wii or xbox?

[phillip]

he's a fanboy because he isn't prejudiced against sony? lol

[Konrad]

lol, agreed, though I'm definitely not a Sony fanboy, and I still argue that Apple's proprietary hardware path is even worse.
 
I notice that the corporate focus tends to emphasize controlling the data ("content") on the media itself, or on whatever device accesses that media.  Nobody really goes out of their way to ensure that their devices are intercompatible with other brands (outside of specification requirements) but they do everything they can to lock and control the media.

[didjamatic]

he's a fanboy because he isn't prejudiced against sony? lol

Not at all, but to ignore the path of proprietary destruction in Sony's wake is ignorant, even if you do like their products you can't deny their history.

lol, agreed, though I'm definitely not a Sony fanboy, and I still argue that Apple's proprietary hardware path is even worse.
 
I notice that the corporate focus tends to emphasize controlling the data ("content") on the media itself, or on whatever device accesses that media.  Nobody really goes out of their way to ensure that their devices are intercompatible with other brands (outside of specification requirements) but they do everything they can to lock and control the media.

Don't even get me started on Apple's lack of memory card slot, AAC format, stingyness with internal storage, itunes charades and blatant disregard for industry standards to the point they even move nubs on their keyboards "just to be different".

I'll trade my iphone for an Android as soon as I can without paying for it (work pays for iphone)

But I do wish I had a Macbook.  

[itlnstln]

Mmmm... Android.  I love my rooted EVO.  It's the geekiest thing I have done in a long time, but it was well worth it.

[keyboardlover]

Mmmm... Android.  I love my rooted EVO.  It's the geekiest thing I have done in a long time, but it was well worth it.

I considered doing that to my Droid...does that mean you can use the wifi without an internet service plan?

[instantkamera]

Some companies play well with others and work together to achieve success by adopting standards, some open some not.

Correct. and Sony have partnered with others several times before.

Compact Flash or SD are supported by many devices, Sony Memory Sticks are much more proprietary.

Technically, you would have to be referring to MMC, as SD didn't exist when Memory Stick was released. MS was definitely NOT Sony's crowning achievement.

MiniDV was a digital tape standard used by many manufacturers, Sony pushed the proprietary MicroMV format which was 2/3 the quality, stored less, cost more and could only be used in their devices.  

possibly, I know nothing of those formats.

Compact Disc was the industry standard and Sony pushed the Sony Memory Disk.

Never heard of Memory Disk, and I know for a fact they joined with Phillips on the CD:

 Sony first publicly demonstrated an optical digital audio disc in September 1976. In September 1978, they demonstrated an optical digital audio disc with a 150 minute playing time

...

On March 8, 1979 Philips publicly demonstrated a prototype of an optical digital audio disc at a press conference called "Philips Introduce Compact Disc"[3] in Eindhoven, Netherlands.[4]

Later in 1979, Sony and Philips Consumer Electronics (Philips) set up a joint task force of engineers to design a new digital audio disc. Led by Kees Schouhamer Immink and To****ada Doi, the research pushed forward laser and optical disc technology that began independently by Philips and Sony in 1977 and 1975, respectively.[3] After a year of experimentation and discussion, the taskforce produced the Red Book, the Compact Disc standard.

**source wikipedia

For a long time Sony refused to use any standardized power/charger connectors.  They were all proprietary, even between different models from them in the same family of products.  

No one uses the same power connectors/chargers. I can't hook a macbook charger up to anything else. Still, the macbook charger is the coolest thing about a macbook. I do know that sony has made some effort to have things like batteries and chargers be interchangeable between models in the same class (say, for cameras).

 

For many years Sony's laptops were loaded with bells and whistles but when you'd get into the specs on them, driver support, failure rates on power supplies and LCD's they were so problematic that businesses phased out all use of them everywhere I knew of.  The failure rate of Sony laptops compared to others was huge.  Every IT guy I knew hated them.

Overpriced garbage. Would NEVER buy a sony PC/laptop.

 

They even went so far as to install a virus on people's computers that would monitor their "illegal use" of their music.

Rootkit. definitely sketchy. No more sketchy than a Microsoft product or two (they make the xbox BTW).

 

I try to buy products that support standards like USB connectors rather than proprietary connectors that become worthless when the device breaks.

Funny, I have been using A sony provided usb A - mini B for like eight different devices right now, including my sandisk sansa clip+, eReader, ps3 peripherals and so-on.


 

  Every company has problems, and I know Sony has made some great products but based on my own personal experience, not on what others have said, I choose not to use them because of their constant attempts to be proprietary.

I don't always have a choice and can't say I would never buy Sony, but if there is a comparable product from someone else, I would buy it first.

Some may have had a different experience and if it works for you, that's great.  I just feel differently.

This is the thing, you are missing out for sure. I think, if you are purchasing a given product, you would do well to compare it against the others in it's class before looking at the badge and dismissing.

Some sony products I have personally owned that you would have been hard pressed to beat at the time:

- Sony Trinitron TV (This is not even their computer monitors. I never owned a sony computer monitor, but always wished I did (an artisan)): Was a beast, and the best way to watch 480 lines of resolution (read: dvd) EVER. Built-in 16:9 enhancement would literally squeeze all the lines of res from the 4:3 ratio into a 16:9 box for playing anamorphic dvds.

- Sony f717 (and the 707 and 828 - which I didnt own): A cult classic in the digital photography world. Before mere mortals could afford DSLRs (read: before the first digital rebel came out), this was IT, nothing else in the prosumer category could touch it.

- Sony R1: An amazing feat - first marketable and USABLE fixed-lens APS-C (dSLR sized) sensor. I regret to this day getting rid of this.

- Sony PRS-505 (and newer PRS-300 but NOT the PRS-600) eReader: Considered one of the best looking, toughest and most OPEN eReaders out there. Takes MS ... AND SD. Uses standard USB cable and works in linux (it shows up as a simple mass storage device (or three)).

- PS3: gods gift to non-gamers who love FPS but hate sitting at their computer. I am suffering from withdraw after not playing all summer. Gimme a beer, a comfy couch, and a playstation controller. nice.

Basically, we are both right, Sony is a sketchy company that often makes great consumer devices. As consumers, we owe it to ourselves to benefit from the good products.

[instantkamera]

I get it.

This guy gets it.

[wellington1869]

Show Image

this cat could be a character in Alice in Wonderland

[didjamatic]

Oops, I said Sony Memory Disk, I meant Sony Mini disk.

But for what it's worth, if it had the time to enjoy them I would have a Wii, 360 and PS3.

[Konrad]

I get it.

This guy gets it.

He gets it, too. Is it contagious?

[wellington1869]

I got it on my willie.

[ricercar]

Don't get it on you.

FWIW when introduced, the Sony Mini Disc (MD) Walkman was a godsend for live recording. The psycho-acoustic compression was worth the trade off in CD-like clarity.

[didjamatic]

FWIW when introduced, the Sony Mini Disc (MD) Walkman was a godsend for live recording. The psycho-acoustic compression was worth the trade off in CD-like clarity.

I debated long and hard on a MD, but got a Tascam 4 track instead.

[Lanx]

Oops, I said Sony Memory Disk, I meant Sony Mini disk.

But for what it's worth, if it had the time to enjoy them I would have a Wii, 360 and PS3.

I have all three and like i said they're collecting dust, really i bought the ps3, so the fiancee could play ff13 (and kh3 later on) i bought the xbox cuz it was cheap and have some friends over playing guitar hero(that faded away) and the wii for party games(which no one like anymore)

[Konrad]

Too bad nothing has really caught up to USB2 High-Speed, though. Real bus speeds never approach theoretical 480Mbps ... chipsets usually bottleneck it at 150-180Mbps, and that's assuming they're not also busy doing ten other things.  The controllers on the actual USB devices are insultingly slow, especially on flash drives.
 
USB speeds are not only determined by the weakest link, but also by the raw oomphf of the host. ****ty PC equals slow bus no matter how much USB tech you buy. FireWire speeds remain fairly constant (and near their rated max) regardless of what you plug into. Most USB2 devices are just relabelled USB1.1, looks newer, better compatibility, still useless old speeds. I expect USB3 devices will claim the same while still falling short.

[washuai]

what kind of musical options are you thinking of? Can you plug MIDI devices into it?

For myself I'd seriously consider the xbox once they come out with that true guitar controller. some info on that from my friend (another friend's) blog

The below, btw, is a midi guitar (!) that doubles as a rock band controller: check out how every position on every fret is a switch.

fs=1&hl=en_US">

[wellington1869]

update, he wound up buying a roku, lol.  only $70.  
I think he'll still get a wii at some point but he's delayed the purchase till he updates his tv next year.

[Konrad]

What's 1080p good for anyways, unless you have a matching HD1080 Blu-Ray player?

[Hak Foo]

The Wii has better reliability, as far as I've heard.

[Lanx]

What's 1080p good for anyways, unless you have a matching HD1080 Blu-Ray player?

you mean 1080p tv right? cuz this is about streaming hd.

[Konrad]

I'm addicted to this now.

[wellington1869]

i'm playing psp and xbox right now at my serious-gamer friends place  God of war 3 on psp has pretty amazing graphics. excellent water effects, and love the way the sweat sparkles on the characters based on the position of the light source.

I asked my friend which he prefers, xbox or psp? (he's a gaming fiend). He said "probably xbox". I asked him why, since psp (as he noted) often has the superior graphics. He said mainly because a) wider selection of games, and b) much better implementation of network-gaming.

that said, as he noted, on certain games psp graphics are incredibly realistic.

[instantkamera]

I think he'll still get a wii at some point but he's delayed the purchase till he updates his tv next year.

Bad idea. IF he has a CRT now, that is the best his Wii will ever look. Upscaling (especially the generally BAD upscaling of todays flat panels - a separate video processor can doa  good job, but is likely not on his radar) will never make it look as good as a decent CRT.

Upgrading the TV generally means getting a 1080p high-def TV. Anyone doing so owes it to themselves to get the best looking sources to pair with a display like that.

[wellington1869]

Bad idea. IF he has a CRT now, that is the best his Wii will ever look. Upscaling (especially the generally BAD upscaling of todays flat panels - a separate video processor can doa  good job, but is likely not on his radar) will never make it look as good as a decent CRT.

Upgrading the TV generally means getting a 1080p high-def TV. Anyone doing so owes it to themselves to get the best looking sources to pair with a display like that.

no he has an LCD right now, but he wants a much bigger LCD at some point.

he has a 42" one right now i think. or maybe its 35. Anyway he wants like a 60" one or something.

for me, I think 42" is plenty for an LCD. but then I have a 12" CRT in my room right now

[itlnstln]

Once you 60+, it's hard to go back.  I miss my 80" projection setup.  That was nice.

[KillerBee]

I am more partial to the 360 beacuse of the Halo franchise

[Lanx]

Once you 60+, it's hard to go back.  I miss my 80" projection setup.  That was nice.

Kinda annoying tho, when i moved one of the requirements i had for our new apartment was to have a 14' throw distance and as far as apartments go, most are 12'.
So i have no dinning area! i have a 14' throw distance to get a 100' screen i even ceiling mounted it to save space (gonna patch it up real good b4 they charge me for damages!)

[itlnstln]

That's why I went with 80".  100" would have been cool, but the screen size would have been too large for the room.  In the bedroom I converted to a "theater" the screen scale was similar to the IMAX.  Unfortunately, having a 480p projector caused some issues with screendoor.  Someday, I'll set it back up with a 1080p projector, but it'll be awhile since I am moving soon.

[KillerBee]

80"?

Life size porn.  Get the Syncmaster 82" LCD Touchscreen at Macmall for $62K.

HOLY .... wow! I am impressed!

Now where is my black american express card?

[KillerBee]

Tea Bag!  No not THAT Tea Bag you pervs!!!

Show Image

Now dont get me wrong I love Nintendo, I still use my Nintendo Entertainment System and the Super Nintendo too!

I just stop caring after the N64.

[itlnstln]

80"?

Life size porn.

Yep.  I think Debbie Does Dallas was the first thing my roommate at the time and I watched on it.  Trust me, it's not as cool as you think.

[NamelessPFG]

For the Wii, I think it boils down to how much you like Nintendo games. That's why I have one. There are also some nice compilations from prior generations and enhanced ports available.

For the Xbox 360...honestly, I liked its predecessor more, even if that also had too much overlap with a Windows PC. Then again, the Xbox Live Arcade has some compelling ports and remakes of existing titles (Radiant Silvergun released outside of Japan, in HD to boot? HELL, IT'S ABOUT TIME!), and maybe Kinect will turn out to be something really good for all I know.

The PS3 has more compelling exclusives than the X360 that don't involve XBLA (whose interesting titles are, as I said, ports/remakes), and you don't have to pay for online multiplayer. However, they've really neutered the console from the original CECHA revision, taking out PS2 backwards compatibility, support for certain media formats, and who knows what else to get the costs down. Oh, and the whole Other OS debacle and Sony blatantly lying about not planning to remove it at all.

Also, I'm surprised to see a certain someone in here who has very literally said "I don't game, or give two ****s about gaming."

[itlnstln]

Also, I'm surprised to see a certain someone in here who has very literally said "I don't game, or give two ****s about gaming."

Who?  Me?

I don't really give a **** about anything we talk about here.

[itlnstln]

You pulled my card on that one, ripster.  Deuces wild!

[wellington1869]

?  The Cat?

Show Image

best cat ever

[NamelessPFG]

Who?  Me?

I don't really give a **** about anything we talk about here.

Not you. Click this and scroll down until you see this:

I cant argue with this. I don't game, or give two ****s about gaming, but I would have to agree that, as in most things, the gold standard for judging an LCD's gaming capability is by comparing it to a CRT; s'gotta say something. Stick with your $6 CRTs for now.

Then again, I can't blame you for not caring much about what goes on here, given much of the arguing I've seen.

[Konrad]

We like to argue about shiny keys.

Show Image

Speaking of which, those 28-key white "Model-L" keyboards look awfully sucky. The black one looks better, nice big backspace, but no backslash key. Can't LEGO do any better?

[instantkamera]

Not you. Click this and scroll down until you see this:



Then again, I can't blame you for not caring much about what goes on here, given much of the arguing I've seen.

I was referring to PC gaming, as it was a discussion about COMPUTER monitors. Big difference.

I dont consider someone who owns a Wii a "gamer" and I have been told by several PC "gamers" that my ps3 (that and the Wii are the first consoles I have purchased since the 16bit era) is nothing but a kids toy.

Finally, my major point was that gaming would have no impact on my decision to buy one monitor over the other.

Since I own a PS3 however, it would somewhat factor into a television purchase (input lag).

[NamelessPFG]

I was referring to PC gaming, as it was a discussion about COMPUTER monitors. Big difference.

I dont consider someone who owns a Wii a "gamer" and I have been told by several PC "gamers" that my ps3 (that and the Wii are the first consoles I have purchased since the 16bit era) is nothing but a kids toy.

Finally, my major point was that gaming would have no impact on my decision to buy one monitor over the other.

Since I own a PS3 however, it would somewhat factor into a television purchase (input lag).

That explains a lot.

I'm not against console gaming, otherwise I wouldn't own several of the things. (NES, SNES, Genesis, Neo-Geo CD, N64, Saturn, PS1, Xbox, and a Wii...and yes, I do have that last one for actual gaming. Don't you dare try to disqualify me just because of the Wii's very presence.) I just prefer the greater flexibility of PC gaming, particularly with mods and input devices. (That last one is probably why combat flight simulators are practically nonexistent on consoles.)

[instantkamera]

yeah. I cant be bothered. Im a computer geek by nature and trade, but I just hate the randomness of PC gaming. Will it work? Do I need a CPU upgrade? Do I need a GPU upgrade? Do I need more RAM? Is the game super buggy? Does it work well with my version of winders (given there are a few flavours still going strong)? To me PC gaming seems to be LESS about the games and more about the PC.

I actually think my favourite GAMING console is still my DS. Tons of really unique and engaging games and no hassle of "will it run". That, to me is "GAMING".