Recent Comments:
China announces CH-DVD, a new high definition DVD standard {Engadget HD}
Sep 9th 2007 7:33PM I have also read that HD-DVD players would also play CH-DVDs with a firmware update. (treat this info as a rumour since I haven't been able to confirm it anywhere else)
RPG devs adapt or die, here comes the MMORPG {Joystiq}
May 30th 2007 5:51PM ProtoJimmy -#22
I mean honestly, this has got to be a joke, what are those executives smoking?
Those executives are smoking cigars rolled out of $100 bills from the monthly fees people pay to play an MMO. Personally, I'd rather take an 80 grit orbital sander to my eyeballs than pay a reguired $10-$15 monthly fee on top of the cost of the game.
For that money I could buy a brand new game every 3-4 months and that is exactly what I do.
Way I see it is that I still pop in Diablo I/II or Fallout 1/2 as well as others and play through them atleast once a year and some of those titles I bought over ten years ago.
As long as there is one, solitary, single moron out there that thinks the monthly fee structure somehow delivers some sort of value that can't be done without paying a monthly fee, then there will be atleast one snake oil selling executive out there saying that games based on monthly fees are the way of the future.
Sony's Jack Tretton and the $1200 quote {Joystiq}
Feb 10th 2007 7:31PM I went to Sony's Consumer Services contact section here:
http://www.us.playstation.com/Corporate/ContactUs/ConsumerServices
And Sent them this e-mail:
Dear Sony Representative,
Recently in an interview with Electronics Gaming Monthly magazine Jack Tretton promised to give $1200 for every Playstation 3 that we found on store shelves in North America for more than 5 minutes. So far, in my area of North America alone, I have found 38 systems on store shelves for well over 5 minutes. I was wondering how I go about collecting the $45,600 that Mr Tretton presently owes me aswell as future monies that will be owed to me for future finds?
Thank you,
Steve Fleming
Anyway, I am waiting for a reply... I'll let everyone know what I get back!
PS3 driving Blu-ray movie sales, outpacing HD-DVD {Joystiq}
Feb 5th 2007 9:40PM Well alwayzbusi1, I know that PC games are STILL being released on cd today and have only recently started shipping on dvd and they look equal or better than anything on the PS3 to date... In a year from now when PC games are finally universally shipping on DVD and thouroughly trouncing ANYTHING seen on consoles I guess your answer will be clear.
Soft PS3 sales spell trouble for EA, others {Joystiq}
Jan 25th 2007 5:01PM @Niel
Wow, everyone else is a 'nerd' yet you read, processed and completed your 1st comment(#6) on this article within 13 minutes of it being posted. Then a number of 'nerdy' comments after that were addressing the shortfalls and lack of foresight of your comment.
Explain to me why everyone else is a 'nerd'?
Note to Sony and Microsoft: Nintendo is your competition {Joystiq}
Jan 23rd 2007 4:14AM @ NintendoFanbot
I do believe that when a game company says that they needed to innovate with regards to the control scheme they are essentially commenting that the original scheme is somehow broken or not as capable which is not the case at all.
To me the real innovation here is Nintendo's ability to sell a concept to the consumer. Start where we are now and reverse engineer it to the conceptual stage. Nintendo has taken their market strengths, run them through the dreaded iPod-ulator and applied them to break out of the video game hardware business model. It's no secret that Nintendo fans are among the most loyal in the industry and, to me, Nintendo has used this to move into a for-profit 'less for more' business model for hardware.
Just because the control scheme is different does not mean it is advantageous yet this is exactly the concept that Nintendo has managed to sell its loyal consumers and in a big way. They are managing to sell a piece of hardware that is quite comparable technically to it's previous offering based on a new controller and they are doing it at a significant profit to boot. I would have, in fact, expected the cost of games to decrease under this model since they wouldn't need to recoup monies lost on hardware and companies would not have to go through development teething pains for more complex hardware but this isn't the case. It's now a business model built on the profit of hardware, peripherals and games. It's a rather brilliant and crafty piece of marketing that is sure to put a wad in Nintendo's pocket that I have to admire from the outside but wholeheartedly do not buy into.
I do have to conceed that Wii tennis is more complex than 'pong but pretty' but when compared to the likes of top spin, virtua tennis or even rockstar's table tennis gameplay mechanics, it is not much more than just that. The Nintendo argument, I believe, is that swinging a 4" rectangular piece of plastic standing 6 feet from the tv in your living room is somehow more 'immersive'. I disagree. I would also argue that if that is exactly what you are going for then for $50 you could buy a real raquet and actually take up the sport. Let's be truthful here, it's a video game, your videogame swing is clumsy and awkward and in no way resembles the skill required for the real life game of tennis.
I also have to admit that the wiimote can be more intuitive for simple games for the uninitiated but what happens when you have sophisticated controls like reloading a weapon or managing inventory. I can definitely see how the wiimote could be waaay more confusing. Atleast modern controller concepts are prevalent everywhere in today's society and easily adapted to. A directional pad appears in virtually everything that uses electricity these days and complex button sequences are used daily from debit cards to microwaves, from alarm clocks to automobiles. Frankly, I don't think games written for people that don't know how to set the time on their own watch could have any more than a passing fancy for me.
Note to Sony and Microsoft: Nintendo is your competition {Joystiq}
Jan 22nd 2007 10:26PM Okay, has anyone ever heard someone comment that Euchre needs to innovate to keep their interest? How about bridge, poker, chess, checkers, monopoly, risk, any form of competitive sport from tennis to football to boxing or any other timeless game or sport?
So... why does an FPS (for example) suddenly need a massive revamp of it's controls to make it good?
I just bought Sid Meyer's Civilization IV and other than graphical improvements, it really only has tweaks in gameplay vs previous versions and yet I have pulled two all-nighters playing it in the last three weeks. The controls and gameplay are virtually identical and that's why I bought it. To be truthful, if they had changed it too much, I would have been -VERY- upset.
Despite this many Wii fans insist that video game controls are broken and need innovation. I even read through a discussion not too long ago where a Wii fan was trying to argue that the Wiimote would be the best controller for racing games. There was some decent points and counterpoints on both sides until he tried to stand his ground when someone suggested that a force-feedback wheel was actually the best controller out there and he disagreed.
Truth is, game control has evolved with gameplay. In situations where better control was possible, like racing or flying games, suitable dedicated controllers have been available. There will be some games where motion control will be unparalleled but this will probably be games designed for motion control from the ground up. Games where the action of the motion control IS the fun and not necessarily the game itself. Honestly, would anybody play Wii Sports if they were using a standard contoller? The gameplay itself is a massive step backwards (pong but pretty) and yet people describe the gameplay with words like innovation and groundbreaking. Really they are talking about the controller, not the gameplay.
I have read (even in this discussion) the '360/ps3 have graphics but can't do motion control and will adopt motion control as soon as they see wii take off'. It is true that Sony and MS can adopt motion sensing at any point, the technology has been around for a while and event tried on the pc. Truth is, motion sensing isn't exclusive to the Wii as it is. The 360 has a competent motion sensing package through the vision camera which has not been taken advantage of yet. The PS3 has the sixaxis and likely a camera based solution through the inevitable eyetoy 2. The Wii, however, will never be able to replicate the 360/PS3 graphics.
Food for thought.
I realize that Joystiq is very Nintendo centric and as such many will take my comments and opinions as direct and personal attacks. This is not the case. I believe I make good, valid points and always try to be open to counterpoints. Lets keep the discussion civil.
Zelda: A Link to the Past teams up with Sega on Wii VC {Joystiq}
Jan 22nd 2007 3:40PM My memories of this game as a kid are way too valuable to destroy them by playing the game today. I'm glad if you will be happy with your 800 pt. purchase(what's that, 5-10 bucks?). Frankly, I don't plan to pay anyone money to rape my childhood memories.
Japanese hardware sales, 8 Jan - 14 Jan: post-holiday blues edition {Joystiq}
Jan 19th 2007 11:51PM I guess there are 450,000 PS3s sitting on store shelves since Sony shipped 1 Million consoles but only 550,000 have sold... that's a lot of unsold consoles...
Porn industry leaning toward HD-DVD {Joystiq}
Jan 12th 2007 9:33AM Clearly, the Porn industry is a large factor. Saying it is supporting HD-DVD exclusively is equivalent to saying a major studio like Universal just switched sides. Face it, just like Disney movies will undoubtedly sway a certain sect of society, so will Porn.
Now, having said that, the real thing to be watching is LG's dual format player. Every indication so far seems to put this war in the exact same position as the war between DVD+R and DVD-R with the only solution being that the market now completely supports both.
This also means that both Sony's PS3 and Microsoft's HD-DVD add-on will be seen at a disadvantage since neither supports both formats. However, Microsoft is at a decided advantage in this scenario for obvious reasons.
