BrokenDesign's blog

So I've been going back and forth with a friend of mine about the value of having a hard disk drive standard in game consoles. I say that Xbox and Playstation 3 got it right by including HDDs standard. She says it doesn't really matter. I don't see how someone could argue that point when developers such as Rockstar have said that it makes it more challenging to develop for when you don't have a hard drive to rely on. Not that games like GTA IV is not going to be awesome, it surely will be, but just think how much MORE awesome it would've been if the 360 Core had never existed.

So I've been going back and forth with a friend of mine about the value of having a hard disk drive standard in game consoles. I say that Xbox and Playstation 3 got it right by including HDDs standard. She says it doesn't really matter. I don't see how someone could argue that point when developers such as Rockstar have said that it makes it more challenging to develop for when you don't have a hard drive to rely on. Not that games like GTA IV is not going to be awesome, it surely will be, but just think how much MORE awesome it would've been if the 360 Core had never existed.

The death of PC gaming has been proclaimed to be nigh for awhile now, but is it really console gaming that could be going out the door? Not that I think it's really in any danger, not everyone can afford to shell out thousands for their rig to play games (gives Mac Pro a loving pet). So here's my thought.

The death of PC gaming has been proclaimed to be nigh for awhile now, but is it really console gaming that could be going out the door? Not that I think it's really in any danger, not everyone can afford to shell out thousands for their rig to play games (gives Mac Pro a loving pet). So here's my thought.

In an article on IGN, as linked by Gametab, Shadowrun is not working on Vista. There is one word to describe this...

"Wow."

In an article on IGN, as linked by Gametab, Shadowrun is not working on Vista. There is one word to describe this...

"Wow."

Ok, so if we were to decide that this isn't a bad thing that we're being charged for content that the people who actually worked on it want to provide it as free content, the fact is that it's overpriced given the circumstances. Taking a look at the situation: Epic wants to give Gears of War owners 4 maps for free. MS wants them to charge. Are we to determine from this that $10 for the 4 maps ($2.50 each) is a COMPROMISE? Does this mean that MS wanted to charge $20 for these 4 maps and 800 Marketplace points was the happy medium between free and "screw you in the butt" expensive?

Ok, so if we were to decide that this isn't a bad thing that we're being charged for content that the people who actually worked on it want to provide it as free content, the fact is that it's overpriced given the circumstances. Taking a look at the situation: Epic wants to give Gears of War owners 4 maps for free. MS wants them to charge. Are we to determine from this that $10 for the 4 maps ($2.50 each) is a COMPROMISE? Does this mean that MS wanted to charge $20 for these 4 maps and 800 Marketplace points was the happy medium between free and "screw you in the butt" expensive?

As reported by Ars Technica, Microsoft is set to formally announce Silverlight, their alternative to Adobe's Flash format online animation and video utility (formerly developed by Macromedia prior to being purchased by Adobe). I'm all for competition and driving down prices and inspiring innovation through alternative development platforms and software titles, but my question is... Why does it have to be Microsoft? It seems like there isn't a single market that's safe from the Redmond-based megacorporation, that they don't think they should own and operate and dictate with an iron fist.

As reported by Ars Technica, Microsoft is set to formally announce Silverlight, their alternative to Adobe's Flash format online animation and video utility (formerly developed by Macromedia prior to being purchased by Adobe). I'm all for competition and driving down prices and inspiring innovation through alternative development platforms and software titles, but my question is... Why does it have to be Microsoft? It seems like there isn't a single market that's safe from the Redmond-based megacorporation, that they don't think they should own and operate and dictate with an iron fist.