inferno

Vanguard. Hopefully we also have an unlimited supply of hot pockets or Ramen noodles.

I own a car, and I am in it about 30-45 min a day.

Here is another good example...
http://www.ecost.com/prod/Systems/Desktops/HP+Pavilion+Elite+e9270f+28GHz+Intel+Core+i7+Desktop+PC+-+AU917AARABA/54780621.aspx?navid=155442295
Not greatest gaming rig, but the RAM, CPU, and OS alone will cost you about $600. Now include mobo, case, graphics card, power supply, blu-ray player... You are looking at spending closer to $900 or more.

This article is ONLY correct in regards to high-end PCs.

I have built every PC I have owned since 1997. Being an avid gamer, probably every couple years. It is still cheaper to build a $2K+ gaming rig yourself, but a budget gaming rig? Or an HTPC? I spent about $700 on a HTPC I was building. This was a year ago, and nothing fancy, AMD X2 processor, 2GB DDR2, 500GB HD, etc. At that point, there was no TV tuner card, and no operating system. That was okay, cause I was going to use a MythTV version of Ubuntu (Linux, for the uninitiated), and my primary purpose was to play media, not record TV. Then I was browsing online, and I found things like this...
http://www.ecost.com/prod/Systems/Desktops/HP+Pavilion+Slimline+s5260f+28GHz+AMD+Phenom+II+X4+Quad+Core+Desktop+w+Blu-ray+Player+and+TV+Tuner+-+NY560AARABA/55480321.aspx?navid=155442295

HP/Dell can sell some of their bargain systems cheaper than the parts, because they make money on advertising for the crap they put on computer. If you know a little bit about computers, you can remove all that crap, but you can't beat that price. And yes, it is recertified, but if you know a thing or two about computers, that won't likely scare you.

Nice.

arcee360, you have to be the unluckiest person I have ever heard of. The most I have heard of from anyone I have talked to was 4 consoles.

My 360 was manfactured 1 months after release, it did get the RROD, but 3 years and 4 months after I bought it. MS still replaced it for free, even though the warranty was expired.

*takes flamesteak in teeth*

An etch-a-sketch is 1000 times more reliable than any console, and 5 times more fun than the Wii.

How do I get his job? No, really... I know I can do at least as well, if not better. And I will be able to explain all of my predictions. So do I need a Psychology major? His predictions are usually so obvious, you don't have to know anything about games to make them. This isn't one of those, but you don't have to know much about gaming to know why it could happen. MS will release a new console within 2-3 years (2010-2011). Sony will keep milking PS3 cause they can't afford to release a new console anytime soon. So during the transition, when the PS3 is reasonably priced (as a game machine, not a Blu-ray player), people will start buying them. Keep in mind, the benefits of PS3 are sortof dwindling as the price of blu-ray players have come down. So, when the new Xbox is released, if Microsoft mismanages continued support of the Xbox 360, Sony will then make a big push saying they don't need to upgrade cause their Cell is so powerful, it can do whatever the new Xbox can. If they are smart, they also release a slimmed down version that appears new, cheaper, and maybe has an extra feature or two. Market confusion will be Sony's friend.

But casual gamers don't want or need a PS3 as long as there is a Wii. So I don't think they are likely to get 2nd place, and if they do, it will be a slim margin, and close to when they stop supporting the console all together.

I can't see an MMO based on Marvel or DC being any good. People who play in those universes would want to BE Spiderman or Wolverine or whoever. But that won't be the case. They will be their own superhero.
Only way I can see it having a remote chance is:
- If they were to promise to start featuring heroes from the game in comics themselves. Either camo appearances or a full blown series for top hero at the end of every year or something. But then that only benefits the hardcore, the casual player won't care about that cause he knows he won't ever play enough.
- Allow GMs to control actual heros or villains from Marvels Universe. The key here is allowing players to interact with actual heroes from the series. Not dumb AI or static heroes standing on the corner while innocents are being beat down one block away waiting for Captain Nobody to save them. This will make players feel more immersed int he universe. Then of course you would run into problems if the GMs don't "act" out the characters well, purists to the comics will complain.

Don't get me wrong, i will more than likely try it. I love MMOs. But I see it as an uphill battle to place players in a world with thousands (had to increase this estimate after that pic) of established, bad-ass superheroes. And they are, well, nobody.

Photographs of the aurora borealis taken in northern Alaska. I lived in AK for 4 years, and it is one of the coolest natural phenomenon I have seen.