I don't know what you guys think, but there has been a lot of news surrounding the Xbox 2 these past few days. First talk about a mid 2005 up to very early 2006 release to jump start Sony, afterwards there were rumors about no HD, then speculation on the hardware and now this.
I don't remember how it was a year and a half before the PS2 came out or the Xbox came out, but these guys only have a year and a half, two at the most to sign all the deals (if they haven't been done yet) with the different partners, decide on the actual configuration (are we talking one, two threee CPUs? how much RAM? should we include an HD?) make emulation of Xbox games reality (if they are ion fact considering it) ship dev kits to developpers let them learn to play with the system and deliver launch titles. And don't forget testing the hardware to make sure everything is working correctly...
All this (and a lot more I probably forgot) in 18 to 24 months? Now, there's two scenarios: 1) either Microsoft is very late in their schedule 2) they are way further in the system spec than they would let us believe
The games, well, they can be made now on top of DirectX on Windows and then fine tuned and ported to the Xbox2 a couple of months before the system launch, so that hurdle is removed.
As for the hardware, they have a few months to set a spec that won't cost them too much. (last time I checked, buying 3 CPUs cost a lot, 512 megs of RAM, even 256 is still at least 50$, but I'm sure they'll get some sort of deal. Oh, and a GPU is always expensive. And don't forget the HD!). G5 CPUs are relatively new if I'm not mistaken, so they must be pretty costly. This paragraph doesn't really make sense, so let me rephrase it in a simple sentence : judging from all the specs we are seeing right now, has anyone bothered even thinking about cost? 3 CPUs? 512 megs of RAM?
I'm really intrigued to see what cards Microsoft has in it's hands right now. Hopefully they'll show them at E3.
You can bet that the connector for an external HD if there is ever one (as in I highly doubt Xbox Next will come without an HD) will be proprietary. If there's one thing I've learned from console makers it's that they want to make as much money as they can from expansions devices. So they'll make sure you have no other choice than use their own expansion devices.
I clearly remember buying Brood War, the official expansion pack from Blizzard to Starcraft a few days after boxing day, and it was released right around that time.
All new releases are frequently at 21.99. Sorry, but I LIVE in Canada (Quebec acutally), and I never paid more than 18.99CAN$ for a new CD. Most of the new CDs are between 15.99CAN$ and 18.99CAN$. The only time I paid over 20$ for a CD is if the CD has been out for a few years now, or if it's a double album.
Canadians often pay more than Americans for quite a number of things The only prices I watch in US money are books, games, music and DVDs, and in all these cases, we pay less or just as much as people in the US. Hardware is way more expansive. The price of food is about the same thing in the US as Canada, but we pay in Canadian dollars, so it costs less.
have Tivo, so the time a show is on doesn't really matter much to me I always found odd that people who have TiVo say this. It's not as is tape recorders didn't let you record TV shows for 25 years now. They're more complicated, but sicne I got my PVR, I haven't been taping more TV shows. Well, to be honest, I have, but then I realise that I wouldn't be watching all this crap so I delete it anyway and focus on what I watch each week (24, Alias, Angel, Smallville, That 70's Show and Tru Calling).
exercise pad Well, if you think about it, DDR dancing mat are exactly that. Come to think about it, makes you wonder what would have happenned if someone though of DDR about 15 years ago when they released the dancing mat.
I'm no artist, but one can still have an opinion about the art direction someone is taking. If you think demons with mechanical limbs is fine, good for you, but this is pretty laughable. When I looked at the screen shots, I wasn't scared, I laughed. For a game that wants to make you crap your pants, this isn't really the best way.
What I find really odd is why have 7.1 sound? I mean, when was the last time you saw an ad for 7.1 headphones? I'm not sure a lot of people are going to plug this thing in their home theater via an optical cable when they play at home. Seems pretty pointless to me.
I understand what the other poster meant. While the engine looks great and powerfull, the art direction is seriously uninspired. Demons with rocket-launchers? It was allright ten years ago, but people expect a little more these days. Demons with mechanical limbs? Bad bad bad...
Yeah, I know about them, but they are slower than Videotron (3.6MbpsUp/400Down), though vif has no maximum download or upload. When I move out of my parent's house, there's a strong chance I might go with them.
I have high speed cable Internet access with Videotron at 34.95CAN$. Speeds are 450 KB/sec in download and 50KB/sec in upload. 15 gigs max in download a month, 5 gigs max in upload.
I don't know a lot about Window Media Center, but it may have to do with stricter digital rights management on this version of Windows. In other words, you won't be able to play unlicensed stuff on your Xbox.
Well, if you owned an Xbox, there would be Halo 2, Sudeki and Ninja Gaiden. Those are hugely anticipated games, especially Halo 2 and Ninja Gaiden. (and all three exclusives)
I mean, look at this: up to 1000 times as fast as the PS2. What that means in real-world terms remains to be seen. We suspect that backwards compatibility is unlikely. With that much hyped power, I can't understand why gamespy couldn't even think about emulation.
Anyone believing something as stupid as "1000 times as powerfull as a playstation 2, and there will be 4 of them in the box" should be shot. If they made a joke about it, it'd be fine. But they just said it. I just wish they'd go bankrupt.
Re:What about independent online support forums?
on
Windows 98 Phased Out
·
· Score: 1
Stupid me, I should have RTFA.:p Anyway, I guess the problem I mentionned will surface in a year from now though.
Re:What about independent online support forums?
on
Windows 98 Phased Out
·
· Score: 1
The problem is that Win98 patches won't be available from Microsoft's website, and sicne the majority of users always downloaded the patches via Windows Update, they don't have a backup copy anymore. A great thing for Microsoft to do would have been to make a CD available over the Internet containing all Win98 patches to be bought or downloaded, so users could still patch their system when they reinstalled everything. But obviously, Microsoft won't make any revenue out of that so they'll prefer to phase out completely the software and force users to buy the new version which is still updated and supported.
I don't think that parents are becoming stupid because of the laws made by the government, well, not where I live at least.
One of the many problems today is that people think more and more about money, so men and women go to work everyday, thinking about making more money and climbing the social and job ladder, hoping to be more and more succesfull. Because of that, they spend less and less time with their kids, so they don't supervise them anymore.
Between two evils, you sometimes have no choice but to choose the lesser one. Hopefully in the future we won't need them.
Parents exist because kids are stupid. I totally agree with this statement, though you have to admit that parents are stupid too. Or shall I say adults. They're the ones who close their eyes when 13-14 years old buy a game like Vice City at ebGames without parental supervision. Believe me, I see it everytime I go there.
Parents trust movie theaters not to show a movie to someone underage. They probably are doing the same thing with computer games store. On boxing, I waiting in a line at ebGames and a kid on front of me, not more than 13 or 14 years old, had a copy of Vice City for PC in his hands. The clerk didn't even say a word. He was all by himself. So part of the blame is on the store.
Also, if parents were interrested in what their kids do now days, they might realise that they might be playing games unsuitable for them.
If people are too stupid to take the matter in their own hands, I think it's better if the government does something about it. It may not be the best thing to happen, but it's better than having some kids play some untra-violent game.
Slashdot Mirror
I don't know what you guys think, but there has been a lot of news surrounding the Xbox 2 these past few days. First talk about a mid 2005 up to very early 2006 release to jump start Sony, afterwards there were rumors about no HD, then speculation on the hardware and now this.
:
I don't remember how it was a year and a half before the PS2 came out or the Xbox came out, but these guys only have a year and a half, two at the most to sign all the deals (if they haven't been done yet) with the different partners, decide on the actual configuration (are we talking one, two threee CPUs? how much RAM? should we include an HD?) make emulation of Xbox games reality (if they are ion fact considering it) ship dev kits to developpers let them learn to play with the system and deliver launch titles. And don't forget testing the hardware to make sure everything is working correctly...
All this (and a lot more I probably forgot) in 18 to 24 months? Now, there's two scenarios
1) either Microsoft is very late in their schedule
2) they are way further in the system spec than they would let us believe
The games, well, they can be made now on top of DirectX on Windows and then fine tuned and ported to the Xbox2 a couple of months before the system launch, so that hurdle is removed.
As for the hardware, they have a few months to set a spec that won't cost them too much. (last time I checked, buying 3 CPUs cost a lot, 512 megs of RAM, even 256 is still at least 50$, but I'm sure they'll get some sort of deal. Oh, and a GPU is always expensive. And don't forget the HD!). G5 CPUs are relatively new if I'm not mistaken, so they must be pretty costly. This paragraph doesn't really make sense, so let me rephrase it in a simple sentence : judging from all the specs we are seeing right now, has anyone bothered even thinking about cost? 3 CPUs? 512 megs of RAM?
I'm really intrigued to see what cards Microsoft has in it's hands right now. Hopefully they'll show them at E3.
You can bet that the connector for an external HD if there is ever one (as in I highly doubt Xbox Next will come without an HD) will be proprietary. If there's one thing I've learned from console makers it's that they want to make as much money as they can from expansions devices. So they'll make sure you have no other choice than use their own expansion devices.
I clearly remember buying Brood War, the official expansion pack from Blizzard to Starcraft a few days after boxing day, and it was released right around that time.
All new releases are frequently at 21.99. Sorry, but I LIVE in Canada (Quebec acutally), and I never paid more than 18.99CAN$ for a new CD. Most of the new CDs are between 15.99CAN$ and 18.99CAN$. The only time I paid over 20$ for a CD is if the CD has been out for a few years now, or if it's a double album.
Canadians often pay more than Americans for quite a number of things
The only prices I watch in US money are books, games, music and DVDs, and in all these cases, we pay less or just as much as people in the US. Hardware is way more expansive. The price of food is about the same thing in the US as Canada, but we pay in Canadian dollars, so it costs less.
US-$ 14.00 in Canada
That would be canadian dollars, not american ones. I even bought a new CD 4 months ago at 12.99CAN$
have Tivo, so the time a show is on doesn't really matter much to me
I always found odd that people who have TiVo say this. It's not as is tape recorders didn't let you record TV shows for 25 years now. They're more complicated, but sicne I got my PVR, I haven't been taping more TV shows. Well, to be honest, I have, but then I realise that I wouldn't be watching all this crap so I delete it anyway and focus on what I watch each week (24, Alias, Angel, Smallville, That 70's Show and Tru Calling).
Personally, if I had moderator points, I would have rated this "+1 funny", even though it's true, cause it sure is funny! :p
how many developers get that much extra time to finish a game?
<insert oblibatory Duke Nukem Forever joke>
exercise pad
Well, if you think about it, DDR dancing mat are exactly that. Come to think about it, makes you wonder what would have happenned if someone though of DDR about 15 years ago when they released the dancing mat.
The backgrounds are gorgeous, but some of the demons are just horribly bad. (I'm talking about the mechanical ones)
I'm no artist, but one can still have an opinion about the art direction someone is taking. If you think demons with mechanical limbs is fine, good for you, but this is pretty laughable. When I looked at the screen shots, I wasn't scared, I laughed. For a game that wants to make you crap your pants, this isn't really the best way.
What I find really odd is why have 7.1 sound? I mean, when was the last time you saw an ad for 7.1 headphones? I'm not sure a lot of people are going to plug this thing in their home theater via an optical cable when they play at home. Seems pretty pointless to me.
Funny thing about HL2 : the strategy guide is already out and is selling RIGHT NOW on Amazon.com. See it here.
I understand what the other poster meant. While the engine looks great and powerfull, the art direction is seriously uninspired. Demons with rocket-launchers? It was allright ten years ago, but people expect a little more these days. Demons with mechanical limbs? Bad bad bad...
Yeah, I know about them, but they are slower than Videotron (3.6MbpsUp/400Down), though vif has no maximum download or upload. When I move out of my parent's house, there's a strong chance I might go with them.
I have high speed cable Internet access with Videotron at 34.95CAN$. Speeds are 450 KB/sec in download and 50KB/sec in upload. 15 gigs max in download a month, 5 gigs max in upload.
I don't know a lot about Window Media Center, but it may have to do with stricter digital rights management on this version of Windows. In other words, you won't be able to play unlicensed stuff on your Xbox.
Well, if you owned an Xbox, there would be Halo 2, Sudeki and Ninja Gaiden. Those are hugely anticipated games, especially Halo 2 and Ninja Gaiden. (and all three exclusives)
I mean, look at this :
up to 1000 times as fast as the PS2. What that means in real-world terms remains to be seen. We suspect that backwards compatibility is unlikely.
With that much hyped power, I can't understand why gamespy couldn't even think about emulation.
Oh wait, I forgot...
Anyone believing something as stupid as "1000 times as powerfull as a playstation 2, and there will be 4 of them in the box" should be shot. If they made a joke about it, it'd be fine. But they just said it. I just wish they'd go bankrupt.
Stupid me, I should have RTFA. :p Anyway, I guess the problem I mentionned will surface in a year from now though.
The problem is that Win98 patches won't be available from Microsoft's website, and sicne the majority of users always downloaded the patches via Windows Update, they don't have a backup copy anymore. A great thing for Microsoft to do would have been to make a CD available over the Internet containing all Win98 patches to be bought or downloaded, so users could still patch their system when they reinstalled everything. But obviously, Microsoft won't make any revenue out of that so they'll prefer to phase out completely the software and force users to buy the new version which is still updated and supported.
I don't think that parents are becoming stupid because of the laws made by the government, well, not where I live at least.
One of the many problems today is that people think more and more about money, so men and women go to work everyday, thinking about making more money and climbing the social and job ladder, hoping to be more and more succesfull. Because of that, they spend less and less time with their kids, so they don't supervise them anymore.
Between two evils, you sometimes have no choice but to choose the lesser one. Hopefully in the future we won't need them.
Parents exist because kids are stupid.
I totally agree with this statement, though you have to admit that parents are stupid too. Or shall I say adults. They're the ones who close their eyes when 13-14 years old buy a game like Vice City at ebGames without parental supervision. Believe me, I see it everytime I go there.
Parents trust movie theaters not to show a movie to someone underage. They probably are doing the same thing with computer games store. On boxing, I waiting in a line at ebGames and a kid on front of me, not more than 13 or 14 years old, had a copy of Vice City for PC in his hands. The clerk didn't even say a word. He was all by himself. So part of the blame is on the store.
Also, if parents were interrested in what their kids do now days, they might realise that they might be playing games unsuitable for them.
If people are too stupid to take the matter in their own hands, I think it's better if the government does something about it. It may not be the best thing to happen, but it's better than having some kids play some untra-violent game.
Actually, Robert Cringley, whose predictions end up being right about 70%-80% of the time predicted that Apple would in fact announce such a device next Christmas. So now you just have to hope that he's right again. :)