Recent Posts

So, where are we placing the odds that it'll only be Microsoft "Xbox One" branded external hard drives you can buy (at about 5x the going rate for hard drive space)?

Before you answer, remember that we're talking about the company who did exactly that with their current console.  The ones in the current 360 are just Western Digital laptop drives with new firmware and a custom SATA to Proprietary MS adaptor.  The entire life cycle of the 360 had them selling for a minimum of 5x the standard rate for the drive.


EDIT:  MS appears to be backpeddling, too - I saw on one of the many sites I browse that Major Nelson tweeted that apparently MS doesn't have a finalised option for how "used games" will operate.  Considering that the whole license and fee thing was also originally announced by an MS executive, it looks like the massive backlash (and Sony's skyrocketing stock prices) may have made some suits a little uncomfortable about their fiscal future.

Latest news I've seen with helpful information.

Ricky Jay is just always worth listening to. He's been in David Mamet's camp since House of Games (1987) with Joe Mantegna and Lindsay Crouse. It was one of William Macy's first film roles.

This might be worth a read.

Lars is having a mini crisis of faith.  He understands power - and it's absolute form.  However, he is new to the idea of tolerance.

Not mention that I - the player - have no knowledge of the mythos of Lars' religion so any help those of you more familiar with the source material can send my way would be appreciated.

Lars is shocked that Janus' response.  He is more amazed by the Cardinal's response.  Tolerance and patience are not what he expected.  His mind reals for a moment.

At last he realizes that the Cardinal is correct - willingness to accommodate others allows his lord's work to continue.  Besides, even slaves can have hope - provided the know their place.

I have much to learn, he thinks to himself.  He then settles to watch the Cardinal deal with Janus.

EDIT:  MS appears to be backpeddling, too - I saw on one of the many sites I browse that Major Nelson tweeted that apparently MS doesn't have a finalised option for how "used games" will operate.  Considering that the whole license and fee thing was also originally announced by an MS executive, it looks like the massive backlash (and Sony's skyrocketing stock prices) may have made some suits a little uncomfortable about their fiscal future.

Hmm.  More proof that the fastest way to influence a company's decision making process is through their bank account.  Well, at least they are "listening" to their audience.

"NO, PLEASE, NOT THE FIRE, MITRA HAVE MERCY."
He awoke from his own cry. The dream was as intense as the real trial. Blinking he took in his new surroundings. He was in a kind of training hall. Slowly like the trickle of sand in an hourglass he remembered. Mitra and her servants had condemned him for seeking truth. Consorting with infernal powers they had called it. Never mind his intentions or the fact that he had not harmed anyone.
A member of house Barca, even from a minor bloodline, should not have expected to receive mercy.
Death on the pyre the judge had proclaimed. And Mitra had been silent to his plea. Well if not this God, then an other. In the holding cell he had decided to call on the only one who could possible help him survive. How could he not? Survival was after all the most important thing in nature. Morals had been invented to secure the personal survival and that of your offspring.
There was no such thing as good and evil if it came to survival.

He prayed to Asmodeus in the cell, he prayed to Asmodeus on the road to Banderscar prison and to the astonishment of his guards and most of all his own, Asmodeus answered.

The pain was unbelivable, even more than the hot irons of the inquisition. Bony thorns broke through his skin, breaking his bounds. Skales covered him, his beautiful hair fell in big clumps to the floor and small leathery wings grew from his back as well as a massive, muscular tail.

"So that is it like to feel evolution" was the one thought he had. But still he was in his iron cage and the guards cryed in panic. Pure instinct made him lash out with his tail, silencing the guard. But there were more and they readied spears to kill him without coming near to what they called an abomination.

He wasn't sure what happened in the next few moments, but it felt as if a hammer descened from heaven. Blood flowed from ears, eyes and mouths of the guards and he himself tasted the coppery taste on his curiously formed tounge.

A beautiful woman appeared from behind a tree, threw to him a set of keys and said: "Your plea has been answered, now come the master awaits."

Of course he followed. How could he not. Stepping over the still warm corpses of his captors he went to her without looking back even once. Just a moment later they were in this great mansion and she introduced herself as Lady Tiadora. Before he could ask any questions she asked him to wait here to rest and get aquainted to his new form until her Master called. Those words were spoken softly but with unmistakable earnesty. He only bowed his head and did as he was asked.

He had only just remembered all that when the door opened and Tiadora came into view: "Dr. Creamor, the Lord awaits you as do our guests, please come with me."

He rose from the bank where he had napped. His new form was... comfortable, strong and above all he felt a clarity of mind never felt before.
"If the Lord calls, who am I to disobey?
And don't bother with the title, I have a feeling they rescinded those honors and purged my thesis togehter with all my books."

Following through the dark hall, he wondered who his benefactor and those guests would turn out to be. Tiadora opened the door and went into the room beyond. Creamor suddenly became accutely aware of his new form and hung back to stay in the darkness of the hall. Instead he tried to listen intently to the ongoing conversation...

Here is one to go watch: Deceptive Practice: The Mysteries and Mentors of Ricky Jay

This is a must see.

I do believe you are correct. This looks great.

Also, Xbone comes with a non-upgradeable 500 gig hard drive.  Which is... pathetically tiny.  With installation required and blu-ray discs for your games it'll be like 20 games and you're full up (seriously - my mate's BF3 install is like 30 gig, and it's on Xbox 360 so that'll go up pretty rapidly).

If it was 500 gig with the option to pull it out an put a real hard drive in it'd be fine, but for something that has to last the entire life cycle of the console it's kinda sad.

The articles I've seen have hinted that the USB 3.0 ports will allow external storage so that you can install a game to an external drive and take it with you.  If that's true, it might not be a problem to slap a couple of terabytes of cheap storage or an SSD.  No idea how well USB 3 treats those.

So, where are we placing the odds that it'll only be Microsoft "Xbox One" branded external hard drives you can buy (at about 5x the going rate for hard drive space)?

Before you answer, remember that we're talking about the company who did exactly that with their current console.  The ones in the current 360 are just Western Digital laptop drives with new firmware and a custom SATA to Proprietary MS adaptor.  The entire life cycle of the 360 had them selling for a minimum of 5x the standard rate for the drive.


EDIT:  MS appears to be backpeddling, too - I saw on one of the many sites I browse that Major Nelson tweeted that apparently MS doesn't have a finalised option for how "used games" will operate.  Considering that the whole license and fee thing was also originally announced by an MS executive, it looks like the massive backlash (and Sony's skyrocketing stock prices) may have made some suits a little uncomfortable about their fiscal future.

I wonder if C_P/C_A ever jump on the boards, read our posts and just shake their head and say, "I.. I don't even know anymore.."

Remind me never to look at this forum in a school lab again.