Skip to content

The Smidgen

Everything you never needed to know. Ok maybe not everything, that would be ridiculous.

Archive

Archive for November, 2009

the_ventSo I’m reading a BBC News article and firstly, there’s no author that I can see so the part of my rage the would be directed at said author goes unfulfilled, crafty British.  Anywho, the article is about “Raz”, a “massive Xbox gamer” who uses his console every day after work and all day on the weekends.  You know, a socialite.  Well it appears that after “acquiring” the latest record setting Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, he was “gutted” to learn that Microsoft has banned him from playing games online.

Why, you might ask?  Well he’s a theif, plain and simple.  Raz has a modded Xbox and pirates his games.  Now no one get all uppity about pirating software one way or the other, I don’t care how you feel about it if you don’t realize that a company or person will be disinclined to let you use a product they’re trying to sell for free, you’re a friggen idiot.  Anyway I would ordinarily think nothing of this article, that kind of thing happens fairly frequently, people steal games and sometimes they get caught, boo-hoo, he’s not getting some sort of ridiculous RIAA fine or jail time, just no more online gaming because you’re a criminal, whaaan.

What sets me off on this is that this guy is literally flabbergasted by this fact.  He’s astounded to learn that his openly admitted, publicly communicated theft of £600 worth of games (just under $1,000 to us Yanks) has earned him a ban.  Furthermore he states that, while he won’t mod another console, he’s unsure if he will buy another Xbox or get a PS3 now instead.

Let me get this straight, you essentially stole one large worth of games, got a slap on the hand and now you’re so mad at Microsoft you’re going to get a PS3 instead?  Wow, guess what chief, I don’t think they’re going to miss you.  Maybe Sony can use this for some creative marketing, “Xbox Live won’t let you play because you’re a dirty criminal, welcome PSHome!”  Somehow I don’t think Sony will exactly be thrilled with that sort of support either.

Some good quotes from the article after the break:

continue reading…

  • Share/Bookmark

pgr_zuneGot that spiffy new Zune HD but feel like your squandering your Tegra powered goodness?  Well fret no more as the latest firmware update 4.3 (released last Friday) opened up the world of 3D gaming to Microsoft’s plucky little PMP.

Along with fixing that odd little playcount issue, the 4.3 player update added support for upcoming 3D games and apps which have now arrived on the Marketplace.  Though the list is still rather small the good part is that all the games are (as promised) free!

On a personal note I seriously hope this means that support for full-on community development, and a paid marketplace to encourage said community, is on the way.  The day of Xbox Live Arcade merging with the Zune Marketplace is coming, I can feel it.

Here’s the game list:

  • PGR: ferrari edition, a 3d racegame
  • Lucky lane bowling, a 3d bowling game
  • Vans Sk8: Pool service, a 3d Skate game
  • Piano, a simple piano where you can play your own tunes on
  • Audio Surf: Tilt, ride your music – you choose a song that the game will turn into a roller coaster track for you to ride
  • Checkers, I don’t think you’ll need a description for this one

Update: Engadget fired up PGR on their Zune HD, uploaded a video and had this to say about it.

That Tegra chip is no joke — the graphics in PGR: Ferrari Edition are easily on par with the PSP and quite possibly better, with intricate textures, high-quality reflections, and smooth framerates. The other games aren’t nearly as intense, but they’re just as smooth.

  • Share/Bookmark