1) Limit production run to 200,000 units at launch and christmas.
2) Hardcore japanese/ sony gamers would line up in subzero temperatures for 48 hrs to buy the thing.
3) The skeptics (read:/.ers) would hold off until some user reviews come in, each secretly hoping the battery life or limited games lineup will tank the thing.
4) Hardcore japanese/ sony gamers (remember kids, these are people who'd brave subzero temperatures to be first in line, or to secure the christmas package) post glowing reviews, obviously biased by the fact that they're already sold on the PSP and Sony brand.
5) positive reviews cause the skeptics to finally enter the stores, when production 'coincidentally' becomes large enough to cope, after which the numbers mean negative buzz doesn't matter anymore.
6) break open the champagne?
Not entirely plausible? You see, by limiting the run such that only the die hards get a hold of the thing, they are also limiting bad buzz.
I agree with the earlier post that watching a (any) FPS over a player's shoulder is annoying, dull and suffers from a lack of 'connected-ness' with the overall action, even for a gamer. The existing efforts are crap. When we watch a sport like NFL, hockey, etc... we are all engaging in a joint experience with the teams, and all the other viewers. The purpose is clear, and shared. This creates a sense of belonging and connectedness, even during water cooler banter. FPS and RTS on TV is, IMO, akin to putting paintball on TV (Korea notwithstanding). It can't be done, and western broadcasters have not figured out how to package it in a compelling manner to their audience.
Videogames ARE convergence (broadcast, Internet, Personal Computing), and maybe I'm speculating here, but I believe they will bring this convergence to the living room.
IMO The game franchise needs to be built with broadcast in mind, and not just for the recreational (i.e. non-pro) gamer with broadcast as an afterthought. That includes all the necessary enhancements. Consider the following:
- game based on an experience that the broadcasters have experience packaging, e.g. motor racing (think Gran Turismo BROADCAST), Madden TV, etc.
- bring the experience home with a travelling, live series (sort of like Formula1's multi-track format), hosted in real cities. The superstars are real professionals, who go to these locations to bring the action home. Think WWE.
- fixed/ mobile camera mounts, fed back into an existing broadcast pipeline (director's table, overlays, commentary) with experienced people behing the cams/ direction. This is for the broadcast audience and the broadcast viewers - just a TV experience.
- motion control rigs with the obligatory 3D stereo head mounted rigs for the broadcast players - the broadcast experience must be special. Don't broadcast nobodys. Create your own set of superstars.
- I think it may be cool to let the Director say 'cue rain', as in that Jim Carrey movie.
- multi-tier rendering engine, one very high quality one based on high-end machines for broadcast and the broadcast-tier players (they're hand-picked superstars, afterall), the other lower-spec one for home rendering via a PS(x)/ whatever to support the interactive channels. Both should use the same telemetry data, but render with separate model sets.
- internet/ multicast extensions for *100%* interactive TV. Stream out the data feed from the broadcast channel. If you're not happy with the camera angle, *change it*, or fly your own camera rig by powering up your PS(x)/whatever over the internet, in real-time with the actual event being carried out live. Talk about in-race footage.
- supporting online properties - download your superstar's practice sessions, so you can practice/ hone your skillz at home while waiting for the sponsorship call. Build your creds racing against each other via XBOX Live or PS-Net in the online bunny leagues.
- sponsorship and advertising programs for supporting cash. This should become a viable professional sport (see Korea).
- a multi-platform home version of the software for your PS(x)/ XBOX/ PC/ NGC, whatever. You can have annual updates (not patches), and force original copies to participate in the bunny leagues.
Think of it: because videogames are easy to get into, you'll always have a fresh set of new talent. Yes, they probably need some grooming and de-pizza-sauce-ing. But these will become the Tiger Woods and Michael Schumachers of the medium. No superstars = no audience.
Oh, you'll also need a big-a$$ bit of cash during early stages.
I SO want to see this implemented, or better yet, to participate in its implementation. I think it's not a question of if, but rather a question of WHEN.... and its rather unique to videogames. MS/ Sony/ Nintendo, are you listening?
...maybe Mars was an older form of the Earth, and as the sun cools and the heat is drawn inwards towards the center of the solar system, that maybe Venus is a young Earth?
What I've always found weird is that, based on the assumption that the planets were formed from the same 'cloud' of interstellar particles, how they've evolved with such different compositions. There's clearly activity that we don't know about going on.
Suppose during the birth of the sun, it was immensely hot, and began cooling as the fuel for fusion burned off. Initially, life formed on one of the outer planets, as temperature and perhaps a few said unexplained phenomena created the so-called 'life conditions', and that this gradually moves inward as the planets cool.
We don't really have a timeline on when this happened, but I'd expect it to be longer than you or I have ever lived. Maybe it's actually been long enough that all traces of civilization have been eradicated by natural forces (such as a meteor impact). We've only been fiddling with rocks on the surface on Mars, but closer to home, we only find traces of older civilizations when we unearth then from several meters below the surface.
Um.. no, I will have to say there's no supporting evidence.
IIRC, its widely stated that the sound card revolution happened with Wing Commander II. Come to think of it, Origin Systems had their run, what with Ultima 7 and System Shock.
Slashdot Mirror
1) Limit production run to 200,000 units at launch and christmas. /.ers) would hold off until some user reviews come in, each secretly hoping the battery life or limited games lineup will tank the thing.
2) Hardcore japanese/ sony gamers would line up in subzero temperatures for 48 hrs to buy the thing.
3) The skeptics (read:
4) Hardcore japanese/ sony gamers (remember kids, these are people who'd brave subzero temperatures to be first in line, or to secure the christmas package) post glowing reviews, obviously biased by the fact that they're already sold on the PSP and Sony brand.
5) positive reviews cause the skeptics to finally enter the stores, when production 'coincidentally' becomes large enough to cope, after which the numbers mean negative buzz doesn't matter anymore.
6) break open the champagne?
Not entirely plausible? You see, by limiting the run such that only the die hards get a hold of the thing, they are also limiting bad buzz.
Y'all mean they's like smartur cars for us dumbed-down drivurs?
Videogames ARE convergence (broadcast, Internet, Personal Computing), and maybe I'm speculating here, but I believe they will bring this convergence to the living room.
IMO The game franchise needs to be built with broadcast in mind, and not just for the recreational (i.e. non-pro) gamer with broadcast as an afterthought. That includes all the necessary enhancements. Consider the following:
- game based on an experience that the broadcasters have experience packaging, e.g. motor racing (think Gran Turismo BROADCAST), Madden TV, etc.
- bring the experience home with a travelling, live series (sort of like Formula1's multi-track format), hosted in real cities. The superstars are real professionals, who go to these locations to bring the action home. Think WWE.
- fixed/ mobile camera mounts, fed back into an existing broadcast pipeline (director's table, overlays, commentary) with experienced people behing the cams/ direction. This is for the broadcast audience and the broadcast viewers - just a TV experience.
- motion control rigs with the obligatory 3D stereo head mounted rigs for the broadcast players - the broadcast experience must be special. Don't broadcast nobodys. Create your own set of superstars.
- I think it may be cool to let the Director say 'cue rain', as in that Jim Carrey movie.
- multi-tier rendering engine, one very high quality one based on high-end machines for broadcast and the broadcast-tier players (they're hand-picked superstars, afterall), the other lower-spec one for home rendering via a PS(x)/ whatever to support the interactive channels. Both should use the same telemetry data, but render with separate model sets.
- internet/ multicast extensions for *100%* interactive TV. Stream out the data feed from the broadcast channel. If you're not happy with the camera angle, *change it*, or fly your own camera rig by powering up your PS(x)/whatever over the internet, in real-time with the actual event being carried out live. Talk about in-race footage.
- supporting online properties - download your superstar's practice sessions, so you can practice/ hone your skillz at home while waiting for the sponsorship call. Build your creds racing against each other via XBOX Live or PS-Net in the online bunny leagues.
- sponsorship and advertising programs for supporting cash. This should become a viable professional sport (see Korea).
- a multi-platform home version of the software for your PS(x)/ XBOX/ PC/ NGC, whatever. You can have annual updates (not patches), and force original copies to participate in the bunny leagues.
Think of it: because videogames are easy to get into, you'll always have a fresh set of new talent. Yes, they probably need some grooming and de-pizza-sauce-ing. But these will become the Tiger Woods and Michael Schumachers of the medium. No superstars = no audience.
Oh, you'll also need a big-a$$ bit of cash during early stages.
I SO want to see this implemented, or better yet, to participate in its implementation. I think it's not a question of if, but rather a question of WHEN.... and its rather unique to videogames. MS/ Sony/ Nintendo, are you listening?
What I've always found weird is that, based on the assumption that the planets were formed from the same 'cloud' of interstellar particles, how they've evolved with such different compositions. There's clearly activity that we don't know about going on.
Suppose during the birth of the sun, it was immensely hot, and began cooling as the fuel for fusion burned off. Initially, life formed on one of the outer planets, as temperature and perhaps a few said unexplained phenomena created the so-called 'life conditions', and that this gradually moves inward as the planets cool.
We don't really have a timeline on when this happened, but I'd expect it to be longer than you or I have ever lived. Maybe it's actually been long enough that all traces of civilization have been eradicated by natural forces (such as a meteor impact). We've only been fiddling with rocks on the surface on Mars, but closer to home, we only find traces of older civilizations when we unearth then from several meters below the surface.
Um.. no, I will have to say there's no supporting evidence.
IIRC, its widely stated that the sound card revolution happened with Wing Commander II. Come to think of it, Origin Systems had their run, what with Ultima 7 and System Shock.