I love how you seem to think that "analysts" comprise one big collective group, that makes a single decision. I mean, if I say I prefer coke and then a friend of mine says they prefer pepsi, because we disagree does that mean we changed our minds? You're a moron.
Your post doesn't make any sense. First you say the number of TV that meet his criteria is very small. Then you say most people will use composite, which was the criteria the original poster listed. Read comprehension for the win.
Why are you so focused on what it will do to bad content, instead of good content?
But hey, if you really don't care about graphics then do you watch TV on the cheapest TV you could buy? Or better yet a black and white TV left over from decades gone by? Do you still watch nothing but VHS tapes and listen only to casette tapes?
So what you're saying is that, your antecdotal evidence is better than his anecdotal evidence because you guessed right about one number four years ago. That seems to sum up the entire content of your post.
Don't worry man, you know DOA: eXtreme Beach Volleyball 2 is going to come out at some point. Or maybe it'll be called DOA: eXXtremer Beach Volleyball, with the extra X meaning it's twice as extreme. Think about the bikinis that can be rendered with all that next-gen power.
See the thing is that you take each argument and say they're not that significant, but streaming media to the xbox, playing dvds on it, playing online, wireless controllers, etc, are all things that I want, so while there isn't one of them which is big enough reason to get the xbox alone, put them together and they are. $100 for a dvd player. $50 for wireless controllers for my ps2. $100 for a media center extender. $130 for an airport express to stream music to my stereo. I'm not even sure how I would get video from my PC to my TV without just buying a second TV, and even then, using a mouse and keyboard sitting on the couch is awkward. What I expect to be a good library of games (for me) for several years down the road.
And you say that playing PS2 games is just as good of a way to get out of PC gaming as an Xbox 360, more games come out on both the PC and Xbox than the PC and PS2, plus, my PC probably won't be able to play new PC games for much longer, so if I wanted to keep playing PC games, I'd have to spend some money upgrading my PC. So I could upgrade now and then buy a new console next year, or just buy a new console this year and skip the upgrade.
It's not a question of having more money than I know what to do with. I assure you, that is not the case. But I do have enough money to buy an Xbox 360, and for the reasons I listed above, it's definitely worth the price for me.
But you do have a point. All of this boils down to why I should rush out and get one and certainly doesn't apply to everyone else. Oh well, I guess I don't really care what everyone else buys.
It's a lot of things. Right now my time is fairly evenly divided between PC gaming and PS2 gaming. I want to be able to play console games online. The PS2 online support sucks, and it sucks hard. Even if most of the people on Xbox Live are immature, I'm not going on there to make friends so much as just have someone to play against, so I can ignore what they have to say for the most part if they're that bad. Better graphics are always a plus. Wireless controllers are a big plus. The PS2 makes one crappy DVD player, and my other dvd player broke, so that'll be good too. And yes, I also want to use it to play music files and stream video from my PC to my big screen TV. Why is that suprising?
The other aspect is that I'm completely sick of PC gaming. Say what you want about the people on Xbox Live but the people who play PC games online aren't any better if you're playing on random public servers. Plus I don't really want to have to sit in front of my PC to play games. My couch is much more comfortable. Plus I'm sick of upgrading my computer solely to play games. It seems like I have to spend a few hundred dollars on it at least every few years, mainly for gaming. Oh, and there's the fact that when you put a console game in you can just start playing, almost never having to worry about waiting for installation, glitches, needing to download patches or problems with copy protection. So basically I want to get away from PC gaming, so investing in a new console now makes sense from that angle too.
And yes, I also think the line-up will be good for me because I like RPGs, and while it seems like people complain about a lack of RPGs on the Xbox, I'd take Morrowind, KOTOR, and KOTOR2 over the collection of RPGs available for the PS2. I also like racing games, which the Xbox is strong in, sports games which are the same on every console, and FPS games, which the 360 will obviously have.
I might end up getting the PS3 too, because of Metal Gear Solid, Final Fantasy and Gran Turismo, but I'm not sure if those games alone will justify buying a system.
Also, HDTV is huge for me. My PS2 just looks sad on my new TV.
Anyway, if the PS3 were coming out next week too, it might be a harder decision, but why wait potentially another year, when I can get something that I'm more excited about now?
I don't have an Xbox and am very excited about an Xbox 360. Just because you aren't seeing them, doesn't mean they're not there.
Seriously, if I based my impressions on slashdot posters I would think the 360 is going to tank. But people I know in real life, and posters on more reasonable forums seem to be excited about it, like me. Please tell me you aren't judging the interest based on posters on slashdot. Pretty much both sides of any given argument on slashdot are crazy. (if there is more than one side being argued)
Yeah, they've created plenty of DRM technology, but they aren't trying to stop people from using more reasonable file formats. Have you ever tried putting any standard file format on any Sony device? You'll need a converter at the very least.
Yes, they required online or phone activation, but I'd consider that far less offensive than Sony's rootkit shennanigans.
As for Windows Media Player, I have no idea what you're talking about when it comes to free music being deactivated. I've never bothered with WMA files, but this seems like more of a complaint against the company who shut down the server or who chose that method for distributing free music.
As for the console that requires an online service for much of it's functionality... how on earth is this a complaint? Xbox Live is nothing but an added feature. If you don't want an online service, you still get a perfectly good console, just without online play.
About media authors being able to block random access... have you ever heard of DVD? This isn't an intrusive or crippled technology, it just gives content providers another option for delivering content.
Palladium doesn't exist yet.
HailStorm - ok, sorry, I'm going to have to claim ignorance on this one.
Yes, they're pushing for software subscriptions, but how does that relate to game consoles or DRM?
Restricted HD-DVD in Vista. Restricted in what way? That you'll need an HDCP (right abbreviation?) monitor to view them in hi-def? That's hardly a Microsoft decision. That you won't be able to copy them? HD-DVD will require movie studios to support managed copy, which is better than anything Blu-Ray has said they will do so far.
If you want to talk about crippled technologies, how about Sony trying to cripple CDs to the point they can't even legally be called CDs anymore? Or creating a handheld (the PSP) that can play videos on a great screen, but doesn't accept any of the widely used video formats. Or BluRay, which has won over movie studios by having the strongest copy protection and by not requiring managed copy.
90% of owners didn't purchase an addon for playing online. Gee, do you think it might be more popular when it's built into the system? So, based on the fact that the PS2 hard drive sold for shit, can we assume that gamers don't prefer a hard drive? Or does it mean that optional accessories consistently sell for shit?
Even though you still have to pay for a subscription to Xbox Live Gold to get all of the features, the vast majority of people who buy an Xbox will get a free trial to Xbox Live Gold, many of whom will decide they like it and keep it on after the free trial.
What percentage of game players have wireless controllers now? Not that high of a percentage. Just about everyone I know who's looking forward to the 360 has mentioned those as a reason. But because not a lot of people bought them before, it must not be a large factor?
Hell, microsoft doesnt even have a firm ground in the japanese market and they need that to get anywhere.
Why? The US is a larger market, and Europe's not too bad either. I imagine the US and Europe have more room for overall growth in the console market anyway, since if I'm not mistaken, a higher percentage of Japanese people are already gamers than either of the other two markets. Of course, I could be wrong about the growth thing, but the bottom line is that Microsoft can do just fine even if the Japanese don't care about the console.
Nobody's as hardcore about DRM as Sony, at least out of the three companies mentioned. I'm not even sure other music/movie companies are as enthusiastic about it as Sony. I'm not saying Microsoft doesn't like DRM, but they also have a strong interest in not crippling Windows. They want to sell a platform to use media, so they have plenty of incentive to let users do as much with media files as they media companies will let them get away with. They're far from perfect, but they're better than Sony.
I think you missed my point. Every launch has a ton of sports games. So what? Lots of people enjoy sports games. You said there are two or three games you might consider buying. Yeah, that's not a lot, but there's something that you might be interested in. It's a launch line up, every player isn't going to find 10 killer games to buy. More games are coming out, so you just have to find enough games to play until something else you like comes out.
I'm going to get a 360 soon after launch and will probably only get two games, which will be plenty until more games come out, which they obviously will. Not everyone is going to go nuts over this launch line-up but some people will and a lot of people will be able to find at least a couple games to get excited about.
Uh, I think you missed the point of that article. Some people like Mario Kart style racing, some people like something more like Forza or Gran Turismo. But god forbid people like something other than what you like, right? I mean then what does that say about you if the games you buy aren't the games everyone else buys? Clearly it would bring your manhood into question.
How many games do you need the first day you get a console? I'd say most gamers could find a couple games they want on that list, and more games will be out soon. So what's the problem?
Yes, I know I would pay a lot of money to get rated four out of five stars, with a conditional saying basically "assuming nothing else goes wrong." Oh yeah, that's a glowing review. Jesus, slashdotters can dream up a conspiracy anywhere.
A lot of people are excited about the Xbox 360, so why can't 1up say they think things are going well so far?
Really, I think a lot of the stuff posted from 1up.com is interesting, if not really news. But what would you prefer, all games.slashdot to be press releases from game companies and the opinions of random yahoos on their blogs about what they think the problems with gaming are? Yeah, that'd be news..
For those that haven't what you will notice is that the 1080p image is crisper but nothing to really get too excited about; 480p to 1080i or 720p is barely noticable on most displays.
You must be shrooming. 720p on a good HDTV makes DVD look like ass.
By seriously considering do you mean you as a lower level employee are seriously considering making a suggestion to do so, which nobody will listen to?
Haha, yeah, Microsoft is going down the toilet. I love how people on slashdot find out some piece of open source software might creep up to 2% market share and predict the doom of Microsoft.
I guess there's something wrong with me then. But that's perfectly okay with me. I bought the GameCube and think it was the biggest waste of money I've ever purchased in terms of video games. I could never find any games for it that were worth playing for more than a few days tops. I have absolutely no faith in Nintendo's ability to make good games after the GameCube. Wind Waker was okay but got boring before I finished. Same with Metroid Prime and Pikmin, and others.
And I don't see anything appealing about the new controller. I keep hearing ideas like that you could wield it like a sword, or use it for a fps, or whatever, none of which seems interesting to me.
Personally, I think if you can't get excited about the 360 and Xbox Live then there's something wrong with you. Xbox Live Arcade is brilliant and could be a stage for some great independent games. The different social interactions and online games that are possible on Xbox Live are really exciting to me. Waving my arm around to control my character is not exciting to me.
Ok, for one thing, the whole first half of your article is defeated by something you mention in the second half. OpenOffice documents are not easier to generate than Office XML documents. I've created documents using the Office XML formats before. Trust me, it's easy.
As to the second part of you argument, I don't actually care what format is used in the future, but I still fail to see any benefit to OpenDocument. If by "continued use" you and the other poster mean in the distant future, it's fine with me if there is a gradual transition to open formats.
On the other hand if a government I had to deal with mandated that OpenDocument was the only format they would work with, I would be pissed off. Even if Microsoft supported OpenDocument in their next version, the government would be forcing me to switch to an inferior open source program compared to software I've already purchased or upgrade immediately. Yes, I would have to upgrade eventually anyway, but when? I'm currently still using two versions back, and am not planning to upgrade to the new version as soon as it's out.
Yeah, that'd be super, if the question was making OpenOffice "The One True Document Format", but splitting the world between Microsoft's format and OpenOffice format isn't going to provide that benefit. Microsoft Office has huge advantages especially for corporate use over OpenOffice or StarOffice, so corporations will continue to pay more for Office (though certainly not $500 a seat, if you think that then you clearly have no idea what you're talking about), and unless Open Office gets a hell of a lot better, I'd keep Office too. I'm pretty sure most people would, since businesses can afford to pay for quality and personal users mostly get it with their PC at a big discount or pirate it anyway. So you have a few organizations who screw themselves by making sure they can't trade documents with people, and the rest who keep using Office, meaning Microsoft doesn't have to lower their prices.
Slashdot Mirror
I love how you seem to think that "analysts" comprise one big collective group, that makes a single decision. I mean, if I say I prefer coke and then a friend of mine says they prefer pepsi, because we disagree does that mean we changed our minds? You're a moron.
Your post doesn't make any sense. First you say the number of TV that meet his criteria is very small. Then you say most people will use composite, which was the criteria the original poster listed. Read comprehension for the win.
Why are you so focused on what it will do to bad content, instead of good content?
But hey, if you really don't care about graphics then do you watch TV on the cheapest TV you could buy? Or better yet a black and white TV left over from decades gone by? Do you still watch nothing but VHS tapes and listen only to casette tapes?
So what you're saying is that, your antecdotal evidence is better than his anecdotal evidence because you guessed right about one number four years ago. That seems to sum up the entire content of your post.
Don't worry man, you know DOA: eXtreme Beach Volleyball 2 is going to come out at some point. Or maybe it'll be called DOA: eXXtremer Beach Volleyball, with the extra X meaning it's twice as extreme. Think about the bikinis that can be rendered with all that next-gen power.
And you say that playing PS2 games is just as good of a way to get out of PC gaming as an Xbox 360, more games come out on both the PC and Xbox than the PC and PS2, plus, my PC probably won't be able to play new PC games for much longer, so if I wanted to keep playing PC games, I'd have to spend some money upgrading my PC. So I could upgrade now and then buy a new console next year, or just buy a new console this year and skip the upgrade.
It's not a question of having more money than I know what to do with. I assure you, that is not the case. But I do have enough money to buy an Xbox 360, and for the reasons I listed above, it's definitely worth the price for me.
But you do have a point. All of this boils down to why I should rush out and get one and certainly doesn't apply to everyone else. Oh well, I guess I don't really care what everyone else buys.
The other aspect is that I'm completely sick of PC gaming. Say what you want about the people on Xbox Live but the people who play PC games online aren't any better if you're playing on random public servers. Plus I don't really want to have to sit in front of my PC to play games. My couch is much more comfortable. Plus I'm sick of upgrading my computer solely to play games. It seems like I have to spend a few hundred dollars on it at least every few years, mainly for gaming. Oh, and there's the fact that when you put a console game in you can just start playing, almost never having to worry about waiting for installation, glitches, needing to download patches or problems with copy protection. So basically I want to get away from PC gaming, so investing in a new console now makes sense from that angle too.
And yes, I also think the line-up will be good for me because I like RPGs, and while it seems like people complain about a lack of RPGs on the Xbox, I'd take Morrowind, KOTOR, and KOTOR2 over the collection of RPGs available for the PS2. I also like racing games, which the Xbox is strong in, sports games which are the same on every console, and FPS games, which the 360 will obviously have.
I might end up getting the PS3 too, because of Metal Gear Solid, Final Fantasy and Gran Turismo, but I'm not sure if those games alone will justify buying a system.
Also, HDTV is huge for me. My PS2 just looks sad on my new TV.
Anyway, if the PS3 were coming out next week too, it might be a harder decision, but why wait potentially another year, when I can get something that I'm more excited about now?
Seriously, if I based my impressions on slashdot posters I would think the 360 is going to tank. But people I know in real life, and posters on more reasonable forums seem to be excited about it, like me. Please tell me you aren't judging the interest based on posters on slashdot. Pretty much both sides of any given argument on slashdot are crazy. (if there is more than one side being argued)
Yeah, they've created plenty of DRM technology, but they aren't trying to stop people from using more reasonable file formats. Have you ever tried putting any standard file format on any Sony device? You'll need a converter at the very least. Yes, they required online or phone activation, but I'd consider that far less offensive than Sony's rootkit shennanigans. As for Windows Media Player, I have no idea what you're talking about when it comes to free music being deactivated. I've never bothered with WMA files, but this seems like more of a complaint against the company who shut down the server or who chose that method for distributing free music. As for the console that requires an online service for much of it's functionality... how on earth is this a complaint? Xbox Live is nothing but an added feature. If you don't want an online service, you still get a perfectly good console, just without online play. About media authors being able to block random access... have you ever heard of DVD? This isn't an intrusive or crippled technology, it just gives content providers another option for delivering content. Palladium doesn't exist yet. HailStorm - ok, sorry, I'm going to have to claim ignorance on this one. Yes, they're pushing for software subscriptions, but how does that relate to game consoles or DRM? Restricted HD-DVD in Vista. Restricted in what way? That you'll need an HDCP (right abbreviation?) monitor to view them in hi-def? That's hardly a Microsoft decision. That you won't be able to copy them? HD-DVD will require movie studios to support managed copy, which is better than anything Blu-Ray has said they will do so far. If you want to talk about crippled technologies, how about Sony trying to cripple CDs to the point they can't even legally be called CDs anymore? Or creating a handheld (the PSP) that can play videos on a great screen, but doesn't accept any of the widely used video formats. Or BluRay, which has won over movie studios by having the strongest copy protection and by not requiring managed copy.
Even though you still have to pay for a subscription to Xbox Live Gold to get all of the features, the vast majority of people who buy an Xbox will get a free trial to Xbox Live Gold, many of whom will decide they like it and keep it on after the free trial.
What percentage of game players have wireless controllers now? Not that high of a percentage. Just about everyone I know who's looking forward to the 360 has mentioned those as a reason. But because not a lot of people bought them before, it must not be a large factor?
Why? The US is a larger market, and Europe's not too bad either. I imagine the US and Europe have more room for overall growth in the console market anyway, since if I'm not mistaken, a higher percentage of Japanese people are already gamers than either of the other two markets. Of course, I could be wrong about the growth thing, but the bottom line is that Microsoft can do just fine even if the Japanese don't care about the console.
Nobody's as hardcore about DRM as Sony, at least out of the three companies mentioned. I'm not even sure other music/movie companies are as enthusiastic about it as Sony. I'm not saying Microsoft doesn't like DRM, but they also have a strong interest in not crippling Windows. They want to sell a platform to use media, so they have plenty of incentive to let users do as much with media files as they media companies will let them get away with. They're far from perfect, but they're better than Sony.
I'm going to get a 360 soon after launch and will probably only get two games, which will be plenty until more games come out, which they obviously will. Not everyone is going to go nuts over this launch line-up but some people will and a lot of people will be able to find at least a couple games to get excited about.
Uh, I think you missed the point of that article. Some people like Mario Kart style racing, some people like something more like Forza or Gran Turismo. But god forbid people like something other than what you like, right? I mean then what does that say about you if the games you buy aren't the games everyone else buys? Clearly it would bring your manhood into question.
How many games do you need the first day you get a console? I'd say most gamers could find a couple games they want on that list, and more games will be out soon. So what's the problem?
A lot of people are excited about the Xbox 360, so why can't 1up say they think things are going well so far?
Really, I think a lot of the stuff posted from 1up.com is interesting, if not really news. But what would you prefer, all games.slashdot to be press releases from game companies and the opinions of random yahoos on their blogs about what they think the problems with gaming are? Yeah, that'd be news..
Comedy gold.
You must be shrooming. 720p on a good HDTV makes DVD look like ass.
Well, educate me then? I mean I played through the whole game, but clearly I don't know anything about it. So what set Morrowind apart?
By seriously considering do you mean you as a lower level employee are seriously considering making a suggestion to do so, which nobody will listen to?
Haha, yeah, Microsoft is going down the toilet. I love how people on slashdot find out some piece of open source software might creep up to 2% market share and predict the doom of Microsoft.
And I don't see anything appealing about the new controller. I keep hearing ideas like that you could wield it like a sword, or use it for a fps, or whatever, none of which seems interesting to me.
Personally, I think if you can't get excited about the 360 and Xbox Live then there's something wrong with you. Xbox Live Arcade is brilliant and could be a stage for some great independent games. The different social interactions and online games that are possible on Xbox Live are really exciting to me. Waving my arm around to control my character is not exciting to me.
As to the second part of you argument, I don't actually care what format is used in the future, but I still fail to see any benefit to OpenDocument. If by "continued use" you and the other poster mean in the distant future, it's fine with me if there is a gradual transition to open formats.
On the other hand if a government I had to deal with mandated that OpenDocument was the only format they would work with, I would be pissed off. Even if Microsoft supported OpenDocument in their next version, the government would be forcing me to switch to an inferior open source program compared to software I've already purchased or upgrade immediately. Yes, I would have to upgrade eventually anyway, but when? I'm currently still using two versions back, and am not planning to upgrade to the new version as soon as it's out.
Yeah, that'd be super, if the question was making OpenOffice "The One True Document Format", but splitting the world between Microsoft's format and OpenOffice format isn't going to provide that benefit. Microsoft Office has huge advantages especially for corporate use over OpenOffice or StarOffice, so corporations will continue to pay more for Office (though certainly not $500 a seat, if you think that then you clearly have no idea what you're talking about), and unless Open Office gets a hell of a lot better, I'd keep Office too. I'm pretty sure most people would, since businesses can afford to pay for quality and personal users mostly get it with their PC at a big discount or pirate it anyway. So you have a few organizations who screw themselves by making sure they can't trade documents with people, and the rest who keep using Office, meaning Microsoft doesn't have to lower their prices.