Well, you could consider the fact that it might not be marketed towards the average slashdot reader, not everything is. I for one don't have a PC that can play HL2, and I love the idea of being able to buy games without getting up off my ass.
Well, I'm an advanced user, but It's not like I spend all my time clicking advanced buttons. Besides, those buttons are usually only on configuration pages, which are not something I'd generally use repeatedly to do a job.
The best idea is to just provide a concise UI for basic users, and customisation options and lots of keyboard shortcuts for the advanced ones. MS Visual Studio is a good example of this sort of UI design.
And you know it's shitty how? It doesn't give any specifics on the chipset besides the manufacturer. It might not even be based on any existing sis product....
I'm not sure what that broadband comment is about, but in the article they just say 'high-bandwidth'. In either case I think they are referring to the bandwidth of the communications inside the box, from processor to processor or whatever.
Despite their names, they are not binary compatible and barely source compatible as you'll soon find if you try to port even the simplest app.
They _are_ binary compatible,.Net CF is a subset of the full framework, so any binary written for it will run on any CF platform as well as XP. I've actually done this plenty of times.
I could point out that the usual response is that Japanese homes and other urban enviornments are limited in space and it was one of the biggest turnoffs for Japanese buyers. Without Japan, game consoles have traditionally not done well, etc., etc.
Which is bullshit, the size might be a fashion issue, but no one is seriously going to miss that litre of extra air that the xbox takes up in their apartment.
Microsoft also announced that the Windows WinFX developer technologies, including the new presentation subsystem code-named "Avalon" and the new communication subsystem code-named Indigo, will be made available for Microsoft® Windows XP and Windows Server 2003 in 2006.
Not practical anymore, for drawing pixels at least. Chances are if even one feature has to be emulated at the pixel level, the game will be unplayable.
DirectX will fall back to software for vertex programmes, and it provides a nice 'effect' system which you can use to provide fallbacks for all your rendering techniques.
And those platforms are so different that you either have to write a whole bunch of platform specific code, or settle for a least common denominator situation.
1) Other cards contained coupons.
2) Some of those 9600's and 9800's didn't contain coupons (eg. mine).
That pretty much destroys any meaning in the numbers.
Simple, when you want to save you are given a mantra to write down on paper. Next time you want to play, just type in your mantra on the handy software keyboard.
What about Nintendo & Sony? They don't exactly use DirectX. Many game companies these days license 3rd party engines that have many rendering paths & input/sound abstraction.
Sure some comapnies use DirectX only, but a huge portion doesn't.
First of all, Nintendo and Sony have fixed hardware platforms, so writing to the hardware is at least a possibility. On a PC it's not a good idea.
As for the abstraction middleware, stuff like Renderware, Gamebryo (Netimmerse), Unreal, etc. don't actually abstract the hardware level. They all provide native implementations for consoles, while on PC they just sit on top of... DirectX.
Audi doesn't count, it most definitely exists worldwide, and wasn't created by VW in the early 90's. It's just another VW family member (like skoda, seat, etc.), not just a luxury brand.
Even assuming the actual media is burned and printed locally, if the Dollar becomes "weaker" against the Yen, the Japanese rights holders will demand larger licensing fees to continue publication of a title on this side of the Pacific.
What you are talking about is the change in the exchange rate between the Dollar and the Yen _over time_. I'm not suggesting that that change is meaningless, all I'm saying is that the instantaneous exchange rate is essentially arbitrary. If you chose to express the ratio in Pennies / Yen, it wouldn't make the Yen more valuable.
My post was just a response to people who think games cost twice as much in Australia as in America because their dollar is worth less.
Slashdot Mirror
Well, you could consider the fact that it might not be marketed towards the average slashdot reader, not everything is. I for one don't have a PC that can play HL2, and I love the idea of being able to buy games without getting up off my ass.
Well, I'm an advanced user, but It's not like I spend all my time clicking advanced buttons. Besides, those buttons are usually only on configuration pages, which are not something I'd generally use repeatedly to do a job.
The best idea is to just provide a concise UI for basic users, and customisation options and lots of keyboard shortcuts for the advanced ones. MS Visual Studio is a good example of this sort of UI design.
Redundant??? Those are perfectly good points. 'Advanced...' buttons work pretty well for me.
And you know it's shitty how? It doesn't give any specifics on the chipset besides the manufacturer. It might not even be based on any existing sis product....
-was
Actually I'm pretty sure it's was Mazda that Ford has a stake in.
I agree, that summary is total nonsense.
It's not relevant, it's mis-interpreted.
It doesn't say 'network' either.
I'm not sure what that broadband comment is about, but in the article they just say 'high-bandwidth'. In either case I think they are referring to the bandwidth of the communications inside the box, from processor to processor or whatever.
Despite their names, they are not binary compatible and barely source compatible as you'll soon find if you try to port even the simplest app.
.Net CF is a subset of the full framework, so any binary written for it will run on any CF platform as well as XP. I've actually done this plenty of times.
They _are_ binary compatible,
I could point out that the usual response is that Japanese homes and other urban enviornments are limited in space and it was one of the biggest turnoffs for Japanese buyers. Without Japan, game consoles have traditionally not done well, etc., etc. Which is bullshit, the size might be a fashion issue, but no one is seriously going to miss that litre of extra air that the xbox takes up in their apartment.
Take that, DirectX. Let's see you do Brain and Skull!
And this is compile-time compatibility. It's even more backwards compatible at run-time.
Microsoft also announced that the Windows WinFX developer technologies, including the new presentation subsystem code-named "Avalon" and the new communication subsystem code-named Indigo, will be made available for Microsoft® Windows XP and Windows Server 2003 in 2006.
0 4/08-27Target2006PR.asp
http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/press/2004/Aug
Not practical anymore, for drawing pixels at least. Chances are if even one feature has to be emulated at the pixel level, the game will be unplayable.
DirectX will fall back to software for vertex programmes, and it provides a nice 'effect' system which you can use to provide fallbacks for all your rendering techniques.
And those platforms are so different that you either have to write a whole bunch of platform specific code, or settle for a least common denominator situation.
1) Other cards contained coupons. 2) Some of those 9600's and 9800's didn't contain coupons (eg. mine). That pretty much destroys any meaning in the numbers.
It was a Faxanadu reference that no one got. :)
And you are quoting numbers from a survey covering an unknown percentage of users, so your numbers are imaginary.
Simple, when you want to save you are given a mantra to write down on paper. Next time you want to play, just type in your mantra on the handy software keyboard.
You can be a Pirate in this game, but you can't be a white-collar criminal?
What about Nintendo & Sony? They don't exactly use DirectX. Many game companies these days license 3rd party engines that have many rendering paths & input/sound abstraction. Sure some comapnies use DirectX only, but a huge portion doesn't.
First of all, Nintendo and Sony have fixed hardware platforms, so writing to the hardware is at least a possibility. On a PC it's not a good idea.
As for the abstraction middleware, stuff like Renderware, Gamebryo (Netimmerse), Unreal, etc. don't actually abstract the hardware level. They all provide native implementations for consoles, while on PC they just sit on top of... DirectX.
Audi doesn't count, it most definitely exists worldwide, and wasn't created by VW in the early 90's. It's just another VW family member (like skoda, seat, etc.), not just a luxury brand.
Even assuming the actual media is burned and printed locally, if the Dollar becomes "weaker" against the Yen, the Japanese rights holders will demand larger licensing fees to continue publication of a title on this side of the Pacific.
What you are talking about is the change in the exchange rate between the Dollar and the Yen _over time_. I'm not suggesting that that change is meaningless, all I'm saying is that the instantaneous exchange rate is essentially arbitrary. If you chose to express the ratio in Pennies / Yen, it wouldn't make the Yen more valuable.
My post was just a response to people who think games cost twice as much in Australia as in America because their dollar is worth less.