I'd like to point out a piece of information that no one has yet referenced-- when you buy a game "opened new" from Gamestop you actually have much worse rights to return it than if it actually has its proper shrinkwrap on it. An important distinction given that most of the time they try to sell me an "opened new" copy they haven't re-shrinkwrapped it. Check out this excerpt from their return policy, located at http://www.gamestop.com/gs/help/Store%20Return%20Policy.pdf :
- Unopened new merchandise may be returned for a refund or exchanged within 30 days of purchase.
- Opened new merchandise may be exchanged for the identical item within 30 days of purchase but, with the exception of opened new accessories, cannot be returned for a refund.
Yeah, you read that right. If they do in fact sucker you in to buying an "opened new" copy, you can't return it for a refund, you can only exchange it, making you even more screwed. What I personally love about this policy is that it thoroughly ruins their BS argument that an "opened new" game is exactly the same-- per THEIR OWN RETURN POLICY it's not, it's far less valuable.
Buying a Mac because you prefer OS X is absolutely a valid reason. And if you find applications that run only on OS X that you prefer over those for other platforms, that's another very valid reason. By making that choice though-- the choice to use OS X and thus only Apple hardware-- you are making complaints about the hardware choices that Apple makes invalid. You reap what you sow. And it sounds like you are okay with it. Fine by me. I *do* find the hardware designs from Apple elegant. And I *do* appreciate quite a few features of OS X. There are some very real benefits.
Two points though. 1- Just because you buy a non-Mac doesn't mean you have to run Windows. Far from it. By choosing OS X you are choosing to limit your hardware choices substantially, so you complaining about Steve's choices is not rational. 2- The fact that Macs run Windows via boot camp, VMWare, and Parallels is cool, but it doesn't help incentivize me to write OS X compatible software. It does the opposite. Me personally I welcome Apple picking up share, because as we all know Vista is a huge disappointment. But properly configured XP or Ubuntu on a Thinkpad (or other non-Apple) laptop allows for some awesome hardware configurations that you just can't get on Macs. That's just a fact.
People complaining about the lack of a FireWire port on the new macbook are a bit stupid. If you want choices in what features your hardware has, buying Macs doesn't make sense at all. Don't get me wrong, OS X is great. But is it worth having no choices? XP has been rock-solid stable for years, and if you buy a ThinkPad (for example) you have the following options that Apple does not offer on any of their new laptops:
Matte screens
Hi-res screens
BluRay
2 hard drives installed
VGA or DVI output without an adapter
A quality keyboard (yeah, I said it)
Actual mouse buttons
TrackPoint style navigation
Fingerprint Reader
Built-in 3G/WWAN networking
Built-in Wireless USB
Tablets (x61t, x200t)
Subnotebooks (12" x200 models, etc.)
Hotswap between 2nd hard disk, dvd-rom, bluray devices
The list is pretty huge. Point is, there are a TON of very worthwhile hardware features that you can't get on the new Mac laptops. How relevant is the OS at this point anyway? Start thinking about functionality more than design aesthetics.
This is stupid, as people have said, since it's just making the game less valuable due to diminished resale value. They could 'reward' early buyers simply by promising to never offer it at a reduced price to retailers, aka the Nintendo strategy. People buy 1st party Nintendo games early because they know that they will stick the big name games at the full standard MSRP *forEVER*. It's the publishers dropping the prices too quickly to try to sell more copies that get people to wait and/or buy used.
They need to prove to everyone that this isn't just them trying to grab money in a different way because it seems to be working for others. The best way for them to prove that would be for them to put their money where Lars' mouth is and put their whole catalog online for "pay what you want" download.
Then I can pay them nothing to download HQ mp3s for all of their good old albums that I bought years and years ago, and some of my hate for their general assholishness during the Napster days will be partially diminished.
Yes TCO has something to do with the PC/Mac thing, but honestly... what's really stopping large-scale adoption of Macs? One thing:
Lack of choice.
Simply put, there aren't enough models and configurations. Not even close. I can already hear the 'what are you talking about! there are iMacs, Mac Pros, Macbook Pros, Macbooks... there's tons of choice!' No there's not. Many business professionals use tablets. And exactly zero of them use Macs, because they don't sell a tablet. What if I'm in sales, travel all the time, and want a subnotebook, something in the 12" form factor? Again, I can't use a Mac. They used to make a 12" model, but now they don't. Or even a more personal, less business-applicable problem: ever since the Intel switch I have wanted to buy a Mac laptop. What's stopped me? That I still, inexplicably, can't buy one with 2 mouse buttons. I don't care how 'elegant' the workaround with the trackpad and two fingers is, it is NOT more convenient than having a second f**king button. This only gets more egregious when you consider that it's so easy to install Windows on the Mac laptops. The list goes on and on, with both minor and major examples. What if I want the best performing laptop I can buy, but it has to be black in color? Again, inexplicably, I can't buy an Apple... because the best black laptop I can get from them is the Macbook.
They don't offer enough choice in their hardware, period. Price is a part of choice also. What if I choose to only spend $700 on a laptop? What if that's all I have? Again, I can't choose to buy a Mac given those constraints, but I have oodles of PC options to choose from.
This lack of choice also gets into the Mac platform's general lack of enterprise-friendly features. The ridiculous difficulty in changing out the hard drive on a Macbook Pro is the perfect example. This simply does NOT fly with enterprise customers, and certainly not for the education/university environment. We need to be able to swap a hard drive into another shell quickly... we can do it on any PC easily... and cannot on the Mac. That's huge. It's why enterprise customers won't be falling all over themselves desperate to buy iPhones. Not being able to quickly swap out the battery for a fresh one KILLs the product just as much as not being able to install any third party software on it does.
Once they make it $430 in the US too, it's time for M$ to get worried. It's been clear for a while that if you care at all about HD movie playback, the PS3 isn't that expensive. Cheapest 360 + $199 HD-DVD drive = $500. For $430 now I can get a PS3 with built-in HD movie playback, HDMI, true 1080p for games (say what they want the patch for 360 is just going to upscale all games from 720p, whereas Virtua Tennis 3 is confirmed 1080p and Gran Turismo will be also), _and_ a 20gig hard drive? Wow, PS3 just got a WHOLE lot more competitive. If I want a 360 with a hard drive and HD movie playback, that's a $600 total. I can get the high-end PS3 for that, and it's all in one box, but I get a 60 gig drive, and built-in wireless and card readers. At both sides now the PS3 is VERY compelling. Make the 20gb model a smidge lower down to $399 in the USA and you would be crazy to get a Premium 360.
A last point: I have a premium 360, and can't wait for Gears of War. To those of us that dropped $400 on a 360, $430 for this PS3 seems like a bargain, and $600 for the high-end is definitely competitive.
This game will do a bit to improve their image, certainly. And it actually looks as though it will be an excellent game.
Really though, am I the only one that sees this as a potential slap in the face to Microsoft? They get _Table Tennis_ as an exclusive and a few months from now when it is ready for release Rockstar happens to announce GTA 6 as a PS3 exclusive launch title. Ouch. Few events could look worse for Microsoft than that.
"Should I get a 360 now so I can play Table Tennis? Or wait a little longer for a PS3 for the new GTA..."
Slashdot Mirror
I'd like to point out a piece of information that no one has yet referenced-- when you buy a game "opened new" from Gamestop you actually have much worse rights to return it than if it actually has its proper shrinkwrap on it. An important distinction given that most of the time they try to sell me an "opened new" copy they haven't re-shrinkwrapped it. Check out this excerpt from their return policy, located at http://www.gamestop.com/gs/help/Store%20Return%20Policy.pdf :
- Unopened new merchandise may be returned for a refund or exchanged within 30 days of purchase.
- Opened new merchandise may be exchanged for the identical item within 30 days of purchase but, with the exception of opened new accessories, cannot be returned for a refund.
Yeah, you read that right. If they do in fact sucker you in to buying an "opened new" copy, you can't return it for a refund, you can only exchange it, making you even more screwed. What I personally love about this policy is that it thoroughly ruins their BS argument that an "opened new" game is exactly the same-- per THEIR OWN RETURN POLICY it's not, it's far less valuable.
Buying a Mac because you prefer OS X is absolutely a valid reason. And if you find applications that run only on OS X that you prefer over those for other platforms, that's another very valid reason. By making that choice though-- the choice to use OS X and thus only Apple hardware-- you are making complaints about the hardware choices that Apple makes invalid. You reap what you sow. And it sounds like you are okay with it. Fine by me. I *do* find the hardware designs from Apple elegant. And I *do* appreciate quite a few features of OS X. There are some very real benefits. Two points though. 1- Just because you buy a non-Mac doesn't mean you have to run Windows. Far from it. By choosing OS X you are choosing to limit your hardware choices substantially, so you complaining about Steve's choices is not rational. 2- The fact that Macs run Windows via boot camp, VMWare, and Parallels is cool, but it doesn't help incentivize me to write OS X compatible software. It does the opposite. Me personally I welcome Apple picking up share, because as we all know Vista is a huge disappointment. But properly configured XP or Ubuntu on a Thinkpad (or other non-Apple) laptop allows for some awesome hardware configurations that you just can't get on Macs. That's just a fact.
People complaining about the lack of a FireWire port on the new macbook are a bit stupid. If you want choices in what features your hardware has, buying Macs doesn't make sense at all. Don't get me wrong, OS X is great. But is it worth having no choices? XP has been rock-solid stable for years, and if you buy a ThinkPad (for example) you have the following options that Apple does not offer on any of their new laptops:
Matte screens
Hi-res screens
BluRay
2 hard drives installed
VGA or DVI output without an adapter
A quality keyboard (yeah, I said it)
Actual mouse buttons
TrackPoint style navigation
Fingerprint Reader
Built-in 3G/WWAN networking
Built-in Wireless USB
Tablets (x61t, x200t)
Subnotebooks (12" x200 models, etc.)
Hotswap between 2nd hard disk, dvd-rom, bluray devices
The list is pretty huge. Point is, there are a TON of very worthwhile hardware features that you can't get on the new Mac laptops. How relevant is the OS at this point anyway? Start thinking about functionality more than design aesthetics.
This is stupid, as people have said, since it's just making the game less valuable due to diminished resale value. They could 'reward' early buyers simply by promising to never offer it at a reduced price to retailers, aka the Nintendo strategy. People buy 1st party Nintendo games early because they know that they will stick the big name games at the full standard MSRP *forEVER*. It's the publishers dropping the prices too quickly to try to sell more copies that get people to wait and/or buy used.
They need to prove to everyone that this isn't just them trying to grab money in a different way because it seems to be working for others. The best way for them to prove that would be for them to put their money where Lars' mouth is and put their whole catalog online for "pay what you want" download. Then I can pay them nothing to download HQ mp3s for all of their good old albums that I bought years and years ago, and some of my hate for their general assholishness during the Napster days will be partially diminished.
Yes TCO has something to do with the PC/Mac thing, but honestly... what's really stopping large-scale adoption of Macs? One thing:
Lack of choice.
Simply put, there aren't enough models and configurations. Not even close. I can already hear the 'what are you talking about! there are iMacs, Mac Pros, Macbook Pros, Macbooks... there's tons of choice!' No there's not. Many business professionals use tablets. And exactly zero of them use Macs, because they don't sell a tablet. What if I'm in sales, travel all the time, and want a subnotebook, something in the 12" form factor? Again, I can't use a Mac. They used to make a 12" model, but now they don't. Or even a more personal, less business-applicable problem: ever since the Intel switch I have wanted to buy a Mac laptop. What's stopped me? That I still, inexplicably, can't buy one with 2 mouse buttons. I don't care how 'elegant' the workaround with the trackpad and two fingers is, it is NOT more convenient than having a second f**king button. This only gets more egregious when you consider that it's so easy to install Windows on the Mac laptops. The list goes on and on, with both minor and major examples. What if I want the best performing laptop I can buy, but it has to be black in color? Again, inexplicably, I can't buy an Apple... because the best black laptop I can get from them is the Macbook.
They don't offer enough choice in their hardware, period. Price is a part of choice also. What if I choose to only spend $700 on a laptop? What if that's all I have? Again, I can't choose to buy a Mac given those constraints, but I have oodles of PC options to choose from.
This lack of choice also gets into the Mac platform's general lack of enterprise-friendly features. The ridiculous difficulty in changing out the hard drive on a Macbook Pro is the perfect example. This simply does NOT fly with enterprise customers, and certainly not for the education/university environment. We need to be able to swap a hard drive into another shell quickly... we can do it on any PC easily... and cannot on the Mac. That's huge. It's why enterprise customers won't be falling all over themselves desperate to buy iPhones. Not being able to quickly swap out the battery for a fresh one KILLs the product just as much as not being able to install any third party software on it does.
Once they make it $430 in the US too, it's time for M$ to get worried. It's been clear for a while that if you care at all about HD movie playback, the PS3 isn't that expensive. Cheapest 360 + $199 HD-DVD drive = $500. For $430 now I can get a PS3 with built-in HD movie playback, HDMI, true 1080p for games (say what they want the patch for 360 is just going to upscale all games from 720p, whereas Virtua Tennis 3 is confirmed 1080p and Gran Turismo will be also), _and_ a 20gig hard drive? Wow, PS3 just got a WHOLE lot more competitive. If I want a 360 with a hard drive and HD movie playback, that's a $600 total. I can get the high-end PS3 for that, and it's all in one box, but I get a 60 gig drive, and built-in wireless and card readers. At both sides now the PS3 is VERY compelling. Make the 20gb model a smidge lower down to $399 in the USA and you would be crazy to get a Premium 360.
A last point: I have a premium 360, and can't wait for Gears of War. To those of us that dropped $400 on a 360, $430 for this PS3 seems like a bargain, and $600 for the high-end is definitely competitive.
This game will do a bit to improve their image, certainly. And it actually looks as though it will be an excellent game.
Really though, am I the only one that sees this as a potential slap in the face to Microsoft? They get _Table Tennis_ as an exclusive and a few months from now when it is ready for release Rockstar happens to announce GTA 6 as a PS3 exclusive launch title. Ouch. Few events could look worse for Microsoft than that.
"Should I get a 360 now so I can play Table Tennis? Or wait a little longer for a PS3 for the new GTA..."