Random Talk.

[jobonline20]

i already proved lama is a ghost, and a few people agreed to it(kao and dae, i think). volvo himself posted he and his colleagues died in that fire drill. expecting zombie attack in canada soon.

if only lama was not a ghost i would have suggested he try the sniper scene from 'high school of the dead'

Edit: after research i found kao to be from canada, he is alive and human, so i suggest the above idea to him. all the best kao

[VolvoKing]

@ Job. I am immortal I can't be killed. Others have tried without success.

[lemmingllama]

*takes out gun*

Challenge accepted

[Zanco]

~punches Volvo with a bullet~

Is he dead yet? : O

[KaoclazmMJR]

Anybody play on Xbox Live?

[Zanco]

I PLAY ON XBOX LIVE! >: O

[lemmingllama]

Nah, XBOX sucks in comparison to the glorious PC master-race.

[Dae314]

Nah, XBOX sucks in comparison to the glorious PC master-race.

Challenge accepted.

1) Game console manufacturers are out there to try and make you believe that you NEED a dedicated gaming console that's not your already existing computer + a graphics upgrade (which would cost you ~$200 (assumed no GPU currently existing) and a PSU that's 400W or so to play just about every game out there right now).

2) Game consoles use proprietary hardware which means you can't just go to the nearest newegg site to order a replacement part if something breaks. You either have to get a new one, or you have to send the thing in to have it checked out by the manufacturer and MAYBE get a refurbished one.

3) With a computer setup, you have the option of making a panoramic multimonitor gameing station (we'll call this 3 or more monitors).

4) Instead of paying out your *** ~$400 every 6 years or so for a console upgrade that's got 6 month old parts in it, your payments can be spread out with a PC since you only need to upgrade a few parts at a time.

5) At the launch of a console, if you want to get one you need to go to the nearest place that's going to sell it, camp out up to 48 hours ahead of time, and hope that they have more than 100 since you're still #152 in line. Even if you preorder online, there's still a good chance you won't be getting yours in the first shipment. Then if you don't and your friends get the new console you feel like the biggest loser in the group b/c they're enjoying something you can't have for another month till another shipment comes in. When a new computer part comes out you can even choose purposely to wait and see if there's problems with the new part or wait for something better to come out and people will call you intelligent for doing it. When it comes time to obtain your new part, you send 1 order in to your favorite distribution center and get your item in a few weeks (depending on shipping). If your favorite distribution center doesn't have it, then it's more than likely that another place has what you want.

[lemmingllama]

Challenge accepted.

1) Game console manufacturers are out there to try and make you believe that you NEED a dedicated gaming console that's not your already existing computer + a graphics upgrade (which would cost you ~$200 (assumed no GPU currently existing) and a PSU that's 400W or so to play just about every game out there right now).

2) Game consoles use proprietary hardware which means you can't just go to the nearest newegg site to order a replacement part if something breaks. You either have to get a new one, or you have to send the thing in to have it checked out by the manufacturer and MAYBE get a refurbished one.

3) With a computer setup, you have the option of making a panoramic multimonitor gameing station (we'll call this 3 or more monitors).

4) Instead of paying out your *** ~$400 every 6 years or so for a console upgrade that's got 6 month old parts in it, your payments can be spread out with a PC since you only need to upgrade a few parts at a time.

5) At the launch of a console, if you want to get one you need to go to the nearest place that's going to sell it, camp out up to 48 hours ahead of time, and hope that they have more than 100 since you're still #152 in line. Even if you preorder online, there's still a good chance you won't be getting yours in the first shipment. Then if you don't and your friends get the new console you feel like the biggest loser in the group b/c they're enjoying something you can't have for another month till another shipment comes in. When a new computer part comes out you can even choose purposely to wait and see if there's problems with the new part or wait for something better to come out and people will call you intelligent for doing it. When it comes time to obtain your new part, you send 1 order in to your favorite distribution center and get your item in a few weeks (depending on shipping). If your favorite distribution center doesn't have it, then it's more than likely that another place has what you want.

Almost but not quite. Upgradable hardware is one of the things in the image, you use this for most of your points

[Dae314]

Almost but not quite. Upgradable hardware is one of the things in the image, you use this for most of your points

Upgradable hardware only applies to #4. #1 is business strategy, #2 is ease of repair (not upgrading, but replacing parts), #3 is multimonitor support (not the same as better graphics since you can have crapy graphics on a game in multimonitor setup), and #5 is intentional supply shortage.

#4 replacement:

4) Scenario: brand new game that's the next game in a long running series decides to use a video to explain to you all the controls that you already know. Console solution: put down the controller, walk away, use the restroom, get a drink of water, and then come back to check if it's done. PC solution: alt-tab. Even better is multimonitor solution: game in 1 monitor and everything else productive in the other monitor. All loading screen and boring video sequence problems solved without stepping foot in the bathroom.

#4 summary: multitasking.

[† Emotional Outlet]

This is somewhat related to the discussion earlier related to fire drills.

There was a fire last week at the building I work at at around eight or nine in the evening. An announcement went off on the floor saying that an alarm had been sounded in another part of the building and that we had to sit tight until we were told otherwise. At that point, we were waiting on a mission that may or may not go pending some hardware issues.

Few minutes later, one of the sergeants was on the phone with security regarding whether we had to evacuate and told us we didn't have to evacuate because the fire was in headquarters.

We were in headquarters. He thought we were in a different building.

Moments later, two more people came in with security personnel in tow, telling us we had to evacuate. Apparently the entire time we were sitting on rack waiting on the mission to break, there were alarms and calls to vacate the building in the hallway that were not being sounded on the floor. The security guy told us we needed to GTFO and asked why didn't we hear the alarms, but it was quickly brought to his attention that it simply wasn't being announced on the floor. Evidently, no one cares about us and it was entirely possible we would have been sitting there with headphones on while a fire blazed just outside the door.

In the hallway, it was smoky and smelt like burning plastic. We executed the evacuation plan as directed (since we have to discuss the evacuation route before every mission) and waited. In the rain. Every firetruck from a twenty mile radius showed up. Every cop from the facility seemingly left their posts to report to the fire. Eventually we slid over to a gazebo to get out of the rain.

One cop, apparently in a giant hurry to stand around and do nothing, whipped through the empty parking lot (because it is nighttime) and snapped a parking sign over. It was a loud and terrifying noise that sounded almost like something was falling on the gazebo.

After an hour or so of shenanigans--we had to send several people to their cars and to the squadron to make phone calls, since we aren't allowed cell phones in the building--we were allowed to re-enter the building with an escort. The next day, an email came out saying there was a fire a couple floors above us, but nothing catastrophic happened.

Except a few people weren't able to get food from the cafeteria because of the evacuation. People were hungry.

[VolvoKing]

@ EO what you said reminds me of something that happened to a friend of mine. She was on her way to work and was stopped by a road block. She asked what was the problem and she was told there was a bomb threat in the factory she works in. The next day she asked the shift before her how it went with the bomb threat and they what bomb threat? Apparently they only evacuated the office and didn't tell the workers so they could keep working. There was a big uproar over that.

[† Emotional Outlet]

That is terrifying and horrible. What could they possibly make in that factory that is worth more than people?

At least the lack of alarm on our floor was likely not an intentional oversight, since I doubt it would look too good for the Air Force or NSA if two crews and a couple contractors died in a fire because the evacuation notice wasn't being piped to us.

[lemmingllama]

Wow, both stories are quite exciting... Really I would say that it goes to show that safety isnt the priority of most executives. They should mandate that the executives have to work in the shoes of an employee for at least a week every year, maybe also schedule fire drills and whatnot when they were working as an employee!

@Dae #2 is replacing parts, but honestly how often do you get a new part that is identical to the old one? Normally its an upgrade, so falls under upgrading.

#3 is multimedia support, but in another light could be called upgraded monitors. I dono, just trying to argue here

And as for your #4 point, a lot of people just text nowadays during all the cut scenes and that stuff, since they never bother to send messages while gaming. So it isnt fully moot, but is certainly more strained than some of the others

[Dae314]

Wow, both stories are quite exciting... Really I would say that it goes to show that safety isnt the priority of most executives. They should mandate that the executives have to work in the shoes of an employee for at least a week every year, maybe also schedule fire drills and whatnot when they were working as an employee!

@Dae #2 is replacing parts, but honestly how often do you get a new part that is identical to the old one? Normally its an upgrade, so falls under upgrading.

#3 is multimedia support, but in another light could be called upgraded monitors. I dono, just trying to argue here

And as for your #4 point, a lot of people just text nowadays during all the cut scenes and that stuff, since they never bother to send messages while gaming. So it isnt fully moot, but is certainly more strained than some of the others

#2: I'm talking about the specific instance when a single component in your PC or console breaks. There's no reason to put an instance under this condition unless there is something about the PC/Console hardware wise that is no longer working the way it should. Say the disk drive doesn't want to accept disks anymore. PC solution: take out the disk drive, buy another one for $20 more and stick the new one in. Console solution: send the thing into the manufacturer in hopes that they'll give you back a new or refurbished one, or bite the bullet and buy a whole new console. You're not upgrading anything. You're fixing something that broke in the machine. That has nothing to do with upgradable hardware.

To counter this point there would need to be a bullet on your list for "modular hardware".

#3: That only works if you consider your monitor part of the "hardware" of the PC or console. Given that when you buy a PC or console most of the time you don't get a monitor as part of the package, I think it's safe to assume that the monitor is not part of the "hardware" of a PC or console.

#4: You could expand this to have a youtube open with a game guide on if you want instead of having to buy a physical game guide or figure it out yourself . Plus, you can multitask in other ways while gaming (such as turning off the sound in your game and turning on your music so you don't need to get your iPod to play your own music while you game if you don't like the music in game).

[KaoclazmMJR]

Nah, XBOX sucks in comparison to the glorious PC master-race.

I agree with all of these points however a great deal of these points require one to have a relatively powerful PC, one that is more powerful than a PS3 (which is a simple if you have the funds and know what you are doing) but not everybody is walking around with a GeForce GTX 580 and an AMD FX-8150

[lemmingllama]

Still, lower end graphics card and some performance mods on a game can make them have equal graphics and run just as well, even on laptops

[† Shazi]

honestly i disagree with the easier controls. i prefer my ps3 to anything else. also most of my games i play solo anyway so all of the "dedicated servers" and "onilne community" stuff don't apply to me. same with the better fps since i don't play them. most of those points don't apply to me at all.

think i'll stick to my console after all =P

[† Talena Mae]

Be bop bop ba bo do ^.^ i iz the random one with nothing much to say LOL

[jobonline20]

Be bop bop ba bo do ...............

i shall second that,