Sinophile

I recently bought a 19" Toshiba LCD television(Which has a VGA port, interestingly enough). It seems aside from aspect ratio, there are few differences between modern monitors, and modern televisions. Monitor 1(1280x800 WXGA laptop monitor): IM Chat web surfing e-mail Monitor 2(1380x900 720p LCD television via HDMI): gaming watching movies cable television To make things more redundant, you could use a PS3 to stream music and movies to your television. http://ps3mediaserver.blogspot.com/

Terabyte Hard Drive: 70USD 4GB RAM: 105USD Motherboard: 48USD Core2duo processor: 120USD Power supply: 20USD 1 gigabyte graphics card: 160USD Just over $500, So at the very least, they are somewhat close. I've excluded the case since you could technically use a cardboard box(I have one friend who simply uses velcro to attach his PC components to a wall). I believe that the PS3 only has 256 GB DDR3 Ram, according to the specs found Here, However, Dragon Age looks much better on the PS3 than it does on my laptop with 4 gigs of ram and an Nvidia 9300M(which has 512MB of Vram). The PS3 also has a BD-Rom drive. A BD-Rom drive for a PC would run about 100 USD, but technically this pc wouldn't need one, since Most games could easily be downloaded off of websites such as Steam. The difference between a PS3 with a 120GB hard drive and a 250GB hard drive is 50USD, which is ridiculous. A PC can literally do anything a console can do. Although for the sake of argument, I was simply comparing gaming power. Games on my 700USD Asus( estimated to have a current value of 500USD), do not look as good as games on my 300USD playstation. Lol none taken. I've had one guy refer to console gamers as "trash", and bragged about being old enough to remember games such as Ultima.

I'd estimate that 90% of consumers never upgrade their computer. Of the remaining 10%, half of them pay Best Buy to upgrade for them. I worked in a computer shop in a small town, and people will pay good money to do the simplest of things, such as set up their router, or clean up viruses contracted while looking at pics of teenage asian girls in bikinis(more common than you'd think). Also, I believe the PS, PS2, and PS3 were all released 5 years apart. That is why forums such as this one exists. In addition to the Nexus, another good forum is the "notebook forum". Generally, notebooks aren't meant for gaming, at least not in a cost effective way. You wouldn't have to worry about clearing your hard drive, freeing up enough ram, enabling administrator privileges, checking to see if the latest directX is installed, or seeing if your particular video card is supported.

The Sega CD was a decent system. The problem was all of the developers decided to go overboard with the FMV. Lunar, Sonic CD, ans Sewer Shark were all decent games. As for emulating it, I've read forums on Emunation that the Sega CD is hard to emulate due to the timing between the CD and Genesis. However, I myself have used Gens and Kega fusion to play Sega CD games on my old Gateway, which had a crappy graphics card.

sorry for the double post, I apparently exceeded my "quote limit". Now, if you really wanna rage over something, it should be things like this: Facebook and Twitter on television. Apparently no one realized that most laptops released over the last couple years come with HDMI ports, or that Most HD televisions can easily be used as computer monitors. This is why corporations and game developers aren't making games as technologically advanced as they could, because ZOMG, Twitter and Facebook on the telly!!!

The Saturn was released 15 years ago, the article I posted was dated this month. I believe this topic, of which you are the OP, is why there hasn't been much in the way of advancements since 2003. Did you even bother to read the article I posted? Yes it is, why would a company spend millions of dollars on a game, and even more on new hardware, just to cater to a few hardcore gamers who can afford the latest software? Once again, you didn't get my point. The market itself was much more homogeneous back then, and the gap before what one would label "casual" and what one would label "hardcore" was much less pronounced. Secondly, your complaint was that back then, games were designed to run on the latest computer hardware, instead of the latest console hardware. Since the difference between consoles and PCs in terms of capability was much more pronounced back then, there was less need to design a game meant for multiple platforms. It's called Sarcasm, and my point was simply that graphics, or hardware in general has little bearing on sales of the game. The concept itself is very primitive and simple, all you have to do is press a bunch of buttons in time with the music. Euros? I take it you are European then, which would explain the grammar. Nothing that you can buy for $300 in the US is going to run Dragon Age at even it's lowest settings. No, I don't want to stereotype, nor did I resort to Ad Hominem attacks. As for me being an angry little boy with his nose in a playboy, this whole topic is little more than nerd rage. Once again, I was parodying your style or arguments. I thought I was hyperbolic enough you knew I was joking. I own both a PS3 and an Asus laptop which I use to play games on. As a matter of fact, I prefer to play Dragon Age, Mass Effect, Fallout, and Oblivion on my PC, despite it only having a low-end Nvidia graphics card. This is partially because I like to mod, and prefer to play using a Keyboard instead of a controller((it is hard to hotkey 10 different spells using a controller)). My point is that having a preference doesn't make you smarter than anyoe else, it just means you have more time and money to spend on your particular hobby.

I found the potion system to be the most innovative aspect of the game. I liked the storyline, as it had a bit of humor, showed the dark side of humanity, and was less generic than most RPG storylines. However, they still "borrowed" a few too many elements from D&D, such as Elves being an ancient race that pre-existed humans, humans being rather dominant, Knights, Mages, etc. Another gripe I have about the game is their heavy reliance on sex appeal, and how they release slightly different versions which mostly have more sex in them. Mind you, If given a choice, I'd choose the version with the most nudity in it. The leveling up system felt rather bland, you only had like 5 spells the entire game, only two of which were useful. I enjoyed playing Polish with english subtitles, it gave the game a more exotic, European feel. For awhile, me and my friend used to call each other "witchmin" and say "Bevai". Is that true for all paths? I recommended to him to become a knight in one dialog, instead of a Witcher. I had wondered if that caused him to become the Grandmaster.

Did I miss your point, or did you miss mine? If I missed your point, then it is your fault for not clarifying it well enough. Judging from your references to Wing Commander, and technology from the 90s, I am going to assume you are somewhere in your 30s, which would make you at least slightly older than me( I'm young, but I come from a long line of gamers). If we are talking about pre-mid 90s, back then gaming was a smaller, more specialized market, and "casual gaming" as we know it has yet to exist. Secondly, since when have game developers cared about anything besides making a quick buck? There is no point in making something "awesome" and "awe-inspiring" if it isn't going to sell, at least in the eyes of a shareholder or CEO. I would like to cite an article I came across on another Nexus thread, Sega's Financial Troubles You may be a consumer, but how large a segment of the marketplace do you, or those with taste similar to you, represent? No it certainly does not. As a matter of fact, before Guitar Hero, we had Dance Dance Revolution, and Para Para Paradise(DDR with your hands, woot!!). Likewise, another fad will replace these soon. So would you have to dig your own latrine, then watch the place literally go up in flames at the end of thew game? Maybe they could make a mini-game where you play security and have to protect the band from out of control fans. I am sure a lot of fans of the series would appreciate better graphics, but that isn't a large focus of the series. Possibly, but all Voodoo really did was adapt technology that was used for decades in the military and other industries for gaming purposes. By "They", I am assuming you mean game developers. The PS3, PSP, and Xbox360, for most intents and purposes, are essentially PCs, they all have hard drives, operating systems, and can connect to the internet. Games released between 2000 and 2005, such as Morrowind and Neverwinter Nights, would've been very difficult to port to consoles that existed at the time(E.G. Xbox, PS2). Once again, look at it from the perspective of Bioware and Bethesda, why exclude millions of potential customers to simply cater to a few technological elitists? Or perhaps you don't get console gamers. My PS3, which I purchased earlier this month costs me $300. Assemble a gaming rig for me that would cost less than my PS3 and able to run current releases. Right, so console gamers prefer simplicity, and therefore are stagnating not only the gaming market, but civilization as well. If we were all console gamers, we wouldn't have such advances as 3D goggles. woot!! Well, maybe console gamers prefer to spend their time on other things, such as getting a date to the prom that isn't their mom or sister, showering more than once a week, going outside, and getting laid. See, how do you like being stereotyped? More facts on console gamers: -Console gamers are more likely to be female, and therefore more likely to get laid. -Male console gamers on average, have a 20% larger penis than those who prefer PC gaming. As a result, they have have sex 3 times as often. -Console gamers are also taller, better looking, less likely to get divorced, and all around better people than PC gamers.

Those are very dated examples. Since he complained about the graphics of Bloodlines, I am assuming he wants something more recent. This is a shooter, with no magic, and few RPG elements. Also, you have to wait until like the very end of the game to have sex with anyone. Still, very good graphics if you are into sort of a Star-Wars like Universe.

Sadly, when a game is truly great, it is irreplaceable, much like a great woman. I would recommend any other Bioware title, although after DAO, they would all feel extremely dated. My second favorite Bioware game would be Knights of the Old Republic, because you get to build your own lightsaber. Generally speaking, there has always been a trade-off between open-ended roleplaying, and storyline. Japanese RPGs generally give the player little choice in how their actions affect the storyline, while Western RPGs are more open-ended, but have less memorabe characters. Another thing I liked about Dragon Age is the lack of the dualistic good/evil dynamic. They focused less on being "good" or "evil", and more on actions and their consequences. Most Bioware games generally have a slider for good and evil. Anyway, after carefully racking my brain, and searching Direct2drive for any game similar to DAO, the closest I could think of was The Witcher. The Witcher is a lot like DAO, and is only $20. It has fairly decent graphics compared to more recent releases, and has multiple dialog options that profoundly affect both gameplay and storyline. Also like DAO, there is no good/evil dynamic, simply actions and consequences. Last, this game has magic in it, and has a medieval European setting similar to the traditional D&D games. Here's a vid for it: http://www.direct2drive.com/1/6763/product/Buy-The-Witcher:-Enhanced-Edition-Director%27s-Cut-Download

I am hoping for Space Channel 5, although it seems that Sega already re-released most of their Dreamcast games onto the Gamecube,(E.G. Sonic Adventure, Skies of Arcadia). I am wondering if they would release their Sega CD games as well. I would like to play Jurassic park again, as well as Lunar and Sonic CD.

First of all, computer technology has advanced much faster than any other field of technology. Look at all the advances in automotive technology or medicine. A car engine in 2003 is not much different than one made in 2010. Likewise, A Viagra pill made in 2010 doesn't make you twice as horny as a pill made in 2003. Also notice that you don't hear about cloning and genetics in the news then you did back in 2003. It was inevitable that computer technology, or more specifically, computer gaming, would also slow down as well. I would also like to point out that since 2003, Cell phone technology has also come a long way. We've also seen the rise of Social networking, such as Facebook, twitter, and Myspace. Notice how Apple, a very successful company in a very poor economy, has yet to make a console. What sort of GPU do you think the Ipad has? I would assume anyone who doesn't upgrade their PC with new hardware on a regular basis probably aren't buying new games on a regular basis either. Still, you have to look at it from a profiteer's perspective. They are looking to make money, and see innovation and advancing technology as an means to make money, rather than an end in itself. Ok,disregarding PCs and focusing only on consoles, which console has thus far enjoyed the highest sales? Which console has the highest end hardware? Also, I would like to note the trend of popular music games such as Guitar Hero and Rock Band. Bottom line is, consumers would prefer to spend their money on fake plastic musical instruments and yoga boards than high-end graphic machines. I would like to argue that point. Computer technology was originally designed for practical purposes, but then later used for more entertaining purposes. Case in point would be the internet, an invention meant for military communication, then used by Universities, then businesses, and finally, consumers like us. I take it Math isn't your strong point, The PS3 was released late 2006, meaning it will turn 4 years old this November. Also take into consideration the time and money that goes into each console. The playstation had been in development since 1988, but wasn't released until 1995. Also take a look at systems such as the Sega CD, 3DO, Neo Geo CD, Jaguar, and dreamcast. Many of these systems were technologically advanced for their time, but were oftentimes overpriced, or poorly marketed, and huge flops. I would also like to note that older consoles such as the PS2 still enjoy some popularity I was almost offended by this comment, then remembered how important it is to be easily offended on the internet. Just because I don't want to memorize every piece of hardware in my system, spend an hour installing the game, then downloading patches, then adjusting a zillion other settings just to get the thing to work does not make me braindead. Some of us prefer simplicity.

I bought a PS3 a few weeks ago, along with my first HD television(a tiny 19" 720P Toshiba) . Thus far I am mildly disappointed with PSN. I bought wing Commander IV, which took next to forever to download. The game itself was even worse than the PSX version, with unbearable loading times, and FMV in half screen. I have 14 dollars left on my PSN card, is there anything else that is worth Acquiring? I wish they'd at least sell PS2 games, or even PS3 games since I live in a rural area with no gamestop.

:unsure: You think it cleans out the Virtual page?! :ermm: What ever you do, don't sign up as a map reader for anyone who thinks like General Patton. I just downloaded the latest version of CCleaner, and I don't see an option to wipe virtual memory. As a matter of fact, I believe the OPs problem has to do with either RAM or CPU(more likely RAM since he apparently had a recent downgrade in performance). CCleaner mostly frees up space on your hard drive, and doesn't really affect anything that would improve performance of games. Regardless, Ccleaner is an essential tool that anyone should use at least once a week, same with spybot and ad-aware.

First of all, I am curious to know the ages of the people posting in this thread. Second of all, these are all very different companies, with very different demographics. I am 25, and was mostly a console gamer when I was younger, although in later years I have shifted to PC games( I came from a well-off family, and always had both a PC and a console readily available. Unfortunately, that is not always the case with other people from larger families). Square-Enix most likely has the youngest demographic, and to my knowledge is mostly consoles. Bethesda gamers, on average, are probably older most other gamers. Square/Enix-IMHO, The Final Fantasy Franchise went downhill after FFX. FFX-2 looked pretty horrible compared to the Xenosaga series(which unfortunately has yet to come to the PS3). FFXII was horrible in terms of both game play and storyline. I bought FFXIII for some reason, and was mildly disappointed. The storyline made little sense, and the characters seem like generic rpg archetypes. Fortunately, XII will be the last FF. Aside from the Kingdom Hearts games, all of the SE titles released for PS2 are utter crap. In Short: The company was the pinnacle of RPGs during the 16 and 32-bit era, but has gone downhill since the PS2 came out, and have opted to cannibalize on thier one good PS title(FFVII), instead of making something interesting and original. Bioware- Neverwinter Nights I and II were very entertaining, even though it was based on a system meant for pen and paper. Dragon Age IMHO was what the NWN series should've been like. It also had a lot of storyline, without sacrificing open-ended gameplay. Mass effect 2 in my heart is a shooter with some rpg elements(such as dialog). Jade Empire was ok, but got redundant towards the end. Kotor2 was my favorite RPG until Dragon Age came out, even though it was buggy and incomplete. In Short: Bioware is a decent company. Bethesda- Daggerfall and Morrowind felt like MMORPGs, and I thought they were boring as hell. Oblivion, unlike it's predecessors, kept me entertained for quite a few hours. It felt more like an actual game than a grind-and-level Everquest. Come to think of it, Bethesda seems to have actually improved over the past decade or so, at least compared to Bioware and Square.

wait, so the 60gb systems could play PS2 games? I just bought a 120GB model the other day, and the documentation said it couldn't play PS2 games, which I found slightly disappointing since there are a couple PS2 titles I'd like to play(My PS2 was also stolen by my ex, who sold it for gas money). What I don't get is what happened to all the PS exclusive franchises from earlier systems.

Ehhh, what's a scart connection? I still don't fully understand the problem. You've stated that you've tried several television sets, but have you tried another set of cables, or the same set of cables with a VCR or similar device(I am assuming that a scart cable is similar to composite)? Another option is to use a converter box to convert scart to another format, such as composite, coaxial, or S-video.(once again, assuming such a thing exists, and that scart is similar to the aforementioned items).

Hai Guyz, I purchased a BSH-08 bluetooth headset some time ago, and of course lost all the pieces. I tried all 0000, 1234, 1111, etc, but to no avail. I have tried googling the model number, but it seems Anycom does not have their own website. Is there any way to bypass the pin?

For those of you still following this topic. I am still unemployed. The person I am living with is moving back to Iowa, a place I prefer not to live. So, I have until the end of the month to find a job or join the military. My dream of working for the post office have been crushed, as most of them require me to physically show up for drug tests, driving tests, etc. Still, I keep applying for jobs in Iowa, Colorado, and California( All places I have family).

I don't even have a girlfriend at the moment, so I am not worried about marriage. What scares me is having children. My father spent 15 years giving half his paycheck to a woman who didn't work, and who had a child with some other guy after he divorced him. Boot camp still scares the hell out of me, but so did going to college and being gainfully employed back before I moved out. I have been checking the state websites, and the post office website for job listings. For some reason, I have a good feeling about being a posman. Thank you all for your advice.

Greetings Nexus, I am almost 25 years old, unemployed, and living with my grandmother. I had worked for the census for about a month before being laid off. Prior to that, I worked for a hotel in Los Angeles as a Houseman(like a janitor, except I only cleaned the exterior areas of the building). I got somewhat of a late start in life, dropping out of 7th grade(My parents were too lazy to drive me to school, so they simply told everyone I was being homeschooled, and simply forced me to read Camille Paglia all day), and getting my GED at age 20. I was not gainfully employed until I was 22. I had attended Community College for about 4 years getting a two year degree. I got decent grades at first, worked enough hours to be self supporting, and had a decent social life. However, sometimes in 2008 I lost my motivation, flunked or dropped the only two classes I signed up for. Thus, my question is what should I pursue as a career? I have contemplated one of two things, 1.) joining the Coast Guard. 2.) Getting an A+ certification. The first is a bit scary for me, as I have never done anything more physically demanding than push around a mop, or move furniture(as an odd job for my brother, who owns a moving company, about once a month). The second one I am not sure, because there are tons of A+ certification programs at various prices, how do I know which ones are legit, and which ones are scams? If I did successfully complete an A+ certification, would I be able to land a job?

Can you not use an Emu for Pc? :turned: Then again the original controller would not work unless you bought an adapter for it , which likewise costs money and the whole nostalgic atmosphaere gets lost. Emulators border on piracy, and are technically illegal unless you own the original copy of the game, which I assume most don't.

X-2 relied heavily on sex appeal, which IMHO was dumb considering the franchise had a large female audience. I did however like the class system, and the flexibility it offered, even if the storyline was lame. I hated XII with a passion, gameplay, storyline and all. However, FFXIII might be reason enough for me to buy a PS3(which I mentioned in another topic).

Greetings posters, I am thinking of Purchasing a PS3 next month, in order to play some of the Sony franchises that have come out. I know that PC games can be modded, and sometimes have console commands. However, I have purchased PC ports of console games, and was oftentimes disappointed in what seemed like superior performance. The last console game I have played( Excluding my PSP), was Final Fantasy XII for the PS2. I have yet to so much as touch any of the next-gen consoles(excluding the times I've spent playing Mario Kart at Gamestop). I therefore have the following questions to ask: 1.) When given a choice between a PC and a console version of a game, what are the advantages of either one( Aside from Obvious answers, such as console games don't have to boot up, or PC games are more moddable and have a keyboard), and disadvantages of either platform? 2.) Which model of the PS3 should I get? They seem to release new models all the time. 3.) How do I get a girl to like me, even though I spend all my time surfing the internet and playing games? Thanks in advance, Sinophile

I too am mildly disappointed. I am glad to see that most of the posters in this topic seem to agree with my own personal feelings. I see that I am not the only Leliana fan out there. I personally think both female party members are vapid and forgettable. No one has mentioned Runecrafting yet.Crafting runes is my favorite part of the expansion. I love making armor that can boost stamina,HP etc, or can deflect arrows. What I don't like is the leveling sysem/skill tree. Personally, I think NWN2 had a better skill tree for high level characters. In Awakening, I kinda feel like my character was over-leveled from the beginning, and oftentimes have trouble choosing a skill that I would actually use. I had a romance with Morrigan, even though Leliana was the one I wanted.