Oh, Nintendo can do wrong. Case in point, Virtual Boy.
As someone who's not going to buy the dang thing, I do take objection to tagging the PS3 as Vaporware. Since when does arranging deals with manufacturers equate to "it's never being released"? The Phantom is one thing, but to tag Sony's next big thing as vaporware is ridiculous.
this isn't netflix complaining that people are keeping movies too long- in fact they encourage it both outwardly and covertly.
The point of this article is that when people don't feel pressure to return it, the movies sit around forever (which netflix makes great money on).
We usually have one of our 5 that sits around for a long time until we're ready to watch it (usually something serious), but the other 4 usually go back a day or so after they come in.
I used to spend nearly the netflix monthly fee on late fees at our local rental places- we have a two year old and being able to finish a movie in one sitting is somewhat rare unless we stay up.
Maybe that's where I'm getting lost at this being newsworthy. That's the whole point of using Netflix, correct? To watch movies on your time? Sitting on a movie for a few months isn't a big deal. Yes, you're keeping one movie and paying $10+ a month for it, but it's much cheaper than late fees, and no penalty when you return it. I guess I'm getting *wooshed* here, cuz there must be something I'm missing.
There are numerous "cashless" casinos in my area. There was a surge of them. You bought a monthly membership, vouchers, however each one chose to set up, and you would compete for material prizes such as televisions, event tickets, and so on. Most of these casinos also donated 10% of their monthly earnings to charities.
The problem came about first when the local government realized they weren't getting anything special from these gambling halls, and when a small, small, small yet vocal group protested them, saying how their significant others were throwing away large amounts of money to be part of these casinos. This group launched a campaign and instead of seeking help for their loved ones, just wanted the places shut down. Not getting a lot of incentive from the casinos themselves, pressure was put on. I believe only two of the "game rooms" are still in business now.
Any answer Sony gives is "wrong."
"We're not arrogant" yields, "see?! Seeeeee??"
"Ok, we're arrogant" is just as stupid.
I can't imagine how joystiq figured that'd be a useful question, except in the context of badgering Sony. Why he'd set out to do that intentionally is clearly up for debate. When you're a hammer, everything looks like a nail, I suppose.
So, joystiq, "have you stopped badgering Sony?
The question is relating to how he felt regarding comments of Sony's arrogance. The question moved on to how the negative comments are affecting Sony.
I don't see that as badgering Sony. It is asking relevant questions. Had the question been "Why are you so arrogant" it would have been a different story. The questions were asking for responses to accusations, not accusing in themselves.
it may not be going after the handheld gaming market. Gamespot explores rumours stating that the 'Zune' is simply a first step on Microsoft's road into that particular sector of the games industry.
If Microsoft is not going after the handheld market, then how is it venturing into the portable game sector at all? Just because they'll make something portable? My cellphone is portable and has really cheesy games, but that does not mean the company will venture into the handheld game market.
It won't kill the rental business. It will let game publishers sell two types of copies:
Correction: It would permit publishers create two copies for the PS3. If Sony did go forward with this tactic, it would be in Microsoft's and Nintendo's best interest to steer clear of it, hold up their games, and state proudly "We don't care if you play this game on a friend's console".
Furthermore, what should happen if a PS3 suffers first-generation flaws, and is exchanged or a critical component is replaced? The gamer would still be playing their copy of the game on their PS3, but would the new machine allow for this?
I agree with you that this was most likely just something that no one had considered might be seen as offensive.
For example, a co-worker of mine designed an ad for a massage therapist. The ad used artwork from our purchased library of a woman, face down on a table, getting a shoulder rubbed by a very strong hand.
In order to make room for new copy, the picture was cropped. The customer decided to fade out the portion that had the head and some miscellaneous background. The ad was approved, it ran, and no one saw a problem with it. No employees, that is.
A customer, a few, very irate customers, called and questioned our integrity. After sorting through accusations, we realized what the cropped photo looked like. Instead of looking like a women getting a massage, it looked like a man doing a bad bad thing with a young girl.
And why did no employees notice this? Because everyone who had seen the ad had also seen it beforehand. We knew what the artwork was.
If Sony had seen the evolution of the campaign, been in discussion with it during the beginning, it is quite possible those involved simply did not perceive it the same way a random passer-by might. What they saw as an elegant expression of arrival and two females expressing the sleek and smooth contours of the device, someone else saw as an expression of racism. That's it.
However, Sony did apparently use an agency that loves "disruptive imagery", so who knows if it was an oversight on the agency's part at all.
I wouldn't say it's so much of a sign of an ill fate for Sony so much as it appears to be poor planning.
Firstly, there is a difference in the two portable units, which is emphasized in the advertising campaigns. The Nintendo DS is a portable gaming system, whereas Sony has been marketing the PSP as a portable multi-media system in hopes of capturing a wider demographic.
Secondly, there is the content available for either device. Nintendo has many titles available for the DS, most of them exclusive to the device if not just the brand. Sony has a number of titles available for the PSP, but not so many original concepts or exclusive to the PSP alone. For instance, "Liberty City Stories" has just been released for the PS2. For those who may have been contemplating purchasing a PSP simply to play the exclusive PSP version of Grand Theft Auto now have more options, including to having to purchase a PSP to play the game.
Thirdly, there is a certain out-of-the-box quality that should be expected from a portable device. Every PSP owner I have encountered has taken the time to show me the capabilities of the device. Not once was the focus of the PSP it's own line of games, but other games it could play. PSP owners would show me the vast library of NES and MAME titles they had installed. However, when I asked if that was available out of the box, I was informed that it took some work to get the resulted library.
Not that I would think it would not take work, but if the existing game library (import titles or no) is not the focus for the device owner, there is a good chance that the device will not succeed.
I see the PSP hanging around for a bit, yet. There is still a chance for a comeback. It is an interesting machine, I have no doubt about that. It simply needs a steady line of original titles that are something more than what has already been seen on the device.
Am I the only one who doesn't understand what an Internet OS is supposed to be? I mean, you've got to have an OS to connect to the Internet in the first place...
Yeah, I really don't see how they'd manage to get everything online. How would I get through my incomprehensible network at work without first inputting any kind of information just to get online?
Online office suites are one thing. Once you get into the "online web browser" market, you've lost me.
What is going to grab anyone's attention more? "We ship quadraphexametaline to your door for a flat rate of $9.99 - click here to order" or "18 year old Mariana Gottemoff does immoral things with a bearclaw - click here to view"
More often that not, at least as far as I've seen, regardless of region, most anime exclusive to Japan on DVD do not contain english subtitles, thus making region codes a non-issue. As any sites where I find "import" anime is most often bootlegs and not actually an import at all, I use that to reach the conclusion about the subtitles. I am not an expert on the region coding.
The companies make their money when a pirated anime (such as Naruto) gets licensed and not only shows up on Cartoon Network, but at Best Buy as edited volumes and un-cut box sets, and at Spencers as t-shirts, etc...
I burglarize houses. Hey, it keeps the cops employed. And the door repairmen. And the insurance adjuster. The list goes on...
And the owner has the ability to shoot you in the chest with a shotgun. The difference being that the Japanese companies choose not to shut down every bittorrent site linking to their products, realizing they will get paid for popular releases stateside.
As an anime fan, I download fansubs. Now, for the most part, this is piracy. These are television shows that have been recorded or ripped from DVDs, give subtitles, and been made available for free trade online through P2P networks.
However, it proves beneficial. Take for instance, Funimation. At conventions, the Funimation booth runs contests, and on the entry form you may list anime that you would like Funimation to consider licensing. They know these shows are being downloaded, and instead of condeming the person downloading like some other organizations, they ask if they should bring it stateside so that it may be introduced to a wider audience through American television.
I would prefer to see many organizations take this approach. I would love for record labels to ask "what unsigned artists are you listening to that you think we should consider signing".
Piracy can actually be used to a company's advantage at times, and too many seem pre-occupied with the short term loss of a $20 Ashlee Simpson CD to notice.
Story #1:
I had a rather elderly customer call up and give me his name. I asked him what the trouble was. He repeated his name. "And what's the problem sir." He pronounced his name again. "Okay sir, I have your account up. What can I do for you?" Then he proceeded to spell his full name. This continues down the same route for some time. I try to get some information out of him. "What version of Windows are you running, sir?" - "Microsoft". Oh, yes, there was much banging of my head on the desk and strangling of the air around me. After fifteen minutes of learning his name, I inform him to bring his computer in so we can examine it on our workbench.
The next morning I receive a call from the same gentlemen. "Sir, you were going to bring your computer into us today, were you not?" - "Oh, am I still supposed to do that?" Four hours later, about ten minutes before my shift is over, he comes into the office. He introduces himself. He then drops the lid of a cardboard box on the counter, which is carrying an MSN TV unit.
"Sir, you informed us you had a computer." - "This is a computer." - "No it isn't." I have to explain to him that there is very little we can do with a WebTV/MSN unit, other than set the phone number. He chews me out, possibly spelling his name a few more times, I'm not sure, and storms out. I laugh it off, clock out, grab dinner, and head to my friend's house. My friend is also my co-worker, and I warn him of what possibly awaits him the following day.
Sometime in the afternoon that next day my friend calls me, immediately calling me every name in the book. "He went out to Circuit City and bought a computer! Thanks alot, a**! Do you know how long..." And it pretty much went on like that for a few minutes.
Story #2:
At the same company, the techs (all 2.5 of us) had to call delinquent accouns every month. I call the number on my list, and speak with a nice, humble old lady. "Is mister so-and-so in?" - "What's this regarding?" - "This is Matt with your ISP, I'm calling regarding a balance due on his account." - "Oh, I'm afraid he's pased away." I offer my condolensces and end the call. I end the customer's account, but the software will not let me do that without entering one of several preset conditions. Hmmm.... dislikes service? Nope. Couldn't solve problem? Nope. Ah, expired, here we go.
In the waning days of a former dial-up ISP, the technical support team was enjoying an unusually quiet night. Rather, the phones were unusually quiet, the world itself was flooded, thunder rattled the core of the office buildings and quite the light show was available to those working the front desk. It was a monumental storm that had come upon us without warning, and for the most part, our customer base was intelligent enough to unplug their computers.
This leaves the exception of two users. One is a brand new subscriber, being walked through a configuration by a fellow technician. The other is on the phone with me, asking miscellaneous questions.
Suddenly, it sounds as if a revolver had been placed next to my left ear and fired. I heard nothing but a yet-to-be-unparralelled "bang" and nothig but a low ringing out of that ear for the next three hours. Once my fingers relax, I drop my receiver. My co-worker, who had been on a headset, had tossed his away from himself with such force that it broke against the wall.
We wait for our hearts to slow to a comfortable pace before asking what had happened.
The server room, not ten feet and one mere wall behind us, had taken a direct lighting strike. Our phones remained operational, but internet access was not accessible for some time.
Ten minutes later, roughly, I receive my next call. I somehow ended up first in the tech queue when the phones reset themselves, and was not in the mood for a call, but I prepared myself to just address the lightning strike and be done with it. The storm was still quite rabid outside, and I had doubts the call volume would escalate.
The customer, already irate, wants to know what's wrong with his bill. I explain to him that I can not give him that information as our billing system is down. He follows this by asking if he's been deactivated. I remind him that I can not access is records at this time. Again, he asks how much he owes in back fees. I, again, remind him that I can not access his records.
He grows frustrated, saying that he obviously owes us money because he's unable to get online. I, politely, inform him that we have just taken a direct lightning strike and most of our equipment is offline for an undeterminable amount of time.
He wants to know why I won't just tell him how much he owes. Still polite, I inform him again, of the lightning strike. I bat his questions away repeatedly. I can not answer that, I do not have access to that system at this time, we took a direct lightning strike, operations are haulted until repairs are made, etc.
He stops asking. Now, he tells me. "Just look up my account and tell me what I owe." I reply with "Sir..." before he cuts me off and asks to speak with my supervisor.
I inform my supervisor of the situation. My supervisor asks if I had told him about the lightning strike. I had, repeatedly. My supervisor takes the call, and it is, in its entirety, as follows:
"This is John. M-hm. M-hm. No. No. Lightning. Yes. Night."
My supervisor then asks, again, if I had ever told the customer that we had taken a direct lightning strike.
Slashdot Mirror
Mac user. Ain't playing favorites. Let's just be fair about things.
That belt is giving me "Captain N" flashbacks.
When does the hurting stop?
I agree! Mod up! Hell, I'm still laughing at the "Bear ate my parents" line.
Oh, Nintendo can do wrong. Case in point, Virtual Boy.
As someone who's not going to buy the dang thing, I do take objection to tagging the PS3 as Vaporware. Since when does arranging deals with manufacturers equate to "it's never being released"? The Phantom is one thing, but to tag Sony's next big thing as vaporware is ridiculous.
Don't they mention in their campaign that you can keep a movie as long as you want?
Actually, it's not just online gambling.
There are numerous "cashless" casinos in my area. There was a surge of them. You bought a monthly membership, vouchers, however each one chose to set up, and you would compete for material prizes such as televisions, event tickets, and so on. Most of these casinos also donated 10% of their monthly earnings to charities.
The problem came about first when the local government realized they weren't getting anything special from these gambling halls, and when a small, small, small yet vocal group protested them, saying how their significant others were throwing away large amounts of money to be part of these casinos. This group launched a campaign and instead of seeking help for their loved ones, just wanted the places shut down. Not getting a lot of incentive from the casinos themselves, pressure was put on. I believe only two of the "game rooms" are still in business now.
I don't see that as badgering Sony. It is asking relevant questions. Had the question been "Why are you so arrogant" it would have been a different story. The questions were asking for responses to accusations, not accusing in themselves.
Furthermore, what should happen if a PS3 suffers first-generation flaws, and is exchanged or a critical component is replaced? The gamer would still be playing their copy of the game on their PS3, but would the new machine allow for this?
I agree with you that this was most likely just something that no one had considered might be seen as offensive.
For example, a co-worker of mine designed an ad for a massage therapist. The ad used artwork from our purchased library of a woman, face down on a table, getting a shoulder rubbed by a very strong hand.
In order to make room for new copy, the picture was cropped. The customer decided to fade out the portion that had the head and some miscellaneous background. The ad was approved, it ran, and no one saw a problem with it. No employees, that is.
A customer, a few, very irate customers, called and questioned our integrity. After sorting through accusations, we realized what the cropped photo looked like. Instead of looking like a women getting a massage, it looked like a man doing a bad bad thing with a young girl.
And why did no employees notice this? Because everyone who had seen the ad had also seen it beforehand. We knew what the artwork was.
If Sony had seen the evolution of the campaign, been in discussion with it during the beginning, it is quite possible those involved simply did not perceive it the same way a random passer-by might. What they saw as an elegant expression of arrival and two females expressing the sleek and smooth contours of the device, someone else saw as an expression of racism. That's it.
However, Sony did apparently use an agency that loves "disruptive imagery", so who knows if it was an oversight on the agency's part at all.
Enclosed you will find information on 27 blatant security holes.
Love,
Asia
P.S. We found 109.
I wouldn't say it's so much of a sign of an ill fate for Sony so much as it appears to be poor planning.
Firstly, there is a difference in the two portable units, which is emphasized in the advertising campaigns. The Nintendo DS is a portable gaming system, whereas Sony has been marketing the PSP as a portable multi-media system in hopes of capturing a wider demographic.
Secondly, there is the content available for either device. Nintendo has many titles available for the DS, most of them exclusive to the device if not just the brand. Sony has a number of titles available for the PSP, but not so many original concepts or exclusive to the PSP alone. For instance, "Liberty City Stories" has just been released for the PS2. For those who may have been contemplating purchasing a PSP simply to play the exclusive PSP version of Grand Theft Auto now have more options, including to having to purchase a PSP to play the game.
Thirdly, there is a certain out-of-the-box quality that should be expected from a portable device. Every PSP owner I have encountered has taken the time to show me the capabilities of the device. Not once was the focus of the PSP it's own line of games, but other games it could play. PSP owners would show me the vast library of NES and MAME titles they had installed. However, when I asked if that was available out of the box, I was informed that it took some work to get the resulted library.
Not that I would think it would not take work, but if the existing game library (import titles or no) is not the focus for the device owner, there is a good chance that the device will not succeed.
I see the PSP hanging around for a bit, yet. There is still a chance for a comeback. It is an interesting machine, I have no doubt about that. It simply needs a steady line of original titles that are something more than what has already been seen on the device.
Online office suites are one thing. Once you get into the "online web browser" market, you've lost me.
So if I wanted to help out my childhood friend from New York who has the last name 'Ahmad' I'm out of luck.
Well, considering his dad has been an airline pilot fo years, they've probably moved since he was released after 9/11 for security measures.
In a word... "duh".
What is going to grab anyone's attention more? "We ship quadraphexametaline to your door for a flat rate of $9.99 - click here to order" or "18 year old Mariana Gottemoff does immoral things with a bearclaw - click here to view"
More often that not, at least as far as I've seen, regardless of region, most anime exclusive to Japan on DVD do not contain english subtitles, thus making region codes a non-issue. As any sites where I find "import" anime is most often bootlegs and not actually an import at all, I use that to reach the conclusion about the subtitles. I am not an expert on the region coding.
The companies make their money when a pirated anime (such as Naruto) gets licensed and not only shows up on Cartoon Network, but at Best Buy as edited volumes and un-cut box sets, and at Spencers as t-shirts, etc...
As an anime fan, I download fansubs. Now, for the most part, this is piracy. These are television shows that have been recorded or ripped from DVDs, give subtitles, and been made available for free trade online through P2P networks.
However, it proves beneficial. Take for instance, Funimation. At conventions, the Funimation booth runs contests, and on the entry form you may list anime that you would like Funimation to consider licensing. They know these shows are being downloaded, and instead of condeming the person downloading like some other organizations, they ask if they should bring it stateside so that it may be introduced to a wider audience through American television.
I would prefer to see many organizations take this approach. I would love for record labels to ask "what unsigned artists are you listening to that you think we should consider signing".
Piracy can actually be used to a company's advantage at times, and too many seem pre-occupied with the short term loss of a $20 Ashlee Simpson CD to notice.
Story #1:
I had a rather elderly customer call up and give me his name. I asked him what the trouble was. He repeated his name. "And what's the problem sir." He pronounced his name again. "Okay sir, I have your account up. What can I do for you?" Then he proceeded to spell his full name. This continues down the same route for some time. I try to get some information out of him. "What version of Windows are you running, sir?" - "Microsoft". Oh, yes, there was much banging of my head on the desk and strangling of the air around me. After fifteen minutes of learning his name, I inform him to bring his computer in so we can examine it on our workbench.
The next morning I receive a call from the same gentlemen. "Sir, you were going to bring your computer into us today, were you not?" - "Oh, am I still supposed to do that?" Four hours later, about ten minutes before my shift is over, he comes into the office. He introduces himself. He then drops the lid of a cardboard box on the counter, which is carrying an MSN TV unit.
"Sir, you informed us you had a computer." - "This is a computer." - "No it isn't." I have to explain to him that there is very little we can do with a WebTV/MSN unit, other than set the phone number. He chews me out, possibly spelling his name a few more times, I'm not sure, and storms out. I laugh it off, clock out, grab dinner, and head to my friend's house. My friend is also my co-worker, and I warn him of what possibly awaits him the following day.
Sometime in the afternoon that next day my friend calls me, immediately calling me every name in the book. "He went out to Circuit City and bought a computer! Thanks alot, a**! Do you know how long..." And it pretty much went on like that for a few minutes.
Story #2:
At the same company, the techs (all 2.5 of us) had to call delinquent accouns every month. I call the number on my list, and speak with a nice, humble old lady. "Is mister so-and-so in?" - "What's this regarding?" - "This is Matt with your ISP, I'm calling regarding a balance due on his account." - "Oh, I'm afraid he's pased away." I offer my condolensces and end the call. I end the customer's account, but the software will not let me do that without entering one of several preset conditions. Hmmm.... dislikes service? Nope. Couldn't solve problem? Nope. Ah, expired, here we go.
In the waning days of a former dial-up ISP, the technical support team was enjoying an unusually quiet night. Rather, the phones were unusually quiet, the world itself was flooded, thunder rattled the core of the office buildings and quite the light show was available to those working the front desk. It was a monumental storm that had come upon us without warning, and for the most part, our customer base was intelligent enough to unplug their computers.
This leaves the exception of two users. One is a brand new subscriber, being walked through a configuration by a fellow technician. The other is on the phone with me, asking miscellaneous questions.
Suddenly, it sounds as if a revolver had been placed next to my left ear and fired. I heard nothing but a yet-to-be-unparralelled "bang" and nothig but a low ringing out of that ear for the next three hours. Once my fingers relax, I drop my receiver. My co-worker, who had been on a headset, had tossed his away from himself with such force that it broke against the wall.
We wait for our hearts to slow to a comfortable pace before asking what had happened.
The server room, not ten feet and one mere wall behind us, had taken a direct lighting strike. Our phones remained operational, but internet access was not accessible for some time.
Ten minutes later, roughly, I receive my next call. I somehow ended up first in the tech queue when the phones reset themselves, and was not in the mood for a call, but I prepared myself to just address the lightning strike and be done with it. The storm was still quite rabid outside, and I had doubts the call volume would escalate.
The customer, already irate, wants to know what's wrong with his bill. I explain to him that I can not give him that information as our billing system is down. He follows this by asking if he's been deactivated. I remind him that I can not access is records at this time. Again, he asks how much he owes in back fees. I, again, remind him that I can not access his records.
He grows frustrated, saying that he obviously owes us money because he's unable to get online. I, politely, inform him that we have just taken a direct lightning strike and most of our equipment is offline for an undeterminable amount of time.
He wants to know why I won't just tell him how much he owes. Still polite, I inform him again, of the lightning strike. I bat his questions away repeatedly. I can not answer that, I do not have access to that system at this time, we took a direct lightning strike, operations are haulted until repairs are made, etc.
He stops asking. Now, he tells me. "Just look up my account and tell me what I owe." I reply with "Sir..." before he cuts me off and asks to speak with my supervisor.
I inform my supervisor of the situation. My supervisor asks if I had told him about the lightning strike. I had, repeatedly. My supervisor takes the call, and it is, in its entirety, as follows:
"This is John. M-hm. M-hm. No. No. Lightning. Yes. Night."
My supervisor then asks, again, if I had ever told the customer that we had taken a direct lightning strike.