Microsoft handheld pics and video!!....

Zweihander · Post by **Zweihander** » Wed Mar 01, 2006 5:42 am

Oh, that sethsez. Such a card, and so well-spoken! He speaks so well!

sethsez · Post by **sethsez** » Wed Mar 01, 2006 7:53 am

It's true though. Saying Americans care about graphics above all else ignores the fact that most huge-selling games in America look mediocre.

Fact is, most Americans couldn't tell good graphics from bad if you hit them over the head with a copy of Vice City. Theme is a big seller (Americans will take an ugly military or urban game over a technically stunning... well, anything else any day of the week), but graphics? Hasn't been a big issue for ages. The media cares, but casual gamers here are still picking up games that look like warmed-over ass in droves and not seeing anything wrong with it.

The key to success in the American market is to make an urban-themed game with a shoddy engine that takes little time to develop, because the people buying it won't care anyway. Making the graphics stunning really won't get you many more sales and will cost more to develop.

Dylan1CC · Post by **Dylan1CC** » Wed Mar 01, 2006 8:15 am

sethsez wrote:In that case, Dell is getting into the portable gaming business!

Right, and we all know how many people hold a laptop like a GB/DS/PSP let alone TV ads promoting a laptop as an alternate hub to play a (mostly) console video game in the palm of your hands on the go.

As long as: A)one of the groups being virally targeted is gamers and B) one of the features being promoted is portable gaming as an application, it does not matter if it looks like a tablet PC. So, it's a portable PC that may also double as a portable gaming device of sorts? shrugs

The line between consoles, PCs, PDAs, MP3/media players ect. has become blurred due to the Xbox, DS and PSP anyways, so who cares if people also see this potentially as some sort of game console (until MS clarifies)?

The Coop · Post by **The Coop** » Wed Mar 01, 2006 8:23 am

Before we continue with the "LAWL ITS HUEG!" and whatnot, I think a rather important aspect of the article may have been missed...

IGN wrote:Keep in mind that the movie is a year old, and is purely video concept art at this point, reported the Seattle Post Intelligencer.

It was likely just a test model for something, and not meant to be a real handheld gaming system at the time. I know that rumors of MS making a hand held system are floating around, but I'm pretty sure that thing isn't it's final form... if it's their rumored system at all. But, whatever that thing is, I'd wager a good amount of trimming and prunning has been done to it over the last year so it's less bulky and easier to manage. I believe more info is supposed to come in March, so we'll have to wait and see jusy what's what.

Zweihander · Post by **Zweihander** » Wed Mar 01, 2006 10:10 am

sethsez wrote:It's true though. Saying Americans care about graphics above all else ignores the fact that most huge-selling games in America look mediocre.

Fact is, most Americans couldn't tell good graphics from bad if you hit them over the head with a copy of Vice City. Theme is a big seller (Americans will take an ugly military or urban game over a technically stunning... well, anything else any day of the week), but graphics? Hasn't been a big issue for ages. The media cares, but casual gamers here are still picking up games that look like warmed-over ass in droves and not seeing anything wrong with it.

The key to success in the American market is to make an urban-themed game with a shoddy engine that takes little time to develop, because the people buying it won't care anyway. Making the graphics stunning really won't get you many more sales and will cost more to develop.

Okay, allow me to correct myself...

American mainstreamers have their mind stuck in the gutter, rejecting anything with less than three (3) dimensions, and if it lacks an urban or war-game theme, they'll be damned if they even lay a finger on it.

mannerbot · Post by **mannerbot** » Wed Mar 01, 2006 1:27 pm

just stop.

Zweihander · Post by **Zweihander** » Wed Mar 01, 2006 7:13 pm

mannerbot wrote:just stop.

no_u.jpg

Damocles · Post by **Damocles** » Wed Mar 01, 2006 8:22 pm

And awaaaayyyyy we go...

ST Dragon · Post by **ST Dragon** » Wed Mar 01, 2006 10:18 pm

A bit clunky & thick for my tastes.
My Black & White Game Boy is way cooler!

@The Coop
Your Thunder Force 4 Hyper Space avatar is very cool by the way.
One of the best I've seen at shmups.com

The Coop · Post by **The Coop** » Wed Mar 01, 2006 11:44 pm

ST Dragon wrote:@The Coop
Your Thunder Force 4 Hyper Space avatar is very cool by the way.
One of the best I've seen at shmups.com

Thanks

Took a bit of work to get it down below 20kb with all the parallax I made in it.

2DGaming · Post by **2DGaming** » Thu Mar 02, 2006 4:01 am

If that is truely the final design then well, hand held consoles is going to have a different meaning. I will say lets class laptops as hand helds as well then.

What is Microsoft's fascination with huge bulky consoles. Is that what the general mainstream Americans like? Huge bulky stuff = more power?.

sethsez · Post by **sethsez** » Thu Mar 02, 2006 4:52 am

2DGaming wrote:Is that what the general mainstream Americans like? Huge bulky stuff = more power?.

Have you seen a tablet PC before? This is quite small comparitively.

Besides, Microsoft just hasn't done much in this market until recently so it comes through in their products, which aren't refined as they'd be from a more experienced hardware company. Americans still like their electronics to be as small as possible (even if we're not as good at doing so as the Japanese).

Plus, again... prototype. This is not, in any way, the final design.

If MS comes out with this behind a bunch of "CAN YOUR GAMEBOY DO THIS?!" marketing BS, then I'll agree with everyone here and say it's a stupid move, but right now I think it seems like a perfectly servicable tablet PC.

2DGaming · Post by **2DGaming** » Thu Mar 02, 2006 5:20 am

sethsez wrote:
2DGaming wrote:Is that what the general mainstream Americans like? Huge bulky stuff = more power?.
Have you seen a tablet PC before? This is quite small comparitively.

Besides, Microsoft just hasn't done much in this market until recently so it comes through in their products, which aren't refined as they'd be from a more experienced hardware company. Americans still like their electronics to be as small as possible (even if we're not as good at doing so as the Japanese).

Plus, again... prototype. This is not, in any way, the final design.

If MS comes out with this behind a bunch of "CAN YOUR GAMEBOY DO THIS?!" marketing BS, then I'll agree with everyone here and say it's a stupid move, but right now I think it seems like a perfectly servicable tablet PC.

Now now, I am not here to offend anyone. That question about huge bulky stuff = more power is really what it is.. a question. As for a tablet, yes I have seen one but if Microsoft is going to call this a handheld console then it is HUGE for what it is going to be.. a hand held console. I am not saying its crap nor its going to fail but it definately has a horrid design even for a "prototype" unit.

sethsez · Post by **sethsez** » Thu Mar 02, 2006 5:45 am

Well, Microsoft hasn't actually called it a handheld console. Everyone else has, for some reason, but all MS has shown thus far is that it can play the PC version of Halo, which is impressive for a tablet PC. Everything aside from Halo that's been shown for it has nothing to do with gaming.

And I wasn't offended, just answering your question.

2DGaming · Post by **2DGaming** » Thu Mar 02, 2006 6:04 am

Its all good mate.

jp · Post by jp » Thu Mar 02, 2006 6:43 pm

I just watched the actual video.

And... I totally want one. In fact, as soon as I can pre-order one, I'm going to. That just looks fucking awesome. Touch screen? Hells yes.

Man, I need Media Center to totally complete the Microsoft whore transition.

dave4shmups · Post by **dave4shmups** » Fri Mar 03, 2006 12:37 am

sethsez wrote:It's true though. Saying Americans care about graphics above all else ignores the fact that most huge-selling games in America look mediocre.

Fact is, most Americans couldn't tell good graphics from bad if you hit them over the head with a copy of Vice City. Theme is a big seller (Americans will take an ugly military or urban game over a technically stunning... well, anything else any day of the week), but graphics? Hasn't been a big issue for ages. The media cares, but casual gamers here are still picking up games that look like warmed-over ass in droves and not seeing anything wrong with it.

The key to success in the American market is to make an urban-themed game with a shoddy engine that takes little time to develop, because the people buying it won't care anyway. Making the graphics stunning really won't get you many more sales and will cost more to develop.

I wouldn't go that far. Then, how do you account for people waiting in lines for XBOX 360's calling game stores all the time? They know the system's games are going to look awesome on an HDTV. Americans care quite a lot about graphics, otherwise hardly anyone would care about the 360, or the PS3, etc.

sethsez · Post by **sethsez** » Fri Mar 03, 2006 1:16 am

Because the current generation is winding down so people who want to play new games will have to move on whether they like it or not, Microsoft built a lot of goodwill among people with their Live service, it was marketed to hell and back before release, and it has that "new toy" smell the country loves oh so much. Keep in mind, the big item of the 2004 Christmas season was the Nintendo DS, and that's hardly a graphical powerhouse.

The n00b · Post by **The n00b** » Fri Mar 03, 2006 2:14 am

well Dave it is possible to care about gameplay AND graphics. DOA 4 and Project Gotham 3 deliver both just fine too. Now the rest of the 360 lineup is what disappoints me.

It's too similar to another disappointing launch called the ps2 launch. As I recall the Americans AND the Japanese ate that one up and it didn't feature much graphics or gameplay. Attributing stupid videogame characteristics to the Japanese or America is the way of the foolish otaku so let's not do that.

sethsez · Post by **sethsez** » Fri Mar 03, 2006 2:16 am

Yeah. Japan loves GTA and made Mushiking a huge success, so their hands aren't clean either.

Zweihander · Post by **Zweihander** » Sat Mar 04, 2006 7:46 am

Time for the Ibara crew to clean up this mess...

jp · Post by jp » Sun Mar 05, 2006 5:10 am

The n00b wrote:well Dave it is possible to care about gameplay AND graphics. DOA 4 and Project Gotham 3 deliver both just fine too. Now the rest of the 360 lineup is what disappoints me.

It's too similar to another disappointing launch called the ps2 launch. As I recall the Americans AND the Japanese ate that one up and it didn't feature much graphics or gameplay. Attributing stupid videogame characteristics to the Japanese or America is the way of the foolish otaku so let's not do that.

I still think Perfect Dark Zero and Kameo were excellent launch titles...

sethsez · Post by **sethsez** » Tue Mar 07, 2006 4:56 am

New info:

http://gear.ign.com/articles/693/693929p1.html

Not a gaming machine. It's for people who need something smaller than a tablet PC, but also need more than a PDA can provide.

It's also not designed for "advanced entertainment capabilities" which means Halo will most likely be a no-show, in addition to most current games.