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Oh, Microsoft...


Sony's takedown of Xbox was EPIC, especially with them going right for the elephant in the room of used games and internet connections.  I'm still not buying either one, but if I was, it'd be PS4 just based on this stuff.  

Comments

  1. Microsoft lost millions of people to Sony in a half-hour, myself included. That was an unbridled ass-kicking reminiscent of history. If Microsoft doesn't learn from what happened to the Saturn, they are doomed to repeat it.

    I'm not getting either system at launch, but the onus is now on MS. It's not too late for them to fix it, but if they're so naive that they don't expect to get their asses kicked, then they deserve to lose.

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  2. Sony just Iron Sheik'ed Microsoft's Brian Blair.

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  3. I'm sorry guys, but even though I own a PS3 (and before that a PS2), this shit is losing me. Can anyone explain it in layman's terms?

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  4. Microsoft's three big problems:


    - The system is always online: If you don't check in online every 24 hours, you can't use XBOne to play games.
    - Game transfers: All disc games are tied to your gamertag. You cannot lend games to friends. You can't pawn them. You can hand them over to a licensed used games dealer for money and you can give the game to a friend outright. However, you can only do it once much like Kindle.
    - The price: XBOne will cost 499 dollars US. Sony borked them completely by announcing a price point of 399. They did the same thing to Sega when it launched the Saturn, which is considered the primary reason the system died.


    As a sidenote, MS's system costs more because it includes Kinect. While I don't buy the big brother paranoia going on about a supposed "always on" mic and camera (it doesn't really work like that), if you don't have Kinect hooked up the system doesn't work. Not very assuring given that the Kinect I got for free for my 360 broke within a year and a half.

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  5. Same. I plan on getting a PS4 eventually, hope X-Box tanks hard for this shit.

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  6. Thanks a lot, that clears up my confusion.


    One thing I read about it (just now when I was trying to google all the stuff I didn't understand) was that while gamers are happy with Sony, a lot of game manufacturers won't be. Microsoft put in all the restrictions to combat piracy, so in the future those companies may not make games for the PS4(and 5,6,7,etc), so it might be short term pain, long term gain for Microsoft (according to the guy who wrote the piece).

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  7. You know what will get me to buy a PS4 no questions asked? Kingdom Hearts 3... with a Star Wars and Marvel level. Throw in Pixar while we're at it. I can finally have a medium with the Incredibles teaming up with the Fantastic Four and it NOT being shitty fanfiction.

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  8. That was a landmark moment that set in motion for sure the legit extinction of Microsoft in years to come, this company is so obsessed with being some kind of monopoly with zero idea what the consumer truly wants. Sony probably were in shock at how easy MS made it for them to destroy a product in the space of 2 hours. After this X-Box One PR disaster and Windows 8 flopping the writing is on the wall for Microsoft in the long-term. Way too many critical errors over the last few years, X-box 360 was the only thing they did RIGHT in years in terms of innovation and now they've blown it, probably for good.

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  9. That's a sound theory and a point that has crossed my mind. However, if they go through the first year and still have "Day One 2013"-marked systems in large piles in warehouses, that's not going to matter. It will die before they can reap any benefits.

    It's also incredibly short-sighted on both Microsoft and the developers. Because my friends lent games to me, I have bought four Assassins Creed games (all new, three full price, plus DLC), two Arkham games (both new, one full price), and a brand new Red Dead Redemption plus all of its DLC. Because someone lent me three games for free, I bought seven.

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  10. Well, you're halfway there already.

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  11. I thought the same thing. MS should change the way the XBoxOne works NOW before they do an embarrassing about face a year after the console gets released and fails. I believe if they can do this there maybe a good horse race come December.

    Seriously there was nothing wrong with the way the 360 worked. "If it ain't broke don't fix it"

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  12. Exactly. They have lots of time to remedy the situation. They are fools if they don't.

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  13. Scream09_HartKillerJune 11, 2013 at 10:03 AM

    I play hockey games in the winter and baseball games in the summer with some football thrown in between. I like to watch blurays and Netflix. Am I good with the Ps3 for a while or will the new games only play on PS4?

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  14. Yeah I saw the teaser vid but it gave no hints on the levels. And really, there is NO reason for them NOT to put those levels in.

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  15. I think Nintendo won this one. 3D Mario, Donkey Kong, Zelda, Mario Kart, MEGAMAN IN THE NEW "SMASH BROS" (!!!), many of the same FPS games that are available on other systems, other cross-platform games, and a less-expensive system... I know that the "Wii U" has a bad reputation, but, objectively, I really don't see much of an advantage to the other systems.

    I mean, what, the others are "less kiddy"?

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  16. Your_Favourite_AssholeJune 11, 2013 at 10:15 AM

    question for the uninformed: isn't this less sony doing anything to MS and more MS doing it to themselves? what exactly did sony do other than have a cheaper price?


    suckas gots to know

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  17. I hope you don't like games made by Electronic Arts - the biggest developer in the world - because they've already stopped supporting the system.


    At this stage, Nintendo has made a poor effort at outlining why their console games need to be played on a console made by them. What they're still doing with the DS is great, but if Megaman appearing in a Smash Brothers game we've seen done in this exact style twice before is worth laying down 350 bucks for a system, well.... there's a sucker born every minute.


    And keep in mind this is coming from someone who bought a Wii on launch day (that's the ONLY TIME I've ever done that) to play Zelda: TP. After playing Skyward Sword two years ago - discovering that everything that series used to do best has been surpassed by SEVERAL franchises - I was certain that it was the last Nintendo game I would ever buy.


    Two years strong, and with no intention of buying a Wii U - a marginally more powerful system than the 360 with less support, and keep in mind the 360 is being REPLACED in five months - I don't think that's going to change.

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  18. The video tutorial of how to share a Playstation game was GOLD.

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  19. Amsterdam_Adam_CurryJune 11, 2013 at 10:23 AM

    The Saturn failed because it launched 6 moths early with no games, the price had nothing to do with it.

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  20. Scream09_HartKillerJune 11, 2013 at 10:23 AM

    There won't be EA Sports games for XBox now?

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  21. Sony did to Microsoft what Barry Zuckerkorn did to Maggie Lizer.

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  22. An excellent recounting of what happened to the Saturn from a former BC video game store owner (who also wrote one of the funniest damn websites on the internet): http://actsofgord.com/Proclamations/chapter02.php

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  23. Its MS doing it to themselves.

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  24. "Final score, XBox 1, Playstation 4."
    "WILL YOU STOP?"

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  25. Sadly I bet there are numerous articles using the same exact line out there today.

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  26. Shit, after a cursory Google search, this joke has apparently been made everywhere...repeatedly...to the point of exhaustion.


    You know what? Fuck it, I'm leaving it.

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  27. By the way, the early launch definitely played a role, but people were willing to wait to pay 100 bucks less.

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  28. I'll downvote it as a courtesy.

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  29. Haha! You beat me on that observation by a second.


    Man, I really thought I had stumbled onto something clever. That the proverbial blind squirrel had at last found his golden, inedible trophy acorn. But alas...

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  30. Sony delivers a vicious beating to Microsoft. Batman arrives late on the scene:

    http://oi39.tinypic.com/vr7gpy.jpg

    Just an excuse to post one of the greatest Batman panels ever. Right behind:

    http://i0.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/original/000/164/882/panel.jpg?1313898464

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  31. So so dumb. I'm not buying either system right away, but if things stand as they are right now (price point, stupid connectivity requirements) consider me out MS. I may just be a single user, but I spend some good money on MS points and stuff a year and have been on XBLive since 06, so MS can go fuck themselves as far as I'm concerned.

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  32. Your_Favourite_AssholeJune 11, 2013 at 10:54 AM

    i thought it was good, brah

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  33. In all fairness, I love Windows 8. The most rock-solid operating system I've ever used and I can have a million things open and switch between them effortlessly. Once you get over the loss of the Start menu and the assorted compatibility problems with older hardware, there's not really much downside to it.

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  34. I also enjoy Windows 8 more than any other system I've tried.

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  35. I will admit to this being the first time I've seen this today, and I shall pretend that you are the originator. I laughed.

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  36. The thing is, when the 360 came out... everyone said, "Well you don't release the XBox 2 when your competitor is releasing the PS3." So, XBox instead went... backwards?!

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  37. I thought for sure we were going to get at least one Maggie appearance in season 4.


    TAKE TO THE SEA!

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  38. The Gord! Haven't thought about that site in years. Awesome.

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  39. Considering they made Madden for PS2 up through until 2012, you've got a lot of life left in the PS3.

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  40. Why the hell would I care if EA doesn't support my console of choice?
    Also hilarious how you apparently feel EA titles are mandatory for a system to be worthwhile,but SSB isn't worth it because the games don't change much from one iteration to the next.

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  41. I thought I heard something where you can lend a game to a friend and get it back, but they must have a gamertag that's been on your friendlist for at least 30 days.

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  42. The Xbox One is Xbox Done.

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  43. (puts on sunglasses).......YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!

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  44. davidbonzaisaldanamontgomeryJune 11, 2013 at 11:59 AM

    "it's a huge blunder from a company that doesn't understand its base or how it became successful."


    *IWC nods in agreement*

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  45. davidbonzaisaldanamontgomeryJune 11, 2013 at 12:01 PM

    Dreamcast was an awesome console without EA support. Not saying Wii U will do the same, but even as one of the 10 people on the Internet who actually does like the company, it's not mandatory to have them and still churn out something worth owning.

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  46. I'm just using it as a singular example of how - after Nintendo showed signs of getting third party support - it's already disappearing. I don't think the system is going to die - Nintendo is like a cockroach or the Big Gold Belt - but if it's the only console you own, you're missing out.

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  47. EA buys other publishers because it is creatively bankrupt and literally has to steal other company's IPs to survive.

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  48. I *know* I'm falling into the trap, but sometimes when Lebron goes off, or does something great like the Splitter block I like to check out Skip Bayless' twitter...


    Guess who's completely no-selling the block? He said something along the lines of "who cares, TS was losing control of the ball and he's a shitty dunker so it's no big deal".


    SMH.

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  49. davidbonzaisaldanamontgomeryJune 11, 2013 at 12:09 PM

    I'm a Spurs diehard, but I'd be stupid not to acknowledge his greatness (Skip is stupid, so of course, he does not). Heat won Gm 2 with LeBron as facilitator and screener, so that worries me if he somehow finds a way to break Leonard's D and goes off.

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  50. Microsoft is screwing up.


    In other news, water is wet.

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  51. Just go outside and play. It's nice out. Ride your bike....or take your dog for a walk. Just try not to confuse real people for flesh-eating zombies.
    Sincerely,
    A Guy Who has Sucked at Video Games 4 Life.

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  52. THAT's who I was trying to think of that didn't make an appearance.


    Odd considering she stars with Tony Hale on Veep.

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  53. I'd say it's more like when you kick a game-ending field goal to lose 35-3. Sure, you got your ass kicked, but at least you weren't shut out.

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  54. I have no actual dog in the fight (Grizzlies moved so I sorta cheer for the Raptors), and I'm really torn on this series. I badly want Lebron to win a 2nd ring to continue the path to making people like Skip look more and more foolish, but it'd be great to see Duncan win a 5th ring and undisputedly take the "Best of his Era" crown from Kobe.


    Ultimately I have to side with Lebron. But after those first 2 games I say Spurs in 6. I don't see LeBron being able to truly "go off" so he needs some serious help. And it's clear that Wade has started The Decline that every great player hits eventually. So I'll take Parker's supporting cast over Bron's any day of the week, but I hope I'm wrong.

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  55. Amsterdam_Adam_CurryJune 11, 2013 at 12:16 PM

    The fact that Sega alienated most of their customer base with that Sega CD/32X bullshit sure didn't help either.

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  56. Simple way to change. Firmware change that is required before it starts up for the first time. And for those without internet you piggy back that Firmare update on the game discs at launch.

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  57. You really consider Kobe the best of his era? He was the best player on his team for 2 of his 5 titles. Shaq was superior in every way during the 3-peat and I can easily argue that if you put in any other upper level wingman/guard on those Laker teams, the result is the same. Duncan was the best player on his team during all 4 of his titles, even in his rookie year.

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  58. Amsterdam_Adam_CurryJune 11, 2013 at 12:33 PM

    I absolutely despise it, to the point where once my laptop (running Windows 7, which I've never had the slighest problem with) I'm probably just going to buy a Chromebook or something. My brother just got one for $200 and it's great.

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  59. I can accept no Pixar stuff as long as Marvel and Star Wars are included. And I'm talking about full worlds, not cameos.

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  60. The Lakers needed a 15 point collapse in the 4th quarter of game 7 in 2000 WCF to win a title. And in 2002 they needed dubious officiating and overtime in game 7 WCF to get another title. You swap out Kobe for a slightly less talented player like T-Mac, Reggie Miller, AI or Vince Carter and they lose both of those years. They really should have lost both of those years anyways even with Kobe, so if you lose even a fraction of his production it's over.



    Also the gap between Kobe and Shaq in 01-02 is drastically overstated. Kobe had better efficiency stats (WS is about equal, WP is strongly in Kobe's favor which is insane given that that stat overrates big men and rebounding) than Shaq throughout the 01 playoffs and it was close in 02. Shaq won the finals MVPs but if they gave out an overall playoffs MVP Kobe would definitely have won 01 and it would have gone either way in 02.


    Duncan is probably the better player overall but people way underrate Kobe's 01-02 period where he was either the #2 or #3 player in the NBA.

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  61. I have Window's 8 I absolutely despise it, I'm using a program that has reverted it back to Window's 7, no silly crap popping up every time I move the mouse! Regardless personal taste it clearly doesn't appeal to the masses as Windows 8 is the worst selling operating system for MS since computers became seriously relevant. I think Window's 8 works reasonably well on a tablet, but for a laptop? Meanwhile Google Chrome books are gaining a lot of traction and because I use android as my phone system it works almost perfectly.


    People think that my 'extinction' comment is hyperbole, but they are rapidly losing ground in EVERY platform, unless they do something radical they will be in serious shit in the next few years.


    They really are like the WWE, an old dinosaur out of touch, fortunately for the WWE they have no real competition, so they can afford to suck for probably an eternity.

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  62. Anytime you see Skip Bayless, youtube the video of Mark Cuban DESTROYING him on the set of First Take after the Mavs' championship win.


    Gruesome, cringe-worthy, and fun.

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  63. That takes care of the firmware, but what about their servers? What about publishers' demands? I've always thought the "need to be online once a day" thing was to upload (or download) information specific to that user - anything from tendencies to ads shown on XBL. I think they were all-in before; otherwise, why be so vague about it?


    I'm saying - it may seem as simple as saying "Hey, XBone, stop being so boney", but there are other branches to this tree that need to be addressed as well.

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  64. The worst part is that Sega's fucking up of the Saturn was also a good reason why the Dreamcast, a perfectly good console, never had much of a shelf life. As soon as Sony put pressure on them, nobody was willing to back Sega up because of their past transgressions. A similar thing can happen with Microsoft.

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  65. The whole thing is kind of comical given that Microsoft did everything that Sony did wrong with the launching of the PS3. Though in Sony's case, their countless mistakes ultimately were slowly but surely addressed before time came to announce the PS4.....

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  66. There are things called hand held game systems. That is what some us do when we go outside :)

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  67. I never once even considered that argument, and it's absolutely brilliant. Buy a CD, you can ONLY play it in one player. The RIAA is working on getting it done as we speak!

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  68. Amsterdam_Adam_CurryJune 11, 2013 at 2:01 PM

    CD? They still make those?

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  69. If I buy a WiiU, it won't be to play EA games. I'll get a WiiU to play the various Mario games, Zelda and whatever stupid Wii Sports games my girlfriend and her family like to play. If I want sports and other quality games, I'll get a different console.

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  70. The only time I use CDs anymore are when friends make me copies of albums they bought. I can't remember the last time I bought an actual physical disc for music and didn't just get a digital copy off iTunes.

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  71. I think Bill Simons is entertaining, but by no means an authority on basketball. He relies too much on intangibles. The fact that wherever Shaq went, that team always made the playoffs and everyone around him got better until he became a physical shell of himself due to age and injury. The same can't be said for Kobe who in his prime, managed to miss the play-offs and/or be a crappy 7-8th seed and get bounced in the first round. Was Shaq lazy? Sure. Did it matter? No.

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  72. Agree on Simmons, but I just wanted to highlight that conversation cause it echoed my thoughts on Shaq's legacy and all-time ranking.


    I don't think there's a huge gap between them, and I'll admit that I'm anticipating Kobe passing Kareem, but ultimately I think Kobe's numbers, edge in rings, ridiculous consistency, and incredible performance into his mid-30s put him ahead of Shaq.

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  73. I'd put it this way, if you had both players at age 21 to start a franchise right now, who'd you take? I think the answer is easy as having a player like Shaq at his position practically gives you an advantage over every team in the league for 10 years. Same can't be said about Kobe.

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  74. On what system will "outside" be released?

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  75. More power to you. I did the same thing up until last gen when it was clear that Nintendo just could not keep up, casual sales aside. Compared to the Wii alone, fewer people are buying this Nintendo console to play Nintendo games. The new SB release in 2014 cannot come quickly enough for them as they risk getting left in the dust DESPITE having a system already out for a year.



    As far as market direction, it's possible they would make more money if they dumped their own home system and developed for other platforms. And, really... who wouldn't like that?

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  76. I don't understand why everyone is in a way surprised that Sony is murdering MS. They didn't have to do much, just wait for MS to show their and wait for them to make a mistake(in this case, a fuckton) and just do the complete opposite.

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  77. It'll be interesting to see how they respond come the Holiday season.

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  78. I couldn't for the life me of think of what Tony Hale was up to since AD ended.


    Nice to know he's gotten consistent work.

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  79. Then PC gaming would also be sued...


    And the only people being hurt by Microsoft's DRM policy is...Microsoft itself! They are anti-competitive to themselves...

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  80. As far as the having to be online thing goes, even if MS realized this was a collossaly stupid idea, they are letting developers use the Cloud for some of the storage on games, so a lot of games won't play without it regardless.

    People shrugging off the paranoia about the Kinect being always on are being naive. I'm sure the reason they are so concerned with being a cable box in addition to a console is because they want to use the mic and camera to spy; there's lots of money in targeted advertising. Plus I'm sure the time will come when someone gets arrested because they got caught smoking pot in front of their Kinect.

    I just really hope this system fails so that companies (tech companies in particular but its spreading) start to realize it is a bad precedent to limit someone's freedom with their own property in exchange for a profit. Consumers don't want to be pushed into things that require them to spend more money if they don't want to; I just worry that too many people get caught up in the allure of new entertainment and just accept it.

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  81. I always wait at least 2 years before buying any new console, dating back to N64 and PS1

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  82. Amsterdam_Adam_CurryJune 11, 2013 at 9:42 PM

    I think the Dreamcast is overrated as a console (and the Saturn is REALLY overrated), the controller didn't have enough buttons, the memory cards were way to small (IIRC the 2K sports games came with a coupon or something for a memory card because the game would crush a memory card) and the game lineup sucked. When Crazy Taxi is the most remembered game on a system, that's a problem. I feel like it was nothing more than a test run by Microsoft to see if a Windows-based OS was suitable for a game console.

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  83. Amsterdam_Adam_CurryJune 11, 2013 at 9:46 PM

    Same here. I think people that buy a console at launch are fucking insane.

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  84. I think Soul Caliber when I think Dreamcast, and I loved the two I had...but it is a little overrated.

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  85. Duncan is probably the most underrated player in NBA history considering what he has accomplished. Guess staying out of the headlines can be a negative thing sometimes.....

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  86. Amsterdam_Adam_CurryJune 12, 2013 at 10:39 AM

    I always forget about Soul Caliber, probably because fighting games just aren't my thing.

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  87. Too much money, too many kinks usually. I'm great with enjoying the 360/PS3 a couple years longer and seeing what the early buyers think of the new consoles.

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  88. btw: that's the beauty of vinyl.


    it's obviously pretty much unthinkable that they figure out any way to force their drm crap on that medium.

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