kingdom2000

Pff, UMD's were used for the same reason. The amount of money Sony spends in trying to prevent piracy (most of whom probably would have never bought the software to begin with), could have been better spent on other things. Like not over pricing the cards, possibly cheaper games, and who knows what else that would encourage an increase in sales. The game with the cards is the same game that Sony played when the PSP first came out also.

This is the same story, same everything except that tech from when the PSP was used. They might as well whip out their interviews and excuses from those many years ago and use replace to swap out PSP with Vita.

If not for the copyright Mickey Mouse laws, the discussion wouldn't be how to set up a family for generations but when the character would enter the public domain.

Nothing against the Siegels but I just don't think a family should benefit forever because one of their number happened to come up with something creative that makes money. If they were putting up equal risk (say $10 million for this movie, $1 million for that TV show, etc) then that is one thing but they are basically saying "hey I am a Siegel, where is my money!". They want none of the risk and all of the reward. That really isn't much different then a corporate position of believing they are owed money just because as they push Congress to extend the copyright life so the gravy train continues without competition.

At this point neither WB nor the Siegels should be owed anything. Superman, Batman, Mickey Mouse and more should have entered the public domain long ago.

I keep hoping to hear more about HPs slate as I would rather have that device than this one. I love my iPhone and all the iPods have owned over the years but for something like this, I want options.

I don't want to not be able to play stuff that is on my home network because iTunes doesn't recognize the codec or because I don't want to even go through the trouble to add it to iTunes. I want to be able to watch, listen, and do in whatever format I want to watch, listen and do in.

The iPad only provides "Apple Approved" options but I want "me approved" choices.

Does this mean art designers should get more for each charcter they design? Programmer more for each new function? Oh I know the Janitor should get a bonus fee for every third bathroom he cleans and 10th trashcan he empties!

They are basically saying "these are actors! They deserve special rules then a daily wage like everyone else!" Nope sorry not feeling it. They come it, get paid for a day's work (and probably do less then that) and that's that. It should be the same if they do one voice or 50 in that day. Getting more then a little tired of these "artists" thinking they should get more just because they have "actor" as a job title.

They then complain...but but I don't always get work!! Well then get a normal job. I know I would like to not works for months at a time and still make decent money. I, probably like most people, have to work 50+ weeks out of every year. They are trying to have their cake and eat it too and expecting the public to be sympathetic. Not from me at least.

While I like voices in games, as far as I am concerned they can just use the time to improve the story, music, etc that have been time tested means that video games told stories before voice actors entered the picture. Shoot nowadays fans would probably pay the companies do go in and do voices.

Funny, I just returned the system I bought about a month ago from Fry's for $200. I figured if I had it for nearly 30 days and wasn't all that tempted to open it (because would have to rebuy...well everything especially games) that it was an expense that could be better used buying new games for the systems I already have.

Long story short...until Sony figures out a way to make it so don't have to rebuy my favorite games a second time (at their rather high prices), I say don't encourage their behavior. The idea of the Go is sound, hardware is good, but creating proprietary inputs along with no UMD conversion plan was clearly driven by pure greed. Besides the system is selling so poorly globably I would be suprised if it doesn't gets a $50 price cut within six months anyway.

Don't let the article fool you, these contracts are very very complicated with hundreds of moving part (all involving money) and often involving percentage of the profits, residuals and the like. In a lot of cases, the guilds essentially try to treat the video game industry like the movie/tv one. You know, were the actor is the most important cog and everyone else (writers, directors, crew, etc) are just not as important.

However, in video games, the dynamic is 100% the opposite. The actors enhance a video game but are no means critical to it. In video games, the actor is really irrelevant but the crew is EVERYTHING (by crew i mean the programmers, testers, designers, you know the long list at the end of every game) and to me if money like residuals, raises etc is being tossed around I would much rather go to the crew then some voice actor.

He/She chose that highly competitive career of acting and with it the consequences (lured by the potential of success). If they can't deal with it, that means what it does for 99.9% of the rest of us - finding another career, not just throw a guild at the problem and ask for more money.

People need to stop taking piracy claims at face value.

Remember your math teacher "show your work!". Require it anytime someone starts throwing out statistics. Especially something as unlikely as 80%.

To prove this guy wrong, find 10 random iPhone users and I bet not even one of them will have a clue on how to pirate a game. Most would probably be shocked to learn you can jailbroke the device. The iPhone and its games are hitting the john q average consumer that knows nothing of piracting games and unlikely to go through the trouble. For them, its pretty magic shortcuts that do magic things and nothing more.

There is probably piracy (if it can be sold, there will be piracy) but for a $2 app that most users probably have not heard of? Please.

This goes to reporters too btw - always make them show their work when making claims like this. Reporters laziness in requiring this is why billion dollar statistics without anything to back them up circulates.

I do love the idea of just downloading games instead of having to keep up with cartridges. What I don't love is the need to rebuy...well everything. I have a huge problem with having to rebuy games that I already own (even assuming they become available for download). I have an equal problem with rebuying perfectly good accessories because Sony wanted to have proprietory inputs (just because Apple is #$@hole enough to do it doesn't make it right).

The PSP Go should be a good upgrade device but right now the financial investment even if the device was given away practically for free doesn't really make it worth it.

The price strikes me as excessive overall but no surprise. Have to pay those execs a lot money so they can ask stupid questions about reports and graphs.

One thing of note though...if the cost of the game is all the ESRB's fault...shouldn't that mean the games should drop in price after that fee is recooped. For example, in Fieldrunners apparently costs $4 more because of the fee plus Sony's extra charge (they don't do a split like Apple does). So after a thousand or so copies are sold, does that mean a price drop might occur? I am betting no because the studio will enjoy a larger profit margin from that point onward.

Overall, the release of the PSP Go seems to be an exercise is excessive corporate greed. The design from top to bottom is to get you to spend money to buy the things you already own all over again. Its one thing when its a game you can't really find or buy anymore but its another when its something as simple as a charger, extra memory, or brand new games. The more I read about the PSP Go the more it seems its in the best interests of the video game community to boycott the system if only to make sure no company takes Sony's lead on new ways to screw their customers.

Here are the things stopping me from jumping on the eBook bandwagon (and I suspect others)
1) Size - I need it with a good size screen in a small enough package that it can fit nearly in my pants pocket like a paperback does (or a purse of a woman), so that means more screen then plastic border and keyboard (yeah looking at you kindle)
2) Price - The reader and books for it need to be cheap enough so that a stop by the library actually becomes the inconvient option, my guess is $100 is the sweet spot for the mass traction but no higher then $200.
3) Usability - Kindle is still a clunker. The iPhone shows how it can be done, the tech just needs to catch up.
4) Backlight - I mean sheesh this is a no brainer. Reading in the dark before going to bed, on a night flight, whatever. In this day and age of backlight for TVs, laptops, PSP, DS, etc there is zero excuse to not have one on these devices. The Gameboy got one more then a decade ago. More then anything else the lack of a backlight is a dealbreaker.
5) Color - Actually not that important to me, but considering the use of PDFs, textbooks and more, it's a necessity if trying to expand beyond duplicating the paperback experience.

It seems that B&N's device might hit some of those point but until a book reader can hit all five key areas, frankly you are just wasting everyone's time and money.