The reason the online pass existed was to get $10 out of people that would buy games used. If they can't buy used games anymore, what's the point of the online pass? So yeah, they'll drop it, AND you won't be able to buy games used. The headline is stupid.
Personally I don't play online, so I was happy to pick up games for a deeper discount when I bought them used. Since they didn't include online anymore, used stores had to price them lower, so that was great.
More often though, I buy my games new, so I wish EA had actually taken this even further. They could have just priced the games at $50 and asked for an extra $10 if you wanted the online, instead of charging $60 for everything bundled together. That way I wouldn't have to foot the bill for the development of something I didn't want anyway. I think gamers would have been overall happier, and EA could have still charged for the online component separately like they wanted to.
I don't want binary blobs* to be included in a document for what is supposed to be read on a cross-platform interpreter. The binary blob will not work in this situation anyway (different CPU/OS APIs/etc), so why include it as part of the standard? It might as well be an external app or plugin.
* The Content Decryption Module (CDM) required to interpret/implement the DRM
I bet every real estate agent in the world would like one of these hooked up to a database of houses for sale, so they could instantly scan all the relevant information.
Is a smartphone with GPS not able to do any of this? How would Google Glass be anymore accurate than a GPS to be able to overlay the information properly as opposed to an "AR" app on a phone?
Maybe it could be useful for some things, especially games, but even in that situation, not having a HUD or anything distracting on the screen is seen as a benefit, so why would you want it IRL? Maybe it could be arranged into something more useful to you personally such as widgets on a desktop, but I can whip out my phone and check a few quick things already.
I just don't know if I want to always be seeing data. So it'd be easier and cheaper to whip out a smartphone instead of taking out my smartglasses and putting them on.
My lunch/breaks are unpaid anyway... so what are they stripping away here? But yeah, this amount of micro-managing and bean counting is counterproductive, and just adds a lot of stress and pressure. When they're able to detect it, maybe they'll streamline it further and pay you only for the time that your brain is focused on your work, and pay you based on the percentage of the focus as well.
Exactly, look how many companies still run some DOS program in a CMD box on Windows. They're doing so because it's more worth it to them than to develop some new solution. The solution they already had still works. If it were cloud-based then they'd be stuck paying bills that they really don't need to. The cloud is always going to fuck over the people who depend on it.
I always had those ASUS nVidia video cards that would come with those 3D LCD glasses, and enjoyed playing games in 3D since the original Unreal. It was extremely cool and kept wishing this was available on a bigger screen. Now it's trivial to set up a PC with a 3D TV, and also the PlayStation 3 has many full 3D games, and there's the 3DS. I always liked the experience and I'm really happy that it's widely available. Movies look great in 3D as well, and some fun can be had with the 2D > 3D software conversion that most TVs have now.
So yeah, I care about 3D. Looking forward to the Oculus Rift as well.
Place only unobtrusive ads, and offer SD videos and podcasts free to all, while keeping HD videos and extra content behind a paywall (mostly non-gaming behind the scenes just-for-fun fanservice). Or do like IGN and theme your site with a developer's game around the launch period and cater to almost every gamer niche with podcasts/videocasts. GameFaqs offers a survey every day and sells consumer metrics (but they have a lot of good will and most people don't lie on the surveys).
And maybe pick better ad partners? If your fans are blocking you then you must be doing something annoying.
What sense does it make to give SimCity players another game from EA that they probably don't want? My dad got this game and he's not interested in playing Dead Space or whatever else, he only wants to play SimCity. They should just fix the problems the game has in the first place and allow "offline single player mode" a.k.a. normal fucking single player mode like any other game has.
Since when is Japanese animation low quality? They have a lower frame rate (15fps) but have much more detail in each frame. The characters are never off model, like in american animation. Individual frames never have mistakes such as using the wrong color in one spot. There is more variety to the color palette. Backgrounds don't repeat as often. Character motion is much more realistic and even when it's not intended to (for a comedic intent, etc), it's modelled more consistently. Shadows are drawn more often and more realistically. I admire and appreciate the quality greatly. It's really funny because as a kid I felt it was much higher quality, and it really made me notice the imperfections in domestic animation.
I've had that 120Hz smooth motion stuff enabled on my TV for a year now, and watching anything without it makes it look stuttery and it's jarring. Once I've gotten used to a smooth frame rate, I've started to prefer it; It looks much more natural and it's easier on the eyes.
For me it was the first 45 minutes. That's not DOOM at all. Get all the people out of my way and let me start shooting hellspawn. I tried it back in the day and didn't have the patience to get past that part, and after hearing groaning about the flashlight, I just wasn't in the mood to get invested.
Recently, I bought BFG edition because it seemed like the only way to get Doom 1 & 2 on PS3, but I ended up really getting into Doom 3 after giving it a fair try. I like it a lot once the action gets going. I'm disappointed the flashlight shadows don't seem to draw on the PS3 version though. Hopefully it will get a patch like the PC version.
Public APIs mean you have to sell/use a competitor's products before you can sell your product, and companies are just too greedy. Plus this would mean a way around the patent problem, which means less money for the greedy as well.
The iPad has a really small screen compared to my TV, and a lot of games I want to play just aren't available for it. Sometimes I want to use my iPad while I'm in the middle of gaming, and that would get really annoying, especially if it was connected to my TV to display the game (in an ideal scenario). What gamepad would I use to control it anyway? There are multiple bluetooth game controllers but not one standard, and most iPad games don't even support them at all. I don't game on my touch device as it is, I don't find myself drawn to any of the games, and I don't think that will change soon.
In addition, I also don't like the way many touch games display ads and promotions and offer upgrades, even if you have paid for the full versions. Some of this stuff is making its way into console games in certain ways and I don't appreciate the influence. I hope the touch experience stays far away from console gaming.
Different user interface configurations such as the standard Unity, Gnome, or KDE desktops, should be relegated to some sort of theme file that describes what assets to load and where to put them. Plugins should be used to supply the various functions. That way if you want a lightweight desktop that loads fast like XFCE, you can have one. If you want a more full featured desktop, or one designed to make the best use of screen real-estate for touch devices, you can have that too. I think E17 actually covers most of this, and it is highly optimized, and doesn't rely on 3D for fancy effects but can still take advantage of it.
But the important part is there will be one environment to target, and eccentricities/nuances won't vary like they do between the desktops we have now. The same should go for the file manager/Open dialog/etc that is used, it should be standardized and support plugins/theme descriptions as well. If I start typing a folder name in the window, and then enter a folder and back out of it, will I still be highlighting the folder name I started typing or will I be brought back to the top of the list again? As the directory is read, will the window dynamically display as it is loading in, and jump around when I am typing said folder/file name, or will I stay focused on that area?
I just want this to be the same on every desktop I use, so that I don't have to second guess myself if I'm using a QT or GTK or whatever else app. There can still be different toolkits, but if they are all targeting the same environment, they will behave the same and it will only be the developers that see the difference. If I want to open files with a single click, everything should pay attention to that preference, etc.
Maybe the solution is to extend the reach of the free desktop initiative. But we should be able to mix and match any desktop component, and every toolkit should pay attention to the preferences we set and be able to behave the same if it is specified.
Slashdot Mirror
The reason the online pass existed was to get $10 out of people that would buy games used. If they can't buy used games anymore, what's the point of the online pass? So yeah, they'll drop it, AND you won't be able to buy games used. The headline is stupid.
Personally I don't play online, so I was happy to pick up games for a deeper discount when I bought them used. Since they didn't include online anymore, used stores had to price them lower, so that was great.
More often though, I buy my games new, so I wish EA had actually taken this even further. They could have just priced the games at $50 and asked for an extra $10 if you wanted the online, instead of charging $60 for everything bundled together. That way I wouldn't have to foot the bill for the development of something I didn't want anyway. I think gamers would have been overall happier, and EA could have still charged for the online component separately like they wanted to.
Definitely a good move. Charging the users to get back their start button wouldn't have eased any of the tension over Windows 8.
Wouldn't it damage your hearing?
I don't want binary blobs* to be included in a document for what is supposed to be read on a cross-platform interpreter. The binary blob will not work in this situation anyway (different CPU/OS APIs/etc), so why include it as part of the standard? It might as well be an external app or plugin.
* The Content Decryption Module (CDM) required to interpret/implement the DRM
I bet every real estate agent in the world would like one of these hooked up to a database of houses for sale, so they could instantly scan all the relevant information.
Is a smartphone with GPS not able to do any of this? How would Google Glass be anymore accurate than a GPS to be able to overlay the information properly as opposed to an "AR" app on a phone?
Maybe it could be useful for some things, especially games, but even in that situation, not having a HUD or anything distracting on the screen is seen as a benefit, so why would you want it IRL? Maybe it could be arranged into something more useful to you personally such as widgets on a desktop, but I can whip out my phone and check a few quick things already.
I just don't know if I want to always be seeing data. So it'd be easier and cheaper to whip out a smartphone instead of taking out my smartglasses and putting them on.
My lunch/breaks are unpaid anyway... so what are they stripping away here? But yeah, this amount of micro-managing and bean counting is counterproductive, and just adds a lot of stress and pressure. When they're able to detect it, maybe they'll streamline it further and pay you only for the time that your brain is focused on your work, and pay you based on the percentage of the focus as well.
By releasing polished products that work well. Then the consumer incidentally finds out it runs on Linux and their opinion of it builds from there.
Now identity theft will become so much easier, trojans will be able to steal all that information too and spoofing access will be that much simpler.
The DualShock 4 controller that's standard on the PS4 eliminates one feature that was seldom used on the PS3 —the analog face buttons..."
So how will PS2 games like Metal Gear Solid 2 be playable? Canceling a shot by easing off the fire button is crucial.
Exactly, look how many companies still run some DOS program in a CMD box on Windows. They're doing so because it's more worth it to them than to develop some new solution. The solution they already had still works. If it were cloud-based then they'd be stuck paying bills that they really don't need to. The cloud is always going to fuck over the people who depend on it.
France believes its Internet users should be subject to the country's tighter laws against racist and hateful forms of expression.
Then France can filter their internet. Why does Twitter have to do anything? If France wants censorship, they should implement it.
I always had those ASUS nVidia video cards that would come with those 3D LCD glasses, and enjoyed playing games in 3D since the original Unreal. It was extremely cool and kept wishing this was available on a bigger screen. Now it's trivial to set up a PC with a 3D TV, and also the PlayStation 3 has many full 3D games, and there's the 3DS. I always liked the experience and I'm really happy that it's widely available. Movies look great in 3D as well, and some fun can be had with the 2D > 3D software conversion that most TVs have now.
So yeah, I care about 3D. Looking forward to the Oculus Rift as well.
Place only unobtrusive ads, and offer SD videos and podcasts free to all, while keeping HD videos and extra content behind a paywall (mostly non-gaming behind the scenes just-for-fun fanservice). Or do like IGN and theme your site with a developer's game around the launch period and cater to almost every gamer niche with podcasts/videocasts. GameFaqs offers a survey every day and sells consumer metrics (but they have a lot of good will and most people don't lie on the surveys).
And maybe pick better ad partners? If your fans are blocking you then you must be doing something annoying.
What sense does it make to give SimCity players another game from EA that they probably don't want? My dad got this game and he's not interested in playing Dead Space or whatever else, he only wants to play SimCity. They should just fix the problems the game has in the first place and allow "offline single player mode" a.k.a. normal fucking single player mode like any other game has.
Mongo not just pawn in game of DB
Who cares about this press release. The ads on slashdot should stay in the designated adspace.
Since when is Japanese animation low quality? They have a lower frame rate (15fps) but have much more detail in each frame. The characters are never off model, like in american animation. Individual frames never have mistakes such as using the wrong color in one spot. There is more variety to the color palette. Backgrounds don't repeat as often. Character motion is much more realistic and even when it's not intended to (for a comedic intent, etc), it's modelled more consistently. Shadows are drawn more often and more realistically. I admire and appreciate the quality greatly. It's really funny because as a kid I felt it was much higher quality, and it really made me notice the imperfections in domestic animation.
I've had that 120Hz smooth motion stuff enabled on my TV for a year now, and watching anything without it makes it look stuttery and it's jarring. Once I've gotten used to a smooth frame rate, I've started to prefer it; It looks much more natural and it's easier on the eyes.
For me it was the first 45 minutes. That's not DOOM at all. Get all the people out of my way and let me start shooting hellspawn. I tried it back in the day and didn't have the patience to get past that part, and after hearing groaning about the flashlight, I just wasn't in the mood to get invested.
Recently, I bought BFG edition because it seemed like the only way to get Doom 1 & 2 on PS3, but I ended up really getting into Doom 3 after giving it a fair try. I like it a lot once the action gets going. I'm disappointed the flashlight shadows don't seem to draw on the PS3 version though. Hopefully it will get a patch like the PC version.
Apple throws a tantrum and adds a bunch of new products to the never-ending list of products
Great sentence there...
Apple's tantrum stems from a ruling on Thursday
There's that word again...
...but Samsung is trying to get that ruling thrown out. But as the Apple lawsuit has gone on...
Sounds like babbling.
and because of a ruling on Thursday, Apple throws a tantrum and is trying to add even more products into the lawsuit
Holy shit, didn't you already say that a few sentences ago?
Public APIs mean you have to sell/use a competitor's products before you can sell your product, and companies are just too greedy. Plus this would mean a way around the patent problem, which means less money for the greedy as well.
The iPad has a really small screen compared to my TV, and a lot of games I want to play just aren't available for it. Sometimes I want to use my iPad while I'm in the middle of gaming, and that would get really annoying, especially if it was connected to my TV to display the game (in an ideal scenario). What gamepad would I use to control it anyway? There are multiple bluetooth game controllers but not one standard, and most iPad games don't even support them at all. I don't game on my touch device as it is, I don't find myself drawn to any of the games, and I don't think that will change soon.
In addition, I also don't like the way many touch games display ads and promotions and offer upgrades, even if you have paid for the full versions. Some of this stuff is making its way into console games in certain ways and I don't appreciate the influence. I hope the touch experience stays far away from console gaming.
Different user interface configurations such as the standard Unity, Gnome, or KDE desktops, should be relegated to some sort of theme file that describes what assets to load and where to put them. Plugins should be used to supply the various functions. That way if you want a lightweight desktop that loads fast like XFCE, you can have one. If you want a more full featured desktop, or one designed to make the best use of screen real-estate for touch devices, you can have that too. I think E17 actually covers most of this, and it is highly optimized, and doesn't rely on 3D for fancy effects but can still take advantage of it.
But the important part is there will be one environment to target, and eccentricities/nuances won't vary like they do between the desktops we have now. The same should go for the file manager/Open dialog/etc that is used, it should be standardized and support plugins/theme descriptions as well. If I start typing a folder name in the window, and then enter a folder and back out of it, will I still be highlighting the folder name I started typing or will I be brought back to the top of the list again? As the directory is read, will the window dynamically display as it is loading in, and jump around when I am typing said folder/file name, or will I stay focused on that area?
I just want this to be the same on every desktop I use, so that I don't have to second guess myself if I'm using a QT or GTK or whatever else app. There can still be different toolkits, but if they are all targeting the same environment, they will behave the same and it will only be the developers that see the difference. If I want to open files with a single click, everything should pay attention to that preference, etc.
Maybe the solution is to extend the reach of the free desktop initiative. But we should be able to mix and match any desktop component, and every toolkit should pay attention to the preferences we set and be able to behave the same if it is specified.
That's an ancient practice!