ReZourceman Posted January 12, 2009 Posted January 12, 2009 Argh, why is the choice so hard?! I'll never end up buying an HD T.V because I'm so indecisive about what I want. Ideally I'd like a really impressive TV but depends on how my Dad feels and I doubt he'd push aside £600 Things is my friend is getting an LG 32" 1080 p TV that is £390 and has a contrast of 50,000:1 .... I'd just say shop around like CRAZY. Theres a lot of bargains to be had recently on TVs. Argos end of catalogue, Comet, HotUKDeals etc etc.
Choze Posted January 12, 2009 Posted January 12, 2009 Yeah lots of research. The contrast rating is pretty menaingless. All of the TV highball their specs to look good. Run the Tv by us if you want a second opinion.
Deathjam Posted January 12, 2009 Posted January 12, 2009 Argh, why is the choice so hard?! I'll never end up buying an HD T.V because I'm so indecisive about what I want. Ideally I'd like a really impressive TV but depends on how my Dad feels and I doubt he'd push aside £600 Things is my friend is getting an LG 32" 1080 p TV that is £390 and has a contrast of 50,000:1 .... I have this tv and its awesome
Pantsu Man! Posted January 12, 2009 Posted January 12, 2009 I can't believe I just spent £40 on a Dualshock 3. Only a few weeks ago I spent £12 on a wired 360 controller. Why must it be so expensive. I do wonder though if anyone else had the same problem. At one point in time my Sixaxis suddenly started acting as if pressing down was the default position for the controller. So it'd always keep going down and down. I couldn't play any games because of it. Wondering if anyone else experienced this.
Daft Posted January 12, 2009 Posted January 12, 2009 I bought a DS3 about half a year before they were out here for £30.
LegoMan1031 Posted January 13, 2009 Posted January 13, 2009 I bought a DS3 about half a year before they were out here for £30. Same here, i got mine off a dude on ebay selling some he had already imported over from japan. Think mine was about £32ish.
flameboy Posted January 13, 2009 Posted January 13, 2009 Same here, i got mine off a dude on ebay selling some he had already imported over from japan. Think mine was about £32ish. Yeah exactly the same here...£40 is bloody expensive...do all new PS3 consoles come bundled with them now?
LazyBoy Posted January 13, 2009 Posted January 13, 2009 TOKYO (AP) -- Sony's shares plunged Tuesday on reports that the iconic Japanese electronics maker is sinking into its first yearly operating loss in 14 years as sales fizzle for digital cameras, flat-panel TVs and other gadgets.The media reports, coming just weeks after Toyota forecast its first annual operating loss in 70 years, highlight the pain even Japan's premier brands are suffering amid the global slowdown. The nation's top business daily The Nikkei reported Tuesday that Sony was expected to rack up a 100 billion yen ($1.1 billion) operating loss this fiscal year ending March, its first since 1995. Behind the dismal outlook are faltering sales of liquid crystal display TVs and other goods, especially in the key U.S. and European markets, The Nikkei said, adding that operating losses could balloon to as much as 200 billion yen ($2.2 billion). Tokyo-based Sony Corp. declined comment. The last - and only - time Sony racked up an operating loss, for the fiscal year ending March 1995, the red ink came from one-time losses in its movie division, marred by box office flops and lax cost controls, and its core electronics unit was booming. Kazuharu Miura, analyst with Daiwa Institute of Research, expects Sony to tumble into a 110 billion yen ($1.2 billion) operating loss - which reflects the company's core business operations - for the fiscal year through March 31. Past troubles in Sony's electronics business had been offset by gains in other divisions, such as financials and video games, he said, but both divisions are now beset by problems. "In that sense, Sony is in an extremely tough situation this time," said Miura. Drastic job cuts and reduction in research spending would be needed to wrest Sony out of its latest troubles, he said. Other analysts echoed similar sentiments, noting the expected red ink from Sony's digital cameras and other products because of falls in both sales and prices. Sony has already taken some dramatic steps. Last month, Sony said it would implement major cost-cutting to ride out the slump, including slashing 8,000 jobs, or about 4 percent of its work force, lowering spending and shutting plants. Sony shares slid 8.9 percent to 2,000 yen ($22.40) on the Tokyo Stock Exchange Tuesday. The news helped drag down the Japanese stock market, where the Nikkei index tumbled 4.8 percent. The U.S. financial crisis and accompanying consumer pullback right ahead of the critical year-end holiday shopping season have hit Sony and other exporters hard. The strong yen hasn't helped. As the dollar has weakened to about 90 yen lately from 108 yen a year ago, that's cut into overseas income. Sony is particularly vulnerable to the strong yen because about 80 percent of its sales are overseas. Until the U.S. financial crisis, Sony had been on a recovery track following a cost-cutting overhaul under Chief Executive Howard Stringer, a Welsh-born American, who became the first non-Japanese to head Sony in 2005. That restructuring phase included pulling the plug on Sony's robotics division, selling off assets, ending the Qualia line of fancy gadgets and withdrawing from plasma displays. Stringer's appointment came after a series of faltering profit reports that culminated in the "Sony shock" of 2003, when the company's shares plunged. Since then, Japanese have returned to that term several times when worries about Sony's prospects re-emerge, including this time around. Over the last two years, Sony stocks have again slid, losing about a third of their value. Sony President Ryoji Chubachi expressed dismay at the U.S. slowdown, but he also expressed hopes that the global economy would start to recover later this year. "We need to rely more on other regions, and not depend so much on the U.S.," he told reporters at a recent reception for executives. Instead, the potential for growth in East Asia, and its appetite for Sony goods, could help reverse Sony's fate, Chubachi said. But so far, such gains, which have come steadily, haven't been enough to stave off the damage from the bigger U.S. and European markets. In October, Sony lowered its operating forecast for the fiscal year ending March 31 to 200 billion yen ($2.2 billion) profit from an earlier 470 billion yen ($5.3 billion) it gave in July. It is expecting 150 billion yen ($1.7 billion) net profit, which includes taxes and extraordinary items. In its heyday of the 1980s and 1990s, Sony was seen as an innovator with its Walkman portable player and PlayStation video game machine. But Sony has seen its brand power gradually lose its luster in the face of rivals not only from Asia but also from the West, such as the iPod from Apple Inc. Like other electronics makers, Sony has also had to battle plunging gadget prices. Even products boasting costly technology have slid in prices amid intense competition, turning into mere "commodities," stripped of glamour that in the past helped boost prices - at least for Sony. This nation's other major exporters, such as automaker Toyota Motor Corp., are also battling hard times and have announced job cuts, plant delays and reduced investments. Miura, the analyst, said a long-term turnaround would be difficult unless Sony realizes its goals repeatedly touted - and just as repeatedly eluded - of "synergies." The term refers to extra advantages Sony is hoping to achieve by combining the strengths of its various businesses, such as electronics hardware with entertainment content, including movies and music. "Getting out of its problems is going to be extremely difficult for Sony," he said. Source: Associated Press Lets hope the situation improves.
Choze Posted January 13, 2009 Posted January 13, 2009 What it means is no price cut for a long long time. Surprised Toyota made a loss though.
Pit-Jr Posted January 13, 2009 Posted January 13, 2009 What it means is no price cut for a long long time. I actually agree that the PS3 is already at a great price point but at the same time, the uninformed masses still dont see it that way. They have alot of ground to make up and a price drop is the quickest route. Also, I think Sony would do well to lay off the bizarre advertisements that tell nothing about the PS3 and start emphasising its strengths. What made me decide to buy a PS3 in the first place was its free online service, the PSN, the reliability record, the generous storage via Blu-Ray and HDD and the fact that i wasnt required to buy any cables, memory sticks, batteries, or Wireless interent kits to get it going and they really need to hammer these points across to the public instead of 'This is Living'' or whatever abstract marketing ploy they're using now [/Tangent]
Daft Posted January 13, 2009 Posted January 13, 2009 I had to buy an HDMI cable. Are they included now?
dwarf Posted January 13, 2009 Posted January 13, 2009 I nabbed one off a friend who bought a PS3 about 6 months ago, he had one in his box. PS3 was second-hand but I don't see why they would put a cable in there so maybe they are included now. (I took it because I thought I was going HD very soon, how wrong was I!?)
Diageo Posted January 13, 2009 Posted January 13, 2009 I bought a ps3 in the past month or two and i didn't get one.
dwarf Posted January 13, 2009 Posted January 13, 2009 Oh well, they're only a few quid. Been playing more Motorstorm and it's just getting too intense. I've literally spent 3 hours trying to do one level. In the end I managed it but christ did it end up a chore. I'm seriously doubting whether that Gold trophy is attainable for me or not.
MATtheHAT Posted January 14, 2009 Posted January 14, 2009 Picked up a gem of a game yesterday, Pure. Its like a cross between Pacific Rift and SSX. And it is dirt cheap as well, £8 brand new on fleabay.
Daft Posted January 14, 2009 Posted January 14, 2009 Picked up a gem of a game yesterday, Pure. Its like a cross between Pacific Rift and SSX. And it is dirt cheap as well, £8 brand new on fleabay. I'm on the third chapter of the world tour and I find it impossible... Well, hard enough to not put the effort in.
Choze Posted January 14, 2009 Posted January 14, 2009 I had to buy an HDMI cable. Are they included now? Depends on retailer. Though ntor eally important since they are only afew punds and you can choose your best fit e.g flat cable for wall mounts or extra length etc.
That Guy Posted January 14, 2009 Posted January 14, 2009 Depends on retailer. Though ntor eally important since they are only afew punds and you can choose your best fit e.g flat cable for wall mounts or extra length etc. But lets be honest, for something that is marketed as a high definition console, it should be included in the damn box.
Dante Posted January 14, 2009 Posted January 14, 2009 Kojima addicted to Left 4 Dead, "Maybe I should quit being Japanese" "The US and European marketplace are far better balanced. There are games everyone can play -- maybe calling 'kids' games' would be inappropriate -- but there's also a deep base of core titles made with movie-industry people that explore the depths of hi-def. I'm addicted to Left 4 Dead right now, but people say to me that that game would never work in Japan." Kojima's a little pessimistic about the Japanese video games market, laughing as he says; "Maybe I should quit being Japanese. And speaking of which, there were hardly any Japanese games nominated in Spike TV's Video Game Awards this year. It's sad to see that Japan's games failed to even register in America last year." When asked why Japanese developers struggle to keep up with the overseas competition, Kojima is just as damning; "Because they're Japanese. Japan makes all their own books and movies and music. You can't export entertainment made by Japanese people in the Japanese language, so it's all made with the sort of budgets that guarantee profit within the Japanese marketplace only. "Meanwhile, the English-speaking world is a global one. The scariest scenario I see is people overseas taking the ideas from Japanese games, running the Hollywood business merchandising machine on them, and taking all the revenue. If that happens, then there won't be any new Japanese creators."
Daft Posted January 14, 2009 Posted January 14, 2009 Everyone should get Saints Row 2. The missions are awesome. It says I've completed 45% of it but I think I'm pretty near the end of the main story. My cockney geeza main character is wicked. Just got someone to kill their own girlfriend because he f*cked up one of my gang. I think the story and missions in this are better than all the 3D GTAs. I preferred the vibe of Vice City, slightly more the script of SA and obviously the graphical detail of GTAIV but Saints Row 2 is just joyous. Bargain at £22.
dwarf Posted January 14, 2009 Posted January 14, 2009 I am having a period where I have got bored of my games. I've lost stats on Resistance, I cba to play LittleBigPlanet and Motorstorm is too damn difficult and time-consuming. I need something else, but I don't think Saints Row is it. I don't know what 'it' is.
Daft Posted January 14, 2009 Posted January 14, 2009 Well if you ever want a stupid and very fun game, get SR2. Apart from SR2 I'm in the same situation. I sent Resistance 2 back after I'd got the most I thought I would out of it. FarCry 2 came next. Sent that back after a couple hours. LittleBigPlanet is something I play every once in a while for 20 minutes and Pure is way too hard for me.
dwarf Posted January 14, 2009 Posted January 14, 2009 Hmmm. I don't know what I've missed. I don't fancy Dead Space or Mirrors Edge, Underworld may be a decent game but none of them are screaming for my attention.
Chris the great Posted January 14, 2009 Posted January 14, 2009 Well if you ever want a stupid and very fun game, get SR2. Apart from SR2 I'm in the same situation. I sent Resistance 2 back after I'd got the most I thought I would out of it. FarCry 2 came next. Sent that back after a couple hours. LittleBigPlanet is something I play every once in a while for 20 minutes and Pure is way too hard for me. far cry takes time to get going propprly. im half way in now and its getting better and better. it takes a while to find its feet, but once you "get it", the game opens up and you appreciate how good the combat actualy is. managing to fight off a gang of around 10 soilders when two or three can be dadly is an awsome feeling. every battle feels tense, which is rare in most games.
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