July console sales numbers......

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Originally Posted by Pumpy Tudors

Just out of curiosity, does anybody reading this thread personally know anyone who has a Core 360? Anybody?

I know several people that have a 360. Two of them bought the Core version of the system.

[dawgfan]

I'd be curious to hear from anyone in retail what they've seen at their stores as far as 360 Core sales.

The fact that the big chains seem to be dropping the Core also seems like a big signal that the Core is going away, whether it's because they just haven't been selling enough to justify shelf space or if MS is simply discontinuing that SKU - either way, it's yet another signal to me that publishers really don't need to worry too much about designing for the Core specs. They'll have enough of an install base of 360's with hard drives that they can afford to skip the non hard drive customers. Especially considering most publishers are multi-platform and won't want to significantly alter their 360 version from their PS3 version.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Originally Posted by terpkristin

Just leaked? You've been able to preorder it on Amazon for awhile now.

EIther it in black or 2 different kits. Saw the details at CAG, don't remember them off the top of my head.

Sorry. Hadn't seen it mentioned anywhere up until now.

[Pumpy Tudors]

Originally Posted by Mizzou B-ball fan

I know several people that have a 360. Two of them bought the Core version of the system.

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! WELL, THOSE ARE TWO PEOPLE WHO PROBABLY EAT MACARONI AND CHEESE FOR BREAKFAST!!!

(what the hell am I talking about)

[spleen1015]

Originally Posted by Pumpy Tudors

Just out of curiosity, does anybody reading this thread personally know anyone who has a Core 360? Anybody?

A Core was given away here at work at a 'Town Hall' meeting. The guy who won it stopped and bought a HD on his way home that day.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Pachter really gets fired up about PS3 criticisms in this article. I tend to agree with him that with the big exclusives in the spring, by this time next year, these criticisms won't hold much water, nor will the 360 criticisms assuming the new design fixes the RROD problems...........

http://biz.gamedaily.com/industry/feature/?id=17175

Analysts Debate Impact of 'Poorer' Madden on PS3

Sony's PlayStation 3 may be more powerful than the Xbox 360, but you wouldn't know it from playing Madden 08. UBS analyst Ben Schachter thinks this negative perception is a pretty big deal for Sony's console, while Wedbush Morgan's Michael Pachter believes the issue's been overblown.


Ever since it was revealed that a number of EA Sports' games would run at 30 frames per second (fps) on the PlayStation 3 versus 60 fps on the Xbox 360 the Internet and popular gaming forums have lit up with discussion. Of course, there's no bigger EA Sports title than Madden and the fact that Madden NFL 08 runs at half the speed on Sony's console has rubbed some critics the wrong way.


In fact, USA Today gave the 360 version a 9 out of 10 while the PS3 version was slapped with a 7. "Madden on 360 is fast and fluid, thanks to a sharp jump in frame rate that allows the game to move twice as fast. PS3 owners, unfortunately, are greeted with a Madden that is sluggish in comparison," the paper said in its review. "Action stutters far too often, particularly on injuries, penalties and turnovers. There's also a half-second delay between pressing the hike button and receiving the ball in your hands. Even close-ups between play look dull when lined up against the 360's sleeker cut scenes."


For EA's part, the company attributed the differences to the simple fact that they're still learning about developing for PS3: "In the case of the next-generation consoles, many publishers have been developing titles for the Xbox 360 for over 3 1/2 years while everyone who publishes now for the PlayStation 3 with the exception of Sony has been developing for the PlayStation 3 for only a little over one full year. The differences in the overall knowledge of the hardware is vastly different for both consoles and, as is the case with newer technology, it is very difficult to get it right the first time."


Nevertheless, this kind of negative perception in a big mainstream publication like USA Today could have a bigger negative impact on Sony and the PS3 than we might think and it's another feather in Microsoft's cap, argues UBS analyst Ben Schachter.


"The blogosphere is full of posts highlighting the relatively weaker performance of ERTS's Madden NFL 08 game (released 8/14) on the PS3 vs. the Xbox 360. Such detailed discussions of slow frame rates and performance are not typically considered important by Wall Street. But given Madden's popularity and the volume of this debate, we think this is a more meaningful negative for Sony than investors might realize, as it gives gamers just one more reason not to buy a PS3 this year following the slip of GTA IV. It is a positive for MSFT," stated Schachter.


Wedbush Morgan Securities analyst Michael Pachter disagrees, however.


"Analysts are too quick to criticize," he told GameDaily BIZ. "There are obviously PS3 games that look fantastic (have you played Resistance, Motorstorm, or seen Call of Duty 4?). It's not an issue with the PS3, notwithstanding what EA said. It's an issue with how they built Madden for the PS3. Remember, EA doesn't have much experience on the PS3 (NOBODY does, except Sony). From what I can tell, the frame rates for NCAA Football and Take-Two's All-Pro Football were equally slow, and nobody complained about them. Eventually (as in next year), EA will figure it out, and nobody will care.


"In the meantime, analysts who are quick to criticize will run around like chicken little claiming that the sky is falling, and journalists who are quick to criticize will print their opinions without checking with me first," Pachter quipped.


He added that his analyst colleagues might be better off focusing elsewhere: "The PS3 is a fantastic console, and anyone who has one knows it's awesome. The Xbox 360 is also fantastic, but has no Blu-ray playback, and has been plagued with warranty issues. One would think that stupid analysts would be writing about the 360 warranty issue, and how people will avoid that box until they can be assured that they won't see the 'three red rings of death.' I love my PS3 (and love my 360), and can't wait to watch 300 in 1080p."

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Worldwide weekly sales for week ending August 12th. PS2 finally starting to show weakness as PS3 sales close in. 360 closed the gap between it and the PS3 with a sales bump of about 18K/week in North America due to price drop..........

DS......438500
Wii.......249225
PSP........125133
PS2.........100953
PS3..........94431
Xbox 360........80480

[Philliesfan980]

Is anyone seeing the wii in stock on a regular basis at any major retailer yet? I'm in the greater Philadelphia area, and I'm not having much luck walking in a store and finding them. Does anyone think this will hurt the wii overall? At this point, I'm pretty fustrated and about ready to just say screw it.

[WVUFAN]

Originally Posted by Pumpy Tudors

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! WELL, THOSE ARE TWO PEOPLE WHO PROBABLY EAT MACARONI AND CHEESE FOR BREAKFAST!!!

(what the hell am I talking about)

I eat Mac and Cheese for breakfast ....

I love me some Mac and Cheese in the mornin'!!!

[Eaglesfan27]

EA says due to a higher install base, they are prioritizing development on the 360 over the PS3.

http://www.gamespot.com/news/show_bl...stnews;title;2

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Originally Posted by Eaglesfan27

EA says due to a higher install base, they are prioritizing development on the 360 over the PS3.

http://www.gamespot.com/news/show_bl...stnews;title;2

Actually, that's not what it says......

Richtel revisited the topic after hearing back from EA about the issue. A representative with the publisher told the writer that as a release date nears, the company sometimes readjusts the manpower on the projects to complete the Xbox 360 version first.

He's saying that as a release nears for games, they adjust resources towards the larger installed base. So while that might be the case for this year, if figures change, they could easily switch over to other systems as well. Also, this bias hasn't come into play thus far on any of their releases. All PS3 games have got out on time. It also doesn't have much to do with the frame rate issue. A shift of some resources in the last few weeks isn't going to affect a project to that extent. The PS3 version would have come out with 30 FPS either way because they didn't do their homework early on in development.

Your comment seemed to indicate a consistant production bias towards the 360 going forward. That's simply not the case. Had you added 'for this year' to the end of your statement, it would have been accurate. I'm not sure why this is even news to be honest. Seems to be a 'duh' statement by EA, but that doesn't surprise me coming from them.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Originally Posted by Philliesfan980

Is anyone seeing the wii in stock on a regular basis at any major retailer yet? I'm in the greater Philadelphia area, and I'm not having much luck walking in a store and finding them. Does anyone think this will hurt the wii overall? At this point, I'm pretty fustrated and about ready to just say screw it.

The east coast really seems to be getting hosed on supply. Wal-mart, Best Buy, Target, and Circuit City all have Wii's as of yesterday here and were supposed to get more today (Sunday).

[Eaglesfan27]

Actually, this clearly sounds like they are prioritizing the 360:

Richtel revisited the topic after hearing back from EA about the issue. A representative with the publisher told the writer that as a release date nears, the company sometimes readjusts the manpower on the projects to complete the Xbox 360 version first.


With a larger installed base for Microsoft's console, the rep said it makes financial sense to get that version of a game out first and maximize potential sales. The representative also noted that in the last generation, it made more sense for the publisher to focus on PlayStation 2 versions of games over those on the Xbox because of the platform's massive installed user base.



If focusing on completing a 360 version of a game first isn't prioriitizing, I don't know what you would call it. Also, even if the PS3 outsold the 360 in July, it wasn't by nearly enough of a margin to change the huge lead that the 360 has on the PS3, anytime soon (at that pace it would take well over 10 years - based on the projected numbers for July)

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Originally Posted by Eaglesfan27

Actually, this clearly sounds like they are prioritizing the 360:

Richtel revisited the topic after hearing back from EA about the issue. A representative with the publisher told the writer that as a release date nears, the company sometimes readjusts the manpower on the projects to complete the Xbox 360 version first.


With a larger installed base for Microsoft's console, the rep said it makes financial sense to get that version of a game out first and maximize potential sales. The representative also noted that in the last generation, it made more sense for the publisher to focus on PlayStation 2 versions of games over those on the Xbox because of the platform's massive installed user base.



If focusing on completing a 360 version of a game first isn't prioriitizing, I don't know what you would call it. Also, even if the PS3 outsold the 360 in July, it wasn't by nearly enough of a margin to change the huge lead that the 360 has on the PS3, anytime soon (at that pace it would take well over 10 years - based on the projected numbers for July)

Agreed, you said exactly what I said. The preference depends on the assumption that the 360 will maintain its lead.

Also, it should be noted that EA has turned in one of its worst years ever from a unit sales perspective in several years. Between being dumb enough to admit that the Wii, PS3, PS2, DS, and PSP games were not the priority and putting out games that have many of the same problems as past games in addition to new problem, EA is digging an awfully big hole for themselves. Peter Moore got booted for quality issues from another company. He would seem to be the last one to pick to right the ship we know as EA. But no one ever accused EA of making moves to actually improve their products.

[Eaglesfan27]

I agree that EA has been taking hits, but they are still a big dog in the business and if they are saying this publicly, it is not good for Sony. Also, you know other companies are doing the same, and that perception is going to filter to the gaming public.

[TonyR]

Yet another reason why the 360 will be my next gen console of purchase.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Originally Posted by Eaglesfan27

I agree that EA has been taking hits, but they are still a big dog in the business and if they are saying this publicly, it is not good for Sony. Also, you know other companies are doing the same, and that perception is going to filter to the gaming public.

As many companies that are saying they favor the 360, there are just as many companies coming out saying that they favor the PS3 for their development. I personally believe that a fanboy-type war is currently underway amongst developers. The weakness that EA has shown in recent development has opened up a huge can of worms where developers are now lining themselves up just to say 'EA can't do it because they don't bother'. It's providing a great firefight right now. I think over the long run that it's certainly going to help the other developers. EA has become the evil empire and their many missteps are providing a wide open door for their competitors.

[Eaglesfan27]

Microsoft has announced a price cut on all 360 models for the UK and Europe, starting this Friday:

http://www.gamespot.com/news/6176901...stnews;title;2


The pro edition will drop 30 pounds to 249. The Core will drop 20 pounds to 179, and the Elite will be available at 299 pounds. In Europe, the Pro console will be cut to 349.99 euros, and the Core will be reduced to 279.99 euros.

[stevew]

Originally Posted by Mizzou B-ball fan

The east coast really seems to be getting hosed on supply. Wal-mart, Best Buy, Target, and Circuit City all have Wii's as of yesterday here and were supposed to get more today (Sunday).

I've seen a lot more Wii's lately. Wal Mart, for instance, doesn't seem to be holding them anymore for special sales, so they just get put out as part of the evening replentishment.

[Butter]

Can't believe you guys aren't sick of talking about this yet.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Originally Posted by Eaglesfan27

Microsoft has announced a price cut on all 360 models for the UK and Europe, starting this Friday:

http://www.gamespot.com/news/6176901...stnews;title;2


The pro edition will drop 30 pounds to 249. The Core will drop 20 pounds to 179, and the Elite will be available at 299 pounds. In Europe, the Pro console will be cut to 349.99 euros, and the Core will be reduced to 279.99 euros.

It was just a matter of who pulled the trigger first. Sony's supposed to announce a price cut at the Leipzig Game Convention most likely on Wednesday for the EU region. It's supposed to be in the 17-20% range.

Also, they're supposed to announce another new bundle with the 80 GB unit that will include Formula 1 Racing and Heavenly Sword. I'm not sure I believe the Heavenly Sword part until I see it. It's received huge scores in early reviews. I'm not sure why they'd put this big of a game in a bundle unless they really expect it to move a lot of consoles by doing that.

Also noticed that Bill Harris finally took the plunge and purchased the 60 GB PS3 for $365 shipped. Also did some head-to-head analysis on noise levels of various consoles. He also mentioned that the new 360's with HDMI do not have the 65 nm chips in them.

http://dubiousquality.blogspot.com/2...-homebrew.html

[John Galt]

I admit I haven't read this thread or the related threads in the entirety, but I saw this while trying to set up my projector and thought it might be of interest to people in this endless debate. It doesn't have to do the xbox360 or the PS3, but seems to be in important development in the battle between Blu-Ray and HD-DVD.

http://projectorcentral.com/paramount_dreamworks.htm

Paramount Pictures and Dreamworks Animation announced this morning that they will henceforth support the new generation HD DVD format exclusively on a worldwide basis. These are the first two major studios to drop support of the competing Blu-ray format. Until now, most of their HD discs were being released in both HD DVD and Blu-ray, including the Mission: Impossible collection, The Untouchables, Tomb Raider, U2 Rattle and Hum, and others.

This announcement represents a significant shift in momentum in favor of HD DVD, as Paramount and Dreamworks join Universal Studios in declaring exclusive support of HD DVD. The text of the official press release follows ....

[wade moore]

Originally Posted by John Galt

I admit I haven't read this thread or the related threads in the entirety, but I saw this while trying to set up my projector and thought it might be of interest to people in this endless debate. It doesn't have to do the xbox360 or the PS3, but seems to be in important development in the battle between Blu-Ray and HD-DVD.

http://projectorcentral.com/paramount_dreamworks.htm

Paramount Pictures and Dreamworks Animation announced this morning that they will henceforth support the new generation HD DVD format exclusively on a worldwide basis. These are the first two major studios to drop support of the competing Blu-ray format. Until now, most of their HD discs were being released in both HD DVD and Blu-ray, including the Mission: Impossible collection, The Untouchables, Tomb Raider, U2 Rattle and Hum, and others.

This announcement represents a significant shift in momentum in favor of HD DVD, as Paramount and Dreamworks join Universal Studios in declaring exclusive support of HD DVD. The text of the official press release follows ....

Don't tell M-B-B-F!

[MikeVic]

Originally Posted by John Galt

I admit I haven't read this thread or the related threads in the entirety, but I saw this while trying to set up my projector and thought it might be of interest to people in this endless debate. It doesn't have to do the xbox360 or the PS3, but seems to be in important development in the battle between Blu-Ray and HD-DVD.

http://projectorcentral.com/paramount_dreamworks.htm

Paramount Pictures and Dreamworks Animation announced this morning that they will henceforth support the new generation HD DVD format exclusively on a worldwide basis. These are the first two major studios to drop support of the competing Blu-ray format. Until now, most of their HD discs were being released in both HD DVD and Blu-ray, including the Mission: Impossible collection, The Untouchables, Tomb Raider, U2 Rattle and Hum, and others.

This announcement represents a significant shift in momentum in favor of HD DVD, as Paramount and Dreamworks join Universal Studios in declaring exclusive support of HD DVD. The text of the official press release follows ....

Does anyone have a comparison of the two formats? I'm curious as to which is "better technologically." Wasn't the last war (Beta vs VHS) one in which Beta was superior in technology AND smaller, but VHS somehow won?

[Synovia]

Originally Posted by stevew

I've seen a lot more Wii's lately. Wal Mart, for instance, doesn't seem to be holding them anymore for special sales, so they just get put out as part of the evening replentishment.

Was in both walmart and target near me this weekend. Neither had any Wiis. 360s and PS3s everywhere though.




As to the blueray/hddvd thing, that sucks ass. Blu-ray is a MUCH better format (from a technological standard) but I suppose history repeats itself, as beta was a nicer format than vhs.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Originally Posted by John Galt

I admit I haven't read this thread or the related threads in the entirety, but I saw this while trying to set up my projector and thought it might be of interest to people in this endless debate. It doesn't have to do the xbox360 or the PS3, but seems to be in important development in the battle between Blu-Ray and HD-DVD.

http://projectorcentral.com/paramount_dreamworks.htm

Paramount Pictures and Dreamworks Animation announced this morning that they will henceforth support the new generation HD DVD format exclusively on a worldwide basis. These are the first two major studios to drop support of the competing Blu-ray format. Until now, most of their HD discs were being released in both HD DVD and Blu-ray, including the Mission: Impossible collection, The Untouchables, Tomb Raider, U2 Rattle and Hum, and others.

This announcement represents a significant shift in momentum in favor of HD DVD, as Paramount and Dreamworks join Universal Studios in declaring exclusive support of HD DVD. The text of the official press release follows ....

There's some interesting oddities in this deal. First, it's rumored that Toshiba ponied up $150M for this deal and that it may be a contract that lasts a given period of time with the opportunity for a re-up in the future. Also, not all of Paramount's titles will be HD-DVD only. It appears that most of the Spielberg movies will still be on Blu-ray as well. I didn't post this sooner because the specifics on this deal are still a bit sketchy at this point. No one is totally sure which titles this affects.

I do know that Paramount is taking major backlash today from a lot of websites and consumer groups. This appears to do little more that prolong the format war, which obviously isn't good from a consumer perspective.

[John Galt]

Originally Posted by MikeVic

Does anyone have a comparison of the two formats? I'm curious as to which is "better technologically." Wasn't the last war (Beta vs VHS) one in which Beta was superior in technology AND smaller, but VHS somehow won?

As far as I know, there isn't a clear winner here. One of the problems is that both technologies are still developing. In terms of capacity, the better technology isn't totally clear because each one has different projected capabilities for layering (adding more capacity). Of course, I haven't been following the technology updates in the last 3 months, so maybe there has been some revolution I have missed. While I'm an early adopter for some technologies, I'm definitely sitting this one out until a winner is chosen.

[BrianD]

Originally Posted by MikeVic

Does anyone have a comparison of the two formats? I'm curious as to which is "better technologically." Wasn't the last war (Beta vs VHS) one in which Beta was superior in technology AND smaller, but VHS somehow won?

This is going to be a gross over generalization, but doesn't Sony generally come out with a technically superior product that often doesn't catch on with the less tech-savvy public? Seems like their Betamax and Mini-CD products did the same thing. Clearly they have winning products as well, but it seems like they often stretch father than consumers are willing to go.

I'm really surprised the ease/cost of manufacturing HD DVDs didn't give them a larger head start.

[Synovia]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blu-ray...DVD_comparison

Theres a short one.

The major issue is that Blu-Ray can hold 25gb per layer, HD-DVD can do 15GB. BUT, HD-DVD can only have 2 layers. Blu-Ray can have up to 16, IIRC.

[gstelmack]

One issue with Blu-Ray is that the early players did not support all the scripting technologies some of the movie houses wanted, while it was a requirement from Day One for HD-DVD. From a user point-of-view, the format of the actual discs is a wash either way, but this is a huge usability / software issue.

[Synovia]

Originally Posted by gstelmack

. From a user point-of-view, the format of the actual discs is a wash either way,

Not really, theres a huge difference in a 30gb disk and a 400gb disk, as far as possible resolutions and content goes.

[Arles]

If people are waiting for a clear winner, they will probably be without a high definition media player for another 3-4 years. There's really no onus for the public to "decide" on a clear winner like in the VHS days because of the numerous other options (DVR/Tivo, download only, regular DVD with upconversion). Only when high-grade HDTVs become commonplace will this issue even become relevant (and by that time the download/DVR options may make it moot).

The best thing people can do is decide if HD movie playing is important. If it is, look for a good deal on either brand or look for usability options. For me, blockbuster carrying only Blu-Ray in stores was a big bonus as I am not in favor of plunking down $20-40 for every movie purchase. For others, they may find an HD-DVD player for $200 on special and that's their choice. In the end, though, I am just as happy using my DVR to record an HD movie/show as I am renting/buying Blu_ray (and probably prefer the former because of simiplicity/cost). Plus, I don't notice an enormous difference between the upconverted HDMI normal DVD and the Blu-Ray on most movies.

[John Galt]

Originally Posted by Synovia

Not really, theres a huge difference in a 30gb disk and a 400gb disk, as far as possible resolutions and content goes.

Resolution probably won't matter beyond 1080p because then formats will probably change and it won't be HD-DVD v. Blu-Ray. Content should matter, but may not (a lot of extras suck). But as I mentioned, the Blu-Ray advantage in this regard is still hypothetical since they are only issuing single-layer disks (and no one seems to be sure they will be able to do more layers and have it be backward-compatible).

[gstelmack]

Originally Posted by Synovia

Not really, theres a huge difference in a 30gb disk and a 400gb disk, as far as possible resolutions and content goes.

The only content you are going to put on a 400 GB disc that you won't on a 30 GB disc for the forseeable future is something like a trilogy on a single disc instead of 3 or somesuch nonsense.

Heck, HD-DVD is putting the HD on one side and the regular on the other as-is. They can put 2 movies on one disc if they wanted to.

The actual usefulness of your theoretical 16-layer disc, without even discussing possible production costs and hassles, is extremely debatable.

HD-DVD's other big tech advantage was not requiring retooling of burning facilities. It was able to use DVD burning facilities at minimal cost compared to Blu-Ray.

The end consumer isn't going to notice one whit of difference between the two formats.

[Calis]

I kind of get the feeling that neither format will be the winner. I think by the time one comes close to being the clearcut winner something else better will come along and replace both of them.

I hope this is the case also, not a fan of the dueling format crap.

[gstelmack]

Why isn't there room for two formats as well? Remember that during the VHS/Beta wars, not that many people were buying. Tapes were like $80+ as well. That war had been settled long before we bought our first VCR.

Now, the movies themselves are around $25 each, the players are down around $300, and both can sell more than enough to make supporting the format profitable.

Either that, or they'll both die once someone comes out with a good Internet distribution model that lets me watch the movie outside the first 24 hour window...

[dawgfan]

I've suggested for a while that with the continuing mainstreaming of broadband internet access that downloaded HD movie files stand a decent chance of trumping both HD-DVD and Blu-Ray as the HD movie content access choice.

The real battle if that happens is which of those 2 media becomes the preferred method of read/write storage/backup for all the media you download. Or will it even be necessary? The continuing drop in the price of hard disks may mean that more and more people save their files and backups on hard drives and use temporary internet storage to transfer files to other locations.

The best hope for both Blu-Ray and HD-DVD is for players that can read both formats coming down in price - I really have no interest in having to buy both a Blu-Ray player and an HD-DVD player to access the various exclusive movies.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Looks like I found the smoking gun that I thought might be there in regards to Paramount. It's being reported that the $150M that Toshiba paid Paramount to switch sides is only an 18 month deal. So Paramount can take the money, switch over for 18 months, and then reassess and switch back to dual format assuming Blu-ray continues to sell well.

The other thing that seems to make sense is that Toshiba had to pay this much to make it worth it for Paramount. 70% of Paramount's HD-movie sales were on Blu-ray, so they had to pay this much to make up for the movie short-fall that they're going to have over the next year and a half. Also, the deal didn't include the Spielberg movies. Spielberg reportedly didn't want any part of this deal and wouldn't allow it to go through if his movies were part of the deal. Also, any future Spielberg movies will also be dual format.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

More HD media news......

Multiple websites, including IGN, are now reporting that Universal is seriously concerned about HD-DVD and is considering a move to be a dual format provider. Universal is the one studio that has allowed HD-DVD to stay somewhat competitive. Losing them would be a big media hit.

Also, looks like Paramount just cost themselves a cash cow 'Transformers' sequel because of their decision. Post from Michael Bay on his official website..........

http://www.shootfortheedit.com/forum...er=asc&start=0

"I want people to see my movies in the best formats possible. For them to deny people who have Blu-ray sucks! They were progressive by having two formats. No Transformers 2 for me!"

[spleen1015]

It's not going to cost them Transformers 2. It is going to cost them Michael Bay from the sounds of it.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Originally Posted by spleen1015

It's not going to cost them Transformers 2. It is going to cost them Michael Bay from the sounds of it.

Yeah, but there's a long boneyard of sequels that were created by a director different than the original that fell flat on their face. I agree with you that they will likely try it, but past efforts in similar situations have produced mixed results as best.

[albionmoonlight]

An inanimate carbon rod could direct Transformers 2 and it would still make $200,000,000. It might not be a good movie, but that has very little to do with whether it will be a cash cow.

Not that Bay won't direct it. Something tells me that, when push comes to shove, his passion for big fat paychecks outweighs his passion for DVD format wars.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Originally Posted by albionmoonlight

An inanimate carbon rod could direct Transformers 2 and it would still make $200,000,000. It might not be a good movie, but that has very little to do with whether it will be a cash cow.

Not that Bay won't direct it. Something tells me that, when push comes to shove, his passion for big fat paychecks outweighs his passion for DVD format wars.

I need my vision checked. I read the first part of that post as "inmate carbon rod" and wondered why someone would ever put a carbon rod in a prison.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

First game announcements from Leipzig Gaming Convention starting to trickle in.

Lots of people liked the original game. Mafia 2 announced for PS3/360/PC. Some really nice screenshots, though they are likely photoshopped to some extent.......

http://www.2kgames.com/mafia2/

[Bee]

Originally Posted by John Galt

I admit I haven't read this thread or the related threads in the entirety, but I saw this while trying to set up my projector and thought it might be of interest to people in this endless debate. It doesn't have to do the xbox360 or the PS3, but seems to be in important development in the battle between Blu-Ray and HD-DVD.

http://projectorcentral.com/paramount_dreamworks.htm

Paramount Pictures and Dreamworks Animation announced this morning that they will henceforth support the new generation HD DVD format exclusively on a worldwide basis. These are the first two major studios to drop support of the competing Blu-ray format. Until now, most of their HD discs were being released in both HD DVD and Blu-ray, including the Mission: Impossible collection, The Untouchables, Tomb Raider, U2 Rattle and Hum, and others.

This announcement represents a significant shift in momentum in favor of HD DVD, as Paramount and Dreamworks join Universal Studios in declaring exclusive support of HD DVD. The text of the official press release follows ....

When I first read this I thought "Huge blow to Blu-ray", but now that I've thought about it I don't know if it's really going to make much difference. IMO, the reason that blu-ray has been pulling away is because of the PS3. I don't think most people are saying "I want HD movies so I'm going out and buying a HD-DVD player or a blu-ray player"...I think most people are saying "I bought a PS3 and maybe I'll go out and grab a couple of those new HD movies to check them out". If the first were true, this would have a lot of impact IMO, but if it's the latter then it just means the ps3 users will be a little disappointed in the selection. I don't see this leading to a significant change in sales for either format under the current market conditions. Now if the HD-DVD companies can put out a player for around $100 or something then this might have an impact.

[stevew]

I don't know how feasible low cost(100-150 range) HDDVD players would be, but they would definitely sell at that range. Another problem, IMO, is that Toshiba really doesn't make HTIB's. If they did, then they could make HDDVD HTIB's, which would be an attractive option. Sony, Samsung, and panasonic all seem to be on the Blu Ray train at the moment.

Looking back on it, Toshiba really screwed this up, as this war should have been an easy transition from the current format.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Originally Posted by Bee

Now if the HD-DVD companies can put out a player for around $100 or something then this might have an impact.

At this point, HD-DVD base players will be at $199 for the holidays and BR base players will be at $299. With that said, the largest increase in installed base is going to be with the PS3, not stand-alone players on either side.

Also, while the HD-DVD players are the cheaper alternative, the BR movies across the board are actually running about $5 less than their HD-DVD counterparts. Not sure why there's a price difference, but it is there.

[TroyF]

Originally Posted by albionmoonlight

An inanimate carbon rod could direct Transformers 2 and it would still make $200,000,000. It might not be a good movie, but that has very little to do with whether it will be a cash cow.

Not that Bay won't direct it. Something tells me that, when push comes to shove, his passion for big fat paychecks outweighs his passion for DVD format wars.

Exactly right.

I'm with Dawg. This is going down as the most worthless "war" of all time. The winner of the format will still be a loser. People see no need to change from regular DVD now and by the time they do, the multimedia market will be huge. Meanwhile, each will be spending hundred of millions of dollars on exclusive deals trying to win the format war.

[TroyF]

Originally Posted by Mizzou B-ball fan

Pachter really gets fired up about PS3 criticisms in this article. I tend to agree with him that with the big exclusives in the spring, by this time next year, these criticisms won't hold much water, nor will the 360 criticisms assuming the new design fixes the RROD problems...........

http://biz.gamedaily.com/industry/feature/?id=17175

Quick comment on this article: It's idiotic.

I think Pachter is either a closet Sony exec or has drank the Kool - Aid they provided him with.

Let's look at some of this:

From what I can tell, the frame rates for NCAA Football and Take-Two's All-Pro Football were equally slow, and nobody complained about them.

BZZZZZZZZ. Wrong. People did complain about both of them. I hate to insult someone, but it takes a first class moron to be involved in the gaming community at all and not know there was concerns and criticisms of the frame rate of those two games.

The PS3 is a fantastic console, and anyone who has one knows it's awesome.

The console itself? Sure. It's solid. But awesome means having games you want to play. The PS3 fails miserably in this regard. Anyone who owns the system understands this. As Xbox 360 owners get ready for a fall season of Bioshock, Mass Effect and Halo 3, PS3 owners are getting ready for a delayed and overhyped Lair.

This issue may go away next year. He could be right on that. But Sony could also get it's ass handed to them bigtime this holiday season which will make them doing nothing but playing catch up for the next 5 years. If this holiday season goes badly for them, they may never catch up to the Wii or the 360. That's a disaster for them.

One would think that stupid analysts would be writing about the 360 warranty issue, and how people will avoid that box until they can be assured that they won't see the 'three red rings of death.

No, one wouldn't think that because MS addressed the issue head on. People know that if they do get the red ring of death, their systems will be repaired for the next 3 years. They know it'll be done free of charge. MS made this a dead issue for a majority of people when they announced the new warranty procedures. It doesn't take away ALL of the negative press, but it's not like analysts have ignored the issues. They just have nothing to write about anymore. The issue has been handled. All of the consumers know what the deal is and they can make their own decisions now.

and can't wait to watch 300 in 1080p

And I can't wait to watch the Bourne Identity, a better movie than 300 in HD-DVD. That line was a lie, I don't own an HD-DVD and probably never will. I have the Blu Ray with the PS3 and have purchased Planet Earth for it. I doubt I'll purchase anything more for the foreseeable future. It's just asinine for him to yap about how excited he is to watch the 300 in 1080p as if there aren't good movies exclusive the other way.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Bioshock for the PS3 is quickly becoming the worst-kept secret in the video game industry. Someone dug through the demo code and found multiple PS3 references in the development code. Not sure why the developer left it in there, but they might as well just confirm it's coming. My guess is that MS wants them to hold off to avoid losing any sales to people who own a PS3 or are still trying to decide which console to get.

[Console]
;; Console (XBox360, PS3) specific settings

;; StreamingDynamicFloatingLimit:
;; If this is a positive number, then instead of using the fixed per-level
;; limits, the StreamingDynamic resource will use as much memory as is
;; available as long as the total memory allocated by the game is less than
;; the specified number. In other words, StreamingDynamic will grow and
;; shrink to fit to the available memory instead of being locked to a fixed
;; budget
StreamingDynamicFloatingLimit=500