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Messages - segagamersteph

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1
I just want to follow through with this to prove I am not a damn idiot.We're complaining about telecoms not increasing internet speeds fast enough to satisfy the market and blaming it on telecoms controlling the internet market. But that is a a one sided, narrow perspective.

Before we had internet all communication was tremendously faster than it is now. why?

Because cable companies were delivering a tight NTC beam over a coaxial cable  at the speed of light, and phone companies were transmitting TCP/IP packets over telephone lines at speeds so slow your watch wouldn't be able to connect. Back then internet speeds were atrocious but television, phone, radio, and even short band coverage was fantastic.
Here is what actually happened. Cable companies had higher bandwidth to spare so they began offering access to TCP/IP packets (very inefficient method of transmitting data BTW) in order to attract those high paying internet customers away from the phone companies. Phone companies couldn't compete so they invested in installing DSL lines and T3 lines as fast as they could afford to in order to stave off the cable companies.

Then the market kept moving at a pace faster than either types of companies could keep up. Broadcast radio providers had to share bandwidth now with more TV stations and increasing cell phone providers. Less bandwidth to go around so either a, invest in more towers, or b, consolidate to cut costs. They chose to do both. Radio companies began consolidating in order to cut costs because they could run multiple stations out of a single office. Jobs were lost. Money was tightened.

The market kept moving at a pace faster than tech could keep up. Broadcast TV stations were facing increased costs and less bandwidth because cell phones. They made the switch to digital in a way to get more out of the bandwidth they had access to. But cell phone companies continued to demand more data so they had to build more towers. Governments were slow to invest in building more towers because demand was exceeding the supply and costs were going up as a result.
The market kept moving at a pace faster than the cable companies could keep up. Facing increased competition from cable companies, and wireless providers, phone companies had to adapt. They had to continue to increase their spending on adding lines, increasing their cost, but not being able to charge more because of outdated laws and having less access to bandwidth. Cable companies took advantage and cut their throats by offering VOIP. Phone companies had no choice but to consolidate, cutting costs while bleeding customers and losing profits.

The market kept moving at a pace faster than the government could keep up. Because phone companies were treated like utilities and cable companies were not that gave cable companies the upper hand. So they began consolidating in an effort to squeeze out competition and make siphon all those internet users into their customer base. They problem was they were now facing increased competition from mobile carriers and they had to invest money in infrastructure.

Here is the reality. Broadcast TV and radio signals are actually incredibly fast, even faster than fiber optic. A straight shot, at the speed of light, with multiple translators and satellites allowd for the instantaneous transmission of HUNDREDS of NTSC channels simultaneously for pennies. This allowed satellite and cable companies to increase the product they offered while slowly increasing the bandwidth for internet usage.
The market kept moving at a pace faster than satellite companies could keep up. They were now forced to also dedicate some of their bandwidth to the increasing TCP/IP packets being transmitted.

The problem comes down to the very nature of the internet. If you wanted instant access to HD ATSC TV with On Demand capabilities investing in cable made a whole lot more sense. BUt we didn't do that. Instead we, (Us the gamers and them the hackers/pirates) kept pushing for faster internet speeds so we could

1. Cut the cord and have a negative impact on broadcast companies whos's costs kept rising but profits were sinking.2. Provide unfair free alternatives (often relying on theft of Intellectual Property) for news sites which taught the public to expect free access to news while using ad blockers (under the guise of saving bandwidth or protest choose your poison) and forcing newspapers (the cornerstone of our Republic) to go bankrupt or consolidate.3. Network our video games while demanding telecoms increase speed without providing them incentives for investing and then demonizing the companies providing our services to us.
4. Newspapers, broadcasters, cable companies, network providers and wireless companies were all forced to consolidate putting us in the situation where content providers have to sell to content developers in order to stay in business.5. We have to pay for all of this by losing access to solid reporting at the local and state level, replaced by a social media platform that propgated Fake News to the point of influencing not only the election but the response by companies (many of whom have resorted to collecting and selling data in order to stay in business) while demonizing journalists (broadcast, print, radio, digital) as a scapegoat for the mess we created.6. We continue to demand cable companies decrease their bandwidth devoted to providing INSTANT access to HD content by replacing it with increasing bandwidth for more TCP/IP packets which have to travel in spider web mazes before reaching their destination. This, while increasing vulnerabilities and decreasing consumer safety. (in the name of faster internet)7. Increase dependence on data forced wireless companies to consolidate and reduce competition while purchasing other media and communications companies to streamline the process and increase revenues while cutting costs (jobs) in an effort to continue to meet demand for a product that is an absolute luxury at best but treated as a life or death utility.

I could go on, but as I work in the media business and I studied the affects the INTERNET has had on destroying the very business we are all not complaining we are losing all because WE demanded faster internet in the name of video games.

At the end of the day there are 7 billion people on the planet, less than 400 million world wide are gamers. I don't think we should invest, or force companies to invest, resources into increasing internet speeds anymore than we already have.
I was on that side until I went back to Dish and freed up my internet usage for more important things. Sure my actual internet is slower than it was BUT since I can push a button and bam there is all the HD content I want, with On Demand and DVR, I remembered how much better it was to have a system where we transmitted CONTENT at the speed of light versus transmitting TCP/IP packets (with cyber risks in the process) at speeds that will NEVER match ATSC HD content delivered at the speed of light over the 50 year old cables we installed before there even was an internet.

It comes down to convenience. We demand the convencience of Netlfix and instant chat and playing games online without realizing the costs it had to our society. Are we better off? I don't know it sounds to me like it depends on which sector you are in. If you work for the cable companies I would say no as they have consolidated to the point where chances are you've been laid off more than once and are working now for less money than you did 20 years ago.
If you work in the broadcast TV business or the print news business I would say HELL MF NO. Because you've been laid on more than once and are working now for considerably less money than you did 20 years ago. IF you can even get a job.
If you work in radio...wireless...movie theaters... telephone companies...movie studios...cable TV networks... the list goes on.
Here let me spell it out clearer. I have a friend who got his first job working for a local ABC station in 1985. Back then he was a photo (camera man following a reporter around in a big ass van) and they paid him $18 an hour. TV stations don't even hire photos anymore. That positon has been all but eliminated to save money. Now reporters are MMJ's. Instead of sending a van with a bunch of good solid radio equipment, a news reporter, a camera man, a sound engineer to set up the mic, and a video editor (all professionals with years of experience well paid for their work) you now send out a 22 year old fresh graduate in a Chevy sonic with a backpack that contains a very lousy portable radio not that different than soldiers used in WWII. She has to carry the camera and mic herself, shoot and edit the videos and do it for, starting wage, $10 an hour.

Then we (society/gamers/techies) complain the quality of our local news has diminished and bitch when Sinclair Broadcasting petitions the government to grant them permission to SAVE the newspapers in their markets as both a cost cutting measure and desperate last ditch effort to keep real journalism alive.
Yes my attitude on the internet changed, a lot, when I left college after studying what the internet did to the news media, broadcast media and print industries. Oh and guess who makes money of it all, here is a hint it's NOT the cable companies desperately trying to maximize profits to keep meeting demands.

My news reporter friend told me he used to make $18 an hour just as a staff writer at a daily newspaper. Now he's barely getting $11 an hour and he's expected to write, shoot, and deliver the newspapers.

Forgive me if I am cynical. Forgive me if I am one to think that the more money and resources we pour into making internet speeds faster at the expense of the very journalists who would be able to do a better job fact checking and vetting sources if they didn't have to worry about being technology experts, video experts and audio experts when they are being asked to work harder for considerably less pay.

The first camera job I applied for paid $20 an hour. The last camera op job I had started at $8 an hour and I had to work 3 months to get up to ten.


TL:DR version
20 years ago we could send high speed CABLE TV at the speed of light for less money and cable companies were profitable. Internet speeds increase at the expense of bandwidth to cable and companies have to consolidate. 20 years ago journalists in the print and broadcast industries were paid a damn good wage for highly profession, skilled work. Today those same journalists do the work it used to take 4 or 5 people for less money than the lowerest paid of those previous.

Cable companies started stealing customers from phone companies but weren't regulated the same and phone companies went out of business or branched into other industries to stay afloat. The market consoldiated into the mess we have today all in the name of faster internet at the demands of gamers, a statistically insignificant percentage of the worlds population.
Final final edit and I am going to bed: even with all this taking place the larger market as a whole is still oblivious to internet speeds and how gamers are still pretending like TCP/IP is somehow better than what we had before.

I swear final edit and I am done.
If we could get away from TCP/IP and transmit RAW data over those pipelines it would be at the speed of light and we would have faster internet than we can ever imagine. Again, telecoms would gladly make the, very expensive switch, if the tech companies would get over their beloved, antequated protocol and find a way to send raw data over a direct line. the protocol was created as a way to transmit data over extremely tight bandwidth with very few nodes. We have so many nodes and open pipes now if we replaced the Internet with a direct line to data centers we'd all be in heaven with gigabit speeds.

2
This one time I will concede to BnM. I mean my whole issue with Disney getting it was the sports and our government stepped up and did exactly what I said they would, took care of business. So a compromise?

3
General Gaming / Re: What are you playing?
« on: June 28, 2018, 12:46:28 AM »
I tried to download Pokemon Quest and it told me my phone is not compatible. I downloaded it for the Switch instead. I might try to put some time into it later this weekend.

4
no, you are being fair. I was being a pessimist myself because I am just tired. Life has been kicking my ass so I don't have any fight left in me, I am trying not to be a jerk.
I honestly don't like it I just think it is inevitable. I all the things that have been pointed out to contradict my assesment don't in my mind. It sounds exactly like to me it will suck and the market won't care because we're used to shitty internet. I am NOT trying to defend the telecoms here. I know I kind of was defending comast but that was more calling out the myth of them having a monopoly in anymarket. A monopoly of GOOD internet maybe but I am of the mindset that internet is a luxury item not a utility. So to that end you are right I am not changing my mind. Four years of college didn't change my mind it only reaffirmed my stance. I believe in capitalism point blank. I also firmly believe that as long as people's basic needs are met everything else is pure gravy and absolutely not worth fighting over. Especially something as trivial as internet. Extra especially when talking about internet in the context of video games. It's not life or death to me.

Perm, 15 meg being dogshit is literally your opinion. Not to sound like a tool but it certainly is more than adequate for gaming. Not ideal, not the best but it's passable. I am certainly happy with my 25 meg speed in terms of I can browse the internet and web pages load as expected. I can download games, upload my podcast and YouTube videos and stream Netflix daily. I can't do more than two things at a time but so what? It's not the end of the world and it's certainly a hell of a lot better than it was just 5 years ago when I couldn't get 8 meg speeds to save my life. I had 3 meg in 2006. I didn't get 6 meg until 2009. I didn't get 8 meg until 2013, and I jumped from 25 meg to 100 meg over night in Texas, literally they just opened up the bandwidth one month. Now I am on 25 meg hughs net and while it's not as fast as what is out there it is faster than what we had before.

Also, we're a hell of a lot more spread out than Japan and we have other social problems they don't have which get in the way of things. Not to mention the astronomical amounts of money we spend on our military they don't even have. It's not apples to apples at all. It's priorities. I, personally, would rather invest the limited money elsewhere and let the things that are not life threatening, like internet speeds, progress naturally instead of artificially inflating speeds to satisfy a minority of users. Of course I am assuming entirely legal usage here not getting into the shadier stuff that often accompany those demanding faster speeds. not accusing anyone just saying that's often the motive and gaming or streaming is a used as a cover.

I, know I am rambling but I don't care, not a damn person on this site takes me seriously so why should I try to convince anyone to change their mind? I just like to challenge people. Even if I agree with you secretly, you'll never know because I will always try to see the other side of an argument and push people to defend their points. It kind of goes with being a journalist, I try to see both sides of any argument.

Besides, Big Brother 20 started, that's all that matters for the next 3 months.

5
If Fox shareholders are getting Disney stock for "selling" doesn't that just mean they are getting more control of Disney?

Disney can show boat all they want on Hulu there is no way they can support two streaming platforms. I know they only have 60 percent of the share but they are removing a lot of the incentive for keeping it around. There is no guarantee Comcast is going to want to continue doing business with Disney after this deal either.

I would be willing to place a very high wager on Hulu becoming defunct in less than 5 years after this deal. They're basically worthless now. If they lose the family friendly stuff it doesn't matter how much crap they have left, Netflix, Amazon and whatever Warner ends up doing plus HBO are all going to be better options.

I don't see Disney keeping Hulu going. They are saying that now to appease share holders and the government but you know they will back out or jack up the price of their content, either way it's going down hill anyways. (Again let's not either of us pretend our crystal ball is anymore clear than the others okay we're all speculating)
The numbers, the assets, the IP, it's all a lot for anyone to absorb.

If Disney doesn't put their newly acquired Fox assets on their streaming service and they try to keep it Pixar and Disney channel stuff they're setting it up to fail, and they are not that stupid. I don't see Hulu surviving even if Disney doesn't get to make the decision they will affect it with the shuffling of their content.
I don't know, my foot hurts, its hot I been out of work two damn months I guess I don't care anymore who gets what. Comcast or Disney customers lose in the end.

6
General Gaming / Re: Games Industry Death Watch 2010-2018
« on: June 24, 2018, 11:39:28 PM »
I'd rather they bury their inventory in the dessert in New Mexico somewhere so we can dig it up 30 years later.

7
But it's a moving goal post. A few years ago broadband was defined as 3 Meg speeds. Now it's 25.

The problem you all are having is you are expecting 1080p 60 FPS full HD rnedering and I am saying the market will accept a lower quality product to make this happen.

It's not about the speeds. It's about what the users want. I know video is different but the disparity between Netlfix so-called HD and normal DVD quality is laughable. Nobody seems to care. I think it will be the same with gaming. The ultra hard core gamers will complain but chances are most of them already have strong internet anyways. Everyone else will either be fine with 480p and not know the difference. Most people can't even tell they are not getting true HD with Netflix as is and still think DVD is as good as Blu Ray.

I am being realistic and you are all talking idealistic. There is a difference. It's NOT going to be ideal conditions for 1080p but the market will gladly take a step back for convenience. Case in point, the Wii was SD at a time when the other two were pushing into HD. Even since then the average consumer still is satisfied with the fake HD Netflix gives them and they don't even bat an eye.

We have the speeds RIGHT NOW to stream GameCube level games in SD. We can stream 360/Wii U Switch level games in a reasonable facsimile of HD the average consumer won't give a ****, including the vast majority of Nintendo gamers.

I am NOT arguing that we can stream TRUE HD over 15 meg speeds, but I am absolutely certain we can stream something the mass market will accept at that speed. The quality improves, the experience improves, as your speed increases. It is the way the market is going. FOr every one of us who bemoan the death of physical there's 1500 young twerps celebrating the death of physical. We're out numbered. We lost. The masses won't care and the hard core gamers will gravitate to PC. It's not likely to be 100 percent perfect over night but it's certainly acceptable for the vast majority of gamers and consumers now. The hard cores gamers who actually care about FPS and all that are the minority they don't drive the market. Never have despite all their delusions. If they did the Switch/Wii/DS/GameBoy would have all tanked.


8
Didn't Nintendo once claim Twilight Princess would be the last traditonal Zelda ever? How is that working out.

9
I think it is the future, and we're a hell of a lot closer now than we were the last time this topic came up. The fact they keep pushing it, pushing downloads, streaming, internet connectivity it's inevitable. If this next gen lasts the usual 6 or 7 years and the current gen finishes its 6 years that puts us into 2030 before all this takes place, or 2028 at the earliest. By then internet connectivity will no longer be an issue, hell it's hardly an issue now.

10
General Gaming / Re: Games Industry Death Watch 2010-2018
« on: June 21, 2018, 10:57:25 AM »
I had store credit, I picked a NEW game over a used copy because they were pushing the used game. Read up on their policies they try to force people into used games because of profit margins its their circle of life program.
The game was free for me. The value was $20. I didn't tell the story right. I used the rest of the credit later on my Switch pre-order which I only got from them because I was there and they let me make payments. I was really just planning on swooping in to snap a picture and it escalated.

11
General Gaming / Re: Games Industry Death Watch 2010-2018
« on: June 20, 2018, 08:33:43 PM »
I can beat that. When I went in to buy FF 15 I asked do you have Final Fantasy 15. The guy frowns and says we don't have any used copies in just yet. We can put your name on the list. I said what about new I'd rather buy it new. He said oh well if you want to come back on Monday we should have some more used copies are you sure you don't want to wait.

I asked do you have any NEW copies? I want new not used. He said I am not sure if we have any new copies but we'll have some used ones in a day or two. I asked the guy putting games on the shelf. do YOU know if they have any copies of FF15. I kept asking because there weren't any on the wall. But there were plenty of display boxes that said ask an associate.
He walked over to the wall and pulled on from behind the ask an associate box and said here it's the last one. We can sell you this but if you want the used copy we can sign you up. I was annoyed I said listen I just want to buy the NEW copy I am not interested in used. I don't buy used games. I want this game new.


The only reason I was even in there was because I did a story on them for the Switch launch for our newspaper and I had some in store credit for doing the story. I wanted that game. They hassled me for using the credit and asked if I wanted to pick up a used game to go with my purchase. I was so pissed they kept pushing the used game I grabbed a $20 new copy of Dungeons 2 and said I'll take this too.

That was the last time I went into Game stop and that was probably a good 2 years or more from my last visit that also didn't go well.


On that same story. The reason they gave me store credit wasn't for doing the story for the newspaper, that would be unethical. It was because I tried to snap a photo of the long line forming of people there to pre order the new Nintendo console. I had just done a story on the NES Classic for our Holiday Buying Guide (boy I felt like a jerk for telling people to buy one of those that Christmas)
 Anyways there was one jerk in line who got belligerent and threatened me for taking his picture without his permission. I politely said it's okay sir this is going into the newspaper. He got in my face and said You do not have my permission to take my photo. I said sir, this is a public place, you are on a large crowd, this is news, my boss sent me here to take a picture and i have a constitutional right to take this picture. If you don't want to be in the photo you can gladly step aside and these people will save your spot in line He grabbed my camera and said if you take a picture I break your camera. Three customers in line rushed between me and him and said back of this person is just doing their job.

He grabbed my camera and said Im going to break your camera if you don't get out of here. I said go ahead you're going to be buying me a new camera. At this point the store manager told him if he didn't want to be in the photo he could step aside or you can go home. The man turned towards the wall and I snapped the photo of the long line, cropped his ass out of my photo anyways and the manager offered me store credit to apologize for the incident.

The store was glad to get the positive press but they knew if I had gone back with a story of gamestop customer assaults journalist while standing in line for new video game it would have been a **** storm so I came out ahead and all they asked is that I crop the name out and say a local video game store in my story.  That is what I ended up doing.
That wasn't even the worst thing that ever happened but it was just another day on the job. I, won't shed any tears for GameStop going out of business.

12
I just read Fox has accepted the Disney deal so it sounds like the X-Men join the MCU and everyone gets what they wanted.

For me personally the biggest positive of this is it will strengthen the chances of the Disney streaming platform knocking Netflix down a peg and could end up killing Hulu off together.

13
It's a scandal like is DK Jr. the DK in DKC or not?

14
Ian, I agree that is what we are expecting for THIS upcoming generation. That will last what 5 years, then they will have the tech to launch a true streaming box.
I am fairly certain a Roku is still processing something. I think it only needs to have bare minimum hardware. I am also not expecting one universal platform, I seriously doubt that will ever happen. MS will have a platform, Steam will have theirs, Sony theirs, EA theirs, etc.

We're half way there now.

15
You and your old world way of thinking. Wait, if they both already have the same last name I am worried there might be some, um, shady southern stuff already taking place...

16
I think you are over thinking it. You're saying stream the whole game from a server. I am suggesting they download the core game, a small download to the box and stream the rest. Like you download the game engine and the first level and the rest streams to the console, it works half way between downloading the entire game and streaming the entire product. Not a perfect system but workable until the lines catch up.
Also, I think it's different with games than movies. Movies are large chunks of data that have to be streamed all at once, entire frames encoded with audio. A video game is mostly code, it does require some input from the user and no it won't work for every type of game which is why it will take a couple more generations to get fully there.

By the time it gets figured out the infrastructure issues will mostly not be an issue. I don't live in an area with high speed internet, I think I mentioned that before I am stuck on Hughesnet but I can stream Netflix just fine and I don't think video games will be that worse. Lag is an issue but obviously we're not here yet but we sure as hell are a lot close than we were ten years ago and in 5 years time we'll be even closer.

4G speeds are easily fast enough and even if you can't get fiber optic you won't need speeds that fast, you can easily do this with 4G wireless speeds and make it workable, not ideal but doable. Obviously game quality takes a hit but we took that hit to video quality with movies anyways, which you alluded to, and nobody seems to care.
There will still be a physical option for those who want that, it won't be an all streaming system, not yet, not for another 10 years. Which is what these two companies are pushing for, if the two largest players in the gaming industry are saying it will happen, I strongly believe it's going to happen.

BTW, I, agree it's not ideal and I am not advocating for an all streaming future just recognizing it is coming and we're now closer than ever. The same old tired argument speed isn't fast enough yet is out dated, how fast does it need to be to stream games? I think it can be done with 4G speeds, which is what 5meg? Who doesn't have that? I live in a small town in the dessert in the mountains middle of no where and I have faster than that. It won't be 4K gaming but that's not the point. It will be better for those with faster speeds but doable for the minimum. Playable and ideal are too different things. You're thinking lag free HD 60FPS, I am saying the market won't care the market will accept lag, slower speeds, lower frame rates, etc. for the convenience.

17
Movies & TV / Re: Rate the last TV show you've seen
« on: June 14, 2018, 12:12:04 PM »
I finally made it to season 5 of Lost. I been avoiding this show like the plague. My parents got super into it. They watch it, go back to beginning watch it again. I got to season 3 and gave up. SO this last month I got through s4 and am now 4 episodes  into Season 5. This show just pisses me off. That is all.

18
Nintendo Gaming / Re: Official Sales Thread
« on: June 14, 2018, 12:08:10 PM »
70 units was an uptick for Xbox One X, I think it's time for MS to get the hell out of Japan for good and give up all together.

19
Nothing at all newsworthy from Sony. Microsoft was okay but I don't even care what they are doing with Xbox anyways.
Fortnite for Switch I need to get to the storage shed and find my dock so I can charge the Switch up and get this game.

20
I am all for more characters and more levels or stages but I also want options to make the game playable more like previous versions and new modes.

I do not like the idea of changing the story where they are no longer toys, defeats the purpose of the whole series and diminishes the role of the Amiibo which if you think about it Nintendo should have been making since Smash 64 debuted.

If they add more 3rd party characters or echos of existing ones I would prefer Tales or Amy over Shadow or Metal Sonic.
Same with Mega Man I would prefer someone like Zero for a clone/echo or Dr. Wily over Proto Man.
I would still prefer more 1st party characters over 3rd party ones. I like the fan service of the games that's the only reason I play. Otherwise, I suck at them and hate the online super competitive scene.


21
Hmm I saw on the news they are paying people money to stay in this flu hotel. I could survive a bout of the flu as long as I had Smash Switch to keep me comforted.

22
Thanks. I saw the other thread. Wow. This whole news makes me happy. Plus I love Daisy.

23
If I don't have a job by then I will just sell my PS4 and play this game until I starve to death. Not a bad plan all things considered.

24
I guess I rambled a little.

25
I haven't watched the video yet, did they say every character ever, does that mean the Ice Climbers are coming back and nobody is talking about it or are they still out and nobody cares?

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