I was unhappy with the whole idea too, until I tried it out. Nowhere, nowhere, nowhere has a better online gaming service. Very reliable, very browsable, and the lowest kiddie-to-human being ratio I've seen (partly because of the pay nature, and the very real penalty of having an account closed - instead of being to simply create an account with a new name). Plus, have you played online games on some other consoles? Games like SOCOM were completely ruined by rampant cheating - every kiddie online had a GameShark and it worked for online play!
Xbox Live just keeps improving, and does everything right. It will continue to bilk the $50 out of this MS-disliker each year, because it's a great product on all fronts, developed with some true innovation and problem solving (instead of problem creation). If only Windows were developed the same way.
I had it for Xbox when it was fresh, and the game still wasn't great.
TERRIBLE, TERRIBLE level design screwed up a game that had beautiful graphics and pretty solid play mechanics (nothing special or innovative, but very streamlined, and play control was amazing for a gamepad-controlled 1st person shooter).
>> The trick is to disable the DRM feature [...] On the Options window, go to the Copy Music tab, and make sure the "Protect content" box is unchecked.
And come the next versions, when that's no longer an option?
Keep in mind that "unveiled in May" doesn't mean "sold by Christmas".
Remember the N64? Or, as plenty of E3 attendees originally knew it as, the "Ultra 64"? There was quite a long time between "unveiling" and actual product release.
3rd party developers do not have dev kits for the next Nintendo system. If they got them tomorrow, that would leave them with less than a year to complete the developmenet process of games for launch. Not going to happen.
Is this what we're going to say to every user that's not 100% satisfied? "Stop whining and fix it yourself"?
So we expect all X users to be software developers with free time to spare?
I never believed the stories of developers' contempt for users until getting around the Linux community. Luckily, for every such sub-group, there are other sub-groups that have the right, user-centric focus. I still cringe, though, especially when such groups are responsible for the bad experiences of far too many first time users.
>> Game manufacturers obviously translate their games for other countries, so what is the big deal?
This is true, but misses a big key point.
Oftentimes, especially for companies other than the EAs and Sonys of the world (read: the smaller companies, the ones being called out here), a certain company's game is published by one publisher in North America, and a completely different publisher in Europe.
So, yes, someone is out there creating a French translation of the packaging and documentation for a certain game, but that's the publisher in Europe, not your company. You don't have access to that. Your company and that company are not related in any way - they're not going to just give you their stuff.
So that leaves two options. Either create your own, completely separate translation, or don't do it. A third possibility might be "buying" the translation from the European publisher, but that means they have to be willing and interested in selling. Not to mention that many games come out in the US before Europe, so if you're wanting the European company's translation, you'll be waiting a while after the North American release before you can provide a release to the French Canadians.
Long term, publishing deals may need to be altered. Perhaps in order for a publisher to secure the European deal, they have to be willing to give their French translation to the North American publisher - but again, that means a potentially lengthy delay before a French release in North America.
Percentage of installed base is entirely the wrong way to look at such things.
The reason is that every console has a huge percentage of their installed base of people that just own a small handful of games for their console, throughout the system's lifespan.
Everyone and their mama has a PS2, a couple of GTA games, and a couple of Madden games.
The thing is that the small percentage (which is larger than 1%, at least for the Xbox, and is rapidly inflating for both systems) is largely a subsection of the group of gamers that buys the most games. Ever heard of the 80/20 rule? 80% of gamers buy 20% of the games, while 20% of gamers buy the other 80% of the games. You make money by selling consoles to the 80%, and selling games to the 20%.
Dragon Warrior was great. I actually had the game before the Nintendo Power deal, but many of my friends jumped on the deal, and that deal is exactly what this one reminded me of.
Of course, back then, I was already a faithful Nintendo Power subscriber. I was also 9, and my propaganda-o-meter was woefully underdeveloped. Though not to be too hard on Nintendo Power - most "official" magazines of console manufacturers have hard doses of self-promotion (very high on 1st party titles, very critical of competing systems). But they're not totally worthless, and the game alone will make the cost worth it (hell, I'm just now finishing the Ocarina of Time disc on GameCube, and will LOVE being able to play through Majora's Mask without having to subject myself to the Nintendo 64).
Slashdot Mirror
Shame on the editors for accepting this "story". We don't need obvious MS shills, Apple shills, Linux shills, etc.
I was unhappy with the whole idea too, until I tried it out. Nowhere, nowhere, nowhere has a better online gaming service. Very reliable, very browsable, and the lowest kiddie-to-human being ratio I've seen (partly because of the pay nature, and the very real penalty of having an account closed - instead of being to simply create an account with a new name). Plus, have you played online games on some other consoles? Games like SOCOM were completely ruined by rampant cheating - every kiddie online had a GameShark and it worked for online play!
Xbox Live just keeps improving, and does everything right. It will continue to bilk the $50 out of this MS-disliker each year, because it's a great product on all fronts, developed with some true innovation and problem solving (instead of problem creation). If only Windows were developed the same way.
TERRIBLE, TERRIBLE level design screwed up a game that had beautiful graphics and pretty solid play mechanics (nothing special or innovative, but very streamlined, and play control was amazing for a gamepad-controlled 1st person shooter).
It'll fry his little brain, create a little trauma, and he won't be able to look at porn again for a few years. By then, it'll be time for it.
I humbly crave your indulgence [...]
Obviously this is for a UK bank, as Americans would have stopped reading at this point.
And come the next versions, when that's no longer an option?
Remember the N64? Or, as plenty of E3 attendees originally knew it as, the "Ultra 64"? There was quite a long time between "unveiling" and actual product release.
3rd party developers do not have dev kits for the next Nintendo system. If they got them tomorrow, that would leave them with less than a year to complete the developmenet process of games for launch. Not going to happen.
So we expect all X users to be software developers with free time to spare?
I never believed the stories of developers' contempt for users until getting around the Linux community. Luckily, for every such sub-group, there are other sub-groups that have the right, user-centric focus. I still cringe, though, especially when such groups are responsible for the bad experiences of far too many first time users.
Paintings are entirely visual, music is entirely aural. No common elements.
Listening to the local "modern rock" radio station is an exercise in pure genital-piercing pain.
I would've written the joke if it was a Democratic president that all of Slashdot hated. The point is that it's a common Slashdot theme.
I fixed all the anti-Bush bugs.
NeXT-Box sounds better than "Xbox Next" anyway.
Although I am partial to "XX-Box", and eventually, "XXX-Box".
If Hop-on takes them to be recycled, then most will. After all, anyone that uses these more than once will be wanting the $5 off.
Not only that, but Diablo is only an RPG in a very loose and generous application of the genre label.
Diablo is "online click-click-click game with persistant characters." p.
This is true, but misses a big key point.
Oftentimes, especially for companies other than the EAs and Sonys of the world (read: the smaller companies, the ones being called out here), a certain company's game is published by one publisher in North America, and a completely different publisher in Europe.
So, yes, someone is out there creating a French translation of the packaging and documentation for a certain game, but that's the publisher in Europe, not your company. You don't have access to that. Your company and that company are not related in any way - they're not going to just give you their stuff.
So that leaves two options. Either create your own, completely separate translation, or don't do it. A third possibility might be "buying" the translation from the European publisher, but that means they have to be willing and interested in selling. Not to mention that many games come out in the US before Europe, so if you're wanting the European company's translation, you'll be waiting a while after the North American release before you can provide a release to the French Canadians.
Long term, publishing deals may need to be altered. Perhaps in order for a publisher to secure the European deal, they have to be willing to give their French translation to the North American publisher - but again, that means a potentially lengthy delay before a French release in North America.
The reason is that every console has a huge percentage of their installed base of people that just own a small handful of games for their console, throughout the system's lifespan.
Everyone and their mama has a PS2, a couple of GTA games, and a couple of Madden games.
The thing is that the small percentage (which is larger than 1%, at least for the Xbox, and is rapidly inflating for both systems) is largely a subsection of the group of gamers that buys the most games. Ever heard of the 80/20 rule? 80% of gamers buy 20% of the games, while 20% of gamers buy the other 80% of the games. You make money by selling consoles to the 80%, and selling games to the 20%.
Of course, back then, I was already a faithful Nintendo Power subscriber. I was also 9, and my propaganda-o-meter was woefully underdeveloped. Though not to be too hard on Nintendo Power - most "official" magazines of console manufacturers have hard doses of self-promotion (very high on 1st party titles, very critical of competing systems). But they're not totally worthless, and the game alone will make the cost worth it (hell, I'm just now finishing the Ocarina of Time disc on GameCube, and will LOVE being able to play through Majora's Mask without having to subject myself to the Nintendo 64).