The "General Games Chat" forum, which includes Retro Game Reviews, has been archived and is now read-only. You cannot post here or create a new thread or review on this forum.
We all know about the joys of importing- you get faster games sooner and with a larger choice. But what do manufacturers think of importing...
Well, it depends on the manufacturer. Take Sega for example...
Having the DC using Gigabyte discs to store games, it was assumed (with good reason) that games could never be copied onto GDs... you simply cannot buy GD writers!
So, Sega went easy on importers. Rather than employ the tactics of Sony by changing the console chip design every few months (thus making old models of chips redundant), Sega kept the same design for most of the console's life. With the Japanese DC sales not being great, Sega worked out that making it easy for people to buy imported Japanese games would be a good thing. They even went as far as drawing up plans to release a regionless DC for the Asian market that would allow gamers to chose the region from where they buy games depending on their language.
Now, Sony have the completely different view...
Using easy to copy CDs and DVDs as a storage for games, it is clear that every so often someone would crack the security codes on games. So, Sony change all their security codes (on the hardware) every few months. They even refine the design of the console so that chips wouldn't fit in the back on new models... until new chips are developed.
In addition to this, Sony want to control the market. They have no need to increase sales in Japan by allowing importing in the same way as Sega did, and so only want people to buy games in their own region. After all, they get far more profits from games sold in the UK! Also, it means they can control release dates of games (like MGS2) to coincide with major events in the gaming world (the release of the GC).
Sonic
Well, it depends on the manufacturer. Take Sega for example...
Having the DC using Gigabyte discs to store games, it was assumed (with good reason) that games could never be copied onto GDs... you simply cannot buy GD writers!
So, Sega went easy on importers. Rather than employ the tactics of Sony by changing the console chip design every few months (thus making old models of chips redundant), Sega kept the same design for most of the console's life. With the Japanese DC sales not being great, Sega worked out that making it easy for people to buy imported Japanese games would be a good thing. They even went as far as drawing up plans to release a regionless DC for the Asian market that would allow gamers to chose the region from where they buy games depending on their language.
Now, Sony have the completely different view...
Using easy to copy CDs and DVDs as a storage for games, it is clear that every so often someone would crack the security codes on games. So, Sony change all their security codes (on the hardware) every few months. They even refine the design of the console so that chips wouldn't fit in the back on new models... until new chips are developed.
In addition to this, Sony want to control the market. They have no need to increase sales in Japan by allowing importing in the same way as Sega did, and so only want people to buy games in their own region. After all, they get far more profits from games sold in the UK! Also, it means they can control release dates of games (like MGS2) to coincide with major events in the gaming world (the release of the GC).
Sonic
Page:
Like I said, you can DOUBLE layer DVDs,,, you can't double layer Optical disc...
Oh, and that's for mass media- not necisarily games.
Sonic
Oh, and that's for mass media- not necisarily games.
Sonic
er-no wrote:
> Let me see, optical disks hold 3.5GB. The standard PS2
> DVD's have a maximum of 3.5GB.
Wrong, 4.3gb, and I think the GC's is less.
> Let me see, optical disks hold 3.5GB. The standard PS2
> DVD's have a maximum of 3.5GB.
Wrong, 4.3gb, and I think the GC's is less.
===SONICRAV---> wrote:
Oh, and you make one mistake... the GC
> discs hold LESS than a DVD!
Sonic
Hmmm, feeling in a rather pedantic mood when you wrote that I assume Sonic! After all I did say in parenthesis after my statement about how much capacity a GC disc had that I couldn't remember!
;-)
Oh, and you make one mistake... the GC
> discs hold LESS than a DVD!
Sonic
Hmmm, feeling in a rather pedantic mood when you wrote that I assume Sonic! After all I did say in parenthesis after my statement about how much capacity a GC disc had that I couldn't remember!
;-)
Stranger In Paradise wrote:
> Theres also over a million DVD players in the UK...and how many optical disc
> players ???
lol... very sarcastic of you...
It's just a pity that we're talking about Panasonic wanting to make the format multiplatform in the future- not right now!
BTW, I haven't seen you on the forums before today ever! Where u been hiding?
Sonic
> Theres also over a million DVD players in the UK...and how many optical disc
> players ???
lol... very sarcastic of you...
It's just a pity that we're talking about Panasonic wanting to make the format multiplatform in the future- not right now!
BTW, I haven't seen you on the forums before today ever! Where u been hiding?
Sonic
er-no, you can double layer DVDs. There is currently no way to read a double layered optical disc! And I'm not just talking about consoles- we're on about using the formats on a large scale
Sonic
Sonic
===SONICRAV---> wrote:
> Well, personally, I don't think optical discs will take off at all- they're
> escentially smaller DVDs that hold less info... why would anyone use them over a
> normal DVD other than to prevent pirating?
Sonic
Let me see, optical disks hold 3.5GB. The standard PS2 DVD's have a maximum of 3.5GB.
*bangs head on desk*
> Well, personally, I don't think optical discs will take off at all- they're
> escentially smaller DVDs that hold less info... why would anyone use them over a
> normal DVD other than to prevent pirating?
Sonic
Let me see, optical disks hold 3.5GB. The standard PS2 DVD's have a maximum of 3.5GB.
*bangs head on desk*
Well, personally, I don't think optical discs will take off at all- they're escentially smaller DVDs that hold less info... why would anyone use them over a normal DVD other than to prevent pirating?
Sonic
Sonic
===SONICRAV---> wrote:
> Strafex wrote:
Now that's a great idea... but it still doesn't
> rule out piracy! Since the checking of whether the disc is game sized of fil
> sized will be done by the OS, stored on the harware, all you need is a chip that
> will by-pass this system... which is what mod chips have always done: bypass
> security protocols.
But what it does do, is make it complex, hard and risky for pirates, and when they do pul it off, only a small percentage of Gamecube users will be able to use pirated software.
And seeing as Panasonic have no intentions of bringing their hybrid to the west (which is actually east off Japan... :-D) it might more or less cut piracy out completely in the larger markets.
Panasonic are planning to make optical disks standard, but by the time there's an affordable Optical Disk writer, Gamecube's will probably be yesterdays news.
> Strafex wrote:
Now that's a great idea... but it still doesn't
> rule out piracy! Since the checking of whether the disc is game sized of fil
> sized will be done by the OS, stored on the harware, all you need is a chip that
> will by-pass this system... which is what mod chips have always done: bypass
> security protocols.
But what it does do, is make it complex, hard and risky for pirates, and when they do pul it off, only a small percentage of Gamecube users will be able to use pirated software.
And seeing as Panasonic have no intentions of bringing their hybrid to the west (which is actually east off Japan... :-D) it might more or less cut piracy out completely in the larger markets.
Panasonic are planning to make optical disks standard, but by the time there's an affordable Optical Disk writer, Gamecube's will probably be yesterdays news.
Strafex wrote:
(a simple scan can detect the size of the disk and decide whether it should be played as a movie or a game so a copied game DVD playing as a movie wouldn't work).
Now that's a great idea... but it still doesn't rule out piracy! Since the checking of whether the disc is game sized of fil sized will be done by the OS, stored on the harware, all you need is a chip that will by-pass this system... which is what mod chips have always done: bypass security protocols.
Sonic
(a simple scan can detect the size of the disk and decide whether it should be played as a movie or a game so a copied game DVD playing as a movie wouldn't work).
Now that's a great idea... but it still doesn't rule out piracy! Since the checking of whether the disc is game sized of fil sized will be done by the OS, stored on the harware, all you need is a chip that will by-pass this system... which is what mod chips have always done: bypass security protocols.
Sonic
Page: