akira2501 - Slashdot User

White Dolphin Functionally Extict 868

Posted by ScuttleMonkey on Wednesday December 13, 2006 @02:52PM from the gone-the-way-of-the-dodo dept.

An anonymous reader writes "For the first time in nearly fifty years another mammal, specifically an aquatic mammal, has gone extinct. In this case, it was the white dolphin, also known as the Baiji, which used to live in the Yangtze River in China. The dolphin had been known to exist for the last 20 million years."

Microsoft Publishes Free XBox Development Tools 221

Posted by ScuttleMonkey on Monday December 11, 2006 @11:27PM from the compile-once-crash-twice dept.

prostoalex writes "Microsoft announced the release of free XNA Game Studio Express tools for developing C# games that run on both Windows and XBox. They're also selling XNA Creators Club subscriptions, which, similar to MSDN subscriptions, offer access to sample code and additional documentation. Also, Microsoft is explicitly aiming towards uniting the Windows and XBox development platforms: 'You will have to compile the game once for each platform. In this release simply create a separate project for each platform and then compile them both. Our goal is to allow as much code as possible to be shared between those two projects, allowing you to use the same source files in both projects, but platform-specific code will need to be conditionally-compiled.'"

G4 Moves Further From Technology Roots 129

Posted by Zonk on Thursday April 20, 2006 @01:59PM from the please-just-end-the-pain dept.

Variety has a piece detailing some new hires at G4, all designed to further move the channel away from its technology roots. From the article: "One of Finn's priorities will be to scout people to profile when 'Icons' relaunches this summer. The 'Biography'-style skeinskein has been revamped to focus on figures that appeal to young men, including J.J. Abrams and Bryan SingerBryan Singer. She'll also continue to strengthen the lineup of guests visiting G4's live, studio-based series. In addition, both 'Filter' and 'Attack of the Show' will be relaunched in June with a scaled-back focus on technology. Heavier emphasis will be on attitude, humor and a broader range of male-oriented topics."

PSP Vs. DS One Year Later 104

Posted by Zonk on Friday March 31, 2006 @05:08PM from the let's-get-on dept.

1up has a feature revisiting the ongoing struggle for supremacy in the handheld market. The PSP and the DS have had many ups and downs in the past year, and the column lays out the successes and failures for both systems. From the article: "And then there were two. The DS is cleaning up in Japan -- the sheer demand for the console there has siphoned every single unit from the marketplace, while PSPs sit unloved on store shelves. But here in the U.S., it's a neck-and-neck race. And, since the PSP launched one year ago on March 24th, 2005, we thought it'd be an excellent time to revisit the past year and gauge the situation as it stands today."

Comment So... how much is microsoft eating on this one? (Score 2, Insightful) 88

by akira2501 on Friday May 27, 2005 @08:51PM (#12661257) Attached to: $300 XBox 360 by Thanksgiving

Anyone familiar with how much console manufacturers usually eat on the cost of new consoles?? According to rumors, the Athlon 64 dual-core will cost over $500 when its introduced later this summer... and the 360 has a three-core processor. Add in a brand new graphics card, and 512 RAM, and it seems like there will be at least $600-700 worth of hardware in there, if they are getting a sweet deal on all of it. Is it really that common to sell consoles for half of what they cost, or does microsoft plan to not make any money on the 360 either?

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