I really think HD-DVD has such an advantage over the BD right now, that the Sony's format is going to fade away. Sony has a history of creating obsolete formats such as Beta and the memory stick, this is going to be just another one for the colection. Which will hurt the PS3 sales so bad, I can't even describe. “Voice or no voice, the people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. That is easy. All you have to do is tell them they are being attacked and denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism and exposing the country to danger. It works the same in any country.” — Nazi Reich Marshal Hermann Goering
BD may not catch on as a video medium but as a game medium and burnable medium i think its a given success. BD burners as well as blank's are already out on the market and can hold a much higher capacity than HD DVD.
we all remember how big the difference was to going from CD to DVD when it comes to games. i think the format will do just fine. "Never. I'll never turn to the darkside. You've failed your highness. I am a jedi, like my father before me."
I think its extremely unfair to assess BluRay as dead or to compare it to HD-DVD right now--HD-DVD has been out for a half year, and with a heavy market saturation. Blu-Ray, for all intents and purposes, just came out a month or two ago. It has indeed had a hickuppy release, what with delays and hardware glitches, and only now are they starting to use dual-layered non-MPEG2 disks. As far as I am concerned, the format is as new as the PS3. At this time next year if things are more or less the same then we can proclaim it a generally failed effort, but personally we are only now starting to even see the potential of the format, which hasn't even had a proper forum for release until a month or two ago.
As for the PS3, i think the overestimated sales have to do mainly with price--and in this aspect, the Blu-Ray integration is mainly at fault. Current players retail for $700-1200, so to get a Blu-Ray player bundled with a great gaming system for whatever it is, $600 or so, is a great bargain--but this, unfortunately, is not a concern to gamers. I think any rejection of the PS3 is based mostly on price--the new X-Box system is about on par with the Sony machine (and personally i don't think Nintendo has much of a following anymore so the Wii is not a huge competitor). If you have two systems that are virtually equal but one costs hundreds of dollars less, which are you going to go for? I suppose, on the other hand, that most early adopters who are willing to spend half a grande aren't really going to be too put off by a one-time extra charge of a hundred bucks or so. The real issue is going to come when price drops begin to put it in the price range of more casual gamers--systems don't really take off until they reach the $250-300 range, and if the PS3 stays well above that, as it probably will for many more years, then that will be its true death.
Back on topic, i have done little post-christmas shopping so far. A trip to Chinatown left me with a bunch of bootlegged Hong Kong films but thats about it (not usually my thing, but the rarity of certain asian titles sometimes leaves these things as the only option unfortunately).
(and personally i don't think Nintendo has much of a following anymore so the Wii is not a huge competitor)
We shall see.
I think the Wii has a fair chance of becoming the most popular system this generation. Its gimmicky and limited to a large degree, and its video hardware is not as powerful, but the Wii works just enough to leave people in a very interested state. The buzz and participation relating to the Wii right now is huge. Interest like that equals lots of purchases.
(And let's not forget the fact that Nintendo is basically making profits from the start as they always wisely seek to do. Looking at the current success of the 360, I'm guessing that it will probably just barely make it out of loss territory this generation considering how the original Xbox never even got that far in its entire lifetime. And, while the PS3 is looking like it probably won't be much of a success, I still want it to be successful enough to help BD out.)
"Now all Lucas has to do is make a cgi version of himself. It will be better than the original and fit his original vision." - skyjedi2005
Not that Nintendo won't have large success with their system, due to name recognition alone, but i think the results will be similar or probably even lesser than the Gamecube--decent enough, but really nothing to get too excited about. For serious gamers, I find that the competition continues to put out substantially better product, as worthwhile as Nintendo's is. The Wii seems to be the most niche system since the Virtualboy, and we all remember how that turned out (though it was kind of cool). The Wii strikes me as something that will be much, much more popular in asia, where those types of gimmicks and exaggeratedness are more in style.
I beg to differ, Zombie. I've looked in several stores for a Wii (two Gamestops, three Wal-Marts, two K-Marts, a Best Buy, and a Target) and none of them had Wii's. Some of them did indeed have Playstation 3's though (Target even had 3!)
And there were Xbox 360s everywhere I turned; but since it's been around for awhile, that's not such a bad thing.
I also disagree. Nintendo is going through a path of true inovation here, and has the best system for this new generation. You can see how Sony rushed a (somewhat poor) gyroscope on it's controller in order to try to move a little bit towards this new path - Nintendo pretty much dictates the video game industry standarts since the early 80s, and things won't change now.
Good games are coming for the system, which I belive will be the #1 worldwide, not only in Japan, for years to come. “Voice or no voice, the people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. That is easy. All you have to do is tell them they are being attacked and denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism and exposing the country to danger. It works the same in any country.” — Nazi Reich Marshal Hermann Goering
Yeah, zombie... it's hard to argue with 3.19 Million units sold within the first two months of the system's life. The Wii still may yet come in third place, but it's by no means a Virtual-Boy-Caliber flop.
While it's impossible to deny that the 360 and PS3 have their own pros and the Wii has its own cons, I think the PS3 has the most against it at the moment, and until that changes, the Wii will continue to dominate it. Most of the highly touted things about the PS3, I don't really care about. I don't need a BluRay player (until one format becomes the standard, moving to next gen seems like folly to me) or an all-purposes media center, and I don't have an HDMI-compatible television. And right now, the PS3 game library isn't enough to justify the price tag.
Originally posted by: zombie84 For serious gamers, I find that the competition continues to put out substantially better product, as worthwhile as Nintendo's is. The Wii seems to be the most niche system since the Virtualboy, and we all remember how that turned out (though it was kind of cool).
Hmm, very interesting comment. I wonder how we should define "serious gamers" and serious gaming. From my point of view the Wii is the most serious gaming platform currently available precisely because it’s so different and fresh. If you're looking for new types of games and new kinds of fun, it's definitely the “serious” system of choice for true “gamers.” On the other hand, if all you want is the next FPS, with upgraded graphics, then get a 360 (or perhaps a PS3) since the Wiimote probably won't handle FPS games as well, but that’s the approach of a serious “FPS gamer” if you ask me.
It’s also interesting that you mention the virtual boy though. I happened to own the system and a lot of its games. I thought that it was pretty cool, but its gimmicky nature hindered it in fatal ways. First, it used a bulky (and unsteady) viewing system that forced you to sit in front of a table with your eyes leaning forward into it. Second, all of the graphics were limited to the color red and did not have an impressive level of detail for a non-portable system of that time. (And for me personally, I couldn't even use it because the viewer didn’t work with my glasses in the way and with my glasses off, a number of the far-off, true-3D objects were too blurry for me to see.) The Wii on the other hand is easy to use despite its gimmicky nature and has none of the other main drawbacks that the Virtual Boy had. (Even though the Wii has weaker video technology than its competitors, it should prove to be a bit better than the original Xbox and that's not bad considering the price.)
"Now all Lucas has to do is make a cgi version of himself. It will be better than the original and fit his original vision." - skyjedi2005
I think once the kinks are worked out, the Wii will be THE system for first person shooters. Right now Red Steel and Far Cry Vengeance are showing it's viable, though they have their own problems. I think when Metroid Prime 3 comes around, we'll see if the Wiimote can really handle first person gunplay superbly or if the dual joysticks are still the perefered way of playing it on a console.
I'm still very reluctant to buy a Wii, but I'll admit it seems Metroid Prime's gameplay and the Wii-mote are a match made in heaven. If this comes to fruition, and the golf game coming out is good, then I think I'll get one (when they're available of course). 40,000 million notches away
Heh, wow. I don't think I ever thought about that! I hope LucasArts has thought about it, though...
And, even though I'm not a fan of FPS, I think the Wii would be the perfect system for that category. It's RPGs and multi-button combo-based fighting games where I'm afraid it might fall short.
There is no lingerie in space…
C3PX said: Gaffer is like that hot girl in high school that you think you have a chance with even though she is way out of your league because she is sweet and not a stuck up bitch who pretends you don’t exist… then one day you spot her making out with some skinny twerp, only on second glance you realize it is the goth girl who always sits in the back of class; at that moment it dawns on you why she is never seen hanging off the arm of any of the jocks… and you realize, damn, she really is unobtainable after all. Not that that is going to stop you from dreaming… Only in this case, Gaffer is actually a guy.
Well, there's always the unpreferable route of making them compatible with the Wii Classic or Gamecube controller. I believe that's the case with Smash Bros Brawl--from what I've heard it will play pretty much just like Melee, only bigger, prettier, and online.
Yeah, I have a hard time thinking how Brawl will play on Wii.
But then again, I just started playing Twilight Princess, and it really doesn't feel too different from its 3D predecessors. Aside from aiming and slashing with the Wiimote, it seems pretty standard. Not to say that the game isn't great and that I haven't almost wet myself because it's so much fun, but I'm just waiting to see if the Wii invovation is going to come into play more. Of course, then again, it was originally developed for GC, and I have heard at least one reviewer claim that the Wii functionality seemed rather tacked on. I guess I'll have to wait and see.
There is no lingerie in space…
C3PX said: Gaffer is like that hot girl in high school that you think you have a chance with even though she is way out of your league because she is sweet and not a stuck up bitch who pretends you don’t exist… then one day you spot her making out with some skinny twerp, only on second glance you realize it is the goth girl who always sits in the back of class; at that moment it dawns on you why she is never seen hanging off the arm of any of the jocks… and you realize, damn, she really is unobtainable after all. Not that that is going to stop you from dreaming… Only in this case, Gaffer is actually a guy.
I bought Goodfellas and Casino today. After The Departed I thought I should check out some other Scorsese movies. I've seen Goodfellas now. I thought it was a great movie. Fez: I am so excited about Star Whores. Hyde: Fezzy, man, it's Star Wars.
Having never had an interest in online gaming, I have no idea what I'm doing. But I have an interest in the virtual console idea. How do you hook your Wii up to the Internet?
There is no lingerie in space…
C3PX said: Gaffer is like that hot girl in high school that you think you have a chance with even though she is way out of your league because she is sweet and not a stuck up bitch who pretends you don’t exist… then one day you spot her making out with some skinny twerp, only on second glance you realize it is the goth girl who always sits in the back of class; at that moment it dawns on you why she is never seen hanging off the arm of any of the jocks… and you realize, damn, she really is unobtainable after all. Not that that is going to stop you from dreaming… Only in this case, Gaffer is actually a guy.
You have to have a compatible wireless router. The Nintendo DS Wi-Fi USB Connector works with it, as does a generic third-party brand that works with the PSP as well.
You also need to have it within thirty feet of the router or you'll lose connection speed.
Not sure about the distance from the router. I've connected on "teh internets" with the Wii using a router that was inside a closed room, at the end of a corridor that connected to the living room, where the Wii was placed, on the floor and on the opposite side of the corridor entrance.
Also, I've seen on the Wii options that you can connect the Wii on a wired internet connection, but I'm not sure how that works. Perhaps through one of the USB connections on the console? I've got to take a look at the manual again, but I don't remember seeing that being mentioned there...
Regarding the controllers, I belive using a GC controller is better - cheaper then the classic one and it won't run your wiimote batteries out.
I'll try to use web msn messenger over the Internet Channel, see if it works... “Voice or no voice, the people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. That is easy. All you have to do is tell them they are being attacked and denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism and exposing the country to danger. It works the same in any country.” — Nazi Reich Marshal Hermann Goering
Originally posted by: Nanner Split I'm typing this post through the Internet Channel on my Wii. Woo hoo!
I'm also posting through the Wii... Takes a long time to post though... “Voice or no voice, the people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. That is easy. All you have to do is tell them they are being attacked and denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism and exposing the country to danger. It works the same in any country.” — Nazi Reich Marshal Hermann Goering
