Some more Motorstorm. First a gripe: I beginning to feel the Sixaxis is developing another problem for me, using the analogue triggers used for accelerating/breaking and the analogue sticks at the same time is difficult. The controller is shaped in such a way that I'm going to have to change the way I hold a controller to try and find a good match. Dualshock2 didn't have this problem, because it didn't have the analogue triggers - the other stick was used to accelerating and thus the same requirements for how hands hold the controller weren't there. OTOH, on Xbox 360 the controller and sticks are shaped and placed in such a way that it is far more ergonomical even when using the triggers for accelerating. I'm kind of sad the feedback pushed Sony away from redesigning the controller, now it is just a PlayStation 1 original controller with evolution slapping sticks, triggers etc. here and there... it has to change sometime. But I'm sure I'll learn to live with it especially once rumble hopefully gets here... or maybe some third-party controller would be better.

The good news is, Motorstorm is really good. I am now beginning to get the hang of how to use the boost to straighten the car in corners, how to navigate the tracks (at first it can be a bit disorienting) and the mud, dust and other cars flying around really make for an exciting experience. The tracks have a lot of different elevations, structures and items blocking the way, so it really is far removed from the usual track racing game (say GT or PGR). My experiences on this sector are a bit out-dated though, next closest thing was a rally game demo on PS2 years ago...

I updated the Motorstorm BTW, but what is new in the update?

Last edited by jtsiren on 24-Mar-2007 at 11:48 PM.

@MikeB

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A spokesman from NPD, a respected sales tracking firm, said, "figures show that the PS3 is selling slightly faster in the US than the other console did at the same stage in its release".

In all fairness, supplies of Xbox 360 were more constrained due to global launch than that os PS3's. I can still believe the latter started out better, it is the dominant console brand no matter if U.S. was/is a good place for Xbox too. Let's see how the trends shape for March, it should be easy to see if Sony meets their target of 6 mil.

@jtsiren

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I beginning to feel the Sixaxis is developing another problem for me, using the analogue triggers used for accelerating/breaking and the analogue sticks at the same time is difficult.

My girlfriend has even mastered controlling the game using the motion sensors! I rarely brake in Motorstorm at all, at first motion control is really difficult over-steering a lot, now it feels it really adds to the realism.

Quote:

The controller is shaped in such a way that I'm going to have to change the way I hold a controller to try and find a good match

I hold the controller as following, right index finger on the accelerationg trigger, right thumb on x for turbo boost, left tumb on analog stick for steering if not using the motion sensors.

Quote:

I updated the Motorstorm BTW, but what is new in the update?

Buddy list enhancements.

@MikeB

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I don't know if you have played RR6 on the XBox 360, could you provide an opinion on RR6 @ 720p vs RR7 @ 1080p? A demo is available on the PSN.

My only experience with Ridge Racer is on the PSP. If I ever get around borrowing RR6 and getting that RR7 demo, I'll let you guys know.

@MikeB

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I hold the controller as following, right index finger on the accelerationg trigger, right thumb on x for turbo boost, left tumb on analog stick for steering if not using the motion sensors.

That is pretty much how I hold it, left index finger at times breaking. The controller would benefit from bigger handles (for Western male hands at least) as well as perhaps repositioning the sticks like they did on the Xbox/Xbox 360.

Oversteering is my problem with motion sensing on Motorstorm, but once I get more of a handle of the game I'll be sure to practice more of that. At the moment I have enough to learn with traditional controls too.

@jtsiren

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In all fairness

In all fairness what the NPD spokesman stated is a fact, the numbers do point towards the PS3 selling better even at a higher price point. March figures will be interesting with regard to the PS3. No need to flame the guy, or make excuses for Microsoft nor the XBox 360, especially as the figures for the US weren't bad at all, just slightly less good than for the PS3 now.

Microsoft does deserve criticism with regard to its performance in ereas, like in Japan:
http://www.vgcharts.org/forum/thread.php?id=878

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it is the dominant console brand no matter if U.S. was/is a good place

The brand still is, for example the PS2 outsold the XBox 360 and I expect for March this will be the case as well.

@jtsiren

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(for Western male hands at least

Maybe some options for you to consider:

Logitech ChillStream


Logitech Cordless Precision

@MikeB

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The brand still is, for example the PS2 outsold the XBox 360 and I expect for March this will be the case as well.

Your point being? The PS2 is an established console with tons of games and support at a very affordable price. It will be outselling both the PS3 and XBox 360 for a long time to come.

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@AMiGR

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Your point being? The PS2 is an established console with tons of games and support at a very affordable price.

Please do not be silly. Price points only matter when we are talking about Playstation 3. Supply levels for other consoles are equally irrelevant - especially supply and demand. As we all know it is best to have plentiful stock even though you have no demand.

Last edited by Trezzer on 25-Mar-2007 at 12:36 AM.

@AMiGR

Quote:

Your point being? The PS2 is an established console with tons of games and support at a very affordable price. It will be outselling both the PS3 and XBox 360 for a long time to come.

Yes, initially the PSOne outsold the PS2 as well, with the PS2 eventually outperforming total PSX sales. With regard to the PS2 2007 will continue to be an impressive year, note that there is less overlap between the PS2 and PS3 market than there was between the PSOne and PS2, the PS3 is priced and specced as the Mercedes of gaming consoles as well as the Ford of movie technology. However eventually most people will be able to afford this "Mercedes", at least very likely when the PS2 gets officially retired.

@MikeB

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PS3 is priced and specced as the Mercedes of gaming consoles

You know.. it didn't sound clever when Harrison said it and it doesn't sound better when repeated. It's a rather pathetic attempt at rationalizing their pricing.

Considering the quality of the experience it's more like it's the Toyota (The homogenous PS3 experience) up against the Rolls Royce (The heterogenous 360 experience) then. Only this time the Rolls is cheaper.

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However eventually most people will be able to afford this "Mercedes"

At that point in time digital distribution may very well have made it irrelevant though. But only time will tell.

Last edited by Trezzer on 25-Mar-2007 at 02:01 AM.

@minator

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I'll be writing a guide about how to do the setup.

That would be much appreciated - remember some of us are Linux idiots so please keep it simple.

_________________
Greg Schofield, Perth Australia

@MikeB

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In all fairness what the NPD spokesman stated is a fact, the numbers do point towards the PS3 selling better even at a higher price point.

Obviously, but again as I said, Xbox 360 launch supply was more constrained and the machine was sold out for longer. This has an effect. I can still believe PS3 had more initial demand (brand name, the Blu-ray factor, PS2 fans etc.), but how much is harder to measure.

Last edited by jtsiren on 25-Mar-2007 at 07:33 AM.

@MikeB

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Comparison shots of the older tracks (RR7 contains 6 even better new tracks):

Not quite apples vs apples e.g. dusk vs day light.

_________________
Ryzen 9 7900X, DDR5-6000 64 GB RAM, GeForce RTX 4080 16 GB
Amiga 1200 (Rev 1D1, KS 3.2, PiStorm32lite/RPi 4B 4GB/Emu68)
Amiga 500 (Rev 6A ECS, KS 3.2, PiStorm/RPi 3A+/Emu68)

@Hammer

Overall XBox 360 games seem a bit darker, due to this I prefer the PS3 version of Call of Duty 3. There's just more to see.

@ Trezzer

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Of course that whole lot of free beer was just before the PS3 launch and was merely the price difference between a 360 and a PS3 ;)

Just propaganda of course, IMO the PS3 has by far better basic specifications. Add Wi-Fi, HD upgrade, HD-DVD, etc and the device is for me still a far cry from the specifications offered by the PS3.

Luckily I am no alcoholist, so I have a Cell and Blu-Ray drive instead please!

@MikeB

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Just propaganda of course

I'd call it marketing. You got to admit, that IS funny.

We've debated the specs question before. I think Xbox 360 will benefit from the HDMI addition and maybe getting a bit quieter (also more HD space for that downloaded content), which luckily will be addressed. I think this hopefully eventually becoming the standard Xbox 360 Premium makes it a bit more polished package. I think they could've thrown in wi-fi as standard too, but no biggie because there are many ways to handle that (a generic wi-fi box or the Microsoft addition). For a gamer, I don't really see extras on PS3 as necessary in a gaming console.

Xbox 360 seems a bit more focused on the gaming experience, maybe in a way PS3 and Xbox 360 are competing slightly of different markets with PS3 trying to be a few things more. I know Microsoft has these media center plans going on, so Xbox 360 is not just a gaming console of course, but just comparing the Xbox 360 menu and PS3 menu shows how much more focused on games (and Live) the Xbox is compared to PS3. Other than HDMI and less noise, I can't think of anything my PS3 has that I'd want or need the Xbox 360 to have to improve my gaming experience.

This is of course not necessarily a bad thing for PS3 (it isn't!), but it does mean that some of the price one pays for it doesn't end up making it a better gaming console. For those of us who really just need it to be a good gaming console I don't think the additional price (300 euros more where I live to be exact!) offers much more compared to Xbox 360. It is like getting a horse with the Mercedes, nice for some, but not necessary for those who don't ride.

Of course this still leaves the question open which console performs better at the end of day running complex games, but that remains to be seen. If PS3 does way better some day, maybe it justifies part of that price for a gamer too. If not, it is an expensive proposition compared to Xbox 360 just so that one can play similar games.

One thing comparing the PS3 and Xbox 360 again is loading the controller. I think we discussed this before, but now that I have both machines I can clearly see an advantage with Xbox 360's removable battery pack. I can use regular AA's when the battery is run out, also I can load the battery separate from the controller... with PS3 my only choice is to play wired when the battery is low and loading the battery also means I must leave PS3 running or connect to a computer or something (Xbox 360 allows for shutting down the machine while loading, there is also a separate load-dock available). Of course I can play wired on the Xbox 360 too with the play-and-charge cable.

Last edited by jtsiren on 25-Mar-2007 at 12:36 PM.

@MikeB

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Luckily I am no alcoholist, so I have a Cell and Blu-Ray drive instead please!

Actually I'd rather skip the beer too and go Wii60 ;)

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Overall XBox 360 games seem a bit darker, due to this I prefer the PS3 version of Call of Duty 3.

Surely you're not serious?
For one thing the 360's output isn't dark at all regardless of whether I hook it up to an SD TV or a monitor.

Secondly there is such a thing is brightness controls on a TV.

@Trezzer

Quote:

Quote: Overall XBox 360 games seem a bit darker, due to this I prefer the PS3 version of Call of Duty 3. Surely you're not serious? For one thing the 360's output isn't dark at all regardless of whether I hook it up to an SD TV or a monitor. Secondly there is such a thing is brightness controls on a TV.

Sounds like a difference between connections on MikeB's television? Sometimes different outputs output different levels (even thought brightness is set at same). I guess he used component for Xbox 360 and HDMI for PS3.

@jtsiren

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One thing comparing the PS3 and Xbox 360 again is loading the controller. I think we discussed this before, but now that I have both machines I can clearly see an advantage with Xbox 360's removable battery pack. I can use regular AA's when the battery is run out, also I can load the battery separate from the controller...

I greatly prefer the PS3 method, I am(/was) constantly charging my keyboard, joypads, mouse, mp3 players, etc AA/ AAA batteries. I greatly prefer the PS3 Sixaxis / Nintendo DS method of having an internal battery which doesn't need to be constantly removed, when the battery is low, simply connect to a PS3 or PC USB port using the Micro USB port on the Sixaxis.

I already had a very long USB cord (actually, a normal USB cord extended with a USB => Micro-USB Plug) always connected to my PC to quickly access content on my digital camera anyhow, I use the same cord for the SixAxis. A major plus in my book, much more comfortable!

Last edited by MikeB on 25-Mar-2007 at 04:41 PM.
Last edited by MikeB on 25-Mar-2007 at 04:19 PM.
Last edited by MikeB on 25-Mar-2007 at 04:11 PM.