G4 Cube gone horribly wrong (1 Viewer)

[Camp]

Yuk!
Link Removed
[Edited last by Camp on August 27, 2001 at 08:48 PM]

 

[Kelley_B]

I actually find it to be very cool looking. I really love the mirror on the front, would have been great for it to be all around the case. I don't really like the display on top, but the front has a lot of stuff on it. Oh well I still plan on getting the Indigo GCN.

 

[Dave F]

Eyyyuch, that's nasty lookin'! Am I safe in assuming that it will feature Panasonic's line-doubling version of "progressive scan"? I'd rather get a regular GC.
-Dave
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DVD List

 

[David_LM]

Uh, The XBox needn't worry about this mutant looking contraption.

 

[Dean Cooper]

Well, I can honestly say that is the ugliest damn thing I've seen in a long time That's all I need is to see my reflection flashing in the darkness off of that mirror. Looks like we won't have to worry about it anyway, it's staying in the land of the rising sun.
Dean

 

[Morgan Jolley]

At least we know what it can do (there are some details unknown about the DVD playback on the XB). I think that it looks pretty cool, but ditch the mirror thingy. If this went into a home theater, the reflection would be annoying. I also read there is a deluxe version and a regular version, plus there will probably be extra colors (like the regular GCN). As the article states, $100 for a good DVD player is pretty nice ($200 for the GCN + $100 for the DVD). Then again, most people will have DVD payers by the time it comes out. It also going to be in Japan only, so I guess we don't have to worry about it.

 

[Bryce D]

Well, ill put it this way.
I think the mirror is a bad idea. However, they are selling it to a JAPANESE audiance, and the Japanese audiance like flashy silvery shiney techno futurist audio video components. Look no further then Sony, and their line of silvery look alike products if you dont believe that.
And i think on that wise, its targeted at the right audiance.
Now, on a seconed note, i think that this is what the GCN SHOULD have been in the first place. Especially if the price point meets the $300 range like they say it can. With a nice extra feature set like DVD playback, and even the simple ability to put a full sized audio CD into the drive would give the system a larger appeal. And i can honestly say that if the GCN came like this unit from Panisonic, i would consider getting one. But becuase it doesnt, im not, and currently, the games and feature set for the system, are to me, completely unimpressive.
Hopfully this unit goes to market. Otherwise, my money is still on X-Box.

 

[David_LM]

Good for you Brice!

From Morgan: As the article states, $100 for a good DVD player is pretty nice ($200 for the GCN + $100 for the DVD). Then again, most people will have DVD payers by the time it comes out.

You now say $100 for a good DVD player is pretty nice. Let's see, if you assign $199 of the price of the XBox to the gaming function and $100 of the price of the XBox to the DVD function, it sure sounds familiar. You have spent the last several months slamming the XBox because it has a $100 DVD function and now you defend the Panasonic GC for having a similar feature. Are you now saying the XBox Rocks?
The fact most people will have DVD players soon only will make the DVD feature in game consoles more desireable. As I have said, I am getting an XBox to not only serve as a state of the art gaming console for my kids, but to also serve as a 2nd DVD player in the kid's room so I can get them off of my main HT system.

 

[Graeme Clark]

And I thought the X-Box was ugly.

You now say $100 for a good DVD player is pretty nice. Let's see, if you assign $199 of the price of the XBox to the gaming function and $100 of the price of the XBox to the DVD function, it sure sounds familiar. You have spent the last several months slamming the XBox because it has a $100 DVD function and now you defend the Panasonic GC for having a similar feature. Are you now saying the XBox Rocks?

Not to defend Morgan, but with this, if you don't want the DVD function, you can still buy the plain GC and save $100 where as with the X-Box you don't have that choice.
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[Morgan Jolley]

The only thing is that we are not sure how much the X-Box would cost without the DVD function (oh wait, it costs $300).
The GCN comes without DVD, a HDD, or a modem. Why? Because the HDD would be useless without a modem, and they can't use the internet with their console yet so the modem is useless, and adding a DVD function would just increase the price even though a lot, if not most, of the people who will own a GCN own a DVD player.

As I have said, I am getting an XBox to not only serve as a state of the art gaming console for my kids, but to also serve as a 2nd DVD player in the kid's room so I can get them off of my main HT system.

Oh, I see. You want your kids to have a console that has some very complex and adult oriented games coming out for it in the next few months that is huge in size with controllers that won't fit in anyone's hands until they are at least a teenager so that your kids don't take full advantage of the console's capabilities. That makes sense.

 

[Camp]

The only thing is that we are not sure how much the X-Box would cost without the DVD function (oh wait, it costs $300).

LOL!!

 

[Dean Cooper]

Heh your forgetting that the DVD 9 is 6 times the space of the GC mini dvd. Sure makes that neat little disc look like a cartridge in terms of space to me.
"The games are super stream lined due to the lack of development space!"
um...yeah, give me the REAL DVD drive please.
Dean

 

[Morgan Jolley]

The reason for the mini-DVDs was because they want to stop piracy or at least make it more difficult. Many games are put on DVDs because they stream easier. Also, some games can be multiple discs (for GCN) and still fit inside 1 DVD or even CD case and be only $50. The storage space on the discs is really not an issue.
The discs for the GCN hold more than the discs for the DC and the regular (blue) discs for the PS2. The X-Box uses them as a standard, but will also be easier to copy.
Camp-
Was that laugh a complement or an insult? I can't tell (I'm serious, I can't tell, but I hope it was a complement).

 

[Camp]

Sure makes that neat little disc look like a cartridge in terms of space to me.

Come on, Dean. That sounds like someone else's logic.
Morgan,
That was a rare compliment. Touche!

 

[Dean Cooper]

Come on, Dean. That sounds like someone else's logic.

Lol, everyone's entitled to a cheap shot once and a while right?

 

[Bryce D]

I still say that the small mini DVD's are simply Nintendo's way of switching to an "in" media to look good on paper, while still holding them selves in their own "we are perfect" world. Just like they did with cartridges.
The fact that all of the new media must be purchased, and then pressed through an autherized Nintendo facility (either Panisonic, or Nintendo direct...either way it has to pass throug both before hitting the shelves) only proves they they are trying to control the devlopment of games for their systems, and make an extra buck off of every part of a games development. Reguardless if its first or seconed party. Cheap Nintendo, really cheap.
And the piracy issue is a preaty moot point when it coems to DVD bassed games. The biggest copyright protectiony ou can put on a DVD game is the fact that it is indeed DVD. How many of you own DVD burners out there....ahhh...1-2...maybe? And how much does a writble single layer DVD disk cost? $20+ PER disk. And thats at a cheap bulk rate. So in order to pirate a DVD game, you first need to crack whatever custom encryption coding it may have to be ripped properly, then own a $1000+ DVD burning device, and then spend $20+ on a single duplicate of the game, when for ~$40 you can just buy the game...hmmm...doesnt make sence to me.
So while going to a smaller propriatory media may make piracy harder, it still doesnt make much sence. Because in a DVD format its cheaper and more economical in the long run to just buy the game if you like it. That and i cant see many people wanting to pirate "Luigi Castle". Also the DC disks, and the PS2 disks are not true DVD format, and that is why they are so easily ripped. Remove the over inflated data that is there in the GD-ROM, and the DVD format sections (mostly video), and viola, you have a playable, burnable game. If the whole disk is DVD format, then ripping stuff will be a bit more difficult. Ive heard of X-Box games having over 5 hours of music on them, all compressed in a custom DVD format. And that the system is setup to not play a game unless it recognizes the DVD format of the game. Granted a boot CD may fix that (similar to the DC), but they are intentionally making inflated game data so it cant be cut hacked and ripped onto a standard CD. Anyway, im not saying it cant, and certaintly that it WONT be done, but it will be far more trouble then its worth.

Oh, I see. You want your kids to have a console that has some very complex and adult oriented games coming out for it in the next few months that is huge in size with controllers that won't fit in anyone's hands until they are at least a teenager so that your kids don't take full advantage of the console's capabilities. That makes sense.

So your saying that the GCN is a retard console, with kiddie "edu-tainment" games, and controlers so small that unless your japanese you cant use them? Makes sence to me.
No offence Morgan, but i think im not alon here, when i say...
STFU!

 

[Iain Lambert]

Bryce, are you implying that Microsoft and Sony aren't controlling the production of games for their formats, and don't make any money on software then? I wasn't aware of this at all. Personally I think the mini-dvds are cool, and frankly anyone found needing to take up 9Gb of data for their game needs a good kicking! I was sick of bloatware boring FMV sequences on the PC when CD first launched, and nothing has persuaded me yet that we will see anything need that space for gameplay on either of the two consoles that support it.
Of course, it must be pointed out that I have no time for Square (or anyone else's) sprawling RPGs with massive FMV bits in, so your mileage may well vary.
Finally on this note, I don't know about plans for the Panasonic Cube, but it occurs to me that people aren't going to want to cut holes in their cubes to fit full-size DVDs in it if they do pirate software.
I think Morgan's point was that an X-Box for the kids is probably a bad idea, as there don't seem to be many titles designed to appeal to younger games announced for it, while the Cube is getting the standard Nintendo all round fun fare as well as stuff like Soul Calibur 2 for the older gamer. The controller does look uncomfortable to use as well, as irrespective of age group the buttons seem badly placed. I think that while the Panasonic cube looks rather ugly, if you look at any Panasonic mini system they all look that bad, so its not surprising. At least its still small though - the X-Box isn't doing much to shake its 'PC with a TV-Out' image when the thing looks big enough to hide an ATX motherboard in.

 

[BrianB]

Bryce, are you implying that Microsoft and Sony aren't controlling the production of games for their formats, and don't make any money on software then? I wasn't aware of this at all.

They most definitely do make money out of all software released on both platforms.
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Nothing In Particular

 

[Dean Cooper]

quote:
Personally I think the mini-dvds are cool, and frankly anyone found needing to take up 9Gb of data for their game needs a good kicking! I was sick of bloatware boring FMV sequences on the PC when CD first launched, and nothing has persuaded me yet that we will see anything need that space for gameplay on either of the two consoles that support it.
[/quote]
You know, when I had a 286 I thought its 40MB harddrive was HUGE and I'd never use the hole thing. Now there are already PC games that take up to 2G and don't have a single FMV in them. One of the exciting things I've noticed about the Xbox games are that they have actual sound tracks by music artists. Halo has well over 750M of just music in it and they haven't completed yet. As games get better and more complex 9Gs won't seem so much like overkill and I'd rather have the space avaiable to the developers to be creative than be limited or forced to split the action by changing disks.
Dean
[Edited last by Dean Cooper on August 29, 2001 at 09:59 AM]

 

[Iain Lambert]

You're right Dean that games are bigger these days, but thats at least to a fair extent because higher spec PCs means bigger textures, more polygon data etc. I just think that for the most part what we know about the cube suggests that the space these things hold should be ample. As well as encouraging bloat, if you really have that amount of data I've a feeling that we are going to be spending ever greater amounts of time staring at loading bars.
Which still won't know how long it takes to load a level on a fixed hardware platform...