Things I hate this week

haha, feel the Sony lurve here at bit.

I think all PC component manufacturers are real happy about Microsoft's upcoming Vista release. You're going to need to buy an entire new PC when Vista comes out. It's going to be a nightmare of incompatabilty.

Oh you want to use this new great feature in Vista? We're sorry you need a new CPU, new graphics card, new motherboard, new everything else. Ahhhhh just buy a new PC. Cable card - the software is in there but as a home builder you won't be able to get the hardware unless you buy a new PC. Great Thanks.

I personally have stopped buying any new PC parts as of about two months ago. I really think people are going to be forced to upgrade just about everything when Vista comes out. That is if you want to be able to utilize all the cool new features. I think all the hardware manufacturers are damn happy about it too. New sales forced upon the computing public. Sucks if you ask me but we are all slaves to the technology. On one hand it's great HD-DVD's, Blu-ray, Vista media center with cable card but not if I have to buy a whole new PC to get any of it to work.

Ha! Managed to make Wil go out and buy a PS2. Score!

I'm playing Shadow of the Colossus right now. It's totally beautiful but absolutely stretching the machine to it's limits. I loved Ico so much it's hard to actually express in anything other than the medium of dance.

Geometry Wars turns me into Linda Blair in the Exorcist but I agree completely. It reminded me what it's all about and why we got into all this stuff in the first place.

Right, I have to go. I'm only on my third Colossus.

Argh "Vista" everytime I hear that I want to smash something :(
IMO thats the biggest piece of consumerrights bashing pice of digital SH**!
Oh an Sony...screw them...they belong in the same corner as Bill and his evil doers...

All this DRM is getting bloody stupid. Why are people actually going along with this?!

"We say jump and you say 'how high'?"

At some point it will turn to anarchy.. I'm so surprised there hasn't been a major human-rights case on this yet. Surely there will be though, but before that happens we'll have to endure mucho-shite.

The sad thing is, it's not entirely MS's fault. I'm not saying they're not partly at fault here, but I'd imagine the RIAA/MPAA are twisting MS's arm somewhere along the line. Why-else would they put all of this DRM in to piss-off consumers? It doesn't make marketing sense (which is what Bill's all about, if you thnk about it.)

I mean, if I wanted to ditch Vista and switch to err.. GNU/Linux, or OSX. I'll still need all the compatible hardware just to watch a film.

As per the opening statement in TFA; the industry needs to grow up. First port of call: Stick two fingers up to the DRM-pushing gimps.

Let's get one thing straight: I hate the PS2. I hate the fact that it has awful graphics. I can't stand that bloody Dual Shock controller. It's only got two controller ports, limiting its usefulness as a party console...

Spot on.
I also hate the PS2, but I feel I should buy one for WLK. And I'm sure it must've had a few other good games!

Totally agree with the Tomb Raider comments too. I never understood the TR craze...and only played the original game for about half an hour before deciding it was rubbish (whereas everyone else I knew were praising it).

Go get em Wil!

Does that mean my roving reporter visit to interview the Tomb Raider girl is cancelled? I wanted to fit in a visit to the Fragdolls HQ too.. damn. :(

That was the best article I have read in a long time and its all so, so true.

Kind of sad.

Personaly I DON'T WANT a graphics card with DRM, I have already disabled all the DRM serivieces in windows. I don't accept DRM on my pc, not a single one of my files has DRM (unless you count user permisions) and I plan on keeping my pc from been capable of running this scourge of humanity.

Buying a second hand ps2 is shrewed though as non of the money is going to sony :)

I haven't bought a single CD or DVD since that sony debacle and have been urging everyone to do the same...

Originally Posted by PA!N
Argh "Vista" everytime I hear that I want to smash something :(
IMO thats the biggest piece of consumerrights bashing pice of digital SH**!
Oh an Sony...screw them...they belong in the same corner as Bill and his evil doers...

QFT.

There have been enough damned attemps to chain down the society while they take it right up the you-know-where this week. A couple examples for your viewing pleasure (and that's just the last three days worth of interesting stuff on /., the more important of which have been emphasized).

I'm with kipman - the more they screw us over, the more certain I am to NEVER EVER THINK ABOUT CONSIDERING buying one of their products again. Companies are driving people to piracy in trying to prevent it, and screwing over 100% of the people who pay and having no effect whatsoever on the existing pirates. My movies are all free (and I get them before release), and half the reason I won't buy off of iTunes is the DRM. Now I'm aware of the fact that it's (for movies, anyways) more of a corporate lock-in rather than piracy protection, but most people have had just about enough. I'll tell you, people aren't too thrilled with the idea of paying $30+ per disc for movies when HD stuff comes along, not to mention the rumors of the stuff only playing on a single player (so no rentals).

I don't care about HDCP, because I know it'll be cracked long before what it protects is mainstream, but I'd rather not waste the cycles breaking it to keep my $400 monitor actually able to show high-def. Not to mention how upscaled standard def content looks just about identical to stuff originally in HD.

I too hate consoles, but it's really the only option for some games, and many others just aren't quite right on the PC (anyone played FFVII and FFVII:PC? Aside from them mangling the beautiful soundtrack, it just doesn't play the same on the PC). However, my free rentals apply to games as well, so at least I can be sure that Sony isn't getting another dime out of me.

Did I mention how anti-consumer most companies are anyways? Who hates opening DVDs? *watches all hands raise* Try opening a hundred of them in a couple hours. Three damned "security device inside" labels, the thing itself, the cellophane wrapper is now GLUED TO THE SPINE OF THE CASE, and retards packaging things. I opened one up today and the security device was STUCK TO THE DISC itself, and another where the disc was scratched to hell because some moron didn't know how to put it on the center spindle thing. (I won't get into moronic customers who try and explain to me what our store policy is, because that's irrelavent, though definately would go under 'things I hate this week'). And don't get me started about them putting in f'ing advertisements where the chapter index sheet should go.

So contrats, industry, I'm how happily spending my money anywhere but where it ends up going to you. And you know perfectly damned well that you brought it unto yourself.

Yay, second longwinded communicatory venting today!

Originally Posted by Deathrow
That was the best article I have read in a long time and its all so, so true.

Kind of sad.

The truest comment for the truest article.

Nice article there Haz ;), agreed with most apart from the anti-Dual Shock 2

Looked at that "shadow of the colossus", looks immense tbh, might have to go and buy it, and steal my bro's ps2 for a while! :D

You forgot Guitar Hero. Thats my reason for going to go and buy a Ps2.
Pretty much agree with everything said. Geometry Wars does rock, HARD.

Windows vista, DRM, hdcp and all the friggen crap is going to kill off the pic. We dont like to be controlled. We got a bloody pc so we can chose what components we wanted to use products that we paid with for our hardearned cash. I just bought a dell2405fpw and i dont care. Some hacker will get around all this stuff eventually, and when i do i will send them a small donation for their wonderful work, give sony and ms the finger and carry on playing like im doing now.

after reading that blog I am sending you a bill for 4 minutes and 35 seconds

Indeed. Damn President Logan. Keeps on falling into apparent traps, and screwing up decisions. May Mike Novick guide him to salvation!

i wish that card manufactuers' would just stop realeasing cards for about a years, so that my 7800gt jsut might actaully be worth the goddamn 300$, i just built a new system, AMD Opteron 148, 7800gt, fatality mobo, 120 gig WD, and im already afraid that it wont be enough for even games with low settings all too soon, i think that developers are assuming that we have top-of-the-line gaming pc's that can handle everything, i mean, back in the day of the fx series cards, i remember puchasing my fx5200, and playing just about everygame out there, and they allran great, and they still managed to all run great for even a cople of years. Now its like they release games to use as benchmarks and not to enjoy, fear for example, im sure if fear were coded much better, it would easily run on lower end system. i mean even my fx5200 managed to run doom 3 at a respectable 50 fps on medium. I just want a card thats gonna last me a good while. hery microsoft, for DX10 and Vista, this ones for you ..l.. :|

I just hope those pirates hurry up cracking HD when it is released, apparently DVD Jon has already cracked one pre-released version of HD, but hasn't told anyone how so they don't just change it. DVD Jon will soon be even more of a hero. Also, do any of you (like me) struggle to work out which DVD included in the box is the film, and which is the special features disc?

Originally Posted by CarbonNation
after reading that blog I am sending you a bill for 4 minutes and 35 seconds

It's a column not a blog..and after reading your other posts can you curb the attitude a little please.

Who's next on my flame-list?

It's Sony.

YAY /hugs Wil.

I didnt even prompt you for that one.

Originally Posted by scq
Indeed. Damn President Logan. Keeps on falling into apparent traps, and screwing up decisions. May Mike Novick guide him to salvation!

Mike Novick = Mosses??

I don't understand your hatred of the PS2, although I do agree that the pad is awful. I've never liked that button layout since Nintendo invented it on the SNES, and now it's everywhere! :(

The fact that the graphics are awful is relative to its age and I can't help feeling this is a typical PC owner's elitist attitude. You should realize that consoles by their very nature rarely have the opportunity to be upgraded and if they do it's usually a memory expansion at the most.

The PS2 can still do great things in the right hands.

Originally Posted by :: kna ::
It's a column not a blog..and after reading your other posts can you curb the attitude a little please.

Well said!

[On topic...]

I liked the ps2 pad, at least from what i remember (I've never actually owned a console myself). I used to love playing tekken back in the day.

As for HDCP et al. Well, what more can be said apart apart from, aaaaargh! :(

PS2 - awful graphics? A bit dated perhaps. I slapped on a PS1 game for a bit of nostalgic fun - thats awful graphics but made me smile nonetheless.
Charles Logan is indeed a pleb. I have a feeling that his days are numbered.
Thanks for the wallpaper link also Wil. Zooks!

He said "masturbate" LOL!!!!!one one two three

I can understand what he is saying about the DHCP etc but whats the point of a manufacturer selling the latest bit of kit when they can revamp the origional stuff and still make $500 a card then 3 months later do the same again. this is the reason i havnt bought any upgrades for my PC in 4 years, all my upgrades are hand-me-downs and ive saved loads of cash.

"Let's get one thing straight: I hate the PS2"

Dont buy one then, if you've bought one just because of one game that to me is senceless, or show you have too much money if you can throw away £100+ just to play one or 2 games.

i own a PS2 and i think its great, the idea of having exclusive deals works to make sure that they do get people buying the console and then finding other games that are great. Microsoft, Nintendo do it so why cant sony. i personally dont see the point fo buying a Xbox or the 360 at all cos its either ports from PC or Playstation and i have a PC and a Playstation so why do i need to spend £400+ to buy a Xbox as well.

If the dual Shock controller was so bad why is it the most copied controler on the market?

i know this seems like a rant but i dont understand why this was written

and yeps the PS2 will look dated compared to Xbox360, there 5 years difference in technology, 5 month is a long time in computers so 5 years is an life time

Wil, Wil, Wil...

You HATE sony for their console producing games you like? Wow...remind me to call up valve and let those rotten sons-of-beotches know how much I hate them then. I do find it funny when you add in this whole list of things you can really hate that you hate someone for producing a product you like... :D

As for the graphics, I hate to say that I agree with the "get over the elitism" aspect...PS2 was top dog in its heyday. I don't call the old 8-bit nintendo crappy for its games still being fun in 2006. Are they not what things are today? Of course...but tell me your jaw didn't drop when Super Mario 3 came out (assuming some of you remember that far back).

The rest of this rant was well deserved. You know how I feel about these stupid graphics companies making outdated technology.