February 19, 2013

Sony Releasing Some Tangible Information About PS4 Midnight Tonight
— Ace

Their teaser, which reveals nothing except for the Feb 20th date, below.

steve_in_hb just gave me the background he'd gathered. The plan is for a rollout this year (mostly likely by Christmas, of course, if not Thanksgiving). The new chip will be more PC-like (and more XBOX-like) which should reduce the PS3 penalty for development -- that is, as the PS3 took a lot more work to develop for, fewer games were developed for it; as the PS4 will be more like developing for the XBOX or the PC, there should be more games converted.

Sony is still playing with the price point but apparently they've said they're thinking about going with a price about 25% under the PS3's price at its original launch (which, if you remember, was controversially high for a console -- I think just under $600). Some blog guessed at around $450. Which is still pretty high, considering you can now get the PS3 for, basically, $250 (assuming you want the $50 game they package it with).

Eh, meh. Uncharted and the Arkham series are barely in the concepting phase so none of this affects me.

Oh: The controller has a new wrinkle. In the middle of it is a thumb-operated touch-pad, like on notebook computer. That could be useful. I always liked the PC's mouse-and-button combination better than the console-type controllers. But any touch-pad will be very small. I wonder if it will overly difficult to use.

Weak, Bargain-Level Processors in Both XBox 720 and PS4? So sayeth these guys.

Posted by: Ace at 08:40 AM | Comments (256)
Post contains 273 words, total size 2 kb.

1 I'm sure it will include proprietary media ports and will require a subscription to Poop Magazine.

Posted by: weft cut-loop [/i] [/b] at February 19, 2013 08:44 AM (Ipj15)

2 Speaking of tech, how do you guys love the new Windows 8 phone?

Posted by: Steve Ballmer at February 19, 2013 08:44 AM (8ZskC)

3 Can you have sex with it?

Posted by: Japan Man at February 19, 2013 08:45 AM (VjL9S)

4 I am going to purchase three and put 'em up on Ebay immediately.


I'd purchase more, but I prefer not to put too many eggs in one basket. >_>

Posted by: Kinley Ardal at February 19, 2013 08:45 AM (his4q)

5 They are hurting for money.

High-end console gaming is essentially ignored these days for Angry Birds, and other indie titles.

Posted by: HoboJerky, now with 45% more DOOM! at February 19, 2013 08:46 AM (xAtAj)

6 >>>They are hurting for money surely, but, that said: This is a long period between one console and the next.

Posted by: ace at February 19, 2013 08:47 AM (LCRYB)

7 The price I've seen most frequently suggested is $400, though others have said it might be as low as $350.  However, it's not clear that they could make money on it at the lower figure.

I'll probably get the new XBox (because PS3 fans are poopyheads), but not right away- no point since there won't be many games available to take advantage of the next gen consoles.

If I were more ambitious, I'd work on a device allowing for easier couch gaming using a PC.  It's possible now, but not terribly convenient.  For years I was a PC purist, but eventually the comfort of my couch won me over.

Posted by: Hollowpoint at February 19, 2013 08:48 AM (SY2Kh)

8

The worst part of PS3 was finding out you can't play PS2 games on it.

 

Yeah, I know you can go online and do whatever you need to, but we have tons of  PS2  games that my son likes, and still plays, and we have that monster of a PS3 that pretty much sits there collecting dust.

Posted by: BurtTC at February 19, 2013 08:49 AM (TOk1P)

9 Looking forward to the PS4 version of Red Dead Redemption. Skinning cougars in 3D, with feelorama.

Posted by: wooga at February 19, 2013 08:49 AM (7SwK/)

10 I can state with utter confidence that no matter the specs, everyone will bitch about the new Final Fantasy.

Posted by: alexthechick - Chaotic Evil Hobbit. at February 19, 2013 08:49 AM (VtjlW)

11 The primary determining factor in which next gen console I purchase is the ability to play used games. There's been a lot of buzz about locking a game to a console to do away with rentals and Game Stop/Amazon. I've used an X-Box 360 as our family media center for years (hooked up to windows PC and used as DVR), and my 4 year old loves playing Kinnect games, so MS has built up some good favor in my eyes (notwithstanding the failure to develop Windows Media Center). But if MS or any other console makes it impossible to play used games, I won't be sending any more cash their way.

Posted by: Xander Crews at February 19, 2013 08:49 AM (NPqnO)

12 Set it up to slip blipverts into the games and we'll talk.

Posted by: Brother Cavil, Keeper of Ampersands and Breitbart Login Spaces at February 19, 2013 08:50 AM (GBXon)

13

Price point is still the same as a PC.... soooo.... for a couple of hundred dollars more, and with the new Wireless video networks out there.... why bother with a console?

 

Heck... my PC monitor is a 41 inch 1080p TV as it is....

Posted by: Romeo13 at February 19, 2013 08:50 AM (lZBBB)

14 >>>The worst part of PS3 was finding out you can't play PS2 games on it. The old versions of the PS3 were backwards compatible. Sony discontinued that because... What's Japanese for "fuck you, whale"?

Posted by: wooga at February 19, 2013 08:50 AM (7SwK/)

15 >>>However, it's not clear that they could make money on it at the lower figure. given that they nearly destroyed their brand with the very-high $600 price of the last one, they might be willing to gamble a little bit on the low side of pricing. Xbox is of course developing its own new console. I imagine they'll launch within a month of each other.

Posted by: ace at February 19, 2013 08:51 AM (LCRYB)

16 One of the wisest thing I ever read on the Internet was, "Console wars are like politics for the 12 year old."

Posted by: Shoot Me at February 19, 2013 08:52 AM (qiXMt)

17 Whale tastes like chicken.

Posted by: Japan Man at February 19, 2013 08:52 AM (VjL9S)

18 Price point is still the same as a PC. A decent gaming PC, not a great one, just a decent one, will run way more then $450. I'm curious about the price point because Sony could get away with $600 because bluray. Unless the PS4 comes with Mothra Babes, I don't see what could justify an over $400 price point.

Posted by: alexthechick - Chaotic Evil Hobbit. at February 19, 2013 08:53 AM (VtjlW)

19 OT:  Does anyone remember the thread ace posted (I think it was ace) with a link to a website that had photos of nature retaking abandon structures?

Posted by: Tami[/i] at February 19, 2013 08:53 AM (X6akg)

20 We're going to buy it. At least that is what my hubby says. We used to interface with our network/tv in the past, and it was a great cheap alternative for the bluray player, but now we have also been taking advantage of Roku and the WD wireless devices (which are scattered in various rooms of the house). I'm not sold on it yet. We never pay console games, only online.

Posted by: beach at February 19, 2013 08:53 AM (LpQbZ)

21

14 -

 

Yeah, I remember hearing that at some point.  Which rendered  moot,  the decision to wait to buy the PS3  until it got cheaper. 

 

 

Posted by: BurtTC at February 19, 2013 08:53 AM (TOk1P)

22 surely, but, that said: This is a long period between one console and the next.
Posted by: ace

Probably because they only started making profit on the PS3 in mid 2010 after 4 years of straight loss.

Posted by: weft cut-loop [/i] [/b] at February 19, 2013 08:54 AM (Ipj15)

23 And finally we have arrived at the point I've been waiting about 8 years for... WTF would I buy this when I can buy a PC?

Posted by: cajun carrot at February 19, 2013 08:55 AM (UZQM8)

24 I wound up using my ps3 more as a blu-ray player than for gaming. Now with streaming movies online, it gathers dust, other than the one or two game series I still play. Will probably wait awhile for the ps4, through at least one round of price wars when it will drop a couple hundred bucks.

Posted by: brak at February 19, 2013 08:55 AM (iEoiA)

25 Shiny.

Posted by: joncelli at February 19, 2013 08:55 AM (RD7QR)

26 >>>A decent gaming PC, not a great one, just a decent one, will run way more then $450. Let me echo Alex. I used to try to buy a computer with expensive image-processors. Well, not that expensive, not high-end, but I at least would try to opt for something mid-range, which itself would be a $150 power-up. And then you have to worry about upgrading the bus or whatever, all the other stuff. Long story short: If you just have a console for THAT, you can now buy cheap computers without ever having to worry about such things. No computer sold today will have much problem with basic functions (of course for professional applications, like editing or major number crunching, you'll need something with some juice). I think having a console has saved me a lot of money.

Posted by: ace at February 19, 2013 08:56 AM (LCRYB)

27 Looking forward to the PS4 version of Red Dead Redemption. Skinning cougars in 3D, with feelorama.

***

I guess we're going to have to wait for PS5 for Smellovision.

Posted by: WalrusRex at February 19, 2013 08:56 AM (Hx5uv)

28 >>>Why bother with a console? Because arcade games are still more enjoyable on 50+ inch screen, sitting on the couch and with snacks on the coffee table. The PC is great for strategy games and anything requiring "inventory management," but the consoles are better for sports, racing, and so on. All of this PS vs. XBox vs. PC is crap for teenage fanboy posturing about how what they have is better than what you have.

Posted by: wooga at February 19, 2013 08:56 AM (7SwK/)

29 5>>>They are hurting for money. High-end console gaming is essentially ignored these days for Angry Birds, and other indie titles. Definitely. Atwoods Law: any application that can be written in Javascript will eventually be written in Javascript.

Posted by: zombie larry ellison at February 19, 2013 08:56 AM (m/d07)

30 The primary determining factor in which next gen console I purchase is the ability to play used games. There's been a lot of buzz about locking a game to a console to do away with rentals and Game Stop/Amazon.

Yeah, that's going to be an important factor for me too.  I like the ability to pick up cheap used games at Gamestop.  Because the current consoles are so old, there's not much difference between a 2009 game you buy used for $15 and a 2012 sequel that costs $50-$60.

Posted by: Hollowpoint at February 19, 2013 08:57 AM (SY2Kh)

31 I use my PS3 strictly for streaming media now.  I can't remember the last time I played a game on it. 

The PS4 has to be something truly kick-ass if I'm going to buy one.  A small touchpad isn't going to do it for me.

Posted by: EC at February 19, 2013 08:57 AM (GQ8sn)

32
surely, but, that said: This is a long period between one console and the next.

Posted by: ace at February 19, 2013 12:47 PM (LCRYB)


But if the past is any indicator, they'll be selling these at a loss, hoping to make up for it in selling many titles.


Which is hard when each title costs $70.

Posted by: HoboJerky, now with 45% more DOOM! at February 19, 2013 08:58 AM (xAtAj)

33 I guess I don't care too much. I'm not going to buy it until a year or more out.

I sure as F ain't going to by a "you paid just as much for the software as PS3, you paid just as much for the console, you pay for the internet, but you have to pay MS more if you want play with friends" XBox.

Besides: It's all COD this and that anymore anyways.

Posted by: RoyalOil at February 19, 2013 08:58 AM (VjL9S)

34 >>>The PS4 has to be something truly kick-ass if I'm going to buy one. comes packaged with the Kate Upton Sloppy BJ Simulator.

Posted by: ace at February 19, 2013 08:58 AM (LCRYB)

35 8 The worst part of PS3 was finding out you can't play PS2 games on it. Yeah, I know you can go online and do whatever you need to, but we have tons of PS2 games that my son likes, and still plays, and we have that monster of a PS3 that pretty much sits there collecting dust. I bought the 60 meg version. Backwards compatible!

Posted by: Truman North at February 19, 2013 08:59 AM (z4ySt)

36 Speaking of Sony, #LiberalTips2AvoidRape is still trending on Twitter.

#war

Posted by: weft cut-loop [/i] [/b] at February 19, 2013 08:59 AM (Ipj15)

37 My 5-10 year prediction: Boned.

Posted by: HoboJerky, now with 45% more DOOM! at February 19, 2013 08:59 AM (xAtAj)

38 More and more of these games are going to require an internet connection. Because fuck you, thats why.

Posted by: Eaton Cox at February 19, 2013 08:59 AM (+wxCD)

39 The average Athenian wouldn't play PS4. Why should I?

Posted by: AnonymousDrivel at February 19, 2013 08:59 AM (eHIJJ)

40 Long story short: If you just have a console for THAT, you can now buy cheap computers without ever having to worry about such things. No computer sold today will have much problem with basic functions (of course for professional applications, like editing or major number crunching, you'll need something with some juice).

If you are the technical type, that issue is moot as you can build a rig with some future-proofing in mind for very modest prices.  Most people aren't, so they settle for consoles where all of that has been worked out and you get a product that has components which have been tested for compatibility.  It's a compromise.

Posted by: EC at February 19, 2013 09:00 AM (GQ8sn)

41 The Xbox console is running just under $200 right now at Amazon.  Why would anyone want to pay $600 for one that probably isn't much better, if at all?

Posted by: Vic at February 19, 2013 09:00 AM (53z96)

42 It's the PS4, it's got a new touch pad or something....$600 please.

Posted by: Adam Smith's Invisible Pimp Hand at February 19, 2013 09:00 AM (NzBQO)

43 Breads and Circuses continue on schedule.

Posted by: Mr. Moo Moo at February 19, 2013 09:01 AM (HDgX3)

44 I use my PS3 strictly for streaming media now.

RINO

Posted by: Hollowpoint at February 19, 2013 09:01 AM (SY2Kh)

45 comes packaged with the Kate Upton Sloppy BJ Simulator.

Oh, well in that case...

http://tinyurl.com/6mxn76g

Posted by: EC at February 19, 2013 09:01 AM (GQ8sn)

46 Yeah. Very happy with the ps3 and the wii u. Apparently, I am one of the seventeen people in America who bought the wii u. It's good.

Posted by: Truman North at February 19, 2013 09:01 AM (z4ySt)

47 PS4 should be better than PS3, and PS3 was all right, especially considering how hard it was to develop for. I'll probably buy it, but not at launch.

Posted by: JDTAY at February 19, 2013 09:01 AM (a0nis)

48 But any touch-pad will be very small. That's not entirely true. You can use mine to sketch the Sistine Chapel.

Posted by: Sandra Fluke at February 19, 2013 09:02 AM (FcR7P)

49 yeah I'm not posting this due to any investment in the ridiculous XBox vs. PS3 argument. I had one and then the other. It's hard to tell them apart. of course the real standout was the Wii, as far as outside the box thinking. I have loyalty to the PS3 for only one reason-- one of the only two games I like is exclusive (for now) to the PS.

Posted by: ace at February 19, 2013 09:02 AM (LCRYB)

50 @46 Truman I have Wii U also, I use it mostly to play old Wii games though. Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate should change that. Though I guess technically that's also an old Wii game.

Posted by: JDTAY at February 19, 2013 09:03 AM (a0nis)

51 Console players are like Democrats that eat the shit the government serves and then complain about the flavor.

Posted by: weft cut-loop [/i] [/b] at February 19, 2013 09:03 AM (Ipj15)

52 Well, at least it was a, meh, game thread, that got turned into a tiny print thread. Different strokes... Different folks... some assembly required

Posted by: teej at February 19, 2013 09:03 AM (FVNuD)

53 I have loyalty to the PS3 for only one reason-- one of the only two games I like is exclusive (for now) to the PS.

Uncharted?

Posted by: EC at February 19, 2013 09:03 AM (GQ8sn)

54 How is the PS3 as a bluray player?

Posted by: Prescient11 at February 19, 2013 09:03 AM (tVTLU)

55 How is the PS3 as a bluray player?

Very good.  Sony made the BR, after all.

You'll notice the quality with a high-end TV set.

Posted by: EC at February 19, 2013 09:04 AM (GQ8sn)

56 >>>How is the PS3 as a bluray player? good. they didn't cheap out. They say (I am not astute enough to notice it) that it's also a good upscaler as far as conventional DVDs.

Posted by: ace at February 19, 2013 09:04 AM (LCRYB)

57 It's 2 thousand freakin' 13!  They should all have Kate Upton Sloppy BJ Simulator  already!  Even Nintendo. 

Posted by: BurtTC at February 19, 2013 09:05 AM (TOk1P)

58 My PlayStation from 1995 still works. I credit the fake heat-venting fins. They should put those back on.

Posted by: oblig. at February 19, 2013 09:05 AM (cePv8)

59 Posted by: ace at February 19, 2013 01:02 PM (LCRYB)

I roll on the Xbox for the exact same reason, bascially.  I liked me some Halo and nothing from the PS3 world made me go "Yeah! This is worth buying."

That and Xbox made a quicker foray into becoming "living room center" locking up netflix and the like.

Sony's got problem though I think.  The days of exclusivity are coming to an end, and MS is willing to undercut them on hardware prices both out of gate and post launch.  Either sony needs to wrap up a few more exclusives (unlikely in this market) or they need to find a better way to push their product.  (And no the move wasn't it.)

Posted by: tsrblke (work) at February 19, 2013 09:05 AM (kLNMp)

60 It used to be the highest rated Blu-Ray layer on the market.

But the last one I got was a cheap Chinese knockoff from Walmart for $40 and it looks fine.

Posted by: Vic at February 19, 2013 09:06 AM (53z96)

61 I wonder if they'll bother with the Blue Ray this time. That was part of the big cost of the PS3-- and they packaged them together to win the Format Wars (no one talks about the formerly-competing DVD HD format anymore). Now that they've won that, do they bother with the Blue Ray? Especially considering that anyone with the PS3 still has the blue ray.

Posted by: ace at February 19, 2013 09:06 AM (LCRYB)

62 >>> I roll on the Xbox for the exact same reason, bascially. I liked me some Halo and nothing from the PS3 world made me go "Yeah! This is worth buying." sacre bleu! Uncharted!

Posted by: ace at February 19, 2013 09:06 AM (LCRYB)

63 If I were more ambitious, I'd work on a device allowing for easier couch gaming using a PC. It's possible now, but not terribly convenient. For years I was a PC purist, but eventually the comfort of my couch won me over.

Hook up a computer to your TV.  Easy-peasy.  Some TVs have DVI, and most have HDMI.  My three year old video card has HDMI out.

I've got a bluetooth keyboard and mouse connected to the computer. 

It's great.  I can use Media Center to DVR TV.  Any movies I've ripped are easy to queue up.  I can listen to streaming audio and watch streaming video. Every convenience of the modern computer is right there.

Posted by: bonhomme at February 19, 2013 09:08 AM (ctuWC)

64 The Xbox console is running just under $200 right now at Amazon. Why would anyone want to pay $600 for one that probably isn't much better, if at all?

It'll almost certainly be closer to $400 and dropping lower as time goes on.  Considering that PC gamers frequently spend hundreds upgrading their computers, it's not a terribly bad deal.

Current consoles are using circa 2004 hardware technology.  That limits what developers can do with graphics and overall complexity.

It'll affect PC gaming too.  Something like 70% of games sales are to console gamers, meaning that games are designed primarily with the console market in mind.

On frequent complaint of PC gamers is over games dubbed a shitty console port- something designed for less powerful consoles, then made PC compatible without taking advantage of superior PC hardware.

Posted by: Hollowpoint at February 19, 2013 09:08 AM (SY2Kh)

65 I want to buy a platform that will allow me to do more physical games. Don't hate but--Dance party stuff. (die--I know you all are making fun of me.) I hear I should go with X- Box. Right? Or--should I wait for something else. I would like physical games that aren't "Dance Party-ish" but haven't heard of them.

Posted by: tasker at February 19, 2013 09:08 AM (r2PLg)

66 good. they didn't cheap out. They say (I am not astute enough to notice it) that it's also a good upscaler as far as conventional DVDs.

Posted by: ace at February 19, 2013 01:04 PM (LCRYB)


they still cheaped out on it though as the read speed is only 2x though that was expected, blu-ray wasn't cheap when the PS3 came out

Posted by: The Dude at February 19, 2013 09:08 AM (vJdyz)

67 A thumb-operated touch-pad? Like for attaching a grenade launcher? ASSSAULLLTTTT CONTROLLERRRR!!111!1!

Posted by: Dante at February 19, 2013 09:09 AM (0m62M)

68 Ace,

The next Batman game isn't going to be from Rocksteady which did the last two.  Time Warner is doing it, and it's rumored to be set in the "silver age" of comics, i.e. the 50's.

I have complete faith that TW will fuck this up.

Posted by: EC at February 19, 2013 09:09 AM (GQ8sn)

69 I'm gonna wait for the PS5 when it's released for the 2021 Holiday season.

Posted by: Flatbush Joe at February 19, 2013 09:09 AM (ZPrif)

70 I wonder if they'll bother with the Blue Ray this time.

That was part of the big cost of the PS3-- and they packaged them together to win the Format Wars (no one talks about the formerly-competing DVD HD format anymore).

Now that they've won that, do they bother with the Blue Ray? Especially considering that anyone with the PS3 still has the blue ray.

Posted by: ace at February 19, 2013 01:06 PM (LCRYB)


yes, ps3 and xbox are both going with blu-ray

Posted by: The Dude at February 19, 2013 09:10 AM (vJdyz)

71 Until they bring back Wing Commander, video games are dead to me.

Posted by: jwest at February 19, 2013 09:10 AM (ZDsRL)

72 2 Speaking of tech, how do you guys love the new Windows 8 phone?

I actually love my Windows 8 phone.

Posted by: slatz at February 19, 2013 09:11 AM (mE0Rl)

73 >>> On frequent complaint of PC gamers is over games dubbed a shitty console port- something designed for less powerful consoles, then made PC compatible without taking advantage of superior PC hardware. When I used to play PC games, years and years ago, I was always flummoxed, and extremely annoyed, by all the patching I'd have to do. I always seemed to have some kind of weird conflicts that took hours of my time to straighten out. Because the consoles are completely standardized, you never have to search online to find out what fix you need for your Nvidia chip. The games do some automatic patching when you boot them up, but apart from waiting 2 minutes, there is no demand on the user to figure out how to make them work.

Posted by: ace at February 19, 2013 09:11 AM (LCRYB)

74 Anyone try "Big Picture Mode" with Steam yet?

Valve is trying to cut into the console market with their Steam client.  It turns your PC into a console-like system.  You can output your PC to a HDTV and use controllers like an Xbox or PS3.

Posted by: EC at February 19, 2013 09:11 AM (GQ8sn)

75 Until they bring back Wing Commander, video games are dead to me.

Posted by: jwest at February 19, 2013 01:10 PM (ZDsRL)


Chris Roberts killed his own baby when he directed that godawful movie. His upcoming Star Citizen looks to fill the role of Wing Commander and much more

Posted by: The Dude at February 19, 2013 09:12 AM (vJdyz)

76 Your modern world frightens and confuses me.

Posted by: Unfrozen Caveman MENSA Chapter President at February 19, 2013 09:12 AM (Ae28/)

77 Until they bring back the REAL Space Invaders, video games are dead to me.

Or the Prince of Arabia.

Posted by: Bitter Clinger (aka Ol' 3 tooth) at February 19, 2013 09:12 AM (qyv02)

78 sacre bleu! Uncharted!

Posted by: ace at February 19, 2013 01:06 PM (LCRYB)


Uncharted looks good, don't get me wrong, but not "plop down $200 plus game costs" good.

I have enough other stuff I'm enjoying.  (Halo 4, Bioshock games, assassin's creed) that I can pass on a single game.


Also Re: Blu-ray  MS did a study a while back and determined that many people still lack the patience (or internet connection) for downloading games.  They determined then that disks were unavoidable for at least the near future.

Posted by: tsrblke (work) at February 19, 2013 09:12 AM (kLNMp)

79

I can state with utter confidence that no matter the specs, everyone will bitch about the new Final Fantasy.

 

Posted by: alexthechick - Chaotic Evil Hobbit. at February 19, 2013 12:49 PM (VtjlW)

 

In all fairness FF13 was terrible though.

Posted by: Austin in TX at February 19, 2013 09:12 AM (F9Hpt)

80 I'm buying it and playing "the Last of Us" and Splinter Cell Blacklist when they come out

Posted by: Skree at February 19, 2013 09:13 AM (kG6Qj)

81 >>>yes, ps3 and xbox are both going with blu-ray ah okay. I guess blue-ray players have gone down in price. I notice now that you can almost NOT buy a DVD player, like if you shop for tv-stereo system, they insist on packaging a DVD player as part of it. Like it's so cheap now they're just going to use that for the speaker ports.

Posted by: ace at February 19, 2013 09:13 AM (LCRYB)

82 >>>Until they bring back Wing Commander, video games are dead to me.

They trounced that story line to dust. There is simply no direction to take the plot now.

Posted by: MikeTheMoose Offering Moobats Gasoline and Matches at February 19, 2013 09:13 AM (0q2P7)

83 83rd!

Posted by: Burn the Witch at February 19, 2013 09:13 AM (yCvxi)

84 Posted by: tasker at February 19, 2013 01:08 PM (r2PLg)

Nike+ Kinect,
Biggest Loser.
Heck, even Fruit Ninja's a work out.

There are also various sports games for Kinect.

Posted by: tsrblke (work) at February 19, 2013 09:13 AM (kLNMp)

85 I should just find some kids in the hood --strap 'em up with laser tag vests and then hunt them down.

Posted by: tasker at February 19, 2013 09:13 AM (r2PLg)

86 Because the consoles are completely standardized, you never have to search online to find out what fix you need for your Nvidia chip. The games do some automatic patching when you boot them up, but apart from waiting 2 minutes, there is no demand on the user to figure out how to make them work.

If you bought a PC through Steam or Origin or Games For Windows Live, then the client software automatically detects when a patch is available and updates it for you. 

Valve did some really great pioneering work with Steam.

Posted by: EC at February 19, 2013 09:13 AM (GQ8sn)

87 So, I guess I can do drivebys on gamers with my paintball gun at Best Buy and other places tonight.../

Posted by: Tilikum the Killer Assault Whale at February 19, 2013 09:13 AM (uhftQ)

88 Backwards compatibility isn't that important to me, mainly because I prefer to play old games on the original consoles with the original gamepads.

But if the rumors about anti-used game technology in the new consoles is true, that's a big problem for me, possibly even a deal breaker.

Posted by: Kensington at February 19, 2013 09:13 AM (/AHDz)

89 Waiting for the mail to deliver my Atari 5200 controllers today. So PS4 will wait for me.

Posted by: zsasz at February 19, 2013 09:14 AM (HEZoy)

90 Ace, did you ever get around to trying any of the "God of War" games?

Posted by: Kensington at February 19, 2013 09:14 AM (/AHDz)

91 I want to buy a platform that will allow me to do more physical games.

Don't hate but--Dance party stuff. (die--I know you all are making fun of me.)



I'm not hating, those are some of the only games women will actually do. Play Arkham City? Uh no. Shake her ass in front of the tv for hours, most definitely.

Posted by: Adam Smith's Invisible Pimp Hand at February 19, 2013 09:14 AM (NzBQO)

92 Anybody know what is behind Flip Saunder's ear? NBA Coach turned ESPN analyst. It's either a giant tumor or some sort of brain implant. But it's square like 9-volt batter under his skin, which makes me think it's a medical device of some type. I've seen cochlear implants before, doesn't seem to be that.

Posted by: Flatbush Joe at February 19, 2013 09:14 AM (ZPrif)

93
61 I wonder if they'll bother with the Blue Ray this time.

That was part of the big cost of the PS3-- and they packaged them together to win the Format Wars (no one talks about the formerly-competing DVD HD format anymore).

Now that they've won that, do they bother with the Blue Ray? Especially considering that anyone with the PS3 still has the blue ray.

Posted by: ace at February 19, 2013 01:06 PM (LCRYB)



The BluRay is pretty much the only reason I jumped up to the PS3. And I still waited till the price dropped below $300.


Is there anything like that for the PS4? Or is it just a pure upgrade of software with a "hey look, a touchpad" thrown in there? Cause that's gonna be a hard sell at $400+ in the mass market.

Posted by: BCochran1981 at February 19, 2013 09:14 AM (da5Wo)

94 480 GTX: $200 new core i5 and Mobo Kit: Roughly $250-300 case: $75 PSU: Roughly $100-150 bucks HDD: $75 4gb of DDR3 RAM: $80 Windows OS: $0.... (IYKWIMAITYD) So roughly $830 for what I consider a "mid-range" gaming PC. In the end, I'd still get the PC for the extra functionality. As well as the modularity to upgrade. Because in the end, all these consoles end up collecting dust. Most PC games these days are console ports, but the gamepads work with them... so I hitch my PC to my 47" 120hz 1080p HDTV and enjoy Fallout: NV with community created texture mods. All from the comfort of fort living room... shamelessly stolen from EoJ. Whoever thinks this next gen of consoles are coming out for $400 or less are dreaming. If they are then that right there is a red flag that there is some screwy shit going on... and that games will then get pushed up to the $70 mark... along with higher subscription fees to play the games online. There ain't no way they are going to get all those upgrades in CPU, GPU and SSD for the same price they bought their last consoles. $400-$600 I say. With lots and lots of bitching coming from the console kids.

Posted by: cajun carrot at February 19, 2013 09:14 AM (UZQM8)

95 >>>Uncharted looks good, don't get me wrong, but not "plop down $200 plus game costs" good.I have enough other stuff I'm enjoying. (Halo 4, Bioshock games, assassin's creed) that I can pass on a single game. it's not a single game, it's three immersive cinematic epics.

Posted by: ace at February 19, 2013 09:15 AM (LCRYB)

96 I would like physical games that aren't "Dance Party-ish" but haven't heard of them.
Posted by: tasker at February 19, 2013 01:08 PM (r2PLg)

Step outside (that's the big heavy door upstairs.) and step out. You'll be able to find all sorts of physical games and players to play them with.


Posted by: Bitter Clinger (aka Ol' 3 tooth) at February 19, 2013 09:15 AM (qyv02)

97 84 Posted by: tasker at February 19, 2013 01:08 PM (r2PLg) Nike+ Kinect, Biggest Loser. Heck, even Fruit Ninja's a work out. There are also various sports games for Kinect. Posted by: tsrblke (work) at February 19, 2013 01:13 PM (kLNMp) ______________ So --Biggest Loser--is a game right? Not your opinion of Nike+ Kinect. Thanks for the suggestion. I want more than strong thumbs and a subtle wrist--ha!

Posted by: tasker at February 19, 2013 09:15 AM (r2PLg)

98 OT: Does anyone remember the thread ace posted (I think it was ace) with a link to a website that had photos of nature retaking abandon structures?
Posted by: Tami at February 19, 2013 12:53 PM (X6akg)

I think this is the one you are looking for:

http://tinyurl.com/azbhmzr

Posted by: smc1225 at February 19, 2013 09:15 AM (Kw6aj)

99 Long story short: If you just have a console for THAT, you can now buy cheap computers without ever having to worry about such things. No computer sold today will have much problem with basic functions (of course for professional applications, like editing or major number crunching, you'll need something with some juice). I think having a console has saved me a lot of money. Posted by: ace at February 19, 2013 12:56 PM (LCRYB) Yup. I stopped even bothering to try keeping up with PC upgrades several years ago. It just wasn't worth it and it was impossible to keep up. A few years back, a university put one of its Crays up for sale and one of the first comments on the article was "But will it play Crysis?" That sums up PC gaming, at least for shooters and racers. Other than WoW and Civ IV, my gaming is console based. I don't have to worry about compatibility or upgrades or do I need a new power source to power the new card and hey I need to upgrade my RAM and crap I better liquid nitrogen cool this sucker. With the PS3 or the Xbox, just pop in the disc or download the game and bam good to go.

Posted by: alexthechick - Chaotic Evil Hobbit. at February 19, 2013 09:15 AM (VtjlW)

100 Chris Roberts killed his own baby when he directed that godawful movie. His upcoming Star Citizen looks to fill the role of Wing Commander and much more

Posted by: The Dude at February 19, 2013 01:12 PM (vJdyz)

 

The first IT guy I hired was specifically to spec out a computer to run Wing Commander faster.  Heat sinks the size of Buick radiators.

 

Lots of corporate money spent on something that's only other function was running ancient VisiCalc.

Posted by: jwest at February 19, 2013 09:16 AM (ZDsRL)

101 I guess blue-ray players have gone down in price. I notice now that you can almost NOT buy a DVD player, like if you shop for tv-stereo system, they insist on packaging a DVD player as part of it. Like it's so cheap now they're just going to use that for the speaker ports.

Posted by: ace at February 19, 2013 01:13 PM (LCRYB)


yeah, blu-ray has hit dvd prices on the tech (except for PC where you wills till get jacked for $60 on the drive and another 60-80 for software to play 3d movies). And with them going with blu-ray, it adds to the HTPC route that consoles need to go down to expand the consumer base

Posted by: The Dude at February 19, 2013 09:16 AM (vJdyz)

102 Posted by: Adam Smith's Invisible Pimp Hand at February 19, 2013 01:14 PM (NzBQO)

My wife actually loves Elder Scrolls games.  Also she loved Fallout 3. (I think she likes Bethesda.)

She tried Mass Effect, but the shooter style of it didn't appeal to her.

Posted by: tsrblke (work) at February 19, 2013 09:16 AM (kLNMp)

103 I wonder how this is going to affect Dust 514. CCP just finished development of it.

Posted by: MikeTheMoose Offering Moobats Gasoline and Matches at February 19, 2013 09:16 AM (0q2P7)

104 >>>Ace, did you ever get around to trying any of the "God of War" games? no. the thing is, I've discovered that, for myself, I don't like video games. I like Uncharted and Arkham City. I just don't like other games. I hated Assassin's Creed III, for example, and stopped playing after an hour.

Posted by: ace at February 19, 2013 09:16 AM (LCRYB)

105 Now that they've won that, do they bother with the Blue Ray? Especially considering that anyone with the PS3 still has the blue ray. Posted by: ace at February 19, 2013 01:06 PM (LCRYB) yep, that's my issue And, we barely watch bluray's anymore. We stream just about everything. And, now Netflix is starting to offer Super HD quality, it's only a matter of time that the bluray goes extinct. Even the stereo surround sound is leveling out.

Posted by: beach at February 19, 2013 09:17 AM (LpQbZ)

106 And I love my PS3, but I'd say 90% of my gaming is now done on the Xbox 360, for two reasons -- one stupid, one not.

The stupid reason is that I like achievement points more than I like trophies. Even more stupid -- I really like both.

The not stupid reason is the gamepad. I can't keep my thumbs from sliding off the PS3 thumbsticks! That doesn't happen on the Xbox gamepad, and I don't remember it happening on the PS2 gamepad. Unless this is unique to me, I hope they address this in the PS4 gamepad.

Posted by: Kensington at February 19, 2013 09:17 AM (/AHDz)

107 Other than WoW and Civ IV, my gaming is console based.

*hopes of playing L4D2 with AtC as armed velociraptors dashed*

Posted by: EC at February 19, 2013 09:17 AM (GQ8sn)

108 When I used to play PC games, years and years ago, I was always flummoxed, and extremely annoyed, by all the patching I'd have to do. I always seemed to have some kind of weird conflicts that took hours of my time to straighten out.
Posted by: ace

Yes, years and years ago. I've haven't had to patch anything for my PC in years except for eurogank and ported *console* games.

Posted by: weft cut-loop [/i] [/b] at February 19, 2013 09:17 AM (Ipj15)

109 I got about halfway through "Dishonored" before deciding I really wasn't having fun and I really didn't care anymore about upgrading my weaponry.

Posted by: ace at February 19, 2013 09:17 AM (LCRYB)

110 >>>And, now Netflix is starting to offer Super HD quality, is that an add-on or do you just mean they've improved the streaming quality? I do notice sometimes that you can barely tell Netflix streaming from HD TV.

Posted by: ace at February 19, 2013 09:18 AM (LCRYB)

111

Posted by: Adam Smith's Invisible Pimp Hand at February 19, 2013 01:14 PM (NzBQO)


the Dance Central series are the best party games to play drunk atm

Posted by: The Dude at February 19, 2013 09:18 AM (vJdyz)

112 Posted by: tasker at February 19, 2013 01:15 PM (r2PLg)

Yeah it's a game.
Actually my opinion of Nike+ is "I like this a lot" I've read (and so far agree) that it's the best of the fitness games. (Pure fitness, not "involve activity" like the sports games.)

It's basically P90X with a motion tracker.  And I can confirm it does seem to customize routines based on your performance.
Having said that, I haven't used it in about 2 weeks.  We got a cold snap here and it sapped my energy (that and I've been playing racquetball again.)

Posted by: tsrblke (work) at February 19, 2013 09:18 AM (kLNMp)

113 As the world becomes more and more like a game, I say Meh...

Posted by: dfbaskwill at February 19, 2013 09:19 AM (71LDo)

114

Problem is console games have all these patches now. That used to be reserved for PC games. And DLC. Oh holy crap do I hate DLC.

Time was you paid for a game you got the game, the complete game. Now get off my lawn.

Posted by: brak at February 19, 2013 09:19 AM (iEoiA)

115 Hook up a computer to your TV. Easy-peasy. Some TVs have DVI, and most have HDMI. My three year old video card has HDMI out.

I've got a bluetooth keyboard and mouse connected to the computer.

Yeah, but it's not as easy (or cheap) as it sounds.

My computer is in another room- I suspect most people are in the same boat.  That means buying a WiFi video device (or running a long cord) from PC to the TV.

Then there's the issue of trying to use a keyboard and mouse while chilling on the couch, not to mention the bluetooth having limited range.

So yeah- it's possible if you buy multiple pieces of new hardware, assuming your PC is reasonable close.  What I'm talking about is a single (non existent) device that functions like an easy to use console, but uses a remotely connected PC for the actual hardware and OS.  Maybe a new gamepad controller with a thumbwheel mouse that replaces the unwieldy full sized keyboard and mouse too.

Again- if I were more ambitious.  Which I'm not anymore.

Posted by: Hollowpoint at February 19, 2013 09:19 AM (SY2Kh)

116 Then there are the games that make you motion sick. Drop those instantly. Can't even remember their names.

Posted by: tasker at February 19, 2013 09:19 AM (r2PLg)

117 All the pc tweaking for games is a pain and clearly does deter most people -- which is why the console market is much more popular. And just seeing the options annoys people. Do I want to turn aliasing on, what shadow depth, low/medium/high/very high details levels, etc, etc. It annoys people. When you buy a console game you know you are getting the best possible version for that console. There's no -- oh, your machine is old so you can only play the ugly, crappy version.

Posted by: Flatbush Joe at February 19, 2013 09:19 AM (ZPrif)

118 Problem is console games have all these patches now. That used to be reserved for PC games. And DLC. Oh holy crap do I hate DLC.
Time was you paid for a game you got the game, the complete game. Nowget off my lawn.


Thank EA and Activision for that shit.

Posted by: EC at February 19, 2013 09:19 AM (GQ8sn)

119 I wonder how this is going to affect Dust 514. CCP just finished development of it.

Posted by: MikeTheMoose Offering Moobats Gasoline and Matches at February 19, 2013 01:16 PM (0q2P7)


it will get a ps4 port though not like prettier graphics will save it, it's a bad game in general. Take out the EVE connection and it would quickly be forgotten

Posted by: The Dude at February 19, 2013 09:20 AM (vJdyz)

120 Really? Everyone has an opinion about a gaming system?

Posted by: Niedermeyer's Dead Horse at February 19, 2013 09:20 AM (piMMO)

121
I think this is the one you are looking for:

http://tinyurl.com/azbhmzr

Posted by: smc1225 at February 19, 2013 01:15 PM (Kw6aj)



Thanks....I was just coming back to say I had found it.   Appreciate it though.

Posted by: Tami[/i] at February 19, 2013 09:21 AM (X6akg)

122 Excellent, thanks for the responses.  I had an Xbox previously and won a PS3 and a TV as the grand prize at a charity raffle.  Hadn't taken it out of the box yet because we are moving and I wanted to know whether or not to get a separate bluray player.  Muchas gracias.

Posted by: Prescient11 at February 19, 2013 09:21 AM (tVTLU)

123 Problem is console games have all these patches now. That used to be reserved for PC games. And DLC. Oh holy crap do I hate DLC.
Time was you paid for a game you got the game, the complete game. Nowget off my lawn.

Posted by: brak at February 19, 2013 01:19 PM (iEoiA)


Yeah but the standardized nature of the system means the patches are less finicky.

Dragon Age crashed all the time for me, despite patches, driver updates, etc.  And the DRM was a nightmare.

DA:2 on the Xbox had no problems.

Posted by: tsrblke (work) at February 19, 2013 09:21 AM (kLNMp)

124 "the thing is, I've discovered that, for myself, I don't like video games. I like Uncharted and Arkham City. I just don't like other games. I hated Assassin's Creed III, for example, and stopped playing after an hour."
===============

I've heard that Assassin's Creed III is pretty bad, though. Maybe you'd enjoy some of the earlier iterations. I've been meaning to try the first one for a long time.

And I loved the first two Uncharted games, but the buzz on Uncharted 3 was so bad that I never got around to it. Do you like it as much as the other two?

Posted by: Kensington at February 19, 2013 09:22 AM (/AHDz)

125 And, now Netflix is starting to offer Super HD quality, it's only a matter of time that the bluray goes extinct. Even the stereo surround sound is leveling out.

Posted by: beach at February 19, 2013 01:17 PM (LpQbZ)



God I hope not because my cable connection is simply too slow to support streaming movies.  Not only that, but why would I want to sign up to pay $20/month to watch maybe one movie a month?

Posted by: Vic at February 19, 2013 09:22 AM (53z96)

126

I still only have my PS2 and Gamecube,   and I'm totally happy   with that.    I've never understood the appeal of online gaming   or MMORPGs.      Why would I want to play with a lot of    people I don't know who will   proceed to call me    everything from a pig to a dog if I make a mistake?    If I wanted that I'd troll Kos.

 

But, if you're of the sort who enjoy new, shiny consoles, i hope the PS4 is a good one.  Isn't it about time for X-Box to    put out something new, too?

Posted by: MWR, Proud Tea(rrorist) Party Assault Hobbit [/i][/u][/b] at February 19, 2013 09:22 AM (4df7R)

127 And all the new systems should be running on the same chipsets basically.

Which makes me wonder why they need separate consoles at all...

Posted by: HoboJerky, now with 45% more DOOM! at February 19, 2013 09:23 AM (xAtAj)

128

Posted by: alexthechick - Chaotic Evil Hobbit. at February 19, 2013 12:53 PM (VtjlW)

 

Just picked up a Blueray player for an old laptop... $80...

 

Gaming PC?  Dual Core with decent Ram?  Add in a decent video card and the Power supply to run it???? Stay away from Windows 8 and your talking $550-600... if you stay with a Year or so old Video card (mine is currently 4 years old, and I still play everythng out there on max settings...)

 

Key is when you buy the computer, to know that you need a bigger power supply then they normaly come with, to support an upgraded video card... (he types as he is in chat, with Dell, about a Drs. blown Power supply, luckily under warranty... LOL)

Posted by: Romeo13 at February 19, 2013 09:23 AM (lZBBB)

129 As long as I can play Madden and Fifa I'll be alright. There are only so many dlc's I can handle. I'm worried you won't be able to buy the physical game in a few years.

Posted by: Adam Smith's Invisible Pimp Hand at February 19, 2013 09:23 AM (NzBQO)

130 see the juxtaposition of threads here?

Ace first does a "we are getting dumber post" and then puts up a thread to prove it.

Posted by: Bitter Clinger (aka Ol' 3 tooth) at February 19, 2013 09:23 AM (qyv02)

131 If I were more ambitious, I'd work on a device allowing for easier couch gaming using a PC. It's possible now, but not terribly convenient. For years I was a PC purist, but eventually the comfort of my couch won me over. Posted by: Hollowpoint at February 19, 2013 12:48 PM (SY2Kh) Hehe, that is why we invested in some really good chairs for the PC gaming. The Herman Miller Aeron line. You can pretty much custom fit them.

Posted by: beach at February 19, 2013 09:23 AM (LpQbZ)

132 Posted by: jeremiah Gosh Darn Amerikkka wright's Sock Puppet at February 19, 2013 01:22 PM (+OTLF)

I'm actually sorta stunned Sony's releasing this early.  Usually they wait until closer to e3.

Posted by: tsrblke (work) at February 19, 2013 09:23 AM (kLNMp)

133
120 Really?

Everyone has an opinion about a gaming system?

Posted by: Niedermeyer's Dead Horse at February 19, 2013 01:20 PM (piMMO)



Gaming is HUGE. Take me for example. I'm not even close to a gamer. At best, I'm a masher. But I have a PS3 ($250) and prob 10 games (cost an avg of around $35). So for a non gamer, I still have somewhere in the neighborhood of $600 or so of gear. Now imagine what the gamer geeks spend.

Posted by: BCochran1981 at February 19, 2013 09:24 AM (da5Wo)

134 God I hope not because my cable connection is simply too slow to support streaming movies. Not only that, but why would I want to sign up to pay $20/month to watch maybe one movie a month? **** $8 a month and they also have t.v. shows. Get a ROKU and you can get Hulu as well.

Posted by: Niedermeyer's Dead Horse at February 19, 2013 09:24 AM (piMMO)

135

As a funny side note, we always have combo VCR/DVD players because so many old movies, wedding video, etc., are on vcr.  Well our youngest boy keeps fucking up the player and finally broke it.

 

Went in to buy a combo from Best Buy and they literally, figuratively only had one cheap ass version to buy.  I guess VCR is finally dying and shall soon be extinct.  kinda sad really.

Posted by: Prescient11 at February 19, 2013 09:24 AM (tVTLU)

136 Microsoft will announce better specs after...same old game they always play these two.

The real question is who beats who to market and how long the gap will be between launches for the first out the gate to establish some dominance.

I have a feeling Microsoft wont let Sony hit market before them by more than a week or two if that.

Posted by: jeremiah Gosh Darn Amerikkka wright's Sock Puppet at February 19, 2013 01:22 PM (+OTLF)


considering the state of the foundries, there isn't much question that the new Xbox will come out before the next Playstation just for the simple fact that their chips have already been made

Posted by: The Dude at February 19, 2013 09:25 AM (vJdyz)

137 "I got about halfway through "Dishonored" before deciding I really wasn't having fun and I really didn't care anymore about upgrading my weaponry."
===============

Yeah, that was my experience, too, and I generally *love* stealth games. I just borrowed it again from the library to see if the second go might be more engaging, but I'm not optimistic.

Posted by: Kensington at February 19, 2013 09:25 AM (/AHDz)

138 Oh and as was mentioned already; soon you won't be able to "own" anything on your computer. (maybe not even the computer).

Just like soon hard copy books may become very expensive and scarce, video games, software and operating systems will be rented and NONE of your shit will be secure.

Welcome to the digital world.

Posted by: Bitter Clinger (aka Ol' 3 tooth) at February 19, 2013 09:26 AM (qyv02)

139 PC gamers are a self-selected group of people who don't mind doing some occasional tweaking. The average person wants their machine to "just work". Which is what consoles do so well. Avg people complain about some tweak or fiddle and the PC gamers say, big deal, just do X then Y, it's simple, a child could do it. Then the avg person just ignores the PC gamers and goes and buys a console.

Posted by: Flatbush Joe at February 19, 2013 09:26 AM (ZPrif)

140 $8 a month and they also have t.v. shows.

Get a ROKU and you can get Hulu as well.

Posted by: Niedermeyer's Dead Horse at February 19, 2013 01:24 PM (piMMO)


I don't think you can get HD for that cheap. At least not in the places I looked.

Posted by: Vic at February 19, 2013 09:26 AM (53z96)

141 brb...making a cake for this announcement #diabloIII

Posted by: Full-breasted Girlfriend That Bakes Cakes for Gamers at February 19, 2013 09:27 AM (KZi9D)

142

"Chris Roberts killed his own baby when he directed that godawful movie. His upcoming Star Citizen looks to fill the role of Wing Commander and much more"


 

Posted by: The Dude at February 19, 2013 01:12 PM (vJdyz)

 

I spoke with that paranoid fuck briefly in '93 or '94, trying to see if we could license Wing Commander for a pod layout like BattleTech. 

 

The conversation didn't go well.

Posted by: jwest at February 19, 2013 09:27 AM (ZDsRL)

143 Hehe, that is why we invested in some really good chairs for the PC gaming. The Herman Miller Aeron line. You can pretty much custom fit them.

Posted by: beach at February 19, 2013 01:23 PM (LpQbZ)


yeah, Aeron is the best bang for the buck chair. If you have money, it should go to an Embody

Posted by: The Dude at February 19, 2013 09:27 AM (vJdyz)

144 VCR is the "New" 8 track. (if you even ever heard of one.)

Posted by: Bitter Clinger (aka Ol' 3 tooth) at February 19, 2013 09:27 AM (qyv02)

145 Posted by: Flatbush Joe at February 19, 2013 01:26 PM (ZPrif)

Also my console is hooked up to my 40" LCD, my PC not so much.
(And I don't feel like lugging it downstairs to play games.

Posted by: tsrblke (work) at February 19, 2013 09:28 AM (kLNMp)

146 If the get to the point where you do not own your computer or software then that will be the day I throw the whole mess in the trash.

Posted by: Vic at February 19, 2013 09:28 AM (53z96)

147 "Then there are the games that make you motion sick.

Drop those instantly. Can't even remember their names."
===============

I recently tried playing the original "Doom" again after about 15 years, and it made me motion sick. That was a new, and very unpleasant, experience. Getting old sucks.

Posted by: Kensington at February 19, 2013 09:28 AM (/AHDz)

148 Secretary of defense nominee Chuck Hagel said Israel is on its way to becoming an apartheid state during an April 9, 2010, appearance at Rutgers University, according to a contemporaneous account by an attendee. Hagel also accused Israel of violating U.N. resolutions, called for U.S.-designated terrorist organization Hamas to be included in any peace negotiations, and described Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as a “radical,” according to the source. Disgusting.

Posted by: Nevergiveup at February 19, 2013 09:28 AM (9Bj8R)

149 >>> but the buzz on Uncharted 3 was so bad that I never got around to it. Do you like it as much as the other two? I think Uncharted 3 was actually better than Uncharted 2. I think people's eyes were opened about what a game could be by Uncharted 2. So when Uncharted 3 came out and was merely an *incremental* improvement over Uncharted 2, they were like, "Meh." Whereas the right response (I think) should have been, "Wow, they actually incrementally topped Uncharted 2." Uncharted 2 has two or three fantastic sequences and then an ending which is flat-out atrocious. Uncharted 3 has three or four fantastic sequences and then an ending which is great. Meanwhile no one seems to remember how amazing the Big Twist was in Uncharted 1 and how movie-like it was (and how no sequel nor any other game will top that). Uncharted 3 starts slow, and non-innovative, for about one third its length. Then in the middle comes a shootout during a tsunami, a Poseiden-adventure style full 360 flip of a cruise ship (and subsequent shout out in the overturned, and flooding, ship) and then a plane sequence where you get sucked out of the rear of a broken up cargo-plane without a parachute (and survive... because you do something that is completely plausible but totally awesome). Then you get lost in the desert in an ambitious effort to immerse you in that feeling. No shootouts. Just you wandering around, having hallucinations, dying from exposure. The middle and end of Uncharted 3 are just fantastic.

Posted by: ace at February 19, 2013 09:29 AM (LCRYB)

150 VCR is the "New" 8 track. (if you even ever heard of one.)

Posted by: Bitter Clinger (aka Ol' 3 tooth) at February 19, 2013 01:27 PM (qyv02)



Does that mean my wire recorder is obsolete?

Posted by: Vic at February 19, 2013 09:29 AM (53z96)

151 Yeah it's a game. Actually my opinion of Nike+ is "I like this a lot" I've read (and so far agree) that it's the best of the fitness games. (Pure fitness, not "involve activity" like the sports games.) It's basically P90X with a motion tracker. And I can confirm it does seem to customize routines based on your performance. Having said that, I haven't used it in about 2 weeks. We got a cold snap here and it sapped my energy (that and I've been playing racquetball again.) Posted by: tsrblke (work) at February 19, 2013 01:18 PM (kLNMp) _____________ Thanks for the info. I hear you on that--just moved to a plea where it rains a lot more than what I am use to.

Posted by: tasker at February 19, 2013 09:29 AM (r2PLg)

152 New controller prototype http://tinyurl.com/b54sn7d

Posted by: RWC at February 19, 2013 09:29 AM (fWAjv)

153 Gamers elected Obama. Get a life.

Posted by: Thorvald at February 19, 2013 09:29 AM (1V6Pv)

154 "I don't think you can get HD for that cheap. At least not in the places I looked."
===============

No, I think you need the high-end Roku box for HD streaming, which will run you probably about $120.

Posted by: Kensington at February 19, 2013 09:30 AM (/AHDz)

155 I never understood the appeal of the mmorpg type games. Then I played a couple. Really didn't have any problems with people being mean, calling people names. I wasn't super into it so maybe it gets worse if you play a lot. I just played some to see what the big deal was. But the stereotype of constant insults seemed to not be true.

Posted by: Flatbush Joe at February 19, 2013 09:30 AM (ZPrif)

156 I sure hope AoSHQ gives equal time to future Nintendo Directs.  :p

Posted by: Serious Cat; Serious Nintendo Fan at February 19, 2013 09:31 AM (UypUQ)

157 yeah, Aeron is the best bang for the buck chair. If you have money, it should go to an Embody Posted by: The Dude at February 19, 2013 01:27 PM (vJdyz) actually, that is what we bought we looked at aeron first, then saw the other (sorry, it's all the same to me: herman miller -- whom I have always loved) we got a good deal at Gabriel Ross, and they were willing to negotiate for two.

Posted by: beach at February 19, 2013 09:31 AM (LpQbZ)

158 OT but so what. Can't do teh tiny url's but there is part one of an interview at American Thinker by Daren Jonescu that should be followed here. It's with an FBI informant who infiltrated Weather Underground. Part 1 of 5. Red. Meat.

Posted by: teej at February 19, 2013 09:31 AM (QbxUg)

159 Okay, wow! I'm definitely going to give Uncharted 3 another look. Fortunately, I can borrow it from my local library!

Posted by: Kensington at February 19, 2013 09:31 AM (/AHDz)

160 148 "Then there are the games that make you motion sick. Drop those instantly. Can't even remember their names." =============== I recently tried playing the original "Doom" again after about 15 years, and it made me motion sick. That was a new, and very unpleasant, experience. Getting old sucks. Posted by: Kensington at February 19, 2013 01:28 PM (/AHDz) ________________ We were playing the games on a movie screen via a projector--I don't know if that had something to do with it.

Posted by: tasker at February 19, 2013 09:31 AM (r2PLg)

161 And just in case you missed it this morning while we are talking about Blu-Rays, Atlas Shrugged Pt-II is out today.

Posted by: Vic at February 19, 2013 09:32 AM (53z96)

162 http://preview.tinyurl.com/b77dxd8 (h/t to The Corner) President Michael Jackson is doing the only thing he really knows how to do, namely, community organizing. Now, and for the last four years, he's been doing it on the taxpayer's dollar. The U.S. House of Representatives should immediately freeze public expenditures for community organizing, especially when it's done by the President.

Posted by: Thorvald at February 19, 2013 09:32 AM (1V6Pv)

163 Vic at February 19, 2013 01:28 PM (53z96)

Ah, but by then it will be almost impossible to NOT have a connection.

Can you get by without a car today? Yes it's possible but difficult and increases the time anything takes to accomplish. Some things can't be accomplished without a vehicle.

Can you really get by without a internet connection?

I could barely get by and that's because I live near so many stores and my bank is 4 blocks away. Even so, how would I get the same enjoyment/entertainment and also use it for purchasing things that I can't get otherwise?

Posted by: Bitter Clinger (aka Ol' 3 tooth) at February 19, 2013 09:32 AM (qyv02)

164 I'd be really happy for a new Hagel thread right about now. Hey! Did you hear Lindsey Graham supports drones on the border to stop illegal crossings?

Posted by: Niedermeyer's Dead Horse at February 19, 2013 09:32 AM (piMMO)

165

I never understood the appeal of the mmorpg type games. Then I played a couple. Really didn't have any problems with people being mean, calling people names.

 

I think my thing with it is I like to go at my own pace.  I don't really like people walking up to me and trying to chat when I'm trying to   accomplish a goal,   be it in real   life or virtual    reality.    If it was possible to play something like World of Warcraft without having to deal with other players, I'd probably do it.  

 

I'm not anti-social.   Really.  

Posted by: MWR, Proud Tea(rrorist) Party Assault Hobbit [/i][/u][/b] at February 19, 2013 09:33 AM (4df7R)

166 Problem is console games have all these patches now. That used to be reserved for PC games. And DLC. Oh holy crap do I hate DLC.
Time was you paid for a game you got the game, the complete game. Now get off my lawn.

It depends.  Day-one DLCs (those released at the same time as the game) piss people off, and rightfully so- it feels like they chopped off a piece of the game to sell separately.

Not all DLCs fall in that category though.  If they're a mini-sequel or additional content released later, I'm cool with them.

Posted by: Hollowpoint at February 19, 2013 09:33 AM (SY2Kh)

167 Posted by: Nevergiveup at February 19, 2013 01:28 PM (9Bj8R) **** ahhhh a kindred soul

Posted by: Niedermeyer's Dead Horse at February 19, 2013 09:33 AM (piMMO)

168 "Went in to buy a combo from Best Buy and they literally, figuratively only had one cheap ass version to buy. I guess VCR is finally dying and shall soon be extinct. kinda sad really."
===============

I'm surprised they had *anything.* A VCR!?! In 2013!?!

Posted by: Kensington at February 19, 2013 09:33 AM (/AHDz)

169 If you guys haven't played Borderlands2, it is UNBELIEVABLY FUCKING AWESOME!!

The voice acting and script are the best of any game I've ever played -- one of the Psychos even yells "I am the one who knocks!" haha -- and in terms of playability it's really amazing, the whole gameplay is oriented toward keeping you in combat.

Posted by: TallDave at February 19, 2013 09:33 AM (/s1LA)

170 Damn that Uncharted stuff sounds pretty interesting.

Posted by: tasker at February 19, 2013 09:34 AM (r2PLg)

171 Can you get by without a car today? Yes it's possible but difficult and increases the time anything takes to accomplish. Some things can't be accomplished without a vehicle.


That depends on where you live.  If I had the misfortune to live in NYC or Chicago I would not own a car.

Posted by: Vic at February 19, 2013 09:34 AM (53z96)

172 No, I think you need the high-end Roku box for HD streaming, which will run you probably about $120. *** I was talking about the price of Netflix.

Posted by: Niedermeyer's Dead Horse at February 19, 2013 09:34 AM (piMMO)

173 Sidebar.......Kate Middleton is not ugly.....but she's not gorgeous, either.

Posted by: Libtardo at February 19, 2013 09:34 AM (aG9Vk)

174 I am excited to see what the next-gen games will look like. I was pretty underwhelmed by the leap in quality from PS2 to PS3. I hope I'm blown away by the PS4, but I don't think I will be.

Posted by: Flatbush Joe at February 19, 2013 09:34 AM (ZPrif)

175 I never understood the appeal of the mmorpg type games. Then I played a couple. Really didn't have any problems with people being mean, calling people names. I wasn't super into it so maybe it gets worse if you play a lot. I just played some to see what the big deal was. But the stereotype of constant insults seemed to not be true. Posted by: Flatbush Joe at February 19, 2013 01:30 PM (ZPrif) If you are in a guild with like minded folks, it's so much fun. We've been in the same guild (that my husband and I, along with 3 other online friends created many moons ago). It's funny in that many of the guild members were ex-military, like here. We are aging together, too, have families and so forth. It's really nice. Many meet up if traveling, etc. You can turn off the channels in an mmorpg where the insulters hang out.

Posted by: beach at February 19, 2013 09:34 AM (LpQbZ)

176 You just wait.  The text adventure is poised to make a comeback any day now.


Posted by: Shoot Me at February 19, 2013 09:34 AM (qiXMt)

177 The problem with multiplayer gaming is that there's always some 10-year-old or Alec Baldwin screaming "coon" at you.

Posted by: Kensington at February 19, 2013 09:35 AM (/AHDz)

178 I don't allow this shit in my house. Which explains the academic exceptionalism of my children.

Posted by: Oldsailors Poet at February 19, 2013 09:35 AM (l86i3)

179 "I was talking about the price of Netflix."
===============

Yeah, but Vic was talking about whether he could stream HD on a Roku.

Posted by: Kensington at February 19, 2013 09:36 AM (/AHDz)

180 Oh and as was mentioned already; soon you won't be able to "own" anything on your computer. (maybe not even the computer). Just like soon hard copy books may become very expensive and scarce, video games, software and operating systems will be rented and NONE of your shit will be secure. Welcome to the digital world. Posted by: Bitter Clinger (aka Ol' 3 tooth) at February 19, 2013 01:26 PM (qyv02) Yeah. I've ranted and ranted and ranted about this before. When I buy something, I expect to own it. I don't care if it's in digital format, it's mine. The bullshit about how you are only purchasing a license and how I need to alter my expectations relating to ownership is precisely that - bullshit. If I pay $60 for a copy of Ni No Kuni, it's mine, no matter the format. Hell, I've gone back to buying physical books because if the price differential is a few bucks from physical copy to digital, I want the physical copy. I can always get the digital otherwise, after all. The bigger issue for the digital world is the destruction of the secondary market. I probably have over $2,500 in games. I paid maybe, maybe, $5-700 for all of that, including a few games I did buy new. All the rest are used. With very rare exceptions, I don't have to play first week or even few months out. I can and will wait for a game to hit $20 on the used shelf and then it's mine. You can't do that with digital.

Posted by: alexthechick - Chaotic Evil Hobbit. at February 19, 2013 09:36 AM (VtjlW)

181 Sidebar.......Kate Middleton is not ugly.....but she's not gorgeous, either.
Posted by: Libtardo at February 19, 2013 01:34 PM (aG9Vk)

Like you wouldn't bang that like a screen door.

Posted by: Bitter Clinger (aka Ol' 3 tooth) at February 19, 2013 09:36 AM (qyv02)

182 I have loyalty to the PS3 for only one reason-- one of the only two games I like is exclusive (for now) to the PS.

Posted by: ace at February 19, 2013 01:02 PM (LCRYB)

The Last of Us is a PS3 exclusive which pisses me off, being a PC only user.

Posted by: Heralder at February 19, 2013 09:36 AM (+xmn4)

183 Kate Middleton -- reasonably attractive lady.

Posted by: Flatbush Joe at February 19, 2013 09:36 AM (ZPrif)

184 I don't allow this shit in my house. Which explains the academic exceptionalism of my children. My kid was a proficient reader at 3. How did he learn it? He taught himself via Mario games, because they do text, not sound.

Posted by: zsasz at February 19, 2013 09:36 AM (MMC8r)

185 Posted by: Hollowpoint at February 19, 2013 01:33 PM (SY2Kh)

Agreed, with a stipulations: I've grown to accept that some Day 1 DLC is a way of sticking to the used game market. If it comes free with a new copy of the game, I'm OK with it. (I used to be all "but used games should come with everything...blah blah blah."  Then I realized this is just a form of depreciation that results in people making an economic trade off decision.  I've bought some games used and forgone that extra crap and bough some new to get it.  I just wait until it goes on sale.)



Fallout 3 was a IMHO a good example of DLC done good (setting aside the crap in "Broken steel" that changed the ending.)
I got like 80-100 hrs of play before DLC. I got my money's worth on that game, so the DLC was value added.

Posted by: tsrblke (work) at February 19, 2013 09:37 AM (kLNMp)

186 I am going to have to look at Uncharted.  I bought Skyrim for Xbox but have no fucking time for it lately.

Posted by: Prescient11 at February 19, 2013 09:37 AM (tVTLU)

187 I can't even understand this post. I'm still mentally and physically scarred (I passed out and hit the coffee table) when I read how many people want to have teh sexy time with FLOTUS. Dear God, I don't ask for much but Save Us Please!

Posted by: mpfs, assault fishstick at February 19, 2013 09:37 AM (TCy/B)

188 Yeah, but Vic was talking about whether he could stream HD on a Roku. *** I think I paid $80 for mine and it streams HD. I can't remember if it was on sale or not.

Posted by: Niedermeyer's Dead Horse at February 19, 2013 09:38 AM (piMMO)

189 The teaser looks like something out of TRON.

Posted by: John P. Squibob at February 19, 2013 09:38 AM (kqqGm)

190 Gamers elected Obama. Get a life. Posted by: Thorvald at February 19, 2013 01:29 PM (1V6Pv) Meh, a lot of military folks play games. I don't think they were all king o voters. And, I certainly wasn't. Why knock us? It's entertainment.

Posted by: beach at February 19, 2013 09:38 AM (LpQbZ)

191 Will it run HALO 4? No? Move on.

Posted by: Foghorn Leghorn at February 19, 2013 09:39 AM (+aaxF)

192 Roku's stream HD. Been looking at them lately. Avoid the new Boxee, though. Bad, bad reviews.

Posted by: zsasz at February 19, 2013 09:40 AM (MMC8r)

193 Meh, a lot of military folks play games. I don't think they were all king o voters.

And, I certainly wasn't.

Why knock us? It's entertainment.

Posted by: beach at February 19, 2013 01:38 PM (LpQbZ)


Agreed.

Just because some of Geekdom wants to close ranks around liberal causes doesn't mean you should cast us all in that net.

Posted by: tsrblke (work) at February 19, 2013 09:40 AM (kLNMp)

194 I ALMOST succumbed to the lure to the lure of Kindle but then, lo and behold, just like your corner crack dealer, suddenly the price of e books went up.

Think that's going to get better or worse as e books become dominant?

No. DRM's have kept me from tunes and steam and kindle.

I buy it, the copy is mine. to do with as I please.

You're terms and conditions are unacceptable.

Here's mine == FU

Won't buy, won't try.


Posted by: Bitter Clinger (aka Ol' 3 tooth) at February 19, 2013 09:41 AM (qyv02)

195 I don't allow this shit in my house. Which explains the academic exceptionalism of my children. *** My daughter was never an academic wonder but I, too, kept it out of the house. Then again, I'm a rarity because she also wasn't allowed to have a phone in her room until she was 15 and a t.v. until she was 16. If she wanted to use either, she had to negotiate the time.

Posted by: Niedermeyer's Dead Horse at February 19, 2013 09:41 AM (piMMO)

196 OK I have checked Netflix, they used to be $10/month for low def and and extra $10/month for HiDef.  That is where the $20 per month came from.


They are now $8 each for $16/month.

Posted by: Vic at February 19, 2013 09:41 AM (53z96)

197 "I think I paid $80 for mine and it streams HD. I can't remember if it was on sale or not."
===============

But the point is that not all Roku boxes are capable of streaming HD content. The lowest end models can't, and in fact I think only the highest-end model can.

It's still a good deal, but there's a bit of a gap between the low end and the high end.

Posted by: Kensington at February 19, 2013 09:41 AM (/AHDz)

198 though I doubt it, I would personally love to see Oculus Rift support on the new consoles

Posted by: The Dude at February 19, 2013 09:41 AM (vJdyz)

199 154

Good idea!  Let's be the party of no fun, whatsoever!  That'll attract new voters.

Posted by: Shoot Me at February 19, 2013 09:42 AM (qiXMt)

200 Posted by: MWR, Proud Tea(rrorist) Party Assault Hobbit at February 19, 2013 01:33 PM (4df7R) Ummm... Try Fallout 3, Fallout: NV. Any of the Elder Scrolls games...

Posted by: cajun carrot at February 19, 2013 09:42 AM (UZQM8)

201 I actually prefer the older, shorter games. I got to indulge a completist, OCD impulse. But I knew it would be over fairly quickly. So the impact on the rest of my life was minor. I don't have time to complete the new style games. Which lessens the satisfaction.

Posted by: Flatbush Joe at February 19, 2013 09:42 AM (ZPrif)

202 all I ever needed was a Dungeon Masters Screen and my imagination. .. and some graph paper some polyhedral dice figurines, some snacks, and four or five people

Posted by: BumperStickerist at February 19, 2013 09:42 AM (J8DGo)

203 Wait. Netflix charges *more* for streaming HD? I haven't noticed that! Maybe the standard def streaming just looks really good on my Panasonic Viera.

Posted by: Kensington at February 19, 2013 09:43 AM (/AHDz)

204 I miss arcade games: Space Invaders, Centipede, Pac-Man, Joust. That is the extent of my interest in gaming, well, unless you count Pogo.

Posted by: Niedermeyer's Dead Horse at February 19, 2013 09:43 AM (piMMO)

205 'Custer's Revenge' is going to be one of the premier games.

Posted by: RWC at February 19, 2013 09:43 AM (fWAjv)

206 Whereas the right response (I think) should have been, "Wow, they actually incrementally topped Uncharted 2." I still haven't made it through Uncharted 2 but 3 is better? Really? That's awesome. There's a big rumor that 4 is going to come out to meet the PS4 release and please oh please oh please. I have a pet theory that the reason games are so much better than movies now is that talent goes where the money is and the money is in gaming. There's also the fact that you can tell a 20-40 hour story with branching resolutions but the money thing is the major driver. I forget where I saw the poll but one of the big gaming sites recently did what kind of game do you want to come back and text based games were the landslide winners. There's just something about Zork.

Posted by: alexthechick - Chaotic Evil Hobbit. at February 19, 2013 09:44 AM (VtjlW)

207 My kid was a proficient reader at 3. How did he learn it? He taught himself via Mario games, because they do text, not sound. Posted by: zsasz at February 19, 2013 01:36 PM (MMC8r) Let's have this discussion again when he is thirteen.

Posted by: Oldsailors Poet at February 19, 2013 09:44 AM (l86i3)

208 I don't allow this shit in my house. Which explains the academic exceptionalism of my children.

You sound like my dad.  And look how I turned out, with no cable or video games or bikinis as a child.

Posted by: HeatherRadish™ needs a beer at February 19, 2013 09:44 AM (/kI1Q)

209 OK, I find Kate M. more attractive every time I look at her. Can't quite put my finger on it (though I'd like to). She looks good with a tad bit o' baby weight.

I'd hit it like an unladen African Swallow.

Posted by: Lurking Flaneur at February 19, 2013 09:45 AM (ay6+/)

210 Wait. Netflix charges *more* for streaming HD? I haven't noticed that! Maybe the standard def streaming just looks really good on my Panasonic Viera.

Posted by: Kensington at February 19, 2013 01:43 PM (/AHDz)


No Netflix charges seperate for DVDs now.

Also I think there's additional upcharge for blu-ray.


But streaming covers HD.

Posted by: tsrblke (work) at February 19, 2013 09:45 AM (kLNMp)

211 16 One of the wisest thing I ever read on the Internet was, "Console wars are like politics for the 12 year old."

Posted by: Shoot Me at February 19, 2013 12:52 PM (qiXMt)


And then Obama was reelected..

Posted by: Temper Tantrum at February 19, 2013 09:45 AM (AWmfW)

212 You sound like my dad. And look how I turned out, with no cable or video games or bikinis as a child. Posted by: HeatherRadish™ needs a beer at February 19, 2013 01:44 PM (/kI1Q) I would be proud to have you as a daughter.

Posted by: Oldsailors Poet at February 19, 2013 09:45 AM (l86i3)

213 Gamers elected Obama.

Sluts elected Obama. 

Posted by: HeatherRadish™ needs a beer at February 19, 2013 09:46 AM (/kI1Q)

214

Sidebar.......Kate Middleton is not ugly.....but she's not gorgeous, either.

Posted by: Libtardo at February 19, 2013 01:34 PM (aG9Vk)

 

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder,    of course.   But I think the criticism is of    the    double-chinned   twerp   who equated her to a Barbie doll    and not a "power player" like Anne Boleyn (yeah, there's   someone to emulate)    or an   "accessible"   princess    like Diana.   I    follow the    Royals haphazardly, but from everything I've seen out of Kate  she's struck me as nothing but sincere, intelligent and genuine.   So the idiot author can sit and spin.

Posted by: MWR, Proud Tea(rrorist) Party Assault Hobbit [/i][/u][/b] at February 19, 2013 09:46 AM (4df7R)

215 Obamacare thread up

Posted by: Niedermeyer's Dead Horse at February 19, 2013 09:46 AM (piMMO)

216 Good idea! Let's be the party of no fun, whatsoever! That'll attract new voters.
Posted by: Shoot Me at February 19, 2013 01:42 PM (qiXMt)

That's the line most Mainline Protestant religions took and look how well they're doing.

If you have to make your Party "Fun" to attract voters, you've already lost.

Posted by: Bitter Clinger (aka Ol' 3 tooth) at February 19, 2013 09:46 AM (qyv02)

217 >>> ALMOST succumbed to the lure to the lure of Kindle but then, lo and behold, just like your corner crack dealer, suddenly the price of e books went up. I had an old post about this-- I forget the details, but right now publishers are insisting on a minimum price (and apparently have that power). Amazon, per its model of razor-thin margins, wants to sell them for less, but the publishers won't permit it. This results in the odd situation where Amazon can sell physical books for a steep discount but can't do the same with ebooks. I think Amazon is challenging this regime... but I forget the details, again.

Posted by: ace at February 19, 2013 09:46 AM (LCRYB)

218 Give me Katamari Damacy or GTFO. 

Posted by: MWR, Proud Tea(rrorist) Party Assault Hobbit [/i][/u][/b] at February 19, 2013 09:47 AM (4df7R)

219 OK, I find Kate M. more attractive every time I look at her. Can't quite put my finger on it. ------------------ Good posture, healthy skin, and a ready, sincere smile are pretty damn sexy in their own right. -

Posted by: BumperStickerist at February 19, 2013 09:48 AM (J8DGo)

220 I am totally out of touch with gaming. The last game I played seriously was Doom II. And I've never been any good with the PS2/Xbox style controller games. I lack the brain to finger coordination for those.

Posted by: toby928© for TB at February 19, 2013 09:48 AM (evdj2)

221 Okay, I guess I'm getting a lot of information wrong about the Roku. Apparently all of them, except for the lowest end model stream HD, although only the top two models offer 1080p.

Posted by: Kensington at February 19, 2013 09:48 AM (/AHDz)

222 #61

Blu-ray is now a minor cost when any new console is going to have vastly more than enough power for everything beyond the drive mechanism. And that only carries about a $15 cost above a DVD-ROM drive in industrial volumes. You're already going to use a BD-ROM drive if you're going to use optical media as the primary distribution as nothing is more cost effective right now. The new Xbox is going to use it as well. The question will be whether they include the playback license and software (which runs on Java) or make it available as a acessory purchase, like they did with DVD movie playback on the original Xbox.

The Wii U is using BD-ROM but doesn't include a Blu-ray playback license or the needed software. They could easily add it as a download purchase at some point in the future but Sony, of course, is more motivated to drive Blu-ray playback than anybody else doing consoles these days.

Posted by: epobirs at February 19, 2013 09:49 AM (kcfmt)

223 The success of children has no correlation with whether they played video games or not. Being smart is mostly genetics plus avoiding bad childhood environmental factors. If you get smart genes and avoid serious disease, injury, malnutrition, and abuse ... then you grow up to be smart. If you didn't get smart genes then you won't grow up to be smart. Even if you avoid all the bad stuff as a kid. The impact of parents is smaller than people realize. And it's mainly about protecting young kids from really bad stuff. And some of the bad stuff --- like infectious disease -- is really hard to protect kids from. Vaccinations and avoiding tropical climates are about the best you can do.

Posted by: Flatbush Joe at February 19, 2013 09:49 AM (ZPrif)

224 If you guys haven't played Borderlands2, it is UNBELIEVABLY FUCKING AWESOME!!

It's not perfect, but I like it a lot.  The writing and humor are awesome.

There have been complaints that it gets repetitive, but I think that's more a function of how long it is.  You can't compare it to the short 10 hour campaigns of games like Halo 4- they might not feel as repetitive, but that's because there's so much less to them.

Playing co-op is a blast if you're teamed with players who aren't complete loot-whores.

Posted by: Hollowpoint at February 19, 2013 09:49 AM (SY2Kh)

225 "Obamacare thread up"
===============

Oh, God. I don't even want to look. Just knowing it's there is giving me a panic attack.

ObamaCare makes videogame threads irrelevant, because I won't be able to afford anything once this monstrosity is in place sucking away all my cash.

Posted by: Kensington at February 19, 2013 09:50 AM (/AHDz)

226 If you have to make your Party "Fun" to attract voters, you've already lost.

Posted by: Bitter Clinger (aka Ol' 3 tooth) at February 19, 2013 01:46 PM (qyv02)


I would submit there's a difference between "making your party fun" and letting people enjoy a little frivolity.

Constantly going "gamers need to get a life." Is not going to endear your ideas to people who enjoy video games (and might otherwise side with you on issues.)

Live and let live and all that jazz.  (No if they want to game and stay on public dole, fuck 'em.  But playing games and discussing systems isn't much different than watching football and arguing over teams.)

Posted by: tsrblke (work) at February 19, 2013 09:50 AM (kLNMp)

227 I miss arcade games: Space Invaders, Centipede, Pac-Man, Joust. That is the extent of my interest in gaming, well, unless you count Pogo. Posted by: Niedermeyer's Dead Horse at February 19, 2013 01:43 PM (piMMO) Defender was my all time favorite. I was actually able to buy a real arcade version when I lived in LA, but when I moved, I had to sell it. And, I've regretted it ever since.

Posted by: beach at February 19, 2013 09:50 AM (LpQbZ)

228 >>>There's a big rumor that 4 is going to come out to meet the PS4 release and please oh please oh please. did you optimistically start that rumor? I don't think this is true for several reasons. First, Uncharted 3 was releasing advanced teaser trailers a year and a half before release. as the ps4 will be released in the fall, I can't see how they'd have the time to release a title. And this isn't just any title, this is their whole business. They can't rush it. Further, games get better deeper into the development cycle because no one knows how to cheat around the limitations of the technology at first. that is knowledge acquired after years. If Uncharted releases early in the cycle, the game will almost certainly seem inferior in graphics pretty quickly, which is something they definitely wouldn't want. Lastly, they're working on this "The Last of Us" post-apocalyptic game. No way they have another Uncharted title cooking. It will be, if anything, this "The Last of Us" game they release with the debut of the new consoles.

Posted by: ace at February 19, 2013 09:50 AM (LCRYB)

229 I have the Roku II. Supports 1080p. I like it very much.

Posted by: navybrat at February 19, 2013 09:51 AM (7zvJ4)

230 OK, I find Kate M. more attractive every time I look at her. Can't quite put my finger on it. 




Here, let me help you.



http://tinyurl.com/bdgooob

Posted by: BCochran1981 at February 19, 2013 09:51 AM (da5Wo)

231 Posted by: ace at February 19, 2013 01:46 PM (LCRYB

It was apple actually that set this up.

They conceding pricing to the publishers, which gave the publishers leverage over amazon.

Posted by: tsrblke (work) at February 19, 2013 09:52 AM (kLNMp)

232 >>>And I've never been any good with the PS2/Xbox style controller games. I lack the brain to finger coordination for those. yeah... i know what you mean. it all seems very clumsy... for a long time. But you do get used to it, as you can get used to any clumsy process.

Posted by: ace at February 19, 2013 09:52 AM (LCRYB)

233 Posted by: Hollowpoint at February 19, 2013 01:49 PM (SY2Kh) Still haven't finished Borderlands 2 because I don't want it to end. Just go around killin'. (Yes, I know there are 4 other characters to play through it with.)

Posted by: RWC at February 19, 2013 09:53 AM (fWAjv)

234 Diana always struck me as having a vulpine look about her and not in a good way.

She was plotting and planning BEFORE day one.

Her efforts to undermine and belittle the Royal Family is the least of her behind the scenes actions.

She was waaayyy over rated on looks and personality and her ture character came to the fore after the divorce.

Kate seems a bit more down to earth and more comfortable with herself and the role she's playing.

If she's scheming too, at least she's hiding it better than Diana.

Posted by: Bitter Clinger (aka Ol' 3 tooth) at February 19, 2013 09:53 AM (qyv02)

235 But streaming covers HD.

Posted by: tsrblke (work) at February 19, 2013 01:45 PM (kLNMp)


I don't think so, not from what I just read but going to the Netflix site itself they explain NOTHING.

Posted by: Vic at February 19, 2013 09:53 AM (53z96)

236 yeah... i know what you mean. it all seems very clumsy... for a long time. But you do get used to it, as you can get used to any clumsy process.

Posted by: ace at February 19, 2013 01:52 PM (LCRYB)



You want clumsy? You remember the old N64 controllers? How many fucking buttons did that sonofabitch have?????

Posted by: BCochran1981 at February 19, 2013 09:54 AM (da5Wo)

237 @HallowPoint,

Yeah I was a little miffed that Halo 4's campaign was so short.  I'm sure part of that is a result of "Spartan Ops" which is like a mini side campaign complete with cinematics.

Posted by: tsrblke (work) at February 19, 2013 09:54 AM (kLNMp)

238 @191 Thank you for your service. (P'raps I should say, "Get some children". You'll be looking for time to sleep, not play games except with them.)

Posted by: Thorvald at February 19, 2013 09:54 AM (1V6Pv)

239

Posted by: ace at February 19, 2013 01:50 PM (LCRYB)

they wouldn't release one this year as it would eat into Last of Us Chirstmas profits but Naughty Dog has a few teams now. And I think their b team might make another or two as I don't see their main team working on it as it goes against their design philosophy of a new IP every generation

Posted by: The Dude at February 19, 2013 09:56 AM (vJdyz)

240 I LOVED Defender.

Much more intense than Space Invaders and took more coordination.

Love side scrollers.

Posted by: Bitter Clinger (aka Ol' 3 tooth) at February 19, 2013 09:57 AM (qyv02)

241 Posted by: Vic at February 19, 2013 01:53 PM (53z96)

I pay $8/month, I get HD.

Not all devices support HD. (The Xbox does.)
Originally when HD launched, only the Xbox supported it (as part of a Netflix/MS deal).

Somewhat ironically the Xbox does not support "super HD."

Posted by: tsrblke (work) at February 19, 2013 09:58 AM (kLNMp)

242 I have a Blu-Ray player with an RJ-5 connection that supports Netflix and several others.  It actually has clickable selections for them.


But the problem still remain, my internet connection on hardwired cable is slower than shit.  When I first got it it was great but the system is now overloaded.

Posted by: Vic at February 19, 2013 10:06 AM (53z96)

243 #137

I've little doubt the PS4 chip set has already taped out. It has to to ship in time for the holidays in any quantity.

Chances are, considering that they are both supposedly using almost the same AMD design, that they'll be coming out of the same foundry. You've probably read the stories about how IBM had to juggle meeting so that Sony and Microsoft people wouldn't run into each other int he halls because the same IBM guys were doing the CPUs for both the Xbox 360 and PS3. The 360 CPU is a triple core dual threaded version of the PPC at the center of the CELL with less ambitious vector units and the ring bus. (Also the stuff that intended to allow lots of ad hoc multi-processor functionality that they never got working right, that Kaz Hirai used to make all sorts of absurd claim for back around 2003.)

Posted by: epobirs at February 19, 2013 10:07 AM (kcfmt)

244 On backwards compatibility:

The reason the original PS3 was Ps2 backwards compatible was because Sony put an entire PS2 "emotion" gaming chip in there.  Every original PS3 literally came with the entire guts of a PS2 inside.   Needless to say, that took up a lot of space and cost a lot of money (on an already super-expensive system) so the feature was discontinued.

Don't forget that with its (at the time) super-expensive Cell processor, Sony was selling every original PS3 at a LOSS, even at the $500 original cost.

If you want PS2 compatibility, you can buy a used PS2 for $50. . .that's less than the cost of a new PS3 (let alone PS4) game.   Used PS3 systems now cost about $200-$250, and the price continues to drop.  


Posted by: looking closely at February 19, 2013 10:08 AM (PwGfd)

245 My PS3 got the YLOD last month. After all Sony has done to piss off their clients (No emulation, no secondary OS, allow hack of PSN, rootkits, proprietary storage media), and the proposed lack of ability to allow used games on their next console, I say "Fuck you Whale and Fuck you Dolphin!" to Sony.

Posted by: superflex at February 19, 2013 10:09 AM (m5M1U)

246 The GPU is where are the power needs to be on console systems. The CPUs are just babysitters and decision tree processors. Now, they claim the GPUs will be meh, but you don't need to the latest wizbang billion core GPU to serve up a single 1920x1080 display. Desktop gaming stations on the other hand are usually hooked to two or more monitors with up to 2560x1600 resolution.

Posted by: Ken in NH at February 19, 2013 10:14 AM (N9thc)

247 #208


I used to worry about my nephew because all he wanted to do was play games but this had more to do with my ex-SIL being a psychopath.

Today he is in the Marines on his second round of tech work in Afghanistan and studying for his CS degree on the side. With that he can come back as a civilian contractor doing essentially the same job for an absurdly greater amount of pay.

Posted by: epobirs at February 19, 2013 10:15 AM (kcfmt)

248 >>I can and will wait for a game to hit $20 on the used shelf and then it's mine. You can't do that with digital.

Actually, yes you can . .to some extent.

If you go onto the Playstation store, they offer a whole bunch of "classic" PS2 (and some early PS3) games, updated into high def, and downloadable for your PS3 at reasonable prices (they're typically $10 or 15).

Yes, there are only a limited number of titles, and no, this is not the same as buying a several year old used game at your local Game Shack or Ebay for under $10, but its not a terrible option.

But I'm with you.  If I have to "rent" my games online, I'm simply not going to do it.  Bluntly, with my very limited playing time, there is enough of a backlog of awesome Ps3 discs (let alone Ps2 discs) that I could probably play JUST those for the next 10 years without having to move on.   And five years from now, the awesome games that cost $50 at launch will cost at most $5-10 a disc, mailed to my home.

If you also consider that PS3 game development probably won't completely stop for a few more years (ie blockbuster new games will probably be backwards ported to Ps3, since so many people have them), you can still probably get along fine with a PS3 for quite some time if you want to.

Posted by: looking closely at February 19, 2013 10:17 AM (6Q9g2)

249 Who cares? How is anybody going to afford a PS4 when Obamacare goes into effect?

Posted by: Ricky Spanish at February 19, 2013 10:17 AM (dSUs8)

250 Just so you know, I am downloading an update for my wife's laptop right now from McAffee.  The download speed is about 200K/min 

Posted by: Vic at February 19, 2013 10:29 AM (53z96)

251 The used game furor is a tempest in a teacup. Used games are going away eventually, the only question is when.

I have more games than most people can imagine but my cost over the years is far lower than many people I know who buy far fewer games used. Everything gets cheap eventually and this is even true in pure digital download platforms like Steam. My average cost for console games is between $10 and $15, and I've gotten everything I ever wanted over time.

If you don't like the cost of newly released games, don't buy them. Most of what you're paying for is the development costs. Once those have been paid off by more affluent consumers the game can be sold profitably for a fraction of the original MSRP.

Used game sales will be eliminated and cheap games will be as available as ever. The only requirement is to resist the allure of the latest and shiniest new thing. If you don't feel wealthy stay away from new platforms for a minimum of two years. The older platforms offer their best value in their waning days.

This applies to PCs too. The game that brought very high end systems to their knees five years ago play fine on a $500 system today.

Posted by: epobirs at February 19, 2013 10:29 AM (kcfmt)

252 #249

The last games for the PS3 will probably be like the last games for the PS2: ports from handheld rather than degraded versions of the newer console titles. The handheld market provides a platform that is more in line with the specs of a previous generation console and thus makes a good source of ports.

A PS2 game I'm hoping to find some day, though I haven't actively looked, is the port of the Jak and Daxter: The Lost Frontier. I'm very fond of the series and would rather play it full screen with a PS2 controller, though I do have the PSP version already. Walmart had it down to ten bucks.

The handheld source may be phones rather than the struggling Vita.

Posted by: epobirs at February 19, 2013 10:39 AM (kcfmt)

253 epobirs said:"The 360 CPU is a triple core dual threaded version of the PPC at the center of the CELL with less ambitious vector units and the ring bus. (Also the stuff that intended to allow lots of ad hoc multi-processor functionality that they never got working right, that Kaz Hirai used to make all sorts of absurd claim for back around 2003.)

The 360 CPU is the STI designed PPE which derived from an earlier IBM design called GuTS. It does have the addition of 128 VMX-128 registers that's not found in Cell DD2 hardware.

The rest of your post is just rubbish.

Hirai never made claims, btw. That was Kutaragi.


Posted by: Uriah Heep at February 19, 2013 12:00 PM (jhI6f)

254 looking closely said:The reason the original PS3 was Ps2 backwards compatible was because Sony put an entire PS2 "emotion" gaming chip in there. Every original PS3 literally came with the entire guts of a PS2 inside. Needless to say, that took up a lot of space and cost a lot of money (on an already super-expensive system) so the feature was discontinued.

Don't forget that with its (at the time) super-expensive Cell processor, Sony was selling every original PS3 at a LOSS, even at the $500 original cost.

This is actually a common error. The cost in the initial PS3 of integrating PS2 functionality, the EE+GS ASIC, was quite small (http://tinyurl.com/bb96rfc). It was only 86mm2 on a bulk 90nm process in mass production, so around $15. The Rambus RDRAM was a major cost, both in monetary terms as well as sourcing that people don't consider.

Every console was traditionally solid at a loss, it's not like the Playstation3 was unique, or Cell was to fault. It wasn't even 'super expensive' discounting R&D expense, it's just a 200-odd mm2 die. Granted it's on an SOI substrate, but nVidia and Intel routinely sell 400mm2+ dies


Going forward, I've heard Sony intends to offer some sort of backwards compatibility library to the end-user via a visualized library in the cloud using Gaikai technology they recently acquired. This would make much sense to me as, just in the PS3 case the early adopters are the ones who desire backward comp. the most, especially when the console is young and library immature. Yet, as the system ages the benefit of BC diminishes (Sony eventually dropped it altogether).

Putting it in the cloud allows for continued service, a revenue stream for Sony who's cost only impacts those who want it (unlike every early PS3 owner buying a more expensive unit) and on the server size they can just rackmount 45nm or 22nm Cell+RSX boards with visualized storage holding instances of every game. Since usage patterns vary predictably with time of day and day-of-week, they have much room to optimize the server back-end.

Posted by: Uriah Heep at February 19, 2013 12:13 PM (jhI6f)

255 The linked article says that the AMD chip is going to suck compared to an Intel i7 3770K chip: "roughly 1,400 per cent slower". Let's just figure they mean that the i7 3770K chip is 15 times faster. I'm not buying it. AMD doesn't currently sell a chip with 8 "Bobcat" cores clocked at 1.6 GHz. They do, however, sell a chip with 2 "Bobcat" cores clocked at that rate; this is the AMD E-350 chip. Let's compare the E-350's benchmark scores against the i7: http://www.cpubenchmark.net/cpu.php?cpu=Intel+Core+i7-3770K+%40+3.50GHz&id=2 http://www.cpubenchmark.net/cpu_lookup.php?cpu=AMD+E-350 The i7 scores 9610; the E-350 scores 769. That right there isn't a 15 times difference; it's more like a 12 times difference. But that's comparing the i7 against 2 CPU cores, and the PS4 will have 8 cores. You can't just straight-up multiply the benchmark number by 4... if you did, you would find that the PS4 chip is only 3x slower than the i7, but let's go with 4x slower as an approximate guess. Now, Newegg is currently charging $330 for the i7 chip. That's not for a computer using that chip, that's just the chip. What are the odds you will see the i7 in an affordable consumer console? Not even Apple would use such an expensive part in a console. So for $400 or $450 or so (estimated guess) you will be able to buy a PS4 with about 1/4 the performance of an Intel chip that costs $330, and needs an expensive motherboard, expensive RAM, a large power supply, and a few extras like a video card and a case. $800 seems like a reasonable price for the i7 system (that might be low). So for 1/2 the price of the i7 system the console will be 1/4 as powerful... and actually that's amazing; in the past, consoles were relatively much less powerful than that. Consoles are affordable devices that are never as powerful as a full-on expensive desktop PC with its giant power supply and multiple cooling fans. All of this is just assuming that the CPU is the most important part. The GPU is also really important, and likely the GPU in the PS4 is relatively more powerful than the CPU. So take all these numbers with a giant grain of salt. But I really don't think anyone will find the PS4 to be underpowered and weak. And the linked claim about performance being 1/15 of an i7 is just stupid.

Posted by: mr_jack at February 19, 2013 12:21 PM (TMG3G)

256 And how many watts is that i7 dissipating? Good-luck cooling that in an embedded system like a console.

Mr_Jack, I agree in that techradar.com or whatever site they linked to sucks donkey and do not really understand the technology they ostensibly report on.

In an embedded system, you can hand-tune your code for the underlying platform. So having a nice reserve of serial processing (8x Bobcat) that you're programming for is not comparable to running general x86 code on it and wondering why you're not getting a free-lunch out of it.

Posted by: Uriah Heep at February 19, 2013 12:38 PM (jhI6f)

Hide Comments | Add Comment | Refresh | Top

Comments are disabled. Post is locked.
234kb generated in CPU 0.2367, elapsed 0.3644 seconds.
64 queries taking 0.3166 seconds, 384 records returned.
Powered by Minx 1.1.6c-pink.

Support





Donate to Ace of Spades HQ!


Contact

Change the At to "@" and the DOT to "."




Intermarkets' Privacy Policy
Support


Donate to Ace of Spades HQ!


Search Thingy



Archives

Monthly Traffic

  • Pages: 13432
  • Files: 201
  • Bytes: 341.3M
  • CPU Time: 15:33
  • Queries: 386767

Content

  • Posts: 22824
  • Comments: 5953260

Feeds


RSS 2.0 Atom 1.0