Elapsed Rages (Language warning)
Elapsed — Thu, 05/23/2013 - 12:56
This will be a semi-regular blog in which I explain what has been causing me to rage lately and explain why in as coherant as fashion as possible. THIS MAY PROVE TO OFFEND SOME! So that is your warning. I will not offend or talk shit about religions, sexes, sexuality, or politics. Those are too hot button of issues. What you will see/read from me are rages about the gamming community, The computing community, Peoples health POVs (such as anti-fluoridation or anti-vacination nuts) and some other topics. Feel free to reply, but I promise I wont be nice here. One of the downsides of being GM is you don't get to be angry enough, You have to try and keep people happy at all times... This can lead to an over abundance of stress and anger. I need to vent
Todays Topic
Next Gen Console Jumpers!
Allow me to explain the title before I contine with my rant/vent. These are people who at the mere sight of a demo of ONE aspect of a console, Jump Ship without seeing a second more of content. (you do not qualify for this if you jumped away from consoles all together because of some of this. If there's something about a console or product that royaly pisses you off. AND all of the other companies are doing the same thing. It's a smart move to stop buying completely)
Let's go in order here (Nintendo Lovers are free from this as the WiiU continues to try and serve a demographic that is a minority, but does it well)
Playstation 4!
Announced/Revealed Feb/20/2013
What you see here (and all of what we've seen of the hardware thus far) is the new controller. It has a screen of sorts on it and we will get to see how that can affect our game-play..... But that's all we got from Sony, This and a demo of games.... So let's be honest. This wasn't a Hardware reveal, This was a announcement with some games. Not a bad thing mind you.... yet people jumped ship for the, then un-announced, Xbox BECAUSE OF THIS REASON ALONE!
WHY ARE YOU SO DUMB?!?! E3 is just around the corner and if Sony is 35% as smart as they have been in the past THEY WILL SHOW YOU THE DAMN CONSOLE! For the love of shit! No one whos got 1/10th of a brain buys a console because of it's looks...... Why in the Fuck would you think that them not showing it means they think it's a weak end of their product?!?! WHY?!
So the world continues and here comes along May/21/2013
a.k.a. Xbox One
now, regardless of how many jokes you try and make about how Microsoft (MS) can't count. They announced the REVEAL of their new Console! Guess the fuck what they did?! THEY SHOWED YOU A GOD DAMNED CONSOLE AND WHAT THE HARDWARE CAN DO! Along with a nice demo of how the opperating system works with every aspect (not just gaming) of the console. We got to see "cut aways" of the hardware as they announced it. They were also nice enough to have a few games ready to show to demonstrate the graphically fidelity of the console....
Yet, here we go again "BUT TOM! WHERE THE FUCK ARE ALL OF THE GAME ANNOUNCEMENTS?!?! I DONT WATCH NETFLIX OR TV?!?! THEY MUST NOT HAVE GOOD GAMES THEN!"
I will not cap this, I will not yell this even.... This was a Hardware Reveal. A demonstration of the console's power, and amazing use of the OS and the new and VERY improved Kinect.
now I will yell a bit
"YOU CAN WAIT UNTIL E FUCKING 3 TO SEE SOME GAMES! IT'S LESS THAN 3 WEEKS AWAY! CALM THE FUCK DOWN"
and again we see people jumping ship (Like the new Blue, Lore, formerly of TankSpot) for Sony. Why? because they didn't get to see the game they wanted at a hardware reveal!
You people (as described in the previous sentance) are grade A MORONS!
EDIT #2
added link that says exactly what we thought as far as being able to play the old games would involve. Looks like Sony wants to try and Stream titles later (not sure how this would work with previously owned ones) I presume we may see something similar from MS in the future as well since they're offering distributed servers for game devs to make enhanced worlds.
If you aren't a fan of the whole "no more used games" bit, you have a very genuine complaint with the game devs (or possibly GameStop)
This is something they've (devs) been wanting for years with consoles. To kill Used games. Why? you may ask. Well they get no money from the resale of that game, and places like GameStop make upwards of 2000% profit from each used sale. This is a problem, for the devs only, that makes piracy look like a small fly. While I don't like this practice, were stuck in this world unless you boycott the next gen of consoles. (I promise if Sony wants to keep the devs around for them, they will announce this soon, otherwise you'll see MANY more exclusives for MS)
Also the consoles are going to be tiny, if you're going to a friends house and want to play a game with them that you own.... PICK UP THE GOD DAMNED CONSOLE YOU LAZY FUCK AND BRING IT OVER! It's not like the 360 or PS3 were all that big/heavy either.
EDIT ADDITION TO ABOVE
Seems MajorNelson was good enough to clear up some facts regarding used games and going over to a friends house on his blog (Thanks to Saedo on posting it)
We know there is some confusion around used games on Xbox One and wanted to provide a bit of clarification on exactly what we’ve confirmed today. While there have been many potential scenarios discussed, today we have only confirmed that we designed Xbox One to enable our customers to trade in and resell games at retail.
Beyond that, we have not confirmed any specific scenarios.
Another piece of clarification around playing games at a friend’s house – should you choose to play your game at your friend’s house, there is no fee to play that game while you are signed in to your profile.
This is great news and clears up a lot of the confusion and complaints I heard on the day of the REVEAL
So let's try a TL:DR here. If you're thinking about getting a next gen console. WAIT until you see everything about it for launch. From the exclusives and launch titles and even getting to see the machine. Make an informed descion please!
If you don't want to because of the used game shit, Stay on PC and install Steam, I cannot recommend this service more.
Personally I'm leaning twoards the XboxOne atm (if it wasn't obvious) because in our home the PS3 is used as a media machine more than to play games (because of work and wow) So all of the O/S and Kinect stuff apeals to me. But I'm waiting to make a call on it until this fall once I see more from each.
So let's see how this new blog works, I'm feeling better just typing out my rage (arguing with Lore on twitter didn't help this much)
Then this is no different
saedo — Thu, 05/23/2013 - 19:50Then this is no different from any other legitimate customer base. Piracy gets you all the perks. Free game, hacks/cheats, no customer service bullshit, etc, etc.
It's the developers that are desperate for this cash flow even risking this inconvenience for their fanbase.
Sad but true. Piracy only
Shihli — Thu, 05/23/2013 - 19:54Sad but true. Piracy only hurts the legitimate consumer, but developers need to implement some form of anti-piracy to discourage the passive pirates.
Catch-22 of sorts.
Ultimately, the best move IMO is to take a Steam/CDProjektRED/Notch approach. Make your games accessible, affordable, and good - and make them easy to buy, easy to find. The best way to combat piracy is to make it less convenient than purchasing the product outright.
Of course, screwing your customers for wanting to lend games is a bad business decision IMO.
And before anyone opts to put these words in my mouth, no - I do not support GameStop or used game dealers. When I buy a game, I buy it new.
Well the thing with the Steam
saedo — Thu, 05/23/2013 - 20:12Well the thing with the Steam approach is that it doesn't let you borrow games either. You'd have to do the account share + download/install + play offline approach.
So, the question is, will developers lower game costs if they have this new avenue of cash flow?
The short answer is no. The
Shihli — Thu, 05/23/2013 - 20:14The short answer is no.
The long answer is, greed will get in the way of lower prices, but more than that if they insist on sticking with physical media (discs), then they will have to pay for distribution. Those costs go into the price of the games too.
That's part of the reason why Steam can sell for less. No physical media distribution.
You are correct, The devs all
Elapsed — Thu, 05/23/2013 - 20:39You are correct, The devs all will continue to assume you paid $60 for the last COD and you will pay $60 again because it's COD not because you got a digital copy over a physical one. Then what my grandpa used to call over-convience factor kicks in and people pay the ammount to not leave their house (he was referring to buying a 20oz bottle of sode when you could get a 2 liter or 12 pack and pay MUCH less per oz)
Also a huge downer with Steam is how much they charge for each sale for their service to the dev... could end up driving prices up in the short run
My argument is simply that I
Shihli — Thu, 05/23/2013 - 18:26My argument is simply that I shouldn't HAVE to move my console with me to play at a friend's house, a game that I already paid for.
It may be "the world we live in" but that doesn't mean I have to like it.
My choice for next-gen console? My PC.
Don't forget the Ouya.
Derchlon — Thu, 05/23/2013 - 17:28Don't forget the Ouya. Picking up one of those could be potentially awesome, just for the online store that sends profits straight to game devs.
The Ouya's going to flop
Shihli — Thu, 05/23/2013 - 18:26The Ouya's going to flop hard, unfortunately.
It very well might. It's big
Derchlon — Thu, 05/23/2013 - 18:35It very well might. It's big selling point is retro gaming, and that could prove to be too niche.
It's running an android OS.
Shihli — Thu, 05/23/2013 - 18:42It's running an android OS. Will it be able to play games that a smartphone or tablet won't have access to? If so it'll have a stronger selling point. If not, why drop money on an Ouya when you can get a $30 bluetooth controller and an HDMI cable, and use your phone as a gaming rig?
If I were to buy a new
Mehguy — Thu, 05/23/2013 - 14:39If I were to buy a new console it would likely be the XBOX just because I have more friends who play it compared to the PS3.
Based on the console/hardware reveals from both companies, I felt that the graphical presentation from the PS3 was more visually stunning. Im not a huge hardware nerd, so I didnt pay heavy attention to what all hardware in the new consoles, but it wouldnt surprise me if PS4 outdid the XB1 graphically as the PS3 outdid the 360 in that respec as well, IMO. Even if that is the case, it likely wont sway which I buy, if any.
The whole no backwards compatibility of the systems does irk me. I paid good money for those systems and games, and while, yes, i can still play those games on those systems, I do have a family home, as well as others, and while friends/co-workers know I enjoy gaming, I don't want to have consoles overloading an area of my home, or collecting dust until that one occasion I do decide to go back and play other games.
But then that brings up the online store, Im sure with not being able to play 360 games from the disc on the new XB1, I wouldnt be surprised if the Xbox store got upgraded a bit (same as the playstation store) and had digital downloads for PS3 and 360 games available on there (over the course of time obviously). OR maybe they will put out a program you can buy/download on your current gaming system that you can register your current games to your online profile, then if you buy the new system, you can pay a fee (like $5 or something) per game for the Digital Download copy of it. Just a thought, although I doubt theyll do that.
But like I mentioned in our conversation during the reveal, the no backwards compatibility likely makes me not want to buy a new console, at least immediately. Will have to wait until E3 to see what kind of games they have in store that may sway my opinion. But also as I get older, its more difficult to play games as much as I want to. Barely having enough time for WoW as it is on some nights.
The time and cost involved in
Elapsed — Thu, 05/23/2013 - 14:47The time and cost involved in making a console "backwards compatible" is quite high. You can either include the former tech from the previous gen of console. Or make an Emulator (the more likely scenario) O/S that kicks on when a past gen disc goes in.
The later option provides tons of problems. Each game has to be tested again to ensure that the Emulation doesn't cause unwanted bugs (because that would piss people off as well). We saw this with Xbox 360 early on. It led to some interesting bugs in older games and also took some well needed time from the Xbox Dev staff away from making the base OS improvements that the 360 so desprately needed early on.
The PS3 had one generation of consoles that was reverse compatible... then they went for a thinned console and abandonded the idea all together. I REALLY don't see Sony ever trying that again.
I would like to see either a new team over at MS break off to make a proper emulator early into the consoles life cycle. They have the brains and the know-how to make it work and work right. They've also done it now and know the pitfalls they face.
Apparently no emulator
saedo — Mon, 05/27/2013 - 16:24Apparently no emulator either.
http://www.digitaltrends.com/gaming/the-xbox-one-wont-play-360-games-even-digitally/
PS4 will at least stream the old games.
What if I jump on this
saedo — Thu, 05/23/2013 - 14:00What if I jump on this bandwagon?
Price drop:
saedo — Thu, 06/20/2013 - 10:14Price drop: http://blogs.nvidia.com/blog/2013/06/20/shield-gets-final-touch-before-its-release-a-better-price/
I LOVE this idea Nvidia is
Elapsed — Thu, 05/23/2013 - 14:49I LOVE this idea Nvidia is pushing. A handheld that when away has a great Android core of games, and power behind it. But when home! it syncs with your computer and you stream whatever the fuck game you want onto it OR to your tv via the HDMI port.
I've yet to see one in person, but trust me when I do, I will be spending a lot of time playing with it.