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Denver, 3:47 AM
Tue Nov 10
57 posts in the last 24 hours
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11/05/09
they've had ads running on television with gradually increasing frequency for three years now informing people that they won't be able to use their analog TVs to watch television after that fateful date.
it would be so cool if the new year's eve countdown hit "zero" and then suddenly a huge color-bars screen came up with an announcer's voice going, "if you'd like to view the rest of this broadcast, please purchase a high-definition television, asshole!"
this is worth noting because, you know, the people who play the wii for stuff like wii fit are also the kind of people to watch and believe they actually enjoy the shit that's on japanese TV. and, one by one, they're being convinced to buy HDTVs with the same gusto that an american applies to, say, paying his or her taxes.
so. #wii
11/06/09
I have bad news. Ceasing analog broadcast has little to do with if an HD anything will be released. In fact, the difference is that the broadcast will now be digital. High Definition is just a side effect. We'll probably have to wait for next gen for an HD Nintendo console.
In summary: A change in terrestrial broadcast standards, from analog to digital, doesn't mean a change in closed circuit video electronics resolution. Especially mid generation. #wii
11/06/09
however, the people don't seem to know that. the commercials that have been running on japanese television rather explicitly state, "from january 1st, 2011, you will no longer be able to use your analog TV". i mean, that's literally what they say. #wii
11/05/09
wait, a japanese-owned company releasing an extra-wordy statement intended to confuse, rather than inform? when did they start doing such things?
lol, etc.
i have read through the wall of text, right now, while drinking something containing taurine, creatine, and caffeine (it's how i get my pump in the gym), and i have filtered the text-wall through my inner double-strong text-wall filter (layer one: ability to write incomprehensible walls of text myself; layer two: eight years' experience as a "japanese salaryman").
now calculating the answer to the question "will nintendo release an HD console / HD content?"
please hold
okay. answer computed:
"yes. just, not, like, tomorrow, or anything." #wii
11/05/09
I'm not saying I don't see the difference, I'm just saying the difference isn't enough to make me care about it. #wii
11/05/09
At this point, HDTVs are far less expensive than were large cathode ray tube or projection tvs in the past. The part about the resolution, well, I just assume you don't have eyes, then. #wii
11/05/09
11/06/09
Blu Ray, if you have a tv that supports 1080p 24hz mode, looks amazing, better than HD movies on demand. It's staggering, like watching a fucking play -- the motion is so smooth and believable, I just can't wrap my head around it. #wii
11/05/09
One of the things I find so endearing about the Wii is the fact that the good software has a certain feeling and charm to it that NOTHING on the 360 or PS3 have, with the one exception being 3D Dot Heroes on PS3.
I said it in another thread and I'll say it again here. This industry is treading dangerous waters right now and eventually we're going to be at a point where real videogames no longer exist because of. #wii
11/05/09
Generic Hollywood-esque games on the 360/PS3 may be a dime a dozen, but that doesn't mean they're the only things they have. #wii
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11/05/09
EDIT: Oh and this goes for other types of media too. Not until every SDTV is gone off the face of the earth, and every movie is on Bluray, will we stop hearing the term "HD" finally. Also, it'll stop people from buying crappy movies (Transformers, Speed Racer) just because they "look good in HD."
11/05/09
Were you trying to be ironic by including "HD" in every other sentence? #wii
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There isn't even a method for transferring them to other Wiis now.
And from Nintendo's track record of not introducing new features to the wii post-launch, the idea that you are going to be able to sign up for a nintendo account on the Wii, have it link your purchases for migration to the new solution...
Lookin' pretty slim, fellers. #wii
11/05/09
11/05/09
Unless you know something I don't, the only way your Wii knows you have bought something or not is a hidden ticket that gets installed the moment you purchase something from the wii store: There is no nintendo-side record keeping for which account or which wii bought something.
This is why VC/WiiWare piracy flourishes: You just fake-install the ticket. #wii
11/05/09
11/05/09
The only mechanism that actually authenticates purchases is a per-title "ticket". These tickets are installed on machines when you purchase the title from the wiishop: These authentication tickets aren't tied to your "account", they're tied to your Wii- NOT your Wii's Serial number, either.
There is no server-side authentication and no method post-purchase to verify or authenticate a purchase. This is precisely why piracy is a big problem for VC/WiiWare: All you have to do is install the ticket, and you can download the game straight from nintendo's servers. Nintendo has no other apparent means of validating purchases.
So if a new console comes out, how do they distinguish between which games on your HDD are ones you paid for, and which ones aren't?
There are a lot of logistics to consider in how they're going to import your DLC to a new system ... because they don't have some PSN/XBL account system, or something like steam. It's all very non-central and temporal. #wii
11/05/09
Thank you for showing my ignorance to the world. I shall go cry in a corner as my precious Mario Kart 64 will have to be re-purchased on the next Nintendo console... AGAIN. :'( #wii
11/05/09
I don't think it's fair, either.
Nintendo needs to come up with a PSN equivalent here: A single nintendo account that you can use between the Handheld and Console, that tracks and authenticates purchases.
So you can move all of your stuff if your system breaks, You can sell your console and keep your stuff, You can (potentially) import your DLC to newer consoles ...
Now, Nintendo may still have some tricks up their sleeves to thwart pirates and securely import Paid DLC, but I just don't know what that will be. All I know is that there is no pre-existing framework to allow them to do it. #wii
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