If you were to actually read his original comment, you'd see he was speaking of the Xboxes in his local Wal-Mart.
And, yes, when I go by the game sections in places like Wal-Mart, the Xbox normally has either "The disk is dirty or scratched" screen up, or the "Your Xbox is in need of service, call 1-800-4MY-XBOX" screens.
I've never had any of these problems on my personal Xbox, either, but I have seen the Xboxes down and out at retail outlets with demo machines.
"With today's announcement, Rare becomes the latest member of a star-studded lineup at Microsoft Game Studios, joining such prestigious worldwide developers as Bungie Studios, the masterminds behind the smash hit "Halo(TM)," named Game of the Year by Electronic Gaming Monthly. Rare's first creation for Xbox, "Kameo," is expected to reach store shelves next spring. Also under development is the highly anticipated sequel to "Perfect Dark." The company is expecting to develop at least five games over the next two years in a variety of genres, including racing, shooters and platformers."
Well, let's see, been just over a year, and no games yet. If Rare is to keep its promise, that means we need to see 5 games come out from them for the Xbox before September 2004.
REQUIRES Xbox Live to play, even for single player mode. It's something left over from the Japanese launch of Xbox Live and the bundle of PSO with it. They wanted to make sure people couldn't just sell PSO separately.
It shouldn't have remained in the North American version, but it did.
IM chat is the same way. If I'm using ICQ, I can't chat with the people over on MSN Messenger. So what? You can run multiple IM clients if you desire, or you can try to come to agreement with your friends on which IM software they're going to standardize on so you can all talk to each other.
Personally, I LIKE seeing all my contacts on one list, rather than having 3 different IM clients open (Through Trillian Pro I use ICQ, AIM, and Yahoo, I don't use MSN). I also prefer to have only one client program running as opposed to 3 at the same time.
Rather than try and get all my contacts onto one IM client, or have multiple clients running, I can see them all when I want to see them.
There will always be people trying to "break the rules" by building cross-network compatible clients, but it'll just be a "cat and mouse game" unless the network providers decide those clients are "ok" for use with their systems.
Demand is what will either force interoperability, and third party clients; or it will kill it.
Remember, Microsoft bitched and moaned, as did Yahoo, about AOL not allowing them access to AIM's network. Now both companies have some marketshare, and want to pull the same shit they complained about. Not out of the ordinary for either Microsoft or Yahoo, though.
But why should these comapnies decide on what consumers want/need? If the consumer wants to use a third party IM client, then so be it. That's what the consumer chose. If the consumer wants to use the first party IM client, then fine, that's what the consumer chose. Note the consumer choice issue...not corporate choice.
Of course, Microsoft has never been one to really push consumer choice....like with their OEM dealings to get Netscape out of the Internet browsaer market and integrating IE, WMP, etc. into Windows.
Ummm... No. PS2 was a sales success because of the titles offered at launch and the solid reputation as a platform garnered by PS1. Backwards compatibility with PS1 titles and great design didn't hurt either. But to say that its success stems from the fact that it has a DVD player is silly.
The PS2 launch games were a joke, especially in Japan. However, it was an extremely cheap DVD player in Japan at the time of its launch (for some reason, consumer DVD players were very expensive in Japan at the time). PS2 game sales didn't match the sales of the PS2 at launch, by far. Japanese DVD movie sales, however, went through the roof right after the launch of the PS2 in Japan.
Even in North America, I'm sure quite a few PS2s got used as DVD players more than game machines for a good many months (I know mine did). The PS2 launch titles were pretty pathetic, for the most part.
No question. If Microsoft and Sony would only, then perhaps they could have a glut of non-selling consoles, too!
Wow, you mean the GBA and GBASP aren't selling (which is where Pokemon is on, not the GameCube)? I mean, the GBA/GBASP has only outsold the PS2 often in Japan, and outsells the PS2 in the US every month. Get your head on straight before talking.
This type of employee Poaching is exactly why the clause was in the contract! It looks as though these guys were actively recruited to leave the company for a competitor and work on a perhaps similar product.
See Microsoft poaching Ken Lobb from Nintendo of America and Peter Moore from Sega of America.
It appears Sega and Nintendo had no such non-compete clauses. Microsoft, on the other hand, stirctly ensures every employee signs a non-compete agreement when they are hired.
I recall another game console where it had great strength in its first party titles, even if the third party was a bit wobbly; a number of key characters and franchises with rabid fanbases which were proven sellers in the past; and a console which was cheap compared to the competition and sold to its niche.
I think it was called 'Dreamcast'. At least check they were being sold out of stock at fifty bucks a pop to folks who wanted to use them as cheap Linux routers.
Except that Sega was (and still is) in finacial trouble when they released the Dreamcast. Nintendo is not.
Sega was reeling from past faliures like the Sega CD and 32X add ons for the Genesis/Mega Drive, and from the poor showing of the Sega Saturn when they released the Dreamcast.
Nintendo, even though they lost a lot of marketshare to Sony during the PSOne/N64 times, was still very profitable with the N64.
Sega was losing money (and is only just now starting to make money again). Nintendo was, and still is not losing money, but is making money.
I love my Dreamcast, and wouldn't get rid of it for anything, but the fact remains that Nintendo and Sega were, and are in two different worlds when it comes to hardware buisness.
The Dreamcast was a wonderful system that was killed by Sony's PS2 hype (even though in many ways the DC was superior to the PS2), and Sega's own blunders in the past. The only thing hurting the GameCube, really, is the supposed stigma that they are the 'kiddy console', mostly said by hormonal teenage boys (read: kids themselves).
So, no, it doesn't sound fammiliar at all, really.
Moore mentions Xbox Live in Japan. Ironically, because the Xbox has such a poor marketshare in Japan, the Xbox Live tie in ratio is almost 1 XBL to every 3 Xboxes.
But I find this quote funny:
Our customer satisfaction levels with Xbox Live are through the roof - they love it.
I wonder, then, why it is that many of my friends and myself get quite bored of Xbox Live games rather quickly? Hell, an Xbox fansite editor mentioned in one of his own pieces on the site (article here) that his entire Xbox Live usage to date of the article was around 40 hours over 8 months.
My usage is slightly more than that, but not by much by my esitmates. Probably less than 80 hours since November for me. My Xbox isn't even at my house right now.
And Moore also seemed to not mention the flatlining of Xbox Live sales since before May....
As another poster pointed out, Microsoft holds the monopoly on the Xbox Live servers. Any and all games that wish to use online play simply MUST go through the Xbox Live servers. Period.
A good example is the Tony Hawk's Pro Skater games. They go through GameSpy for their match-making services. Neversoft and Activision probably have a decent deal with GameSpy for this.
So THPS is online on the PS2. It's been online since a year before the official PS2 adaptor came out. But it isn't online on Xbox Live, even though the game easily could have netcode built in. The reason being that Neversoft and Activision want to use GameSpy's free service, rather than Microsoft's pay service.
THPS isn't online on the GC either, but that probably has to do with the small installed base of the GC network adaptors over any technical hurdles (since GameSpy is also apparently making online middleware for the GC).
To go online on the Xbox REQUIRES publishers to go through Xbox Live. If you try and allow online play without Live, then Microsoft will simply not allow the game to come out on the Xbox.
As in all things, Microsoft wants a monopoly in how they do business. Xbox Live is how they will attempt to profit on online gaming, even if the publishers of the games see no additional money from online gaming.
Market driven from a development standpoint. Microsofts first party strategy is market driven. Nintendo seems to be driven solely by what game they want to make. Alot of Nintendo games are like niche movies (great, if you are into it, but most ain't). Microsoft shoots for mainstream hits every time.
You mean mainstream hits like Kakuto Chojin (fighting, flopped, got recalled), Fusion Frenzy (party, flopped), Blinx the Time Sweeper (platformer, flopped), and Sneakers (action platformer, flopped), or Microsoft's first party sports titles, which sell and play like crap?
Compare it with the 'niche' titles from Nintendo like Luigi's Mansion (over 1 million sold worldwide), Super Smash Bros. Melee (well over 1 million sold worldwide), The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker (over 1 million sold worldwide, hell over 1 million sold in North America alone), Super Mario Sunshine (over 1 million sold worldwide), Metroid Prime (well over half a million, if not over 1 million sold worldwide), and this doesn't include the GBA first party titles, like Pokemon Ruby and Sapphire which have sold over 3 million combined in Japan alone, plus whatever outrageous number in the North America, or the Zelda and Super Mario Advance games which sell absurdly.
Last I checked, million plus selling games weren't 'niche', on any console. The only 2 Nintendo first party game, released worldwide by Nintendo on the GameCube, that can be called niche because of their genre/type are Pikmin, and Animal Crossing (the latter not yet released in Europe, but has also sold over 1 million units between North America and Japan).
No Gaps in the game lineup. Microsoft made sure that ASAP after the consoles launch or at launch that it had a game for every genre. Nintendo doesn't do this. The Gamecube still lacks a good first person shooter or exclusive sports games, both genres that sell huge numbers.
I can agree that there're gaps, especially in releases of Nintendo first party games. And that the GC doesn't have an exclusive FPS (I don't consider Metroid Prime a FPS with it's definite Action/Adventure elements), but TimeSplitters 2, and some others are on it. As for sports, Nintendo doesn't have a great sports lineup, especially of exclusives. But, most Nintendo fans don't buy sports games for their Nintendo consoles.
The difference being Microsoft's first party and exclusive third party games seem to be lacking (Halo and KotOR not included), both in overall appeal and quality.
Ready to expand to fill weaknesses. Microsoft is ready to buy up anyone that can do what they can't. They bought game maker Rare to make Nintendo type games. Nintendo had the chance to buy this well established developer, but didn't.
Hrm, let's see. The most eagerly awaited Rare game, Perfect Dark Zero, has been given a release date of 2006., and may not appear on this Xbox. The game they were working on for the past three years, Kameo: Elements of Power is supposedly coming out this December--but expect it to slip. StarFox Adventures was an overall disappointment to most who played it (but it sure looked pretty). And the first game they're releasing on the Xbox is a game that was considered the laughinstock of their showing at E3, Grabbed by the Ghoulies.
Add in that many of the GoldenEye 007 team left to form Free Radical (Timesplitters 1&2), and a bunch of others, including many who worked on Perfect Dark left to form another studio (now working on an exclusive GC game); and it doesn't look like Nintnedo lost out by not buying Rare.
Ultimate goal's are totally different. Nintendo's ultimate goal is to be what they were. They want to sell video games.
Perish the thought! A video game maker wanting to sell video games? PREPOSTEROUS!!!!
Microsoft on the other hand wants to make sure its monopoly extends from the PC to the TV.
You mean convicted illegal monopolies don't do things out of
You should remember that Canada is also part of North America, and we've had the Halo/Amped/Xbox bundle since February.
Keep your flapping heads out of this. Nobody really know what Canada is aboot anyway, ya hoser.;-p
IIRC, FFX still hasn't seen it's price lowered either, or not much.
FFX retailed for $50 when it first came out, it is now a Greatest Hits title retailing for $20. That's a $30 price lowering, which is signifigant.
Thursdae
Notice that the bundle for the Xbox has Tetris Worlds (MSRP $20, also included in new Xbox Live kits), and Star Wars: Clone Wars (Not sure of the MSRP on that title).
So far, North America is the biggest territory in which Halo hasn't been bundled, ever.
Halo has been bundled, and still is bundled AFAIK, in Australia since shortly after the Xbox launch in that territory, and the Xbox sees healthy sales in Australia.
Last Chrstmas there was a bundle option in Europe that included not only the Sega GT 2002/JSRF disk, but also Splinter Cell (which had just been released) and Halo. This boosted sales in Europe as well.
Yet, even though it is the best selling Xbox game ever, Halo isn't bundled in North America (which would increase sales of the Xbox, even now), nor is Halo part of the 'Platinum Hits' titles.
Still, I suppose when you only have one consitently selling title on your console, you don't lower the price on it; but Microsoft could see more sales by putting Halo in the 'Platinum Hits' line, or by bundling it with the console.
2 years at $50 is a bit much. But, I suppose by keeping it at $50, it does lower the operational losses on the Xbox division (it does sell pretty consitently, still). Now, if people would only wake up and see that while Halo is a great game, it isn't worth $50 anymore....
That and the fact that they stopped manufacturing it, its practically unavailable in several countries, it has been number 3 in sales worldwide
If you stop listening to Microsoft and Sony press releases, then you'd realize the Xbox is, in fact, in third place worldwide. Just not by a whole lot.
The Xbox has maybe a 2 million unit lead in the world outside of Japan over the GameCube. The GameCube has over a 2.5 million unit lead in Japan over the Xbox.
If we do the math, we see a 2.5 million lead, minus a 2 million lead still leaves the GameCube with a 500k lead. Not a lot, but the GC certainly isn't in third place at the moment, worldwide.
I went to the one before the launch (September 2001), and we had free Smirnoff Ice and skimpy clothed girls walking around on the 21+ night, with an after party at a local nightclub until 5 AM.
coming out over a year after the original versions
Which is why I think the GTA Doublepack won't be a big hit on the Xbox. It'll move some, yeah, but like MGS 2 Substance before it, it's too little too late.
Late ports never really sell. Look at the N64 for that...
The biggest would be the main character's resemblence to Lucitia, who is a trademarked character.
It's kind of like making a Spider-Man like character, not calling him Spider-Man, but having so many simmilarities (especially physical) and claiming him as your own. Marvel would sue the pants off of you because your character could dilute the trademark of Spider-Man.
I think that's what is really the big part of the case, not copyright infringment as much as trademark infringment/dilution.
If one does not protect their trademarks, or attempt to protect them, then they can and will lose that trademark.
The world of Underworld is similar to the WoD. Many WoD fans have said they thought it was a White Wolf movie. The character is almost physically identical to Lucitia, minus the slightly shorter hair; as well as described as similar to Lucitia in other ways (character traits, similar backstory).
Even if White Wolf loses, or the case is thrown out, they have done their responsibility as the owners of trademarked properties and attempted to defend their trademark from infringement.
And then they repeat that claim, oh, 20 more times at least.
When reading any lawsuit, you will find the asking of judgment recited multiple times. It is required to show you have faith in your case and what you expect out of it.
Especially when saying the claims are for multiple things, even if they fall under the same basic category.
If I and the parent poster can make that mistake, White Wolf's suit probably does have some merit.
My brother showed me the trailer on his PC a few months ago, and I thought the female was basically a rip off of Lucita. And the whole setting screamed WoD as well.
I actually forgot to ask about what White Wolf thought of the movie when I was partying with them last week at Dragon*con. Oh well, now I know.
Although I think some of the complaint is a bit much (I wouldn't go so far as to claim copyright infringment in some things), White Wolf definitly has something in a trademark infringmenet suit (when something is used to make people beleive it is something else popular/branded).
One of his graffiti pieces depicts Secret Squirrel. I wonder if he got permission from the owners of Secret Squirrel (Hana Barbara? I forget) to use Secret Squirrel in his artwork.
Slashdot Mirror
And, yes, when I go by the game sections in places like Wal-Mart, the Xbox normally has either "The disk is dirty or scratched" screen up, or the "Your Xbox is in need of service, call 1-800-4MY-XBOX" screens.
I've never had any of these problems on my personal Xbox, either, but I have seen the Xboxes down and out at retail outlets with demo machines.
Thursdae
"With today's announcement, Rare becomes the latest member of a star-studded lineup at Microsoft Game Studios, joining such prestigious worldwide developers as Bungie Studios, the masterminds behind the smash hit "Halo(TM)," named Game of the Year by Electronic Gaming Monthly. Rare's first creation for Xbox, "Kameo," is expected to reach store shelves next spring. Also under development is the highly anticipated sequel to "Perfect Dark." The company is expecting to develop at least five games over the next two years in a variety of genres, including racing, shooters and platformers."
Well, let's see, been just over a year, and no games yet. If Rare is to keep its promise, that means we need to see 5 games come out from them for the Xbox before September 2004.
Somehow, methinks this ain't happening.
Thursdae
It shouldn't have remained in the North American version, but it did.
And sales weren't very high....
Thursdae
Personally, I LIKE seeing all my contacts on one list, rather than having 3 different IM clients open (Through Trillian Pro I use ICQ, AIM, and Yahoo, I don't use MSN). I also prefer to have only one client program running as opposed to 3 at the same time.
Rather than try and get all my contacts onto one IM client, or have multiple clients running, I can see them all when I want to see them.
There will always be people trying to "break the rules" by building cross-network compatible clients, but it'll just be a "cat and mouse game" unless the network providers decide those clients are "ok" for use with their systems.
Demand is what will either force interoperability, and third party clients; or it will kill it.
Remember, Microsoft bitched and moaned, as did Yahoo, about AOL not allowing them access to AIM's network. Now both companies have some marketshare, and want to pull the same shit they complained about. Not out of the ordinary for either Microsoft or Yahoo, though.
But why should these comapnies decide on what consumers want/need? If the consumer wants to use a third party IM client, then so be it. That's what the consumer chose. If the consumer wants to use the first party IM client, then fine, that's what the consumer chose. Note the consumer choice issue...not corporate choice.
Of course, Microsoft has never been one to really push consumer choice....like with their OEM dealings to get Netscape out of the Internet browsaer market and integrating IE, WMP, etc. into Windows.
Thursdae
Granted, I only ever did it like 3 times, but I did it. Now, Ninja Gaiden II, that I beat multiple times.
Thursdae
The PS2 launch games were a joke, especially in Japan. However, it was an extremely cheap DVD player in Japan at the time of its launch (for some reason, consumer DVD players were very expensive in Japan at the time). PS2 game sales didn't match the sales of the PS2 at launch, by far. Japanese DVD movie sales, however, went through the roof right after the launch of the PS2 in Japan.
Even in North America, I'm sure quite a few PS2s got used as DVD players more than game machines for a good many months (I know mine did). The PS2 launch titles were pretty pathetic, for the most part.
No question. If Microsoft and Sony would only, then perhaps they could have a glut of non-selling consoles, too!
Wow, you mean the GBA and GBASP aren't selling (which is where Pokemon is on, not the GameCube)? I mean, the GBA/GBASP has only outsold the PS2 often in Japan, and outsells the PS2 in the US every month. Get your head on straight before talking.
Iwata is out of touch.
So are you, apparently.
Thursdae
See Microsoft poaching Ken Lobb from Nintendo of America and Peter Moore from Sega of America.
It appears Sega and Nintendo had no such non-compete clauses. Microsoft, on the other hand, stirctly ensures every employee signs a non-compete agreement when they are hired.
Thursdae
I think it was called 'Dreamcast'. At least check they were being sold out of stock at fifty bucks a pop to folks who wanted to use them as cheap Linux routers.
Except that Sega was (and still is) in finacial trouble when they released the Dreamcast. Nintendo is not.
Sega was reeling from past faliures like the Sega CD and 32X add ons for the Genesis/Mega Drive, and from the poor showing of the Sega Saturn when they released the Dreamcast.
Nintendo, even though they lost a lot of marketshare to Sony during the PSOne/N64 times, was still very profitable with the N64.
Sega was losing money (and is only just now starting to make money again). Nintendo was, and still is not losing money, but is making money.
I love my Dreamcast, and wouldn't get rid of it for anything, but the fact remains that Nintendo and Sega were, and are in two different worlds when it comes to hardware buisness.
The Dreamcast was a wonderful system that was killed by Sony's PS2 hype (even though in many ways the DC was superior to the PS2), and Sega's own blunders in the past. The only thing hurting the GameCube, really, is the supposed stigma that they are the 'kiddy console', mostly said by hormonal teenage boys (read: kids themselves).
So, no, it doesn't sound fammiliar at all, really.
Thursdae
Poor troll. Can't even get his facts straight. Moore was at Sega, not Nintendo.
DOH! Guess that hurts your troll. Sorry.
To be honest, the Cube is a laughing stock with modern day gamers who are content with their Xbox or PS2 (I know I am).
So, that's why the Cube has just over double the million plus selling games over the Xbox?
Xbox million + sellers (worldwide):
Halo
Dead or Alive 3
Project Gotham Racing
Splinter Cell (not exclusive to Xbox)
GC million + sellers (worldwide):
Luigi's Mansion
Super Mario Sunshine
Resident Evil (remake)
Resident Evil 0
Animal Crossing
The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker
Super Smash Bros. Melee
Mario Party 4
Metroid Prime
Yep, laughingstock.
Thursdae
But I find this quote funny:
Our customer satisfaction levels with Xbox Live are through the roof - they love it.
I wonder, then, why it is that many of my friends and myself get quite bored of Xbox Live games rather quickly? Hell, an Xbox fansite editor mentioned in one of his own pieces on the site (article here) that his entire Xbox Live usage to date of the article was around 40 hours over 8 months.
My usage is slightly more than that, but not by much by my esitmates. Probably less than 80 hours since November for me. My Xbox isn't even at my house right now.
And Moore also seemed to not mention the flatlining of Xbox Live sales since before May....
Thursdae
A good example is the Tony Hawk's Pro Skater games. They go through GameSpy for their match-making services. Neversoft and Activision probably have a decent deal with GameSpy for this.
So THPS is online on the PS2. It's been online since a year before the official PS2 adaptor came out. But it isn't online on Xbox Live, even though the game easily could have netcode built in. The reason being that Neversoft and Activision want to use GameSpy's free service, rather than Microsoft's pay service.
THPS isn't online on the GC either, but that probably has to do with the small installed base of the GC network adaptors over any technical hurdles (since GameSpy is also apparently making online middleware for the GC).
To go online on the Xbox REQUIRES publishers to go through Xbox Live. If you try and allow online play without Live, then Microsoft will simply not allow the game to come out on the Xbox.
As in all things, Microsoft wants a monopoly in how they do business. Xbox Live is how they will attempt to profit on online gaming, even if the publishers of the games see no additional money from online gaming.
Thursdae
You mean mainstream hits like Kakuto Chojin (fighting, flopped, got recalled), Fusion Frenzy (party, flopped), Blinx the Time Sweeper (platformer, flopped), and Sneakers (action platformer, flopped), or Microsoft's first party sports titles, which sell and play like crap?
Compare it with the 'niche' titles from Nintendo like Luigi's Mansion (over 1 million sold worldwide), Super Smash Bros. Melee (well over 1 million sold worldwide), The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker (over 1 million sold worldwide, hell over 1 million sold in North America alone), Super Mario Sunshine (over 1 million sold worldwide), Metroid Prime (well over half a million, if not over 1 million sold worldwide), and this doesn't include the GBA first party titles, like Pokemon Ruby and Sapphire which have sold over 3 million combined in Japan alone, plus whatever outrageous number in the North America, or the Zelda and Super Mario Advance games which sell absurdly.
Last I checked, million plus selling games weren't 'niche', on any console. The only 2 Nintendo first party game, released worldwide by Nintendo on the GameCube, that can be called niche because of their genre/type are Pikmin, and Animal Crossing (the latter not yet released in Europe, but has also sold over 1 million units between North America and Japan).
No Gaps in the game lineup. Microsoft made sure that ASAP after the consoles launch or at launch that it had a game for every genre. Nintendo doesn't do this. The Gamecube still lacks a good first person shooter or exclusive sports games, both genres that sell huge numbers.
I can agree that there're gaps, especially in releases of Nintendo first party games. And that the GC doesn't have an exclusive FPS (I don't consider Metroid Prime a FPS with it's definite Action/Adventure elements), but TimeSplitters 2, and some others are on it. As for sports, Nintendo doesn't have a great sports lineup, especially of exclusives. But, most Nintendo fans don't buy sports games for their Nintendo consoles.
The difference being Microsoft's first party and exclusive third party games seem to be lacking (Halo and KotOR not included), both in overall appeal and quality.
Ready to expand to fill weaknesses. Microsoft is ready to buy up anyone that can do what they can't. They bought game maker Rare to make Nintendo type games. Nintendo had the chance to buy this well established developer, but didn't.
Hrm, let's see. The most eagerly awaited Rare game, Perfect Dark Zero, has been given a release date of 2006., and may not appear on this Xbox. The game they were working on for the past three years, Kameo: Elements of Power is supposedly coming out this December--but expect it to slip. StarFox Adventures was an overall disappointment to most who played it (but it sure looked pretty). And the first game they're releasing on the Xbox is a game that was considered the laughinstock of their showing at E3, Grabbed by the Ghoulies.
Add in that many of the GoldenEye 007 team left to form Free Radical (Timesplitters 1&2), and a bunch of others, including many who worked on Perfect Dark left to form another studio (now working on an exclusive GC game); and it doesn't look like Nintnedo lost out by not buying Rare.
Ultimate goal's are totally different. Nintendo's ultimate goal is to be what they were. They want to sell video games.
Perish the thought! A video game maker wanting to sell video games? PREPOSTEROUS!!!!
Microsoft on the other hand wants to make sure its monopoly extends from the PC to the TV.
You mean convicted illegal monopolies don't do things out of
That doesn't sound like any false advertising to me. But I haven't looked at other ads for hard drives in a while.
Thursdae
Thursdae
Blasphemy if I ever heard it.
That's like RTFA before posting, it's simply not done on /.
Thursdae
Keep your flapping heads out of this. Nobody really know what Canada is aboot anyway, ya hoser. ;-p
IIRC, FFX still hasn't seen it's price lowered either, or not much.
FFX retailed for $50 when it first came out, it is now a Greatest Hits title retailing for $20. That's a $30 price lowering, which is signifigant. Thursdae
So far, North America is the biggest territory in which Halo hasn't been bundled, ever.
Halo has been bundled, and still is bundled AFAIK, in Australia since shortly after the Xbox launch in that territory, and the Xbox sees healthy sales in Australia.
Last Chrstmas there was a bundle option in Europe that included not only the Sega GT 2002/JSRF disk, but also Splinter Cell (which had just been released) and Halo. This boosted sales in Europe as well.
Yet, even though it is the best selling Xbox game ever, Halo isn't bundled in North America (which would increase sales of the Xbox, even now), nor is Halo part of the 'Platinum Hits' titles.
Still, I suppose when you only have one consitently selling title on your console, you don't lower the price on it; but Microsoft could see more sales by putting Halo in the 'Platinum Hits' line, or by bundling it with the console.
2 years at $50 is a bit much. But, I suppose by keeping it at $50, it does lower the operational losses on the Xbox division (it does sell pretty consitently, still). Now, if people would only wake up and see that while Halo is a great game, it isn't worth $50 anymore....
Thursdae
If you stop listening to Microsoft and Sony press releases, then you'd realize the Xbox is, in fact, in third place worldwide. Just not by a whole lot. The Xbox has maybe a 2 million unit lead in the world outside of Japan over the GameCube. The GameCube has over a 2.5 million unit lead in Japan over the Xbox.
If we do the math, we see a 2.5 million lead, minus a 2 million lead still leaves the GameCube with a 500k lead. Not a lot, but the GC certainly isn't in third place at the moment, worldwide.
Thursdae
Thursdae
Lush
Which is why I think the GTA Doublepack won't be a big hit on the Xbox. It'll move some, yeah, but like MGS 2 Substance before it, it's too little too late.
Late ports never really sell. Look at the N64 for that...
Thursdae
Um, that would be because GTA and GTA II were on the PSOne.
Thursdae
The biggest would be the main character's resemblence to Lucitia, who is a trademarked character.
It's kind of like making a Spider-Man like character, not calling him Spider-Man, but having so many simmilarities (especially physical) and claiming him as your own. Marvel would sue the pants off of you because your character could dilute the trademark of Spider-Man.
I think that's what is really the big part of the case, not copyright infringment as much as trademark infringment/dilution.
If one does not protect their trademarks, or attempt to protect them, then they can and will lose that trademark.
The world of Underworld is similar to the WoD. Many WoD fans have said they thought it was a White Wolf movie. The character is almost physically identical to Lucitia, minus the slightly shorter hair; as well as described as similar to Lucitia in other ways (character traits, similar backstory).
Even if White Wolf loses, or the case is thrown out, they have done their responsibility as the owners of trademarked properties and attempted to defend their trademark from infringement.
Thursdae
When reading any lawsuit, you will find the asking of judgment recited multiple times. It is required to show you have faith in your case and what you expect out of it.
Especially when saying the claims are for multiple things, even if they fall under the same basic category.
Thursdae
My brother showed me the trailer on his PC a few months ago, and I thought the female was basically a rip off of Lucita. And the whole setting screamed WoD as well.
I actually forgot to ask about what White Wolf thought of the movie when I was partying with them last week at Dragon*con. Oh well, now I know.
Although I think some of the complaint is a bit much (I wouldn't go so far as to claim copyright infringment in some things), White Wolf definitly has something in a trademark infringmenet suit (when something is used to make people beleive it is something else popular/branded).
Thursdae
Something tells me the answer is no.
Hypocrisy at its best.
Thursdae