Messages

[General Gaming / Re: Just got my Saturn back and look what is does!!!]

What's nice about PAL games is that they suffer from far less frame drops. Guardian Heroes NTSC, for example, suffers from quite a bit of frame drops when there's a lot going on. The PAL version does not. I don't know what causes this, but I guess that when the hardware runs in 50Hz mode, it isn't as demanding or something. Because this does not just apply for Saturn games. It works the same on all old systems, like NES, Master System, SNES, etc. Practically no frame drops.

Also, now someone will say "but PAL games run slower overall!". While this is true for many cases, tons of games are also optimized for PAL mode, and runs at the same speed as its NTSC counterpart - minus the frame drops. By modding the system so that you can force it into NTSC mode, you can play these optimised games at a much higher speed than even the NTSC version. This makes Mario run faster than Sonic.
 
PS: I hate all games and everything, ever.

[Off-Topic / Re: Old PC parts for sale, Name your price...]

No offense, but these things aren't even worth a dollar these days. Seriously.

[Buy/Sell/Trade / Re: Pre-modded PS2 memory cards Free McBoot]

McBoot can only play patched burned dvd-r games - i e no original discs. Same as Memor32, but without the extra storage space, and without the possibility to back up your save files to the computer. Omputer. Mputer. Puter. Uter. Ter. Er. R.

Ys.

[Off-Topic / Re: The Cigar Smoker's Thread / The Spam Thread]

I guess it is time for me to contribute to this thread:

Punch has been one of my preferred brands of cigars for many years. I especially enjoy their Grand Cru line, and the first Grand Cru Robusto that I ever had is one of my five most memorable smokes of all time. However, subsequent purchases of this same cigar over a period of several years did not provide me with the same cool, aromatic, and enjoyable smoke that I experienced the first time. This is still a good cigar, but no longer one of my greatest of all time. The Robusto measures 5 ¼ inches in length with a ring gauge of 50. The cigar is made in Honduras with Dominican, Nicaraguan, and Honduran filler tobacco, and uses a Connecticut shade wrapper leaf.

Flavor
My Grand Cru Robusto was medium in flavor, with nice creamy smoke and a hint of spice. It had a rich taste, and was also very mellow. A balance of moderate strength and flavor makes this cigar a very good choice for both beginners and experienced smokers, alike. The flavor was consistent throughout the cigar, and you will not want to put it down with more than two inches remaining. Note: The flavor of these cigars will improve greatly, and will become really mellow, after aging them in a humidor for at least several months.

Draw and Construction
The cigar was very well made, had an even burn, and did not require any relights. The draw was very easy, providing me with the right amount of smoke with little effort. There were not any issues with the construction of this cigar to prevent its enjoyment.
Value

A single stick can cost up to $6.50 at a local tobacconist, but these cigars are also available online in sampler packs of five for under $22 (sometimes less). The cost per stick is even cheaper when purchased by the box. Because of a most memorable smoking experience with my first Grand Cru, I have not given up trying to duplicate that same level of enjoyment, and I continue to sample an occasional Grand Cru from time to time. Cigar manufacturers make every effort to maintain the consistency of their product, but that is very difficult to accomplish, especially over a number of years. The Punch Grand Cru may not be the great value that I thought it was a few years ago, but it is still a very good cigar at a reasonable price if you can find them in a 5-pack or box for under $4 a stick. However, at $6.50 for a single, I think they are damn overpriced.

Mwahahaha.

[Off-Topic / Re: The Cigar Smoker's Thread / The Spam Thread]

It's called THE STRAIGHT STORY and both of you are talking about the exact same movie.

[Off-Topic / Re: The Cigar Smoker's Thread]

spam

[PC/Console/Mobile Ports / Re: PSP Bomberman has gone gold - budget price!]

Oh yes because hunching your back and glueing your eyes two inches in front of a computer monitor is not nerdy enough ;) . Get a life.

Is that how you use the computer?

[Off-Topic / Re: F*cking with Linksys!]

I did it again. This is long, but I had a lot of fun! Read it or weep!

Gloryvel A. (29835): Hi, my name is Gloryvel A. (29835). How may I help you?
Mike: Hey glorvyjel
Mike: I have problems with the mr. router
Mike: Hey gjoryel?
Mike: Are you still there?
Gloryvel A. (29835): I am here. Please proceed with your concerns.
Mike: Coolance
Mike: the mr. router is not wanting to work
Mike: It says it will not connect
Gloryvel A. (29835): Your router is WRT54GX2, right?
Mike: Well it is connected already so i don't know what the dellios is
Mike: Totally!
Mike: GX2 is the ultra model right?
Mike: I mean gx and gs sucks in comparasion or what?
Mike: Kinda like the Geforce GS which blows whereas the GX2 is totally the best model of all
Mike: It isn't even out yet it's just that good!
Gloryvel A. (29835): Are you now wired to the router while chatting with me or directly wired to modem?
Mike: Naw I am using another router made by some other hobo company
Mike: I want Linksys only!
Mike: This one is going in the trash when I can get this one running
Mike: So you'll help, right?
Gloryvel A. (29835): Okay. Do you have another computer that we can connect to the router so we can configure it first before we reconnect it to your modem?
Mike: Yes
Mike: I have a 386GX
Mike: Good enough?
Gloryvel A. (29835): What is the Operating System of the computer?
Mike: Wait! SX!!!!
Mike: Windows
Gloryvel A. (29835): What windows version?
Mike: 3.11
Mike: But I have another computer too it's got XP!
Mike: Do I use it instead?
Gloryvel A. (29835): yes please.
Mike: But why?
Mike: It's in the lcoset
Mike: Cats live there
Mike: I don't want to disturb them
Mike: But if I have to I'll do it
Mike: But they'll claw me for sure!
Gloryvel A. (29835): Please connect Windows XP computer to the router's port 1 and power them on. No Internet needed.
Mike: All right my friend can do it
Mike: He can take it I think
Mike: He has a dog to send there
Mike: But regardles this is not about animals!!
Mike: Wait! Can I use a laptop instead
Mike: I have the laptop
Mike: I don't need to send for help in order to get past those cats
Mike: So I can just use the laptop but its got that crap
Mike: Vista Home PRemium or whatever
Mike: It came with it and I wanted XP but they said Vista or GTFO so I got Vista
Gloryvel A. (29835): Yes. would you like to have the complete steps instead so you can do it correctly without me when you're ready?
Mike: But then I said Vista sux and never used the laptop it just sits there because it's so slow and I can't navigate through Vista so it is really unusalbe
Mike: Why ?
Gloryvel A. (29835): What do you mean why, Mike? I am asking you if you would like to have the complete steps instead of running back and forth to the computer wired to the router.
Mike: But I don't need to run back and fortth I am using the laptop now
Gloryvel A. (29835): Make sure you are not connecting the same computer you are using to chat with me. We need another computer for the Linksys router to be configured.
Mike: Cool but I can just use the my main the computer
Mike: It is on the desk
Mike: It has XP!!!!
Mike: Service PACK 3 downloaded from THe Pirate Bay
Mike: But it is not the real SP3, some moron made a fake sp3 but at least it has some cool featurees
Gloryvel A. (29835): Okay. Connect it to port 1 and power them on. Make sure no Internet connected to them.
Mike: Port on the computer or
Mike: Hey grolvel are you here?
Mike: Port on the computer or
Gloryvel A. (29835): Is there a number on the ports of your computer, Mike?
Mike: Totally!
Mike: It's the neo2 dual lan card of doom!!!
Mike: The top model too
Mike: With sli
Mike: And 4 gb ram
Mike: Actually only 1 gb works
Gloryvel A. (29835): Use the same port on the computer. Just the other end to the router's port 1.
Mike: Or am I?
Gloryvel A. (29835): Are you with me?
Mike: Butthere are two ports
Mike: And like
Mike: I have some nics on the comp too
Mike: I had some extras lying around so I just figured whuy not connec tthem too
Mike: So I have five nics too
Mike: So that makes seven lan ports total, on the comp
Mike: Which one do I use?
Gloryvel A. (29835): Mike, please do not be confused on your main computers port becauese we do not need to switch port if it is already wired to a modem or a network, just plug in the other end to router's port 1, okay?
Mike: I mean I had five pci ports and I didn't use them and I had a box of old nics so I just connected as many as I could
Mike: But it is not connected to anything I removed the cord since the router stopped working
Mike: I don't remember where it used to be connected so where do I connect the router now? Port 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 or 7?
Gloryvel A. (29835): Mike, please look for a computer that has only one Ethernet port so not to confuse you.
Mike: But that computer is with the cats
Gloryvel A. (29835): We can only concentrate on the router but not your computer settings.
Mike: Okay but what if I connect ALL the router ports to the computer?
Mike: I mean like a dual or triple connection?
Mike: Wouldn't that give me 3X the speed of internet?
Mike: And maybe I would have three times the chance of getting this bad boy to run?
Gloryvel A. (29835): Please don't. Please follow my instructions. We cannot configure your router correctly if you wont follow.
Mike: All right all right
Mike: Instruct away!
Gloryvel A. (29835): Let me know when you have a computer wired to router.
Mike: All right dood
Mike: I'll connect the router to my computer
Mike: Although
Mike: Why do I need to use port 1 on the router?
Mike: It's a little screwy
Mike: It's like, it's not possible to use
Mike: I mean it's like a manufacturing error or whatever
Mike: You have to push the cable really hard in there
Mike: And then it's like really hard to get it out
Mike: I thought about just taking a scissors and cut off the cable when I disconnected it
Gloryvel A. (29835): Mike, kindly get the exact SN of the router?
Mike: But I thought nah that would be stupid
Mike: What is that?
Gloryvel A. (29835): Serial number. You can get that underneath the router with one of the stickers.
Mike: Uh
Mike: How do I know which one?
Mike: How many digits do I look for?
Gloryvel A. (29835): Just give me what you see as SN.
Gloryvel A. (29835): All devices has SN.
Mike: Awesome
Gloryvel A. (29835): Do you have it?
Mike: Is this right?
Mike: WRT54GX2V2
Gloryvel A. (29835): That's the model. Please get SN.
Mike: I think I found it
Mike: KKJ00FC11437 ?
Gloryvel A. (29835): Good.
Mike: So what's that for anyway?
Gloryvel A. (29835): Connect one of your Mac computer to any of the   router's numbered port and power them on.
Mike: Mac computer?
Mike: What if the computer is already on?
Mike: can I connect it anyway?
Mike: Or will I blow things up?
Gloryvel A. (29835): Yes you may.
Mike: That's pretty interesting
Mike: What will happen?
Gloryvel A. (29835): Just do per instruction and let me know when done.
Mike: Okay dood
Mike: Okay mister! I got it connected!
Mike: WITH the computer on
Mike: It worked
Mike: I was so scared
Mike: I thought I would get electrivuted!!!
Gloryvel A. (29835): May I know what lights are lit on the router?
Mike: None
Gloryvel A. (29835): Make sure Ethernet cable is plug in correctly. And make sure router is powered on.
Mike: Should I turn on the router?
Mike: I thought it would be dangerous
Mike: So I kept it off
Mike: But I can press the button
Mike: Just let me connect the power first
Mike: Okay glorvel
Mike: I got the power connected
Mike: Now do I press the buitton?
Gloryvel A. (29835): What button? Please do only as I say and answer only my questions so you will not be confused.
Mike: On the router of course
Mike: You said turn it on so I thought
Mike: Maybe I should turn it on?
Gloryvel A. (29835): Yes. I already told you that many times.
Mike: I forgot to read
Mike: But now I will do it
Mike: Okay I pressed the button it's right here on the desk
Mike: Um
Gloryvel A. (29835): What lights are lit on the router?
Mike: Is it supposed to give off this high pitched sound?
Mike: WHOA!!!
Mike: SMOKE
Mike: It's like
Mike: POOF
Mike: And smoke came out!
Mike: And the lights went off
Mike: What do I do now?
Gloryvel A. (29835): I believe your router is defective. When did you purchase it?
Mike: Why did this happen?
Mike: A few months ago
Mike: Wow thjis smells really bad
Gloryvel A. (29835): Do you still have the receipt? You can turn them off.
Mike: I pulled out the power cord!!
Mike: Will it burn?
Mike: I'm afraid now
Mike: I was right when I thought you cant connect when the computer is turned on
Mike: I have the receipt
Gloryvel A. (29835): We can connect it with computer powered on, Mike.
Mike: But it exploded!
Gloryvel A. (29835): Where did you purchase the product?
Mike:  I bought it from a website on the uinternet called  Amazon
Mike: They have electronics
Mike: And everythign!
Gloryvel A. (29835): Okay. Please give me five minutes to process an RMA. After five minutes, a transcript of this session will be sent to your e-mail account , along with that is the Reference number. Once you have the reference number, please go to this website; https://ssl.linksys.com/rma1.asp, and fill out the Warranty Return Form. Your reference number  is the value that you need to input on the Case ID field on the Warranty Return Form.
Gloryvel A. (29835): If you will not receive an e-mail after five minutes, please log-in again to this chat session and register the same email address and ask the next agent the reference number of this session.
Gloryvel A. (29835): Do you have any questions before I let you go?
Mike: Wait!!
Mike: What do I do with this?
Mike: Can I throw it out? It is still smoking and I can't breathe
Mike: It smells really bad
Mike: I am allergic to smoke
Mike: I a mgoing to have to go outside soon
Mike: I cannot stay in when it smells like this
Mike: My throuat will swell up
Gloryvel A. (29835): Did you read my statements above? Your device is defective that is why I asked for your receipt so you can ask replacement for that. Please read what I said above.
Mike: Yes yes
Mike: But do I throw the router out?
Gloryvel A. (29835): If you throw it then you may not process replacement.
Mike: That kinda sucks
Mike: How do I get it to stop smoking thenm?
Mike: I cant keep it when it smokes
Gloryvel A. (29835): I don't think I can help you with that. Just make sure you will have the receipt and the device when you process RMA. For more concerns, you can contact RMA department  at 1-800-546-5797(LINKSYS) and follow the voice prompt.
Mike: How many dollars does it cost?
Gloryvel A. (29835): Please ask RMA for that since they can give you correct answers.
Mike: But how will I know if you don't say it
Mike: Maybe I call them
Mike: And I ask how many dollars?
Mike: Then they say: hold on please, listen to this music
Mike: And I say: no please talk!
Mike: And they say: music in the background
Mike: And I wait
Mike: And then, after fifty minutes they come on
Mike: And I ask: how many dollars?
Mike: They say: two dollars per minute please.
Mike: And I say: that's expensive! I can't believe it!
Mike: And then I could have bought a brand new router instead
Mike: A better model! A smoke-free model!
Gloryvel A. (29835): You can do anything as you please.
Mike: But what do you mean
Mike: Don't I have any options?
Mike: Well
Mike: I will call them but I will ask them for the price immediately
Mike: If they say no I will hang up
Mike: And then
Mike: I'll be back!
Mike: Here
Mike: With you
Mike: By the way
Mike: Am I the only one using this?
Mike: I think it is a brand new service
Mike: So I must be the only one using it. I am right. Am I not?
Mike: Well
Mike: I guess you left now , I guess I am on my own
Mike: With a smoking router and nothing to do
Mike: I will throw this out now, and then I'm going to bed
Mike: See you later Gjorvlyjel! It was nice talking to you
Mike: BOOOOM!!!!

[PCE/TG-16|CD/SGX Discussion / Re: OMFGOLDFISH BLUR!]

Of course it's blurry. The Wii has a built-in blur filter as an attempt to hide the eye-munching graphics (which is a term coined by Nintendo - it means the graphics are so bad your eyes commit suicide by eating themselves). It is applied to everything the Wii displays - Wii games have such strong jaggies that NO blur filter can hide them. At least they're trying. Nintendo does try a lot, but they always Fail.™

[PCE/TG-16|CD/SGX Discussion / Re: OMGOLDFISH BENJ MADE FUN OF CHINA WARRIOR! >___<]

China Warrior suxxx. I have never seen anyone say anything good about it, except Keranu and esteban666.

[PC/Console/Mobile Ports / Re: PSP Bomberman has gone gold - budget price!]

.....he said while sitting in front of a computer. 

[PC/Console/Mobile Ports / Re: PSP Bomberman has gone gold - budget price!]

Watching YouTube on Wii is so nice because you can lay on your couch and easily browse videos with the Wiimote and since TVs are usually larger than monitors. You haters need to try watching YouTube that way before you make a decision because it's truly a super comfortable experience.

Fail. Get some air.

/couchpotatogs4.jpg

[General Gaming / Re: Your Favorite System From This Generation]

Sports games are shit by default. There are NO exceptions! This is the ultimate truth, and if you disagree with this, you are wronger than any man has ever been. You deserve a price for being so unbelievably wrong. A really terrible price.

The ONLY Xbox games that aren't SHIT are Halo 1-2, and they are totally unplayable garbage compared to the PC versions.

[Localizations, Games, Apps, Docs / Re: English version of Puzzle Boy released]

http://www.romhacking.net/trans/1251/

An English version of the Japanese PCE game "Puzzle Boy" has been released for those of you who own the Japanese original and have a flash cart. Because we all know that is the only honest, legal way you can play this version.

I have the Japanese original, but I robbed it from some guy's wallet (I mistook it for a credit card, which he had none of). Will it still be honest and legal if I download the ROM?

[PC/Console/Mobile Ports / Re: PSP Bomberman has gone gold - budget price!]

Why do people want to watch Youtube on TV? TV does not help it's situation at ALL.

Win.

[PCE/TG-16|CD/SGX Discussion / Re: MY THOUGHTS ON POP 'N MAGIC]

I love the graphics.

Fail.

[High Score Records / Re: "J.J. and Jeff" High Scores]

I think it's funny that this discussion is going on in the J.J. and Jeff high score thread. 

classic

Fail.

[Off-Topic / Re: meow!]

That seems awfully dangerous to me.

And yet, it isn't.

I read my Genesis manual and it says you should not remove cartridges when the power is on.

They typo'ed.

[Off-Topic / Re: HD-DVD officially dead (finally!)]

Thanks for proving my point for me.
Now, go scuttle on back to Pirate's Bay.

Way ahead of you. See you there?

[Off-Topic / Re: HD-DVD officially dead (finally!)]

These 3 quotes from this thread alone, prove that you obviously know nothing about movies, movie studios, transfers or anything else about the industry, not to mention you are nothing but a pirate that has no insight past their download speed.

You know why? Because I don't give a damn about movies, and especially not the movie industry (although I would love to witness its downfall). I don't watch movies - with a few (emphasis on few) exceptions. I made this thread because I am THRILLED that a movie format has died.

[PCE/TG-16|CD/SGX Discussion / Re: The Light Gray "TurboGrafx System."]

I don't know what it's called, but that kind of slowdown sure is common in old video games.

[Off-Topic / Re: HD-DVD officially dead (finally!)]

One thing I found to be funny is some movie rentals d/l on Xbox Live 720p are 4 gigs with 5.1 surround included. Clean, but not 1080p though. Pirates 3 was like 7.6 gigs with 5.1 surround, ouch. I found it is cheaper for me to rent with my 360 than to drive 35 min round trip to Blockbuster. Of course, the Netflix mail order is nice and all, but I like to watch a movie right away and I change my mind often.

I usually buy movies that won't see the light of day on HD format for many years or I already own the ones I would buy on HD. Standard DVD movies I bought recently: Fist of Legend (Jet Li), Orgazmo (Trey Parker), The Punisher (Dolph Lundgren) and Split Second (Rutger Hauer). So I am just not really ready yet, and I don't want to spoil myself to make DVD look like  what VHS looks like to me now.

Ever heard of The Pirate Bay?

[PCE/TG-16|CD/SGX Discussion / Re: The Light Gray "TurboGrafx System."]

I don't recall seeing many games before the 3D generation with frame drops.  Yes, there definitely were some, but not a ton.  If something slows when it is, say, fading out, I wouldn't really count that.

Lots of NES and SNES games had them... Ducktales comes to mind.

[Off-Topic / Re: HD-DVD officially dead (finally!)]

There's only one single PS3 model available. The 40 GB one.

What about the 80gb Motorstorm pack?  Amazon, Toys R Us, Sears, and K-Mart's respective web sites all claim to have it in stock and ready to ship.  Did it recently get the ax and these stores are just clearing out old stock?  If so, Sony better have plans to add a new model with PS2 compatibility or add it to the 40gb version, or their sales will suck even more than they already do.

Sorry, no idea about USA. But I have read that they have stopped producing everything but the 40 GB one. Apparently it is responsible for the skyrocketing PS3 sales (4 million in a three or so months).

Not good news

That's where I stopped reading.

[Off-Topic / Re: HD-DVD officially dead (finally!)]

There's only one single PS3 model available. The 40 GB one.

You can play PS1 games of the same region as the system on it. No PS2 games.

[Off-Topic / Re: HD-DVD officially dead (finally!)]

Too bad they cant HD-ify old movies like Indiana Jones... It would be neat to see it in real 1080p. Or higher.

What makes you think that they can't?  Nearly every HD-DVD and Blu-Ray title currently available was originally shot on 35mm.  The only reason that Indiana Jones isn't on one of these formats is because Lucas is slow to adopt new mediums (look how long it took for Indiana Jones and Star Wars to be put on DVD).

No, I meant since it is such an old movie... the picture quality won't be as good. At I guess it would be like that. I'm no expert in movie stuff/filming. All I know is that some of the old movies that have come out on HD formats haven't looked much better than a DVD.

[Off-Topic / Re: I do not like our new HDTV, Sam I am...]

Yeah, it requires a dual-dvi connection. But every video card has two dvi-ports.

How about the new standard that's present on the new Geforce 9 series - Displayport. Does it have enough bandwidth for "quad hdtv"?

[Buy/Sell/Trade / Re: Darius Alpha For Sale on the 'Bay]

Hahahaha, the movie that clip is taken from is very hilarious! It's called Kopps.

[PC-FX Discussion / Re: new: MagicEngine-FX 1.1.1]

I wouldn't mind me some PC-FX ISOs, but I am too lazy or simply not interested enough to look for them.

[General Gaming / Re: I wish I had an original style PS2.]

Ys 6 loads slower off of the HD than it does off of the disc, at least it did with HD Loader.  I have no clue if they have fixed this with some sort of patch.

Yeah I know. It's really strange, but it is a very poorly programmed port. Done by some crappy studio that got shut down shorly after its release.

[Off-Topic / Re: I do not like our new HDTV, Sam I am...]

Screw that.  Bandwidth be damned, full speed ahead to 2160p!

In the PC world, we have XHD resolution - 2560x1600. It would be interesting to watch TV in that format.

[Off-Topic / Re: HD-DVD officially dead (finally!)]

Too bad they cant HD-ify old movies like Indiana Jones... It would be neat to see it in real 1080p. Or higher.

[PCE/TG-16|CD/SGX Discussion / Re: The Light Gray "TurboGrafx System."]

60Hz is how often the TV updates the frame, 60FPS is how many frames the hardware actually deliver. The TV will always update the frame at 50 or 60 times, depending on the video mode, but the hardware will NEVER deliver a solid 50 or 60 FPS.

Wow.  Just wow.  Have you never seen a game scroll?  Most games scroll at 60fps.  That's right, it's in a different position 59.94 times per second (the TV actually runs at 59.94Hz).  Some games like Wonderboy 3 on the SMS, scroll at 30fps (rounded up from 29.97).  The Turbo/PCE version of the same game scrolls much smoother at 60fps. 

Can YOU tell the difference between 30fps and 60fps?  Try and see if you can tell me which of these identical clips is a solid 60fps and which is a solid 30fps.  It is from Super Monkey Ball which runs at 60fps and never, ever drops a frame

Quicktime format - 1.86 MB
WMV format - 2.16 MB

Note: If your computer is slow/ancient, you may have trouble playing back the file without it stuttering.  In this case the results would be inconclusive to you.

Of course console games generally run at 30 or 60 FPS using v-sync, but that's not what I meant. I was talking about FPS drops, which occur in almost every game at times.

[Console Repair/Mod Center / Re: D-Lite's mod chip]

Modchips are becoming somewhat hard to come by now that Divineo (previously the world's biggest retailer) has stopped selling them, but this store has some expensive chips, no clones...

http://www.modchip.ca/store/home.php?cat=268

I've bought from them personally. A very very professional and serious business (they even called me from across the globe just to ask me something).

[Off-Topic / Re: HD-DVD officially dead (finally!)]

Bah I could care less "who" wins as I don't plan on purchasing either format.

Hell yeah. While I did find this "war" interesting, I have no intention of ever getting either format. I don't even have a DVD player or a VCR, simply because I don't have any DVD movies or whatnot. I think it's crap. I download everything I want to watch (which isn't much).

[Off-Topic / HD-DVD officially dead (finally!)]

A couple of months ago, someone here argued with me that HD-DVD was going to be the winning format... whoever that was, they were wrong.

Now it has finally happened! HD-DVD is now officially dead and buried.

Toshiba just bailed. It's over.

http://www.nhk.or.jp/daily/english/dailynews7.html

Japan's electronics giant Toshiba Corporation will withdraw from high-definition DVD production.

Sources say Toshiba plans to stop producing HD-DVD players and recorders at its plant in Aomori Prefecture, northern Japan, and further development of the products.

The plan will probably be officially decided at the company's board of directors extraordinary meeting early this week.

Toshiba is expected to continue to sell HD-DVD products for a while, and announce support measures for users as soon as the decision is officially made.

Toshiba has been struggling with its version of DVD format, called HD-DVD, in a fierce battle with the Blu-ray format backed by Sony, Panasonic, and Hitachi.

The wide adoption of the Blu-ray format by US movie studios and retailers apparently prompted Toshiba to decide to withdraw from the HD-DVD business.

Electronics firms expect the end of the high-definition DVD race to boost sales of the products.

[Off-Topic / Re: I do not like our new HDTV, Sam I am...]

If it doesn't "look" HD, it isn't. I assure you, when you see real HD - you'll REALLY notice the difference.

[Console Repair/Mod Center / Re: D-Lite's mod chip]

Xeno PS is great. It's a clone of Matrix Infinity (the best chip on the market) and it has the exact same features as it. I've installed this in all my PS2s, and my friend's systems. It's very reliable and of high quality.

And yeah, it does everything you wanted (auto detects all media and completely ignores DVD movie region protection, it also supports pirated DVD movies). Including more (feature list here). It even lets your console output VGA, so you can connect it to a monitor or HDTV for full 480p support. But you'll need a seperate VGA cable for that, of course.

What PS2 model do you have? Slim or phat? In any case, you can load games off a hard drive with a slim model but you're going to need to use an external USB drive with USB Advance. Compatibility is rather low for that, though.

If you have a phat PS2, you'll be able to play pretty much anything off a standard IDE drive with HD Loader. It's awesome. I use it almost exclusively.

http://sksapps.com/index.php?page=hd.html

Get all the HD Loader and USB Advance files here.

[High Score Records / Re: "Ys IV The Dawn of Ys" Playtimes]

I didn't use the bracelets.

[Console Repair/Mod Center / Re: D-Lite's mod chip]

PS2 modchip installation...Xeno PS. It's a cheap clone of a much more expensive chip, but it works well, so I always use it.

[Off-Topic / Re: Happy Valentines Day!]

Sorry dood, I've just never seen a real person "say" something like that. I thought they only did it on bad tv. This thread is full of culture shocks for me.

[Console Repair/Mod Center / Re: D-Lite's mod chip]

"Like that" = not particularly tidy. Looks like wires could come off rather easily. Especially when you close it up.

I would suggest placing the chip onto the board next to the connector and solder short wires to it, like this:

/ps2ec6.jpg

[General Gaming / Re: I wish I had an original style PS2.]

I have a 250GB hard drive in my PS2 and I play everything off it, even though I have a modchip. Load times are almost non-existant, and pretty much every game works. At least with the latest HD Loader (not the retail HD Advance rip off discs). In fact, I have never encountered a game that doesn't work. Sometimes you have to patch an ISO before you install it in order for it to work (FF XII, for example), but that's not a problem.

http://www.ps2hd.com/list/

Go there for compatibility info.

Oh, IS possible to use a hard drive with some slim PS2 models after some heavy modification (solder an IDE connector to the motherboard - around 40 soldering points, all super tiny). You can only do it if your system has the model number SCPH-7000X. That's v12 and v13 of the machine, sold back in 2004. Newer machines cannot be modified.

[General Gaming / Re: Best Disney game]

Did Castle of Illusion come out for SNES too? I think I saw SOME Mickey Mouse "Illusion" game in a magazine back in the days... I always assumed it was the same as the MD game.

Also: daffy duck: marvin missions(snes) HAHAHAH! I didn't even realize it was a non-Disney game until someone mentioned it. PS: That game sucks so much!

[Off-Topic / Re: Happy Valentines Day!]

am extremely grateful that God blessed me with a wonderful wife

I never thought I would use this lame phrase... but here it goes: I lol'd.

No offense dood, but still...

[Off-Topic / Re: The "Tony Danza" Urban Dictionary Definition WTF]

Who's Tony Danza?

[Off-Topic / Re: I do not like our new HDTV, Sam I am...]

HDTV is overrated. 720p is NOT high resolution! At 1080p we're talking, but it seems it isn't widely used. 720p should've never been made.

[PCE/TG-16|CD/SGX Discussion / Re: The Light Gray "TurboGrafx System."]

No such thing.

Could have chosen a better way to say it...makes ya sound rude. Anyways, I've never looked in one so I wouldn't know...only going by what others have said, and what makes sense. So then, if there's no video conversion circuitry...someone please explain the difference in 50mA. That's a considerable power difference.

Sorry dood. I didn't know that it made me sound rude. I didn't intend to.

I bet it is, especially since games that usually run at 60fps could never be bested in framerate by those that run at 50fps.  Perhaps you mean there is less slowdown and when it happens it is less severe as a result.  That I will buy.

There's a major difference in 60Hz and 60FPS. 60Hz is how often the TV updates the frame, 60FPS is how many frames the hardware actually deliver. The TV will always update the frame at 50 or 60 times, depending on the video mode, but the hardware will NEVER deliver a solid 50 or 60 FPS. In PAL mode, the hardware is somehow capable of delivering more FPS, which is evident in PAL machines where frame rate drops are far fewer than on their NTSC counterparts.

PS: I did not mean games optimized for 50Hz. Those games are REALLY rare. The only ones I can think of are SMW and Donkey Kong Country 1-3 for SNES. Pretty much all other games run 17% slower in 50Hz mode. It's very fun to play those games in 60Hz mode, since that makes them run far faster than they are intended to. It's kinda like Sonic, except it's Mario/DK. SMW gets some graphical glitches when you do this, though.

I will try to record a video of me switching from 60 to 50 Hz on a certain boss battle in Light Crusader where there's a massive FPS drop in NTSC mode, but almost none in PAL mode.

And about the PAL/NTSC color thing... I really think it depends on the TV alone, not the console. A PAL TV will always display PAL video, regardless if the console is a NTSC variant or not, or if the video mode is 50 or 60 Hz.

[General Gaming / Re: Best Disney game]

Duck Tales. One of the few Capcom games that isn't crap.

Also voted for The Jungle Book SNES. Pretty good game.

[Console Repair/Mod Center / Re: D-Lite's mod chip]

Wow, can you even close the thing up after that? Why did you install it like that?