The Tale of M and S
- Thread starter Yahtzee Croshaw
- Start date
Well you have to keep in mind that none of his columns or videos are supposed to be taken seriously. He's just not a serious guy (oh yeah, read Mogworld, it's awesome). That being said, for a "game journalism" site, there seems to be an overabundance of slander coming out of the Escapist recently. If MS and Sony were truly the faceless evil corporate entities depicted here, they would have sued the Escapist into oblivion and beyond by now.Hyakunin Isshu said:
The reason I'm buying a console rather than a PC is mostly to do with price. I COULD buy a fantastic gaming PC for £1200 that can run Crysis at full graphics, and 3 years later it needs an overhaul costing me £400, gets viruses etc., or I could just buy a console for $400 that plays games well with few problems. Yahtzee's main bugbear about the PS4 seems to be the share button and the lack of backwards compatibility, the former of which I also find kinda redundant, but it's not like it detracts from the overall experience, and since the latter was taken out as the X-86 is easier for game developers to work with than the Cell, making games cheaper, I'm also OK with. Sure, you get fewer games than on PC, no mod support, no steam sales etc., but for the vast amount cheaper you're getting it for, I'm fine with that. Indie games that aren't on PSN can run on my laptop so I'm not missing out there. I can see that for people with the money, PC is the obvious choice, but for me, a student, I have to go with consoles this gen. Just an opinion, of course.
I want to say "Conspiracy Theory" except that collusion is in no small way rare to find in this industry. It would be more naive for me to believe that Microsoft seriously considered implementing these "features" without precise knowledge that the other competitor would be implementing similar features as well.
I'm unsure why anyone would call "conspiracy theory" to the idea that the two have been colluding for some time now. My theory is that one decided to backstab the other or perhaps got an edge intelligence-wise on what the other was planning.
The argument isn't that it's a more expensive purchase up front. The argument is that if a consumer buys more than say, fifteen next-gen games, that would put the consumer way above the budget that would have been spent just building a gaming PC. And the next-gen consoles are still feature lacking compared to even that.
I'm unsure why anyone would call "conspiracy theory" to the idea that the two have been colluding for some time now. My theory is that one decided to backstab the other or perhaps got an edge intelligence-wise on what the other was planning.
So you feel as if you're getting the entire system cheaper for the simple reason that you're not being gouged on games up front and are instead being slowly drained every purchase you make?knox140 said:
The argument isn't that it's a more expensive purchase up front. The argument is that if a consumer buys more than say, fifteen next-gen games, that would put the consumer way above the budget that would have been spent just building a gaming PC. And the next-gen consoles are still feature lacking compared to even that.
Where are you buying your computers?! I built my most recent one (which can run Far Cry 3 at max quality flawlessly) for ~700$ (which Google says is about 460£). I fully expect it to last me through most of this new generation of console technology.knox140 said:
Also, get some anti-virus and stop visiting so many shady sites. I haven't had a problem with viruses on any of my (numerous) systems since I started using an anti-virus program.
I'm not telling you to forsake consoles in favor of PCs. Just change where you shop for your computers.
-Fears
P.S. Yeesh. 1200£ is approximately 1800$. I can't imagine spending that much unless you're a professional graphics engineer.
I'ts like being thankful for your captors for shooting you in the foot instead of the head like they said they would, although you weren't tied up and the door was left open while they both left for a piss and you just sat there...
Well if I pay £40 for a good game, say, Bioshock Infinite, I feel that the price I payed was well worth it for the experience I got. If my console lasts me 8 years, for example, that's a lot of games, and if the majority of those were worth playing, the price of the PS4 will have more than payed itself off in the enjoyment I got from the games. In the end, I buy a gaming platform to play games. The experience I get from playing them on PC is marginally better, but not to an extent that it dramatically affects my enjoyment at all, since consoles still perform highly and I'm having a good time either way. Also, next gen games cost the same on consoles as PC, so I'm not sure what you're trying to say with your last point.Sticky said:
I doubt it will. Even games like Thief, which are hardly groundbreaking in terms of graphics quality, say "coming to PS4, Xbox One and high end PCs". Consoles are usually a lot more than the sum of their parts, the fact you can play a game like Last of Us on 8 year old technology is testament to that.Ibbathon said:
Yeah, I may have overshot my PC prices a bit, but they're still expensive, and if I'm right in saying that next gen games will be a lot more demanding and need high end PCs, they cost about to $1000 to build, and $2000 to buy, so it's till a lot more expensive than consoles. I may be wrong about that, by the way, those prices just came out from a quick Google search.
And the point of the story flies right over the heads of all the arguing fans.... Which, ironically, is the point of the story.
It's not about who was in the right, the wrong, if PCs are better/worse or if Nintendo is too busy navelgazing... it's about how consumers have focused on the Xbone reveal drama, and are now feeling relief at the "problem" being "solved".... Forgetting that there are still many problems left to address, and giving all console manufacturers a virtual free pass on anything they do now.
Whether this move was planned or not, it doesn't matter. What matter is that, just as in this thread, fans are too busy fighting each other over their allegiances to a bunch of electronics products to keep being properly critical of anything else.
Good job, boys and girls, we've been made into idiots once again.
@Yatzhee: Good story mate, love how, much like a vampire eating garlic, Mr.S and M are physically repulsed by notions of professional integrity. I bet when they look in a mirror they only see sales figures, and can't physically enter homes without proper internet connectivity.
It's not about who was in the right, the wrong, if PCs are better/worse or if Nintendo is too busy navelgazing... it's about how consumers have focused on the Xbone reveal drama, and are now feeling relief at the "problem" being "solved".... Forgetting that there are still many problems left to address, and giving all console manufacturers a virtual free pass on anything they do now.
Whether this move was planned or not, it doesn't matter. What matter is that, just as in this thread, fans are too busy fighting each other over their allegiances to a bunch of electronics products to keep being properly critical of anything else.
Good job, boys and girls, we've been made into idiots once again.
@Yatzhee: Good story mate, love how, much like a vampire eating garlic, Mr.S and M are physically repulsed by notions of professional integrity. I bet when they look in a mirror they only see sales figures, and can't physically enter homes without proper internet connectivity.
Similar to the bear necessities of life.Orekoya said:
These $400 machines are practically a lie. I've seen some super efficient ones but often times there's a significant catch. Please bear in mind while reading the following that I do have a very new and powerful machine that I built myself and that I am a computer hardware and software tech.Orekoya said:
With consoles:
1. You KNOW that the games will be playable on them because they're the standard.
a. There is no driver incompatibilities
b. There is no unsupported video cards.
c. No need to worry about minium RAM or CPU which will go up for the pc but remain the same for the consoles.
2. The console is ideal for living room gaming.
a. It handles multiple players, something pcs still aren't good at.
b. It's usually quieter than a comparably priced pc.
c. The boxes are usually much smaller than comparable pcs and fit around your computer just like a cable box does.
PCs have their advantages and I enjoy mine. But I spent extra and built a machine that will be great for the next 5 years rather than a $400 machine that will be outdated in 2 years.
You know I really wish Ben's reality was the real one. At least it makes a warped kind of sense. I can understand the idea of trying to be more than just another console but Microsoft's behavior over the xbone has been so nonsensical it beggars belief. It would actually be kind of nice to think the whole fiasco is a result of someone like Aziraphale and Crowley playing a little game of tit for tat as they while away the centuries.
Personally I think its the result of arrogant corporate marketing research dickheads thinking they can pressure the consumer to buy what they want them to buy based on the greed of their mark, much like a confidence trickster. They feel that if they put on enough glitter and shout loudly enough their customers will buy any old shit, if only out of anxiety of missing out on something cool. And sadly, I think they have a point. The real pisser here is even after all the lies, flip flops, leadership reshuffles, and gaming public scorn and derision, the xbone is still most likely going to have some pretty decent sales. It seems these days that most people feel its better to have something, even if its completely shit, than to go without.
So while this little narrative was quite amusing, I think once the xbone hits the market we will see another tale that won't be. It will be the sad parable about the blind troglodytes that live at the bottom of a privy pit and happily give away their precious stones and bones to any above passerby for the pleasure of being defecated upon.
Personally I think its the result of arrogant corporate marketing research dickheads thinking they can pressure the consumer to buy what they want them to buy based on the greed of their mark, much like a confidence trickster. They feel that if they put on enough glitter and shout loudly enough their customers will buy any old shit, if only out of anxiety of missing out on something cool. And sadly, I think they have a point. The real pisser here is even after all the lies, flip flops, leadership reshuffles, and gaming public scorn and derision, the xbone is still most likely going to have some pretty decent sales. It seems these days that most people feel its better to have something, even if its completely shit, than to go without.
So while this little narrative was quite amusing, I think once the xbone hits the market we will see another tale that won't be. It will be the sad parable about the blind troglodytes that live at the bottom of a privy pit and happily give away their precious stones and bones to any above passerby for the pleasure of being defecated upon.
Oh, Mister Micro and Mister Soft. I get it! (/sarcasm)
That's a mighty elaborate story you have going there, Mister Y. Can you/we/whoever get back to predicting/writing about the future now?
That's a mighty elaborate story you have going there, Mister Y. Can you/we/whoever get back to predicting/writing about the future now?
Marks and Spencer?
Aye, I really like that Fragrant White Chicken Korma of theirs.
In other news, Yahtzee tells the kids all about S&M, and he keeps it civil. Adorable, that.
Aye, I really like that Fragrant White Chicken Korma of theirs.
In other news, Yahtzee tells the kids all about S&M, and he keeps it civil. Adorable, that.