The trick is when you mouse over it, it loads another image. Not that big a deal, until you move your eyes and realize that "true color" image you thought was there is not black and white.
This is not an animated image. It's a JPEG so that's completely impossible. Focus on each spinning circle and you'll see for yourself. So, either the computer is sensing your focus and freezing each circle, or there's yet another glitch in your visual system being taken advantage of!
If you needed any more evidence that our brains are essentially computers that store data "holographically" (not literally a holograph like on star trek!), here it is. Look at the crosshair and not only will the surrounding magenta dots vanish, they will vanish SEQUENCIALLY as the "green circle" (actually just empty grey space where a magenta dot used to be) crosses over it, then they fade back in, then out again sequencially, all rythmically so you can time exactly how long it takes for your brain to "figure it out".
My problem with this one is it has never worked for me. I always see it as concave. It might simply be because I've seen this since I was like 3 so my brain knows what it's seeing at this point.
So basically, with illusions like these tricking us so completely, it's small wonder I don't really bother trusting the average gaming site's review of "slight motion blur" without more evidence than mere testimony.
Well, at least I can play Silent Hill 4 on it, I guess.
Not Silent Hill 2 mind you, but 4 (and 3 was never ported to XBox, annoyingly enough, as I would have liked Xbox level load times for that one too).
So let's see. Of the games I have, these are supported:
Jade Empire
Knights of the Old Republic
Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory
Halo 1
Halo 2
Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time
Fable: Lost Chapters
Ninja Gaiden Black
Silent Hill 4
And those that are not supported:
Silent Hill 2
Panzer Dragoon Orta
Prince of Persia: Warrior Within
Prince of Persia: The Two Thrones
Blinx 1
Marvel vs Capcom 2
Lord of the Rings: The Third Age
Mech Assault 1
Time Splitters 2
Shenmue 2
So yeah, that's about half and half. They better make "the rest of my list" work right.
I wonder how they'll make that one game with the GIGANTIC control center accessory you need to fully and "realistically" control a giant city smashing robot work? That was a game that was too rich for my blood anyway though.
Other than that, there's issues with games they "already made compatible", in terms of the odd skipping in movie files in a couple games, and the odd skipping in the game play in a few others. I wonder if they'll resolve those issues or if they consider those games "done" for good?
And there's the issue of letting the system's memory manager copy XBox game saves to memory cards, and letting the games actually SEE the memory cards (those that supported them) at that. Sure it'll be limited slots (two compaired to a maximum of 8 on the original), but they can just map the two built into the 360 to be the A slot on controllers 1 and 2, respectively (anything in "B" might mess up compatibility with the microphone since that was used in the B slot, and due to grooves could ONLY physically fit in that slot).
The last issue is one I REALLY wish they would resolve and I know exactly how they could do it. I want to COPY/MOVE ALL MY SAVED GAME FILES TO MY 360!
They can't do it with hardware. You can't use the original memory cards in a 360, and there's not a USB slot to be found on the original system, and the controller slots (both on the "breakaway cables and on the system) are incompatible. But, there's one compatibiliity, the networking cable. They don't have to waste bandwidth on XBox Live for this either (if that's the concern). It could support a direct network cable connection between the system (and one fellow needing to switch the video output back and forth between systems, or use two TVs, but I think a little uncomfortableness will be worth it).
The plan is simple, but it'll take adding the software support to BOTH system's OSes. You turn on your XBox, it updates it's software via XBox Live (the last update ever released for the old system), and a new option appears in the memory manager. When you select to "move" or "copy" a saved game, it gives a new selection, XBox 360. Select it and it'll see if one is connected (either directly or connected on the network via a router, both are supported already as I know by my experience with playing Halo 1). If it can't find one, it'll tell you it can't (and you get to play network doctor, but oh well). If it can, it'll "negotiate" with the XBox 360 (which you should also have updated on Live before you started this, because during it only one system will be able to be connected on one account at a time anyway) and send the data over. The 360, programmed to be able to connect with an XBox in this fassion (for security purposes, they should probably force you to confirm access on the 360 end (and also on the XBox end for sending the files the other way) and give you a system option to ignore such requests to prevent spamming of them over a network. (You see? I got it allll figured out.)
Once this is done, the XBox will send the file, The 360 will create the save on it's end, process over, everyone's happy, the day is saved.
One last thing. The XBox patch should resolve one little issue with Bioware (and a few other company's games) saved data. Namely, some just can't be moved, at all. It's not a memory card limit. I've seen files that are bigger than my XBox mem card max storage capacity, they STILL have a copy/move command. I'm talking Bioware's saves for both Jade Empire and Knights of the Old Republic that are flagged as "immovable". There's no reason for this flag! You can "cheat" by making as many backup saves as you want ANYWAY, and there's no chance of someone "stealing" the game by taking save files. I can understand why downloadable content can't be moved betwixt systems, some of that has to be paid for. I'm not expecting that because I can easily just redownload that content the second I play the game on the 360 anyway. Anyway, the patch should make it so that unless the saved data is one of those green checkmarked "downloadable content" items, it can always be copied and/or moved.
As I move into my new apartment. I'm not getting internet access right away, perhaps for a couple of weeks, so I won't be here or on MSN for a while. I will still check in sporadically at my parents house or whereever else I may happen to get internet access, but for the most part, my activity is going to drop for a while. Once I'm moved in and hooked up, I'll let you all know. Until then, stay sane without me :D.
P.S. to Ryan, about your computer, once I'm back online and have Paypal access, we can begin from there, kay?
Quote:Take Two recorded a $50.2 million dollar lose for last quarter as shares slumped 17.53 percent. The filing also mentions some Duke Nukem Forever release date rumors and incentives:
According to the 10-Q, March saw Take-Two and 3D Realms renegotiate the original contract for Duke Nukem Forever, which began back in 1997. Under the original deal, 3D Realms was to receive some $6 million from Take-Two to develop the title. Now, the Texas-based developer will receive only $4,250 for the oft-delayed game, when it is completed.
When will that be? Well, 3D Realms now has a fairly large incentive to get Duke Nukem Forever done by the end of the year. The 10-Q also reveals that Take-Two has offered the studio $500,000 in the form of a promissory note if the game sees "commercial release" by December 31, 2006. The deal applies only to the PC version of the game, although it was announced for the Xbox and the PlayStation 2 in 2001 and is rumored to be in development for the Xbox 360.
We'll see, but I'm doubtful it'll make that date... :)
Actually, I hope it doesn't. You see, they started early development in February 1997... it'd be a shame to release it so close to its 10th anniversary of non-completion! :D
Seriously, I know that 10 years is a long time, but if they rush the last part to try to finish it by the end of the year, it would be sad... 3DRealms has made or helped make a lot of great games, and this one has been their main project for a really long time now. They need to prove that it was worth the effort and that this is indeed the great FPS that it could be and that lives up to the legacy of Duke 3D... (and Duke 1 and 2, but as side-scrollers they play very differently, making the comparison less relevant)
In the year 3000, the ape-monsters from behind the planet's small moon made a daring attempt to overthrow their banana overseers. Unfortunately the attack came during the earlier spring and the bananas were still hard and green CAUSING THE APES TO GO INSANE WITH JEALOUSY. This has been referred to as the Great Jealousocity Bacon Marshmallow Day. For the next 11 years the apes were tortured mercilessly by the Torture Bots and Huggle Station Androids from Venus. The torture ended once Frankenberry was elected to the position of Supreme Chancellor of the Smarty Smart Guy Council of Wise Elders. He passed a proclomation making it a crime to knowningly take growth-enhancing hormone suppositories [but regular pills were still okay], this caused the trolls making the Kill-Droids to lose all their strength and so it was impossible for them to continue with their diabolic deeds of wicked androcity.
Five years later, another ape uprising came about. This time, with the aid of the Abe Lincoln clones secretly made in order to confuse the John Wilks Booth clones that had been terrorising the local bars, they were able to overthrow the oppressive tyrrany that had for so long forced them into low-paying managerial jobs at all the law offices. The new leader of the Sub-Human Tractor Planet was a tiger monkey named Leo Bumpkin Space Man II [after his mother]. He proclaimed that any used cars sold for more than 50% of their retail price [unless they were less than two years old] were to be immediately set up as gods for some of the outlying tribes. He stated that this was because it would be "a really funny joke on those dumb yokels".
Five thousands years later, the entire universe was run by cars, which just goes to show you that if you make fun of people that aren't smart, they will eventually make a sentient race of cars that will dominate the universe.
It's funny because she is a nerd and he looks like a jock football player. 7 is a crazy amount of kids! I wonder how they take care of them all? Anyways, I wonder how the couple is doing now.
Quote: Wii's classic games to be priced less than US$10
6/7/2006 12:05:49 PM, by Ben Kuchera
Nintendo President Saturo Iwata spoke yesterday at a Japanese marketing event (Japanese source), revealing information about "virtual console" pricing and the Wii's relationship with the DS. Iwata revealed that games for Nintendo's "virtual console" that will allow Wii owners to play old titles on their consoles will be priced at ¥500 and ¥1,000, roughly US$4.50 to US$8.99. For reference, classic retro games for the Nintendo GameBoy sold for upwards of US$35 for some titles, US$19.99 for others. Uptake was understandably low, as gamers were reticent to pay that much for old content.
Retro gaming may prove to be a big boon for Nintendo. Microsoft's Xbox Live Marketplace has already captured the attention of many gamers with games costing 400 to 1,200 Microsoft "points," which translates to US$5 to US$12.50. Nintendo's pricing is roughly competitive with Microsoft's, but the ability to launch with a massive library of retro games could easily overshadow Microsoft's service, which has been anemic in terms of new titles since launch (though we wait in anticipation for Paperboy, Contra, and others). Are gamers more likely to buy Zuma for US$10, or Majora's Mask?
Iwata also talked about ramping up production of the DS Lite from 1.6 million units a month to 2 million. Demand for the system in Japan has been near insatiable, and with a June 11 launch in the United States, the added production will hopefully keep the system on store shelves so it can take advantage of the success of the New Mario Bros. and Brain Age. The system has been a license to print money for Nintendo, with ten games in Japan that have already sold over a million copies.
Iwata talked up the Wii's capabilities in terms of DS connectivity, including the ability to share demos and the fact that the DS could also be used as a touch screen controller for Wii games. He also hinted that future DS games will be able to be played on the Wii, with added or expanded content as a teaser.
Downloading DS demos via the Wii is a nice touch, but not that surprising. Being able to use the DS as a touch screen for the Wii, however, offers up the possibility of being able to use the Wii to play DS games on your television. The GameBoy Player was a successful product for the GameCube, allowing gamers to play their GBA games on their televisions, and if the Wii features such an ability, Nintendo has a better chance of converting DS gamers into Wii owners.
From the picture Iwata is painting, it's clear that the Wii is designed to profit not only from new games sales but also by working closely with the DS, and placing an emphasis on inexpensive classic games purchased online. It's hard to underestimate the worth of Nintendo's back catalogue, and the addition of classic Sega and Turbografx titles adds considerable appeal for gamers who cut their teeth on Nintendo's early consoles.
Unfortunately, we still don't know when the Wii will launch or how much it will cost. Iwata said the launch date and final pricing for the Wii will not be announced until September.
![[Image: class3cm.gif]](http://img47.imageshack.us/img47/5482/class3cm.gif)
