and when Rare releases Perfect Dark Zero, they will mention "From the makers of Perfect Dark and Goldeneye".
Yep. In 2006, the proposed release date for Perfect Dark Zero. And it's got to be better advertising than "From the creators of Grabbed By The Ghoulies" as well.
Of course, since the GoldenEye team left Rare to form Free Radical before Perfect Dark came out, and the Perfect Dark team left Rare shortly after Perfect Dark came out, it will be true only in the fact that both games came from Rare. The actual PEOPLE behind the games won't be there at all.
Nintendo losing Rare as a developer (for whatever reason) is almost as damaging as losing the final fantasy games. Rare did some amazing stuff for Nintendo (Star Fox, Donkey Kong Country, Goldeneye, Perfect Dark).
Yeah, since Grabbed by the Ghoulies has done SOOOOOOOOO well on the Xbox. And Kameo seems to have been completely cancelled, despite being pretty much in a finished format. Also, it should be noted that Rare's StarFox game recieved mediocre reviews and sales.
Also, note, that with the exception of the Banjo games and Perfect Dark, all of Rare's other efforts on the N64 and Xbox with their own characters have done poorly compared to when Nintendo or MGM licensed them characters/rights to use (Battletoads on the NES did well, though).
Firstly: XBox, while it does not have a LOT of RPGs, has very GOOD ones. Morrowind and Knights of the Old Republic, for instance. (Morrowind was a launch title, so I don't know how your friends said there was no good RPG on XBox if they hadn't even bothered to pick up about the only RPG that was even available at all.)
Qhilw I can agree on KotOR being a great RPG, Morrowind I can't. I hated it, and that wasn't even because it is the bugggiest, glitchiest piece of software on the Xbox, either. I just didn't like how it played.
My friends, who did like it, however, got massively frustrated as the game would freeze while saving or loading, as well as other minor and major glitches within it. And, you know what? Apparently the GotY edition of Morrowind fixes none of these problems; all it does is add the PC expansions to the game. Yay.
With glitchfests such as Morrowind and Pirates of the Carribien, Bethesda Softworks sure is batting 1000.
(EBGames gave you a free GBA-to-GC connector if you pre-ordered FF:Crystal Chronicals)
Actually, that's Nintendo's doing. They did the same thing in Japan with pre-orders for the game as well. I got my GBA-GC link cable from GameStop with my pre-order.
So, in the case of FF:CC, you actually do save money if you planned on spending the $10 to get a GBA-GC link cable at any time in the future. You still pay the full price for FF:CC, but you get a $10 cable for free.
I also got a cool Viewtiful Joe bobble head for pre-ordering the game, but I am not sure if that was just GameStop doing that or Capcom with all stores. It's a cool bobblehead, though, of regular Joe.
neat and in some cases helpful, but for singleplayer gamers thats just a useless plug since the GBA-to-GC aspect is only for the multiplayer; thats one extra plug you don't need laying around.
Yes and no. I'll mainly be playing FF:CC single player, true...but if I pick up a GBA, I open up all sorts of things for my Animal Crossing (single player game), Metroid Prime (single player game), and others as well. It just all depends on if you ever plan on using these features of the other games. Right now, I have no GBA, just a GBPlayer for my GC to play GBA games on. But, FF:CC has tempted me to buy a GBASP so I can play it in multiplayer with my friends who have GBAs and link cables.
which is made in the US, and US citizens support US products, we know
Which, you know, completely explains why Xboxes sold today have "Made in China" on them, and my controller S models say "Made in Malaysia".
The idiots that say that "US company" crap to you, or anyone else, have no real clue.
The Xbox was NEVER made in the US. Originally there were 2 plants, one in Hungary and one in MEXICO, neither of which is the US. Soon after, though, the Hungarian plant closed down, and was moved to China. AFAIK, the Mexican factory was also shut down to have all current Xboxes made in China (but, I could be wrong on the Mexican factory part).
So, when you hear idiots say that the Xbox is made in the US, please ask them where in the US China is, or where in the US the country of Mexico is located.
The options span all genres and are all at the very least "good" games.
You call all of these 'good' games? Wreckless? Blood Wake? Blinx? Obi-Wan? Unreal (only good in multi-player on Live, not in single player)? Crash?
Please. MS' platinum hits line is more for titles that DON'T sell as opposed to those that do like on Sony and Nintendo's lowered price lines. I'm surprised to see Splinter Cell as a Platinum Hits title...it was the 4th title to hit 1 million units worldide on the Xbox. And, yet, still no Halo in that Platinum Hits line...
I was working in a NOCC about two years back when I got a blood clot too. It was pretty !@#$ing painful, I thought I'd gotten a hairline fracture in my pelvis -- I was just walking down the street when bam!
I'm currently recovering from a DVT that ran all the way from just below my groin into my calf. I didn't notice the symptoms until it felt like my whole leg had cramped up, then 3 days later (still cramped) I was in the hospital after noticing my leg was 3x the size of the other.
I had thought the bad cough and shortness of breath I had suffered a month before the symptoms of the leg showed up were from the onset of Bronchitis, it turns out I suffered a minor pulmonary embelism (minor being relative to the fact that I didn't just up and die from my lungs suddenly filling with blood from the piece of the clot that exploded there).
After I was admitted to the hospital, it became impossible to walk on the leg due to pain for almost a week.
This resulted in a few days in the hospital (IIRC, the bill came out to something like $5k just for 2-3 days).
That's it? I was in the hospital for 5 and a half days, had the ultrasound on my leg which discovered the clot, an encephalogram (ultrasound of the heart), and two C.A.T. Scans (the first of the abdomen caught the bottom of my lungs and revealed I had suffered a pulmonary embelism, the second to see how bad it was). My bill was over $40k... thank the gods I have health insurance, and only had to pay $200 of it.
After that, I was on fragmin which is injectable, and you do that yourself. In my case I found a spot around my bellbutton, pinch that area, then throw the needle in. Sounds terrible, wasn't that bad once you got the hang of stabbing yourself with a needle.
I had to do that with Lovanox in the hospital. Not too bad after the second time stabbing myself.
Then six months of warfarin, a blood thinner.
I'm on Coumodin (sp) until at least May (the clot was discovered November 20).
You also have to return to some location every two weeks for them to take blood to make sure your warfarin dose does not need tweaking.
They've tweaked mine twice so far. Sent me home on 7.5 mg per day, then changed to 5 mg one day, 7.5 the next, now I'm back up to 7.5 mg a day. I just did my most recent PT/INR test this afternoon; so I'll find out by Monday if my dosage is changing again.
I'm convinced that it was linked to my job at the NOCC but it wasn't until about a year later that I actually saw links coming out in the medical journals between sitting for long periods and DVT.
My work is different, I'm standing for about 9 hours a day, barely moving while on a machine 30 feet up in the air. I think the lack of movement of my legs over long periods of time, even while standing, helped to cause my DVT.
Sitting isn't the only way to get it, just not moving your leg for long periods of time, in any position can cause DVT of the leg.
Of course, I'm sure the hours I spend in front of my PC at home didn't help matters any, either.
Honestly, my doctors were stumped as to why I had this DVT. I'm only 29, yet this was a clot that had been growing for months. I had suffered no leg trauma, nor had I been on any lengthy car/train/plane rides (in August I flew to Atlanta, but that's 2 hours each way, and my flights were a week apart from each other), and all the genetic tests they did came back negative for genetic reasons for clotting (in fact, on my mother's side, there is a Type-8 deficiancy, which means my mother's side of the family has a hard time clotting).
I'm back to work, wearing a compression stocking... but I didn't have the time to put it on on Wed. My leg, 8 hours into my shift, was again 3x the size of the other, so I left before my 9+ hour shift was over.
The connection between sitting for long periods and getting DVT seems to be pretty clear.
As I said, it seems that any prolonged position of the legs can cause this, not just sitting down. I stand all day at work, and I got one.
Sales of the Gamecube, although up from the major price cut, are still dismal, and games aren't selling well, either.
Really?
Xbox Lead before GC price cut in North America: 1.4 million units.
Xbox lead at end of 2003: 800,000.
That's a loss of 600,000 on their million plus lead.
(the following between Xbox and GC only)
Console that sold more in North America in calendar Q4: GameCube
Console that sold more as of end of year estimated sales in North America: GameCube
Console with more million selling games, worldwide: GameCube: 10 games (Xbox has 4)
Time it took Mario Kart Double Dash to reach 1 million units sold in North America: 7 weeks from launch.
Console currently in second place, worldwide: GameCube
So, let's recap:
MS sold LESS Xboxes than Nintendo sold GC's in 2003.
Xbox North American lead cut almost in half in under 4 months from GC price drop.
The GameCube has over 2x the amount of games that have sold over 1 million copies, wolrdwide.
The GameCube is still outselling the Xbox, worldwide.
Yep, looks like you're totally right on your facts.
To offer more anecdotal evidence, my roommate's the 3rd key at the local Gamestop. He says the only way they can sell the Gamecube anymore is to hype it as kid-friendly (which it admitedly is) to soccer moms looking for something to shut their brats up.
Funny, my local stores can't keep GC's in stock right now. And over the holidays? Forget it. They sold more GC's than either the Xbox or the PS2. They'd sell out of GC's almost the very day they came in; while they still have PS2's and Xboxes from Christmas to sell.
And Sony's shipped over 70 million PS2's, worldwide.
By your logic, everyone who wants a PS2 would have one by now.
Also, I hardly consider the time between October and now "quite a while". The PS2 and Xbox have been at their respective price points since May (5 months longer than the GC's $99 price point). Shouldn't your faulty logic dictate that people would have them already at that rpice as well?
Microsoft PUSHED bundles on Xbox launch pre-orders through outlets such as Electronics Boutique and GameStop. The bundles were REQUIRED for a pre-order, and people who pre-ordered were FORCED to purchase 2 Microsoft published games from a list, and a third game of their choice (first or third party game) from another (shorter) list, as well as a Microsoft made controller, and either a Microsoft made memory card or the Microsoft made DVD Playback Kit.
Prices for pre-orders came to well over $500.
It's obvious these were Microsoft pushed bundles, or else the retailers would have allowed a wider choice of games as well as the choices of third party accessories.
People didn't need to pre-order, though, since there would be places like Wal-Mart and Toys "R" Us which did not do pre-order bundles; but when it became apparant that Microsoft was going to ship around half of what they initially promised (they promised between 600k-800k at launch, but only delivered around 400k for launch day), it was 'safer' for people to pre-order their Xboxes. And, even then, pre-orders were not garaunteed their Xboxes on launch day, some had to wait for the second or third shipments before they got their pre-ordered Xbox (I live 10 minutes outside of Philly, and local stores around me recieved less than half their pre-orders on launch day, and had to wait for repleneshments to finsih their pre-orders).
So, while it was never 'officially' a bundle-only launch, Microsoft did force retailers to only allow pre-orders if the pre-orders were a forced MS-centric bundle (gaining them the most revenue from the bundles).
EB, also, even after the launch, continued to force bundles on customers who wanted an Xbox all the way through the 2001 holiday season, although this wasn't as restrictive as the initial MS bundle.
Call of Cthulu could work as a series on HBO or Showtime as well. Just have the main character go completely batty at the end of each season, and start off the new season with somone freshly thrown into the Mythos.
If they want to adapt something from White Wolf, why not make a script based on Vampire: The Masquerade?
I think White Wolf would want a bigger budget, a good director and cast for Vampire or Werewolf, were they to be optioned for movies.
Mage, OTOH, I could see being a TV show more than a movie, especially on HBO or Showtime, where they could be a bit more free to work than on network TV.
though if the Dungeons and Dragons movie is any indication, Hollywood would just really screw it up.
I wish the memory cards for the Xbox were less expensive. I only bought one so I can bring my Live account to friends' houses. The Live account takes up 1 measly block on the memory card, and I'll never use it for anything else besides bringing my account to friend's houses.
I kind of kick myself for it, being that I spent over $20 to bring a super tiny file around, but being able to use my voice and such at friends' houses is worth it when we go online at their places.
The only other problem I have, is that at this point I see no reason for Nintendo to make a next gen console. The GC still has alot of potential left in it, and it seems absurd to make gamers buy a new console, and new games for it.
The problem here, though, is the perception of being left behind in the race.
Don't think Sony and Microsoft (especially Microsoft) wouldn't immediately capitalize on the abiltiy to claim that Nintendo has fallen behind if they aren't ready with another console when Sony and Microsoft are.
I actually think that both the GC and Xbox have a lot of untapped potential that could take another 4-5 years to fully maximize... but if Sony has a new console, it won't matter. The masses always want something new; and with the hype machine Sony has, don't think that if Nintendo and Microsoft waitied a year after the launch of the PS3 that what we see in this generation (Sony overwhelmingly controlling console marketshare) wouldn't happen again. Even if the PS3 had only 1 launch title, if it was out a year before the others, it would just sell more.
So, while it shortens the GC's and Xbox's lifespans, both companies need to be ready to launch within just a few months of Sony; just to be able to try and compete. IF all three companies release right around the same time, the fight for marketshare will come down to the games, more than 'w3 pwnz0r j00 w17h 0ur h4rdw4r3!!!!!'
Besides, nothing is stopping Nintendo, and others, from releasing GC games into the life of the N5. People were still making games for the NES long into the SNES' life, and SNES games long into the N64's life (ok, N64 games weren't as big in the GC's life). Hell, Nintendo only just stopped making replacement parts for the NES this year.
2. Losing money on each console sold does not make selling a whole lot more of them necessarily great. To counter this, you need...ta da, software sales!
True. Microsoft has shown this is spades.
Home and Entertainment Division: -$2.135 Billion + since the launch of the Xbox, with the Xbox being the cause of most of that loss. Seems software sales aren't helping them out in regards to making any money on the Xbox.
So, while they claim to have this huge attach ratio of games to the Xbox, it doesn't look like they're selling nearly as much as they need to turn any sort of profit.
We'll have to see what the sales tracking places like NPD and such say to see how software is selling, though. I'm of the opinion that the PS2 still sold more software, overall, simply due to its larger installed base.
Nintendo's problem with software sales is, really, that third party software just doesn't sell as well as first party stuff. There's a hundred different reasons for it floating around; but third party support is based on how well the third party games sell on the console, not the overall userbase on each console (for most things, half the crap on the PS2 is just out there to see if it will move at all with the huge installed base it has).
With very few exceptions, Sony and Microsoft see better sales of third party software on their consoles than Nintendo sees third party sales on theirs. One major reason said, and it's more or less true in most respects, is that Sony and Microsoft just don't have the strength in their first party titles that Nintendo does, so third parties have a better chance of selling on the PS2 and Xbox.
Sony doesn't release that many first party titles, but their latest ones have been pretty good (according to reviews and such, I haven't played any). Microsoft has tried to throw as many first/second party titles out in the market as possible, but 90% of them are crap; which still helps third parties. Nintendo, on the other hand, creates good, fun first party games that sell well.
So, maybe Nintendo's problem is that they just make games too well (this could also have been argued for Sega when they were in the hardware business, since Sega makes excellent games)? First party games see the most sales on the GC at all times. Compare that to how well first party games tend to do on the PS2 and Xbox at all times.
Third parties are going to go where they can sell more, not just based on userbase, but also just in the fact that the competition isn't quite as strong from the console maker.
Just imagine the looks on third party publishers' faces who decide to launch games on the GC at the same time as a Nintendo first party game (Mario, Metroid, Zelda, Smash Bros., Mario Kart, etc.) is released. It must be somewhere between crying and utter horror at knowing the all important first-week sales are going to be completely eclipsed by the Nintendo game. I know I'd rather launch against most Sony or Microsoft first party titles instead (unless its GT4 from Sony, or Halo 2 from Microsoft) if I was a third party publisher.
Make it easy for your developers. Choose the platform where it is easiest to program your game in so you can get to market quicker. If your game is good enough, people will buy the console to play your game.
This is probably, besides the "design a great game" part, the most important thing to remember. However, it is more on the hardware manufacturers than the developers to provide easy to program for hardware.
Look at history, and you'll see only one fluke, the PS2. The Sega Saturn was a bitch to program for, according to developers; the Dreamcast's PowerVR made it hard for some developers; and the N64 wasn't easy to program for either. The reason that we see so much support behind the PS2 is userbase, so even though it's a bear to porgram for, companies know they can probably make money on the PS2. (It's also unfortunate that most of that userbase, initially, was built on unfulfilled promises and hype by Sony.)
Both the Xbox and GameCube are supposed to be really easy to program for. DirectX in the Xbox is known by many developers; and the OpenGL libraries for the GC are well known by developers as well. Plus, both companies supposedly offer very good support for developers in learning their hardware.
While Sony does use OpenGL in the PS2, the use of both the Emotion Engine and Graphics Synthesiser processors for everything (which was the main complaint of the Saturn, remember; it had multiple processors that needed to be used in conjunction to achieve the best results), as well as using the VUs in ADDITION to the Graphics Synthesiser/Emotion Engine processor use combo, makes it harder to make games that will both look real good and move at decent frame rates. Plus, Sony is supposedly not very friendly at helping out the developers in learning the hardware.
And, the unfortunate thing is that I don't see the CELL architecture being very programmer friendly, either. Supposedly 4 CELLs in one PS3? Is the architecture of the CELL something that developers can learn easily and quickly? Will Sony offer support to developers to learn the CELL architecture? If the answers are on he bad side for all of these questions, then I don't see the PS3 being a dream for developers; unless Sony's hype can make it sell out in one day again.
Oh yes. I have Max Payne 2 for my Xbox (we got it for free from Rockstar, but have to review it for GAF as my 'payment'), and it is one good looking game, in most respects (character models could still use some work).
The PS2 version, by comparrison, is utter crap looking. Horrid, washed out textures, the overall blandness of the entire thing.
Still, the PC version, with the correct PC graphics specs (which I don't have), blows the Xbox version away in graphics as well, especially since PC version of the game can support much higher resolutions than the Xbox version.
I'm not saying games can't look awesome on the PS2, like it may sound like from my OP, really. Zone of the Enders the 2nd Runner is one gorgeous (and fluid moving) game, as is Final Fantasy X. But those are PS2 exclusive titles.
But, we all know that when most games get ported from the PS2 to other systems that they suffer from 'PS2 Port Syndrome'; where the developers do a quick and dirty port, without offering buyers on the GC or Xbox the graphical abilities these consoles have over the PS2.
UbiSoft showed that even with the limitations the PS2 has compared to the Xbox and GC, that you can still make a great looking game (Splinter Cell) and have it on all the consoles. In fact, IIRC, UbiSoft actually re-wrote all the rendering abilities for each console to be console specific, so that it would look good on all of them.
So, while Sony Europe may be right that games could look better on the PS2, blaming 'ports from other systems' is simply laughable (again, 9 out of 10 go to the others from the Ps2, not the other way around). Besdies, with a few exceptions, Sony published games don't look all that hot on the PS2, either.
"A lot of the games that don't really use vector units are ports from other systems."
Funny, most muti-platform games are designed on the PS2 FIRST, not last. There's two I can think of, though: Splinter Cell (which really did look good on all three consoles), and Wreckless: the Yakuza Missions (which is just a shitty game, period).
There're very few that go from GC to PS2 or Xbox to PS2. Normally they're either PS2 to Xbox or GC, or they are developed at the same time for all the consoles that the game will launch on.
Blackley left last year. He started his own game development house (presumably with something to show at E3 this year, even if just tech demos).
Fries left this year.
Blackley and Fries were the 2 'game guys' out of the 4 of the main executive Xbox guys (Bach and Allard being the other 2). The other 2 are the 'technology and power!!!!' guys.
Notice this announcment, even though it was apparently months in the making, comes almost right after Gates unveied the Xbox Media Extender at the CES. I hardly doubt that MS put the Xbox Media Extender together right before the CES.
Perhaps the thought of the next Xbox being the UltimateTV-MSN TV-Media Extender Device-Xbox are true, then? Maybe Fries wanted it to be a game console only (or at least first), and Microsoft has decided that the next Xbox must become the center of the living room and the "Digital Lifestyle Experience" with as many MS products integrated in as possible?
Whatever the case truly is, expect more talk to be of hardware, specs, and sh33r p0w3r!!!! over anything else when talking about the Xbox, and it's future incarnation (if it has one given the $2.135 BILLION lost since its launch) now that Fries and Blackley are both gone.
So? I'll be 30 this year and was a fan of most of these shows.
Considering that people that age grew up playing simple arcade games, I doubt that they're going to be able to handle a 3D title.
Yeah, we all stick to Pong, since it fits our arthritic wrists and fingers, not to mention our brains that can't seem to comprehend 3D games, much nicer than trying to play GTAIII/VC, Zelda: The Wind Waker, Knights of the Old Republic, Half-Life, etc.
Damn, my rhumatoid is flaring up, and my brain is frying from typing this.
Not to mention, I would highly doubt that there's very many people that age playing video games at all.
Yeah, you know how these fancy controllers and all their buttons make us old farts unable to play on them. Back in my day we only needed a joystick, and no buttons!
Predator is 20th Century Fox, not Universal.
(C) 2001 - 2002 Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation. All rights reserved. Aliens versus Predator(TM), Fox Interactive and their respective logos are trademarks of Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation. All other trademarks and copyrights are property of their respective owners.
They don't. Remember the obfuscated "proof" they showed a few months back? It was shown the examples were all from BSD code, and that SCO had removed the BSD copyright (a violation of the BSD Licesne).
It wouldn't surprise me in the least if IBM were to go into court with the SCO 'proof', and a copy of the BSD source as well, and simply point out, line by line file by file, that all of SCO's 'evidence' is actually from BSD that was incorporated into UNIX Sytetm V. And then, of course, if the UNIX code doesn't have the appropriate copyrights needed under the BSD license, Berkley could go after SCO for millions of dollars SCO won't have after the IBM case.
Slashdot Mirror
Yep. In 2006, the proposed release date for Perfect Dark Zero. And it's got to be better advertising than "From the creators of Grabbed By The Ghoulies" as well.
Of course, since the GoldenEye team left Rare to form Free Radical before Perfect Dark came out, and the Perfect Dark team left Rare shortly after Perfect Dark came out, it will be true only in the fact that both games came from Rare. The actual PEOPLE behind the games won't be there at all.
Nintendo losing Rare as a developer (for whatever reason) is almost as damaging as losing the final fantasy games. Rare did some amazing stuff for Nintendo (Star Fox, Donkey Kong Country, Goldeneye, Perfect Dark).
Yeah, since Grabbed by the Ghoulies has done SOOOOOOOOO well on the Xbox. And Kameo seems to have been completely cancelled, despite being pretty much in a finished format. Also, it should be noted that Rare's StarFox game recieved mediocre reviews and sales.
Also, note, that with the exception of the Banjo games and Perfect Dark, all of Rare's other efforts on the N64 and Xbox with their own characters have done poorly compared to when Nintendo or MGM licensed them characters/rights to use (Battletoads on the NES did well, though).
Qhilw I can agree on KotOR being a great RPG, Morrowind I can't. I hated it, and that wasn't even because it is the bugggiest, glitchiest piece of software on the Xbox, either. I just didn't like how it played.
My friends, who did like it, however, got massively frustrated as the game would freeze while saving or loading, as well as other minor and major glitches within it. And, you know what? Apparently the GotY edition of Morrowind fixes none of these problems; all it does is add the PC expansions to the game. Yay.
With glitchfests such as Morrowind and Pirates of the Carribien, Bethesda Softworks sure is batting 1000.
Actually, that's Nintendo's doing. They did the same thing in Japan with pre-orders for the game as well. I got my GBA-GC link cable from GameStop with my pre-order.
So, in the case of FF:CC, you actually do save money if you planned on spending the $10 to get a GBA-GC link cable at any time in the future. You still pay the full price for FF:CC, but you get a $10 cable for free.
I also got a cool Viewtiful Joe bobble head for pre-ordering the game, but I am not sure if that was just GameStop doing that or Capcom with all stores. It's a cool bobblehead, though, of regular Joe.
neat and in some cases helpful, but for singleplayer gamers thats just a useless plug since the GBA-to-GC aspect is only for the multiplayer; thats one extra plug you don't need laying around.
Yes and no. I'll mainly be playing FF:CC single player, true...but if I pick up a GBA, I open up all sorts of things for my Animal Crossing (single player game), Metroid Prime (single player game), and others as well. It just all depends on if you ever plan on using these features of the other games. Right now, I have no GBA, just a GBPlayer for my GC to play GBA games on. But, FF:CC has tempted me to buy a GBASP so I can play it in multiplayer with my friends who have GBAs and link cables.
Which, you know, completely explains why Xboxes sold today have "Made in China" on them, and my controller S models say "Made in Malaysia".
The idiots that say that "US company" crap to you, or anyone else, have no real clue.
The Xbox was NEVER made in the US. Originally there were 2 plants, one in Hungary and one in MEXICO, neither of which is the US. Soon after, though, the Hungarian plant closed down, and was moved to China. AFAIK, the Mexican factory was also shut down to have all current Xboxes made in China (but, I could be wrong on the Mexican factory part).
So, when you hear idiots say that the Xbox is made in the US, please ask them where in the US China is, or where in the US the country of Mexico is located.
You call all of these 'good' games? Wreckless? Blood Wake? Blinx? Obi-Wan? Unreal (only good in multi-player on Live, not in single player)? Crash?
Please. MS' platinum hits line is more for titles that DON'T sell as opposed to those that do like on Sony and Nintendo's lowered price lines. I'm surprised to see Splinter Cell as a Platinum Hits title...it was the 4th title to hit 1 million units worldide on the Xbox. And, yet, still no Halo in that Platinum Hits line...
I'm currently recovering from a DVT that ran all the way from just below my groin into my calf. I didn't notice the symptoms until it felt like my whole leg had cramped up, then 3 days later (still cramped) I was in the hospital after noticing my leg was 3x the size of the other.
I had thought the bad cough and shortness of breath I had suffered a month before the symptoms of the leg showed up were from the onset of Bronchitis, it turns out I suffered a minor pulmonary embelism (minor being relative to the fact that I didn't just up and die from my lungs suddenly filling with blood from the piece of the clot that exploded there).
After I was admitted to the hospital, it became impossible to walk on the leg due to pain for almost a week.
This resulted in a few days in the hospital (IIRC, the bill came out to something like $5k just for 2-3 days).
That's it? I was in the hospital for 5 and a half days, had the ultrasound on my leg which discovered the clot, an encephalogram (ultrasound of the heart), and two C.A.T. Scans (the first of the abdomen caught the bottom of my lungs and revealed I had suffered a pulmonary embelism, the second to see how bad it was). My bill was over $40k... thank the gods I have health insurance, and only had to pay $200 of it.
After that, I was on fragmin which is injectable, and you do that yourself. In my case I found a spot around my bellbutton, pinch that area, then throw the needle in. Sounds terrible, wasn't that bad once you got the hang of stabbing yourself with a needle.
I had to do that with Lovanox in the hospital. Not too bad after the second time stabbing myself.
Then six months of warfarin, a blood thinner.
I'm on Coumodin (sp) until at least May (the clot was discovered November 20).
You also have to return to some location every two weeks for them to take blood to make sure your warfarin dose does not need tweaking.
They've tweaked mine twice so far. Sent me home on 7.5 mg per day, then changed to 5 mg one day, 7.5 the next, now I'm back up to 7.5 mg a day. I just did my most recent PT/INR test this afternoon; so I'll find out by Monday if my dosage is changing again.
I'm convinced that it was linked to my job at the NOCC but it wasn't until about a year later that I actually saw links coming out in the medical journals between sitting for long periods and DVT.
My work is different, I'm standing for about 9 hours a day, barely moving while on a machine 30 feet up in the air. I think the lack of movement of my legs over long periods of time, even while standing, helped to cause my DVT.
Sitting isn't the only way to get it, just not moving your leg for long periods of time, in any position can cause DVT of the leg.
Of course, I'm sure the hours I spend in front of my PC at home didn't help matters any, either.
Honestly, my doctors were stumped as to why I had this DVT. I'm only 29, yet this was a clot that had been growing for months. I had suffered no leg trauma, nor had I been on any lengthy car/train/plane rides (in August I flew to Atlanta, but that's 2 hours each way, and my flights were a week apart from each other), and all the genetic tests they did came back negative for genetic reasons for clotting (in fact, on my mother's side, there is a Type-8 deficiancy, which means my mother's side of the family has a hard time clotting).
I'm back to work, wearing a compression stocking... but I didn't have the time to put it on on Wed. My leg, 8 hours into my shift, was again 3x the size of the other, so I left before my 9+ hour shift was over.
The connection between sitting for long periods and getting DVT seems to be pretty clear.
As I said, it seems that any prolonged position of the legs can cause this, not just sitting down. I stand all day at work, and I got one.
I will be looking into this.
Really?
Xbox Lead before GC price cut in North America: 1.4 million units.
Xbox lead at end of 2003: 800,000.
That's a loss of 600,000 on their million plus lead.
(the following between Xbox and GC only)
Console that sold more in North America in calendar Q4: GameCube
Console that sold more as of end of year estimated sales in North America: GameCube
Console with more million selling games, worldwide: GameCube: 10 games (Xbox has 4)
Time it took Mario Kart Double Dash to reach 1 million units sold in North America: 7 weeks from launch.
Console currently in second place, worldwide: GameCube
So, let's recap:
MS sold LESS Xboxes than Nintendo sold GC's in 2003.
Xbox North American lead cut almost in half in under 4 months from GC price drop.
The GameCube has over 2x the amount of games that have sold over 1 million copies, wolrdwide.
The GameCube is still outselling the Xbox, worldwide.
Yep, looks like you're totally right on your facts.
To offer more anecdotal evidence, my roommate's the 3rd key at the local Gamestop. He says the only way they can sell the Gamecube anymore is to hype it as kid-friendly (which it admitedly is) to soccer moms looking for something to shut their brats up.
Funny, my local stores can't keep GC's in stock right now. And over the holidays? Forget it. They sold more GC's than either the Xbox or the PS2. They'd sell out of GC's almost the very day they came in; while they still have PS2's and Xboxes from Christmas to sell.
My anecdotal evidence any better than yours?
By your logic, everyone who wants a PS2 would have one by now.
Also, I hardly consider the time between October and now "quite a while". The PS2 and Xbox have been at their respective price points since May (5 months longer than the GC's $99 price point). Shouldn't your faulty logic dictate that people would have them already at that rpice as well?
True and untrue at the same time.
Microsoft PUSHED bundles on Xbox launch pre-orders through outlets such as Electronics Boutique and GameStop. The bundles were REQUIRED for a pre-order, and people who pre-ordered were FORCED to purchase 2 Microsoft published games from a list, and a third game of their choice (first or third party game) from another (shorter) list, as well as a Microsoft made controller, and either a Microsoft made memory card or the Microsoft made DVD Playback Kit.
Prices for pre-orders came to well over $500.
It's obvious these were Microsoft pushed bundles, or else the retailers would have allowed a wider choice of games as well as the choices of third party accessories.
People didn't need to pre-order, though, since there would be places like Wal-Mart and Toys "R" Us which did not do pre-order bundles; but when it became apparant that Microsoft was going to ship around half of what they initially promised (they promised between 600k-800k at launch, but only delivered around 400k for launch day), it was 'safer' for people to pre-order their Xboxes. And, even then, pre-orders were not garaunteed their Xboxes on launch day, some had to wait for the second or third shipments before they got their pre-ordered Xbox (I live 10 minutes outside of Philly, and local stores around me recieved less than half their pre-orders on launch day, and had to wait for repleneshments to finsih their pre-orders) .
So, while it was never 'officially' a bundle-only launch, Microsoft did force retailers to only allow pre-orders if the pre-orders were a forced MS-centric bundle (gaining them the most revenue from the bundles).
EB, also, even after the launch, continued to force bundles on customers who wanted an Xbox all the way through the 2001 holiday season, although this wasn't as restrictive as the initial MS bundle.
I think White Wolf would want a bigger budget, a good director and cast for Vampire or Werewolf, were they to be optioned for movies.
Mage, OTOH, I could see being a TV show more than a movie, especially on HBO or Showtime, where they could be a bit more free to work than on network TV.
though if the Dungeons and Dragons movie is any indication, Hollywood would just really screw it up.
Too true.
It'll probably sell just as well as BMX XXX, too.
I kind of kick myself for it, being that I spent over $20 to bring a super tiny file around, but being able to use my voice and such at friends' houses is worth it when we go online at their places.
The problem here, though, is the perception of being left behind in the race.
Don't think Sony and Microsoft (especially Microsoft) wouldn't immediately capitalize on the abiltiy to claim that Nintendo has fallen behind if they aren't ready with another console when Sony and Microsoft are.
I actually think that both the GC and Xbox have a lot of untapped potential that could take another 4-5 years to fully maximize... but if Sony has a new console, it won't matter. The masses always want something new; and with the hype machine Sony has, don't think that if Nintendo and Microsoft waitied a year after the launch of the PS3 that what we see in this generation (Sony overwhelmingly controlling console marketshare) wouldn't happen again. Even if the PS3 had only 1 launch title, if it was out a year before the others, it would just sell more.
So, while it shortens the GC's and Xbox's lifespans, both companies need to be ready to launch within just a few months of Sony; just to be able to try and compete. IF all three companies release right around the same time, the fight for marketshare will come down to the games, more than 'w3 pwnz0r j00 w17h 0ur h4rdw4r3!!!!!'
Besides, nothing is stopping Nintendo, and others, from releasing GC games into the life of the N5. People were still making games for the NES long into the SNES' life, and SNES games long into the N64's life (ok, N64 games weren't as big in the GC's life). Hell, Nintendo only just stopped making replacement parts for the NES this year.
True. Microsoft has shown this is spades.
Home and Entertainment Division: -$2.135 Billion + since the launch of the Xbox, with the Xbox being the cause of most of that loss. Seems software sales aren't helping them out in regards to making any money on the Xbox.
So, while they claim to have this huge attach ratio of games to the Xbox, it doesn't look like they're selling nearly as much as they need to turn any sort of profit.
We'll have to see what the sales tracking places like NPD and such say to see how software is selling, though. I'm of the opinion that the PS2 still sold more software, overall, simply due to its larger installed base.
Nintendo's problem with software sales is, really, that third party software just doesn't sell as well as first party stuff. There's a hundred different reasons for it floating around; but third party support is based on how well the third party games sell on the console, not the overall userbase on each console (for most things, half the crap on the PS2 is just out there to see if it will move at all with the huge installed base it has).
With very few exceptions, Sony and Microsoft see better sales of third party software on their consoles than Nintendo sees third party sales on theirs. One major reason said, and it's more or less true in most respects, is that Sony and Microsoft just don't have the strength in their first party titles that Nintendo does, so third parties have a better chance of selling on the PS2 and Xbox.
Sony doesn't release that many first party titles, but their latest ones have been pretty good (according to reviews and such, I haven't played any). Microsoft has tried to throw as many first/second party titles out in the market as possible, but 90% of them are crap; which still helps third parties. Nintendo, on the other hand, creates good, fun first party games that sell well.
So, maybe Nintendo's problem is that they just make games too well (this could also have been argued for Sega when they were in the hardware business, since Sega makes excellent games)? First party games see the most sales on the GC at all times. Compare that to how well first party games tend to do on the PS2 and Xbox at all times.
Third parties are going to go where they can sell more, not just based on userbase, but also just in the fact that the competition isn't quite as strong from the console maker.
Just imagine the looks on third party publishers' faces who decide to launch games on the GC at the same time as a Nintendo first party game (Mario, Metroid, Zelda, Smash Bros., Mario Kart, etc.) is released. It must be somewhere between crying and utter horror at knowing the all important first-week sales are going to be completely eclipsed by the Nintendo game. I know I'd rather launch against most Sony or Microsoft first party titles instead (unless its GT4 from Sony, or Halo 2 from Microsoft) if I was a third party publisher.
This is probably, besides the "design a great game" part, the most important thing to remember. However, it is more on the hardware manufacturers than the developers to provide easy to program for hardware.
Look at history, and you'll see only one fluke, the PS2. The Sega Saturn was a bitch to program for, according to developers; the Dreamcast's PowerVR made it hard for some developers; and the N64 wasn't easy to program for either. The reason that we see so much support behind the PS2 is userbase, so even though it's a bear to porgram for, companies know they can probably make money on the PS2. (It's also unfortunate that most of that userbase, initially, was built on unfulfilled promises and hype by Sony.)
Both the Xbox and GameCube are supposed to be really easy to program for. DirectX in the Xbox is known by many developers; and the OpenGL libraries for the GC are well known by developers as well. Plus, both companies supposedly offer very good support for developers in learning their hardware.
While Sony does use OpenGL in the PS2, the use of both the Emotion Engine and Graphics Synthesiser processors for everything (which was the main complaint of the Saturn, remember; it had multiple processors that needed to be used in conjunction to achieve the best results), as well as using the VUs in ADDITION to the Graphics Synthesiser/Emotion Engine processor use combo, makes it harder to make games that will both look real good and move at decent frame rates. Plus, Sony is supposedly not very friendly at helping out the developers in learning the hardware.
And, the unfortunate thing is that I don't see the CELL architecture being very programmer friendly, either. Supposedly 4 CELLs in one PS3? Is the architecture of the CELL something that developers can learn easily and quickly? Will Sony offer support to developers to learn the CELL architecture? If the answers are on he bad side for all of these questions, then I don't see the PS3 being a dream for developers; unless Sony's hype can make it sell out in one day again.
The PS2 version, by comparrison, is utter crap looking. Horrid, washed out textures, the overall blandness of the entire thing.
Still, the PC version, with the correct PC graphics specs (which I don't have), blows the Xbox version away in graphics as well, especially since PC version of the game can support much higher resolutions than the Xbox version.
I'm not saying games can't look awesome on the PS2, like it may sound like from my OP, really. Zone of the Enders the 2nd Runner is one gorgeous (and fluid moving) game, as is Final Fantasy X. But those are PS2 exclusive titles.
But, we all know that when most games get ported from the PS2 to other systems that they suffer from 'PS2 Port Syndrome'; where the developers do a quick and dirty port, without offering buyers on the GC or Xbox the graphical abilities these consoles have over the PS2.
UbiSoft showed that even with the limitations the PS2 has compared to the Xbox and GC, that you can still make a great looking game (Splinter Cell) and have it on all the consoles. In fact, IIRC, UbiSoft actually re-wrote all the rendering abilities for each console to be console specific, so that it would look good on all of them.
So, while Sony Europe may be right that games could look better on the PS2, blaming 'ports from other systems' is simply laughable (again, 9 out of 10 go to the others from the Ps2, not the other way around). Besdies, with a few exceptions, Sony published games don't look all that hot on the PS2, either.
Funny, most muti-platform games are designed on the PS2 FIRST, not last. There's two I can think of, though: Splinter Cell (which really did look good on all three consoles), and Wreckless: the Yakuza Missions (which is just a shitty game, period).
There're very few that go from GC to PS2 or Xbox to PS2. Normally they're either PS2 to Xbox or GC, or they are developed at the same time for all the consoles that the game will launch on.
So, I wonder how many games equates to 'a lot?'
err hardly think, not doubt. Damn my typing before I think.
Fries left this year.
Blackley and Fries were the 2 'game guys' out of the 4 of the main executive Xbox guys (Bach and Allard being the other 2). The other 2 are the 'technology and power!!!!' guys.
Notice this announcment, even though it was apparently months in the making, comes almost right after Gates unveied the Xbox Media Extender at the CES. I hardly doubt that MS put the Xbox Media Extender together right before the CES.
Perhaps the thought of the next Xbox being the UltimateTV-MSN TV-Media Extender Device-Xbox are true, then? Maybe Fries wanted it to be a game console only (or at least first), and Microsoft has decided that the next Xbox must become the center of the living room and the "Digital Lifestyle Experience" with as many MS products integrated in as possible?
Whatever the case truly is, expect more talk to be of hardware, specs, and sh33r p0w3r!!!! over anything else when talking about the Xbox, and it's future incarnation (if it has one given the $2.135 BILLION lost since its launch) now that Fries and Blackley are both gone.
So? I'll be 30 this year and was a fan of most of these shows.
Considering that people that age grew up playing simple arcade games, I doubt that they're going to be able to handle a 3D title.
Yeah, we all stick to Pong, since it fits our arthritic wrists and fingers, not to mention our brains that can't seem to comprehend 3D games, much nicer than trying to play GTAIII/VC, Zelda: The Wind Waker, Knights of the Old Republic, Half-Life, etc.
Damn, my rhumatoid is flaring up, and my brain is frying from typing this.
Not to mention, I would highly doubt that there's very many people that age playing video games at all.
Yeah, you know how these fancy controllers and all their buttons make us old farts unable to play on them. Back in my day we only needed a joystick, and no buttons!
When you grow a brain, do be sure to let us know.
Predator is 20th Century Fox, not Universal. (C) 2001 - 2002 Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation. All rights reserved. Aliens versus Predator(TM), Fox Interactive and their respective logos are trademarks of Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation. All other trademarks and copyrights are property of their respective owners.
It wouldn't surprise me in the least if IBM were to go into court with the SCO 'proof', and a copy of the BSD source as well, and simply point out, line by line file by file, that all of SCO's 'evidence' is actually from BSD that was incorporated into UNIX Sytetm V. And then, of course, if the UNIX code doesn't have the appropriate copyrights needed under the BSD license, Berkley could go after SCO for millions of dollars SCO won't have after the IBM case.