Official X06 Roundup

selfish · Post by **selfish** » 28 Sep 2006 02:43 pm

it's pretty funny seeing xbots scramble to save hide in the face of their own rhetoric

spouting pr bullshit will land you in the same camp as rocco
looking like a complete fuckwit

Seraph · Post by **Seraph** » 28 Sep 2006 02:45 pm

Current info indicates that DVD license fees are around $20US per unit. So yeah, I'll take 30 bucks in the hand rather than 30 bucks on a region 4 only DVD unit that makes far too much noise and won't get used at all, thanks to my stand-alone DVD player.

mech · Post by **mech** » 28 Sep 2006 02:46 pm

lestat wrote:Again since warner/toshiba/ms have special cross licencing deals in place. I would assume the actual cost to ms for dvd playback is next to nothing. Same goes for the hd-dvd drive, toshiba would be giving them the drive royality free and probably at cost or loss.

But trying to compare the cost of an expensive first gen drive(hardware) to licencing fee's is silly, especially when you consider that there is no guarantee either format will succeed. So consumers are stuck paying through the nose for a drive and technology that doesn't get cheaper over time due to the rest of the market rejecting it.

The hardware cost is the big problem here and the fact it could end up being a dead format with cost reduction ramifications down the line.

The point is the drive is irrelevent to the Blu-Ray movie format in its benefit to games. It's quieter (due to the lower spin speeds) and can hold almost 6 times as much data as a normal DVD. Talk of being "forced" to adopt a movie format is stupid. You're only as "forced" as much as you were with PS2.

And anyway, which would you prefer - $500 for a PS3 with a 20gig HDD (same as 360), and a format that the games can actually use, or $600 for a 360 with HD-DVD playback? $500 PS3 is certainly more expensive than a $400 360, but it's theoretically more powerful, has much more storage for games, has digital out, and has an upgradeable hard drive. It's not like the $100 ONLY goes towards movie playback that consumers don't want or need. And some (a lot?) of people WILL want Blu-ray playback, I certainly do. I also wants games that don't have to compromise because of space issues (HI AMPED 3)

jizzlobber · Post by **jizzlobber** » 28 Sep 2006 02:46 pm

what are you on about man?

edit- @ selfish

mech · Post by **mech** » 28 Sep 2006 02:50 pm

OMG and I was FORCED to get a remote for my 360 (which has never even been opened). Where the fuck was my consumer choice?

etc

mxlegend99 · Post by **mxlegend99** » 28 Sep 2006 02:52 pm

mech wrote:OMG and I was FORCED to get a remote for my 360 (which has never even been opened). Where the fuck was my consumer choice?

etc

Core pack

mech · Post by **mech** » 28 Sep 2006 02:56 pm

Cool, I could have paid, what, $720 to get an Xbox without the silver DVD drive, and without the remote? YAY!!!!

Anyone want my remote btw?

mxlegend99 · Post by **mxlegend99** » 28 Sep 2006 02:59 pm

Are you seriously bitching about having the remote? I know it's a pointless extra... but still, i like being able to use it ingame to change the song, pause, etc.

Makes the machine look so much cooler.

Scullibundo · Post by **Scullibundo** » 28 Sep 2006 03:03 pm

Texas wrote:
lestat wrote: • A landmark partnership between Academy Award-winning writer,
director, and producer Peter Jackson, Academy Award-winning screenwriter Fran Walsh, and Microsoft Game Studios will create two new interactive entertainment series exclusively for Xbox 360 and Xbox Live®.
The first will be a collaborative effort with Bungie Studios to co-create the next great chapter in the Halo® universe.
The second will be an entirely original property targeted at bringing new audiences into the captivating world of interactive entertainment. In addition, Microsoft Game Studios will partner with Jackson and Walsh to establish Wingnut Interactive, a studio dedicated to the creation of world-class interactive entertainment.
Is this Halo 3, or something else???? Halo Movie Game?

It's another untitled Halo game that's not Halo 3 or the RTS game.

Talez · Post by **Talez** » 28 Sep 2006 03:03 pm

mxlegend99 wrote:Are you seriously bitching about having the remote?

Why not? You guys are bitching about the much more useful Bluray.

mech · Post by **mech** » 28 Sep 2006 03:04 pm

mxlegend99 wrote:Are you seriously bitching about having the remote? I know it's a pointless extra... but still, i like being able to use it ingame to change the song, pause, etc.

Makes the machine look so much cooler.

I've got a universal remote so I don't need it. Plus I don't like having remote technology forced on me as a game player.

Scullibundo · Post by **Scullibundo** » 28 Sep 2006 03:06 pm

Oh and Spartan's don't say bullshit like 'If they want war, we'll give 'em war!'. That is not tactical radio chat! BAD SPARTAN!

lestat · Post by **lestat** » 28 Sep 2006 03:06 pm

mech wrote: The point is the drive is irrelevent to the Blu-Ray movie format in its benefit to games. It's quieter (due to the lower spin speeds) and can hold almost 6 times as much data as a normal DVD. Talk of being "forced" to adopt a movie format is stupid. You're only as "forced" as much as you were with PS2.

PS2 was a $299 machine, it used a format that was already 2-3 years on the market and was backed by all of the industry at a time when ancient vhs needed to be buried. People are happy with dvd, PS3 is $500-$600 and it's using a format that could likely end being a total failure and non event. It feels like sony is forcing it on consumers when honestly the format isn't ready to be in a mass produced console where low cost hardware is important.

And anyway, which would you prefer - $500 for a PS3 with a 20gig HDD (same as 360), and a format that the games can actually use, or $600 for a 360 with HD-DVD playback? $500 PS3 is certainly more expensive than a $400 360, but it's theoretically more powerful, has much more storage for games, has digital out, and has an upgradeable hard drive. It's not like the $100 ONLY goes towards movie playback that consumers don't want or need. And some (a lot?) of people WILL want Blu-ray playback, I certainly do. I also wants games that don't have to compromise because of space issues (HI AMPED 3)

I prefer the 360 i have now mech, the one i bought in march only cost me $650 aussie and has been awesome. I don't see dvd holding this baby back, if anything at X06 we've seen the 360 is a beast and has got legs. I'll gladly wait until this stupid format war is over, pick up a nice quality standalone movie player which no doubt will be nice and affordable by then and be one happy camper.

My current plasma is only 1024x768 hd movies will look nicers but i'm extremely happy with dvd and i watch movies a lot less than i used, mainly i game or I'm out getting pissed in my free time.

After this massive X06 i might just wait a bit before getting a ps3, the only game i really want is vf5 and I don't feel like paying $830-999 for one game that lacks online which i think the game needs for longevity, also add the need to buy another arcade stick and it's too much money. Also i see the 360 getting a price drop soon, which is gonna make the ps3 look like more a expensive purchase.

mxlegend99 · Post by **mxlegend99** » 28 Sep 2006 03:12 pm

Talez wrote:
mxlegend99 wrote:Are you seriously bitching about having the remote?
Why not? You guys are bitching about the much more useful Bluray.

You mean that thing that increases the price by $200 and delays the console by over a year?

I have no issue with having to pay for Blu-Ray... i just have an issue with it delaying a console. I like that i don't have to pay for HD-DVD and wait for it also. I'm not going to waste my money on it. I'll put that money toward a standalone player.

selfish · Post by **selfish** » 28 Sep 2006 03:17 pm

jizz: the way choice and better technology is only good if it comes from MS

jizzlobber · Post by **jizzlobber** » 28 Sep 2006 03:26 pm

you're looking into it too much

selfish · Post by **selfish** » 28 Sep 2006 03:29 pm

not really, all it took was some gentle ribbing from seraph and it exploded

Twiztid Elf · Post by **Twiztid Elf** » 28 Sep 2006 03:30 pm

mech wrote:
Twiztid Elf wrote:
mech wrote: Stop being such a motherfucking retard.
Eh?
Forcing movie technology... stop being such a dolt. By that logic, as Seraph already pointed out, MS are "forcing" DVD movie playback technology on you. OMG we should just use carts.

Why are you arguing against something that even Sony themselves have admitted to?
It has been widely reported that they are using Playstation3 to "shoehorn" or "trojan-horse" Blu-Ray into peoples loungerooms.

I'd rather a $700 Playstation3 than a $1000 Blu-Ray player.

And the argument that it is a benefit to games is something completely untangible at this point in time, and remains unproven.

lestat · Post by **lestat** » 28 Sep 2006 03:33 pm

mxlegend99 wrote: I'll put that money toward a standalone player.

I've been told by a friend who works for Panasonic, not to expect ps3 bluray playback to be stellar. I believe him, considering all previous consoles with movie playback have disappointed when it came to image quality and quality decoding. There are still lots of doubts as to complience as a full spec bluray player too, some studios are putting ps3 compatible stickers on their releases and surpise all those releases are mpeg2. So I'm suspecting out the gate the player may not handle AVC/VC-1 encoded discs properly or at all. We'll see, very little has been demonstrated publicly. Sony are behind when it comes to AVC/VC-1 codecs so full support may need to updated ala psp style in the future.

selfish · Post by **selfish** » 28 Sep 2006 03:34 pm

anyone who says "unproven technology" is repeating ms pr

lestat · Post by **lestat** » 28 Sep 2006 03:38 pm

Selfish, sony have a track record for failed formats, most recent adition being the umd. I think there is a lot of merit in calling bluray unproven. We still have no idea in terms how reliable the discs are for gaming. So far real ps3's have been playing off the hdd not optical media. No one has actually seen a game on a bluray disc being inserted into a ps3 yet.

selfish · Post by **selfish** » 28 Sep 2006 03:54 pm

mech · Post by **mech** » 28 Sep 2006 03:59 pm

Twiztid Elf wrote: Why are you arguing against something that even Sony themselves have admitted to?
It has been widely reported that they are using Playstation3 to "shoehorn" or "trojan-horse" Blu-Ray into peoples loungerooms.

I'd rather a $700 Playstation3 than a $1000 Blu-Ray player.

And the argument that it is a benefit to games is something completely untangible at this point in time, and remains unproven.

As I pointed out in my post, the difference is not $300, it's US$100, or AU$180, and the difference does not just cover the ability to play Blu-Ray movies.

And if the PS3 is successful and if it helps Blu-Ray succeed, so what? It's also had a beneficial effect upon games. It's like crying about UMD's inability to become a successful movie format - OH NOES. Games still use all that space and it still makes for cheap game media so who gives a rat's arse? The point is games still have 6 times as much space to play with, and the whole machine is quieter, so hooray for Blu-Ray!

P.S. Show me where sony "admits" that Blu-ray is a "trojan horse".

lestat · Post by **lestat** » 28 Sep 2006 04:15 pm

UMD's are just dual layer dvd red laser discs cut to size and placed in a caddy. nothing technically challenging about it at all.

If bluray fails, slows ps3 adoption because of the higher price, lower drive output rate. It will hurt the console in the long run because the components wont reduce in cost as quick as they could if the rest of industry was ramping blue laser designs and components. Also bluray requires all new media fabrication equipment, so disc manufacturing becomes a burdon on sony exclusively if it doesn't take off. Not to mention sony is eating huge losses just including the drive at these current prices. If bluray fails to take off, it will seriously hurt their future profit potential, they're hoping to make back money through bluray movie disc royalties.

Also mech you can't stand here and tell come next march the 360 will still be $650 here locally. When ps3 finally gets around to shipping here, 360 will get a price cut and the difference will be even more substantial.

mech · Post by **mech** » 28 Sep 2006 04:22 pm

Maybe, maybe not. I don't know how much of a hurry Microsoft's in to cut the price.