Bahamut

I dunno...I can see the other way around happening when it comes to gaming, although not completely - cheapasses have resulted in companies like Intel releasing cheap video chipsets embedded into motherboards so that those who don't want to pay the extra for video cards could save more money. And then we have that the userbase for console gaming is far more open to adapting different controllers, paving the way for innovation such as the Wii remote. However, PCs will always have the advantage of a keyboard for typing & thus are better suited for RTSs. I can see something like the Wii remote displacing the keyboard & mouse setup for FPSs eventually though as that type of technology can match the sensitivity of a mouse, if not better it, and is more natural to boot (unless your hand-eye coordination is that terrible). Conversely, something like the Wii remote is also more concentration-intensive because any slight movement of your body can affect game control. I don't think we'll ever see one thing displace the other, and how drastically different the gaming base for PC & console gaming tend to be seems to solidify the separation even more.

It was MMX3 (when X is running away from the lava & Sigma virus). But that game came out late in the SNES's life.

Where the hell were you last night?

I'm sure I've had more computers than you, and I've taken care of them well, but I've had monitors fail on me (and have seen it happen to friends), and countless hard drive failures. Just because you have had the fortune of being able to keep the stuff doesn't mean it works like that in general. What? Everything I've said is fairly commonplace, especially hard drives. You'd have to be an idiot to not know that hard drives are quite prone to failure for example. I think you're full of the bullshit here - it is unreasonable to cripple another computer just to have a cheap gaming computer, I don't know how in the world you can justify that, especially when taking into account part life. All I've stated are well-known negatives, and then all the sudden you throw around ad hominem attacks and then don't even address the points.As for retail pricing of games, it is not hard to avoid spending $50/60 on a game. For example, new games like Super Mario Galaxy, Call of Duty 4, and Bioshock have seen some quick price cuts/sales ($37 for the previous two just this week as well as similar or better prices in the previous weeks, and Bioshock for $40 on the 360). Blue Dragon, being only a few months old is on sale for $32 this week. I was able to preorder games like Halo 3 & Mass Effect for $40 new without strings attached (and Super Mario Galaxy & Super Smash Bros.: Brawl for $38 ). Many stellar games get cheap in less than 6 months. The pricing argument for console games is bunk. I don't have any problem with PC games as games themselves - I have enjoyed some of my best gaming times with them (Red Alert, Total Annhilation, Unreal Tournament 2004, Diablo 2, Warcraft 3). I have a problem with the elitist PC fanboy attitude that's all too common in hardcore PC gaming, poor online gaming regulation, and probably most of all, DRM. The first & third reasons have a hand in slowly killing a once thriving industry (marginalizing others who want to play but can't due to hardware & causing problems for those who bought the game legally).

I don't think it's reasonable to suggest that people necessarily should reuse parts to get that price - reusing hard drives like that kill their life for example, and even mice & keyboards aren't everlasting. Monitors are just as prone to failure as well and likely won't last the duration of two desktops, and another copy of Windows must be bought altogether anyway. And for such parts, you want a good power supply as well...all of this can easily run someone over $1500 if they want quality items.

Yeah, I love the online in CoD 4 - I got 1st prestige in about a weeks worth of play and am moderately close to a second one (although first I have to get back to school).

Uhh if you buy from an OEM, there's a good chance you can't upgrade them. They also tend to be pricey, there's usually little to no way of quality controlling out douchebags on an online game, keyboard & mouse is as much of a negative as a positive (even worse if something catches on an optical mouse near the sensor during a critical moment, or if you're as unfortunate as me with hardcore PC gaming fucking with hand-eye coordination), significantly more expensive, and well, the negative reasons go on and on (some mentioned already). For most, the negative obviously outweighs the positive as PC gaming keeps getting weaker as retail continues to see far weaker sales compared to its console counterparts, resulting in more diminished shelf space. It's not a secret that PC gaming elitists & DRM are killing a once thriving industry in the US. As for Steam, you pay more in general than if you waited for a retail price drop or sale. For example, Steam's recent sale of The Orange Box - you could've bought it at retail for quite cheaper than through Steam (i.e. $25 on Black Friday for the PC version). Valve controls pricing far more strongly than the competitive retail scene does, and so you pay quite more than anyone who pays the slightest of attention to prices (made even easier with CAG).

You can build a capable PC rig for ~$1000 these days...or even buy one from an OEM if you look hard enough for the deal, although you sacrifice upgradability for reliability. If you have spare copies of Windows, a monitor, mouse, and keyboard you don't mind reusing, you could even bring it down to ~$600-700. The problem is, is it worth the hassle? Most would say no. For years, most PC gaming developers have shown that they do not understand how to market, and it continues today, even worse than before. What I don't understand is how such a well-funded sector fails at one of the fundamentals of a business, especially when computers are so ubiquitous.

Dama & I just finished a game on the googlegamecenter because yahoo was being buggy with his connection, and I eeked out a loss.

Well, relative to their previous consoles/handhelds, not really - for example, one of my friend's Gamecubes fell from a table ~3 feet high and stopped functioning, whereas that wouldn't happen with the NES or SNES.

Nintendo has had a great reputation for well built systems...excepting when they switched to disc-based systems. I never had that problem in Metroid Prime 1, but I have had some other issues. However, nowhere near as buggy as PC games tend to be.

You can get a video card that'll do the job for ~$100, more or less. However, PC games do tend to have a ton of problems, from hardware standards to copy protection. The industry keeps managing to shoot itself in the foot, despite the hardware getting quite cheaper than 5 years ago. Personally, from Steam to rootkits to Securom, all these things really keep me away from the industry more than almost anything else. In addition, the keyboard & mouse isn't healthy for hardcore gaming since stuff like carpal tunnel syndrome just becomes too big of a setback with a non-ergonomic setup. I'm more than willing to shell out for a rig, but unfortunately the industry just doesn't want to market itself right.

Amazing game, and incredible multiplayer to boot. My XBox Live was collecting some dust for a while until this game came up. Single player is also hard as balls on Veteran too, I love it! (I beat it yesterday on Christmas)

Well the thing is, I'm not much for planning to go into the city as far as a group like ours is concerned. When I go into the city, I usually do something different each time, although it's usually more centered on me or who I'm with (i.e. Virgin Megastore, museums, Broadway shows, small bar, etc.)...hence why I've been asking but apparently nobody else has ideas either. I'll try to think of something tomorrow I guess, although I'm disappointed you guys are more uninventive than me.

What's the deal with these videos spreading around lately? Oh and:

The Winamp manager is terrible for the ipod, just a warning.

I have heard complaints about the Creative Zen...although most who tend to have it love it from those I know (Jose can vouch for that). If you use a Mac though, your best bet is an ipod. Otherwise, that one that Imagery linked looks sexy.

Because I noticed a few football references in some of your posts before (unrelated to this that is).

Is the reason football related?

New Yorker here, but only on breaks & the summer these past few years. Most of the time now I'm in Illinois at my grad school, although if I transfer out it may be somewhere else for the next 5 or so years.

Also for any staying at zircon's overnight & has Wii and/or 360 controllers, and games, I say definitely bring them.

Oh...that I did not know. And I hate all your spoiled asses.

I hope it was a 360 Elite - the other versions of the 360 don't have an HDMI port.

No haul for me, as usual.

Nope - Comedy Central is owned by Viacom and Cartoon Network is owned by Time Warner.