray. I had/have a Linux install on my PS2/PS3 and have played both PS2 MMORPG's so a desktop style setup works really well. Helped with the PS2 keyboard+mouse supporting ports of Deus Ex and Half Life too. And if I'm just using the PS3's media features, or shopping at the PSN, or just browsing with the GameOS web browser I don't even need to turn on the Dual Shock 3 at all since you can control the GameOS XMB interface solely with a keyboard/mouse.
You sit on your couch, and type with your keyboard on your lap, a fair distance from your screen. Must be a hell of a game, to make you suffer through that much strain.
That works too, I've done that as well, though it works better with one of those lap-pad style writing desk thingies. Flat plastic surface with a fabric covered cushion underneath. If your keyboard has a built in trackpad like the PS3 oriented Mediaboard they sell in stores, that's great. Or if your lap-pad is big enough you can put the mouse beside it, or on the side next to you on the couch if it's optical.
Rhetorical question: Why do you need keyboard shortcuts? Couldn't a game easily be designed to use a menu system entirely and not need them at all? Admittedly, such a game might be slower paced than other games, but it could be done.
Also, modern gamepads have a lot of buttons, that can be used in combination to provide such things as would be provided by keyboard shortcuts (that's how C&C worked on the PSone) For example, say you have to hit the Home key on your keyboard to center your view on your base. You either have to bring your left hand over or take your hand off your mouse, while say on a Dual Shock style controller that could be as easy and as fast as say R2+L1.
There's plenty of devices that have web browsers but no PDF viewer, the Nintendo Wii, Nintendo DS/DSi, the Sony PS3's GameOS and Sony PSP come to mind. Personally, I'd love to be able to open PDF's or do simple text editing in the PS3's GameOS. Sure, I've personally got Linux on it (and LaTeX), but it would be useful nonetheless.
I've been reading reviews of the PSP game, Dungeons & Dragons Tactics and I figure that's why the reviews are mostly meh. The game is turn based and implements pretty much the full 3.5 ruleset. A person used to playing Untold Legends or something and not having played D&D might not realize that a Level 1 character can often miss with an attack. They wouldn't know which spells are the most useful ones, that healing items are rare, or why they want to smack that skelly with a blunt weapon, not a bladed one.
I have a small 19" 720p/1080i HD set on a desk that my PS3 is hooked up to, and I can tell you that even on that small of a TV without 1080p that Blu-Ray looks better.
Blu-Ray isn't a Sony only format, it's a consortium format, like CD and DVD are. Sony just sells one of the better and most useful players from a price/features/performance standpoint.
It's easy, XABY on the SNES are Triangle, Circle, Cross, and Square on the PS1/PS2/PS3. L1 and R1 are the smaller top shoulder buttons on each side. L2 and R2 are the bottom larger ones. L3 and R3 are the buttons you get when you press in the joysticks, easy to remember.
Triangle is like the top of the tree, pointing up, it's the top button of the four. Cross is like a person holding up two things in it's arms, it's on the bottom Square and Circle are in between, Square to the left, Circle to the right.
I'm with you there and do use that control scheme you mention in games that support it. In fact, that's the only way to effectively play the PSone FPS Alien Resurrection.
I've actually played RTS's with a gamepad, how it works is that the pad or stick controls the pointer like a mouse would, including dragging over units. Most RTS's on the consoles have mouse support though, but it doesn't actually improve control enough to make much of a difference.
It does make a difference with aiming in FPS's, so if I can, I play console FPS's with a mouse in the right hand and Dual Shock in the left. Having analog movement is a godsend in FPS's with stealth elements. Tried playing the PC version of Deus Ex to compare it with the PS2 version (which also supports keyboard too in addition to the mouse), movement sucked with WASD, but with that analog stick it was great.
Colony Wars and the Ace Combat Series are probably the closest thing. Colony Wars 1 and 2 both supported the big-ass PS1 Dual Analog Joystick, while latter Ace Combats support USB Joystick and Throttle combos.
Yeah, upscaling is nice, but it isn't as good as Blu-Ray. I found that out with my first Blu-Ray movie, 2001: A Space Odyssey. It was the space station scene that did it, Heywood was talking to the Russians: "Hey! Those Russian scientist ladies are all wearing patterned hosiery. I don't remember noticing that before." So I put in the DVD to check, and you can see it if you look close, but it really sticks out on Blu-Ray.
Noticed a few other things to, on the in-film display screens on the various spacecraft, and how sharp in-film text is.
Speaking of calibration...I just don't get why all TVs have like five or more preset video settings when, generally speaking, there really is only one set of correct values.
Multimedia/Games.
Settings that make movies or broadcast TV look good aren't that good for games, and vice versa. Or at least they didn't used to be. I have the "User" contrast and brightness down to about half on this screen I have this PS3 connected to, but It's calibrated for Linux (where I want the black in my terminal to be black) and not as much as for games and movies.
for the record, I bought a 360--it would have been a PS3, but my wife loves RPGs and there are way more of them on the 360, which is a total reversal from the last generation
Yes, the 360 has more, but not "way" more. Neither system has as many RPG's out for it at this stage in their lifespan as the PS2 did. You might still have been better off with a PS3, in the long run, as long as it was a model with PS2 backwards compatibility. There's still more PS2 RPG's coming out later this year!
They even do releases, including this beta, for Linux on PPC. Which is something the Firefox team does not do. Just installed it on my PS3 running YDL 6.1
Aye, Sony's QC is a lot more rigorous than Microsoft's
Sure it is...now. Any owner of a 30001 PS2 or a 1001 or 5001 PS1 can tell you that some years back it wasn't quite as good. Course, those 50001 PS2's are tanks.
The 64DD is not a hard disk, and isn't used as permanently installed storage. It was intended as Nintendo's response to the larger capacity compact disc storage of the Saturn and PSone. Games come on 64DD cartridges, unlike the PS2's or Xbox's hard drives where you get games on disc and they install data to the drive.
I think that's why many Wii games are designed with the "Living room party" in mind, where individuals won't be using the wiimote themselves for super long periods of time, but passing them around and taking turns.
Also through personal experience, browsing with the PS3's web browser is a more "comfortable" and better experience than browsing with the Wii's browser.
The Dual Shock is also superior to the N64 with rumble pack, it has two analog sticks, not one, and it's rumble does not require batteries. It is also much lighter and smaller, and the rumble doesn't take up the space used for memory cards.
But "the first company to make a video game console do more than just play video games?" That would be Mattel, with the Intellivision Keyboard component.
"the first company to put a hard drive in a video game console," That would be Sony, the PS2 Hard drive predates the Xbox: The PlayStation 2 Hard Disk Drive (PS2 HDD) was released on July 19, 2001 in Japan
Slashdot Mirror
Actually I do. I have a PS3 with an office style setup on a desk sitting next to a 19" HDTV, the keyboard and mouse are on the pullout tray. I had/have a Linux install on my PS2/PS3 and have played both PS2 MMORPG's so a desktop style setup works really well. Helped with the PS2 keyboard+mouse supporting ports of Deus Ex and Half Life too. And if I'm just using the PS3's media features, or shopping at the PSN, or just browsing with the GameOS web browser I don't even need to turn on the Dual Shock 3 at all since you can control the GameOS XMB interface solely with a keyboard/mouse.
That works too, I've done that as well, though it works better with one of those lap-pad style writing desk thingies. Flat plastic surface with a fabric covered cushion underneath. If your keyboard has a built in trackpad like the PS3 oriented Mediaboard they sell in stores, that's great. Or if your lap-pad is big enough you can put the mouse beside it, or on the side next to you on the couch if it's optical.
Rhetorical question: Why do you need keyboard shortcuts? Couldn't a game easily be designed to use a menu system entirely and not need them at all? Admittedly, such a game might be slower paced than other games, but it could be done.
Also, modern gamepads have a lot of buttons, that can be used in combination to provide such things as would be provided by keyboard shortcuts (that's how C&C worked on the PSone) For example, say you have to hit the Home key on your keyboard to center your view on your base. You either have to bring your left hand over or take your hand off your mouse, while say on a Dual Shock style controller that could be as easy and as fast as say R2+L1.
There's plenty of devices that have web browsers but no PDF viewer, the Nintendo Wii, Nintendo DS/DSi, the Sony PS3's GameOS and Sony PSP come to mind. Personally, I'd love to be able to open PDF's or do simple text editing in the PS3's GameOS. Sure, I've personally got Linux on it (and LaTeX), but it would be useful nonetheless.
Just tried it out on my PS3 with YDL 6.1 installed, no dice.
I'm running Cell, you insensitive clod.
I've been reading reviews of the PSP game, Dungeons & Dragons Tactics and I figure that's why the reviews are mostly meh. The game is turn based and implements pretty much the full 3.5 ruleset. A person used to playing Untold Legends or something and not having played D&D might not realize that a Level 1 character can often miss with an attack. They wouldn't know which spells are the most useful ones, that healing items are rare, or why they want to smack that skelly with a blunt weapon, not a bladed one.
Blu-Ray discs are tough, tougher than DVD's, but perhaps you need to teach your children to be more careful.
I have a small 19" 720p/1080i HD set on a desk that my PS3 is hooked up to, and I can tell you that even on that small of a TV without 1080p that Blu-Ray looks better.
Blu-Ray isn't a Sony only format, it's a consortium format, like CD and DVD are. Sony just sells one of the better and most useful players from a price/features/performance standpoint.
You might be interested in this thread on the Yellow Dog Linux message board:
http://www.yellowdog-board.com/viewtopic.php?f=19&t=4510&start=0&st=0&sk=t&sd=a&hilit=iscsi
It's easy, XABY on the SNES are Triangle, Circle, Cross, and Square on the PS1/PS2/PS3. L1 and R1 are the smaller top shoulder buttons on each side. L2 and R2 are the bottom larger ones. L3 and R3 are the buttons you get when you press in the joysticks, easy to remember.
Triangle is like the top of the tree, pointing up, it's the top button of the four.
Cross is like a person holding up two things in it's arms, it's on the bottom
Square and Circle are in between, Square to the left, Circle to the right.
I'm with you there and do use that control scheme you mention in games that support it. In fact, that's the only way to effectively play the PSone FPS Alien Resurrection.
I've actually played RTS's with a gamepad, how it works is that the pad or stick controls the pointer like a mouse would, including dragging over units. Most RTS's on the consoles have mouse support though, but it doesn't actually improve control enough to make much of a difference.
It does make a difference with aiming in FPS's, so if I can, I play console FPS's with a mouse in the right hand and Dual Shock in the left. Having analog movement is a godsend in FPS's with stealth elements. Tried playing the PC version of Deus Ex to compare it with the PS2 version (which also supports keyboard too in addition to the mouse), movement sucked with WASD, but with that analog stick it was great.
Colony Wars and the Ace Combat Series are probably the closest thing. Colony Wars 1 and 2 both supported the big-ass PS1 Dual Analog Joystick, while latter Ace Combats support USB Joystick and Throttle combos.
Yeah, upscaling is nice, but it isn't as good as Blu-Ray. I found that out with my first Blu-Ray movie, 2001: A Space Odyssey. It was the space station scene that did it, Heywood was talking to the Russians: "Hey! Those Russian scientist ladies are all wearing patterned hosiery. I don't remember noticing that before." So I put in the DVD to check, and you can see it if you look close, but it really sticks out on Blu-Ray.
Noticed a few other things to, on the in-film display screens on the various spacecraft, and how sharp in-film text is.
Do they use any of the other media features like the web browser, the music/photo viewing or the video section of the PSN store?
Ouch, time to upgrade that set. Hell, there were even PSone games that really needed S-Video due to font legibility problems with RF or composite.
Multimedia/Games.
Settings that make movies or broadcast TV look good aren't that good for games, and vice versa. Or at least they didn't used to be. I have the "User" contrast and brightness down to about half on this screen I have this PS3 connected to, but It's calibrated for Linux (where I want the black in my terminal to be black) and not as much as for games and movies.
Yes, the 360 has more, but not "way" more. Neither system has as many RPG's out for it at this stage in their lifespan as the PS2 did. You might still have been better off with a PS3, in the long run, as long as it was a model with PS2 backwards compatibility. There's still more PS2 RPG's coming out later this year!
They even do releases, including this beta, for Linux on PPC. Which is something the Firefox team does not do. Just installed it on my PS3 running YDL 6.1
Sure it is...now. Any owner of a 30001 PS2 or a 1001 or 5001 PS1 can tell you that some years back it wasn't quite as good. Course, those 50001 PS2's are tanks.
The 64DD is not a hard disk, and isn't used as permanently installed storage. It was intended as Nintendo's response to the larger capacity compact disc storage of the Saturn and PSone. Games come on 64DD cartridges, unlike the PS2's or Xbox's hard drives where you get games on disc and they install data to the drive.
I think that's why many Wii games are designed with the "Living room party" in mind, where individuals won't be using the wiimote themselves for super long periods of time, but passing them around and taking turns.
Also through personal experience, browsing with the PS3's web browser is a more "comfortable" and better experience than browsing with the Wii's browser.
You're forgetting the PSone's big huge giant Analog Joystick: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PlayStation_Analog_Joystick
It predates the N64.
The Dual Shock is also superior to the N64 with rumble pack, it has two analog sticks, not one, and it's rumble does not require batteries. It is also much lighter and smaller, and the rumble doesn't take up the space used for memory cards.
Nope.
First integrated networking:
Sega with the Deadcast
But "the first company to make a video game console do more than just play video games?" That would be Mattel, with the Intellivision Keyboard component.
"the first company to put a hard drive in a video game console," That would be Sony, the PS2 Hard drive predates the Xbox: The PlayStation 2 Hard Disk Drive (PS2 HDD) was released on July 19, 2001 in Japan