Current video game industry issues

Gameplayer.com.au - worse than kotaku.

2008-11-14T03:21:00.001-08:00

Everyone knows that kotaku is one of the lowliest gaming sites on the internet, however, many readers have found an even lowlier website.

Gameplayer.com.au

Firstly, let us begin by inspecting the relationship gameplayer.com.au has with n4g.com.

The only reason that gameplayer.com.au survives and meets its quota of hits required for funding, is by posting misinformation and creating articles designed to make incite rages and get people to click on the link.

http://n4g.com/up/6255/score.aspx - This user is the only person who ever reports on gameplayer.com.au and is an admin/moderator of the site. He assists the 'main writer' (more like lead fanboy) in developing articles that people will find 'interesting' and argue until they run out of breath.

By writing the worst and most trolling articles they can think of and posting it on N4G, it gets people attention and allows them to continue operating. N4G IS gameplayer's fanbase. Even other sites such as kotaku and joystiq can manage to get viewers without resorting to trolling and stupid behaviour.

Here's gameplayers business plan.

1. think as stupidly as possible and create an article full of fanboyish and innacurate informatoin

2. post it on n4g, pretending that the user posting on n4g is not related to the site in any way.

3. blindly defend article by removing anything that considers logics and contests it.

Here's an example of 3.

I posted in response to the (360 is so much cheaper than ps3, because you can buy a 360 and blu ray for the same price) 'article' -more like a myspace post by a 12 year old - with good reasoning and facts to back up my post which completely destroyed the article and disproves everything in it. That's what good users do right? Provide feedback and argue so that it can help shape the mind of the article writer / influence other peoples views with intelligence.

Not so apparently.

After replying with reasoning and accurate information to the article in question, i was greeted with this;

http://i38.tinypic.com/k39nhz.jpg

Pretty fair website, aye.

If you contest anything on the site with logic (something the admin simply do not understand), you

are met with a quick banning.

Even kotaku doesn't moderate it's comments that heavily. I guess it's because kotaku

actually has a decent fanbase though, not one that is forced.

Secondly, to the article in question, here is the reasoning that completely disproves it and shows

its innacuracies.

As we can see in here

(http://cvgii.blogspot.com/2008/11/real-cost-of-buying-360-not-so-cheap.html),

the 360 is actually at a very similar pricepoint once you factor in the missing components of all the

basic 360 models.

I do consider my article a 'fanboyish rant', but at least it isn't inncurate. All of gameplayers websites

are fanboyish rants AND innacurate.

It's pathetic to see an article on a 'professional' website result to trolling and fanboying in order to

maintain the site.

The real cost of the 360 Pro

"Console - 399

Wireless network adapter - 149.95

12 month XBL gold subscription - 89.95

Quick charge kit - 49.95

= Pro with 60gb 688"

PS3 = all of the above with a blu ray player = 699.

The article admitted that the PS3 is $388 when you minus the cheapest blu ray player possible

from it (the blu ray player that is worse quality and has less features than the ps3 blu-ray player).

Now correct me if i'm wrong, but isn't a console for $388 cheaper than the Pro's $399 RRP?

The difference is, is that the PS3 has a 80gb hdd over the 60gb Pro, and it has a bucketload more

features such as built in wifi, free online service and li-on batteries in controllers over replaceable old technology.

Gameplayer admin were too stupid to even consider my post. If they did read my post, they would

consider i'm right.

Consider my post instead of deleting it, try responding to it and realizing i'm right.

Besides the multitude of other flaws of the website (the main being the 360 centric admin and

moderators), even their non fanboy articles are terrible.

In regards to their WoW: Wrath of the lich king review, i really do believe a reviewer who has

not played the review build of a game and is basing all of their opinions and views based off

previews of superior websites.

Not many other sites are stupid enough to 'review' a game they haven't played, especially

posting them before they have been released (11.54pm - game was released at 12am here in

AU fyi)

Seeing as though this will more than likely not get approved on N4G, because

gameplayer admins/moderators

have a stronghold of the website by having multiple

accounts to approve all the articles submitted by the lead member slappingoysters,

i have a few things to say in conclusion.

1) gameplayer.com.au is worse than kotaku as they only post

articles fishing for hits.

2) gameplayer.com.au is worse than koktaku

because they are extremely microsoft orientated

3) gameplayer.com.au is worse than koktau because

they're leeching off another service (n4g), effectively stealing.

Enjoy.

The real cost of buying a 360 (not so cheap afterall)

2008-11-10T17:56:00.000-08:00

I always see people posting on message boards and using it as an argument for others to buy that the Xbox 360 is 'so cheap'.
But in reality, the only reason why the 360 is so cheap compared to the 360, is because it doesn't come with half as many features that the PS3 does.

I live in Australia so i'll be using the prices in $AU.

New RRPs for 360 skus (announced today)
Arcade – $299 (no hard-drive)
Pro – $399 (60gb hard-drive)
Elite – $549 (120gb hard-drive)

Some uninformed people may consider these to be cheap. However, this is not the case at all.

Real cost of ARCADE
Console - 299
Hard-drive (needed to do pretty much anything) - 20GB (119.95) - 60GB (149.95) - 120GB (199.00)
Wireless network adapter (who doesn't have a wireless router) - 149.95
12 month XBL gold subscription (needed to play online and access content at a reasonable time) - 89.95
Quick charge kit - 49.95
= Arcade with 60gb hard-drive 588

Real cost of PRO
Console - 399
Wireless network adapter - 149.95
12 month XBL gold subscription - 89.95
Quick charge kit - 49.95
= Pro with 60gb 688

Real cost of ELITE
Console - 549
Wireless network adapter - 149.95
12 month XBL subscription - 89.95
Quick charge kit - 49.95
= ELITE with 120gb 839

These are basic features that come standard with the PS3.
Compare all of these to the 80GB PS3 (only console still on sale in Australia):

Real cost of PS3
Console - 699
Wireless network adapter (built in) - free
PSN subscription - free
Quick charge kit (not required. all controllers come with long lasting li-on batteries built in) - free
Blu-ray player - free

The closest price to the PS3 is the 60gb 'Pro' package once you add in all of the features standard with the PS3. But there's still something missing; a blu-ray player. A blu-ray costs 394 for a standard Sony one.

So people can now stop using the 'wow, the 360 is so much better because it's cheaper'. The only reason it's cheaper is because all of the SKUs are only half the console the PS3 is standard.

In conclusion, the PS3 contains superior hardware (advanced cooling - a lot less noisy and runs quietly) at a very similar pricepoint at an excellent price if you have a HDTV that can play Blu-rays.

Now let's look at Microsofts ridiculous markups on all accessories.

Hard-drives
20GB (119.95) - 60GB (149.95) - 120GB (199.00)
These are standard 2.5" hard drives. They aren't 'special' in any way. The PS3 allows any standard 2.5" hard drive to be used easily swapped in. No need for a 'data transfer cable' too.

Here are the prices at which a user can easily buy a 2.5" hard drive for.
20GB - not even worth comparing. 20GB hard drives aren't available for retail anymore.
60GB - same with 20GB. 60GB hard drives aren't available for retail anymore.
120GB - can buy 120GB Samsung 2.5" SATA for 55. 160gb for 74. 320gb for 149.

Mark up for 120gb hard drive = $95

Wireless adapter
Wireless network adapter - 149.95

Wireless card built into PS3. Supports same protocols as 360 wireless adapter.
Supports 802.11g (which is the standard), slowly being overtaken by N.

Netgear USB WG-111 24
Yep. a $24 product has the exact same features as a $150 one.

Mark up for wireless adapters (G) = $126

XBL subscription
12 month XBL gold subscription - 89.95

I completely understand that XBL is a service and not a feature like PSN is. However, it just isn't justified to be at such a cost.
The only thing that XBL does over PSN is provide a better interface for playing online. Interface being the way you can communicate / play with friends.
Most XBL games rely on P2P servers. The largest recent one is Gears of War 2. Microsoft made many millions off the first game. Now the second one has released, they couldn't have put a tiny bit of their gold pot towards proper servers to provide a much better experience to their customers. Most Gears of War 2 players have had a disastrous experience with Gears of War 2 multiplayer so far. The matchmaking system sucks as much as Halo 3, and the P2P system isn't working as well as the first game.
Why couldn't Microsoft put in some of the many millions profit they make from XBL subscriptions into some real hosting servers for big titles like Gears of War 2?

Microsoft rips off its customers at every possible opportunity in the supply chain, and its customers take it like a bitch and accept it.
360 owners are already paying hundreds for technology that was already considered old at it's release in 2005 (cooling sytem, dvd rom, the use of batteries (AA batteries were standardized in 1947 fyi) - 50 year old technolgy).

At current, a PS3 from a technology point of view is superior when compared to the 360. There just isn't any denying it. Most people who have a brain capable of processing thoughts consider a blu-ray player (soon to be standard media technology) to be worth more than the small price difference of the PS3 against a 360 PRO.

To all the 360 fanboys, stop sucking Microsofts cock. It isn't needed as they have more than enough money to pay for someone else to do it for them.
Stop using the excuse of a 360 being 'cheaper' or 'superior value', because as i've shown with this post - it isn't.

I have more points that i'll add at a later point of time as I think of it.
(ie i didn't bother referencing RRP prices. they're standards found on EBGames Australia and MSY for the computer parts. i'll add them in later, but they aren't really needed)
Thanks