Xbox 360 Premium: Japanese price of ~$350US (US Price of $400)
Base Console unit with chrome trim on the DVD drive
Wireless Controller
Component Video hookups
Composite Video hookups
Japanese-D connector hookups (an HD connection similar to VGA used in Japan)
external power supply
6ft ethernet cable
headset
20GB HDD
3 1month Xbox Live Gold Trials
as many Xbox Live Silver accounts as you want
Xbox 360 CORE: speculated Japanese price of ~$250US (US Price of $300)
Base Console unit
USB Controller
Composite Video hookups
3 1month Xbox Live Gold Trials
as many Xbox Live Silver accounts as you want
Rumored that the version in japan will inclde Project Gotham Racing 3 and Ninty-Nine Nights
The biggest problem with the CORE version is that without a hard drive you'll need to buy a memory unit to save your games. Memory units go for $40US (no idea how much in Japan). The price of the harddrive alone in just about every country is exactly the same as the price difference between the core and the premium. So in most places it's only a $60 savings and you miss out on a lot of accessories you might otherwise get. Considering though that these are gamers that didn't buy the Xbox 1, so they don't see the savinging of not having to buy a memory unit. Also with the included games, it might actually do well in Japan, it certainly couldn't do much worse.
Thinking about good looking game cube games one of the games that comes to mind is Soul Calibur II, though the game looks just as good and fantastic on every console, I think the GC version is the best simply because it included Link. Though, one thing thing the Xbox version included that the other two versions didn't... was that it could render the game in 720p HD.
The graphics on RE4 for GC ARE amazing, that game was the reason I bought my Game Cube (and I kept playing it for the huge number of awesome party games)... but I wouldn't call them better then anything on the other consoles. Have you ever played Chronicles of Riddick or Splinter Cell Chaos Theory on the Xbox 1, both of those games easily surpass the graphical prowess of the GC IMO, there are a whole lot of other titles too. The PS2's graphics are debatable, it's hardware was the weakest of the three but even games like God of War, Shadow of Colossus, and Tekken 5 looked pretty damn good for the PS2's supposed specs, and depending on your tastes give RE4 a run for it's money.
The real problem with the GC was that there really weren't many games that looked as good as RE4. RE4 gets used as an example all the time but how many games like that were there? The RE games probably looked the best on the console, but most of them (though not RE4) used tricks like static images for backgrounds to make the games look like there were much more graphically superior then they really were. I think on a whole throughout the last generation the Xbox had the most consistently higher level of graphical performance. The PS2 really started to pickup in that department over the last year or so, and I think the Game Cube COULD have but there just wasn't enough development effort going into it for it's potential to be realize. Even still the Xbox 1's hardware was just plain old beefier then the other ones and there are enough cross-platform games last generation that side by side comparisons show that fairly easily.
It boggles the mind how out of touch most political figures are with what could be considered basic modern technology. Flipping through the channels on TV a few days ago I caught a news program interviewing (IIRC) the mayor of Boston MA. I guess there was some poor schmuck who had the same name as him and a Blog with a url of his name. Apparently this guy was getting oodles of political hate mail from people who mistook him for the mayor.
The Journalist was taking some pleasure in poking fun at the mayor's lack of computer literacy. Do you have a website? "No", Do you have an email address? "No", Have you ever Googled anything? "I google... 24" (the number of the station)"... see what you guys are up to." Do you read any blogs? "I'll blog you in the head". It was incredible to watch the guy it he acted like he was on trial for something. Heck even my 75 year old Grandmother has an email address, shops online and visits blogs on cooking recipes. A politicians my father's age should be much more well versed in that stuff. Heck my father isn't even close to the most computer savvy person around but he's got a website for his business and uses his computer for a number of things.
Maybe not... the GOOD Blue laser discs use the VC-1 codec (as opposed to MPEG2)... I have a copy of the T2 extreme edition which comes with a 2nd disc that has the movie in 1080p encoded using the WM9 codec (which IIRC is based on VC-1). It's just a regular old DVD-9, basically MS's poor early attempt at HD content through their WMVHD-DVD discs (there was about 10 of them total I believe). Anyway, I've got an Athalon 2600+ and a decent 512MB ATi card and I can't even come close to playing that disc, nor can I come close to playing any of the example HD WM9 videos on MS's website. Maybe it's because the video has been compressed to fit on a simple DVD9 so maybe thats why my machine chokes, but maybe it's just because it's no-where near powerful enough.
It also brings up another interesting question. If the VC-1 codec is powerful enough to fit a full-length feature film in 1080p on a mere DVD9 disc... why exactly do we need the new formats again?
If you're interested in trying these videos out on your own machine you can go to the WMVHD showcase The 720p videos played OK, they still stuttered every couple of seconds, but the 1080p stuff was just flat out unplayable.
My reason for them being "better" was not based on visual amazement (obviously you'll always be able to do more impressive stuff pre-rendered) but more along the lines of continuity. You and I obviously differ on this but I find continuity is a whole lot more important to my gaming experience then a few extra particle effects, obviously any live action cut-scene will offer almost no continuity. My point is simply that with the performance power that the new consoles and modern computers offer the gap between what you can get pre-rendered and what you can get in real time is getting smaller and smaller and at this point the benefits offered by real-time outweigh pre-rendered.
I also agree with Das Modell, some scenes will always just make more sense pre-rendered as I used the example of the end-of-game cut-scene in my previous post. If the developer decides this plot developing cut-scene needs the extra graphical omph or just makes more sense pre-rendered then by all means. For most new, next-gen games though, this isn't the case and the game graphics are just as good as what you might get if they decided to go the pre-rendered route.
I believe MS has innovated on a software level with the Xbox 360. Most of the innovations you'd never realize unless you actually owned one but there's some pretty cool stuff there. Some of it is an evolution of what they offered on the Xbox 1 but a lot of it is just plain NEW.
Probably most notably is the profile system. If you play on the console you have a profile (and if you have an Xbox Live account your account IS your profile). All of your game saves are stored under your profile. so if you're sharing the console, your sibling/spouse/roommate/etc. wont ever accidentally load some save game of yours because they'll only see the gamesaves in their own profile. Of course there are customization things for your profile, you can pick an icon, a theme for the dashboard and guide, a motto, a "zone" (which describes what kind of gamer you are to help you find people with similar interests online). But one of the best features of the profile is standardized controls. You can go into the control settings of your profile and tell it to do things like ALWAYS or NEVER invert the Y axis... so when you bring home that new FPS you don't have to futz with the controls it will just work the way you like it setup. And since it's in a profile if you pop it on a memory unit and bring it to your friends place you can just load up your profile and play it with all of your preferences in tact. Of course now that you have a profile your name doesn't change from leaderboard to leaderboard, so if you see "HaloFan1" on one leaderboard you know it's the same "HaloFan1" on another. Also reputation and player feedback is attached to the profile so if HaloFan1 is a notorious cheater on PGR3 if you see him online on Forza2 release day you'll see his feedback and player review score from ever other game he's played. Another cool thing is since all of this is standardized, leaderboards within a game can be filtered to only show the people on your friends list. I could care less about the 10 people surrounding me down around 10thousandth place, but I'd be interested to see how I rank against my friends and the people I actually play with online.
The Xbox Guide is probably the next most notable software innovation. the big Xbox logo button in the center of the controller pauses the game and slides a control panel on to the screen, from here you can adjust all the settings of your profile, view your friends list/see who's online, send and receive instant messages, as well as view a list of every other person you've ever played against across all your games. so you can leave feedback after the fact or see if that guy you played last night is on again, even if you don't exactly remember his name but do do remember what time and game you played. Also from here you can replace the in game music with your own custom sound track, and that music can be stored locally on the hard drive, streamed in off of a USB device (including iPods PSPs and other MP3 players), or streamed over the network from an XP machine. And since this is built right into the consoles OS it's supported across all games. Also standardized tasks are handled by the guide, like displaying an on screen keyboard, yes/no boxes, selecting a storage device, basically all the basic stuff. What makes that good is that the interface is standardized across every game, so when you play one game and switch to another you don't have to familiarize yourself with a whole new interface... game A displays a qwerty keyboard while game B displays it alphabetical... I'm sure that makes developers jobs a tad bit easier as well.
Another notable software innovation is the Achievement system. This has got a bit more press then some of the other stuff, some good some bad but I think it's a fantastic idea overall. Sure they're not "worth" anything but imagine them like boyscout badges or karate belts. "You beat COD2 on veteran? I have that badge too!" Gamers can show off and display their various in game accomplishments, IMO it's a lot more useful then some leaderboard that you, nor
There's a big difference between a "cut-scene" and a "pre-rendered cut-scene". A pre rendered cut-scene means that they rendered it on some machine and recorded a video of the rendered animation then shoved that video on your disc... so after you beat the last boss it plays a video and reveals the story's ending... That's great, I think that's great, you apparently think that's great, but that's not what we're suggesting go away.
I think what most people are suggesting is that we get rid of the pre-rendered part... lets do that cut-scene in real time. In the Playstation 1 days it was nice to have it pre-rendered, the console's natural graphics were crappy enough that the video offered a more detailed look at the characters and was enjoyable. At this point however the natural power of the next gen consoles can produce graphics that are just as good if not better then what pre-rendered can do.
What I mean by better is two reasons... 1 performing the cut-scene in real time using the actual game graphics you'll never see any video compression artifacts (because it's not a compressed video) and you'll never have to worry about the videos being of the wrong resolution or aspect ratio for your screen. Nothing bugs me more then when I'm playing a game in HD and then I get a little 640x480 window in the middle to watch a cut-scene, or worse if they stretched it out across the screen. The 2nd benefit to doing the cut-scene in real time is it becomes seamless with the game you're playing. Tomb Raider I think is an excellent example of this. Back on the old playstation games I'd enter the area where the boss is hiding and it would go to a cut-scene Lara would start a plot developing conversation with he boss, but something wasn't right... ah yes... see I reached the boss while wearing the unlockable alternative costume and using a sub-machine gun but the cut-scene has her wearing the stock outfit and the trademark pistols. Not to mention I entered the left door and took 5 steps and the cut scene started as if I hadn't yet entered the room. Not in Tomb Raider on the 360 all of the cut scenes are rendered in real time. So when I walk into that room with the boss it's as if the console just went on auto-pilot and started controlling Lara, no loading of the video, no miss match in character movements like some bad B movie, and she's wearing the outfit I last saw her in and holding the gun I last saw her in.
So lets recap
Significantly Lower Space Requirements
no video compression artifacts
No worries about a miss match in resolution
No worries about a miss match in aspect ratio
localization can be done by swapping out audio streams instead of duplicate video
No pause or hiccup between loading the game and the cut-scene
Seamless Character movements between gameplay and cut-scene
character looks like and is equipped exactly how they were while playing the game
About the only thing I can see where video might have a benefit is for some sort of end credit cut-scene where the location/character outfit etc. doesn't exist anywhere else in the game. Like the main character went to Disney to celebrate their victory, it might be easier to just throw that in a video instead of storing the model and textures for the one-off scene, though you'd still have to store versions in multiple resolutions, aspect ratios and languages, which can add up fast, I suppose it would depend on the length of the scene, it's still debatable. The other scenario is if the cut-scene changes locations fast and frequently, like it has someone walking on a street and cuts to someone on a plane. then it does a split between the two. But even that can be handled in real time if optimized properly considering it's a scripted event so they can load the next scene while the current one is playing without worrying about user interaction changing what happens next, so that senario is debatable as well.
So you see, the argument isn't that we should get rid of cut-scenes, just that pre-rendered cut-scenes are in a lot of ways archaic by comparison considering the graphics processing power of the next gen consoles can perform the same thing, often better, in real time.
Very good point. We knew CDs were taxed when we started seeing 2 3 and 4 discs to a game, but even still there were only a small handful of games that used more then one disc, and those were typically linear games. The Gamecube has about half of it's library on two discs, but I think the more interesting thing is that half of it's library is only on one. and Gamecube discs only hold 1.4GB Not to mention the "fun" factor of those sub 1.4GB games seems to be considerably higher then that of some of the games exemplifying the push for higher space requirements.
I can't think of any Xbox games that needed more then one disc, some came with a 2nd disc but those were typically special features discs for limited edition games. The only PS2 games I can think of that used a 2nd discs were pressed on DVD5s and COULD have fit on a single disc if they wanted. Not to mention I can count on one hand the number of Xbox 1 games that even needed the 2nd layer for storage. Sure a lot of those games USED it but not many actually needed it once you cut out foreign language cut-scenes, demo games, game trailers etc. In my opinion even with DVD we're getting a disc upgrade, we had DVD5 last gen and DVD9 this gen
Not to mention the performance prowess of the new consoles is good enough that we shouldn't need to use pre-rendered cut-scenes anymore, which will save a ton of space right there. Audio compression is fantastic these days and if you're only doing speech you can easily make it mono and crank up the compression before it looses any perceived quality, not to mention you should be using the consoles to appropriately place the voices in the sound stage anyway. Audio really hasn't gotten any better then it was last generation anyway. Every console since the dreamcast has supported some form of surround sound, and we've had wav style audio available since the Playstation 1. Really Textures are the the only thing that are getting a boost in size this generation but you'd have to be making some huge friggin textures that they would fill and significantly surpass the space you saved being able to get rid of the pre-rendered cut-scenes.
I think Oblivion stands as the best example, case and point why DVD9 is more then sufficient for next gen games. Hours and hours and hours and hours of audio, drop dead gorgeous graphics across some of the most massive gaming environments and no need for pre-rendered cut-scenes. and the game doesn't fill a DVD9. I think if a game developer was struggling with space constraints and saw Oblivion you'd have to question what you were doing wrong with your own game.
are you implying that current DVD and SD displays are the "peak" of home theater technology?
I think even discerning early adopters would disagree with you. Using your example it's like we have a chirping PC speaker now, and they're trying to sell us a sound card but all the sound card is doing is making chirps. They're not using the new tech to it's full potential, but we're still being asked to pay the price as if it was. I've seen TRUE HD content through HD cable as well as through examples of the WM9/VC1 codec on MS's website, I've played them through my HDTV and they look spectacular and I would be more then willing to pay $500 for a player that could bring that spectacular image to my DVD collection, unfortunately it hasn't happened yet, they've told me that's what their players can do but I don't see it yet. Blu-Ray is the worse of the two, it costs more and from the demo's I've seen it doesn't look much better then regular DVD, HD-DVD looks better but it doesn't even seem to be at the quality level of what I can get from a HTPC or HD cable. Then of course both formats have the issues of cost and the threat of not being supported if the alternative becomes the standard.
If this were a game of hold'em it'd be like them asking you to go all in when all you've got in your hand is an Ace and a Two, sure it could go really well but it could also go really poorly. I think even the typical early adopters are holding on to their chips until they have a better idea how things might turn out.
I never said the low end PS3 was crippled, simply that the Low end Xbox can quickly and easily be converted to be exactly the same as the high end by the user. In my personal opinion you'd be foolish to by the low end versions of either console, you'd be foolish to buy the low end PS3 due to it's lack of HDMI and it's eventual hindrance in properly using one of the most expensive features of the console (Blu-Ray HD video playback). And you would be foolish to purchase the low end Xbox due to the loss of the hard drive's benefits. Not to mention both low end SKUs lack other features outside of HDMI and HDD respectively that make them lower in price but also of lower value when compared to their respective high end SKUs.
While you are correct that HD-DVD also has the image constraint token, I also believe you'd be a fool to purchase the HD-DVD add-on for the Xbox 360 for that very reason. However, unlike the low end PS3 the low end Xbox 360 does not require the gamer to purchase the HD-DVD drive regardless of their preference.
I don't understand your logic... the cheaper version of the Xbox 360 is infact LESS crippled then the cheaper version of the PS3... If you buy an Xbox 360 CORE version it's essentially the same console less a hard drive, sure you loose some features without the hard drive, but it's not like the differences aren't printed right on the side of the box, and if you DO decided you that you should have gone for the higher priced SKU you can still buy said hard drive and make the difference between the two nothing more then some chrome trim on the DVD bezel.
On the other hand the HDMI port not being included in the lower SKU is entirely non-upgradable, sure TODAY it only effects a few people with HDTVs who would rather have a digital video interface instead of an analog one. but that port is necessary for playing Blu-Ray discs down the road, when the MPAA decides to enact the image constraint tokens those without an HDMI port will find that their blu-ray discs are actually producing a High-Def image... at that point in time you'll be stuck with no way to upgrade and scratching your head why you fronted all that extra cash for a blu-ray player that is incapable of playing HD movies.
The only thing not having a hard drive on the Xbox 360 prevents you from doing is playing Xbox 1 games (since they were all built for a console with a hard drive: the xbox 1) and playing two select games that require the hard drive, those being Final Fantasy XI and Football Manager. I certainly wouldn't define that as "crippled" and again if you decided you need those features upgrading is as simple as buying a hard drive and snaping it to the side of the console....
I can't imagine being a video game journalist is anywhere near as bad as spending the same amount of time as a faceless cube hermit at generic software company... I don't care HOW long you've been doing it.
Also the fact that you assume someone who makes a career out of a hobby ruins the hobby because work = sucks leads me to believe you've never had a job doing something you loved. As someone who used to work doing something I loved, for years in-fact, I can tell you that yes I did have my days where I just didn't want to be there, but on a whole I was far more happy then I am doing something that's not related to one of my hobbies.
As for why I'm not still doing that, honestly I'd love to be but it doesn't actually pay well enough for me to survive in the manor in which I'm accustomed... turning a hobby into a career is probably one of the most rewarding (in terms of happiness) life choices someone can make.
I was pissed, I have family in Bellvue, I could have walked to the convention center from there, but I had a big project at work that I had to get completed so I missed out.. maybe next year...
It's true Dead Rising is the hot property right now for the 360... I don't own it YET but thats only because I've got 3 or 4 other games sitting around that I haven't played yet...
I've heard nothing but praise from the people who own it. As for Zonk's comment on the time based "appointments" detracting from the running around and exploring aspect of the game... well, in my opinion that's a big plus. I've always been annoyed by games where it doesn't matter if you show up in 2 minutes or 2 hours you always arrive at just the right time according to how the linear gameplay is supposed to play out. Oblivion is a great game but when someone tells you that you need to deliver this message as soon as possible, you could run it there as fast as you can or loaf around "exploring" for 2 months before delivering it and the outcome is usually the same.
If anything I'd see the competing goals as a reason to play thought the title more then once. Either get the game and tool around in the world exploring places and killing zombies etc. and once you've had your fill go back and play through it in a totally different way, following along with the story... a story that apparently unfolds whether you're there to see it or not, IMO it adds a sense of realism (zombies... yes I know) it's a feature that is hardly ever seen in games today and a good feature IMO.
Except it wasn't just a blog entry... Apparently the quote is from when Sony publicly asked them if they were going to buy the console at launch price.
FTFA:
When the creators of Penny Arcade were asked at PAX if they planned on buying a PS3 based on the launch price, Sony may have thought they would get a break from two of most influential personalities in gaming. What was their reply?
We've already talked about it, there's no chance we're buying a PS3 at launch. That's Grade-A bullshit.
Ouch. According to Joystiq, the room erupted in cheers and applause at the answer; it seems as if the gamers at the event weren't feeling much love for Sony's next-gen system.
"room erupted in cheers and applause at the answer" so yeah... it definitely was very publicly expressed at PAX which is the largest consumer oriented gaming convention... not exactly an off-hand blog post by some hardcore gamer guy.
very true, and while editing a wiki might seem like a very simple task to us here at/. It really hasn't taken off in full force for most internet users never mind ferryboat operators.
I'm a head moderator over on Xbox-Scene, after getting tired of editing out of date FAQs and tutorial topics I decided to start a wiki for console modding. For about the first 6 months the site was up I was the only contributer, not because I couldn't find anyone who wanted to contribute, but because most of the people interested just couldn't figure it out, and or were too lazy to try. Most of the people I contacted (who had written various FAQs and how-tos) didn't even know what a wiki was never mind knew how to use one and only about half of them had even heard of wikipedia before when I brought it up as an example.
I think the GP overestimates the typical internet user's understanding of wikis and _grossly_ overestimates the understanding by the typical ferryboat operator or other non net-savvy person.
That's assuming he actually CARES about the effects of violent video games, he's always struck me as the kind of lawyer who only pretends to care for the sake of boosting his career.
Re:Why is 1800 of 2000 trampoline accidents?
on
Bob Saget 2.0
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· Score: 2, Informative
Well a lot of insurance companies wont insure your home (or at least give you a huge rate hike) if you have a trampoline on your property... next time you switch companies or insure a new place pay attension... I bet they ask you if you have one... Skateboard ramps too.
How many people would it take to make the next Geometry Wars? or bring back a fresh but old-school gameplay platformer, or 2D fighter? Not to mention there's a huge gap between your WoWs and your Solitares. Bigger companies are testing how high they can push up the high end and almsot completely neglecting the low. Indie devs tend to start at the low and work their way up, but without at least a foothold at the bottom of the spectrum you'll never see that middle ground start to materialize.
Indy developers aren't always anti-establishment but most often just some programers having fun in the spirit of the art in their spare time... and IMO we need more people like that in the game industry
If he had a good financial adviser he could have stashed away a lot of his possessions in trusts, in those cases if setup properly it would be very difficult to take that away from him, since they would actually belong to the trust, not him, and the lawsuit is against him, not the trust.
Though based on the fact that they've apparently already seized some of his belongings he apparently wasn't that smart (unless of course they seized them and they WERE owned by the trust, in which case the trust could sue them for seizure without reason)
Or maybe I have no idea what I'm talking about seeing as IANAL
Slashdot Mirror
- Base Console unit with chrome trim on the DVD drive
- Wireless Controller
- Component Video hookups
- Composite Video hookups
- Japanese-D connector hookups (an HD connection similar to VGA used in Japan)
- external power supply
- 6ft ethernet cable
- headset
- 20GB HDD
- 3 1month Xbox Live Gold Trials
- as many Xbox Live Silver accounts as you want
Xbox 360 CORE: speculated Japanese price of ~$250US (US Price of $300)- Base Console unit
- USB Controller
- Composite Video hookups
- 3 1month Xbox Live Gold Trials
- as many Xbox Live Silver accounts as you want
- Rumored that the version in japan will inclde Project Gotham Racing 3 and Ninty-Nine Nights
The biggest problem with the CORE version is that without a hard drive you'll need to buy a memory unit to save your games. Memory units go for $40US (no idea how much in Japan). The price of the harddrive alone in just about every country is exactly the same as the price difference between the core and the premium. So in most places it's only a $60 savings and you miss out on a lot of accessories you might otherwise get. Considering though that these are gamers that didn't buy the Xbox 1, so they don't see the savinging of not having to buy a memory unit. Also with the included games, it might actually do well in Japan, it certainly couldn't do much worse.man wow, my grammar was pretty bad in that post... wish I had previewed. Anyway here are some screen shots for the games I was talking about if anyone is interested:
Xbox: Splinter Cell Chaos Theory, Doom 3, Chronicles of Riddick
GC: Resident Evil 4
PS2: Shaddown of the Colossus, God of War, Tekken 5
Thinking about good looking game cube games one of the games that comes to mind is Soul Calibur II, though the game looks just as good and fantastic on every console, I think the GC version is the best simply because it included Link. Though, one thing thing the Xbox version included that the other two versions didn't... was that it could render the game in 720p HD.
The graphics on RE4 for GC ARE amazing, that game was the reason I bought my Game Cube (and I kept playing it for the huge number of awesome party games)... but I wouldn't call them better then anything on the other consoles. Have you ever played Chronicles of Riddick or Splinter Cell Chaos Theory on the Xbox 1, both of those games easily surpass the graphical prowess of the GC IMO, there are a whole lot of other titles too. The PS2's graphics are debatable, it's hardware was the weakest of the three but even games like God of War, Shadow of Colossus, and Tekken 5 looked pretty damn good for the PS2's supposed specs, and depending on your tastes give RE4 a run for it's money.
The real problem with the GC was that there really weren't many games that looked as good as RE4. RE4 gets used as an example all the time but how many games like that were there? The RE games probably looked the best on the console, but most of them (though not RE4) used tricks like static images for backgrounds to make the games look like there were much more graphically superior then they really were. I think on a whole throughout the last generation the Xbox had the most consistently higher level of graphical performance. The PS2 really started to pickup in that department over the last year or so, and I think the Game Cube COULD have but there just wasn't enough development effort going into it for it's potential to be realize. Even still the Xbox 1's hardware was just plain old beefier then the other ones and there are enough cross-platform games last generation that side by side comparisons show that fairly easily.
It boggles the mind how out of touch most political figures are with what could be considered basic modern technology. Flipping through the channels on TV a few days ago I caught a news program interviewing (IIRC) the mayor of Boston MA. I guess there was some poor schmuck who had the same name as him and a Blog with a url of his name. Apparently this guy was getting oodles of political hate mail from people who mistook him for the mayor.
The Journalist was taking some pleasure in poking fun at the mayor's lack of computer literacy. Do you have a website? "No", Do you have an email address? "No", Have you ever Googled anything? "I google... 24" (the number of the station)"... see what you guys are up to." Do you read any blogs? "I'll blog you in the head". It was incredible to watch the guy it he acted like he was on trial for something. Heck even my 75 year old Grandmother has an email address, shops online and visits blogs on cooking recipes. A politicians my father's age should be much more well versed in that stuff. Heck my father isn't even close to the most computer savvy person around but he's got a website for his business and uses his computer for a number of things.
Maybe not... the GOOD Blue laser discs use the VC-1 codec (as opposed to MPEG2)... I have a copy of the T2 extreme edition which comes with a 2nd disc that has the movie in 1080p encoded using the WM9 codec (which IIRC is based on VC-1). It's just a regular old DVD-9, basically MS's poor early attempt at HD content through their WMVHD-DVD discs (there was about 10 of them total I believe). Anyway, I've got an Athalon 2600+ and a decent 512MB ATi card and I can't even come close to playing that disc, nor can I come close to playing any of the example HD WM9 videos on MS's website. Maybe it's because the video has been compressed to fit on a simple DVD9 so maybe thats why my machine chokes, but maybe it's just because it's no-where near powerful enough.
It also brings up another interesting question. If the VC-1 codec is powerful enough to fit a full-length feature film in 1080p on a mere DVD9 disc... why exactly do we need the new formats again?
If you're interested in trying these videos out on your own machine you can go to the WMVHD showcase The 720p videos played OK, they still stuttered every couple of seconds, but the 1080p stuff was just flat out unplayable.
My reason for them being "better" was not based on visual amazement (obviously you'll always be able to do more impressive stuff pre-rendered) but more along the lines of continuity. You and I obviously differ on this but I find continuity is a whole lot more important to my gaming experience then a few extra particle effects, obviously any live action cut-scene will offer almost no continuity. My point is simply that with the performance power that the new consoles and modern computers offer the gap between what you can get pre-rendered and what you can get in real time is getting smaller and smaller and at this point the benefits offered by real-time outweigh pre-rendered.
I also agree with Das Modell, some scenes will always just make more sense pre-rendered as I used the example of the end-of-game cut-scene in my previous post. If the developer decides this plot developing cut-scene needs the extra graphical omph or just makes more sense pre-rendered then by all means. For most new, next-gen games though, this isn't the case and the game graphics are just as good as what you might get if they decided to go the pre-rendered route.
I believe MS has innovated on a software level with the Xbox 360. Most of the innovations you'd never realize unless you actually owned one but there's some pretty cool stuff there. Some of it is an evolution of what they offered on the Xbox 1 but a lot of it is just plain NEW.
Probably most notably is the profile system. If you play on the console you have a profile (and if you have an Xbox Live account your account IS your profile). All of your game saves are stored under your profile. so if you're sharing the console, your sibling/spouse/roommate/etc. wont ever accidentally load some save game of yours because they'll only see the gamesaves in their own profile. Of course there are customization things for your profile, you can pick an icon, a theme for the dashboard and guide, a motto, a "zone" (which describes what kind of gamer you are to help you find people with similar interests online). But one of the best features of the profile is standardized controls. You can go into the control settings of your profile and tell it to do things like ALWAYS or NEVER invert the Y axis... so when you bring home that new FPS you don't have to futz with the controls it will just work the way you like it setup. And since it's in a profile if you pop it on a memory unit and bring it to your friends place you can just load up your profile and play it with all of your preferences in tact. Of course now that you have a profile your name doesn't change from leaderboard to leaderboard, so if you see "HaloFan1" on one leaderboard you know it's the same "HaloFan1" on another. Also reputation and player feedback is attached to the profile so if HaloFan1 is a notorious cheater on PGR3 if you see him online on Forza2 release day you'll see his feedback and player review score from ever other game he's played. Another cool thing is since all of this is standardized, leaderboards within a game can be filtered to only show the people on your friends list. I could care less about the 10 people surrounding me down around 10thousandth place, but I'd be interested to see how I rank against my friends and the people I actually play with online.
The Xbox Guide is probably the next most notable software innovation. the big Xbox logo button in the center of the controller pauses the game and slides a control panel on to the screen, from here you can adjust all the settings of your profile, view your friends list/see who's online, send and receive instant messages, as well as view a list of every other person you've ever played against across all your games. so you can leave feedback after the fact or see if that guy you played last night is on again, even if you don't exactly remember his name but do do remember what time and game you played. Also from here you can replace the in game music with your own custom sound track, and that music can be stored locally on the hard drive, streamed in off of a USB device (including iPods PSPs and other MP3 players), or streamed over the network from an XP machine. And since this is built right into the consoles OS it's supported across all games. Also standardized tasks are handled by the guide, like displaying an on screen keyboard, yes/no boxes, selecting a storage device, basically all the basic stuff. What makes that good is that the interface is standardized across every game, so when you play one game and switch to another you don't have to familiarize yourself with a whole new interface... game A displays a qwerty keyboard while game B displays it alphabetical... I'm sure that makes developers jobs a tad bit easier as well.
Another notable software innovation is the Achievement system. This has got a bit more press then some of the other stuff, some good some bad but I think it's a fantastic idea overall. Sure they're not "worth" anything but imagine them like boyscout badges or karate belts. "You beat COD2 on veteran? I have that badge too!" Gamers can show off and display their various in game accomplishments, IMO it's a lot more useful then some leaderboard that you, nor
I think what most people are suggesting is that we get rid of the pre-rendered part... lets do that cut-scene in real time. In the Playstation 1 days it was nice to have it pre-rendered, the console's natural graphics were crappy enough that the video offered a more detailed look at the characters and was enjoyable. At this point however the natural power of the next gen consoles can produce graphics that are just as good if not better then what pre-rendered can do.
What I mean by better is two reasons... 1 performing the cut-scene in real time using the actual game graphics you'll never see any video compression artifacts (because it's not a compressed video) and you'll never have to worry about the videos being of the wrong resolution or aspect ratio for your screen. Nothing bugs me more then when I'm playing a game in HD and then I get a little 640x480 window in the middle to watch a cut-scene, or worse if they stretched it out across the screen. The 2nd benefit to doing the cut-scene in real time is it becomes seamless with the game you're playing. Tomb Raider I think is an excellent example of this. Back on the old playstation games I'd enter the area where the boss is hiding and it would go to a cut-scene Lara would start a plot developing conversation with he boss, but something wasn't right... ah yes... see I reached the boss while wearing the unlockable alternative costume and using a sub-machine gun but the cut-scene has her wearing the stock outfit and the trademark pistols. Not to mention I entered the left door and took 5 steps and the cut scene started as if I hadn't yet entered the room. Not in Tomb Raider on the 360 all of the cut scenes are rendered in real time. So when I walk into that room with the boss it's as if the console just went on auto-pilot and started controlling Lara, no loading of the video, no miss match in character movements like some bad B movie, and she's wearing the outfit I last saw her in and holding the gun I last saw her in.
So lets recap
- Significantly Lower Space Requirements
- no video compression artifacts
- No worries about a miss match in resolution
- No worries about a miss match in aspect ratio
- localization can be done by swapping out audio streams instead of duplicate video
- No pause or hiccup between loading the game and the cut-scene
- Seamless Character movements between gameplay and cut-scene
- character looks like and is equipped exactly how they were while playing the game
About the only thing I can see where video might have a benefit is for some sort of end credit cut-scene where the location/character outfit etc. doesn't exist anywhere else in the game. Like the main character went to Disney to celebrate their victory, it might be easier to just throw that in a video instead of storing the model and textures for the one-off scene, though you'd still have to store versions in multiple resolutions, aspect ratios and languages, which can add up fast, I suppose it would depend on the length of the scene, it's still debatable. The other scenario is if the cut-scene changes locations fast and frequently, like it has someone walking on a street and cuts to someone on a plane. then it does a split between the two. But even that can be handled in real time if optimized properly considering it's a scripted event so they can load the next scene while the current one is playing without worrying about user interaction changing what happens next, so that senario is debatable as well.So you see, the argument isn't that we should get rid of cut-scenes, just that pre-rendered cut-scenes are in a lot of ways archaic by comparison considering the graphics processing power of the next gen consoles can perform the same thing, often better, in real time.
Very good point. We knew CDs were taxed when we started seeing 2 3 and 4 discs to a game, but even still there were only a small handful of games that used more then one disc, and those were typically linear games. The Gamecube has about half of it's library on two discs, but I think the more interesting thing is that half of it's library is only on one. and Gamecube discs only hold 1.4GB Not to mention the "fun" factor of those sub 1.4GB games seems to be considerably higher then that of some of the games exemplifying the push for higher space requirements.
I can't think of any Xbox games that needed more then one disc, some came with a 2nd disc but those were typically special features discs for limited edition games. The only PS2 games I can think of that used a 2nd discs were pressed on DVD5s and COULD have fit on a single disc if they wanted. Not to mention I can count on one hand the number of Xbox 1 games that even needed the 2nd layer for storage. Sure a lot of those games USED it but not many actually needed it once you cut out foreign language cut-scenes, demo games, game trailers etc. In my opinion even with DVD we're getting a disc upgrade, we had DVD5 last gen and DVD9 this gen
Not to mention the performance prowess of the new consoles is good enough that we shouldn't need to use pre-rendered cut-scenes anymore, which will save a ton of space right there. Audio compression is fantastic these days and if you're only doing speech you can easily make it mono and crank up the compression before it looses any perceived quality, not to mention you should be using the consoles to appropriately place the voices in the sound stage anyway. Audio really hasn't gotten any better then it was last generation anyway. Every console since the dreamcast has supported some form of surround sound, and we've had wav style audio available since the Playstation 1. Really Textures are the the only thing that are getting a boost in size this generation but you'd have to be making some huge friggin textures that they would fill and significantly surpass the space you saved being able to get rid of the pre-rendered cut-scenes.
I think Oblivion stands as the best example, case and point why DVD9 is more then sufficient for next gen games. Hours and hours and hours and hours of audio, drop dead gorgeous graphics across some of the most massive gaming environments and no need for pre-rendered cut-scenes. and the game doesn't fill a DVD9. I think if a game developer was struggling with space constraints and saw Oblivion you'd have to question what you were doing wrong with your own game.
I think those feet are begining to look like roast beef.
are you implying that current DVD and SD displays are the "peak" of home theater technology?
I think even discerning early adopters would disagree with you. Using your example it's like we have a chirping PC speaker now, and they're trying to sell us a sound card but all the sound card is doing is making chirps. They're not using the new tech to it's full potential, but we're still being asked to pay the price as if it was. I've seen TRUE HD content through HD cable as well as through examples of the WM9/VC1 codec on MS's website, I've played them through my HDTV and they look spectacular and I would be more then willing to pay $500 for a player that could bring that spectacular image to my DVD collection, unfortunately it hasn't happened yet, they've told me that's what their players can do but I don't see it yet. Blu-Ray is the worse of the two, it costs more and from the demo's I've seen it doesn't look much better then regular DVD, HD-DVD looks better but it doesn't even seem to be at the quality level of what I can get from a HTPC or HD cable. Then of course both formats have the issues of cost and the threat of not being supported if the alternative becomes the standard.
If this were a game of hold'em it'd be like them asking you to go all in when all you've got in your hand is an Ace and a Two, sure it could go really well but it could also go really poorly. I think even the typical early adopters are holding on to their chips until they have a better idea how things might turn out.
I never said the low end PS3 was crippled, simply that the Low end Xbox can quickly and easily be converted to be exactly the same as the high end by the user. In my personal opinion you'd be foolish to by the low end versions of either console, you'd be foolish to buy the low end PS3 due to it's lack of HDMI and it's eventual hindrance in properly using one of the most expensive features of the console (Blu-Ray HD video playback). And you would be foolish to purchase the low end Xbox due to the loss of the hard drive's benefits. Not to mention both low end SKUs lack other features outside of HDMI and HDD respectively that make them lower in price but also of lower value when compared to their respective high end SKUs.
While you are correct that HD-DVD also has the image constraint token, I also believe you'd be a fool to purchase the HD-DVD add-on for the Xbox 360 for that very reason. However, unlike the low end PS3 the low end Xbox 360 does not require the gamer to purchase the HD-DVD drive regardless of their preference.
I don't understand your logic... the cheaper version of the Xbox 360 is infact LESS crippled then the cheaper version of the PS3... If you buy an Xbox 360 CORE version it's essentially the same console less a hard drive, sure you loose some features without the hard drive, but it's not like the differences aren't printed right on the side of the box, and if you DO decided you that you should have gone for the higher priced SKU you can still buy said hard drive and make the difference between the two nothing more then some chrome trim on the DVD bezel.
On the other hand the HDMI port not being included in the lower SKU is entirely non-upgradable, sure TODAY it only effects a few people with HDTVs who would rather have a digital video interface instead of an analog one. but that port is necessary for playing Blu-Ray discs down the road, when the MPAA decides to enact the image constraint tokens those without an HDMI port will find that their blu-ray discs are actually producing a High-Def image... at that point in time you'll be stuck with no way to upgrade and scratching your head why you fronted all that extra cash for a blu-ray player that is incapable of playing HD movies.
The only thing not having a hard drive on the Xbox 360 prevents you from doing is playing Xbox 1 games (since they were all built for a console with a hard drive: the xbox 1) and playing two select games that require the hard drive, those being Final Fantasy XI and Football Manager. I certainly wouldn't define that as "crippled" and again if you decided you need those features upgrading is as simple as buying a hard drive and snaping it to the side of the console....
I can't imagine being a video game journalist is anywhere near as bad as spending the same amount of time as a faceless cube hermit at generic software company... I don't care HOW long you've been doing it.
Also the fact that you assume someone who makes a career out of a hobby ruins the hobby because work = sucks leads me to believe you've never had a job doing something you loved. As someone who used to work doing something I loved, for years in-fact, I can tell you that yes I did have my days where I just didn't want to be there, but on a whole I was far more happy then I am doing something that's not related to one of my hobbies.
As for why I'm not still doing that, honestly I'd love to be but it doesn't actually pay well enough for me to survive in the manor in which I'm accustomed... turning a hobby into a career is probably one of the most rewarding (in terms of happiness) life choices someone can make.
I was pissed, I have family in Bellvue, I could have walked to the convention center from there, but I had a big project at work that I had to get completed so I missed out.. maybe next year...
It's true Dead Rising is the hot property right now for the 360... I don't own it YET but thats only because I've got 3 or 4 other games sitting around that I haven't played yet...
I've heard nothing but praise from the people who own it. As for Zonk's comment on the time based "appointments" detracting from the running around and exploring aspect of the game... well, in my opinion that's a big plus. I've always been annoyed by games where it doesn't matter if you show up in 2 minutes or 2 hours you always arrive at just the right time according to how the linear gameplay is supposed to play out. Oblivion is a great game but when someone tells you that you need to deliver this message as soon as possible, you could run it there as fast as you can or loaf around "exploring" for 2 months before delivering it and the outcome is usually the same.
If anything I'd see the competing goals as a reason to play thought the title more then once. Either get the game and tool around in the world exploring places and killing zombies etc. and once you've had your fill go back and play through it in a totally different way, following along with the story... a story that apparently unfolds whether you're there to see it or not, IMO it adds a sense of realism (zombies... yes I know) it's a feature that is hardly ever seen in games today and a good feature IMO.
FTFA: "room erupted in cheers and applause at the answer" so yeah... it definitely was very publicly expressed at PAX which is the largest consumer oriented gaming convention... not exactly an off-hand blog post by some hardcore gamer guy.
very true, and while editing a wiki might seem like a very simple task to us here at /. It really hasn't taken off in full force for most internet users never mind ferryboat operators.
I'm a head moderator over on Xbox-Scene, after getting tired of editing out of date FAQs and tutorial topics I decided to start a wiki for console modding. For about the first 6 months the site was up I was the only contributer, not because I couldn't find anyone who wanted to contribute, but because most of the people interested just couldn't figure it out, and or were too lazy to try. Most of the people I contacted (who had written various FAQs and how-tos) didn't even know what a wiki was never mind knew how to use one and only about half of them had even heard of wikipedia before when I brought it up as an example.
I think the GP overestimates the typical internet user's understanding of wikis and _grossly_ overestimates the understanding by the typical ferryboat operator or other non net-savvy person.
That's assuming he actually CARES about the effects of violent video games, he's always struck me as the kind of lawyer who only pretends to care for the sake of boosting his career.
Well a lot of insurance companies wont insure your home (or at least give you a huge rate hike) if you have a trampoline on your property... next time you switch companies or insure a new place pay attension... I bet they ask you if you have one... Skateboard ramps too.
Ahh, so it is, the last time I had checked it was closer to $40, so I guess the XBLA version will be more expensive.
or "From the Featured Article" for those of us who "think of the children"
Not necessarily
How many people would it take to make the next Geometry Wars? or bring back a fresh but old-school gameplay platformer, or 2D fighter? Not to mention there's a huge gap between your WoWs and your Solitares. Bigger companies are testing how high they can push up the high end and almsot completely neglecting the low. Indie devs tend to start at the low and work their way up, but without at least a foothold at the bottom of the spectrum you'll never see that middle ground start to materialize.
Indy developers aren't always anti-establishment but most often just some programers having fun in the spirit of the art in their spare time... and IMO we need more people like that in the game industry
yeah they'd be better off taking that 312 Billion and buying Nigeria or something...
If he had a good financial adviser he could have stashed away a lot of his possessions in trusts, in those cases if setup properly it would be very difficult to take that away from him, since they would actually belong to the trust, not him, and the lawsuit is against him, not the trust.
Though based on the fact that they've apparently already seized some of his belongings he apparently wasn't that smart (unless of course they seized them and they WERE owned by the trust, in which case the trust could sue them for seizure without reason)
Or maybe I have no idea what I'm talking about seeing as IANAL