Portal 2 DLC Now Available for Only $140
- Thread starter John Funk
- Start date
I just ordered one, looks useful IMO. To give some context to that, this thing does NOT rely on cameras and infrared and all that shit. It's powered by magnets, fucking miracles and shit. No, no, in all honesty the idea just seems neat. Full support on valve games? Sweet. 125 titles with compatibility? Sweet. More to come? Sweet. But here is where it gets interesting, for me at least. This thing is designed for PC, no dicking about with drivers and hacks and such like you have to do with console motion controls. As an electronics engineer, this makes me very happy. I can totally see using this thing to control my various robotics and other projects. The 1:1 ratio of motion (Yes, it is 1:1, I got to play with one for a few hours, which led me to buy it.) makes it more accurate than any other console variant and makes it perfect for controlling my circuits. So take it as you will, it may not be for you but it is sure good enough for me. Also, the Portal 2 DLC that comes with it was designed by Razor, not Valve, so your scared shrieks of this being a money grubbing move by Valve are in vain. All Valve did was give them the source code and showed them how to make it work.
Im waiting for the inevitable
"Valve has gone toooooo far and frankly I think we should boycott them from now on, why no I didnt read the article, why do you ask?" Opinion
from someone. You know it's gonna show up somewhere at some point
"Valve has gone toooooo far and frankly I think we should boycott them from now on, why no I didnt read the article, why do you ask?" Opinion
from someone. You know it's gonna show up somewhere at some point
A lot of pro starcraft players actually use razor products, not always top of the line though.Sevre said:
I for one have been using my $20 tact-x for 5 years and I can't even use my friends R.A.T. 7 because to me it feels like it is too floaty.
Basically any mouse that has 2.5k dpi is fine as long as you get used to it. I think the deathadder is one of the most common mice among pro sc players tho.
Because when I think of motion controls, I think "exact, accurate angles." Not like those silly computer mice that only vaugely interpret inaccurate gesturing.
Um, Yeaaaaaaaah ... I love Portal but I don't have that kind of money. And even if I did i would spend it on something more usefull ... ya know, like Serious Sam 3, Deus Ex 3 and Mass Effect 3 (There are a lot of 3's these days 
)
)
You see a lot using Razer only because Razer sponsors SC tournaments like TSL. A quick search of a forum like TeamLiquid will show that something like the Microsoft Intellimouse is by far the most popular mouse.NightlyNews said:
HOWEVER obviously that's for RTS games, for FPS games you need a precise mouse with decent sensitivity, I agree that a 2.5k dpi will do you for any sort of gaming but I use a Logitech MX518 and drop the dpi down to 800 or so for sniping in TF2 and then increase it if I'm micro'ing in SC2, but you really do not need something capable of hitting 5k dpi.
Either way we can both agree that you do not need to spend more than 30 dollars on a mouse, sometimes you may feel like splurging for something special but bigger mice may even screw up your game (a lot of them are frickin' heavy).
There is nothing there that couldn't be done with a regular keyboard and mouse, or controller, with a little extra button mapping to switch to different control modes.SupahGamuh said:
I also don't see why it shouldn't work with a Wii Remote or Playstation Move if all the necessary stuff is connected via Bluetooth or USB. Someone would just have to make some drivers. These razor people are nuts if they think I'm spending another $140 on more motion controllers.
I almost want a Razer Hydra, just for the hilarity of showing up to a LAN party with it.
One thing that has me most worried about using this with a shooter is turning. I mean, it appears you point the right nunchuk at where you want to look. What happens when you reach the end of your wrist's bend-ability? If you really have to turn in every first-person game by nudging the crosshair against the edge of the screen, then no thank you.
Maybe you can press a button to turn off the tracking while you reset the position of your wrist. Although, that would kind of suck as well.
It must basically be a virtual joystick. You turn your wrist and it keeps turning at a speed dependent on how far you've bent your wrist. Sometimes, if I think long enough, my dumb thoughts turn into less dumb conclusions.
One thing that has me most worried about using this with a shooter is turning. I mean, it appears you point the right nunchuk at where you want to look. What happens when you reach the end of your wrist's bend-ability? If you really have to turn in every first-person game by nudging the crosshair against the edge of the screen, then no thank you.
Maybe you can press a button to turn off the tracking while you reset the position of your wrist. Although, that would kind of suck as well.
It must basically be a virtual joystick. You turn your wrist and it keeps turning at a speed dependent on how far you've bent your wrist. Sometimes, if I think long enough, my dumb thoughts turn into less dumb conclusions
.
140$ for DLC... Whoa... the future is now!
In all seriousness.. the controller might have some practical applications for other games. that much is encouraged. However for 1 DLC pack and not even a full game? No.
EDIT: Oh.. its for PC? thats interesting. Its design esthetic being magnetic makes it somewhat logical for PC applications except one thing.
The fact that it is magnetic based, PC set ups are intimate individual arrangements and magnetic fields can wreak havoc on monitors and recordable media.
No way I would let a weak magnetic field anywhere near any of my electronics.
In all seriousness.. the controller might have some practical applications for other games. that much is encouraged. However for 1 DLC pack and not even a full game? No.
EDIT: Oh.. its for PC? thats interesting. Its design esthetic being magnetic makes it somewhat logical for PC applications except one thing.
The fact that it is magnetic based, PC set ups are intimate individual arrangements and magnetic fields can wreak havoc on monitors and recordable media.
No way I would let a weak magnetic field anywhere near any of my electronics.
viranimus said:
But still, it's an expensive controller: $90 USD if you remove 50 for Portal 2. I guess it's because it uses an electromagnetic field generator?John Funk said:
EDIT: Apparently, it's magnetic field is 20x weaker than Earth's and will not harm nearby electronic components. Or at least that's what they say.
Source: Razer Store's Hydra FAQ
Q: Will the magnetic field of the Razer Hydra affect objects in its vicinity?
A: The Razer Hydra uses a magnetic field which is 20 times weaker than the Earth's natural magnetic field, allowing it to operate without adversely affecting objects in its surrounding, such as credit cards, hard disk drives and speakers.
One Hundred Forty Dollars!!!!
One Hundred Forty Dollars for a controller?!!!!
That's total BULLS#!% !!!! ARE YOU KIDDING ME?
I will not spend that much on a controller, console or handheld, maybe,
but not a controller.
One Hundred Forty Dollars for a controller?!!!!
That's total BULLS#!% !!!! ARE YOU KIDDING ME?
I will not spend that much on a controller, console or handheld, maybe,
but not a controller.
Gonna go with no.
How's no?
Does no work for you?
That's a negative, Sargent.
Opposite of yes.
140 bucks? Seriously? What happened to that free DLC that Poral 2 was going to get?
http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/109682-Valve-Announces-Free-DLC-for-Portal-2
Is this it? Free, provided we pay for an expensive-as-hell controller?
How's no?
Does no work for you?
That's a negative, Sargent.
Opposite of yes.
140 bucks? Seriously? What happened to that free DLC that Poral 2 was going to get?
http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/109682-Valve-Announces-Free-DLC-for-Portal-2
Is this it? Free, provided we pay for an expensive-as-hell controller?
Actually the Hydra is suppose to be accurate to single degree and millimeter movement. And it got 6 axis of movement (all the console motion control are 4 axis if I am not mistaken).rolandoftheeld said:
If those spec are true this thing would be good enough for a 3D artist and much cheaper then all other 3D manipulation hardware I know off.
Basically how I see it, combined with Kinect it basically the ultimate budget 3D animation tools combo. Use Kinect to create the 3D object and motion capture, then use the Hydra to manipulate the 3D environment.
For game themselves, I admit currently the potential is quite limited over keyboard & mouse and all the already existing controllers, but for indie game development this thing along Kinect are a boon, if the appropriate software are developed. (Which currently are for Kinect)
I'm skeptical that I'd try the thing if it was free.
I picked up a Razer Boomslang when they were released and it was a very comfortable mouse - but ultimately not worth what I paid for it. I also tried one of those Wolf Paw gaming keyboard (the second one I think) and it was great for gaming . . . and sucked for everything else. Since then I've managed to stay away from gimmicky controllers. (I do have a flight stick that I like, it's a shame so few first person perspective games allow joystick+mouse input, it's great.)
I picked up a Razer Boomslang when they were released and it was a very comfortable mouse - but ultimately not worth what I paid for it. I also tried one of those Wolf Paw gaming keyboard (the second one I think) and it was great for gaming . . . and sucked for everything else. Since then I've managed to stay away from gimmicky controllers. (I do have a flight stick that I like, it's a shame so few first person perspective games allow joystick+mouse input, it's great.)