Having heard Gibson talk about his past, I get the feeling that the reason his writing style changed so much since Neuromancer is because his life got better. It's harder to write about how completely shitty the world is when you can't truly believe it.
While I miss reading the old Gibson, I wouldn't want him to go back to that place.
Oh. You may have solved the issue or it may just be random. I got a couple of RRoD that went away if I just powered off then on again. Or your RRoD could be power-related (make sure the power-brick is getting enough air-flow).
Good luck and, remember, you have 2 more years to turn it in if it stops working. If you can hold out a few months, you might get it back sooner (since they are getting swamped with them right now).
Other than the pony part, I can see this idea working with mesh-networks and unique ID numbers for every "net-aware" device.
The downside is, a smart hacker could probably follow your wristwatch as well. They would now where you go, who you hang-out with, and how many ponies you own.
My RRoD doesn't allow me to do anything. So, unless there is some key-combo or hidden switch on the XBox360 I don't know about, I'm not sure how I can clean the cache (and my save files are on the harddrive which I removed).
Fun side note: when I took it to the UPS store they knew exactly what it was. They said they get, on average, 5 a day! And they are not the biggest UPS store front in my area.
If you honestly hate in-game advertising so much that you stop buying games with it, then the big publishers will just make more games that people who don't hate ads like (Bejeweled-7 and The Sims 19).
I don't know much about marketing, but I wonder if this is the reason why 99% of all broadcast TV sucks (too hard to advertise to people who like smart TV).
I should of been more clear. I was talking about FPS (and console FPS at that). Other than both being "games", Halo and WoW have very little in common.
But, since you brought it up, WoW makes money be keeping you around month after month (kind of like a health club...more an "anti-health club" actually. But that's another story.;)). Halo makes all its money selling new copies (plus a bit on tie-ins (books, movies, toys, etc.), and Halo3 will probably have add-ons). So it doesn't really matter to Microsoft if you play for 4 hours or 4000*.
Now I'm not saying that multi-player isn't important in FPS's. How many modern FPS only have single player? Being able to play online is a must have feature for their audience, even if it sucks. If you are missing online you are missing sales (it will be interesting to see how well Bioshock does without it).
But how many sales are to online players, how many to single players, and how many are both? Neither one of us has that answer (but I sure somebody does).
The XBox360 game Crackdown is a B-rated as they come.
Fun as hell sometimes, but so over the top and bad I felt like I was playing a white Midwestern teen boy's idea of the "Ultimate Justice" after he watched too many lone cop movies.
So the programming of the game, and the art may not be "B", but the content sure the hell was.
While the people who invest 100+ hours into playing the game are doing most of that online, I wonder if the make up the majority of people who purchase it.
I'd love to see that actual stats on this. But, see how poorly online only games do in the market (e.g. Shadowrun) I wonder.
Maybe it is just the quality of the video download, but...meh.
The graphics are as good as anything I've seen on the PC or XBox360, but that's what we expect from a FPS today.
Also, the rapid cuts and jumps make it hard to really see how it "feels". Is it really lifelike, or is it just a bunch of repetitive animations and canned effects?.
But they do charge you to watch it on cable, more if you want to watch it in HD-TV.
In many cases, the amount of advertising doesn't go down if you pay more. In fact, it sometimes goes up. What changes is the type of things they advertise to you (you are more likely to see ads for higher end cars if you buy a Super Bowl ticket).
They are advertising to the person playing the game.
It may sounds silly, but unlocking an achievement feels good. When I finally kill my 2,000th bad guy in Halo3, I'm going to be excited. Now if I see an Axe body spray logo at the same time I may associate that logo with the excited feeling. Next time I'm in a store and I see the same logo, that associated feeling comes back and I'm more likely to buy.
I only watch 2-3 televised sport games a year plus 1-2 college games live. They are full of advertising. Ads on the side line, ads on the players, ads on the ball, ads on the court, ads on the scoreboard, ads on the tickets, drink cups, mens room, etc. If you are a big enough fan to buy a $3000 Superbowl ticket, you are not going to say "no thanks" because it advertises Budweiser.
Ad dollars run sports. Not having ads in the achievements would look out of place.
So, because some people can't use a technology, nobody should be able to?
Lots of people can't eat corn, maybe we should ban everything with corn in it too? And nuts. With the war, how many people are missing an arm? Best not make cars with stick-shifts...
I'm not saying ignore people with disabilities (many of my friends have serious disabilities), but you can't make the world one-size fits all. And, as much as blind people might not enjoy the new iPhone, deaf people may enjoy being able to send email, pictures, and videos from a pocket-sized device.
The Wii isn't marketed to the hardcore gamer like the PS3 and XBox360 are. I know people who got their console last year and are still happy playing the Wii Sports game that came with it.
The thing that will kill Wii sales the quickest are too many crappy games. If Nintendo promised 380 games this year, I'd sell my stocks as fast as I could. If you want to know why, look up what caused the great video game crash of the 1980's (it wasn't just ET;)).
Even if only 1 or 2 good games come out a year for the Wii, it will still be selling very well.
In short, cell phone use in cars isn't always a bad thing but it *can* be. And given how so many states have adopted a "nanny nation" mentality when it comes to laws (no "Trans Fats", illegal to cross the street wearing an iPod, etc.) banning cell phones in cars is an obvious next step.
On the one had, I'm upset because (right or wrong) I don't think I need the government to look out for me. On the other hand, 80% of the stupid moves I see on SoCal freeways the driver is on a phone...
Given how huge Microsoft is, I'm not sure why they can't cover more than one market. Games like Viva Pinata prove that the 360 can render "cute" as well as "gore".;)
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Having heard Gibson talk about his past, I get the feeling that the reason his writing style changed so much since Neuromancer is because his life got better. It's harder to write about how completely shitty the world is when you can't truly believe it.
While I miss reading the old Gibson, I wouldn't want him to go back to that place.
Oh. You may have solved the issue or it may just be random. I got a couple of RRoD that went away if I just powered off then on again. Or your RRoD could be power-related (make sure the power-brick is getting enough air-flow).
Good luck and, remember, you have 2 more years to turn it in if it stops working. If you can hold out a few months, you might get it back sooner (since they are getting swamped with them right now).
He said "..that we are aware of." If he isn't aware of it, and he is royalty, then he is correct (unless you know something about him I don't).
Other than the pony part, I can see this idea working with mesh-networks and unique ID numbers for every "net-aware" device.
The downside is, a smart hacker could probably follow your wristwatch as well. They would now where you go, who you hang-out with, and how many ponies you own.
My RRoD doesn't allow me to do anything. So, unless there is some key-combo or hidden switch on the XBox360 I don't know about, I'm not sure how I can clean the cache (and my save files are on the harddrive which I removed).
Fun side note: when I took it to the UPS store they knew exactly what it was. They said they get, on average, 5 a day! And they are not the biggest UPS store front in my area.
Maybe 1 in 3 is low...
I thought it was bull too until I turned my unit on last month and saw the three lights. Now I wouldn't be at all surprised if it was true.
Let's see, a $400 console is outselling a $600 (now $500) console. And both of them are getting outsold by a $250 console....
Maybe the general public is a *little* concerned about how much things cost?
And, yes, I know it isn't as simple as price. But the Wii wouldn't be nearly as popular if it cost $600, even if it had Blu-ray and HD-DVD included.
If you honestly hate in-game advertising so much that you stop buying games with it, then the big publishers will just make more games that people who don't hate ads like (Bejeweled-7 and The Sims 19).
I don't know much about marketing, but I wonder if this is the reason why 99% of all broadcast TV sucks (too hard to advertise to people who like smart TV).
I enjoy playing Guitar Hero instead of air guitar for the same reasons I enjoy playing Halo instead of cowboy-and-indians.
In short, it sounds like SK is getting out of the game business and into lawsuits.
I should of been more clear. I was talking about FPS (and console FPS at that). Other than both being "games", Halo and WoW have very little in common.
But, since you brought it up, WoW makes money be keeping you around month after month (kind of like a health club...more an "anti-health club" actually. But that's another story. ;)). Halo makes all its money selling new copies (plus a bit on tie-ins (books, movies, toys, etc.), and Halo3 will probably have add-ons). So it doesn't really matter to Microsoft if you play for 4 hours or 4000*.
Now I'm not saying that multi-player isn't important in FPS's. How many modern FPS only have single player? Being able to play online is a must have feature for their audience, even if it sucks. If you are missing online you are missing sales (it will be interesting to see how well Bioshock does without it).
But how many sales are to online players, how many to single players, and how many are both? Neither one of us has that answer (but I sure somebody does).
*This might change with in-game advertising.
The XBox360 game Crackdown is a B-rated as they come.
Fun as hell sometimes, but so over the top and bad I felt like I was playing a white Midwestern teen boy's idea of the "Ultimate Justice" after he watched too many lone cop movies.
So the programming of the game, and the art may not be "B", but the content sure the hell was.
While the people who invest 100+ hours into playing the game are doing most of that online, I wonder if the make up the majority of people who purchase it.
I'd love to see that actual stats on this. But, see how poorly online only games do in the market (e.g. Shadowrun) I wonder.
That I wouldn't mind so much. It's the $30 "add-on" that comes out a month after the games been released that bugs me.
Maybe it is just the quality of the video download, but...meh.
The graphics are as good as anything I've seen on the PC or XBox360, but that's what we expect from a FPS today.
Also, the rapid cuts and jumps make it hard to really see how it "feels". Is it really lifelike, or is it just a bunch of repetitive animations and canned effects?.
But they do charge you to watch it on cable, more if you want to watch it in HD-TV.
In many cases, the amount of advertising doesn't go down if you pay more. In fact, it sometimes goes up. What changes is the type of things they advertise to you (you are more likely to see ads for higher end cars if you buy a Super Bowl ticket).
They are advertising to the person playing the game.
It may sounds silly, but unlocking an achievement feels good. When I finally kill my 2,000th bad guy in Halo3, I'm going to be excited. Now if I see an Axe body spray logo at the same time I may associate that logo with the excited feeling. Next time I'm in a store and I see the same logo, that associated feeling comes back and I'm more likely to buy.
I only watch 2-3 televised sport games a year plus 1-2 college games live. They are full of advertising. Ads on the side line, ads on the players, ads on the ball, ads on the court, ads on the scoreboard, ads on the tickets, drink cups, mens room, etc. If you are a big enough fan to buy a $3000 Superbowl ticket, you are not going to say "no thanks" because it advertises Budweiser.
Ad dollars run sports. Not having ads in the achievements would look out of place.
Given my experience with voice recognition, the follow would happen:
"Computer, call Carlos" -> Calls my ex-girlfriend, Carla.
"Computer, surf bookmark weather.com" -> brings up "wet-her.com"
So, because some people can't use a technology, nobody should be able to?
Lots of people can't eat corn, maybe we should ban everything with corn in it too? And nuts. With the war, how many people are missing an arm? Best not make cars with stick-shifts...
I'm not saying ignore people with disabilities (many of my friends have serious disabilities), but you can't make the world one-size fits all. And, as much as blind people might not enjoy the new iPhone, deaf people may enjoy being able to send email, pictures, and videos from a pocket-sized device.
The Wii isn't marketed to the hardcore gamer like the PS3 and XBox360 are. I know people who got their console last year and are still happy playing the Wii Sports game that came with it.
The thing that will kill Wii sales the quickest are too many crappy games. If Nintendo promised 380 games this year, I'd sell my stocks as fast as I could. If you want to know why, look up what caused the great video game crash of the 1980's (it wasn't just ET ;)).
Even if only 1 or 2 good games come out a year for the Wii, it will still be selling very well.
In short, cell phone use in cars isn't always a bad thing but it *can* be. And given how so many states have adopted a "nanny nation" mentality when it comes to laws (no "Trans Fats", illegal to cross the street wearing an iPod, etc.) banning cell phones in cars is an obvious next step.
On the one had, I'm upset because (right or wrong) I don't think I need the government to look out for me. On the other hand, 80% of the stupid moves I see on SoCal freeways the driver is on a phone...
No argument from me there. Nintendo has a winner with the wiimote.
"It's one or the other."
Yeah, that would be like Sony trying to sell a system that could play played both children's movies and porno.
Given how huge Microsoft is, I'm not sure why they can't cover more than one market. Games like Viva Pinata prove that the 360 can render "cute" as well as "gore". ;)
Not really. It would be better to look at the current sales trends and the cost of materials then trying to overlay graphs.