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Swiss James
Joined: 26 Nov 2003
Location: Shanghai
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 Posted: Tue May 17, 2005 5:55 pm Post subject: |
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err, how big is that actually supposed to be? |
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Walter Mitty
Joined: 27 Mar 2003
Location: Tokyo! ^.^
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| Posted: Tue May 17, 2005 6:01 pm Post subject: |
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| Swiss James wrote: |
| err, how big is that actually supposed to be? |
From Engadget:
Dimensions: 4 inches wide by 2 inches tall and 0.7 inches thick.
Weight: 2.8 ounces (80 paper clips�� worth of weight).
I'd say that's pretty darned "micro!"  |
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Demophobe
Joined: 17 May 2004
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| Posted: Tue May 17, 2005 6:15 pm Post subject: |
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My 2 "big things" with consoles are the low-res and the fact that one needs to drop a bomb on a groovy TV to even half remedy that problem.
I have played on 3 "TV" systems....my personal 29" piece of bad, my school projection TV and a huge HD TV....still, they don't compare to my monitor. Yes, the size is nice and one can sit far enough away not to see the dot pitch, but then, what's the point? I would rather sit closer to my 21" and enjoy crisp, sharp and crystal clear gaming anyday. The HD was very cool, but my word! The COST!!!
For less than the cost of the TV that would satisfy me and a console, I could get an incredible computer with a kicking plasma monitor.
I have a couple of questions for those in-the-know about consoles:
1. Can this thing be hooked up to a computer monitor?
2. If yes to #1, then will the console even support high-res gaiming?
With 512 MB of video RAM, I suppose it wouldn't be a slouch, (does anyone know the framebuffer size?) but what about the software? Games specifically written for XBOX wouldn't support 1600x1200...the XBOX could never deal with large texture sizes without a pagefile write/read, reducing the performance to a slideshow, I'm sure. Therefore, the software wouldn't be written with that resolution in mind, and thus, unavaliable in high res format. Even if it were able to stretch those tiny textures to that res, they would look awful. Huge textures would mean ugly load times as well...something people wouldn't put up with for long.
Or does one actually install games on this machine, as they would a computer? I was under the impression that the software kind of runs from the DVD/CD.....?
Anyhow, if this beast (and it is a beast indeed) can be connected to a CRT and run at at least 1024x768 (higher is better), then it may well be worth looking into.
Last edited by Demophobe on Tue May 17, 2005 6:21 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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Swiss James
Joined: 26 Nov 2003
Location: Shanghai
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| Posted: Tue May 17, 2005 6:19 pm Post subject: |
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| on the micro-gadget gameboy: I reckon it looks boss! |
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Walter Mitty
Joined: 27 Mar 2003
Location: Tokyo! ^.^
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| Posted: Tue May 17, 2005 6:42 pm Post subject: |
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| Demophobe wrote: |
| My 2 "big things" with consoles are the low-res and the fact that one needs to drop a bomb on a groovy TV to even half remedy that problem. |
That's probably not likely to change anytime soon. I doubt HD sets are going to get cheaper in a hurry. If you're looking to spend that much money, check out projectors as they give (IMO) a much better bang for the buck than HDTVs do.
| Demophobe wrote: |
I have a couple of questions for those in-the-know about consoles:
1. Can this thing be hooked up to a computer monitor?
2. If yes to #1, then will the console even support high-res gaiming? |
1. Maybe. It'll depend on the video outputs and what sort of cables you can get. The Xbox 360 has a proprietary MS port (looks kinda like the one on the original Xbox), so who knows what it's capable of. The PS3 is coming stock with HDMI outputs, and HDMI->DVI isn't a big hassle.
2. The Xbox 360 is claiming 720p (1280x720) and 1080i (1920x1080 - but interlaced, so it's really only got 540 vertical lines of resolution).
The PS3 claims to output 1080p (true 1920x1080, non-interlaced) which a lot of sets don't even support yet.
No word yet on whether or not there will be native DVI support on the next round, but I wouldn't be surprised to see it - if not from the manufacturers then as third-party add-ons.
There have been VGA boxes and coverters for recent consoles. I remember having one for the Dreamcast, and it made a huge difference, even though it was only running in 640x480. (I still say Soul Calibur on the DC in VGA looks better than any PS2 game ever put out, but that's just me.  ) |
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Demophobe
Joined: 17 May 2004
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| Posted: Tue May 17, 2005 6:45 pm Post subject: |
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Thanks Walter...I was hoping you could give me the skinny on that.
Projection? Yes, I am inclined to agree, but they have some contrast issues that send me. |
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Walter Mitty
Joined: 27 Mar 2003
Location: Tokyo! ^.^
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| Posted: Tue May 17, 2005 7:14 pm Post subject: |
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| Demophobe wrote: |
Thanks Walter...I was hoping you could give me the skinny on that.
Projection? Yes, I am inclined to agree, but they have some contrast issues that send me. |
No prob. I'm here to help.
Have you checked out any recent models of projectors? (Is there even any place in Korea to do this? Hmmm.) The big electronics shops in Tokyo (Bic Camera and Laox, for example) have rooms set up in their shops with a heap of projectors running off the same feed (99% of the time it's a DVD and they're all getting the video via component cables) so you can see how they look. I was originally going to get a lower-end model than the one I went with, but seeing it firsthand steered me higher. For the extra money I spent I got a native resolution of 720p, a heap of inputs and a sharper picture.
By going with the model I did, I knew it'd be able to handle the next round of consoles admirably. Will it do 1080p? No, but a projector to do that will run you about $10,000 or so.
True, you can't run one in a room with full daylight streaming in through the windows, but even a regular TV set won't look so hot under those conditions. Everything I've played on mine (from games, to DVDs to downloaded Divx movies and TV shows) looks great. Even broadcast TV looks good, and that's with using a VCR as a tuner outputting standard composite video. (That is one thing about projectors - no built-in TV tuner.) |
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mack the knife
Joined: 16 Jan 2003
Location: standing right behind you...
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| Posted: Tue May 17, 2005 7:54 pm Post subject: |
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| Quote: |
| ....reasons for modding.... |
$3.00 games, baby!! |
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Thunndarr
Joined: 30 Sep 2003
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| Posted: Tue May 17, 2005 8:23 pm Post subject: |
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| Was recently at technomart just looking around. The cheapest front-projector they had was an HP for 1.4 million won. I was looking for either the Infocus 4805 or Optima H31, but was told you can get neither in Korea. All the projectors seemed healthily overpriced as well, the next cheapest model was over 2 million. |
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Walter Mitty
Joined: 27 Mar 2003
Location: Tokyo! ^.^
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| Posted: Tue May 17, 2005 8:24 pm Post subject: |
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| mack the knife wrote: |
| Quote: |
| ....reasons for modding.... |
$3.00 games, baby!! |
Yeah, I know that reason's always going to be around. I suspect the 360 will be the first one cracked, and not just because it's out first. By using standard DVDs (even double-layer ones), they're setting themselves up for a repeat of the Xbox modding scene.
Sony's decision to go Blu-ray will probably help stave off piracy for a while longer.
I'm not so sure about Nintendo though. This is their first time using a standard media type (Famicom Disk System notwithstanding). It'll be interesting to see what they cook up DRM-wise. I'm hoping the Revolution will be as easily region-modded as the Cube was. It was nice that the Cube had both US and Japanese firmware in one unit. The region-mod was a simple switch, until the Freeloader/Action Replay came along and made it even easier.
I'll most likely end up with J-models of all three, so the region-modding is the thing I'm going to be watching the closest. (I think MS needs to have no region coding to have any chance at all in Japan.) Since leaving Korea I find myself paying for more games. it's a must with the DS and PSP, but I haven't gone and modded my Japanese PStwo, even though it'd be pretty simple to do myself. I've started seeing the cost of games as part of playing them again. (But with games costing what they do here, I go for used more often than not. Thankfully it's easy to trade in games as well, and the payback you get is much, much higher than you'd ever see in the US.)
It looks like MS is taking Live a big step further with the 360, and if they cook up something compelling, I'd be tempted to leave my system unmodded in order to be able to use it. But they'll have to do a lot better than rankings and customizable avatars. |
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Walter Mitty
Joined: 27 Mar 2003
Location: Tokyo! ^.^
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| Posted: Tue May 17, 2005 8:27 pm Post subject: |
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| Thunndarr wrote: |
| Was recently at technomart just looking around. The cheapest front-projector they had was an HP for 1.4 million won. I was looking for either the Infocus 4805 or Optima H31, but was told you can get neither in Korea. All the projectors seemed healthily overpriced as well, the next cheapest model was over 2 million. |
A friend of mine looked for the same one I have (Sanyo Z3) in Korea and it was about $600 more there. I'd say Korea is not the place to pick one up. Projector Central is a great site for getting reviews and opinions on a heap of different models. |
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Walter Mitty
Joined: 27 Mar 2003
Location: Tokyo! ^.^
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| Posted: Wed May 18, 2005 4:54 am Post subject: |
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After watching the press conferences of all 3 consoles today, I have to say I'm most impressed with Sony's -
If what they've said and shown is for real.
I remember the hype (and flat-out lies) that surrounded the PS2, but comparing what they've shown and claimed for the PS3 to the Xbox 360, makes the 360 look like a ****ing toy. (Yes, game consoles are toys, but I mean it in the sense of a hunk of plastic and not much else.)
But I also think the PS3 is going to be seriously expensive. Gigabit ethernet (with a 2-port switch)? Massive CPU and video performance? Dual HDMI outputs that can spread the image to two displays for a 32:9 perspective? That kind of power isn't cheap. If it launches for less than $500 (in Japan, anyways - no way it'd go for that much in the US) I'll be very surprised.
Even so, I'll probably still buy one.
On an unrelated note, here's a shot of the Revolution showing where you can hook up Gamecube controllers and memory cards. Makes me wonder if the Rev's default controller wouldn't work well for Cube games, or if this is to let people do Cube multiplayer on the cheap?
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Demophobe
Joined: 17 May 2004
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| Posted: Wed May 18, 2005 5:04 am Post subject: |
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Good posts WM! Thanks.
Keep this one refreshed as you find out more. |
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Walter Mitty
Joined: 27 Mar 2003
Location: Tokyo! ^.^
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| Posted: Wed May 18, 2005 7:37 pm Post subject: |
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Two more tidbits, one on the 360 and the other PS3.
Xbox 360 to be very USB friendly.
Rather than have people re-rip their music collections for use on the 360, MS is saying it'll be able to link up with most ever MP3 player via USB and grab your tunes that way. Of particular interest in the linked article is the pic, showing that you can link an iPod or a PSP to the 360.
PS3 price leaked?
| Quote: |
| According a an article published in the May 17th edition of Japan's Mainichi Shimbun, the PlayStation 3 could be one of the most expensive mass-market videogame consoles ever created. Officials from Sony apparently told the newspaper that PlayStation 3s would sell in Japan for "less than 50,000 yen each." That translates to about $465 US dollars. |
Honestly, if it can do everything they're claiming (and I'm a tad skeptical), it'll be worth it.
Plus, the PS2 launched at a price of 39,800 yen, and at that time, prices did not include tax. (As of April 1st, 2004, all listed prices must include the 5% sales tax.) So the PS2 launch price was really 41,790 yen. If the PS3 can do what they claim (there's that phrase again...), a launch price increase of around 8,000 yen (just over $75) is no big deal. |
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mack the knife
Joined: 16 Jan 2003
Location: standing right behind you...
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| Posted: Wed May 18, 2005 7:54 pm Post subject: |
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| Will there be system linkage between old and new model Xboxes? |
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