Monday, July 24, 2006

AMD and ATI to Create Processing Powerhouse

AMD and ATI to Create Processing Powerhouse
Press Releases: "AMD and ATI to Create Processing Powerhouse- $5.4 Billion Acquisition Will Drive Growth, Innovation and Choice -- AMD and ATI to Hold Joint Executive Conference Call Today at 8:00 a.m. EDT -NEW YORK -- July 24, 2006 --AMD (NYSE: AMD) and ATI (TSX: ATY, NASDAQ: ATYT) today announced plans to join forces in a transaction valued at approximately $5.4 billion. The combination will create a processing powerhouse by bringing AMD’s technology leadership in microprocessors together with ATI’s strengths in graphics, chipsets and consumer electronics. The result: A new and more formidable company, determined to drive growth, innovation and choice for its customers, particularly in the commercial and mobile computing segments and in the rapidly-growing consumer electronics market. Combining technologies, people, and complementary strengths, AMD plans to deliver in 2007 customer-centric platforms for the benefit of customers who want to collaborate in the development of differentiated solutions.AMD’s acquisition of ATI will position the new company to deliver innovations that fulfill the increasing demand for more integrated solutions in key market segments while also continuing to develop “best-of-breed” discrete products that empower customers to choose the combination of technologies that best serves their needs. In 2008 and beyond, AMD aims to move beyond current technological configurations to transform processing technologies, with silicon-specific platforms that integrate microprocessors and graphics processors to address the growing need for general-purpose, media-centric, data-centric and graphic-centric performance. Thus, the combined company intends to empower its customers to create their own unique products"[More at source]

Is the ESRB really working?

1UP.com had a recent article about the ESRB, and one of my Xbox group members asked the question "Is the ESRB working?"As recent history shows, the media went ape-shit over the 'Hot Coffee' GTA mini-game that was found in the game long after the ESRB gave it's rating.

There has been a lot of debat about this topic. However, I believe the code was left in the game intentionaly. Granted its a good excuse to say 'There's a lot of lines of code and we can't just go and remove lines whilly nilly' and it might have have taken forever to beta test.However, i don't think that was the point of the 'Hot Coffee' mini game.If anyone else noticed, GTA sales where starting to slip. Other games where coming out and RockStar was starting to lose the market.. Then, all of a sudden, a 16+ line game shark code plopped on the internet and spread like Wildfire.

Now I don't know about you, but being a programming I know it would take a LONG time for someone to put in 16 random codes into a game shark to see what would happen. GTA also has a habit of messing with the media in order to boost sales. So did the ESRB fail? No I don't believe they did. They rated it correctly from the game someone played. Its not their fault they missed it. There was NO way to get into the the 'hot coffee' mini game without knowing the code. I believe the ESRB messed up when they went BACK and redid GTA's, and a few others (Oblivion) Ratings. Oblivion was a T.. now it's an 'M'. Oblivion is NOT an 'M' Game. It's a 'T", but the ESRB doesn't want to get spanked for not properally rateing a game now.

Which means all ESRB ratings will be biased, and not a true view on the game. Seems to me that after the 'hot Coffe' the ESRB has moved from being a simple free service based on the whole music rating system (thanks Tripper Gore) into the police of video games. The ESRB was never created to police anything. It's a bunch of 'non-gamers' making ratings for games. But now the media has everyone worked into a frenzy over the artform known as gaming. Are there games I wouldn't like my kids play? of course. Do I need some jack-ass 'know-it-all' telling me what's bad for my kids? No. I can do that myself thank you.

So is the ERSB working? On the business side of gaming, yes it is. Publishers are scared to death of the 'M' rating. Getting an 'M' is like getting an 'X' rating in movies. X = Failure. On the peoples end? No, it's not working. Grandma will still by the newest GTA for her 10 year old grand son for christmas because he asked for it.People need to learn that games are just that. Games.I mean really.. what does a game teach you?

1) If you jump on peoples heads a coin will pop out of their ass.
2) You can get hit with 20 bullets and still run around because it wasn't a 'head shot'.
3) Hookers can replensh your life.
4) Eating 'power pills' will allow you to catch ghosts!
5) You can hit cars from behind while driving and they only bounce away humeriously.
6) Invaders.. Possible from Space, are stupid because all they will do is increase speed and reverse direction.
7) ALL YOUR BASE ARE BELONG TO US.

I mean really. I think the BIGGEST problem with gaming really has nothing to do with gaming. It has to do with the Government and the Media and no my thought isn't some weird ass conspericy theory. People are getting more and more stupid. People don't want to think anymore. They want to be spoon feed and told what to do.

They are becoming drones of the workplace and live itself. We are all running around like chickens with our heads cut off; always jumping around. Always doing 'something' but never moving forward. Never really learning anything. Always stuck in a rut and never really know how to get out of it, or too lazy to get out of it.

The 'Family unit' has fallen apart. Both parnets needing to work to make enough money to buy the new 'cool' crap and to make ends meet because they are over extended trying to live the 'American Dream' with out ever working for it. The kids are being brought up by daycare and school instead of the parents.

The News and media tell fat people they are really fat and going to die if they don't pop this pill. Children, while ACTING like children are told they have this horrible desise.. and here's a pill for that too. So while we are all drug addicted drones and doing stupid shit, it's easier to point the finger to anyone or anything other then ourselves.

The Games made me do it.. the Music made me do it.. I hear voices.. oh wait.. that's the walmart loud speaker. There was a 3 year old killed this morning in a local Walmart, because some drone put a large heavy standing mirror in the TOY section. This thing was big enough that 2 people where needed to pick up the mirror off the kids body. Have you EVER been to the toy section at Wal-Mart and not seen little brats running around with out their parents? Yelling, screaming and knocking into your and the products on the shelves?

Now, WHO in their right mind would thing that it was a good idea to put a large mirror in the toy section of Walmart? THAT, my friends, is a perfect example of a stupid human and the main reason why people believe that games and music really cause people to go out and see if a coin will pop out of your ass.

Friday, July 21, 2006

How the Console 'Failures' Finally Won

How the Console 'Failures' Finally Won
Next Gen has a really good and well written article about the history of gaming, and how the older failed systems helped to shape and build the market we see today.[How the Console 'Failures' finally won]Give it a read!

Predicitions Update

Predications Update:

This post is an update to a post I made but on March 07 of 2006 about which console is going to come out on top in this battle for your hard earned dollar. I predicted then, that the winners would be 360, Wii, and then the PS3 in that order. Thought it would be a good idea to come back to this topic after 4 months to see what's changed.

After reviewing all the information I've seen/read over the coarse of the past few months, I think I'm going to need to make a slight change in the prediction.


#1 Xbox 360, Wii
#2 PS3

WTF you say? Well the issue is that the Wii is not a 'next-gen' console. So we can't really compare a system that doesn't really push the technology envelope. The 'next gen' battle is really between the 360 and the PS3. Nintendo is out in left field somewhere playing with its Wii.

Nintendo, I believe, is going to save the gaming industry yet again. Why? Because Nintendo seems to have re-focused on what's important to make a game sell. Game play. It's not super-HD graphics, it's not being able to stick 4 DVD quality movies on a disk, nor is it really about the 'community' factor. It is about the games, and the Wii games just look FUN.

XBox 360:
Right now, Microsoft still has good potential from this machine if they are able to over come two major factors:
A) The 360 needs GAMES! And not this crap that has been coming out lately! Granted,
Christmas looks to be sweet, but I'm getting VERY tired and upset about being able to pick
up good games once a year. I mean, come on, Chromehounds was released BUGGY. This is a console Not a PC and NO ONE should pay for software that hasn't been bug checked. I can see bugs coming out in games like GTA and Oblivion... But still, bugs? When is the last time you saw a bug in a Nintendo game?

B) They need to do something with live. I've seen paint dry faster then update to LIVE. Where are the Xbox Live Arcade Games? Why is there only a handful of them currently, and only like 3-4 more on the horizon? MS OWNS there own game development company. There’s no excuse for this. Granted, MS has started the whole "Live Wednesdays." But, then again, currently there’s only like 3-4 more in development that we are aware of and where are the games that really push the 'live' aspect of the arcade games? Something like Magic: the Gathering Online was MADE for LIVE. I said it 4 months ago: "by they time Nintendo and Sony are players [in the market], the 360 will be on to 2nd and 3rd generation games. MS has the edge this time if they use it." They aren’t.

WII:
Nintendo still has the hook. The games just look fun. Granted, my arms are going to hurt like hell for a week after playing the WII but it just looks fun! I still think the WII is basically a DS for your TV. It's going to be cheaper then all the others, and Nintendo isn't pushing the Wii to be anything other then what it is. A Game Machine. It's worth buying just for the virtual console that will allow the Wii to download and play 1000's of games. Though, I'm still pissed about the name change.

PS3:
I still believe the PS3 is going to be the biggest flop since the Virtual Boy. Yes, the price has dropped from what I originally stated. So you are stuck with a $500 machine. Tack on sales tax, a couple of games, extra controller, and insurance (It's a Sony.. you're a dumbass if you don't get insurance on a first run Sony product) your up to about $700.

With all the lying, double talk, bait and switch tactics, and excellent marketing skills, it's a wonder how the Fan Boys can still be eager for the PS3. I've seen them still going off about how 'cool' the PS3 is going to be and how it's going to take over the market like the PS1/PS2 did.

Too bad the facts are saying the PS3 is going to be a bomb.

And with all the hardware problems as of late (Like IBM saying they can't get the 8 cores to work right, so the PS3 will be shipping only with 7, and the rumored Blu-Ray drive delays, etc) It's wonder how Sony is even going to be able push the PS3 to market in November. Of course, they already delayed it once, no reason not to delay it again.

To make matters worse there's nothing 'new' about the PS3. It's nothing more then a Blu-ray player, that happens to play games.all the 'coolness' of the PS3 has been removed. You're left with a machine without a soul.

Thursday, July 13, 2006

11-year-old finds porn video in game package

11-year-old finds porn video in game package [Source]

Fayetteville Observer Thu, 13 Jul 2006 8:45 AM PDT

Jacob Woods just wanted to play the latest NBA video game, but the disc he brought home from the store had nothing to do with basketball.When the eleven-year-old Stokes County boy installed the video into his Playstation Portable, what played was a pornographic movie.Tony Woods says the game box was sealed and wrapped when he bought it at a local Wal-Mart.A Wal-Mart spokeswoman says the company will exchange the tape or refund the video for a new one. She says the chain will also work with the manufacturer to determine what happened.Tony Woods says he's contacted an attorney, but also says he just wants his son to get the right video before he goes on a trip next week.

=====================================

Come on.. STROKES county?? What video did he get? Debbie does San Andreas?

Wednesday, July 05, 2006

Something else to think about on the PS3...

This is for all the Sony Fanboys out there that still believe the PS3 is cooler then God.Fact: The Panasonic LF-MB121JD Blu-ray drive shipped June 10th for $850.So here's some logic for you.Again, $850 for a nothing more then a PC based Blu-Ray BURNER. So lets add some logic here. We all know the PS3 will be at least $600 (fuck the 'base' system) So, now.. let's say we yank off about $300 off the burner for the 'burner' part of the drive. That leaves us with a $550 Blu-Ray player...so the PS3 is a $550 Blu-Ray Player.. and a $50 game console..