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Steam Machines at GameStop

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  Steam Machines at GameStop Nobody <nobody@invalid.com> - 2015-10-28 23:25 -0500
    Re: Steam Machines at GameStop Lloyd Parsons <lloydp211@gmail.com> - 2015-10-29 13:41 +0000
      Re: Steam Machines at GameStop Charmed Tuna <.m@nsn.s> - 2015-10-29 10:48 -0400
      Re: Steam Machines at GameStop "Ezekiel" <zeke@nosuchemail.com> - 2015-10-29 19:45 -0400
        Re: Steam Machines at GameStop "Ezekiel" <zeke@nosuchemail.com> - 2015-10-29 20:39 -0400
          Re: Steam Machines at GameStop Charmed Tuna <.m@nsn.s> - 2015-10-29 21:22 -0400
            Re: Steam Machines at GameStop Charmed Tuna <.m@nsn.s> - 2015-10-29 21:39 -0400
              Re: Steam Machines at GameStop Charmed Tuna <.m@nsn.s> - 2015-10-29 21:51 -0400
                Re: Steam Machines at GameStop Charmed Tuna <.m@nsn.s> - 2015-10-30 09:22 -0400
                  Re: Steam Machines at GameStop Lloyd Parsons <lloydp211@gmail.com> - 2015-10-30 13:29 +0000
                    Re: Steam Machines at GameStop Charmed Tuna <.m@nsn.s> - 2015-10-30 09:47 -0400
                      Re: Steam Machines at GameStop Lloyd Parsons <lloydp211@gmail.com> - 2015-10-30 13:59 +0000
                        Re: Steam Machines at GameStop Charmed Tuna <.m@nsn.s> - 2015-10-30 10:14 -0400
                          Re: Steam Machines at GameStop "Ezekiel" <zeke@nosuchemail.com> - 2015-10-30 10:22 -0400
                            Re: Steam Machines at GameStop Charmed Tuna <.m@nsn.s> - 2015-10-30 10:31 -0400
                              Re: Steam Machines at GameStop Big Fish in a Small Crotch <bigfishinasmallcrotch@myself.com> - 2015-10-30 10:42 -0400
                                Re: Steam Machines at GameStop Charmed Tuna <.m@nsn.s> - 2015-10-30 10:48 -0400
                                  Re: Steam Machines at GameStop Lloyd Parsons <lloydp211@gmail.com> - 2015-10-30 14:55 +0000
                            Re: Steam Machines at GameStop Lloyd Parsons <lloydp211@gmail.com> - 2015-10-30 14:36 +0000
                              Re: Steam Machines at GameStop "Ezekiel" <zeke@nosuchemail.com> - 2015-10-30 10:47 -0400
                                Re: Steam Machines at GameStop Charmed Tuna <.m@nsn.s> - 2015-10-30 12:25 -0400
                          Re: Steam Machines at GameStop Lloyd Parsons <lloydp211@gmail.com> - 2015-10-30 14:34 +0000
                            Re: Steam Machines at GameStop Charmed Tuna <.m@nsn.s> - 2015-10-30 10:37 -0400
                              Re: Steam Machines at GameStop Lloyd Parsons <lloydp211@gmail.com> - 2015-10-30 14:43 +0000
                                Re: Steam Machines at GameStop Charmed Tuna <.m@nsn.s> - 2015-10-30 12:21 -0400
                                  Re: Steam Machines at GameStop Lloyd Parsons <lloydp211@gmail.com> - 2015-10-30 16:25 +0000
    Re: Steam Machines at GameStop chrisv <chrisv@nospam.invalid> - 2015-10-29 09:48 -0500
      Re: Steam Machines at GameStop ronb <ronb02NOSPAM@gmail.com> - 2015-10-29 14:56 +0000
        Re: Steam Machines at GameStop Lloyd Parsons <lloydp211@gmail.com> - 2015-10-29 15:04 +0000
        Re: Steam Machines at GameStop chrisv <chrisv@nospam.invalid> - 2015-10-29 13:26 -0500
          Re: Steam Machines at GameStop Big Fish in a Small Crotch <bigfishinasmallcrotch@myself.com> - 2015-10-29 14:33 -0400
            Re: Steam Machines at GameStop Charmed Tuna <.m@nsn.s> - 2015-10-29 16:59 -0400
            Re: Steam Machines at GameStop GreyCloud <cumulus@mist.com> - 2015-10-29 19:56 -0600
              Re: Steam Machines at GameStop GreyCloud <cumulus@mist.com> - 2015-10-30 15:48 -0600
            Re: Steam Machines at GameStop JEDIDIAH <jedi@nomad.mishnet> - 2015-10-30 11:12 -0500
          Re: Steam Machines at GameStop Lloyd Parsons <lloydp211@gmail.com> - 2015-10-29 18:35 +0000
      Re: Steam Machines at GameStop Lloyd Parsons <lloydp211@gmail.com> - 2015-10-29 15:02 +0000
    Re: Steam Machines at GameStop ronb <ronb02NOSPAM@gmail.com> - 2015-10-29 14:54 +0000
      Re: Steam Machines at GameStop Lloyd Parsons <lloydp211@gmail.com> - 2015-10-29 15:03 +0000

Page 1 of 2  [1] 2  Next page →

#329354 — Steam Machines at GameStop

http://www.gamestop.com/steammachine


Just in time for the Xmas shopping season!

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#329388

On Wed, 28 Oct 2015 23:25:20 -0500, Nobody wrote:

> http://www.gamestop.com/steammachine
> 
> 
> Just in time for the Xmas shopping season!

Well, you can at least pre-order them according to your link.  :)

Will be interesting to see how well Steam does with these.



-- 
Lloyd

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#329409

On 2015-10-29 9:41 AM, Lloyd Parsons wrote:
> On Wed, 28 Oct 2015 23:25:20 -0500, Nobody wrote:
> 
>> http://www.gamestop.com/steammachine
>>
>>
>> Just in time for the Xmas shopping season!
> 
> Well, you can at least pre-order them according to your link.  :)
> 
> Will be interesting to see how well Steam does with these.

The dozens they sell will provide enough to pay for one of the employees
who built them!


-- 
Charmed Tuna

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#329595

"Lloyd Parsons" <lloydp211@gmail.com> wrote in message 
news:d9elveFc42lU2@mid.individual.net...
> On Wed, 28 Oct 2015 23:25:20 -0500, Nobody wrote:
>
>> http://www.gamestop.com/steammachine
>>
>>
>> Just in time for the Xmas shopping season!
>
> Well, you can at least pre-order them according to your link.  :)
>
> Will be interesting to see how well Steam does with these.
>

Yeah.....  So how do you think the Steam Machines are going to do?

The mobile (tablet/phone) gaming market appears to be the largest. Other 
consoles have tried and failed but they didn't have the library/ecosystem 
that Valve has.

-- 
"Astounding! A tailwind reduces lift?!?!?! How in hell does a kite fly 
then?"
<pan.2007.01.23.12.09.18.541617@kubuntulinux110.eu>

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#329603

"Lloyd Parsons" <lloydp211@gmail.com> wrote in message 
news:d9fqgeFlbv0U1@mid.individual.net...
> On Thu, 29 Oct 2015 19:45:09 -0400, Ezekiel wrote:
>
>> "Lloyd Parsons" <lloydp211@gmail.com> wrote in message
>> news:d9elveFc42lU2@mid.individual.net...
>>> On Wed, 28 Oct 2015 23:25:20 -0500, Nobody wrote:
>>>
>>>> http://www.gamestop.com/steammachine
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> Just in time for the Xmas shopping season!
>>>
>>> Well, you can at least pre-order them according to your link.  :)
>>>
>>> Will be interesting to see how well Steam does with these.
>>>
>>>
>> Yeah.....  So how do you think the Steam Machines are going to do?
>>
>> The mobile (tablet/phone) gaming market appears to be the largest. Other
>> consoles have tried and failed but they didn't have the
>> library/ecosystem that Valve has.
>
> From the larger market standpoint, I don't think they'll do all that
> well.  But then I don't know what they think doing well means to them.
> It is a tough arena to walk into.  You've got entrenched consoles and
> you've got a huge Windows gaming market too that is just as well
> entrenched.
>
> I think the big thing is going to be how well the graphics do as that has
> been a weak point with Linux for a long time.  If Valve has written some
> really good drivers for the cards they'll support in them, then gaining a
> reasonable share of the market might just be doable.
>

Like you said, the key is what Valve considers to be doing well. If it 
happens, I'm sure that Nobrains will be screaming how it was a huge success 
because 50,000 consoles were sold. (XBox sold about 6m last Q4.)

I don't see it doing well. The market is too entrenched by heavyweights like 
Microsoft, Sony and Nintendo. Maybe I'm missing some advantage of a Steam 
machine but what does it do that Xbox/PS don't already have?

These existing consoles have very mature/polished apps for Netflix, YouTube, 
Skype, Amazon Video, Hulu, etc.Steam will probably have most of these apps 
but will they be v0.9 and feature complete?

The biggest factor for me is the "network effect". When 3 of your friends 
are playing Call of Duty online and you can't play because you have a Steam 
machine, that's a problem. .If you can't play online with your friends then 
it's a big problem.

But hey, that's my opinion and Valve thinks otherwise. I'm not a gamer and 
don't care so it'll be interesting to watch how this unfolds.

-- 
"When a Windows-Only PC is sold, the Manufacturer loses money, and the 
Retailer loses money.  The only "Profit" comes from selling service and 
support plans."

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#329613

On 2015-10-29 8:39 PM, Ezekiel wrote:
> "Lloyd Parsons" <lloydp211@gmail.com> wrote in message 
> news:d9fqgeFlbv0U1@mid.individual.net...
>> On Thu, 29 Oct 2015 19:45:09 -0400, Ezekiel wrote:
>>
>>> "Lloyd Parsons" <lloydp211@gmail.com> wrote in message
>>> news:d9elveFc42lU2@mid.individual.net...
>>>> On Wed, 28 Oct 2015 23:25:20 -0500, Nobody wrote:
>>>>
>>>>> http://www.gamestop.com/steammachine
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> Just in time for the Xmas shopping season!
>>>>
>>>> Well, you can at least pre-order them according to your link.  :)
>>>>
>>>> Will be interesting to see how well Steam does with these.
>>>>
>>>>
>>> Yeah.....  So how do you think the Steam Machines are going to do?
>>>
>>> The mobile (tablet/phone) gaming market appears to be the largest. Other
>>> consoles have tried and failed but they didn't have the
>>> library/ecosystem that Valve has.
>>
>> From the larger market standpoint, I don't think they'll do all that
>> well.  But then I don't know what they think doing well means to them.
>> It is a tough arena to walk into.  You've got entrenched consoles and
>> you've got a huge Windows gaming market too that is just as well
>> entrenched.
>>
>> I think the big thing is going to be how well the graphics do as that has
>> been a weak point with Linux for a long time.  If Valve has written some
>> really good drivers for the cards they'll support in them, then gaining a
>> reasonable share of the market might just be doable.
>>
> 
> Like you said, the key is what Valve considers to be doing well. If it 
> happens, I'm sure that Nobrains will be screaming how it was a huge success 
> because 50,000 consoles were sold. (XBox sold about 6m last Q4.)
> 
> I don't see it doing well. The market is too entrenched by heavyweights like 
> Microsoft, Sony and Nintendo. Maybe I'm missing some advantage of a Steam 
> machine but what does it do that Xbox/PS don't already have?

Nothing, actually.

> These existing consoles have very mature/polished apps for Netflix, YouTube, 
> Skype, Amazon Video, Hulu, etc.Steam will probably have most of these apps 
> but will they be v0.9 and feature complete?

I doubt that they will have ANY of the Skype, Netflix and other
applications. If they do, it'll take a while before you see them.

> The biggest factor for me is the "network effect". When 3 of your friends 
> are playing Call of Duty online and you can't play because you have a Steam 
> machine, that's a problem. .If you can't play online with your friends then 
> it's a big problem.

Something I'm facing at the moment as all of my friends play on the XBOX
One or the PS4 and I'm on a PC.

> But hey, that's my opinion and Valve thinks otherwise. I'm not a gamer and 
> don't care so it'll be interesting to watch how this unfolds.

I guarantee you that the Steam machine will be a monumental failure. I
have owned consoles since the original Atari VCS and know the history of
them all extremely well. A Steam machine would have had some interest
had it released a year before the Xbox One or the PS4 did. In fact, it
was on a lot of gamers' minds at that time. When there were delays, the
interest died too; anyone who wanted one ended up just getting either of
the two main consoles at the moment.

-- 
Charmed Tuna

[toc] | [prev] | [next] | [standalone]

#329622

On 2015-10-29 9:35 PM, Lloyd Parsons wrote:
> On Thu, 29 Oct 2015 21:22:09 -0400, Charmed Tuna wrote:
> 
>> On 2015-10-29 8:39 PM, Ezekiel wrote:
>>> "Lloyd Parsons" <lloydp211@gmail.com> wrote in message
>>> news:d9fqgeFlbv0U1@mid.individual.net...
>>>> On Thu, 29 Oct 2015 19:45:09 -0400, Ezekiel wrote:
>>>>
>>>>> "Lloyd Parsons" <lloydp211@gmail.com> wrote in message
>>>>> news:d9elveFc42lU2@mid.individual.net...
>>>>>> On Wed, 28 Oct 2015 23:25:20 -0500, Nobody wrote:
>>>>>>
>>>>>>> http://www.gamestop.com/steammachine
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Just in time for the Xmas shopping season!
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Well, you can at least pre-order them according to your link.  :)
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Will be interesting to see how well Steam does with these.
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>> Yeah.....  So how do you think the Steam Machines are going to do?
>>>>>
>>>>> The mobile (tablet/phone) gaming market appears to be the largest.
>>>>> Other consoles have tried and failed but they didn't have the
>>>>> library/ecosystem that Valve has.
>>>>
>>>> From the larger market standpoint, I don't think they'll do all that
>>>> well.  But then I don't know what they think doing well means to them.
>>>> It is a tough arena to walk into.  You've got entrenched consoles and
>>>> you've got a huge Windows gaming market too that is just as well
>>>> entrenched.
>>>>
>>>> I think the big thing is going to be how well the graphics do as that
>>>> has been a weak point with Linux for a long time.  If Valve has
>>>> written some really good drivers for the cards they'll support in
>>>> them, then gaining a reasonable share of the market might just be
>>>> doable.
>>>>
>>>>
>>> Like you said, the key is what Valve considers to be doing well. If it
>>> happens, I'm sure that Nobrains will be screaming how it was a huge
>>> success because 50,000 consoles were sold. (XBox sold about 6m last
>>> Q4.)
>>>
>>> I don't see it doing well. The market is too entrenched by heavyweights
>>> like Microsoft, Sony and Nintendo. Maybe I'm missing some advantage of
>>> a Steam machine but what does it do that Xbox/PS don't already have?
>>
>> Nothing, actually.
>>
> Possibly like PC games, more control because of the addition of a 
> keyboard??
> 
> But then Windows PC game machines already have all that AND all the games 
> except for exclusives on one platform or another.

I'd say that the biggest selling point is the controller the Steam
machines offer. It is a new style of controller which gives you the
familiarity of a gamepad and the control of a mouse and keyboard. I
haven't tried it myself but I imagine it is stellar considering _it_ was
the cause of the Steam machines' delay. Valve wanted to provide a
perfect experience and so kept testing and re-testing the controller.

>>> These existing consoles have very mature/polished apps for Netflix,
>>> YouTube,
>>> Skype, Amazon Video, Hulu, etc.Steam will probably have most of these
>>> apps but will they be v0.9 and feature complete?
>>
> 
> Most of those apps don't exist on Linux at all.

Exactly. There's no reason to believe that a Steam machine will change that.

>> I doubt that they will have ANY of the Skype, Netflix and other
>> applications. If they do, it'll take a while before you see them.
>>
>>> The biggest factor for me is the "network effect". When 3 of your
>>> friends are playing Call of Duty online and you can't play because you
>>> have a Steam machine, that's a problem. .If you can't play online with
>>> your friends then it's a big problem.
>>
>> Something I'm facing at the moment as all of my friends play on the XBOX
>> One or the PS4 and I'm on a PC.
>>
> I don't play online games but have wondered if you were playing the same 
> game but on a different platform, would you be able to join a game.  
> Guess the answer is no...

Apparently, Windows 10 will allow that through their Xbox app. People
with an Xbox One and a PC will be able to play against one another but I
imagine that it will only work for first-party games. Either way, it's a
good selling point.

>>> But hey, that's my opinion and Valve thinks otherwise. I'm not a gamer
>>> and don't care so it'll be interesting to watch how this unfolds.
>>
>> I guarantee you that the Steam machine will be a monumental failure. I
>> have owned consoles since the original Atari VCS and know the history of
>> them all extremely well. A Steam machine would have had some interest
>> had it released a year before the Xbox One or the PS4 did. In fact, it
>> was on a lot of gamers' minds at that time. When there were delays, the
>> interest died too; anyone who wanted one ended up just getting either of
>> the two main consoles at the moment.
> 
> A few articles I read indicated that there was a lackadaisical attitude 
> at Valve which resulted in lots of delays.  I don't know if that is a 
> true statement or if they were just having issues getting great graphics 
> performance out of Linux.

I heard it was solely the controller. The graphical issues have always
been and will always be a part of Linux.


-- 
Charmed Tuna

[toc] | [prev] | [next] | [standalone]

#329632

On 2015-10-29 9:46 PM, Lloyd Parsons wrote:
> On Thu, 29 Oct 2015 21:39:36 -0400, Charmed Tuna wrote:
> 
>> On 2015-10-29 9:35 PM, Lloyd Parsons wrote:
>>> On Thu, 29 Oct 2015 21:22:09 -0400, Charmed Tuna wrote:
>>>
>>>> On 2015-10-29 8:39 PM, Ezekiel wrote:
>>>>> "Lloyd Parsons" <lloydp211@gmail.com> wrote in message
>>>>> news:d9fqgeFlbv0U1@mid.individual.net...
>>>>>> On Thu, 29 Oct 2015 19:45:09 -0400, Ezekiel wrote:
>>>>>>
>>>>>>> "Lloyd Parsons" <lloydp211@gmail.com> wrote in message
>>>>>>> news:d9elveFc42lU2@mid.individual.net...
>>>>>>>> On Wed, 28 Oct 2015 23:25:20 -0500, Nobody wrote:
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>> http://www.gamestop.com/steammachine
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>> Just in time for the Xmas shopping season!
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> Well, you can at least pre-order them according to your link.  :)
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> Will be interesting to see how well Steam does with these.
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Yeah.....  So how do you think the Steam Machines are going to do?
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> The mobile (tablet/phone) gaming market appears to be the largest.
>>>>>>> Other consoles have tried and failed but they didn't have the
>>>>>>> library/ecosystem that Valve has.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> From the larger market standpoint, I don't think they'll do all that
>>>>>> well.  But then I don't know what they think doing well means to
>>>>>> them.
>>>>>> It is a tough arena to walk into.  You've got entrenched consoles
>>>>>> and you've got a huge Windows gaming market too that is just as well
>>>>>> entrenched.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> I think the big thing is going to be how well the graphics do as
>>>>>> that has been a weak point with Linux for a long time.  If Valve has
>>>>>> written some really good drivers for the cards they'll support in
>>>>>> them, then gaining a reasonable share of the market might just be
>>>>>> doable.
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>> Like you said, the key is what Valve considers to be doing well. If
>>>>> it happens, I'm sure that Nobrains will be screaming how it was a
>>>>> huge success because 50,000 consoles were sold. (XBox sold about 6m
>>>>> last Q4.)
>>>>>
>>>>> I don't see it doing well. The market is too entrenched by
>>>>> heavyweights like Microsoft, Sony and Nintendo. Maybe I'm missing
>>>>> some advantage of a Steam machine but what does it do that Xbox/PS
>>>>> don't already have?
>>>>
>>>> Nothing, actually.
>>>>
>>> Possibly like PC games, more control because of the addition of a
>>> keyboard??
>>>
>>> But then Windows PC game machines already have all that AND all the
>>> games except for exclusives on one platform or another.
>>
>> I'd say that the biggest selling point is the controller the Steam
>> machines offer. It is a new style of controller which gives you the
>> familiarity of a gamepad and the control of a mouse and keyboard. I
>> haven't tried it myself but I imagine it is stellar considering _it_ was
>> the cause of the Steam machines' delay. Valve wanted to provide a
>> perfect experience and so kept testing and re-testing the controller.
>>
> But unless I'm reading the ads wrong, the controller doesn't come with 
> the Steam machines.

I would sincerely doubt that, but it won't stop the advocretins from
calling it a great deal.

>>>>> These existing consoles have very mature/polished apps for Netflix,
>>>>> YouTube,
>>>>> Skype, Amazon Video, Hulu, etc.Steam will probably have most of these
>>>>> apps but will they be v0.9 and feature complete?
>>>>
>>>>
>>> Most of those apps don't exist on Linux at all.
>>
>> Exactly. There's no reason to believe that a Steam machine will change
>> that.
>>
>>>> I doubt that they will have ANY of the Skype, Netflix and other
>>>> applications. If they do, it'll take a while before you see them.
>>>>
>>>>> The biggest factor for me is the "network effect". When 3 of your
>>>>> friends are playing Call of Duty online and you can't play because
>>>>> you have a Steam machine, that's a problem. .If you can't play online
>>>>> with your friends then it's a big problem.
>>>>
>>>> Something I'm facing at the moment as all of my friends play on the
>>>> XBOX One or the PS4 and I'm on a PC.
>>>>
>>> I don't play online games but have wondered if you were playing the
>>> same game but on a different platform, would you be able to join a
>>> game. Guess the answer is no...
>>
>> Apparently, Windows 10 will allow that through their Xbox app. People
>> with an Xbox One and a PC will be able to play against one another but I
>> imagine that it will only work for first-party games. Either way, it's a
>> good selling point.
>>
> I'll need to read about that.  My understanding is that the app will 
> allow you to play your Xbox games on your PC with W10.  I've read nothing 
> that would indicate you could have an online gaming session with others 
> using it.  I'll fiddle with that tomorrow a bit.

It's possible. I might have read too much into it.

>>>>> But hey, that's my opinion and Valve thinks otherwise. I'm not a
>>>>> gamer and don't care so it'll be interesting to watch how this
>>>>> unfolds.
>>>>
>>>> I guarantee you that the Steam machine will be a monumental failure. I
>>>> have owned consoles since the original Atari VCS and know the history
>>>> of them all extremely well. A Steam machine would have had some
>>>> interest had it released a year before the Xbox One or the PS4 did. In
>>>> fact, it was on a lot of gamers' minds at that time. When there were
>>>> delays, the interest died too; anyone who wanted one ended up just
>>>> getting either of the two main consoles at the moment.
>>>
>>> A few articles I read indicated that there was a lackadaisical attitude
>>> at Valve which resulted in lots of delays.  I don't know if that is a
>>> true statement or if they were just having issues getting great
>>> graphics performance out of Linux.
>>
>> I heard it was solely the controller. The graphical issues have always
>> been and will always be a part of Linux.
> 
> OT: If you want a really fun and cheap game, take a gander at Tembo the 
> Badass Elephant.  It is a 2D side scroller (or platformer in modern 
> terms) put out by Sega and Game Freak.  It is a hoot to play if you like 
> that sort of game.
> I've been playing that and a couple Rayman games off and on all day as 
> the weather sucked and I didn't want to watch TV.

Rayman's games are awesome. I used to love Rayman 2 on the Dreamcast
back in the day. The ones they made recently are even better than that
and have a great sense of humour.


-- 
Charmed Tuna

[toc] | [prev] | [next] | [standalone]

#329689

On 2015-10-29 9:58 PM, Lloyd Parsons wrote:
> On Thu, 29 Oct 2015 21:51:36 -0400, Charmed Tuna wrote:
> 
>> On 2015-10-29 9:46 PM, Lloyd Parsons wrote:
>>> On Thu, 29 Oct 2015 21:39:36 -0400, Charmed Tuna wrote:
>>>
>>>> On 2015-10-29 9:35 PM, Lloyd Parsons wrote:
>>>>> On Thu, 29 Oct 2015 21:22:09 -0400, Charmed Tuna wrote:
>>>>>
>>>>>> On 2015-10-29 8:39 PM, Ezekiel wrote:
>>>>>>> "Lloyd Parsons" <lloydp211@gmail.com> wrote in message
>>>>>>> news:d9fqgeFlbv0U1@mid.individual.net...
>>>>>>>> On Thu, 29 Oct 2015 19:45:09 -0400, Ezekiel wrote:
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>> "Lloyd Parsons" <lloydp211@gmail.com> wrote in message
>>>>>>>>> news:d9elveFc42lU2@mid.individual.net...
>>>>>>>>>> On Wed, 28 Oct 2015 23:25:20 -0500, Nobody wrote:
>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>> http://www.gamestop.com/steammachine
>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>> Just in time for the Xmas shopping season!
>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>> Well, you can at least pre-order them according to your link. 
>>>>>>>>>> :)
>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>> Will be interesting to see how well Steam does with these.
>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>> Yeah.....  So how do you think the Steam Machines are going to
>>>>>>>>> do?
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>> The mobile (tablet/phone) gaming market appears to be the
>>>>>>>>> largest.
>>>>>>>>> Other consoles have tried and failed but they didn't have the
>>>>>>>>> library/ecosystem that Valve has.
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> From the larger market standpoint, I don't think they'll do all
>>>>>>>> that well.  But then I don't know what they think doing well means
>>>>>>>> to them.
>>>>>>>> It is a tough arena to walk into.  You've got entrenched consoles
>>>>>>>> and you've got a huge Windows gaming market too that is just as
>>>>>>>> well entrenched.
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> I think the big thing is going to be how well the graphics do as
>>>>>>>> that has been a weak point with Linux for a long time.  If Valve
>>>>>>>> has written some really good drivers for the cards they'll support
>>>>>>>> in them, then gaining a reasonable share of the market might just
>>>>>>>> be doable.
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Like you said, the key is what Valve considers to be doing well. If
>>>>>>> it happens, I'm sure that Nobrains will be screaming how it was a
>>>>>>> huge success because 50,000 consoles were sold. (XBox sold about 6m
>>>>>>> last Q4.)
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> I don't see it doing well. The market is too entrenched by
>>>>>>> heavyweights like Microsoft, Sony and Nintendo. Maybe I'm missing
>>>>>>> some advantage of a Steam machine but what does it do that Xbox/PS
>>>>>>> don't already have?
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Nothing, actually.
>>>>>>
>>>>> Possibly like PC games, more control because of the addition of a
>>>>> keyboard??
>>>>>
>>>>> But then Windows PC game machines already have all that AND all the
>>>>> games except for exclusives on one platform or another.
>>>>
>>>> I'd say that the biggest selling point is the controller the Steam
>>>> machines offer. It is a new style of controller which gives you the
>>>> familiarity of a gamepad and the control of a mouse and keyboard. I
>>>> haven't tried it myself but I imagine it is stellar considering _it_
>>>> was the cause of the Steam machines' delay. Valve wanted to provide a
>>>> perfect experience and so kept testing and re-testing the controller.
>>>>
>>> But unless I'm reading the ads wrong, the controller doesn't come with
>>> the Steam machines.
>>
>> I would sincerely doubt that, but it won't stop the advocretins from
>> calling it a great deal.
>>
>>>>>>> These existing consoles have very mature/polished apps for Netflix,
>>>>>>> YouTube,
>>>>>>> Skype, Amazon Video, Hulu, etc.Steam will probably have most of
>>>>>>> these apps but will they be v0.9 and feature complete?
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>> Most of those apps don't exist on Linux at all.
>>>>
>>>> Exactly. There's no reason to believe that a Steam machine will change
>>>> that.
>>>>
>>>>>> I doubt that they will have ANY of the Skype, Netflix and other
>>>>>> applications. If they do, it'll take a while before you see them.
>>>>>>
>>>>>>> The biggest factor for me is the "network effect". When 3 of your
>>>>>>> friends are playing Call of Duty online and you can't play because
>>>>>>> you have a Steam machine, that's a problem. .If you can't play
>>>>>>> online with your friends then it's a big problem.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Something I'm facing at the moment as all of my friends play on the
>>>>>> XBOX One or the PS4 and I'm on a PC.
>>>>>>
>>>>> I don't play online games but have wondered if you were playing the
>>>>> same game but on a different platform, would you be able to join a
>>>>> game. Guess the answer is no...
>>>>
>>>> Apparently, Windows 10 will allow that through their Xbox app. People
>>>> with an Xbox One and a PC will be able to play against one another but
>>>> I imagine that it will only work for first-party games. Either way,
>>>> it's a good selling point.
>>>>
>>> I'll need to read about that.  My understanding is that the app will
>>> allow you to play your Xbox games on your PC with W10.  I've read
>>> nothing that would indicate you could have an online gaming session
>>> with others using it.  I'll fiddle with that tomorrow a bit.
>>
>> It's possible. I might have read too much into it.
>>
>>>>>>> But hey, that's my opinion and Valve thinks otherwise. I'm not a
>>>>>>> gamer and don't care so it'll be interesting to watch how this
>>>>>>> unfolds.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> I guarantee you that the Steam machine will be a monumental failure.
>>>>>> I have owned consoles since the original Atari VCS and know the
>>>>>> history of them all extremely well. A Steam machine would have had
>>>>>> some interest had it released a year before the Xbox One or the PS4
>>>>>> did. In fact, it was on a lot of gamers' minds at that time. When
>>>>>> there were delays, the interest died too; anyone who wanted one
>>>>>> ended up just getting either of the two main consoles at the moment.
>>>>>
>>>>> A few articles I read indicated that there was a lackadaisical
>>>>> attitude at Valve which resulted in lots of delays.  I don't know if
>>>>> that is a true statement or if they were just having issues getting
>>>>> great graphics performance out of Linux.
>>>>
>>>> I heard it was solely the controller. The graphical issues have always
>>>> been and will always be a part of Linux.
>>>
>>> OT: If you want a really fun and cheap game, take a gander at Tembo the
>>> Badass Elephant.  It is a 2D side scroller (or platformer in modern
>>> terms) put out by Sega and Game Freak.  It is a hoot to play if you
>>> like that sort of game.
>>> I've been playing that and a couple Rayman games off and on all day as
>>> the weather sucked and I didn't want to watch TV.
>>
>> Rayman's games are awesome. I used to love Rayman 2 on the Dreamcast
>> back in the day. The ones they made recently are even better than that
>> and have a great sense of humour.
> 
> I've got Rayman Origins for the PS3 and Raymay Legends for the Xbox One.  
> Both great fun!

I played Rayman Origins on the PC and loved it. I also bought Rayman
Legends for the PS Vita with the expectation that I will get to play it
the next time I go abroad. If it's anything like Origins, it will be one
of my favourite games ever.

> Though I am a casual player and my age isn't helping me with some of the 
> games, I have the PS3,4, and Xbox One.  Looking to get a Wii U very soon 
> as I love the Mario lineup.  The Wii u has plenty of them and it is way 
> more backward compatible with previous Nintendo games for their other 
> platforms of the past.

I've always loved Nintendo's systems and their exclusives but they lost
me once they started to cater to kids rather than adolescents and
adults. I imagine that they always intended to be a family-friendly
console but there's only so much of that I can tolerate. Eventually, I
want to play a real RPG and a shooter. The Wii U, so far anyway, is a
disaster and they're already looking to replace it.

> November 12 the Xbox One supposedly gets backward compatibility with some 
> Xbox 360 games.  With PS Plus when that happens there will be 2 Xbone 
> games and 2 Xbox 360 games free every month for members.  I'm looking 
> forward to that.

PS Plus is a PS4 thing. Why would they provide Xbox games? I must be
misreading your paragraph.

-- 
Charmed Tuna

[toc] | [prev] | [next] | [standalone]

#329692

On Fri, 30 Oct 2015 09:22:10 -0400, Charmed Tuna wrote:

> On 2015-10-29 9:58 PM, Lloyd Parsons wrote:
>> On Thu, 29 Oct 2015 21:51:36 -0400, Charmed Tuna wrote:
>> 
>>> On 2015-10-29 9:46 PM, Lloyd Parsons wrote:
>>>> On Thu, 29 Oct 2015 21:39:36 -0400, Charmed Tuna wrote:
>>>>
>>>>> On 2015-10-29 9:35 PM, Lloyd Parsons wrote:
>>>>>> On Thu, 29 Oct 2015 21:22:09 -0400, Charmed Tuna wrote:
>>>>>>
>>>>>>> On 2015-10-29 8:39 PM, Ezekiel wrote:
>>>>>>>> "Lloyd Parsons" <lloydp211@gmail.com> wrote in message
>>>>>>>> news:d9fqgeFlbv0U1@mid.individual.net...
>>>>>>>>> On Thu, 29 Oct 2015 19:45:09 -0400, Ezekiel wrote:
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>> "Lloyd Parsons" <lloydp211@gmail.com> wrote in message
>>>>>>>>>> news:d9elveFc42lU2@mid.individual.net...
>>>>>>>>>>> On Wed, 28 Oct 2015 23:25:20 -0500, Nobody wrote:
>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>> http://www.gamestop.com/steammachine
>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>> Just in time for the Xmas shopping season!
>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>> Well, you can at least pre-order them according to your link.
>>>>>>>>>>> :)
>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>> Will be interesting to see how well Steam does with these.
>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>> Yeah.....  So how do you think the Steam Machines are going to
>>>>>>>>>> do?
>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>> The mobile (tablet/phone) gaming market appears to be the
>>>>>>>>>> largest.
>>>>>>>>>> Other consoles have tried and failed but they didn't have the
>>>>>>>>>> library/ecosystem that Valve has.
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>> From the larger market standpoint, I don't think they'll do all
>>>>>>>>> that well.  But then I don't know what they think doing well
>>>>>>>>> means to them.
>>>>>>>>> It is a tough arena to walk into.  You've got entrenched
>>>>>>>>> consoles and you've got a huge Windows gaming market too that is
>>>>>>>>> just as well entrenched.
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>> I think the big thing is going to be how well the graphics do as
>>>>>>>>> that has been a weak point with Linux for a long time.  If Valve
>>>>>>>>> has written some really good drivers for the cards they'll
>>>>>>>>> support in them, then gaining a reasonable share of the market
>>>>>>>>> might just be doable.
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> Like you said, the key is what Valve considers to be doing well.
>>>>>>>> If it happens, I'm sure that Nobrains will be screaming how it
>>>>>>>> was a huge success because 50,000 consoles were sold. (XBox sold
>>>>>>>> about 6m last Q4.)
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> I don't see it doing well. The market is too entrenched by
>>>>>>>> heavyweights like Microsoft, Sony and Nintendo. Maybe I'm missing
>>>>>>>> some advantage of a Steam machine but what does it do that
>>>>>>>> Xbox/PS don't already have?
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Nothing, actually.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>> Possibly like PC games, more control because of the addition of a
>>>>>> keyboard??
>>>>>>
>>>>>> But then Windows PC game machines already have all that AND all the
>>>>>> games except for exclusives on one platform or another.
>>>>>
>>>>> I'd say that the biggest selling point is the controller the Steam
>>>>> machines offer. It is a new style of controller which gives you the
>>>>> familiarity of a gamepad and the control of a mouse and keyboard. I
>>>>> haven't tried it myself but I imagine it is stellar considering _it_
>>>>> was the cause of the Steam machines' delay. Valve wanted to provide
>>>>> a perfect experience and so kept testing and re-testing the
>>>>> controller.
>>>>>
>>>> But unless I'm reading the ads wrong, the controller doesn't come
>>>> with the Steam machines.
>>>
>>> I would sincerely doubt that, but it won't stop the advocretins from
>>> calling it a great deal.
>>>
>>>>>>>> These existing consoles have very mature/polished apps for
>>>>>>>> Netflix,
>>>>>>>> YouTube,
>>>>>>>> Skype, Amazon Video, Hulu, etc.Steam will probably have most of
>>>>>>>> these apps but will they be v0.9 and feature complete?
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>> Most of those apps don't exist on Linux at all.
>>>>>
>>>>> Exactly. There's no reason to believe that a Steam machine will
>>>>> change that.
>>>>>
>>>>>>> I doubt that they will have ANY of the Skype, Netflix and other
>>>>>>> applications. If they do, it'll take a while before you see them.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> The biggest factor for me is the "network effect". When 3 of your
>>>>>>>> friends are playing Call of Duty online and you can't play
>>>>>>>> because you have a Steam machine, that's a problem. .If you can't
>>>>>>>> play online with your friends then it's a big problem.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Something I'm facing at the moment as all of my friends play on
>>>>>>> the XBOX One or the PS4 and I'm on a PC.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>> I don't play online games but have wondered if you were playing the
>>>>>> same game but on a different platform, would you be able to join a
>>>>>> game. Guess the answer is no...
>>>>>
>>>>> Apparently, Windows 10 will allow that through their Xbox app.
>>>>> People with an Xbox One and a PC will be able to play against one
>>>>> another but I imagine that it will only work for first-party games.
>>>>> Either way, it's a good selling point.
>>>>>
>>>> I'll need to read about that.  My understanding is that the app will
>>>> allow you to play your Xbox games on your PC with W10.  I've read
>>>> nothing that would indicate you could have an online gaming session
>>>> with others using it.  I'll fiddle with that tomorrow a bit.
>>>
>>> It's possible. I might have read too much into it.
>>>
>>>>>>>> But hey, that's my opinion and Valve thinks otherwise. I'm not a
>>>>>>>> gamer and don't care so it'll be interesting to watch how this
>>>>>>>> unfolds.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> I guarantee you that the Steam machine will be a monumental
>>>>>>> failure.
>>>>>>> I have owned consoles since the original Atari VCS and know the
>>>>>>> history of them all extremely well. A Steam machine would have had
>>>>>>> some interest had it released a year before the Xbox One or the
>>>>>>> PS4 did. In fact, it was on a lot of gamers' minds at that time.
>>>>>>> When there were delays, the interest died too; anyone who wanted
>>>>>>> one ended up just getting either of the two main consoles at the
>>>>>>> moment.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> A few articles I read indicated that there was a lackadaisical
>>>>>> attitude at Valve which resulted in lots of delays.  I don't know
>>>>>> if that is a true statement or if they were just having issues
>>>>>> getting great graphics performance out of Linux.
>>>>>
>>>>> I heard it was solely the controller. The graphical issues have
>>>>> always been and will always be a part of Linux.
>>>>
>>>> OT: If you want a really fun and cheap game, take a gander at Tembo
>>>> the Badass Elephant.  It is a 2D side scroller (or platformer in
>>>> modern terms) put out by Sega and Game Freak.  It is a hoot to play
>>>> if you like that sort of game.
>>>> I've been playing that and a couple Rayman games off and on all day
>>>> as the weather sucked and I didn't want to watch TV.
>>>
>>> Rayman's games are awesome. I used to love Rayman 2 on the Dreamcast
>>> back in the day. The ones they made recently are even better than that
>>> and have a great sense of humour.
>> 
>> I've got Rayman Origins for the PS3 and Raymay Legends for the Xbox
>> One. Both great fun!
> 
> I played Rayman Origins on the PC and loved it. I also bought Rayman
> Legends for the PS Vita with the expectation that I will get to play it
> the next time I go abroad. If it's anything like Origins, it will be one
> of my favourite games ever.
> 
Enjoy your Vita looks like it is being abandoned.

>> Though I am a casual player and my age isn't helping me with some of
>> the games, I have the PS3,4, and Xbox One.  Looking to get a Wii U very
>> soon as I love the Mario lineup.  The Wii u has plenty of them and it
>> is way more backward compatible with previous Nintendo games for their
>> other platforms of the past.
> 
> I've always loved Nintendo's systems and their exclusives but they lost
> me once they started to cater to kids rather than adolescents and
> adults. I imagine that they always intended to be a family-friendly
> console but there's only so much of that I can tolerate. Eventually, I
> want to play a real RPG and a shooter. The Wii U, so far anyway, is a
> disaster and they're already looking to replace it.
> 
The Wii U is fine from what I've been reading in some other forums, but 
the Wii itself set the stage for the path they took.  Most that tried it 
loved it for a while, but as you noted, too many 'family friendly' games 
and such and not enough of other types of games to attract the real 
gamers.

Unfortunately for Nintendo the casual gamer that the Wii and Wii u are 
really more suitable for, they don't spend lots of money on games.  So if 
'dad' wants some serious gaming but also some kids stuff for his kids, 
the Wii u doesn't quite fit the bill and he'd have to buy 2 gaming 
systems and that isn't as likely to happen in that marketspace.

>> November 12 the Xbox One supposedly gets backward compatibility with
>> some Xbox 360 games.  With PS Plus when that happens there will be 2
>> Xbone games and 2 Xbox 360 games free every month for members.  I'm
>> looking forward to that.
> 
> PS Plus is a PS4 thing. Why would they provide Xbox games? I must be
> misreading your paragraph.

Or I mistyped it!!  :)  My bad. I meant to type Xbox Live Gold.



-- 
Lloyd

[toc] | [prev] | [next] | [standalone]

#329704

On 2015-10-30 9:29 AM, Lloyd Parsons wrote:
> On Fri, 30 Oct 2015 09:22:10 -0400, Charmed Tuna wrote:
> 
>> On 2015-10-29 9:58 PM, Lloyd Parsons wrote:
>>> On Thu, 29 Oct 2015 21:51:36 -0400, Charmed Tuna wrote:
>>>
>>>> On 2015-10-29 9:46 PM, Lloyd Parsons wrote:
>>>>> On Thu, 29 Oct 2015 21:39:36 -0400, Charmed Tuna wrote:
>>>>>
>>>>>> On 2015-10-29 9:35 PM, Lloyd Parsons wrote:
>>>>>>> On Thu, 29 Oct 2015 21:22:09 -0400, Charmed Tuna wrote:
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> On 2015-10-29 8:39 PM, Ezekiel wrote:
>>>>>>>>> "Lloyd Parsons" <lloydp211@gmail.com> wrote in message
>>>>>>>>> news:d9fqgeFlbv0U1@mid.individual.net...
>>>>>>>>>> On Thu, 29 Oct 2015 19:45:09 -0400, Ezekiel wrote:
>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>> "Lloyd Parsons" <lloydp211@gmail.com> wrote in message
>>>>>>>>>>> news:d9elveFc42lU2@mid.individual.net...
>>>>>>>>>>>> On Wed, 28 Oct 2015 23:25:20 -0500, Nobody wrote:
>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>> http://www.gamestop.com/steammachine
>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>> Just in time for the Xmas shopping season!
>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>> Well, you can at least pre-order them according to your link.
>>>>>>>>>>>> :)
>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>> Will be interesting to see how well Steam does with these.
>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>> Yeah.....  So how do you think the Steam Machines are going to
>>>>>>>>>>> do?
>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>> The mobile (tablet/phone) gaming market appears to be the
>>>>>>>>>>> largest.
>>>>>>>>>>> Other consoles have tried and failed but they didn't have the
>>>>>>>>>>> library/ecosystem that Valve has.
>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>> From the larger market standpoint, I don't think they'll do all
>>>>>>>>>> that well.  But then I don't know what they think doing well
>>>>>>>>>> means to them.
>>>>>>>>>> It is a tough arena to walk into.  You've got entrenched
>>>>>>>>>> consoles and you've got a huge Windows gaming market too that is
>>>>>>>>>> just as well entrenched.
>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>> I think the big thing is going to be how well the graphics do as
>>>>>>>>>> that has been a weak point with Linux for a long time.  If Valve
>>>>>>>>>> has written some really good drivers for the cards they'll
>>>>>>>>>> support in them, then gaining a reasonable share of the market
>>>>>>>>>> might just be doable.
>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>> Like you said, the key is what Valve considers to be doing well.
>>>>>>>>> If it happens, I'm sure that Nobrains will be screaming how it
>>>>>>>>> was a huge success because 50,000 consoles were sold. (XBox sold
>>>>>>>>> about 6m last Q4.)
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>> I don't see it doing well. The market is too entrenched by
>>>>>>>>> heavyweights like Microsoft, Sony and Nintendo. Maybe I'm missing
>>>>>>>>> some advantage of a Steam machine but what does it do that
>>>>>>>>> Xbox/PS don't already have?
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> Nothing, actually.
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Possibly like PC games, more control because of the addition of a
>>>>>>> keyboard??
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> But then Windows PC game machines already have all that AND all the
>>>>>>> games except for exclusives on one platform or another.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> I'd say that the biggest selling point is the controller the Steam
>>>>>> machines offer. It is a new style of controller which gives you the
>>>>>> familiarity of a gamepad and the control of a mouse and keyboard. I
>>>>>> haven't tried it myself but I imagine it is stellar considering _it_
>>>>>> was the cause of the Steam machines' delay. Valve wanted to provide
>>>>>> a perfect experience and so kept testing and re-testing the
>>>>>> controller.
>>>>>>
>>>>> But unless I'm reading the ads wrong, the controller doesn't come
>>>>> with the Steam machines.
>>>>
>>>> I would sincerely doubt that, but it won't stop the advocretins from
>>>> calling it a great deal.
>>>>
>>>>>>>>> These existing consoles have very mature/polished apps for
>>>>>>>>> Netflix,
>>>>>>>>> YouTube,
>>>>>>>>> Skype, Amazon Video, Hulu, etc.Steam will probably have most of
>>>>>>>>> these apps but will they be v0.9 and feature complete?
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Most of those apps don't exist on Linux at all.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Exactly. There's no reason to believe that a Steam machine will
>>>>>> change that.
>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> I doubt that they will have ANY of the Skype, Netflix and other
>>>>>>>> applications. If they do, it'll take a while before you see them.
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>> The biggest factor for me is the "network effect". When 3 of your
>>>>>>>>> friends are playing Call of Duty online and you can't play
>>>>>>>>> because you have a Steam machine, that's a problem. .If you can't
>>>>>>>>> play online with your friends then it's a big problem.
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> Something I'm facing at the moment as all of my friends play on
>>>>>>>> the XBOX One or the PS4 and I'm on a PC.
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> I don't play online games but have wondered if you were playing the
>>>>>>> same game but on a different platform, would you be able to join a
>>>>>>> game. Guess the answer is no...
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Apparently, Windows 10 will allow that through their Xbox app.
>>>>>> People with an Xbox One and a PC will be able to play against one
>>>>>> another but I imagine that it will only work for first-party games.
>>>>>> Either way, it's a good selling point.
>>>>>>
>>>>> I'll need to read about that.  My understanding is that the app will
>>>>> allow you to play your Xbox games on your PC with W10.  I've read
>>>>> nothing that would indicate you could have an online gaming session
>>>>> with others using it.  I'll fiddle with that tomorrow a bit.
>>>>
>>>> It's possible. I might have read too much into it.
>>>>
>>>>>>>>> But hey, that's my opinion and Valve thinks otherwise. I'm not a
>>>>>>>>> gamer and don't care so it'll be interesting to watch how this
>>>>>>>>> unfolds.
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> I guarantee you that the Steam machine will be a monumental
>>>>>>>> failure.
>>>>>>>> I have owned consoles since the original Atari VCS and know the
>>>>>>>> history of them all extremely well. A Steam machine would have had
>>>>>>>> some interest had it released a year before the Xbox One or the
>>>>>>>> PS4 did. In fact, it was on a lot of gamers' minds at that time.
>>>>>>>> When there were delays, the interest died too; anyone who wanted
>>>>>>>> one ended up just getting either of the two main consoles at the
>>>>>>>> moment.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> A few articles I read indicated that there was a lackadaisical
>>>>>>> attitude at Valve which resulted in lots of delays.  I don't know
>>>>>>> if that is a true statement or if they were just having issues
>>>>>>> getting great graphics performance out of Linux.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> I heard it was solely the controller. The graphical issues have
>>>>>> always been and will always be a part of Linux.
>>>>>
>>>>> OT: If you want a really fun and cheap game, take a gander at Tembo
>>>>> the Badass Elephant.  It is a 2D side scroller (or platformer in
>>>>> modern terms) put out by Sega and Game Freak.  It is a hoot to play
>>>>> if you like that sort of game.
>>>>> I've been playing that and a couple Rayman games off and on all day
>>>>> as the weather sucked and I didn't want to watch TV.
>>>>
>>>> Rayman's games are awesome. I used to love Rayman 2 on the Dreamcast
>>>> back in the day. The ones they made recently are even better than that
>>>> and have a great sense of humour.
>>>
>>> I've got Rayman Origins for the PS3 and Raymay Legends for the Xbox
>>> One. Both great fun!
>>
>> I played Rayman Origins on the PC and loved it. I also bought Rayman
>> Legends for the PS Vita with the expectation that I will get to play it
>> the next time I go abroad. If it's anything like Origins, it will be one
>> of my favourite games ever.
>>
> Enjoy your Vita looks like it is being abandoned.

Even before it was, it barely got any support. I never should have
bought the machine and should have opted for a DS. The biggest problem I
have with the Vita is the fact that it is incredibly uncomfortable to
use. It just doesn't fit well in the hands at all. I also find it
idiotic how certain games require you to get a larger memory card,
something which in general is not provided with the system.

>>> Though I am a casual player and my age isn't helping me with some of
>>> the games, I have the PS3,4, and Xbox One.  Looking to get a Wii U very
>>> soon as I love the Mario lineup.  The Wii u has plenty of them and it
>>> is way more backward compatible with previous Nintendo games for their
>>> other platforms of the past.
>>
>> I've always loved Nintendo's systems and their exclusives but they lost
>> me once they started to cater to kids rather than adolescents and
>> adults. I imagine that they always intended to be a family-friendly
>> console but there's only so much of that I can tolerate. Eventually, I
>> want to play a real RPG and a shooter. The Wii U, so far anyway, is a
>> disaster and they're already looking to replace it.
>>
> The Wii U is fine from what I've been reading in some other forums, but 
> the Wii itself set the stage for the path they took.  Most that tried it 
> loved it for a while, but as you noted, too many 'family friendly' games 
> and such and not enough of other types of games to attract the real 
> gamers.
> 
> Unfortunately for Nintendo the casual gamer that the Wii and Wii u are 
> really more suitable for, they don't spend lots of money on games.  So if 
> 'dad' wants some serious gaming but also some kids stuff for his kids, 
> the Wii u doesn't quite fit the bill and he'd have to buy 2 gaming 
> systems and that isn't as likely to happen in that marketspace.

If Nintendo ever decides to compete directly with the other companies,
I'll buy another. Until then, Microsoft's got my money whether it is on
the PC or on consoles.

>>> November 12 the Xbox One supposedly gets backward compatibility with
>>> some Xbox 360 games.  With PS Plus when that happens there will be 2
>>> Xbone games and 2 Xbox 360 games free every month for members.  I'm
>>> looking forward to that.
>>
>> PS Plus is a PS4 thing. Why would they provide Xbox games? I must be
>> misreading your paragraph.
> 
> Or I mistyped it!!  :)  My bad. I meant to type Xbox Live Gold.

I assume that they're competing directly with PS Plus which offers more
of the same thing.


-- 
Charmed Tuna

[toc] | [prev] | [next] | [standalone]

#329707

On Fri, 30 Oct 2015 09:47:57 -0400, Charmed Tuna wrote:

> On 2015-10-30 9:29 AM, Lloyd Parsons wrote:
>> On Fri, 30 Oct 2015 09:22:10 -0400, Charmed Tuna wrote:
>> 
>>> On 2015-10-29 9:58 PM, Lloyd Parsons wrote:
>>>> On Thu, 29 Oct 2015 21:51:36 -0400, Charmed Tuna wrote:
>>>>
>>>>> On 2015-10-29 9:46 PM, Lloyd Parsons wrote:
>>>>>> On Thu, 29 Oct 2015 21:39:36 -0400, Charmed Tuna wrote:
>>>>>>
>>>>>>> On 2015-10-29 9:35 PM, Lloyd Parsons wrote:
>>>>>>>> On Thu, 29 Oct 2015 21:22:09 -0400, Charmed Tuna wrote:
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>> On 2015-10-29 8:39 PM, Ezekiel wrote:
>>>>>>>>>> "Lloyd Parsons" <lloydp211@gmail.com> wrote in message
>>>>>>>>>> news:d9fqgeFlbv0U1@mid.individual.net...
>>>>>>>>>>> On Thu, 29 Oct 2015 19:45:09 -0400, Ezekiel wrote:
>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>> "Lloyd Parsons" <lloydp211@gmail.com> wrote in message
>>>>>>>>>>>> news:d9elveFc42lU2@mid.individual.net...
>>>>>>>>>>>>> On Wed, 28 Oct 2015 23:25:20 -0500, Nobody wrote:
>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> http://www.gamestop.com/steammachine
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Just in time for the Xmas shopping season!
>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>> Well, you can at least pre-order them according to your
>>>>>>>>>>>>> link.
>>>>>>>>>>>>> :)
>>>
>>> PS Plus is a PS4 thing. Why would they provide Xbox games? I must be
>>> misreading your paragraph.
>> 
>> Or I mistyped it!!  :)  My bad. I meant to type Xbox Live Gold.
> 
> I assume that they're competing directly with PS Plus which offers more
> of the same thing.

Pretty much.  One's $10/year higher than the other, but overall provides 
similar benefits.



-- 
Lloyd

[toc] | [prev] | [next] | [standalone]

#329714

On 2015-10-30 9:59 AM, Lloyd Parsons wrote:
> On Fri, 30 Oct 2015 09:47:57 -0400, Charmed Tuna wrote:
> 
>> On 2015-10-30 9:29 AM, Lloyd Parsons wrote:
>>> On Fri, 30 Oct 2015 09:22:10 -0400, Charmed Tuna wrote:
>>>
>>>> On 2015-10-29 9:58 PM, Lloyd Parsons wrote:
>>>>> On Thu, 29 Oct 2015 21:51:36 -0400, Charmed Tuna wrote:
>>>>>
>>>>>> On 2015-10-29 9:46 PM, Lloyd Parsons wrote:
>>>>>>> On Thu, 29 Oct 2015 21:39:36 -0400, Charmed Tuna wrote:
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> On 2015-10-29 9:35 PM, Lloyd Parsons wrote:
>>>>>>>>> On Thu, 29 Oct 2015 21:22:09 -0400, Charmed Tuna wrote:
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>> On 2015-10-29 8:39 PM, Ezekiel wrote:
>>>>>>>>>>> "Lloyd Parsons" <lloydp211@gmail.com> wrote in message
>>>>>>>>>>> news:d9fqgeFlbv0U1@mid.individual.net...
>>>>>>>>>>>> On Thu, 29 Oct 2015 19:45:09 -0400, Ezekiel wrote:
>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>> "Lloyd Parsons" <lloydp211@gmail.com> wrote in message
>>>>>>>>>>>>> news:d9elveFc42lU2@mid.individual.net...
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> On Wed, 28 Oct 2015 23:25:20 -0500, Nobody wrote:
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> http://www.gamestop.com/steammachine
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Just in time for the Xmas shopping season!
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Well, you can at least pre-order them according to your
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> link.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> :)
>>>>
>>>> PS Plus is a PS4 thing. Why would they provide Xbox games? I must be
>>>> misreading your paragraph.
>>>
>>> Or I mistyped it!!  :)  My bad. I meant to type Xbox Live Gold.
>>
>> I assume that they're competing directly with PS Plus which offers more
>> of the same thing.
> 
> Pretty much.  One's $10/year higher than the other, but overall provides 
> similar benefits.

Well considering how Xbox Live is mandatory to play against others
online, it's nice that they're offering something back.


-- 
Charmed Tuna

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#329720

"Charmed Tuna" <.m@nsn.s> wrote in message 
news:n0vts3$d3q$1@dont-email.me...
> On 2015-10-30 9:59 AM, Lloyd Parsons wrote:
>> On Fri, 30 Oct 2015 09:47:57 -0400, Charmed Tuna wrote:

>>>> Or I mistyped it!!  :)  My bad. I meant to type Xbox Live Gold.
>>>
>>> I assume that they're competing directly with PS Plus which offers more
>>> of the same thing.
>>
>> Pretty much.  One's $10/year higher than the other, but overall provides
>> similar benefits.
>
> Well considering how Xbox Live is mandatory to play against others
> online, it's nice that they're offering something back.
>

In their quarterly financials this week MSFT said they have 39-million 
active users on XBox live. Also interesting was this:

<quote>
"(Microsoft) will offer an Xbox One bundled with the sci-fi shooter Gears of 
War Ultimate, an extra controller, and postapocalyptic role-playing game 
Fallout 4 all for just $300. That's an insane deal considering Fallout 4 is 
probably the most anticipated release of the fall.

Microsoft was able to cut the price of the Xbox One to help it outsell the 
PlayStation 4 last November and December, which are the biggest months of 
the year for game sales by far. But with Sony cutting the price of the PS4 
to $350, repeating that success may prove difficult for the Windows 
company."
</quote>

That's some severe price competion from both Microsoft and Sony that the 
Steam machine must compete against.

-- 
"Earlier today I spoke again with a lobby of Microsoft shareholders. They 
came to /me/ because they want to toss Steve Ballmer and I helped them 
gather material."

Roy Schestowitz having delusions of grandeur
<34363814.6pryxZo4XK@schestowitz.com>

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#329722

On 2015-10-30 10:22 AM, Ezekiel wrote:
> "Charmed Tuna" <.m@nsn.s> wrote in message 
> news:n0vts3$d3q$1@dont-email.me...
>> On 2015-10-30 9:59 AM, Lloyd Parsons wrote:
>>> On Fri, 30 Oct 2015 09:47:57 -0400, Charmed Tuna wrote:
> 
>>>>> Or I mistyped it!!  :)  My bad. I meant to type Xbox Live Gold.
>>>>
>>>> I assume that they're competing directly with PS Plus which offers more
>>>> of the same thing.
>>>
>>> Pretty much.  One's $10/year higher than the other, but overall provides
>>> similar benefits.
>>
>> Well considering how Xbox Live is mandatory to play against others
>> online, it's nice that they're offering something back.
>>
> 
> In their quarterly financials this week MSFT said they have 39-million 
> active users on XBox live. Also interesting was this:
> 
> <quote>
> "(Microsoft) will offer an Xbox One bundled with the sci-fi shooter Gears of 
> War Ultimate, an extra controller, and postapocalyptic role-playing game 
> Fallout 4 all for just $300. That's an insane deal considering Fallout 4 is 
> probably the most anticipated release of the fall.

It is. I pre-ordered Fallout 4 the moment I heard it even existed. I
can't wait to play it. The deal makes it very difficult to even consider
getting a Steambox which comes with nothing to play at all.

> Microsoft was able to cut the price of the Xbox One to help it outsell the 
> PlayStation 4 last November and December, which are the biggest months of 
> the year for game sales by far. But with Sony cutting the price of the PS4 
> to $350, repeating that success may prove difficult for the Windows 
> company."
> </quote>
> 
> That's some severe price competion from both Microsoft and Sony that the 
> Steam machine must compete against.

It just can't win, it offers nothing alluring to the gamer. The
advocretins will say great things about it but let's be honest: even
THEY won't buy one.

-- 
Charmed Tuna

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#329730

On Fri, 30 Oct 2015 10:31:25 -0400, Charmed Tuna wrote:

> On 2015-10-30 10:22 AM, Ezekiel wrote:
>> "Charmed Tuna" <.m@nsn.s> wrote in message 
>> news:n0vts3$d3q$1@dont-email.me...
>>> On 2015-10-30 9:59 AM, Lloyd Parsons wrote:
>>>> On Fri, 30 Oct 2015 09:47:57 -0400, Charmed Tuna wrote:
>> 
>>>>>> Or I mistyped it!!  :)  My bad. I meant to type Xbox Live Gold.
>>>>>
>>>>> I assume that they're competing directly with PS Plus which offers more
>>>>> of the same thing.
>>>>
>>>> Pretty much.  One's $10/year higher than the other, but overall provides
>>>> similar benefits.
>>>
>>> Well considering how Xbox Live is mandatory to play against others
>>> online, it's nice that they're offering something back.
>>>
>> 
>> In their quarterly financials this week MSFT said they have 39-million 
>> active users on XBox live. Also interesting was this:
>> 
>> <quote>
>> "(Microsoft) will offer an Xbox One bundled with the sci-fi shooter Gears of 
>> War Ultimate, an extra controller, and postapocalyptic role-playing game 
>> Fallout 4 all for just $300. That's an insane deal considering Fallout 4 is 
>> probably the most anticipated release of the fall.
> 
> It is. I pre-ordered Fallout 4 the moment I heard it even existed. I
> can't wait to play it. The deal makes it very difficult to even consider
> getting a Steambox which comes with nothing to play at all.
> 
>> Microsoft was able to cut the price of the Xbox One to help it outsell the 
>> PlayStation 4 last November and December, which are the biggest months of 
>> the year for game sales by far. But with Sony cutting the price of the PS4 
>> to $350, repeating that success may prove difficult for the Windows 
>> company."
>> </quote>
>> 
>> That's some severe price competion from both Microsoft and Sony that the 
>> Steam machine must compete against.
> 
> It just can't win, it offers nothing alluring to the gamer. The
> advocretins will say great things about it but let's be honest: even
> THEY won't buy one.

My nephew is one of those gamers who line up outside GameStop the night
before a new game or console is released so he can be one of the first to
get one. He has a Sony and an Xbox both latest versions with all the toys.
I asked him about the Steam Box and he laughed.
Nobody he knows is going to buy one, especially at that price point.

-- 
You Ain't The Biggest Fish In The Crotch.

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#329735

On 2015-10-30 10:42 AM, Big Fish in a Small Crotch wrote:
> On Fri, 30 Oct 2015 10:31:25 -0400, Charmed Tuna wrote:
> 
>> On 2015-10-30 10:22 AM, Ezekiel wrote:
>>> "Charmed Tuna" <.m@nsn.s> wrote in message 
>>> news:n0vts3$d3q$1@dont-email.me...
>>>> On 2015-10-30 9:59 AM, Lloyd Parsons wrote:
>>>>> On Fri, 30 Oct 2015 09:47:57 -0400, Charmed Tuna wrote:
>>>
>>>>>>> Or I mistyped it!!  :)  My bad. I meant to type Xbox Live Gold.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> I assume that they're competing directly with PS Plus which offers more
>>>>>> of the same thing.
>>>>>
>>>>> Pretty much.  One's $10/year higher than the other, but overall provides
>>>>> similar benefits.
>>>>
>>>> Well considering how Xbox Live is mandatory to play against others
>>>> online, it's nice that they're offering something back.
>>>>
>>>
>>> In their quarterly financials this week MSFT said they have 39-million 
>>> active users on XBox live. Also interesting was this:
>>>
>>> <quote>
>>> "(Microsoft) will offer an Xbox One bundled with the sci-fi shooter Gears of 
>>> War Ultimate, an extra controller, and postapocalyptic role-playing game 
>>> Fallout 4 all for just $300. That's an insane deal considering Fallout 4 is 
>>> probably the most anticipated release of the fall.
>>
>> It is. I pre-ordered Fallout 4 the moment I heard it even existed. I
>> can't wait to play it. The deal makes it very difficult to even consider
>> getting a Steambox which comes with nothing to play at all.
>>
>>> Microsoft was able to cut the price of the Xbox One to help it outsell the 
>>> PlayStation 4 last November and December, which are the biggest months of 
>>> the year for game sales by far. But with Sony cutting the price of the PS4 
>>> to $350, repeating that success may prove difficult for the Windows 
>>> company."
>>> </quote>
>>>
>>> That's some severe price competion from both Microsoft and Sony that the 
>>> Steam machine must compete against.
>>
>> It just can't win, it offers nothing alluring to the gamer. The
>> advocretins will say great things about it but let's be honest: even
>> THEY won't buy one.
> 
> My nephew is one of those gamers who line up outside GameStop the night
> before a new game or console is released so he can be one of the first to
> get one. He has a Sony and an Xbox both latest versions with all the toys.
> I asked him about the Steam Box and he laughed.
> Nobody he knows is going to buy one, especially at that price point.

Kids know way better than we do what will succeed. They might not be
able to express themselves as eloquently as we do, but at least they
know what they'll play and what they won't.


-- 
Charmed Tuna

[toc] | [prev] | [next] | [standalone]

#329738

On Fri, 30 Oct 2015 10:48:28 -0400, Charmed Tuna wrote:

> On 2015-10-30 10:42 AM, Big Fish in a Small Crotch wrote:
>> On Fri, 30 Oct 2015 10:31:25 -0400, Charmed Tuna wrote:
>> 
>>> On 2015-10-30 10:22 AM, Ezekiel wrote:
>>>> "Charmed Tuna" <.m@nsn.s> wrote in message
>>>> news:n0vts3$d3q$1@dont-email.me...
>>>>> On 2015-10-30 9:59 AM, Lloyd Parsons wrote:
>>>>>> On Fri, 30 Oct 2015 09:47:57 -0400, Charmed Tuna wrote:
>>>>
>>>>>>>> Or I mistyped it!!  :)  My bad. I meant to type Xbox Live Gold.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> I assume that they're competing directly with PS Plus which offers
>>>>>>> more of the same thing.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Pretty much.  One's $10/year higher than the other, but overall
>>>>>> provides similar benefits.
>>>>>
>>>>> Well considering how Xbox Live is mandatory to play against others
>>>>> online, it's nice that they're offering something back.
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>> In their quarterly financials this week MSFT said they have
>>>> 39-million active users on XBox live. Also interesting was this:
>>>>
>>>> <quote>
>>>> "(Microsoft) will offer an Xbox One bundled with the sci-fi shooter
>>>> Gears of War Ultimate, an extra controller, and postapocalyptic
>>>> role-playing game Fallout 4 all for just $300. That's an insane deal
>>>> considering Fallout 4 is probably the most anticipated release of the
>>>> fall.
>>>
>>> It is. I pre-ordered Fallout 4 the moment I heard it even existed. I
>>> can't wait to play it. The deal makes it very difficult to even
>>> consider getting a Steambox which comes with nothing to play at all.
>>>
>>>> Microsoft was able to cut the price of the Xbox One to help it
>>>> outsell the PlayStation 4 last November and December, which are the
>>>> biggest months of the year for game sales by far. But with Sony
>>>> cutting the price of the PS4 to $350, repeating that success may
>>>> prove difficult for the Windows company."
>>>> </quote>
>>>>
>>>> That's some severe price competion from both Microsoft and Sony that
>>>> the Steam machine must compete against.
>>>
>>> It just can't win, it offers nothing alluring to the gamer. The
>>> advocretins will say great things about it but let's be honest: even
>>> THEY won't buy one.
>> 
>> My nephew is one of those gamers who line up outside GameStop the night
>> before a new game or console is released so he can be one of the first
>> to get one. He has a Sony and an Xbox both latest versions with all the
>> toys.
>> I asked him about the Steam Box and he laughed.
>> Nobody he knows is going to buy one, especially at that price point.
> 
> Kids know way better than we do what will succeed. They might not be
> able to express themselves as eloquently as we do, but at least they
> know what they'll play and what they won't.

And these machines are all targetting kids and young adults.  Us older 
folks are just gravy when we decide to join in with the fun, but we are 
definitely not the target market.




-- 
Lloyd

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#329725

On Fri, 30 Oct 2015 10:22:35 -0400, Ezekiel wrote:

> "Charmed Tuna" <.m@nsn.s> wrote in message
> news:n0vts3$d3q$1@dont-email.me...
>> On 2015-10-30 9:59 AM, Lloyd Parsons wrote:
>>> On Fri, 30 Oct 2015 09:47:57 -0400, Charmed Tuna wrote:
> 
>>>>> Or I mistyped it!!  :)  My bad. I meant to type Xbox Live Gold.
>>>>
>>>> I assume that they're competing directly with PS Plus which offers
>>>> more of the same thing.
>>>
>>> Pretty much.  One's $10/year higher than the other, but overall
>>> provides similar benefits.
>>
>> Well considering how Xbox Live is mandatory to play against others
>> online, it's nice that they're offering something back.
>>
>>
> In their quarterly financials this week MSFT said they have 39-million
> active users on XBox live. Also interesting was this:
> 
> <quote>
> "(Microsoft) will offer an Xbox One bundled with the sci-fi shooter
> Gears of War Ultimate, an extra controller, and postapocalyptic
> role-playing game Fallout 4 all for just $300. That's an insane deal
> considering Fallout 4 is probably the most anticipated release of the
> fall.
> 
> Microsoft was able to cut the price of the Xbox One to help it outsell
> the PlayStation 4 last November and December, which are the biggest
> months of the year for game sales by far. But with Sony cutting the
> price of the PS4 to $350, repeating that success may prove difficult for
> the Windows company."
> </quote>
> 
> That's some severe price competion from both Microsoft and Sony that the
> Steam machine must compete against.

Wow!  That is some serious price pressure on the gamer market!  Makes the 
Steam machines even less of a 'deal' than they already are.  Valve has to 
hope to attract the serious gamers with huge titles as the casual gamer 
won't be interested at all in their machines.




-- 
Lloyd

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#329733

"Lloyd Parsons" <lloydp211@gmail.com> wrote in message 
news:d9hdihF2rdcU2@mid.individual.net...
> On Fri, 30 Oct 2015 10:22:35 -0400, Ezekiel wrote:
>
>> "Charmed Tuna" <.m@nsn.s> wrote in message
>> news:n0vts3$d3q$1@dont-email.me...
>>> On 2015-10-30 9:59 AM, Lloyd Parsons wrote:
>>>> On Fri, 30 Oct 2015 09:47:57 -0400, Charmed Tuna wrote:
>>
>>>>>> Or I mistyped it!!  :)  My bad. I meant to type Xbox Live Gold.
>>>>>
>>>>> I assume that they're competing directly with PS Plus which offers
>>>>> more of the same thing.
>>>>
>>>> Pretty much.  One's $10/year higher than the other, but overall
>>>> provides similar benefits.
>>>
>>> Well considering how Xbox Live is mandatory to play against others
>>> online, it's nice that they're offering something back.
>>>
>>>
>> In their quarterly financials this week MSFT said they have 39-million
>> active users on XBox live. Also interesting was this:
>>
>> <quote>
>> "(Microsoft) will offer an Xbox One bundled with the sci-fi shooter
>> Gears of War Ultimate, an extra controller, and postapocalyptic
>> role-playing game Fallout 4 all for just $300. That's an insane deal
>> considering Fallout 4 is probably the most anticipated release of the
>> fall.
>>
>> Microsoft was able to cut the price of the Xbox One to help it outsell
>> the PlayStation 4 last November and December, which are the biggest
>> months of the year for game sales by far. But with Sony cutting the
>> price of the PS4 to $350, repeating that success may prove difficult for
>> the Windows company."
>> </quote>
>>
>> That's some severe price competion from both Microsoft and Sony that the
>> Steam machine must compete against.
>
> Wow!  That is some serious price pressure on the gamer market!  Makes the
> Steam machines even less of a 'deal' than they already are.  Valve has to
> hope to attract the serious gamers with huge titles as the casual gamer
> won't be interested at all in their machines.
>

Sony and Microsoft have several advantages in this market. Name and brand 
recognition is one. Both have been making gaming consoles for a very long 
time. Valve is the new kid on the block and my bet is that most gamers have 
never heard of them.

Price wise, MSFT and SNE have the advantage of efficiencies of scale. They 
can crank out gaming consoles a lot cheaper than someone can make a Steam 
machine.

It'll be interesting to see what happens though. Someone at Valve seems to 
think they can get into this market so time will tell.

-- 
"I have heard from a reliable source, inside Digidesign, that they actually 
have Protools running on Linux, and that the port from OSX isn't that hard, 
but are under contract obligation to Microsoft to not release a Linux port. 
Otherwise Microsoft can revoke their access to the Windows SDK."

Big bad Microsoft is going to "revoke their access to the SDK" even though 
the SDK is openly available from Amazon, Newegg, B&N, etc.
Message-ID: <4c763709$0$6277$6e1ede2f@read.cnntp.org>

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