jbanes

I don't think we need anything so elaborate. The fact that we'll never let each other forget it is sufficient. Besides, I'd feel bad taking your money. Let's be clear on what I'm saying, though. I don't think that Natal won't work. The basic concept of using a camera to track motion will work. Even voice commands are existing technology. (Though surprisingly primitive given the years of research poured into such tech.) What I'm saying is that the Milo demo is complete BS. Auto scanning objects - BS Conversational AI - BS Voice Rec sophisticated enough for a conversation - BS Natural/Lifelike Emotional Response - BS At best, Milo has a limited chain of scripts which the presenter carefully navigated to produce the desired effect. Peter then played it up with a ton of emotional language in order to create a sense of wonder and connection in the viewer. Don't buy it. It's pure, unadulterated BS. That being said, I doubt we'll see Natal in a purchasable form for at least 2 years. Historically speaking, that would align it with the next console. Which is what I believe Microsoft will do. However, this generation has been a bit weird. Given how much the market seems to be struggling to gain the same traction of previous generations (all while more money flies around than ever before), this generation may get extended. Especially with no PS4 console visible on the horizon. So it's possible Natal will indeed end up being a 360 peripheral. What I stick by is my 2 year estimate and that the Milo demo is pure, unadulterated bullhockey.

Dunno. Why do you post something so silly? I'm not kidding when I say this is Microsoft SOP. Case in point: Few people know that Windows was created to compete with a desktop environment from VisiCorp called VisiOn. (Yes, the people who made the uber-popular VisiCalc.) When VisiOn appeared on the market, Microsoft felt threatened and announced Windows. Of course, Microsoft had no idea what Windows was supposed to be, but they needed an announcement to keep the market happy and waiting. So Microsoft promised the world: Lower memory usage, no hard drive necessary, no mouse required, full integration with DOS programs, etc., etc., etc. Result: VisiCorp died off while everyone waited for Windows. When Windows was finally released, it was unusable. Worse yet, several of the promises had been broken or kept only to the letter of the law. It wasn't until version 3.0 that Windows became a viable platform. (3.0 of course being widely criticized for copying Mac. In Microsoft's defense, the Mac actually gave them something to actually compete against. Without it, Windows' purpose in life would have been over.) Then there's the time when Microsoft faked the pen computing demo, then gave the same demo a year later with the tech actually working. Thus they confused the audience as to why they were being shown the exact same thing yet again. Obviously, I dislike Microsoft quite a bit. Not in the least of which is because they always find some new underhanded tactic to pull right when I start cooling toward their behavior in the market. (Don't get me started on Microsoft's outright lies when it comes to web standards. Chris Wilson is on my personal shit-list.) But I was generally happy with their competition in the gaming market. Microsoft was throwing their money around, but they were otherwise competing. Even the stage demo which seemed to have a few faked aspects (e.g. there's no way Natal was understanding that guy's voice commands in that room) didn't bother me all that much. It was mostly funny and I was happy to see them giving it a go. But that Milo video? Bah. Microsoft's back to their old tricks. That whole demo wreaks to high heaven. Microsoft honestly wants us to believe they've personally invented a number of previously impossible technologies just to put them in a game system? Yeah. Right. If Microsoft had a reliable track-record of solid invention, then I could give them the benefit of the doubt. But they don't. Microsoft usually does what's already been done. They just throw a lot of resources at it until they do it better than the competition. (Or at least to where the market believes they do it better. Six of one, half dozen of the other.) In result, there is only one logical conclusion: Microsoft is up to their old tricks again. Feel free to be excited about Natal. But don't buy this Milo BS. Microsoft is trying to take you for a ride.

IHMO, this is typical Microsoft BS. 1. Announce a product that's going to save the world. 2. All the competitors go out of business while Microsoft pushes the release date farther and farther 3. Microsoft underdelivers, but with no competition who's going to do anything about it? Anyone who's read Barbarians Led by Bill Gates knows that Microsoft loves to fake tech demos. It's not only their modus operandi, it's their standard operating procedure. Guess what Microsoft? This is the video game industry. And in the game industry, your type of BS is dime a dozen. No one is going to buy your ad campaign any more than Romero made us his b**ch. Bam! There you go.

Just point them this'a'way: WiiWare: http://wiiware.nintendolife.com/games Virtual Console: http://vc.nintendolife.com/games DSiWare: http://dsiware.nintendolife.com/games

I have a DSi. It has two screens, but only one is a touch screen. The downloadable games are unique to the DSi, but there will also be DSi "enhanced" carts as well as DSi "exclusive" carts. (Sort of like the Gameboy Color.) Neither type has yet been seen in North America. The screens on the DSi are larger, though they are the same resolution. The DSi also has a free web browser available, which is actually quite cool. All DS games are compatible with the DSi, but extra hardware that used the GBA slot cannot be used. In practice, this makes Guitar Hero unplayable. That's about the only game that has that problem, AFAIK. (Other than the DS web browser, but the new system has one built in.) Here's my 2 cents: * If you have a DS already, there's no reason to upgrade yet. The system appears to have been released in a hurry and doesn't yet have much exclusive software available. Even the DSiShop downloads are kind of weak. * If you don't have a DS, get a DSi! The DSi is the next generation of Nintendo handheld. If you get a DS Lite, you'll be kicking yourself when the new games come along for only the DSi. As others have mentioned, getting a GBA is a better solution for classic games. A GBA or GBA SP will serve you much better, and will play old GameBoy games. The Micro is another option, but it doesn't offer multisystem compatibility.

That only makes it worse. It means that they not only failed to expand the visible edges for widescreen (not that hard), but they could even be bothered to put bars on it for the people with widescreen sets. That's double the failure.

Try using the up/down arrow icon to switch the screens. That configuration is a lot easier for reading Single column mode (in the popup menu on the right) will also reformat the page into something more readable. It will make a complete mess of the layout, but it can be useful for text-heavy pages. Try DSiCade sometime. I think you'll find the layout to be quite pleasant.

FWIW, this is a HUGE issue. The NES had a screen resolution of 256x240. (256x224 effective) The GBA has a resolution of only 240 x 160. Something has to happen to those lost pixels. Which means that the screen either has to be squished or cropped. Neither of which is an ideal solution.

Hi All! If you have a DSi, I'm testing a new website built specifically for its built-in Web Browser. The browser has a lot of limitations, so don't expect the next New Super Mario Bros., but I think it's coming along nicely. Feel free to stop by and give me your feedback. I'm trying to incorporate as many features as possible while building out new games and programs. Point your DSi at: http://www.dsicade.com

The Daddies

Whoops. Meant to say, "DRM free".

Actually, Apple files are DRM these days. So if you drag recently purchased files from iTunes to your SD Card, you'll see them show up with an m4a extension rather than an m4p (protected) extension. Older files can be upgraded to higher-quality, DRM-free files for 30 cents a file. Just click on the "Upgrade to iTunes Plus" link on the right of the store front page.

The footprint of the system is actually a bit bigger than the DS Lite. The primary size difference is that it's thinner. Interestingly, I saw a tear down of a DSi the other day. The battery is actually smaller than the DS Lite (!) which explains the reduced battery life. (I originally thought it was because of the faster processors. Guess not. ) The other aspect that was interesting is that a secondary board was used to extend the controls out to the DPad. The mainboard is smaller than the DS Lite, so there's no need for it to have a larger footprint. After a bit of thinking on the problem, the only reason I can find for the DSi being larger is that Nintendo wanted to maintain the same amount of clearance on the sides as the DS Lite, yet still install bigger screens.

Unfortunately, Night Game is still some time away. But if that looks interesting to you, download World of Goo. It's got the same sort of easy-going vibe with a very similar art style.

I'm not trying to be overly critical. I'm just saying that the numbers aren't always comparable, so be a bit careful when using VGChartz. That's all.

Here's my thoughts: - No, I don't have a DSi yet. But I want one. - NintendoLife gave the game a 9/10. So it's well received among its target audience. - The game is targeted to the casual market who enjoys much of the popular Wii and DS software. If you don't count yourself in that crowd, DON'T BUY IT*. * Actually, do buy it. Then when you don't like it, sell it to me for 50% of the original price. Make sure you don't disturb the manual or registration card. In fact, don't even take them out or look at them. Especially not the registration card. I... uh... want the title in pristine condition for my collection. Yeah, that's it. Pristine condition.

Just an FYI on VG Chartz: They tend to be very poor at updating games that aren't in the spotlight. For example, VDub quoted 0.46M for Excite Truck*. Well, they've updated it with information from October of last year. (!) It's now listed as having sold 0.93m copies. Also, VGChartz has been caught making up numbers when it suits them. So take the numbers with a grain of salt, and check the last update date when comparing. VDub, I don't see why this is a failure: The Wii version sold quite well! In fact, the numbers show that it outsold the PS3 revision. (Probably because the Wii version was more fun thanks to the controls, which made up for the graphics.) One important thing to remember about games is that no matter how large the console's market share is, the game's market is only a small portion of that. Which is why the PS2 can sell >100 million units, yet never see a game that snags even 10% of that market. Nintendo's key advantage is their ability to produce titles that have sufficient mass appeal to both a) sell the systems and b) capture a significant chunk of the audience. That's why the Top Selling Games of all time are primarily composed of Nintendo titles. And why you don't see any PS3 titles and only one 360 title (Halo 3 - 9.40m) high on the charts, but you see several Wii titles like MK:Wii (15.38m), SSBB (8.51m), and Mario Galaxy (8.01m). What's even more interesting is the percentage sold compared to the current numbers of consoles sold: Wii (44.96m) Wii Play - 51% Wii:Fit - 40% MK:Wii - 34% SSBB - 19% SMG - 18% XBox 360 (27.93) Halo 3 - 34% CoD4 - 26% GTA4 - 25% GoW - 21% PS3 (21.3) GTA4 - 26% CoD4 - 19% MGS4 - 18% R:FoM - 17% Nintendo really knew how to hit their market, capturing an INCREDIBLE 40% with WiiFit! That right there is a console maker's wet dream. Especially with the sort of console sales Nintendo has. Interestingly, you'll notice that Nintendo's sales fall off faster in terms of percentage. There's a lot more wiggle room in their market, especially once you realize the absolute numbers are higher. The 360 does really well to pull the same customers back again and again for more of the same. The popular FPSes all appear to capture the same market. Which is good for Microsoft, because they can count on a certain segment no matter what. The PS3 is just... wow. That's awful. MGS4, one of the most heralded titles of the system, barely captured 18%. (Less, once you realize that I'm rounding.) Even the powerhouse that is LittleBigPlanet barely managed to squeak into the charts with 2.13m (10%). With numbers like these, it's anyone's guess whether there will be a PS4 or not... * There's no doubt in my mind that Excite Truck would have outsold Motor Storm (3.47m) if Sony hadn't bundled MS with the PS3. If you look at the sequel (Motor Storm: Pacific Rim) it's easy to see that it was a popular, but not quite THAT popular title (0.63m).

Obviously you've never worked in network security. The correct way to handle this situation is to write the code on a post-it note, then stick the note to the box. That way it will be right there when you need it!

LostWinds is a great game that can easily put you to sleep with its calming atmosphere. World of Goo is an incredibly relaxed game that is perfect for chillin'. Alien Crush Returns is a fairly relaxing pinball title. Gyrostarr is as boring as it gets. Strong Bad episodes are point and click adventures. Can't get much more calming than that. Tiki Towers is very laid back. I didn't find it very enjoyable, but that doesn't mean you won't. Toki Tori is a great little puzzle game that's good for relaxing. What I will say about Orbient is that the gameplay feels different on the Wii over the GBA. I played the GBA version after having played the Wii, and I was shocked at how much better the GBA version was. It's hard to pin down the differences, but I can say that the Wii version feels even more relaxed than the GBA version.

"HI" Ack! Who let him in here?!? I have no idea how I missed your account. We've even posted in some of the same threads. Go figure. Well, slightly belated welcome! And for the record, the wii rocks.

I don't think so... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saturation_(color_theory) Unless you've jacked up the controls on your TV, there's no way a 2600 is putting out a highly saturated palette. In fact, the color tones on the 2600 are rather bland. Which is somewhat compensated for by the surprisingly high number of colors the 2600 can generate.

1Q 2007. i.e. A few months after the Wii was released. I also sent it in for the repair-- excuse me, "cleaning" needed to make SSBB work. I'm not sure if anyone would realize it's a problem. Nintendo has added software in the last few Wii revisions that scans through system files looking for hacks. It's hard to say what is in 4.0 and what it's scanning for. All we know is that the Twilight Hacks appears to be dead for good. If that scanning procedure dies on the homebrew channel because the system is expecting a 4.0-compatible signature but can't find it, then that would explain what's going on. Even if the channel you're running is something other than the homebrew channel.

I dunno. I've been using 4.0 and I love it! I've transferred 34 programs to the SD Card, leaving only the standard channels + Internet Channel behind. I've also reloaded the Nintendo Channel on to the Wii's internal memory. So far, the new feature has been a God send. I just go to my (nicely organized by system) SD Card menu, find the game I want, and run it. No hassle, no lockups. I've also run plenty of disc games, and made purchases. Just a wild thought, but might the lockups be related to having the Homebrew Channel or other hacks installed?

I don't see why there is a "raging" debate at all. I love the feel of old hardware and the connection to the past. Doesn't stop me from emulating a lot of stuff. I just want to place the Real Thing on the proper scale of importance. I don't know about 25 year old televisions. A lot of the really old ones had great difficulty with game consoles (I remember one TV with only antenna hook-ups that couldn't handle the NES signal at all), and TV technology didn't change much between the 80's (when we played most of these consoles) and the late 90's. There's definitely a need to preserve old tubes, but not necessarily the ones from the 80's and earlier. Alas, I don't have the space. The next best thing is my TV card. It makes game consoles look appropriately blurry on a high definition monitor. Which can be a good thing with many older games.

Unfortunately, the *feel* of the system is lost in emulation. Even with simple examples like the NES and the SNES, the experience is not exact. The Wii Remote does not have the same feel as the NES controller, nor does the classic controller have the authentic feel of the SNES controller. The GCN controller and the N64 controller are completely different beasts. Slotting in cartridges has a different feel than clicking around menus. Seeing the boxes, the labels, the human labor that went into the creation of these games. Much of it is lost in emulation. There is very real value in keeping these systems alive. Not only does it preserve them in their natural state, but it gives new generations a tangible connection to days gone by. For as long as we can maintain that hardware, these periods in history will not be lost or forgotten. They will live on as cultural memories rather than being relegated to history books as a footnote of something that once was but will never be again.