Lemme just preface that I have a lot of respect for Cory Doctorow. Really, I do.
I just don't think math is his strong point. He's now bashing Sony for not including an expensive HDMI cable with the 60GB version of the PlayStation 3. He also accuses them of charging 20% more just for the pleasure of having HDMI.
Which if the 60GB version's only difference from the 20GB version would be HDMI, he would be 100% accurate. $600 is 20% more than $500. What he forgets to subtract is that 40GB difference between the 60GB and 20GB version. Not to mention the flash card reader, wifi card, and that lovely silver trim.
Now quickly, someone go buy a 40GB hard drive, card reader and wifi card. I come up with $40, $10 , and $25 respectively from a completely unscientific and very fast NewEgg crawl. So that HDMI support cost me $25. Roughly. I mean, it's all nonsense anyway since it's not like Sony does it's shopping at NewEgg. Sony can probably get the extra components at about $65 OEM or such, but of course there is also the extra cost of having two manufacturing lines and whatnot ... but I think you get the point. HDMI might be making the 60GB version more expensive, but whatever it is ... it's the shallow part of $100 ... not the whole enchilda.
Why should I be surprised? Not too long ago, Cory announced that the PlayStation 3 wouldn't play Blu-Ray movies (which is not true if you were curious). Honestly, I don't think he is a Sony hater as much as a crazed DRM hater.
But dear god man, do a little a research or you know, talk to Xeni before posting this crap. It's getting embarrasing.
tagged: game, gaming
Friday, September 01, 2006
Boing Boing Math On the PlayStation 3
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4 comments:
Doctorow got taken to task for freaking out about music DRM a while back too, over at Create Digital Music. He's got to settle down. Maybe he could spend some more time at Disneyworld or something.
And it's sad, because I think watchdogging DRM is very good thing. But posting this kind of complete nonsense to Boing Boing is bad form bordering on irresponsible. I mean if I made such crazy mistakes, who cares?
But people actually read that blog!
Well, I don't know about anyone else, but nowadays I just -spacebar- right past those kinds of BB posts. It's the background noise, along with "Amusing video of Space Mountain" and that goddamn woman/monkey painting that Mark Fraunfelder posts for his artist friend every three days.
Which is not to say that you don't have a point. But anyone who skims that site has probably long ago realized that there's a few subjects where the authors are collectively a little out there.
I think I missed that ceremony where Cory Doctorow was made an Honorary Expert on Everything.
On the other hand, each additional person with a recognisable name raising people's consciousness of electronic media issues is probably a good thing. As long as he doesn't wander into Jack Thompson "I'm so crazy I'm hurting my own cause" territory then the noise level is probably more valuable than the content.
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