Disqus - Latest Comments for Andy Anonymous

Re: 2007: Year of the Xbox 360?

Andy Anonymous — Fri, 29 Dec 2006 16:27:51 -0000

The 360 is going to have a great year, but of course the one thing hamstringing it is the Japanese refusal to accept it. That's going to keep the machine from getting full support of all the Japanese devs no matter what happens.

As for the Wii, don't be so quick to compare it to GameCube. Even in its early days when it showed promise, GameCube was practically ignored by the media and by non-core gamers. The Wii has already done much better in this regard, and while its lineup for 2007 seems thin right now, its success so far will get more third parties on board; there's no doubt about that.

PS3 just badly needs the GTA3 of this generation to get off the ground. The price of the console is the biggest roadblock for them, and while games like Jak, Ratched and SOCOM were good sellers for the PS2, those games don't sell systems. PS2 had the GTA series to thank most for that, and PS3 needs its killer app for people to get over that pricetag. If it doesn't...

Re: Does Backwards Compatibility Matter Anymore?

Andy Anonymous — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 10:37:47 -0000

I would argue that backwards compatibility is more important than ever before. Because consoles are now of necessity built with moving parts and sensitive laser lenses, we're seeing an end to the days when we could keep one in perfect working order for fifteen, ten...even five years. So simply keeping them to play our old titles on is becoming less of an option, and as production on a last-gen console ceases and more and more of them malfunction, you could see a situation where your entire library of games for that console becomes unplayable...unless you have backward compatibility from a newer console.

Re: Does Backwards Compatibility Matter Anymore?

Andy Anonymous — Sat, 21 Mar 2009 20:47:55 -0000

I think you underestimate just how quickly you may find yourself with an entire generation of consoles having died out. We are no longer talking about Apple IIc lengths of time here (machines were still easy to find that were compatible with that device for over a decade after its release, so the games would have been playable for much longer), we're potentially talking about five to ten years. If you're happy having the library you spent so much money on become worthless in that short time frame, great. I'm sure not, especially when backwards compatibility provides a decent alternative for as long as it's viable. It's not an issue of being "cheap" at all, it's an issue of wanting lasting value for the money I spend, especially when many of these games are ones I simply want to be able to replay for a long time to come.

Re: Does Backwards Compatibility Matter Anymore?

Andy Anonymous — Sun, 22 Mar 2009 21:11:08 -0000

I played Super Mario Bros. 3 just today, Zelda LttP last week and a host of other titles within the past month. Many games remain fun to play long after their release, due to a combination of nostalgia and excellent game design. And I'm far from alone: retro game downloads on services like Gametap, Wii Virtual Console and Xbox Live Arcade have been a huge success.

Unfortunately, while some of your favorites do become available as downloads later on, many do not and probably never will, often due to licensing issues or simply not having been popular enough.

Re: Atomefabrik Steampunk Goggles

Andy Anonymous — Sat, 05 Apr 2008 18:28:06 -0000

I recently purchased a pair of the aviator styled goggles from Nicolas, with brown leather and a brown leather strap, and they are truly a work of exceptional craftsmanship that is both beautiful and functional. They may be a bit steep, but for such a stunningly perfect example of real steampunk goggles, I believe they're well worth it.

Re: Brass-Look Anglepoise Webcam and Light

Andy Anonymous — Thu, 20 Dec 2007 15:23:40 -0000

In addition to telling Tinkergirl about this cam, I also braved the shipping cost from Hong Kong and ordered myself one. I just received it today, so I can say a bit more about it.

I'm happy to relay that the camera is most definitely metal, not plastic. I cannot say if it is actual brass or a different type of metal colored and brushed to resemble it, but it has a nice heft for such a little device. The only part I believe to be plastic is the silver focus ring round the lens.

The base actually unscrews from the arm, which opens up some easy possibilities for modification.

The LED lamps look great: like a deep sea diving apparatus. There is a dimmer upon the USB cord that turns the lamps on and controls their brightness.

I haven't actually gotten it to work yet, as the drivers for it seem somewhat out of date...but I am continuing to press forward.

All in all, I'm quite happy with it. I would willingly have paid the combined $25 for cost plus shipping just to buy one in a store, and honestly, as sharp as it looks, I almost don't care if I actually get it working, so long as it's sitting on my desk!

Re: Brass-Look Anglepoise Webcam and Light

Andy Anonymous — Fri, 21 Dec 2007 03:56:26 -0000

Looks like there are 40 some odd of them available from that seller. Pretty nice deal for those who were turned off by the shipping cost from Chinavasion.

I wrote to the ebay seller to see what they know about the driver software, heh.

Re: Brass-Look Anglepoise Webcam and Light

Andy Anonymous — Sun, 23 Dec 2007 14:25:04 -0000

I did manage to find a working driver, by writing to the people running the ebay auction and asking. If anyone needs a copy it's here (the ironically named "driver for driverless webcam.rar):

http://file.ecoolbuys.com/driver/webcam/

Re: Gaslight Justice League Models by Sillof

Andy Anonymous — Tue, 08 Jan 2008 20:48:19 -0000

Those are brilliantly designed and executed. I'd buy a set for sure.