Totally agree with 1.1, at this point they just want to kill competition, secure franchises and exclusivity. Very Microsoft-like of them (like MS wanting to buy and gut Yahoo).
I've said it in other posts, this all digital download posturing will lead to the next xbox to have no DVD or Blu-ray drive, just a big HDD. However they won't announce it until after the 2008 holiday season for a 2009 fall launch. That would be the earliest I would see them do that but also very likely in my opinion is they pull a Nintendo-like move (meaning Wii is a souped up GC with different packaging, the next Xbox could be a souped up 360 repackaged with a bigger HDD and no drive).
I think the main thing to focus on here is the time line. There is no doubt that technologically things will move toward all digital downloads. However these 6 months - 2 years time line are totally unrealistic. At the current rate of progress a 7-10 year time line is much more likely.
That being said, should they work on this today? Absolutely! Should they bash Blu-ray today? Absolutely not! Much too premature.
Sorry, flashdrive based service won't work. To hold just the equivalent of a double-layer DVD you would need 8GB flash drive which is too expensive by itself.
Disks work well because they costs <2$ per disk in mass production. Just for that factor, digital downloads are a bigger threat to disks then flashdrives.
However digital downloads have many other obstacles to overcome so I think Blu-ray will be around for at least the next 7-10 years.
It's an original game. It's like Pikmin meets Oblivion. It's a game built around mostly just one concept but it is implemented well.
I would say worth a rental to have a look, then you can decide if it is a keeper or not.
Overlord got 77% from average ratings at gamerankings, not bad - not great - but ok score. I would expect the PS3 version to get a similar score.
EA + MS partnership for the next console, one console to rule them all. At least that's their dream.
Agreed that it doesn't sound like GOOD changes. He was impressed with Wii sports because they stuck with lesser graphics and simple gameplay. Ouch, my head hurts just processing that and thinking of the implications - Madden Sims 09? Ouch.
Looking at track history and EA's corporate culture, I would say PWNSAUSE might be right.
It would be nice to think like some that it may signal the change of EA for the better but history has a habit of repeating itself. It is also very hard to change an established culture and once T2 gets bought than the EA internal politics and vultures will set in.
I do not see this ending well.
The only good thing that could come out of it is for more people leavi...
Only time will tell SuperSaiyan4, but I think it is conceivable that the next Xbox console might not have an optical drive at all.
I think 5.1 above has touched on a possible reason. If MS is gearing to introduce a new console by holiday 2009, why bother making a Blu-ray add-on for the 360 now? They are much more likely to keep pushing their Live download movie service.
Talk is cheap. I'll believe it once it is out and available for purchase.
Wow, I guess MS and Toshiba must have exchanged BFF bracelets.
Seriously though, sounds like a compatibility nightmare. With hundred of millions of regular DVD players already in the market, any "enhanced" DVD disks are going to frustrate a lot of consumers when they won't be able to access all the features shown on the cover.
I own all consoles but will be getting the PS3 version as I do with all multiplatform games. Sending the 360 out for repair is something I try to minimize.
Very good find! It addresses my comments @3 above.
Never trust a single review source. 89% so far on gamerankings
http://www.gamerankings.com...
And also 89% from metacritic
http://www.metacritic.com/g...
@ 3.1, the difference though is that if you follow the guidelines and use the Wii strap, those accidents are 100% avoidable.
Walking\running blind in a sphere while being shown moving 3D like images I can guarantee will cause people to loose balance and fall.
Nice research concept. Probability of becoming part of a commercial gaming system: almost nil.
Why? You have to run\walk around in a ball while your eyes are shown VR images, so people will fall, hurt themselves and then sue. Don't get me wrong, I think it is a neat idea, just nothing more.
In my opinion they would need to be able to secure the user's waist to provide fixed support (with maybe some rotational leeway) and have the area under the feet move "like ...
At 1.1, agreed that his Uncharted review was off because he went on an undeserved tangent. However that is the only misleading review he ever did of all those I saw from him. Nobody's perfect, overall he is the funniest reviewer by far.
Totally agree, Stranglehold was a huge bet which they lost. Keeping successful franchises alive like Mortal Kombat would be a good way to edge their bet.
By the way, does MK in MK_Red stand for Mortal Kombat?
First I must disclose that personally I like having a disc for movies.
But to answer your question, it is quite possible to imagine a gaming console with no optical drive.
Here is a scenario for the next Xbox, let's call it Xbox 1080 for now:
- 360 with overclocked cores, 65 or even 45nm chips, cooler, more reliable
- overclocked graphics card, more video ram, smaller chips, cooler, more reliable
- no optical drive (maybe an optional USB DVD add-on ...