"That Apple would Aquafy X11 is really a great step forward, and hopefully means that -- and this is key -- Apple will start shipping Macs with X11 preinstalled."
For those who need a compatibility sandbox, this is good. For those who are people who just want to use their computer, they'll not want it. Instead they'll want the old X11 software properly ported to Aqua and following Apple's L&F standards. L&F standards only work if everyone follows them, and adding X11 in doesn't do that.
Sonic graphics were the best.
on
Advergames
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· Score: 1
" even if the graphics weren't much beyond your typical Sonic game."
This comment is inaccurate. The Sonic series on the Genesis were the best looking games available for it. Team Sonic was able to do amazing things with that console, while other people's projects (MK2 anyone?) had bland, washed out colours and a much smaller seeming pallete.
Sonic games are the standard for excellence, not the lackluster "normal" level you imply.
I had a DX4/100 until 1998. Whenever people talk about their "slow" multi-Ghz machines, I merely look at them like their head has decided to open and extrude tentacles which have finger puppets on them.
I've never tried to program the consoles I collect; the closest situation being the NES emulator I've back-burnered for a few years. Although, if I had a choice, the GameCube has the most interesting/fun internals of all the most recent (past 2 years) consoles.
"Well, the Saturn didn't exactly have SMP. SMP implies that the machine has multiple, yet identical, CPUs. The Saturn had multiple, yet different (as in different instruction sets) CPUs."
Only a commentor on slashdot with a nickname like KewlPC could take my comment about SMP on the Saturn, and write 5 paragraphs about how I'd missed something, and how you program other consoles! I salute you, super nerd!
They should all follow the same code of ethics. Any place where they're serious about selling, they should be talking to people and helping them. Unhappy customers aren't customers anymore.
Granted, he was just following the letter of the return policy, but the spirit of it is a little different. I learned that doing sales for a while. Maybe this guy just hadn't learned yet. Getting extra angry at them won't help, it only makes them defensive. You should just ask to speak to a manager, the know how to handle such situations.
I know places like Electronics Boutique won't screw their customers, and will return PC software if it's been less than 24 hours (as you state). Bad software is bad software, they'll tell you as much (go into one and ask about LOTR: Fellowship for GBA; they should tell you how it locks up!).
The PS2 is not overpowerful at all; it was weaker than the DC in many respects! 2 megs of VRAM! Yay, now I get to retexture constantly with interleaved, hand-coded ASM! Seriously, its specs sucked, and the SDKs Sony did(n't) provide weren't helpful either.
Stop thinking about bits, mhz, and silly numbers that mean shit-fuck-all. Those were not why the PS2 "won". Look at it in context: DVD was really starting to take off (and the PS2 had that "built in"), and most people had at least some PSX games (guess what system can do those and sweet new PS2 games?).
Then you should consider the two previous two Sega console hardware releases, the 32X and Saturn. Ooh, now that kinda set the Dreamcast up as something which which would fail. I mean, the 32X sucked! Hey, if you want to play as a Hummingbird, it's the only system to have. Beyond that? Pure shit. Saturn? Yea, SMP is ready for consoles:p
Tech wise, any day I can get a system which came with online support out of the box, 4 player support built in (no multitap required!), a slim form factor, VMUs which enable neat mini-games, great SDKs that have easy-to-use antialiasing, proper amounts of RAM (16mb main, 8mb texture, 2mb sound), and even uses nifty, tile-based rendering is something I want to have. That's why the Dreamcast kicked ass, and why it was frustrating to see it not get the support it deserved.
You can say, "why can't I get my one single winner console? " and then put in a stupid Tolkien reference. Realize that, much like the Tolkien books, the unification of anything under one power leads to a downfall.
In the gaming world's case, that downfall was how Nintendo raped the market between 1985 and 1989. With carte blanche to force developers into any deals they wanted to, they ruined gaming. Remember Ultra Games? That was a "4th party" Konami used because Nintendo only let 3rd party developers release 2 titles per year. How about the price of the NES set: 200$ USD for 4 straight years. Sound monopolistic? It was.
Competition is good. It means that you have Sony and Microsoft and Nintendo being attentive to the needs of the developers and the needs of the game players. It means that you get more choice, because there is a refinement of target audiences.
I have connected to my entertainment centre right now: NES, TG16, SNES, N64, GC, DC, Xbox, PS2. My Sega Master System isn't connected because I can't find the AC adaptor. Why do I have them setup? Because I care about my gaming. Plus, for less than the cost of keeping one computer up to spec for Doom 3, I can have every console available + the hot games! This means I get my cool Wild Arms 3 and Suikoden 3 on my PS2, I get Metroid and Resident Evil and Sonic on my GameCube, and I get Panzer Dragoon and JSRF and DOA: XV on my Xbox.
If you don't have the money to buy a different console, don't post a whine about it on slashdot. Consoles come out every 5 years or so, and generally have a library of 10 to 15 games which kick ass (the Dreamcast was an exception, with over 20 excellent games). It's as real as the 18 month video card upgrade cycle in PC land.
"The cost of the box easily covers the production cost of the unit and also incorporates a small profit for both MS and the retailer/distributor."
Even if MS received a "sweet deal" from nVidia/Intel/etc, I doubt your claims. Stores that sell game consoles get in the range of 3$ to 6$ USD "profit" on a game console. Enough to cover shipping of the units and a little bit extra (defective returns for every 1,000 units shipped normally). The Xbox is not sold as a "profit," it is merely sold at break even or a minor loss (no more than 30$ USD) as components allow. The PS2 is slightly better than break even because of their recent internal redesigns. The GameCube was making a profit until Nintendo dropped the price a few months back.
Microsoft personally receives about 10 to 20$ USD from each Xbox game purchased new. The licence fee to have the games signed with the XDK key more than covers any loss MS makes on the Xbox. If you own more than one game (I do), you have given MS enough money to cover any minor losses.
Now, Microsoft doesn't sell the Xbox at a large loss (some fool said 50$ USD, which would mean that MS somehow lost half a billion dollars on the 8.2 million Xboxes out there), but it's not like they rake in dough on hardware sales. That's never how video game consoles have worked out economically, except for monopoly situations (NES entertainment pack being 200$ USD for 4 years in the 1980s).
If you want to have business level service, run your own business. Or pony up the money for a business cable connection. I have a business cable connection for $60 USD a month. Residental users shouldn't need to run their own SMTP, since the ISP is responsible for the mail services, etc.
You may say it's wrong, and that's your opinion. So change ISPs, but know that the ISP you go to because it's easy for you to host mail, is also an ISP spammers will go to. And that means they'll likely be RBLed anyway.
I don't think blocking out a few people who want business-quality service at residential-rates is much of a price to pay to stop spammers.
"and in an industry where almost any paid work is good work this is a welcome opportunity"
If you work for free, or undervalue your work in a consulting situation, you are putting other people out of work. I don't mean writting GPL code. I mean that just because you are unemployed and collected on it, does not mean you should help people with problems without billing them. If you do work and are not paid for it, you are merely volunteering.
I'd really enjoyed Splinter Cell, so I went looking into MGS2:S. When I noticed how choppy it was, I knew that the Xbox wasn't the place to buy it. Ditto for Genmu Onimusha. They changed the play mechanics so much that it's not the same game.
I own the NES cart of Metal Gear, have Solid for PSX (but not VR missions... yet), and Sons of Liberty for the PS2. I totally agree that what Konami did with the port is a joke. That's probably why they've been aggresively dropping the price on it.
Tony Hawk Pro Skater 2x, though, that takes advantage of the Xbox:)
"Jesus Christ people, I am not attacking the GameCube."
(Note: I am not a "Jesus Christ people" -- I am very areligious.;))
When you say something like "The gamecube would have to sell much more than its entire userbase in one single year. The market is too saturated for that. The best thing that nintendo could do to reach any growth approaching that would be to..." you imply the GameCube is going to fail, and fairly soon at that.
I simply gave you numbers to go with that statement. If you'd said what you said in this message there, we wouldn't be having this misunderstanding.
You say that the PS2 will have good games. I don't argue that (and didn't originally). I do argue that it's probably not worth having a PS2, since most of those good games for it will be out on other systems with better graphics and features. As I said originally, "For people who only own one console, the PS2 still has some stuff coming out for it that they'll like, but for most of the rest of us the only things interesting on it are titles like Wild Arms 3 and Suikoden 3, which won't be released elsewhere. Things like Medal of Honour: Frontline are out on GameCube and Xbox with extras like multiplayer modes and better graphics. A lot of the titles for the PS2 just aren't as compelling when you have multiple consoles. Onimusha, Metal Gear, etc, are all showing up elsewhere. Why own it on the PS2 when you can have it better on a different console?"
The PS2 has few exclusive games that make it worth it. So why buy it on PS2 if you have a GameCube/Xbox? You can go buy Splinter Cell on the PS2 when it comes out, or you could not get a crappy port by buying it on the Xbox. That is what I said: that there is no reason to buy those multi-platform games, because you can get it better elsewhere.
To summarize: Sony has practically no first-party and second-party titles that are famous and popular (unlike Nintendo, and Microsoft with Rare). If you are the weakest platform (PS2), and the best you can offer is third-party gaming which shows up elsewhere (with better graphics, sound, and features), you will eventually fail. Vice City does not an entire platform make (and I really question the logic of people who buy a console for one game).
you forgot "during cutscenes only" since the PS2 does not support real-time encoding of DD or DTS audio (nothing does, except the Xbox which has a special chipset exactly for that encoding). The PS2 can do in-game PL2 encoding, but few games use it. I think this might be what that site is saying when they say, "gameplay is 4.1 only" -- except PL2 is 5.0 (no specific LFE channel).
I wasn't aware that there were any PS2 games that supported 480p. I don't see any that support above that, and there aren't many games which do 480p. I think that's probably the best you'll see from the PS2 ever.
Maybe you don't know what ProLogic 2 encoding is. It's a matrix encoding where 2 analog channels can contain 5 channels of surround information. That's why the GameCube has no optical cable -- because it doesn't use DD/DTS. It uses PL2. The component cables are easily available within Canada -- just call your nearest Nintendo store. I know there's one in Winnipeg which has the compnonent cables for ~$42 something with tax.
"The Game Cube was released in 2001, it is no longer brand new."
The entire analogy was how in 1992, the SNES seemed slow and dead compared to the Sega Genesis (released in 1989). This very much applies to the GameCube 2002-end numbers as compared to the PS2 (released in January 2000 in Japan). Applicable? Very.
"The best thing that nintendo could do to reach any growth approaching that would be to focus on the connectivity with the GBA, which is by far the most popular device."
Someone wasn't paying attention to E^3, where Nintendo spoke about connectivity as a key part of their strategy. Zelda: Wind Waker will use GBA connectivity, as will FF: Crystal Chronicles. As do many current games (AX, Sonic Adventure 2, Metroid, etc). Nintendo feels that connectivity is easier for people to enjoy than online gaming (due to reach), more affordable to people (one time fees rather than constant fees), and more profitable (all connectivity games boost sales of GameCube and GBA titles).
Nintendo's very strong. They learned from their mistakes with N64, and they learned from GBA v1. They are the only company I know of which has perfected emulation as a feature (Pokemon Stadium series, AX, etc). Sega has done good work with their Smash Pack series/Phantasy Star collection, but Nintendo is the only game company to release an emulator than has a 2x speed up mode (Pokemon Stadium 2's GBC emulation layer).
I can't wait to see how Ruby and Saphire will connect to the announced Pokemon GameCube game.
"My Xbox's hard-drive on the other hand is about fucking useless. Yes, it'll save my game on MY Xbox, but it doesn't do me any good when I go anywhere else. A hard drive is a good thing. Big-Fat Memory cards are better. There is really no argument here."
You're revisiting the same arguments that applied to the N64 cartridges (similar to the HD in internal expandability) and N64 memory cards. Memory cards are great to keep all game saves in one centralized device. Memory cards aren't great for things like sports games which track hundreds of stats, games like Morrowind which cache things on the HD, Dead or Alive costume expansions, etc. These are all problems which lend themselves to a persistent storage method like a harddrive.
If you want to move games between a console, use a memory card. If you want to change how your games play, make the persistency of the world you play in much better, or like to expand entire new modes via online support (Mech Assault downloads, for example, of new levels, mechs, and map modes), you need something like a harddrive. A 64mb or 128mb memory card will not cut it the same way a 10 or 20gb drive will.
"Ever hear of HDTV? By the time the PS3 hits the street HDTV should have a major foothold in the market. I'm sure Microsoft and Nintendo's next gen systems will support the higher resolutions offered by HDTV"
Next-gen?
Today I can hook up my Xbox and GameCube to an HDTV. Today I can get 480p (Shenmue 2x, Metroid Prime), 1080i (Dragon's Lair), and 720p (the hardest to do, but in THPS4 for Xbox).
Today I can do these things. Today I can play all my Xbox games in DTS surround, and almost all of my GameCube games in PL2 surround.
Today the PS2 boasts about 10 titles which have some kind of surround sound support, mainly being DTS or DD cutscenes with the odd game (Socom) which actually uses PL2 surround sound in game (it can't do DD or DTS in game). In terms of support for better than stereo sound and 512x384 NTSC, the PS2 is a joke.
Right now, the only reason to have a PS2 is for titles you can't get on the GameCube or Xbox (Devil May Cry series, etc). And even that's not guaranteed (Crash Bandicoot anyone? Resident Evil?). Sony has no strong first-party brands, like Nintendo does. Nor do they have the best hardware, like Microsoft does.
This announcement is Sony rattling its sabre for its PS2 fanboys. Everyone who's serious about gaming has all the consoles, and plays the good games regardless of platform. The PS2 is the weakest, oldest console out there in terms of features and progamability. That's why Sony is sabre rattling. They did the same thing to kill the Dreamcast. I don't think it'll work out the same this time.
Not really. A good clip is how well the GameCube is selling in Japan, usually around 75,000 units a week. The PSOne moves a couple thousand a week. The only people who buy a PSOne are people who want to give the kids a PS for a TV in the rec room, without taking away the PS2 they use for DVD playback.
The PS2 is nearing the end of its life. For people who only own one console, the PS2 still has some stuff coming out for it that they'll like, but for most of the rest of us the only things interesting on it are titles like Wild Arms 3 and Suikoden 3, which won't be released elsewhere. Things like Medal of Honour: Frontline are out on GameCube and Xbox with extras like multiplayer modes and better graphics. A lot of the titles for the PS2 just aren't as compelling when you have multiple consoles. Onimusha, Metal Gear, etc, are all showing up elsewhere. Why own it on the PS2 when you can have it better on a different console?
As for the exclusives themselves, there aren't too many. Enough for me to justify buying the console, but not too many in general (Devil May Cry series, Onimusha 2, a few PS2 RPGs, Mr. Mosquito).
Whoever moderated this up is stupid. EB doesn't want game returns any more than they want unhappy parents. If you've ever looked at their tills, they do mention "At least one of the titles on this receipt is rated M for Mature, please verify their understanding of this [ F5 - Ok ]."
Why would a company want to sell something, only to have in come back in an unsalable condition? That's stupid.
If you watch the Marilyn Manson "Guns, God, and the Government World Tour," you'll see that Wal*Mart (note the * branding on their US branches) doesn't carry Marilyn Manson CDs, even though they carry guns.
Because moving it from the realm of open and read, to open, assemble, and read is that much harder. Wait, it's not!
Unless you burn and rake the ashes, don't count on your shredded information not being put back together again easily. I know people think nothing of doing a 700 piece jigsaw puzzle, so why is your vertically shredded garbage suddenly impossible to re-assemble?
Slashdot Mirror
I will never, ever be able to use Linux for my grandmother, or if I'm in a hurry.
Metacity now is where Windows 1.0 was in terms of usability. Thanks, but no thanks.
"That Apple would Aquafy X11 is really a great step forward, and hopefully means that -- and this is key -- Apple will start shipping Macs with X11 preinstalled."
For those who need a compatibility sandbox, this is good. For those who are people who just want to use their computer, they'll not want it. Instead they'll want the old X11 software properly ported to Aqua and following Apple's L&F standards. L&F standards only work if everyone follows them, and adding X11 in doesn't do that.
" even if the graphics weren't much beyond your typical Sonic game."
This comment is inaccurate. The Sonic series on the Genesis were the best looking games available for it. Team Sonic was able to do amazing things with that console, while other people's projects (MK2 anyone?) had bland, washed out colours and a much smaller seeming pallete.
Sonic games are the standard for excellence, not the lackluster "normal" level you imply.
I had a DX4/100 until 1998. Whenever people talk about their "slow" multi-Ghz machines, I merely look at them like their head has decided to open and extrude tentacles which have finger puppets on them.
I've never tried to program the consoles I collect; the closest situation being the NES emulator I've back-burnered for a few years. Although, if I had a choice, the GameCube has the most interesting/fun internals of all the most recent (past 2 years) consoles.
"Well, the Saturn didn't exactly have SMP. SMP implies that the machine has multiple, yet identical, CPUs. The Saturn had multiple, yet different (as in different instruction sets) CPUs."
Only a commentor on slashdot with a nickname like KewlPC could take my comment about SMP on the Saturn, and write 5 paragraphs about how I'd missed something, and how you program other consoles! I salute you, super nerd!
They should all follow the same code of ethics. Any place where they're serious about selling, they should be talking to people and helping them. Unhappy customers aren't customers anymore.
Granted, he was just following the letter of the return policy, but the spirit of it is a little different. I learned that doing sales for a while. Maybe this guy just hadn't learned yet. Getting extra angry at them won't help, it only makes them defensive. You should just ask to speak to a manager, the know how to handle such situations.
10th of March, 2003. Go ask at your local video game store about a preorder. Ask them when it's coming out!
I know places like Electronics Boutique won't screw their customers, and will return PC software if it's been less than 24 hours (as you state). Bad software is bad software, they'll tell you as much (go into one and ask about LOTR: Fellowship for GBA; they should tell you how it locks up!).
The PS2 is light years ahead of the DC?
:p
The PS2 is not overpowerful at all; it was weaker than the DC in many respects! 2 megs of VRAM! Yay, now I get to retexture constantly with interleaved, hand-coded ASM! Seriously, its specs sucked, and the SDKs Sony did(n't) provide weren't helpful either.
Stop thinking about bits, mhz, and silly numbers that mean shit-fuck-all. Those were not why the PS2 "won". Look at it in context: DVD was really starting to take off (and the PS2 had that "built in"), and most people had at least some PSX games (guess what system can do those and sweet new PS2 games?).
Then you should consider the two previous two Sega console hardware releases, the 32X and Saturn. Ooh, now that kinda set the Dreamcast up as something which which would fail. I mean, the 32X sucked! Hey, if you want to play as a Hummingbird, it's the only system to have. Beyond that? Pure shit. Saturn? Yea, SMP is ready for consoles
Tech wise, any day I can get a system which came with online support out of the box, 4 player support built in (no multitap required!), a slim form factor, VMUs which enable neat mini-games, great SDKs that have easy-to-use antialiasing, proper amounts of RAM (16mb main, 8mb texture, 2mb sound), and even uses nifty, tile-based rendering is something I want to have. That's why the Dreamcast kicked ass, and why it was frustrating to see it not get the support it deserved.
You can say, "why can't I get my one single winner console? " and then put in a stupid Tolkien reference. Realize that, much like the Tolkien books, the unification of anything under one power leads to a downfall.
In the gaming world's case, that downfall was how Nintendo raped the market between 1985 and 1989. With carte blanche to force developers into any deals they wanted to, they ruined gaming. Remember Ultra Games? That was a "4th party" Konami used because Nintendo only let 3rd party developers release 2 titles per year. How about the price of the NES set: 200$ USD for 4 straight years. Sound monopolistic? It was.
Competition is good. It means that you have Sony and Microsoft and Nintendo being attentive to the needs of the developers and the needs of the game players. It means that you get more choice, because there is a refinement of target audiences.
I have connected to my entertainment centre right now: NES, TG16, SNES, N64, GC, DC, Xbox, PS2. My Sega Master System isn't connected because I can't find the AC adaptor. Why do I have them setup? Because I care about my gaming. Plus, for less than the cost of keeping one computer up to spec for Doom 3, I can have every console available + the hot games! This means I get my cool Wild Arms 3 and Suikoden 3 on my PS2, I get Metroid and Resident Evil and Sonic on my GameCube, and I get Panzer Dragoon and JSRF and DOA: XV on my Xbox.
If you don't have the money to buy a different console, don't post a whine about it on slashdot. Consoles come out every 5 years or so, and generally have a library of 10 to 15 games which kick ass (the Dreamcast was an exception, with over 20 excellent games). It's as real as the 18 month video card upgrade cycle in PC land.
"The cost of the box easily covers the production cost of the unit and also incorporates a small profit for both MS and the retailer/distributor."
Even if MS received a "sweet deal" from nVidia/Intel/etc, I doubt your claims. Stores that sell game consoles get in the range of 3$ to 6$ USD "profit" on a game console. Enough to cover shipping of the units and a little bit extra (defective returns for every 1,000 units shipped normally). The Xbox is not sold as a "profit," it is merely sold at break even or a minor loss (no more than 30$ USD) as components allow. The PS2 is slightly better than break even because of their recent internal redesigns. The GameCube was making a profit until Nintendo dropped the price a few months back.
Microsoft personally receives about 10 to 20$ USD from each Xbox game purchased new. The licence fee to have the games signed with the XDK key more than covers any loss MS makes on the Xbox. If you own more than one game (I do), you have given MS enough money to cover any minor losses.
Now, Microsoft doesn't sell the Xbox at a large loss (some fool said 50$ USD, which would mean that MS somehow lost half a billion dollars on the 8.2 million Xboxes out there), but it's not like they rake in dough on hardware sales. That's never how video game consoles have worked out economically, except for monopoly situations (NES entertainment pack being 200$ USD for 4 years in the 1980s).
How do you get PVR software working on a piece of equipment which has no video in of any kind?
If you want to have business level service, run your own business. Or pony up the money for a business cable connection. I have a business cable connection for $60 USD a month. Residental users shouldn't need to run their own SMTP, since the ISP is responsible for the mail services, etc.
You may say it's wrong, and that's your opinion. So change ISPs, but know that the ISP you go to because it's easy for you to host mail, is also an ISP spammers will go to. And that means they'll likely be RBLed anyway.
I don't think blocking out a few people who want business-quality service at residential-rates is much of a price to pay to stop spammers.
If they would block known services on residental accounts, spammers would find it harder and more expensive to do their work.
"and in an industry where almost any paid work is good work this is a welcome opportunity"
If you work for free, or undervalue your work in a consulting situation, you are putting other people out of work. I don't mean writting GPL code. I mean that just because you are unemployed and collected on it, does not mean you should help people with problems without billing them. If you do work and are not paid for it, you are merely volunteering.
I'd really enjoyed Splinter Cell, so I went looking into MGS2:S. When I noticed how choppy it was, I knew that the Xbox wasn't the place to buy it. Ditto for Genmu Onimusha. They changed the play mechanics so much that it's not the same game.
:)
I own the NES cart of Metal Gear, have Solid for PSX (but not VR missions... yet), and Sons of Liberty for the PS2. I totally agree that what Konami did with the port is a joke. That's probably why they've been aggresively dropping the price on it.
Tony Hawk Pro Skater 2x, though, that takes advantage of the Xbox
"Jesus Christ people, I am not attacking the GameCube."
;))
..." you imply the GameCube is going to fail, and fairly soon at that.
(Note: I am not a "Jesus Christ people" -- I am very areligious.
When you say something like "The gamecube would have to sell much more than its entire userbase in one single year. The market is too saturated for that. The best thing that nintendo could do to reach any growth approaching that would be to
I simply gave you numbers to go with that statement. If you'd said what you said in this message there, we wouldn't be having this misunderstanding.
You say that the PS2 will have good games. I don't argue that (and didn't originally). I do argue that it's probably not worth having a PS2, since most of those good games for it will be out on other systems with better graphics and features. As I said originally, "For people who only own one console, the PS2 still has some stuff coming out for it that they'll like, but for most of the rest of us the only things interesting on it are titles like Wild Arms 3 and Suikoden 3, which won't be released elsewhere. Things like Medal of Honour: Frontline are out on GameCube and Xbox with extras like multiplayer modes and better graphics. A lot of the titles for the PS2 just aren't as compelling when you have multiple consoles. Onimusha, Metal Gear, etc, are all showing up elsewhere. Why own it on the PS2 when you can have it better on a different console?"
The PS2 has few exclusive games that make it worth it. So why buy it on PS2 if you have a GameCube/Xbox? You can go buy Splinter Cell on the PS2 when it comes out, or you could not get a crappy port by buying it on the Xbox. That is what I said: that there is no reason to buy those multi-platform games, because you can get it better elsewhere.
To summarize: Sony has practically no first-party and second-party titles that are famous and popular (unlike Nintendo, and Microsoft with Rare). If you are the weakest platform (PS2), and the best you can offer is third-party gaming which shows up elsewhere (with better graphics, sound, and features), you will eventually fail. Vice City does not an entire platform make (and I really question the logic of people who buy a console for one game).
" and some games do support Dolby Digital"
you forgot "during cutscenes only" since the PS2 does not support real-time encoding of DD or DTS audio (nothing does, except the Xbox which has a special chipset exactly for that encoding). The PS2 can do in-game PL2 encoding, but few games use it. I think this might be what that site is saying when they say, "gameplay is 4.1 only" -- except PL2 is 5.0 (no specific LFE channel).
I wasn't aware that there were any PS2 games that supported 480p. I don't see any that support above that, and there aren't many games which do 480p. I think that's probably the best you'll see from the PS2 ever.
Maybe you don't know what ProLogic 2 encoding is. It's a matrix encoding where 2 analog channels can contain 5 channels of surround information. That's why the GameCube has no optical cable -- because it doesn't use DD/DTS. It uses PL2. The component cables are easily available within Canada -- just call your nearest Nintendo store. I know there's one in Winnipeg which has the compnonent cables for ~$42 something with tax.
Check into it sometime.
"The Game Cube was released in 2001, it is no longer brand new."
The entire analogy was how in 1992, the SNES seemed slow and dead compared to the Sega Genesis (released in 1989). This very much applies to the GameCube 2002-end numbers as compared to the PS2 (released in January 2000 in Japan). Applicable? Very.
"The best thing that nintendo could do to reach any growth approaching that would be to focus on the connectivity with the GBA, which is by far the most popular device."
Someone wasn't paying attention to E^3, where Nintendo spoke about connectivity as a key part of their strategy. Zelda: Wind Waker will use GBA connectivity, as will FF: Crystal Chronicles. As do many current games (AX, Sonic Adventure 2, Metroid, etc). Nintendo feels that connectivity is easier for people to enjoy than online gaming (due to reach), more affordable to people (one time fees rather than constant fees), and more profitable (all connectivity games boost sales of GameCube and GBA titles).
Nintendo's very strong. They learned from their mistakes with N64, and they learned from GBA v1. They are the only company I know of which has perfected emulation as a feature (Pokemon Stadium series, AX, etc). Sega has done good work with their Smash Pack series/Phantasy Star collection, but Nintendo is the only game company to release an emulator than has a 2x speed up mode (Pokemon Stadium 2's GBC emulation layer).
I can't wait to see how Ruby and Saphire will connect to the announced Pokemon GameCube game.
"My Xbox's hard-drive on the other hand is about fucking useless. Yes, it'll save my game on MY Xbox, but it doesn't do me any good when I go anywhere else.
A hard drive is a good thing. Big-Fat Memory cards are better. There is really no argument here."
You're revisiting the same arguments that applied to the N64 cartridges (similar to the HD in internal expandability) and N64 memory cards. Memory cards are great to keep all game saves in one centralized device. Memory cards aren't great for things like sports games which track hundreds of stats, games like Morrowind which cache things on the HD, Dead or Alive costume expansions, etc. These are all problems which lend themselves to a persistent storage method like a harddrive.
If you want to move games between a console, use a memory card. If you want to change how your games play, make the persistency of the world you play in much better, or like to expand entire new modes via online support (Mech Assault downloads, for example, of new levels, mechs, and map modes), you need something like a harddrive. A 64mb or 128mb memory card will not cut it the same way a 10 or 20gb drive will.
"Ever hear of HDTV? By the time the PS3 hits the street HDTV should have a major foothold in the market. I'm sure Microsoft and Nintendo's next gen systems will support the higher resolutions offered by HDTV"
Next-gen?
Today I can hook up my Xbox and GameCube to an HDTV. Today I can get 480p (Shenmue 2x, Metroid Prime), 1080i (Dragon's Lair), and 720p (the hardest to do, but in THPS4 for Xbox).
Today I can do these things. Today I can play all my Xbox games in DTS surround, and almost all of my GameCube games in PL2 surround.
Today the PS2 boasts about 10 titles which have some kind of surround sound support, mainly being DTS or DD cutscenes with the odd game (Socom) which actually uses PL2 surround sound in game (it can't do DD or DTS in game). In terms of support for better than stereo sound and 512x384 NTSC, the PS2 is a joke.
Right now, the only reason to have a PS2 is for titles you can't get on the GameCube or Xbox (Devil May Cry series, etc). And even that's not guaranteed (Crash Bandicoot anyone? Resident Evil?). Sony has no strong first-party brands, like Nintendo does. Nor do they have the best hardware, like Microsoft does.
This announcement is Sony rattling its sabre for its PS2 fanboys. Everyone who's serious about gaming has all the consoles, and plays the good games regardless of platform. The PS2 is the weakest, oldest console out there in terms of features and progamability. That's why Sony is sabre rattling. They did the same thing to kill the Dreamcast. I don't think it'll work out the same this time.
Not really. A good clip is how well the GameCube is selling in Japan, usually around 75,000 units a week. The PSOne moves a couple thousand a week. The only people who buy a PSOne are people who want to give the kids a PS for a TV in the rec room, without taking away the PS2 they use for DVD playback.
The PS2 is nearing the end of its life. For people who only own one console, the PS2 still has some stuff coming out for it that they'll like, but for most of the rest of us the only things interesting on it are titles like Wild Arms 3 and Suikoden 3, which won't be released elsewhere. Things like Medal of Honour: Frontline are out on GameCube and Xbox with extras like multiplayer modes and better graphics. A lot of the titles for the PS2 just aren't as compelling when you have multiple consoles. Onimusha, Metal Gear, etc, are all showing up elsewhere. Why own it on the PS2 when you can have it better on a different console?
As for the exclusives themselves, there aren't too many. Enough for me to justify buying the console, but not too many in general (Devil May Cry series, Onimusha 2, a few PS2 RPGs, Mr. Mosquito).
Whoever moderated this up is stupid. EB doesn't want game returns any more than they want unhappy parents. If you've ever looked at their tills, they do mention "At least one of the titles on this receipt is rated M for Mature, please verify their understanding of this [ F5 - Ok ]."
Why would a company want to sell something, only to have in come back in an unsalable condition? That's stupid.
If you watch the Marilyn Manson "Guns, God, and the Government World Tour," you'll see that Wal*Mart (note the * branding on their US branches) doesn't carry Marilyn Manson CDs, even though they carry guns.
Yay for guns! Do you love your guns?
Because moving it from the realm of open and read, to open, assemble, and read is that much harder. Wait, it's not!
Unless you burn and rake the ashes, don't count on your shredded information not being put back together again easily. I know people think nothing of doing a 700 piece jigsaw puzzle, so why is your vertically shredded garbage suddenly impossible to re-assemble?