Random Gaming Thoughts

[ElkinFencer10]

Any one feel like console wars have toned down a lot?

No one seems to care about console powers, games seem more of a service with hardly any exclusivity. I know Nintendo tried to differentiate themselves with unique input devices but it seems that didn't work with the Wii U.

I guess the line between PCs and consoles has finally blended.

The only categories these days are "Nintendo," "gimped PCs," and "PCs." It's really depressing, actually. In terms of consoles, you choices are Nintendo and not-Nintendo; Playstation and Xbox don't really differentiate themselves (though I suspect that will change at least somewhat with PS VR and Xbox Scorpio).

[noiseredux]

I think maybe I'm out of the loop. Is the Scorpio like a big deal thing? I figured it was just an Xbox One revision that was a bit more powerful. Like the PS4 Pro or whatever that thing is called?

[ElkinFencer10]

I think maybe I'm out of the loop. Is the Scorpio like a big deal thing? I figured it was just an Xbox One revision that was a bit more powerful. Like the PS4 Pro or whatever that thing is called?

They haven't really given concrete details yet. That's what it will probably be, but until Microsoft says something concrete, I'm going to keep optimistically hoping against hope that it has some unique features to set it apart from just being "a REALLY strong Xstation/Playbox"

[noiseredux]

my guess is that it's an Xbox One that can kind of do 4k...

[ElkinFencer10]

my guess is that it's an Xbox One that can kind of do 4k...

From what I've read, its big leg-up on the PS4 Pro will be the ability to render games natively in 4K (as opposed to rendering in 1080p and upscaling to 4K as I've heard the PS4 Pro will do). Plus having a 4K Blu-ray drive, but I know literally no one who still buys physical movies (that I know of; I'm sure someone I know does, and we've never discussed it).

[fastbilly1]

but I know literally no one who still buys physical movies (that I know of; I'm sure someone I know does, and we've never discussed it).

I still buy tapes.

[CRTGAMER]

but I know literally no one who still buys physical movies (that I know of; I'm sure someone I know does, and we've never discussed it).

Netflix is great for a variety of movies to discover. However, you are missing out if only watching thru streaming; all the extra footage and special features. If I really like a movie, I look for the Special Edition disc set for ALWAYS available to watch.

I still buy tapes.

Actually, I keep a library of VHS, CED and Laser discs as well for out of print titles.

[isiolia]

Plus having a 4K Blu-ray drive, but I know literally no one who still buys physical movies (that I know of; I'm sure someone I know does, and we've never discussed it).

The Xbox One S plays 4k Ultra discs, actually putting it in a similar position as the PS3 was for Blu-ray at one point. I know Sony's rationale for not including that functionality in the PS4 Pro was that nobody buys discs, but IMO, if you're shelling out for a 4k Ultra setup, you probably care enough about quality that you'll buy discs to feed it.

Either way, I don't think it'd serve to fracture the market and really differentiate games that much. Mostly because PCs have consistently had as much or more of a performance gap than it'll have. The definitive console versions might wind up there, but that'd be about it.

Netflix is great for a variety of movies to discover. However, you are missing out if only watching thru streaming; all the extra footage and special features.

Some streaming services include extras, and some featurettes are only available on them now. For instance, I think a couple of the ones for Civil War were like that (though I think just the "Target exclusive" version ones).

Personally though, I do buy discs for a lot of movies anyway, because streaming tends to be compressed a good bit more. Even if the picture looks good, audio is usually subpar.

[ElkinFencer10]

but I know literally no one who still buys physical movies (that I know of; I'm sure someone I know does, and we've never discussed it).

Netflix is great for a variety of movies to discover. However, you are missing out if only watching thru streaming; all the extra footage and special features. If I really like a movie, I look for the Special Edition disc set for ALWAYS available to watch.

That's a fair point.

[Ziggy]

I think I've seen some bonus material stuff on Amazon streaming, but I've never seen any on NetFlix.

I love NetFlix, and I use it every day. However, I most definitely still buy physical versions of movies and TV shows, especially for the stuff that I really care about. You never know when your favorite movie is gonna be dropped from NetFlix. And what CRT said about extras, they're expected to be found on any DVD or BD. If NetFlix has any bonus material for movies, it must be super rare because I haven't ever noticed any. Hell, even the DVD rentals from NetFlix (yes, I rent DVDs from NetFlix) are often stripped of the bonus features.

Luckily, NetFlix is very reliable for me with my ISP. I rarely ever have a buffering issue or are dropped to a lower resolution. But any streaming service is gonna be unreliable in the sense that it requires internet. A few years ago, a hurricane knocked out the cable in my area and it stayed out for a few days. So, no cable TV and no internet. Thank God for my DVD collection because that was the only way I could watch TV.