You forgot that after Hollywood science is applied to the concept, the spacecraft will inadvertantly affect the orbit of the moon. This will require a much more exciting adventure to rescue the earth.
Free as in 'chock full of ads'?
MSNBC.com is famous for all the annoying ways they've found to slow down their site with ads. I don't have high hopes for this.
The reverse compatibility becomes an appeal when you DIDN'T have the previous system. I've known quite a few people who aren't hardcore gamers but do enjoy a game now and then buying the PS2 without ever owning a PS1. They bought a lot of cheap PS1 games from the clearance bins and only occasionally bought a new PS2 game when something really stood out (and they had enough money).
That said, Rein continued, "Nintendo, you know, is going to make amazing games. I mean that's a given." Rein then conducted a quick audience survey to find out how many people present owned a GameCube - and found that rather a large number of hands were raised.
He then asked everyone who also owned a PS2 or Xbox to put their hands down - and concluded that under ten per cent of the audience were Cube owners only.
"Hard to make a business on less than 10 per cent," Rein said.
Why do you have to make your business be only about those who own ONLY your console? That's like asking PS2 owners how many of them don't also own a gaming pc and saying it's hard for Sony to make a business on that percentage.
I see what you're saying and I agree that those who only have an hour or two a week to spend on gaming aren't going to spend $400 for a new system. I don't think that's what Microsoft is trying to do, though.
I think Microsoft is aiming for two things. First, is convincing those mom's to buy Xbox360 for Christmas. Spending $400+ on your son for Xmas sounds a bit extreme but if you convince the mom it's a family gift, it's not so bad. Sure, mostly little Johnny will play it but you can also use it to play music while he's at school, show photos to friends, etc. They are trying to get mom to see it like the first VCR or DVD player. The whole family will get use out of it even if it's primarily for a child. This may be a bit of a stretch but it could be a selling point to a number of moms. I'm sure it was with the Playstation 2. Sure, the features they mention are also available on many dvd players but often mom's aren't even aware of those features (I know my wife was surprised when I told her about these features on our dvd player). Every little bit counts.
Secondly, I think Microsoft is thinking of more games being sold. Sure, if you don't have much time to play games you won't spend $400 to buy a game machine. But if you have kids that already have that game machine, why not spend $20-30 on a fun puzzle game to boot. My guess is that MS gets an equal amount (per game) from 3rd party distributers who make cheap puzzle games as they do from those who make the expensive hardcore games. MS probably wants to expand a bit toward those parents who already have a system for their kids but would never buy one on their own.
If you go to the US site there is information about a return there, too. Here's what I found about my Cannon A75.
It has recently come to our attention that the vendor-supplied CCD image sensor used in this Canon digital camera may cause the following malfunction: When the product is used in recording or playback mode, the LCD screen and/or electronic viewfinder may exhibit either a distorted image or no image at all. While reports of this malfunction have been rare in the United States, we have determined that it may occur if the product is exposed to hot and humid environments.
Effective immediately, and regardless of warranty status, Canon will repair, free of charge, products exhibiting the above-mentioned malfunction if the malfunction is caused by the CCD image sensor. Canon will also cover the cost of shipping and handling in connection with this repair.
U.S. residents are kindly directed to contact the Canon Customer Support Center for further assistance at 1-800-828-4040. Support hours are Monday thru Friday - 8:00 AM to 12:00 midnight; and Saturday 10:00 AM to 8:00 PM (all times EST). Alternatively, if electronic support is preferred, please send your email to carecenter@cits.canon.com
This information is for residents of the United States of America and Puerto Rico only. If you do not reside in the USA or Puerto Rico, please contact the Canon Customer Support Center in your region.
We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience caused by this issue, and appreciate your understanding in this matter. Thank you for your support and patronage of Canon products
Entrants must be residents of the UK, Ireland, France, Germany, Spain, Italy, the Netherlands, Denmark, Finland, Norway, Sweden, Belgium, Switzerland, Austria, Portugal or Greece and aged 18 or over. Winners may be required to provide proof of age and address.
My brothers DVD player doesn't work as well as mine does and there are a few DVDs that have worked fine on my player but will freeze up on his. So if I trade in a dvd that, as far as I know, works great but it turns out someone else's crappy player won't take it, does that mean I get "modded down" and get no credit for it?
On the flip side...if you have a testy player it's probably best to avoid this service altogether. Of course, this is also true of purchasing ANY previously viewed DVD.
What makes you think MS forced the other two into price reductions. As I remember it, most consoles eventually go through a price reduction. That Microsoft had to do it first for whatever reason does not mean that they forced Sony and Nintendo into doing the same. You said yourself, they didn't initially. Even without ANY competition, most consoles would likely have to reduce prices at some point to make a few more sales.
Thus, the argument "why go after downloaders when rapists run free" doesn't commit a logical error - It quite seriously takes the severity of the crime into consideration, and correctly asserts that if one extra cop walking a beat can stop one rape, that BY FAR takes precedence over busting 12YOs who have their upload and download directories pointing to the same place.
The problem is that there are diminishing returns as you increase the number of cops working on one particular area. One extra cop walking a beat may NOT be able to stop one rape.
It might take 50-60 extra cops to stop one more rape in some dark alley. And those 50-60 cops could be stopping 300 bank robberies, muggings, traffic accidents, etc. Is a rape worse than a mugging? Many if not all would say yes. Should we not bother stopping any muggings because we COULD be stopping a rape?
Not to mention that those who commit the worst crimes often started committing smaller crimes. Sometimes a cop stopping a kid from a smaller crime puts just enough scare into him to avoid illegal activities altogether. So dealing with a small sexual harrassment case could help prevent a later rape (or 8 later rapes, for that matter).
Slashdot Mirror
You forgot that after Hollywood science is applied to the concept, the spacecraft will inadvertantly affect the orbit of the moon. This will require a much more exciting adventure to rescue the earth.
If we could get rid of 20 tons worth of evil bears, it might be worth the price.
How does this make MS lose money?
too bad $400 does not equal "all but give the console away"
This just in...Sony announces that all PS3's will come with a free Xbox live Silver subscription!
Oh, I wouldn't mind the ads if they didn't slow down the load time so much and makes parts of the article unreadable.
Free as in 'chock full of ads'? MSNBC.com is famous for all the annoying ways they've found to slow down their site with ads. I don't have high hopes for this.
The reverse compatibility becomes an appeal when you DIDN'T have the previous system. I've known quite a few people who aren't hardcore gamers but do enjoy a game now and then buying the PS2 without ever owning a PS1. They bought a lot of cheap PS1 games from the clearance bins and only occasionally bought a new PS2 game when something really stood out (and they had enough money).
And often, when you lose at the game, you commit suicide. Rated M!
It secretly check whether your copy of windows is legal?
Why do you have to make your business be only about those who own ONLY your console? That's like asking PS2 owners how many of them don't also own a gaming pc and saying it's hard for Sony to make a business on that percentage.
You're modded funny but the one at my Wal-Mart is already broken. It sticks to the right all the time making it useless.
...and thymine and guanine and...
I think Microsoft is aiming for two things. First, is convincing those mom's to buy Xbox360 for Christmas. Spending $400+ on your son for Xmas sounds a bit extreme but if you convince the mom it's a family gift, it's not so bad. Sure, mostly little Johnny will play it but you can also use it to play music while he's at school, show photos to friends, etc. They are trying to get mom to see it like the first VCR or DVD player. The whole family will get use out of it even if it's primarily for a child. This may be a bit of a stretch but it could be a selling point to a number of moms. I'm sure it was with the Playstation 2. Sure, the features they mention are also available on many dvd players but often mom's aren't even aware of those features (I know my wife was surprised when I told her about these features on our dvd player). Every little bit counts.
Secondly, I think Microsoft is thinking of more games being sold. Sure, if you don't have much time to play games you won't spend $400 to buy a game machine. But if you have kids that already have that game machine, why not spend $20-30 on a fun puzzle game to boot. My guess is that MS gets an equal amount (per game) from 3rd party distributers who make cheap puzzle games as they do from those who make the expensive hardcore games. MS probably wants to expand a bit toward those parents who already have a system for their kids but would never buy one on their own.
found here: http://consumer.usa.canon.com/ir/controller?act=Pg ComSmModDisplayAct&keycode=2112&fcategoryid=221&mo delid=9828act=PgComSmModDisplayAct&keycode=2112&fc ategoryid=221&modelid=9828
xRemote! You can move it in 360 degrees or insert it into a regular controller. In other news, Nintendo has a hissy fit.
Happy _________ to you, ______ birthday to ___, Happy _______ _____ Google ______ Birthday to ____!
On the flip side...if you have a testy player it's probably best to avoid this service altogether. Of course, this is also true of purchasing ANY previously viewed DVD.
Yeah, that was just my poor attempt at making a joke. I don't expect to get modded insightful or anything.
What makes you think MS forced the other two into price reductions. As I remember it, most consoles eventually go through a price reduction. That Microsoft had to do it first for whatever reason does not mean that they forced Sony and Nintendo into doing the same. You said yourself, they didn't initially. Even without ANY competition, most consoles would likely have to reduce prices at some point to make a few more sales.
The problem is that there are diminishing returns as you increase the number of cops working on one particular area. One extra cop walking a beat may NOT be able to stop one rape.
It might take 50-60 extra cops to stop one more rape in some dark alley. And those 50-60 cops could be stopping 300 bank robberies, muggings, traffic accidents, etc. Is a rape worse than a mugging? Many if not all would say yes. Should we not bother stopping any muggings because we COULD be stopping a rape?
Not to mention that those who commit the worst crimes often started committing smaller crimes. Sometimes a cop stopping a kid from a smaller crime puts just enough scare into him to avoid illegal activities altogether. So dealing with a small sexual harrassment case could help prevent a later rape (or 8 later rapes, for that matter).
Do you ever rent a movie a second time?