Portable means having a good quality of video for a smaller file size, and the MPEG2 you're burning for your DVD player doesn't fit that qualification. Especially since the Zen Vision M's screen is 320x240. Why play MPEG2 on it when you can use video specifically designed for good quality, low file size and that looks good at 320x240. Meaning MPEG4 SP/MP or h.264 AVC. You could still play those files on your computer, though admittedly not on your DVD player.
For encoding video to my PSP, I use pspvc http://pspvc.sourceforge.net/ which is ffmpeg based, but is easier to use and "just works" You could also use it to encode for your iPod.
It's not crippled for standard desktop use purposes, web browsing, photo editing, e-mail, IRC, IM, in other words the majority of the things people use their computers for.
And again, if Sony would put some marketing into Linux, you'd see the numbers grow.
You have a computer, yes, but more than one. (Since this is slashdot, probably yes) But many don't, and there's feuding in many households about who gets to use the computer, which for many folks is not a gaming machine.
The PS3 changes that. It's a good gaming machine that's also a computer. It slices, ti dices. If people are going to have one anyway why not install Linux on it and get even more use out of it. Especially if SCEfoo puts some marketing muscle behind Linux.
I do have to admit that I'm one of the people that Linux on the PS3 is aimed at, I've got a PS2 that does nothing but run Linux. I dual booted it for a couple of years, until I got a second one.
I think of Linux on the PS3 as Sony's Trojan horse designed to reduce MS's penetration into the "household's second computer" market.
By "they" I meant specifically the PS2 and PS3 since they're the only consoles with official Linux distributions. I just didn't want to mention Sony too much in comments to an article about Nintendo.
In defense of Nintendo, they don't own a browser developer. Sony does (Netfront) Nintendo had to pay an outside company to do it. While Sony just ported their own code. (Not taking Linux on the PS3 into account)
The PS2 does most certainly support USB keyboards, there's keyboard options in the main menu if you slap a FFXI HD In there. (and you can use the keyboard to name folders)
Most online games have keyboard support for chat of some kind, there's others where you can use it for game control.
It isn't the WASD movement that gives the PC player any purported accuracy, it's the mouse aiming. Note that I said nothing about loathing mice. Keyboards and mice are actually separate peripherals.
I prefer mouse support in my console FPS's, but I also prefer analog movement. So I use analog stick in the left hand, PSone (or optical USB mouse) in the right.
Just leave those damn closed source games for PCs - you have genuine choice here in a way that you don't do with consoles. Look at all the great open source games that are out there;
Thanks to Sony (and Linux), I can have my cake (good closed source games) and eat it too, (good open source games) on a console. Been playing nethack for years on a PS2.
as one of the features of PC gaming over consoles is the fact that a PC gets to use a mouse/kb and the console is stuck with a controller.
"stuck with a controller" isn't accurate anymore. It's the default, but there've been mice for consoles since the Genesis days, and with USB you can plug keyboards in. In fact if you have a FFXI HD in your PS2 there will be keyboard/mouse settings added to the configuration menu.
Ever play the PS2 version of Deus Ex? They changed the UI a bit, (for example you don't have to manualy enter passcodes and terminal logins/passowords) but you can still play it with keyboard and mouse if you want. I can't stand WASD for movement so I like to play it with Dual Shock and the keyboard/mouse. analog stick for movement, mouse for aiming
Half-Life on the PS2 works the same way, I wonder why there isn't more "use whatever you like, keyboard, joypad, it's all good" control schemes.
Since console gaming has pretty much taken all of those with the exception of the keyboard/mouse controls,
No, it's taken the keyboard and mouse too. Mouse first (Remember the Genesis, SNES, and PSone mice?) And then the keyboard via USB. Those USB ports on the PS2 (and PS3) are there for a reason.
The ability to use keyboard and mouse hasn't led to more PC to console ports of games like Civilization or those hex based wargames though which surprises me.
Why should a beginning (high school) programmer need to know the innards of CPU architecture? Are you trying to turn them off of programming forever? Your approach is what makes people think only super-intelligent hyper geeks can program.
Make it fast, make it fun, because most of the class isn't going to end up being programmers. That's why Python (plus Pygame, LiveWires, SDL) is being recommended.
One scene I remember was in the first Charlie's Angels movie, Drew Barrymore falls down a cliff or something and passes by a window of a room where two kids are playing Final Fantasy VIII. The sound effects I heard were actually correct. Though I don't remember if FFVIII has the "enable the second controller and a second player can issue commands too" option some of the other FF's have.
Thanks for the informative post, I didn't know that. I've got a late e16 point whatever installed on my PS2 Linux kit that worked pretty well when I tried it out.(but I wish the bar autohid)
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Portable means having a good quality of video for a smaller file size, and the MPEG2 you're burning for your DVD player doesn't fit that qualification. Especially since the Zen Vision M's screen is 320x240. Why play MPEG2 on it when you can use video specifically designed for good quality, low file size and that looks good at 320x240. Meaning MPEG4 SP/MP or h.264 AVC. You could still play those files on your computer, though admittedly not on your DVD player.
Since most of the portable video "out there" seems to be in MPEG4 SP or h264 AVC that means your options are either a video iPod or a PSP.
For encoding video to my PSP, I use pspvc http://pspvc.sourceforge.net/ which is ffmpeg based, but is easier to use and "just works" You could also use it to encode for your iPod.
It's not crippled for standard desktop use purposes, web browsing, photo editing, e-mail, IRC, IM, in other words the majority of the things people use their computers for.
And again, if Sony would put some marketing into Linux, you'd see the numbers grow.
You have a computer, yes, but more than one. (Since this is slashdot, probably yes) But many don't, and there's feuding in many households about who gets to use the computer, which for many folks is not a gaming machine.
The PS3 changes that. It's a good gaming machine that's also a computer. It slices, ti dices. If people are going to have one anyway why not install Linux on it and get even more use out of it. Especially if SCEfoo puts some marketing muscle behind Linux.
I do have to admit that I'm one of the people that Linux on the PS3 is aimed at, I've got a PS2 that does nothing but run Linux. I dual booted it for a couple of years, until I got a second one.
I think of Linux on the PS3 as Sony's Trojan horse designed to reduce MS's penetration into the "household's second computer" market.
You don't have an HD in your PS2? I have three fully functional PS2's, all with HD's..
Midgar has Linux installed on it and that is all it does, run Linux
Nibelheim has the FFXI HD in it with SOCOM and RPG Maker 3 stuff It's for games.
Junon has a FFXI HD that has been wiped and Linux installed on it.
Yes, the PS2 can output 1080i, GT4 is the only game I know of that actually does it.
The Linux kit does it too.
# The GS server
Section "Screen"
Driver "gsx"
Device "Graphics Synthesizer"
DefaultColorDepth 24
# DefaultColorDepth 16
FrameRate 60
# FrameRate 75
# VideoMode "VESA"
VideoMode "NTSC" "interlace"
# VideoMode "PAL" "nointerlace"
# VideoMode "DTV"
# interlace-mix 35
Subsection "Display"
Depth 16
# Modes "480p" "720p" "1080i"
Modes "1280x1024" "1024x768" "800x600" "640x480"
# Modes "1024x768" "800x600" "1280x1024""640x480"
EndSubsection
Subsection "Display"
Depth 24
# Modes "480p" "720p"
# Modes "1024x768" "800x600" "640x480"
Modes "800x600" "640x480"
EndSubsection
By "they" I meant specifically the PS2 and PS3 since they're the only consoles with official Linux distributions. I just didn't want to mention Sony too much in comments to an article about Nintendo.
You are quite correct, I am mistaken. I'd swear I'd seen that posted on Slashdot, but obviously I was wrong.
In defense of Nintendo, they don't own a browser developer. Sony does (Netfront) Nintendo had to pay an outside company to do it. While Sony just ported their own code. (Not taking Linux on the PS3 into account)
It's probably based on Netfront code, like with the PSP and the PS2's Japan only BBN browser.
That's why you should install Linux on your PS3, then you'll have Firefox.
Yes, using Linux they can.
The PS2 does most certainly support USB keyboards, there's keyboard options in the main menu if you slap a FFXI HD In there. (and you can use the keyboard to name folders)
Most online games have keyboard support for chat of some kind, there's others where you can use it for game control.
It isn't the WASD movement that gives the PC player any purported accuracy, it's the mouse aiming. Note that I said nothing about loathing mice. Keyboards and mice are actually separate peripherals.
I prefer mouse support in my console FPS's, but I also prefer analog movement. So I use analog stick in the left hand, PSone (or optical USB mouse) in the right.
Thanks to Sony (and Linux), I can have my cake (good closed source games) and eat it too, (good open source games) on a console. Been playing nethack for years on a PS2.
Whoever came up with the "Well we don't want to require a big ass clumsy joystick so why don't we put movement on WASD" needed to be shot.
Keyboard controls for action games have sucked since the C64, 8088 PC, Apple whatever days. I loathe WASD, it's why I'm a console gamer.
as one of the features of PC gaming over consoles is the fact that a PC gets to use a mouse/kb and the console is stuck with a controller.
"stuck with a controller" isn't accurate anymore. It's the default, but there've been mice for consoles since the Genesis days, and with USB you can plug keyboards in. In fact if you have a FFXI HD in your PS2 there will be keyboard/mouse settings added to the configuration menu.
Ever play the PS2 version of Deus Ex? They changed the UI a bit, (for example you don't have to manualy enter passcodes and terminal logins/passowords) but you can still play it with keyboard and mouse if you want. I can't stand WASD for movement so I like to play it with Dual Shock and the keyboard/mouse. analog stick for movement, mouse for aiming
Half-Life on the PS2 works the same way, I wonder why there isn't more "use whatever you like, keyboard, joypad, it's all good" control schemes.
No, it's taken the keyboard and mouse too. Mouse first (Remember the Genesis, SNES, and PSone mice?) And then the keyboard via USB. Those USB ports on the PS2 (and PS3) are there for a reason.
The ability to use keyboard and mouse hasn't led to more PC to console ports of games like Civilization or those hex based wargames though which surprises me.
Why should a beginning (high school) programmer need to know the innards of CPU architecture? Are you trying to turn them off of programming forever? Your approach is what makes people think only super-intelligent hyper geeks can program.
Make it fast, make it fun, because most of the class isn't going to end up being programmers. That's why Python (plus Pygame, LiveWires, SDL) is being recommended.
No no no, it was YABASIC on the EU PS2's that was meant to dodge the tax, not the PS2 Linux kit, which came after.
The tax is gone now so it's moot.
sigh
Faerun isn't a world, it's a continent on the word of Abeir-Toril, aka the Forgotton Realms
I wouldn't say that "plenty" of D&D worlds have been in games considering how few worlds there are.
Abeir-Toril, the Realms
Krynn, the Dragonlance World
Oerth, the World of Greyhawk
Athas, the Dark Sun world
Mystara, the "known world" had a couple of games, but it's not an AD&D world like the others are.
You're forgetting the PS2 Linux kit and Linux on the PS3. Officially supported.
Even if you don't want to do 3D, you could do things with python, pygame and SDL
One scene I remember was in the first Charlie's Angels movie, Drew Barrymore falls down a cliff or something and passes by a window of a room where two kids are playing Final Fantasy VIII. The sound effects I heard were actually correct. Though I don't remember if FFVIII has the "enable the second controller and a second player can issue commands too" option some of the other FF's have.
Thanks for the informative post, I didn't know that. I've got a late e16 point whatever installed on my PS2 Linux kit that worked pretty well when I tried it out.(but I wish the bar autohid)