What shop in London for MSTS add-ons?

[NeutronIC]

Wouldn't worry too much, the flip side of games moving to the consoles is that consoles will become more than they currently are, they won't remain the shoot-em-up type devices that they are mostly these days with new input devices coming out all the time etc - and if all people looking for sims are on one particular console, it's no less profitable for someone to develop the sim on that console than it is for the PC. As far as editing goes, Far Cry Instincts has just proven that it's perfectly possible for console games to allow user-created maps directly on the console, so even that isn't a real limitation any more.

Matt.

[johndibben]

Does that mean trainsimming on consoles, once laughed at, is now a posssiblilty?

In MK, Game is best for bargains and new games.

PC World is good for stuff still in stock although mostly at full price.

PC World still has UTC!, LSE, WCW, Great British this and that on the shelves although the amount of space given over to PC Games is severely reduced.

Is FS dead?

FS 2006 should be around by now.

[danielw2599]

I heard that there isnt going to be a FS2006 Which is a damn shame as I am a big big fan.

Consoles now (xbox/xbox360) are basicly PCs, so really theres no reason why MSTS or MSFS cant be ported to them (should there be a market for it!) after all, we have console HDD and Broadband connections.

Daniel

[ABABAB]

Hi all
Jus talking about xbox,PS2, I've played them with various games on a 8 year old Sony 25" TV, although I am happy with my computer with it's 2.4 XP 1GB RAM and G force 4 Ti 4200 128 MB RAM for playing train sim (my favourite hobby), is this xbox 360 going to make any difference if I bought one and played it on my sony TV with say project gotham 3 especally in the graphics department, I am lead to believe by the hype it is suppose to make the games look much better, any views appreciated.

cheers
ABABAB
I to have noticed in my local stores PC games seem to have given way shelf wise to more and more console games

[WSR2005]

I would just like to point out that not we're not all spotty little oiks, although most are, granted.

There aren't many games that I would like to purchase this Christmas, shoot-em-ups and that sort of thing don't interest me at all. I have a PS2 and the only game that I would ask for is Pro Evolution Soccer 5, but that's not the point.

As for the PC market, I can only echo everyone elses points that it is definately behind the consoles, although it doesn't matter to me because my computer is practically from the Stone Age. Since I reinstalled MSTS a month ago after a couple of years without it, I have been doing nothing else, so my PS2 would be redundant if it wasn't for my sister.

The Internet may be a great way to buy things, but is there any way to do this without using credit cards because I don't have any and my parents are reluctant because of all the frauds you hear about nowadays, so I rely on freeware downloads and £5.00 add-ons on the bottom shelf of GAME or PC World to increase my virtual railway collection.

[lateagain]

I heard that there isnt going to be a FS2006 Which is a damn shame as I am a big big fan.

I have to say that one of the reasons I totally lost interest in FS is that there seemed to be a new version out every 18 months or so. If it had been the same price as any other game that might just have been palatable but at over twice the price of most games I thought it was just a rip off. I seem to remember that it created problems for the community with add on compatibility too?

Consoles now (xbox/xbox360) are basicly PCs, so really theres no reason why MSTS or MSFS cant be ported to them (should there be a market for it!) after all, we have console HDD and Broadband connections.

Yeah but........ You can't run old console games on a new one. So that's back to the FS syndrome only here not only will your box be out of date but so will all your add-ons. I've had one upgarde and a new box since I had MSTS and everything from the start still works.

Don't get conned by the marketing men.

The power of PC's is increasing and technical developments in this area are always going to be ahead of Games boxes. It's not just Train Sims that demand high end graphics and processing power. There are many "serious" applications that require these specs. IMHO the future lies with utilising the ever increasing technical power of the PC, if you want to see a top class simulator.

If you just want flashy graphics and money is no object then the b*ggers will happily take your money for games consoles.

You'll note that flight sims have stayed with the PC. GOG's like me need a computer and will have one whatever. I don't need a games console. I've nothing against them for those that like them but the money they cost would be far better spent on a PC upgrade for me.

Geoff

[NeutronIC]

You can't run old console games on a new one.

Not quite true...

Playstation 1 games will run on the Playstation 2, and both PS1 and PS2 games will reportedly run on the PS3.
XBox games will run on the XBox 360 (if you have the hard drive).

The "old school" console manufacturers such as Nintendo haven't grasped that requirement of the "new" console community and imho one of the main reasons their consoles are lagging behind.

If you just want flashy graphics and money is no object then the b*ggers will happily take your money for games consoles.

Again, not sure I agree, Xbox games are similar in price (a few pounds difference at most) to PC games and yet I know each and every one will run properly on my Xbox, not so with PC games.

Equally, the price of an Xbox is currently £99, the latest Xbox 360 is £279 for the top end version, not sure what kind of an upgrade you'd realistically be able to get for that money. Certainly not one as major as the upgade from the Xbox to the 360.

PC upgrades are almost as much of a con these days, if your PC is more than about 6 months old, any core upgrade must be an upgrade of CPU, Mobo and Ram together, perhaps one or more might work on your current hardware but more likely it won't work anything like as well as it should.

You'll note that flight sims have stayed with the PC.

IMHO this is because generally consoles have simply not had the grunt to be able to cope with a flight sim as well as a PC would, plus there's a pre-existing market for controllers and so forth. The next gen consoles like PS3 and the 360 are both incredibly capable machines - the 360 contains THREE 3ghz CPU's.

The problem with building games for the PC is the varied hardware support, the problem with buying games for the PC is the varied hardware support that means almost certainly your machine won't run it as well as someone elses. Even MSTS suffers from this with many of its ultimate target market having slow old PC's that just can't cope with modern games.

What I like most about consoles is that they level the playing field, suddenly you're all running on compatible hardware, if it works on one it will work on the other and will do so identically, so I know if I buy a game or get an add-on etc then it will do exactly for me what it did for the developers and for all other users.

Since moving to gaming on my console i've never looked back, i've never had any compatibility problems, never had to change a driver, never had to fight with networking to get online play working and never had to put up with lower detail settings or low frame rates.

The PC still has a place, but I think that its place is going to shrink back to the developer and techie community while the mass market will see much cleverer and more multi-purpose console-type appliances appearing.

Have to say, I really don't feel I've ever been ripped off with anything I have bought for my console, or for the console itself, paid less for my console and everything on it than just one of the many PC's i've owned.

Matt.

[Crosstie]

Actially, I see a convergence going on here. When you look in any magazine, PC's are looking more and more like consoles and the new generation of consoles appear to be taking on many of the PC's attributes (Internet, massive storage etc..).

Media Center PC's are finally hitting the big time over here, driven by the demand for photo and movie editing, movies, on-demand TV and Audio.

They sit in your living room and do just about everything through Wi-fi and remote control. Many people can see the day when we all have one big box in a closet somewhere and one person can be in the study doing mundane chores like word processing or budgeting or term papers; someone else can be surfing the Net in another room; others can be watching HDTV or listening to music somewhere else - kind of a server-workstation thing.

Meanwhile, of course, "they" can interrupt you at any time with public service announcements and advertising.

1984, anyone?

Stu.

[DTA]

Most of what they have got is cheaper than anywhere else, so lets use the system that gives CDs at £4! and is mostlt cheaper on commercial routes.

David

[garethhale]

On The PS3, Will the PS2 games have a higher FPS than they do on the PS2? Same with the XBOX's?

[TomB]

all the frauds you hear about nowadays

Don't beleive everything you hear in the media...

[danielw2599]

I use online services all the time, and so far I havent been done in. Stick to well known sites, or sites that have a good rep and you will be fine.

Here are a few little tips,

ALWAYS make sure there is a little padlock symbol in the bottom right of your browser when fiiling out sensitive information. This denotes your on a secure server.

Make sure you have contact details such as Email, phone AND postal adress. Just Mobile mumber to me is unacceptable as is PO BOX adress.

Personly I wouldnt use credit cards for services such as online auctions


Re X360,

Matt has hit the nail on the head here, with a console, games are garenteed to work!! Allthough they are more expensive at the moment
(£49.99)

Im hoping to get mine on day of release, but not holding my breath

Daniel

[lateagain]

Well Matt, I have to concede that you put forward a very good case for consoles.

Why the ? Well I still think that it leaves us open to being ripped off. Console games are more expensive than PC ones, even from the many excellent discount sources.

On the “upâ€