I'd recommend waiting for the GBA DS or the PSP, you would probably get better value for your money out of them than the NGage for head-to-head gaming.
I was really impressed by the first version until I found out about having to remove the battery to change games. Then when the QD came out I was disappointed that they had dropped MP3 support.
Looks like I won't be getting a Nokia N-Gage this time round either and will happily wait for the Nintendo DS. Now if only the DS supported Java we would have ALOT of open source source software on a decent device! VOIP perhaps?
...that perhaps his phone is hooked up to a PC and sending them automatically?
I sometimes think that all these SMS incidents including people who claim to sms 2000 times a day to competitions that they have access to an SMS gateway or something.
Reminds of the time my mate wrote a BASIC program to print out his "lines" that he was given as discipline. Back then the teachers thought he had typed it all up but all it was:
10 println "I shall not talk while the teacher is talking" 20 goto 10
And you do realise that the SP has a backlight, rechargable battery and last nearly 10 times longer!!!! Thats right, it is better than the GBA!
No more spending on those damn AA cell batteries, being rechargable has saved me more and doesn't take the same amount of time normal rechargeable batteries take. Ever tried playing Wind Waker with a standard GBA? Whoops time to change the batteries AGAIN!!
I think it is apparent by now that online gaming is a bit more than in it's infancy and if WarpPipe can enable 2 Gamecubes to connect online via a DSL connection and attract players to use it then there is a market.
Why not develop Half Life 2 for all consoles? The servers already exist and if you can get a PC and console to operate co-operatively then I can't see what the problem is.
WarCraft 3, StarCraft BroodWar, Unreal Tournament, Quake 3 Arena, all these games already have servers available to connect to so why don't we see ports of these games to consoles? I haven't played a game on my PC since I got my GameCube because I know the console is 100% designed for games and it's not supposed to do anything else which is why it kicks ass compared to having to buy a new 256mb graphics card for my PC.
Wake up Software houses! A majority of Software houses develop on most if not all platforms and we should have seen mixed platform compatibility/playability online at least 3 years ago but as usual there is noone who wants to make the first move. Lets hope the connectivity in GameCube and the new GameBoy may be able to push for more online Gaming.
I'm tired of the issue being polarized into two camps. Not everything Nintendo does is aimed expressly at children, and that certainly doesn't disqualify them from making a great game.
I agree, I have a GameBoy Advance SP and enjoy passing time playing Metroid Fusion/Zero Mission, Mech Platoon (great portable version of star craft, there is nothing else out there like it), Zelda and recently Sim City 2000.
A couple of school kids see me playing a GBA-SP and instantly they think Pokemon!?!?!
Nintendo however needs to produce a GBA version that isn't so plastic and something that will be more comfortable in adult hands - the SP can really give me cramps at times!
Lets hope they get the final design right for DS so that the audience can be expanded from 7-12 year olds to appeal to a more mature audience as well.
Lets see what new features does it bring to handheld gaming?
It uses a disk instead of a cartridge.
USB 2.0 Port
Large screen
Note: 802.11b Wireless won't be a new feature if Nintendo releases the DS first
What it carries on from the PlayStation2:
It's graphics and games
New features the GameboyDS brings to handheld gaming:
802.11b Wireless
Nintendo wireless
Touch screen interface
Voice input
Backward compatibility with GBA/SP - Okay so it's something the GameBoy has always been capable of.
What it carries on from previous systems:
Cartridge based games (less piracy that what you can expect on PSP
Connectivity - the thing I prefer about GameCube and Gameboy is the integration between the 2
Backward compatible (although if GameBoy Games work with the GBA will they also work with the GBDS? Then again who would try such a ridiculous thing?)
Personally I see the PSP as overloaded, with all that technology how much is it going to set you back? And the games on the disk, surely you would be paying standard PS2 game retail price for 1.8gb of gaming data?!?
Okay I was aware that it was coming but surely allowing a product to mature (much like what has been done with the playstation) would be a bit more beneficial?
So far I've got a GameCube, GameBoy Advance and GameBoy Advance SP and to total off the collection I guess I'll be getting the DS now but there appears to be alot of potential in the current platforms that is being ignored.
For example, broadband on the GameCube could be pushed further to actually selling the adaptors and membership as retail. Why not sell Games and online memberships (and top up kits) for connecting to online servers? Games set you back ~$99AU an online gaming pack could sell for around $40AU for something like 40 hours of gaming or more.
A company recently released a GPS connector for the GBA SP, okay it looks a bit cheesy driving around with a GBA on your dashboard but how about a more slimline, perhaps mature, design?
Wireless connections are a big thing with Nintendo (Wavebird wireless controller and GBA wireless) imagine being able to link up your GBA with the BroadBand adaptor then downloading games to your GameCube memory card for transfer to your GBA; perhaps make blank GBA Paks available for downloading cartoons or tv shows via the GameCube?
So early next year or there abouts we will have the GameCube NEXT platform (or whatever they plan on calling it) pretty much leaving people with a pile of 2-3 year old Nintendo consoles that may never be looked at again. Any ideas on what to do with them???
You still cannot beat the JPDA. With hot-loading of classes during runtime it has made development and fixing bugs much easier.
When you can reload classes in a web app remotely during debugging that is my idea of the perfrect debugging tool!
This approach probably isn't for everyone but for it's made this recession bearable.
Recession? I was laid off my last job (thank god as they had terrible management and customer relations skills) which didn't exactly pay off. Went overseas for a month came back and had people offering me work from every state in Oz.
4 months into my new job (started 2 days after I got back from Europe) and I'm still getting job offers. They just can't seem to find the developers required here in Australia. Alot of American companies pulled out of Australia, borland for example, but either students are getting the message that IT is a field of work that's erratic and not taking it up or Australians are just heading to the USA/UK for the work. Whatever, we still seem to be lacking in developers (mostly contract). I've even been getting contract offers from Ireland!?!?!
I'm not saying I'm a super CS student, I actually graduated with a BArts in Computing and Communications (and incomplete BSc in computing). Still I don't see the degree limiting me in my choice of work but I don't think I'd be working without it.
I do have ambitions to go back to uni and complete a CS degree (eventually), in the four years I've been working my pay has been on a total roller coaster ride from job to job but I expect that from a volatile market and realise it's not going to change unless I aim for managerial or Project Management positions.
I'm happy as a developer and have no urgent needs to be a manager, I'd prefer to be more hands on than telling others what to do and as lead developer I get the best of both worlds.
I've seen people try to break into the market with just a TAFE degree (our version of a cert I guess) and it just doesn't cut it in IT.
If you can aford and handle it, go to uni, do some intern work or freelancing in the meantime but just make sure you can get the experience with the degree. A mature age student without experience is just the same as a cert.
So you reckon you can write, lets say an email client in C++/Python quicker than you can with the Java API?
I'm not talking about application performance but the time it takes to write the app. Aside from the fact that 50% of the app is pretty much already written for with the Javamail API and your pretty much left with just the User Interface to plug into the mail processes I would say your more likely to complete the application faster in Java.
Anyone else experience this? I click on the History of Web Crawler link (www.thinkpink.com) and my browser crashes - Mozilla FireFox, Netscape 7.1 and IE6...
Then why our developers have a 2x increase in productivity when moving from JDeveloper 10.5 to Visual Studio.NET ? I will tell you why: because JDeveloper, written in Java, is 5 times slower than VS.NET.
To be using JDeveloper is insane. It's way too heavy for Java development and in my opinion a piece of shit. I've used different Java IDE's and nothing can compare with IntelliJ 4. It may not be perfect but it has most of the resources you need (Module based development, auto importing of classes, great debugging features easily configurable) and not a whole overhead of resources you don't need. It's also affordable and don't go spouting on about free IDEs because I'm getting sick of this whole idea that development tools should be free.
JBuilder 6+ isn't too bad but I think it's way over priced.
Forte/NetBeans is slowly getting there but still needs work.
The highlights I find with Java include the hotswapping of compiled classes while debugging - man it really improves productivity! The JPDA debugger makes debugging less of a pain in servlets and EJBs, webstart makes a great alternative for deployment of swing based interfaces as an alternative to using applets.
Granted there are still areas in Java that need improving (JDBC for example could be a bit faster but this is typically vendor based anyway) but with computer speeds increasing and hardware costs dropping again this is becoming an insignificant argument.
You also need to remember that.NET is pretty much just an extension on other languages to improve inter-platform compatibility (ie Delphi.NET can work with C# and ASP.NET etc). It applies to multiple languages and to a degree is still bound to windows.
So which language do you think could develop the same application faster Java or C++? I know for a fact that the last few years companies are more into getting a project completed before ironing out bugs and a project is never initially deployed bug free. If a company can have 80% of the project in 2 weeks then they will go for that and not wait for it to be 100%.
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I'd recommend waiting for the GBA DS or the PSP, you would probably get better value for your money out of them than the NGage for head-to-head gaming.
It actually makes me wonder what the memory size is for the NGage. I'm pretty sure the GBA SP allows at least 256 meg per pak.
Anyone got any idea how much mem the NGage has?
How can you say that!?!?!?!?! With all the java enabled phones already it would make sense to use Java rather than C/++ ;-)
I was really impressed by the first version until I found out about having to remove the battery to change games. Then when the QD came out I was disappointed that they had dropped MP3 support.
Looks like I won't be getting a Nokia N-Gage this time round either and will happily wait for the Nintendo DS. Now if only the DS supported Java we would have ALOT of open source source software on a decent device! VOIP perhaps?
...that perhaps his phone is hooked up to a PC and sending them automatically?
I sometimes think that all these SMS incidents including people who claim to sms 2000 times a day to competitions that they have access to an SMS gateway or something.
Reminds of the time my mate wrote a BASIC program to print out his "lines" that he was given as discipline. Back then the teachers thought he had typed it all up but all it was:
vacuum cleaner! Is that british influence or what?
I'm actually stating that the GBA DS includes more newer features and the PSP just has alot of features that aren' new to the handheld gaming market.
No more spending on those damn AA cell batteries, being rechargable has saved me more and doesn't take the same amount of time normal rechargeable batteries take. Ever tried playing Wind Waker with a standard GBA? Whoops time to change the batteries AGAIN!!
And apparently the GameBoy Advance has outsold the PS2...
Considering most of the OS exists on the game paks, why don't they release a Linux Game Pak? or Amiga or Windows or Mac,.....
I think it is apparent by now that online gaming is a bit more than in it's infancy and if WarpPipe can enable 2 Gamecubes to connect online via a DSL connection and attract players to use it then there is a market.
Why not develop Half Life 2 for all consoles? The servers already exist and if you can get a PC and console to operate co-operatively then I can't see what the problem is.
WarCraft 3, StarCraft BroodWar, Unreal Tournament, Quake 3 Arena, all these games already have servers available to connect to so why don't we see ports of these games to consoles? I haven't played a game on my PC since I got my GameCube because I know the console is 100% designed for games and it's not supposed to do anything else which is why it kicks ass compared to having to buy a new 256mb graphics card for my PC.
Wake up Software houses! A majority of Software houses develop on most if not all platforms and we should have seen mixed platform compatibility/playability online at least 3 years ago but as usual there is noone who wants to make the first move. Lets hope the connectivity in GameCube and the new GameBoy may be able to push for more online Gaming.
I agree, I have a GameBoy Advance SP and enjoy passing time playing Metroid Fusion/Zero Mission, Mech Platoon (great portable version of star craft, there is nothing else out there like it), Zelda and recently Sim City 2000.
A couple of school kids see me playing a GBA-SP and instantly they think Pokemon!?!?!
Nintendo however needs to produce a GBA version that isn't so plastic and something that will be more comfortable in adult hands - the SP can really give me cramps at times!
Lets hope they get the final design right for DS so that the audience can be expanded from 7-12 year olds to appeal to a more mature audience as well.
Lets see what new features does it bring to handheld gaming?
- It uses a disk instead of a cartridge.
- USB 2.0 Port
- Large screen
Note: 802.11b Wireless won't be a new feature if Nintendo releases the DS firstWhat it carries on from the PlayStation2:
New features the GameboyDS brings to handheld gaming:
What it carries on from previous systems:
Personally I see the PSP as overloaded, with all that technology how much is it going to set you back? And the games on the disk, surely you would be paying standard PS2 game retail price for 1.8gb of gaming data?!?
I guess all I can say is wait and see...
Okay I was aware that it was coming but surely allowing a product to mature (much like what has been done with the playstation) would be a bit more beneficial?
So far I've got a GameCube, GameBoy Advance and GameBoy Advance SP and to total off the collection I guess I'll be getting the DS now but there appears to be alot of potential in the current platforms that is being ignored.
For example, broadband on the GameCube could be pushed further to actually selling the adaptors and membership as retail. Why not sell Games and online memberships (and top up kits) for connecting to online servers? Games set you back ~$99AU an online gaming pack could sell for around $40AU for something like 40 hours of gaming or more.
A company recently released a GPS connector for the GBA SP, okay it looks a bit cheesy driving around with a GBA on your dashboard but how about a more slimline, perhaps mature, design?
Wireless connections are a big thing with Nintendo (Wavebird wireless controller and GBA wireless) imagine being able to link up your GBA with the BroadBand adaptor then downloading games to your GameCube memory card for transfer to your GBA; perhaps make blank GBA Paks available for downloading cartoons or tv shows via the GameCube?
So early next year or there abouts we will have the GameCube NEXT platform (or whatever they plan on calling it) pretty much leaving people with a pile of 2-3 year old Nintendo consoles that may never be looked at again. Any ideas on what to do with them???
If only Metroid Prime 2 was Broadband capable, then again will Nintendo Announce it?
Which would be the better of the two? Metroid or Halo?
Metroid of course!!!!!! ;-)
This just confirms to the sender that your actually paying attention to whats coming through and I'm sure just encourages them to send more.
You'd think by now you'd be able to get a (walled garden/ firewall) for fax machines!!
You still cannot beat the JPDA. With hot-loading of classes during runtime it has made development and fixing bugs much easier. When you can reload classes in a web app remotely during debugging that is my idea of the perfrect debugging tool!
Recession? I was laid off my last job (thank god as they had terrible management and customer relations skills) which didn't exactly pay off. Went overseas for a month came back and had people offering me work from every state in Oz.
4 months into my new job (started 2 days after I got back from Europe) and I'm still getting job offers. They just can't seem to find the developers required here in Australia. Alot of American companies pulled out of Australia, borland for example, but either students are getting the message that IT is a field of work that's erratic and not taking it up or Australians are just heading to the USA/UK for the work. Whatever, we still seem to be lacking in developers (mostly contract). I've even been getting contract offers from Ireland!?!?!
I'm not saying I'm a super CS student, I actually graduated with a BArts in Computing and Communications (and incomplete BSc in computing). Still I don't see the degree limiting me in my choice of work but I don't think I'd be working without it.
I do have ambitions to go back to uni and complete a CS degree (eventually), in the four years I've been working my pay has been on a total roller coaster ride from job to job but I expect that from a volatile market and realise it's not going to change unless I aim for managerial or Project Management positions.
I'm happy as a developer and have no urgent needs to be a manager, I'd prefer to be more hands on than telling others what to do and as lead developer I get the best of both worlds.
I've seen people try to break into the market with just a TAFE degree (our version of a cert I guess) and it just doesn't cut it in IT.
If you can aford and handle it, go to uni, do some intern work or freelancing in the meantime but just make sure you can get the experience with the degree. A mature age student without experience is just the same as a cert.
So you reckon you can write, lets say an email client in C++/Python quicker than you can with the Java API?
I'm not talking about application performance but the time it takes to write the app. Aside from the fact that 50% of the app is pretty much already written for with the Javamail API and your pretty much left with just the User Interface to plug into the mail processes I would say your more likely to complete the application faster in Java.
Anyone else experience this? I click on the History of Web Crawler link (www.thinkpink.com) and my browser crashes - Mozilla FireFox, Netscape 7.1 and IE6...
To be using JDeveloper is insane. It's way too heavy for Java development and in my opinion a piece of shit. I've used different Java IDE's and nothing can compare with IntelliJ 4. It may not be perfect but it has most of the resources you need (Module based development, auto importing of classes, great debugging features easily configurable) and not a whole overhead of resources you don't need. It's also affordable and don't go spouting on about free IDEs because I'm getting sick of this whole idea that development tools should be free.
JBuilder 6+ isn't too bad but I think it's way over priced.
Forte/NetBeans is slowly getting there but still needs work.
The highlights I find with Java include the hotswapping of compiled classes while debugging - man it really improves productivity! The JPDA debugger makes debugging less of a pain in servlets and EJBs, webstart makes a great alternative for deployment of swing based interfaces as an alternative to using applets.
Granted there are still areas in Java that need improving (JDBC for example could be a bit faster but this is typically vendor based anyway) but with computer speeds increasing and hardware costs dropping again this is becoming an insignificant argument.
You also need to remember that .NET is pretty much just an extension on other languages to improve inter-platform compatibility (ie Delphi.NET can work with C# and ASP.NET etc). It applies to multiple languages and to a degree is still bound to windows.
So which language do you think could develop the same application faster Java or C++? I know for a fact that the last few years companies are more into getting a project completed before ironing out bugs and a project is never initially deployed bug free. If a company can have 80% of the project in 2 weeks then they will go for that and not wait for it to be 100%.