You could also build a mini-itx based computer running linux/MythTV, or a modified Xbox 1 with Linux, or even the default Xboxdashboard with Xbox Media Center, or PS2 Linux...
I think a modified Xbox 1 would be your cheapest route, but a custom built MythTV box would be the most versatile... none of these options would be as expensive as a PS3 though, For the Price tag the PS3 could be pretty limited considering it's lack of system memory, and the fact that it only supports expensive 2.5" hard drives. Though I suppose the built in bluetooth and blu-ray would be handy... though not $500-$600 handy IMO.
I think simplicity is key, the best possible prevention is one that doesn't hinder the user but effectively stops machines. Most of the proposed methods require human interaction requiring some kind of task that a human can do but a machine can't (like identifying a kitten). Wouldn't we be better off going the other way around? blocking access based on things that machines can do but humans can't. Another problem I have with most anti-spam measures is that they seem terribly unprofessional
On an older blog of mine (using wordpress) spam was a big problem on post comments. I've since required people to register before posting and and the spam pretty much disappeared, rather then having captchas or "click here if you are a spam bot" type boxes a simple registration system looks professional and can do just as good a job. If the first post from a new account contains any of the words in my spam word list or if it contains an url it will get held in moderation for me to view and personally approve the account (users will be alerted of this so they don't double post) and they will not be allowed to post further until it is approved. This also happens if a new account makes more then one post within 5 seconds.
I've found that a registration system that is simple for a human not only cuts down on spam but also cuts down on idiots who would rather drop off some quick flame bait rather then provide intelligent discussion. Of course my blog doesn't get all that much traffic so I can deal with having to manually approve the occasional post. And I'd prefer to have visitors who intend on visiting frequently and create an identity on my site as opposed to those making a quick stop from a search engine or forum link to drop off some ignorance before moving on to troll somewhere else.
Another system I've seen simply causes the website to hang for 5 to 10 seconds after an anonymous post displaying the user with an "approving" message and countdown. It makes it terribly difficult for spam bots that want to launch off requests rapid fire, but it's not so bad for humans who don't really have to do anything but wait a couple of seconds. These sites also had user registrations for those who didn't want to be subject to the approval waiting period.
The point isn't to play along with the band, the point is to play along with your friends and have a good time. If you have friends who are musicians then you could probably all get together and have fun playing real music. Otherwise I think the majority of people (who are most likely not very musical) would prefer the video game version. Also I think it's a bit easier having one person carrying a slim PS2 and a couple of fake plastic guitars to your friends house then everyone hauling around heavy equipment... and then worrying that the neighbors will complain.
I believe by "right away" the GP was referring to "as soon as you download it" not streaming in real time.
Part of the point is that most people don't have TV outs on there computers, even fewer have a computer in the vicinity of their TV. And fewer still have TV outs capable of HD content.
Not everyone wants to sit at their computer to watch a TV show, I know after spending all day at work on a computer the last thing I want to do when I get home is spend more time on a computer. Sure you might have to wait for it to download but that would be worth it for viewing that content on my HDTV from the comfort of my couch. For someone without a computer near their TV difficult is it to get those apple downloads on to your living room HDTV. Even if you did would it be worth it watching 480p content stretched out to 720p or 1080i/p on your HDTV display?
When waiting in line you're conscientiously waiting for gratification for a number of hours, the reward seems sweeter once you actually get it. Not only that the product is brand new and you're one of the few people to lay eyes on it is mythical in a sense.
Waiting to buy your console months later it looses that sense, the prize isn't as sweet because you can just walk in and get one, and seeing it become common place for people to talk about it kiosks popping up everywhere maybe you've played it a couple times at a friends house it's not as special once you get it.
I've had my consoles both ways, while buying any new piece of entertainment equipment is exciting, there is something particularly special about bringing home some tech not just new to you, but to the whole world, and waiting in line to get one makes it even sweeter because once you get one you fee like you've earned it. You're entitled to your opinions on the subject but that's genuinely how I feel about it.
I live in New Hampshire (not as cold as Alaska but still pretty cold) That's exactly what I did for the Xbox 360 launch... I went to Walmart around 5PM with a friend, they didn't have any premium tickets left so we good a good dinner picked up some soda and snacks and waited all night in our car in the Sams Club parking lot. We got the spot closest to the door and kept an eye out for other campers... throughout the night a few other cars had joined us and at about 5AM (the store opened at 7) someone pulled up, got out and went straight for the door. Everyone else got out of there cars at that point and my friend and I ended up being 3rd and 4th in line despite the fact that we had been there the longest.
I plan to do the same for the Wii, and I'm half debating doing it for the PS3 just to re-sell it (though I'm not sure if it will be worth taking time off from work to do).
My advice, if you can get a friend to camp out with you it will go a lot faster, and help keep your car warmer, bring a PSP or DS or some other portable if you've got it. I ran the car for about 15 minutes every hour or two to keep the temp up but in general with another person in there with you it's not too bad. Bring outdoor gear because you WILL have to spend some time actually waiting outside. Also choosing a Sam's Club or Costco is your best bet, if you don't have a membership buy one the night before (they'll check them rigorously in the morning). If you pick up a game or two and an extra controller the discounts they provide will more then eat the cost of the membership so you're not really loosing much money there. It works out for me because I still have my membership from when I bought the 360.
The difference is none of those other consoles offered high definition graphics as a major feature. By comparison the PS3 will be the first console that doesn't supply cables that support it's own graphical standard for gaming. Also the component cables are proprietary, you might be able to buy $10 component cables for your DVD player but your subject to what the proprietary accessory will cost on the PS3. Hopefully it will accept the PS2 component cables (though those aren't very cheap either)
The idea that you'd pay $600 for a premium version console and still have to buy accessories that it didn't include is some kind of sick joke where clowns steal my money.
B for PS2, A for 360, A- for Wii, D for PS3, C for Gamecube, C for Xbox*, A for DS, D for PSP
*if you include modification potential, without I'd rate it a D-
Really it seems these were graded on the quantity of recent and future game releases...
The idea that the dual-shock is somehow one of the best controllers ever made is a joke in itself. It started as a SNES controller with handlebars and extra shoulder buttons. The extra shoulder buttons mean your fingers are either cramped (if you put your middle finger below the *2 buttons) or you have to use a death grip with your pinky and ring fingers (if you put your middle finger on the *2 buttons). The D-pad is segregated and stiff which chews up your thumb, then when they added the analog they made them difficult to reach, and convex which means your finger easy slides off, the dual shock 2 added the useless pressure sensors on every button which means they're squishy and hard to get good tactile feedback, not to mention they still kept the d-pad in the dominant position for the sake of visual symmetry. The SIXAXIS is even worse seeing as it has no rumble, uses cheap plastic, and the analog triggers are convex instead of concave meaning your fingers slide off all the time. I'll at least give them that the Dual-Shock is better then the SIXAXIS.
That's what I thought too but a whole lot of good it did since it's been thread-jacked into a discussion as to the submitters intent when including that information.
Dreamcast: Reasonably successful but still a flop, lost to inferior PS1
ARGH... I can't believe you made that comparison.
Dreamcast:PS2::Saturn:PS1
The Dreamcast was Sega's competitor to the PS2, Xbox and Gamecube... The Saturn was the competitor to the PS1 and N64. Just because the Dreamcast launched early and died early doesn't mean it was part of the preceding generation. sorry it's just a pet-peeve of mine.
yeah there are some companies working on that, but I would imagine they'd be be expensive considering they'd be paying royalties to both camps. as well as having some redundant hardware.
IMO this is probably the quickest and safest solution if you really want to get into HD movies. I anticipate this "war" will end up more like the DVD-R vs DVD+R war then it will like the VHS vs Betamax.
Even though this sites might offer imports the part I enjoyed most about Lik-Sang was all of the controller adapters, cable extenders, etc that they offered. Lik-Sang actually produced most of these products themselves, so something tells me it will take a while before another company really fully fills their shoes.
Where else am I going to buy a SmartJoy Frag, or a PS2 to Xbox controller adapter, or a Sega Saturn controller extender, etc. (my actual last 3 purchases from Lik-Sang) without having to battle the bowels of eBay.
While I don't believe in any of Scientology I do have a relative who is a Scientologist, and as a result I know quite a few of her friends who are Scientologists also. From what I've seen first hand they're generally nothing like what people make them out to be.
That's not to say I've never seen any of them deploy some of the nasty tactics you described but it's my impression that those are the Scientology fanatics. From what I've seen you can point to religious fanaticism in any religion and find a laundry list of unsavory characteristics, Scientology is no different. It seems to me that most people just fear what they don't understand, Scientology being a relatively smaller religion is not as widely understood and people take any excuse to find wrong doings.
I'm not defending the religion, many religions including Scientology I consider to be mostly BS, I'm just saying that you can't point your finger at a group of people and make sweeping generalizations without making yourself look like an ignorant bigot.
About 70% of all Gamecube games support 480p (if you have the component cables for it). Also if you've got a modchip in your Gamecube many of them allow you to force the non 480p games into displaying in 480p mode.
The Gamecube also had a VGA cable (albeit 3rd party). Even if the Wii doesn't support VGA, it does support component and there are a plethora of Component to VGA converters on the market for around $50... which is probably about what you'd pay for an official VGA cable anyway.
Re:Not even capable of what the original XBOX can
on
Wii Confirmed at 480p
·
· Score: 2, Interesting
progressive scan is used over interlacing because interlacing leaves artifacts and flickering particularly with fast moving pictures (like sports). Not to mention most HDTV are progressing meaning they'd have to deinterlace the incoming signal which can create breakup and more artifacting along the edges of fast moving objects on screen (again like sports).
In terms of the video game space there is no difference in programing 1080i and 1080p. While 1080i might only have 540 lines actually displayed they have to render the whole frame in 1080 frame to keep it in sync. If you were to specifically program your game to output in an interlaced format (meaning you only had to render 540 lines per frame) you'd be doing what's called "field rendering" which is almost universally avoided because it requires you to ensure a rock solid 60FPS and if you miss a frame you run the risk of loosing sync placing the odd lines where the evens should go and the even lines where the odds should go.
I agree... HD resolutions is one of those things that if you don't have it, you don't need, it but once you've lived with it for a while you'd have a very hard time going back... like upgrading from a ball mouse to an optical or laser. Or from a corded phone to a cordless. Or a wired controller to a wireless, etc. etc.
I don't watch tv, I don't have anything beyond basic cable for the news, and I certainly don't pay for HD service, I have an HDTV purely to play my games. IMO resolution might not add to the gameplay but widescreen certainly does, it literally ads an extra 33% of viewable area. HD, while not a necessity is beneficial when playing any game that would split up the screen, or any game with a lot of menus and text (like an RPG or other games with deep strategy or text driven gameplay). Text can be incredibly difficult to read on an SD display unless it takes up a substantial footprint on the screen to keep it from being blurred into oblivion.
Anyone who said HD resolutions don't matter, I encourage you to set the resolution on your PC monitor to 640x480 (essentially 480p)... then use that for a few days, come back and tell me how beneficial higher resolutions are.
There are cases where HD and Widescreen don't actually add anything to a game over SD (480i) resolutions, however I can't think of a single instance where HD and or Widescreen took something away from the gaming experience. That is to say most games will be OK in SD, but ALL games will be OK in HD. The GP talked about Zela (which is Cell Shaded) the game wouldn't have lost anything being in HD, it simply would have looked more crisp, clean, and vivid.
After watching content in HD, going back to SD or ED resolutions is like sticking a screen door in front of your screen, you can still play it and it doesn't take away from the gameplay it's just not as visually appealing. And while visual appeal isn't a necessity, neither is playing video games, it's all about what makes you happy.
....So then,,, (looking around),,, what else can they charge travelers for?....
I don't know... maybe, traveling? I know a lot of people complain about airline fares but if it seriously costs them that much to run an airport then thats how much they should charge. distribute the costs among the airlines, and other businesses that reside in the airport.
Logan is particularly poorly run, I'm sure they could find lots of ways to reduce their costs without lowering the level of their service. On a whole though I can't stand that airport and I try to avoid flying out of there whenever possible, typically I'll try to fly out of Manchester NH whenever I can.
the Wii brings very little to the table that we couldn't have already gotten from Nintendo by just adding a new controller to the Game Cube and writing games for it.
Does it now?
Gamecube = $100
GC Broadband adapter = $30
Wireless bridge = $60
2x 256MB Memory unit = $60
Cable to connect your DS/GBA = $20
SD Card reader = $30
Wii-Remote w/nunchuck = $60 (probably even higher in price because they'd need to include a receiver)
Wii Sports Game = $50
so adding accessories that make the GC do SOME of the things a Wii does will cost you: $410
even if you don't need or want all of those items just the Wii-Remote, nuncuck, and game brings the GC almost to the price of the Wii right off the bat, and if you're a first time buyer you'd still have to buy a memory unit to save your games as well.
And lets not forget that going this route you're still missing:
added performance power even if it isn't as much as MS and Sony
full size DVDs 9s instead of the 1.4GB mini dvds
the Virtual Console
Price aside hardware included with the console sets a standard that developers can make use of. The SNES and Genesis both had controller port splitters to allow 3+ player games, but hardly any games used them because developers make games for the lowest common denominator. When the N64 included 4 ports as a default almost every multiplayer game for the console allowed you to play 4 player. Developers could count on the feature being used, not worrying that they'd be limiting their audience by depending on OPTIONAL hardware. Take a look at the PS2's Hard Drive add-on, there were only 4 or 5 games that took advantage of it, where as closer to 75% of the Xbox 1's library makes use of the hard drive. It's the same reason people were upset when the Xbox 360 didn't include a HDD standard, people were worried that developers wouldn't utilize it because not everyone had it.
Thankfully writing code to cache to a hard drive or not cache to a hard drive is a whole lot easier then programing 2 completely different sets of HID interpretation.
There is more that makes the Wii great then just the controller, adding in network hardware standard ensures that more games will offer online play. Adding in internal storage ensures that there will be things you can download to add to your gaming experience. Including the virtual console with the Wii (instead of some boot disc you'd buy) guarantees a user base and encourages publishers to re release their classic IPs. And including a Wii Remote and Nunchuck with the console will ensure that almost all of the games will utilize them.
Your, uh, your wife, does she go, eh, does she go, eh?
She's been around a bit, been around?
know whatahmean, wink wink, nudge nudge?
A nod's as good as a wink to a blind bat!
Slashdot Mirror
Well, I would suppose he would know how to make a console fail better than anyone.
You could also build a mini-itx based computer running linux/MythTV, or a modified Xbox 1 with Linux, or even the default Xboxdashboard with Xbox Media Center, or PS2 Linux...
I think a modified Xbox 1 would be your cheapest route, but a custom built MythTV box would be the most versatile... none of these options would be as expensive as a PS3 though, For the Price tag the PS3 could be pretty limited considering it's lack of system memory, and the fact that it only supports expensive 2.5" hard drives. Though I suppose the built in bluetooth and blu-ray would be handy... though not $500-$600 handy IMO.
Have you seen the launch lineup? Something tells me if you actually bought one you'd have plenty of free time to spend installing Linux on it.
I think simplicity is key, the best possible prevention is one that doesn't hinder the user but effectively stops machines. Most of the proposed methods require human interaction requiring some kind of task that a human can do but a machine can't (like identifying a kitten). Wouldn't we be better off going the other way around? blocking access based on things that machines can do but humans can't. Another problem I have with most anti-spam measures is that they seem terribly unprofessional
On an older blog of mine (using wordpress) spam was a big problem on post comments. I've since required people to register before posting and and the spam pretty much disappeared, rather then having captchas or "click here if you are a spam bot" type boxes a simple registration system looks professional and can do just as good a job. If the first post from a new account contains any of the words in my spam word list or if it contains an url it will get held in moderation for me to view and personally approve the account (users will be alerted of this so they don't double post) and they will not be allowed to post further until it is approved. This also happens if a new account makes more then one post within 5 seconds.
I've found that a registration system that is simple for a human not only cuts down on spam but also cuts down on idiots who would rather drop off some quick flame bait rather then provide intelligent discussion. Of course my blog doesn't get all that much traffic so I can deal with having to manually approve the occasional post. And I'd prefer to have visitors who intend on visiting frequently and create an identity on my site as opposed to those making a quick stop from a search engine or forum link to drop off some ignorance before moving on to troll somewhere else.
Another system I've seen simply causes the website to hang for 5 to 10 seconds after an anonymous post displaying the user with an "approving" message and countdown. It makes it terribly difficult for spam bots that want to launch off requests rapid fire, but it's not so bad for humans who don't really have to do anything but wait a couple of seconds. These sites also had user registrations for those who didn't want to be subject to the approval waiting period.
They sure make bathroom trips to drain the Mt Dew quicker so you can get back to the gaming.
The point isn't to play along with the band, the point is to play along with your friends and have a good time. If you have friends who are musicians then you could probably all get together and have fun playing real music. Otherwise I think the majority of people (who are most likely not very musical) would prefer the video game version. Also I think it's a bit easier having one person carrying a slim PS2 and a couple of fake plastic guitars to your friends house then everyone hauling around heavy equipment... and then worrying that the neighbors will complain.
I believe by "right away" the GP was referring to "as soon as you download it" not streaming in real time.
Part of the point is that most people don't have TV outs on there computers, even fewer have a computer in the vicinity of their TV. And fewer still have TV outs capable of HD content.
Not everyone wants to sit at their computer to watch a TV show, I know after spending all day at work on a computer the last thing I want to do when I get home is spend more time on a computer. Sure you might have to wait for it to download but that would be worth it for viewing that content on my HDTV from the comfort of my couch. For someone without a computer near their TV difficult is it to get those apple downloads on to your living room HDTV. Even if you did would it be worth it watching 480p content stretched out to 720p or 1080i/p on your HDTV display?
When waiting in line you're conscientiously waiting for gratification for a number of hours, the reward seems sweeter once you actually get it. Not only that the product is brand new and you're one of the few people to lay eyes on it is mythical in a sense.
Waiting to buy your console months later it looses that sense, the prize isn't as sweet because you can just walk in and get one, and seeing it become common place for people to talk about it kiosks popping up everywhere maybe you've played it a couple times at a friends house it's not as special once you get it.
I've had my consoles both ways, while buying any new piece of entertainment equipment is exciting, there is something particularly special about bringing home some tech not just new to you, but to the whole world, and waiting in line to get one makes it even sweeter because once you get one you fee like you've earned it. You're entitled to your opinions on the subject but that's genuinely how I feel about it.
I live in New Hampshire (not as cold as Alaska but still pretty cold) That's exactly what I did for the Xbox 360 launch... I went to Walmart around 5PM with a friend, they didn't have any premium tickets left so we good a good dinner picked up some soda and snacks and waited all night in our car in the Sams Club parking lot. We got the spot closest to the door and kept an eye out for other campers... throughout the night a few other cars had joined us and at about 5AM (the store opened at 7) someone pulled up, got out and went straight for the door. Everyone else got out of there cars at that point and my friend and I ended up being 3rd and 4th in line despite the fact that we had been there the longest.
I plan to do the same for the Wii, and I'm half debating doing it for the PS3 just to re-sell it (though I'm not sure if it will be worth taking time off from work to do).
My advice, if you can get a friend to camp out with you it will go a lot faster, and help keep your car warmer, bring a PSP or DS or some other portable if you've got it. I ran the car for about 15 minutes every hour or two to keep the temp up but in general with another person in there with you it's not too bad. Bring outdoor gear because you WILL have to spend some time actually waiting outside. Also choosing a Sam's Club or Costco is your best bet, if you don't have a membership buy one the night before (they'll check them rigorously in the morning). If you pick up a game or two and an extra controller the discounts they provide will more then eat the cost of the membership so you're not really loosing much money there. It works out for me because I still have my membership from when I bought the 360.
Good Luck!
The difference is none of those other consoles offered high definition graphics as a major feature. By comparison the PS3 will be the first console that doesn't supply cables that support it's own graphical standard for gaming. Also the component cables are proprietary, you might be able to buy $10 component cables for your DVD player but your subject to what the proprietary accessory will cost on the PS3. Hopefully it will accept the PS2 component cables (though those aren't very cheap either)
The idea that you'd pay $600 for a premium version console and still have to buy accessories that it didn't include is some kind of sick joke where clowns steal my money.
I would have said
B for PS2, A for 360, A- for Wii, D for PS3, C for Gamecube, C for Xbox*, A for DS, D for PSP
*if you include modification potential, without I'd rate it a D-
Really it seems these were graded on the quantity of recent and future game releases...
The idea that the dual-shock is somehow one of the best controllers ever made is a joke in itself. It started as a SNES controller with handlebars and extra shoulder buttons. The extra shoulder buttons mean your fingers are either cramped (if you put your middle finger below the *2 buttons) or you have to use a death grip with your pinky and ring fingers (if you put your middle finger on the *2 buttons). The D-pad is segregated and stiff which chews up your thumb, then when they added the analog they made them difficult to reach, and convex which means your finger easy slides off, the dual shock 2 added the useless pressure sensors on every button which means they're squishy and hard to get good tactile feedback, not to mention they still kept the d-pad in the dominant position for the sake of visual symmetry. The SIXAXIS is even worse seeing as it has no rumble, uses cheap plastic, and the analog triggers are convex instead of concave meaning your fingers slide off all the time. I'll at least give them that the Dual-Shock is better then the SIXAXIS.
That's what I thought too but a whole lot of good it did since it's been thread-jacked into a discussion as to the submitters intent when including that information.
Libertarians, Greens, and Pirates welcome you.
Dreamcast:PS2::Saturn:PS1
The Dreamcast was Sega's competitor to the PS2, Xbox and Gamecube... The Saturn was the competitor to the PS1 and N64. Just because the Dreamcast launched early and died early doesn't mean it was part of the preceding generation. sorry it's just a pet-peeve of mine.
duh, it's something someone set us up
then all your bombs are belong to Atom.
yeah there are some companies working on that, but I would imagine they'd be be expensive considering they'd be paying royalties to both camps. as well as having some redundant hardware.
IMO this is probably the quickest and safest solution if you really want to get into HD movies. I anticipate this "war" will end up more like the DVD-R vs DVD+R war then it will like the VHS vs Betamax.
Even though this sites might offer imports the part I enjoyed most about Lik-Sang was all of the controller adapters, cable extenders, etc that they offered. Lik-Sang actually produced most of these products themselves, so something tells me it will take a while before another company really fully fills their shoes.
Where else am I going to buy a SmartJoy Frag, or a PS2 to Xbox controller adapter, or a Sega Saturn controller extender, etc. (my actual last 3 purchases from Lik-Sang) without having to battle the bowels of eBay.
While I don't believe in any of Scientology I do have a relative who is a Scientologist, and as a result I know quite a few of her friends who are Scientologists also. From what I've seen first hand they're generally nothing like what people make them out to be.
That's not to say I've never seen any of them deploy some of the nasty tactics you described but it's my impression that those are the Scientology fanatics. From what I've seen you can point to religious fanaticism in any religion and find a laundry list of unsavory characteristics, Scientology is no different. It seems to me that most people just fear what they don't understand, Scientology being a relatively smaller religion is not as widely understood and people take any excuse to find wrong doings.
I'm not defending the religion, many religions including Scientology I consider to be mostly BS, I'm just saying that you can't point your finger at a group of people and make sweeping generalizations without making yourself look like an ignorant bigot.
About 70% of all Gamecube games support 480p (if you have the component cables for it). Also if you've got a modchip in your Gamecube many of them allow you to force the non 480p games into displaying in 480p mode.
The Gamecube also had a VGA cable (albeit 3rd party). Even if the Wii doesn't support VGA, it does support component and there are a plethora of Component to VGA converters on the market for around $50... which is probably about what you'd pay for an official VGA cable anyway.
progressive scan is used over interlacing because interlacing leaves artifacts and flickering particularly with fast moving pictures (like sports). Not to mention most HDTV are progressing meaning they'd have to deinterlace the incoming signal which can create breakup and more artifacting along the edges of fast moving objects on screen (again like sports).
In terms of the video game space there is no difference in programing 1080i and 1080p. While 1080i might only have 540 lines actually displayed they have to render the whole frame in 1080 frame to keep it in sync. If you were to specifically program your game to output in an interlaced format (meaning you only had to render 540 lines per frame) you'd be doing what's called "field rendering" which is almost universally avoided because it requires you to ensure a rock solid 60FPS and if you miss a frame you run the risk of loosing sync placing the odd lines where the evens should go and the even lines where the odds should go.
I agree... HD resolutions is one of those things that if you don't have it, you don't need, it but once you've lived with it for a while you'd have a very hard time going back... like upgrading from a ball mouse to an optical or laser. Or from a corded phone to a cordless. Or a wired controller to a wireless, etc. etc.
I don't watch tv, I don't have anything beyond basic cable for the news, and I certainly don't pay for HD service, I have an HDTV purely to play my games. IMO resolution might not add to the gameplay but widescreen certainly does, it literally ads an extra 33% of viewable area. HD, while not a necessity is beneficial when playing any game that would split up the screen, or any game with a lot of menus and text (like an RPG or other games with deep strategy or text driven gameplay). Text can be incredibly difficult to read on an SD display unless it takes up a substantial footprint on the screen to keep it from being blurred into oblivion.
Anyone who said HD resolutions don't matter, I encourage you to set the resolution on your PC monitor to 640x480 (essentially 480p)... then use that for a few days, come back and tell me how beneficial higher resolutions are.
There are cases where HD and Widescreen don't actually add anything to a game over SD (480i) resolutions, however I can't think of a single instance where HD and or Widescreen took something away from the gaming experience. That is to say most games will be OK in SD, but ALL games will be OK in HD. The GP talked about Zela (which is Cell Shaded) the game wouldn't have lost anything being in HD, it simply would have looked more crisp, clean, and vivid.
After watching content in HD, going back to SD or ED resolutions is like sticking a screen door in front of your screen, you can still play it and it doesn't take away from the gameplay it's just not as visually appealing. And while visual appeal isn't a necessity, neither is playing video games, it's all about what makes you happy.
Logan is particularly poorly run, I'm sure they could find lots of ways to reduce their costs without lowering the level of their service. On a whole though I can't stand that airport and I try to avoid flying out of there whenever possible, typically I'll try to fly out of Manchester NH whenever I can.
Your, uh, your wife, does she go, eh, does she go, eh?
She's been around a bit, been around?
know whatahmean, wink wink, nudge nudge?
A nod's as good as a wink to a blind bat!