Xbox 360 Userbase Splits: Football Manager HD Required
Thing that had to happen, happens.
There will be meetings at Microsoft as you read this piece. Serious meetings about how to handle the fact that some Xbox 360 games will require a hard drive after endless assurances that mass storage capabilities would not force a two-tier userbase for the new machine.
Slowly emerging details over the past few days have pointed to Sports Interactive's Football Manager 2006 requiring the Xbox 360 hard drive in order to play. The game, developed by the brilliant UK outfit fronted by Miles 'Small in Stature, Large in Knowing About Football' Jacobson is the first full release that will split the 360 community into the haves and the have-nots. This follows the release of the Final Fantasy XI demo which also required the HD to function. Although no official clarification on the subject was offered by either Square-Enix or Microsoft, it is suspected that the enhanced port simply will not run without the mass storage afforded by the 360 HD.
Although this news isn't exactly a bombshell, it is the first example of Microsoft's willingness to abandon promises it formally makes to the game-buying public. It's not a stand-alone indictment of the business principles employed at Redmond, rather the latest example of the erosion of a guarantee made on many occasions.
Microsoft executives have pointed out to us and other publications - on the record - that other companies have been disingenuous in positioning hardware and software. Of course, this is absolutely true. Sony has told some outrageous lies in the past, and shown media related only to its games in name alone. However, it's the manner in which Microsoft reneges on its promises, the gradual program of promise erosion, which is transparent from the off and becomes increasingly distasteful. Again, this isn't a damnation of Microsoft's Xbox program. It has delivered two brilliant games machines, smashed the boundaries of online gaming, and poured cash into areas of gaming otherwise overlooked in the industry. This doesn't change the fact that Microsoft misled consumers, assuring total 360 compatibility for Core System buyers. Those buyers now have a machine that does not do what its manufacturer assured.
And of course, the news regarding Football Manager (and almost certainly FFXI) will be painted as a slight hiccup, overblown by the media and not a real issue. However, in a year's time, how many games will be inaccessible to 360 owners who opted not to buy a hard drive having been assured that one would not be needed?
Microsoft then plans to launch the Xbox 360 HD-DVD add-on, at this time positioned as a movie player and nothing more. Given that the format rips apart the size limitations for developers, and the fact that the age of the truly epic game is - if not already with us - then just around the corner, it seems a safe bet that a three-tier 360 community will emerge.
For further information on the fantastic, genre-breaking monster that is Football Manager 2006, read our exclusive interview with SI's Miles 'Tax-Free Child Size' Jacobson here.
Slowly emerging details over the past few days have pointed to Sports Interactive's Football Manager 2006 requiring the Xbox 360 hard drive in order to play. The game, developed by the brilliant UK outfit fronted by Miles 'Small in Stature, Large in Knowing About Football' Jacobson is the first full release that will split the 360 community into the haves and the have-nots. This follows the release of the Final Fantasy XI demo which also required the HD to function. Although no official clarification on the subject was offered by either Square-Enix or Microsoft, it is suspected that the enhanced port simply will not run without the mass storage afforded by the 360 HD.
Although this news isn't exactly a bombshell, it is the first example of Microsoft's willingness to abandon promises it formally makes to the game-buying public. It's not a stand-alone indictment of the business principles employed at Redmond, rather the latest example of the erosion of a guarantee made on many occasions.
Microsoft executives have pointed out to us and other publications - on the record - that other companies have been disingenuous in positioning hardware and software. Of course, this is absolutely true. Sony has told some outrageous lies in the past, and shown media related only to its games in name alone. However, it's the manner in which Microsoft reneges on its promises, the gradual program of promise erosion, which is transparent from the off and becomes increasingly distasteful. Again, this isn't a damnation of Microsoft's Xbox program. It has delivered two brilliant games machines, smashed the boundaries of online gaming, and poured cash into areas of gaming otherwise overlooked in the industry. This doesn't change the fact that Microsoft misled consumers, assuring total 360 compatibility for Core System buyers. Those buyers now have a machine that does not do what its manufacturer assured.
And of course, the news regarding Football Manager (and almost certainly FFXI) will be painted as a slight hiccup, overblown by the media and not a real issue. However, in a year's time, how many games will be inaccessible to 360 owners who opted not to buy a hard drive having been assured that one would not be needed?
Microsoft then plans to launch the Xbox 360 HD-DVD add-on, at this time positioned as a movie player and nothing more. Given that the format rips apart the size limitations for developers, and the fact that the age of the truly epic game is - if not already with us - then just around the corner, it seems a safe bet that a three-tier 360 community will emerge.
For further information on the fantastic, genre-breaking monster that is Football Manager 2006, read our exclusive interview with SI's Miles 'Tax-Free Child Size' Jacobson here.
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Comments
Showing the 20 most recent comments. Read all 27.
DoctorDee 10 Feb 2006 17:46
8/27
fluffstardx wrote:
Yep, end of June's the start of summer.
In which hemisphere?
The summer solstice is June 21st. Summer is halfway over by that date.
LUPOS 10 Feb 2006 18:33
9/27
DoctorDee wrote:
In which hemisphere?
The summer solstice is June 21st. Summer is halfway over by that date.
The summer solstice is June 21st. Summer is halfway over by that date.
i know your several years out of high school but this is seriously disapointing me doc!
(or coudl be a regional difference)
3 months = 1 season
december 21st (winter solstice, shortest day of the year) is the first day of winter
march21 (vernal equinox, is same time day and night) and is the start of spring
june21st (summer solstice, longest day of the year) is the first day of summer
september 21st (autumnal equinox, day/night) first day of fall
although the date do vary due to closes to leap years if you wana be specific... but thats how it breaks down. least over here in M'ERCA!
_______
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DoctorDee 10 Feb 2006 19:16
10/27
LUPOS wrote:
i know your several years out of high school but this is seriously disapointing me doc!
Since Druidic times (that's approximately thousands of years before the pasty man went to Merka), Midsummer's day has been celebrated at the summer solstice.
Taking your three month seasons, that makes 21st December Midwinter. And start of Spring/Autumn around Early February, Late August.
Thing is seasons are not really three months long - they differ greatly depending on lattitude. And we experience thermal lag, that means that all the hottest days of summer are after 21st June.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Midsummer
config 10 Feb 2006 19:32
11/27
Okay, here's how the researchers at Auntie suggest the seasons work...
The BBC wrote:
Summer
The day the north pole is nearest the Sun is called the 'summer solstice'. (You can see this from the picture on the right). Looking from Earth, the Sun reaches its highest point in the sky all year. This means it takes the most amount of time to cross the sky. So this is the longest day of the year. Its called the 'summer solstice' and happens around 21 June. Astronomers call this the start of summer and after this date, days start getting shorter.
Autumn
As we continue our journey around the Sun, the north pole moves away from the Sun. The Sun rises lower in the sky so the days continue getting shorter. When the Sun is at its mid-point in the sky, we reach the 'autumn equinox', around 22 September. Day and night are both 12 hours long and its the beginning of autumn.
Winter
The day when the north pole is furthest from the Sun is called the 'winter solstice'. The Sun crosses the sky at its lowest point all year. Therefore it crosses the sky in the quickest time so this is the shortest day of the year. Winter solstice happens around 22 December and marks the start of winter. From then on, the days start getting longer.
Spring
The Earth continues on its path, and our north pole starts moving towards the Sun again. The Sun moves upwards in our skies and the days continue getting longer. Again, we reach a midpoint when day and night are both 12 hours long. This is called the 'vernal (or spring) equinox' and happens around 21 March.
The day the north pole is nearest the Sun is called the 'summer solstice'. (You can see this from the picture on the right). Looking from Earth, the Sun reaches its highest point in the sky all year. This means it takes the most amount of time to cross the sky. So this is the longest day of the year. Its called the 'summer solstice' and happens around 21 June. Astronomers call this the start of summer and after this date, days start getting shorter.
Autumn
As we continue our journey around the Sun, the north pole moves away from the Sun. The Sun rises lower in the sky so the days continue getting shorter. When the Sun is at its mid-point in the sky, we reach the 'autumn equinox', around 22 September. Day and night are both 12 hours long and its the beginning of autumn.
Winter
The day when the north pole is furthest from the Sun is called the 'winter solstice'. The Sun crosses the sky at its lowest point all year. Therefore it crosses the sky in the quickest time so this is the shortest day of the year. Winter solstice happens around 22 December and marks the start of winter. From then on, the days start getting longer.
Spring
The Earth continues on its path, and our north pole starts moving towards the Sun again. The Sun moves upwards in our skies and the days continue getting longer. Again, we reach a midpoint when day and night are both 12 hours long. This is called the 'vernal (or spring) equinox' and happens around 21 March.
LUPOS 10 Feb 2006 20:36
12/27
DoctorDee wrote:
Since Druidic times (that's approximately thousands of years before the pasty man went to Merka)
not to rag on you druidic high school budies (sorry coudltn help myself ;P ) but i dont tend to take my "sceince" lessons from "thousands of years" ago.
understandably it does very greatly... as any autralian will tell you... december 21st sure as hell aint winter... but being as the good old US of A tends to be the trend setter for most standards, especially in relation to sciency type stuff... so there for... and im just assumign cause i dotn have any... if you check your uk calendars... it will probably tell you that what i/config says is the way it is... also as you pointed out... we have thermal lag... so most of the hotest days of the year do accour after june 21st... which to me, makes it a prime candidate for begining, rather than middle, of summer... logically.
also, just checked my "bleach" calendar, straigh from the similarlay temperate shores of japan, and the 21 of march is indeed peged as the first of spring.
________________
vault 13 10 Feb 2006 21:56
13/27
I refute all previous posts and refer you to this. I win!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Midsummer
WIKI FOR LIFE!!!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Midsummer
WIKI FOR LIFE!!!
tyrion 11 Feb 2006 11:58
14/27
vault 13 wrote:
I refute all previous posts and refer you to this. I win!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Midsummer
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Midsummer
I hereby give notice that I am coining "Tyrion's Law" to be recognised throughout the Internet.
Tyrion's Law: The chances of any technical, scientific or fact-based argument on an Internet forum including a reference to the relevant Wikipedia page approaches certainty at a rate that is exponential to the number of posts in said argument.
That is all.
vault 13 11 Feb 2006 22:02
15/27
My post was fundamentally flawed. I had rewritten the information on Midsummer from Wikipedia to something much more amusing. Melmacians, moogles, and Bill Cosby were all party to the history of MY Midsummer history. Even Pope Popeye was involved. Alas, it seems someone with far more time on his hands has put the Kaibosh! on my awesome link. Too bad I suppose. Now we're all just confused.
Now that my friends is one spicy move(+400 pts)!
Now that my friends is one spicy move(+400 pts)!
SPInGSPOnG 11 Feb 2006 22:10
16/27
LUPOS wrote:
but being as the good old US of A tends to be the trend setter for most standards, especially in relation to sciency type stuff... so there for...
Hardly surprising, really, that the rest of the world wants to fly planes into our buildings.
DoctorDee 11 Feb 2006 22:33
17/27
LUPOS wrote:
also, just checked my "bleach" calendar, straigh from the similarlay temperate shores of japan, and the 21 of march is indeed peged as the first of spring.
What you are seeing there is Japan succumbing to exactly the same kind of American social and cultural Imperialism that is making you so popular the world over these days.
The date at which each season begins depends on how it is defined. In the United States, the seasons are often considered to begin at the astronomical solstices and equinoxes: these are sometimes known as the "astronomical seasons". By this reckoning, summer begins at summer solstice, winter at winter solstice, spring at the vernal equinox and autumn at the autumnal equinox.
In the United Kingdom, the seasons are traditionally considered to begin about seven weeks earlier: spring begins on Candlemas, summer on May Day, autumn on Lammas, and winter on All Hallows. Accordingly, midsummer and midwinter are, as their names suggest, the middle of summer and winter. The Irish calendar uses almost the same reckoning; Spring begins on February 1 / Imbolc, Summer on May 1 / Beltane, Autumn on August 1 / Lughnasadh and Winter on November 1 / Samhain.
In meteorology for the Northern hemisphere, spring begins by convention on March 1, summer on June 1, autumn on September 1 and winter on December 1. This definition is also followed in Denmark and former USSR. Conversely, for the Southern hemisphere, meterological summer begins on December 1, autumn on March 1, winter on June 1 and spring on September 1. This definition is also followed in Australia.
The Korean, Chinese, and Japanese calendars are based on a lunisolar calendar, where the solstices and equinoxes mark the middle of each season. This is very close to the British & Irish definitions of seasons.
In the United Kingdom, the seasons are traditionally considered to begin about seven weeks earlier: spring begins on Candlemas, summer on May Day, autumn on Lammas, and winter on All Hallows. Accordingly, midsummer and midwinter are, as their names suggest, the middle of summer and winter. The Irish calendar uses almost the same reckoning; Spring begins on February 1 / Imbolc, Summer on May 1 / Beltane, Autumn on August 1 / Lughnasadh and Winter on November 1 / Samhain.
In meteorology for the Northern hemisphere, spring begins by convention on March 1, summer on June 1, autumn on September 1 and winter on December 1. This definition is also followed in Denmark and former USSR. Conversely, for the Southern hemisphere, meterological summer begins on December 1, autumn on March 1, winter on June 1 and spring on September 1. This definition is also followed in Australia.
The Korean, Chinese, and Japanese calendars are based on a lunisolar calendar, where the solstices and equinoxes mark the middle of each season. This is very close to the British & Irish definitions of seasons.
The fact is, every country in the world held a position that is logical. The seasons are defined by the attitude of the earth with respect to the sun. Then America decided to change things, and suddenly, everyone singing their song.
There are erudite pieces on the matter here:
http://www.badastronomy.com/bad/misc/badseasons.html
http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a1_170b.html
Personally I say f**k America! William Shaksper thought June 20th was Midsummer Night's Eve, and there's not been a Merkan born who can hold a candle to him.
vault 13 12 Feb 2006 05:22
18/27
[quote = DoctorDee]Personally I say f**k America! William Shaksper thought June 20th was Midsummer Night's Eve, and there's not been a Merkan born who can hold a candle to him.
What the f**k is a Merkan?!
DoctorDee 12 Feb 2006 09:19
19/27
What the f**k is a Merkan?!
Someone born in Merka.
Just like the 'Strains come from 'Straya.
You Brooklyn guys may not pronounce it that way, but most of Merka does. Listen to some old Elvis records. Listen to Bush, he's forever saying, "Gobless Merka".
Sorry. I see the reason for your confusion now, it looks like I misspelled it
LUPOS 13 Feb 2006 15:02
20/27
Rod Todd wrote:
Hardly surprising, really, that the rest of the world wants to fly planes into our buildings.
a tad harsh, but point taken.
Dahkt0R "D" wrote:
Personally I say f**k America! William Shaksper thought June 20th was Midsummer Night's Eve, and there's not been a Merkan born who can hold a candle to him.
for literary purposes yes... but we do have quite a few big names that have come out of our little nation over the past coupel centruies.
the ben franklins and graham bells of course spring to mind and more recnetly the like sof steven hawking... course being as our population is so ginormously large compared to the UK its only fair the we pop out a few more notable people... mind you this has no baring ont eh discussion.
if june 21st is mid summer... then may 6th is the first day of summer.... however... acording to this lovely graph of average temperatures... the three warmest months are june july and august... and june just barely eeks out september which would imply that the begining of sumemr owudl be somwhere twords early to mid june.
now seeing as seasons are determined by a great many factors, astronomy and the afformentioned thermal lag, i dont feel tht baseing our seasons soley on astronomy would be very fair and infact the whole, winter=cold, summer = hot, method woudl seem to me to be the most reasonable course to follow.
soooo.... ill say, my holding to the 21st as a solid day woudl be incorrect... and your disdane for american views beign imposed on other nations is justified , but harkening back to druids for argument is a bit far fethced, and shakespeare, while a hell of a wordsmith, is not now, nor will he ever be a point of refference for any quasi scientific discussion of mine.
from here on out i dont know when the first day of summer is untill the end of the year, so that an average can be taken and a firm beging middle and end be determined... plants dont all bloom on the same day every year, its the weather that matters to them, and that seems good enough to me.
___________
config 13 Feb 2006 15:36
21/27
LUPOS wrote:
Dahkt0R "D" wrote:
Personally I say f**k America! William Shaksper thought June 20th was Midsummer Night's Eve, and there's not been a Merkan born who can hold a candle to him.
for literary purposes yes... but we do have quite a few big names that have come out of our little nation over the past coupel centruies.
the ben franklins and graham bells of course spring to mind and more recnetly the like sof steven hawking...
Bzzzt. Steven Hawking is a Brit, born in Oxford no less.
As for Summer/Winter and the rubbish bits 'twixt, this argument surely centres around how one wishes to define a season.
What is summer to you? The warmest of seasons, or the one with the longest days?
Personally, it's the one where girls are already at the pub by 1800, wearing little strappy vest-tops and skirts akin to belts (which is Wakefield is prolly any given Friday :)
LUPOS 13 Feb 2006 15:43
22/27
config wrote:
Bzzzt. Steven Hawking is a Brit, born in Oxford no less.
BLAST! perhaps its the lack of accent that threw me ;)
DoctorDee 13 Feb 2006 16:11
23/27
LUPOS wrote:
the ben franklins
Wooden teeth?
and graham bells
S**t British skier!
If you want to celbrate your literary genius, you need to be trumpeting the late, great, Dr. Thomson, PJ O'Rourke and Hubert Selby
from here on out i dont know when the first day of summer is untill the end of the year, so that an average can be taken
That's the obvious answer. It'd make calendars a bit out of date though ;-)
LUPOS 13 Feb 2006 16:20
24/27
LUPOS wrote:
and graham bells
nice typeing me!
i ment alexander.... oy!
i was referign to the discoverer of electricity and the "supposed" inventor/thief of the telephone... without which this lovely internet woudl not exist... and then we woudl not be able to spend important work time arguing about which day of the year is most suited for us to wear our summer skirts... and i dont think i want to live in that kind of world.
as for the calendar thing... i imagien they woudl still be very usefull for tellign the date... they would just have 4 less fake holidays on them.... course it woudlnt take halmark long to fill in the gaps.
___________
DoctorDee 13 Feb 2006 17:31
25/27
LUPOS wrote:
course it woudlnt take halmark long to fill in the gaps.
Let's see, we don't have Sister's Day yet, nor Brother's Day. Pet Tortoise's Day. I don't think you Yankees celebrate Bastille Day, do you? But you should, they did give you the Statue of Liberté after all.
Saddam Hussein's Birthday?
Shrike Wednesday, a made up holiday, on which everyone has to eat Twinkies, sponsored by Hostess.
Vegitarian day, where we all roast and eat a vegetarian. Falls between Thanksgiving and the second thursday in December.
vault 13 13 Feb 2006 17:54
26/27
LUPOS wrote:
i was referign to the discoverer of electricity and the "supposed" inventor/thief of the telephone... without which this lovely internet woudl not exist...
I think we ALL know that if Mr. Bell didn't invent it, Mike Haggar, former mayor of Metro City would have. Mr. Haggar has been uncredited with inventions such as the cuisinart, rugby, the hammer punch, tostitos, and the pileriver.
I hearby decree July 4th, Reverence and sacrifice to appease Mike Haggar Day! I mean, really. What do we do on July 4th anyway!?
OptimusP 13 Feb 2006 21:32
27/27
I hope that everyone knows that Mother's day was actually invented by the nazi's which fit perfectly into their view that women should only "clean, bare and care" and be the center of every household.