Search results matching tag 'gaming'

Xbox 720 (Durango) Could Require Always-On Connection, Lock Out Used Games

News — Wed, 06 Feb 2013 19:12:57 GMT

Sony's next-generation PS4 unveil is just two weeks away, which means leaks concerning both it and Microsoft's next-generation Xbox Durango (sometimes referred to as the Xbox 720), are at an all-time high as well. Unfortunately, not all the news is good. Rumors continue to swirl that the next iteration of Xbox will lock out used games entirely and require a constant Internet connection.

The used games angle is something we've covered before. New games would come with a one-time activation code to play. Use the code, and the game is locked to the particular console or Xbox Live account it's loaded on. Physical games will still be sold (the Durango reportedly supports 50GB Blu-ray Discs), but the used game market? Kiboshed.

If this is true, it's an ugly move on Microsoft's part. Not only does it annihilate the right of first sale, it'll eviscerate any game store or business that depends on video game rentals for revenue. Sure, that means Gamestop takes a hit -- and that company isn't exactly popular -- but there's no indication that any other service that provides video game rentals would survive, either.

Then there's the always-on component. If the Xbox Durango was a $149 set top box with a hard drive and a cloud gaming connection, the tradeoff might be worth it. The idea of a $399 - $499 piece of hardware that's effectively useless without an Internet connection is intolerable. Internet connections fail. Sometimes they're up and running, but saturated with content being delivered to other locations in the house.

Xbox Live is a major component of Microsoft's services and a huge revenue engine for the company, but it's not something every gamer is going to want to use every single time they play.

If these rumors are accurate, they're only going to hurt the console, even if Sony is on board with similar methods of its own. Forcing gamers to buy every product at full retail isn't going to help game revenue. There are games I'd pay full price for the day they come out. There are other games I don't buy until they hit $29, $19, or $5 on Steam. If all new titles are locked to new pricing (or decrease only at an extremely slow pace), I'm not going to buy more $60 titles -- I'll just play fewer games.

I'm not paying $399 for a console that turns into a paperweight if Time-Warner is having a bad day. Locking out used game sales and requiring an Internet connection are not features anyone that actually buys these products is requesting.

RE: Can A New GPU Rejuvenate A 5 Year Old Gaming PC?

mhenriday — Fri, 25 Jan 2013 11:23:31 GMT

Have to agree with Dave, realneil, Paul, et al ; this was indeed a really worthwhile initiative on the part of Joel ! Nice to know that a GPU upgrade does, in practice, make so great a difference even when other components aren't the absolutely latest and greatest. Relevant for me, as a little more than a year ago I upgraded my main box with a GA-990FXA-UD3 motherboard, a Phenom II X 4 955 processor, a FSP650-80EGN PSU, and 16 GB RAM, but retained an ancient GeForce 7900 GTX GPU. I've been looking for a good deal on a GTX 660, but now that AMD has released a driver that seems to work decently with Linux OSs, I'm thinking of widening my search. Good to learn that such an upgrade would have significant (positive) effects !...

Henri

Re: AMD FX-8350 Vishera 8-Core CPU Review

RepoTactics — Fri, 23 Nov 2012 04:51:04 GMT

Ok, so I am in the middle of deciding between this Amd fx 8350 processor and the Intel® Core™ i7 3970X Six-core 3.5GHz/4.0GHz Turbo 15MB L3 Cache w/ HyperThreading. I have been asking a lot of people for their opinion and really want to know, which processor will preform better? Can someone please tell me which processor has better performance? Thanks.

Re: Next gen consoles....

webguy55 — Sun, 18 Nov 2012 02:01:02 GMT

I'm just waiting for Steam Big Picture and $$$$ to build a nice gaming rig...throw a HDMI cord to my TV and that will be my next console :)...hell only reason why I own a PS3 right now is Final Fantasy and some other RPG games.

RE: Democratic Candidate’s World of Warcraft Hobby Deemed Politically Incorrect

mhenriday — Tue, 09 Oct 2012 20:40:29 GMT

WoW (pun intended) ! So World of Warcraft has become an issue in the US elections ! Good to see that people there don't let themselves get bogged down with such old-fashioned issues like interminable foreign wars, unemployment, increasing economic inequality, infrastructure and environmental degradation, education, etc, etc, but rather are creative and can rise to the occasion and discuss the really important things in life, like WoW !...

Henri

PS : Rapid1, was your comment on having sex with one's intern being a much larger waste of time made from the point of view of the intern, or the office holder you obviously had in mind ? The reply mihgt not necessarily be the same, you know....

RE: Valve Announces Steam for Linux External Beta

3vi1 — Fri, 28 Sep 2012 23:47:06 GMT

> Of course, if you’re really lucky, you’re probably gearing up for the private internal beta, which starts next week

In that case, you're more than lucky: You work for Valve!

I sent them a letter several weeks back expressing my enthusiasm to test, so I have my fingers crossed that I'll be in the 1000. Either way, it looks like good times are ahead!

RE: AMD's Next Gen Steamroller CPU Could Deliver Where Bulldozer Fell Short

mhenriday — Thu, 27 Sep 2012 09:00:27 GMT

I think many (but, it would seem, not all) participants in this discussion share your hope, RMadatyan, that AMD gets back in the game with respect to high-end CPUs - not merely because of the effect that this would exert on prices, but also because it would stimulate innovation. Intel, for example, would hardly feel the same pressure to improve their products if AMD weren't around (and vice versa). For my part, I also hope that when testing CPU performance in a gaming context, the present somewhat excessive emphasis on frame rates (surely there's a limit above which an increase in frame rates provides no noticeable improvement in user experience, although just where that limit goes is open to debate) is toned down and that other considerations, like frame latency are taken into account. In any event, I'm greatly looking forward to Steamroller - if it does the job and the price is reasonable, I'll consider using one of the versions in a new build, even though I hardly need it - my trusty Phenom II X4 955 does everything I ask of it....

Henri

Steam/L4D2 Linux: One more month

3vi1 — Fri, 21 Sep 2012 01:21:08 GMT

Unless I misread this, it looks like we only have a month to wait.

http://www.l4d.com/blog/post.php?id=8913

"All of this will also be available not just on the PC and Mac, but also for Linux users as well starting in the middle of next month and rolling out from there. "

This fits with my working theory that they would release after Ubuntu 12.10 was final (Which will be 10/18/12 to my best recollection). Of course, it could have been written in respect to beta users.

What I will be really interested to see, is how many other Linux games get released at the same time. There are dozens and dozens of games on Steam that have Linux versions... but will they want to divide their time with bug reports from all those directions?

We're in for some interesting times soon!

RE: BMW And Thermaltake Create Race-Inspired, Finely Tuned Level 10 M Gaming Mouse

mhenriday — Wed, 05 Sep 2012 11:38:46 GMT

«Race-Inspired» ?!! I hadn't realised that it was the sort of mouse that ran mazes....

Henri

RE: AMD's Next Gen Steamroller CPU Could Deliver Where Bulldozer Fell Short

mhenriday — Fri, 31 Aug 2012 19:47:56 GMT

I think, realneil, that the main point of the article was to show that frame rate is not an adequate measurement of the gaming experience and that frame latency is a superior metrological instrument for this purpose. Thus it has - if I understand it aright - a wider relevance than just the current situation obtaining between Intel and AMD CPUs (which I hope will at least in part be rectified by the Steamroller series) ; it teaches us - or at least should teach us - not to stare ourselves blind on frame rates. If more reviewers adopt these methods and the general public (or at least its enthusiast component) becomes aware of these facts, perhaps manufacturers will be forced to provide us with better processors (but they'd better not have rounded corners !)...

Henri