GC: Dial-up modem vs. BBA // BBA discontinued (rumor?)

[Kaervek]

OK, so I was wondering - is dial-up access to the PSO servers the same as Dreamcast servers, as far as speed goes? I would obviously prefer BB, but if the modem is as fast as the Dreamcast was - I wouldn't mind sticking with Dial-up.

As a sidenote - I heard one of the clerks at GameStop last night say the the BBA was discontinued due to the fact that they don't have enough online support (3rd party-wise), and that they may do the same with the modem. I realize that this is most likely a rumor, and probably incorrect at that. But I figured that it was worth posting.

[milk]

On 2002-12-13 10:02, Kaervek wrote:
I heard one of the clerks at GameStop last night say the the BBA was discontinued due to the fact that they don't have enough online support (3rd party-wise), and that they may do the same with the modem. I realize that this is most likely a rumor, and probably incorrect at that. But I figured that it was worth posting.


That rumour is total bullshit.

[RagMasterRappy]

As a sidenote - I heard one of the clerks at GameStop last night say the the BBA was discontinued due to the fact that they don't have enough online support (3rd party-wise), and that they may do the same with the modem. I realize that this is most likely a rumor, and probably incorrect at that. But I figured that it was worth posting.


I doubt that. Nintendo is going to redistribute them in December.

[GimpyBoy]

Exactly, this is just a rumor. Nintendo would not discontinue something as lucritave as PSO. Not in your GameStop rumor spreader's wildest dreams lol.

[Kayumi]

The speed issue is a good question. I, too, would like to know--that's going to have to be another factor I consider when I (eventually) take it online...

[BigDaddy]

It's December 13th and still no BBA shipments...

There could be some truth to these rumors.

Remember a month befor the DC was canned distributors began taking off DC gamess off release lists and the DC itself, people wondered what was going on. Distributors said it was because the system was going to be discontinued, no one believed it and Sega kept denying it was being canned.

How lucrative is PSO exactly? All Nintendo gets are the regular royalty fees from Sega and some extras off the BBA/Modem sales. But they're very reluctant to even ship out anymore BBAs/Modems, if it's so lucrative, why aren't they making a bigger effort? It's really no surprise though, as Nintendo has been one of the biggest pessimists when it comes to online games. You might argue it drives system sales, however, given Nintendo's demographics, that's questionable. Remember that they are dead last when it comes to the online issue.

Then you have Sega stopping shipment/production of PSO with no word on when or if it'll even be back, which doesn't help the stituation any. Let's not forget that there is no keyboard, probably the most important peripheral to onlie games like PSO. Then you have the dupe bug issue, Action Replay will be out in a few days, segregated servers, and customer complaints of getting double charged on their CCs.

The entire PSO launch has just been one big mess.



<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: BigDaddy on 2002-12-13 10:45 ]</font>

[Kaervek]

Whether or not the rumor is true, both arguments do have good standings.

First of all, this IS Nintendo we're talking about. I find it hard to believe that they would let themselves stay in the dark (as far as online gaming is concerned) for too long. They were/have been one of/the industry leader(s) for many, many years. The fact that they would just let the rest of the gaming world pass them by perplexes me.

However, it is very true (obviously) that they have very little, if any, 3rd party support for online games. Sure, everyone here might thinks that PSO is all they need for online gaming - me included ;P But let;s face it - they need more than that to keep pushing these modem/BBA units.

Anywho, back the the first subject: Does anyone here have the modem as opposed to the broadband adapter? Obviously the BBA is ideal for online gaming, but in my opinion, the dreamcast's modem worked perfect for me. Sure I had some lag here and there - but it wasn't all that bad. If the Nintendo modem is as good as the Dreamcast's, I probably wouldn't think twice about getting Broadband installed and purchasing the BBA for the GCN. Any and all information on the bandwidth issue is greatly appreciated - and would help make the PSO (online) community a little larger. Thanks in advance.

Just as a reminder to people who are too lazy to read all the posts in this thread -

I never said that the modem/bba rumor was true or not, I just simply passed the word along. Please, refrain from any retarded flames stating that I'm full of shit. Thanks http://www.pso-world.com/psoworld/images/phpbb/icons/smiles/icon_razz.gif

last sunday i wasn't feeling good, so i sent my bro out to get me the 56k modem adapter from gamestop. he said that the guy working there said that the 56k modem was to be discontinued and nintendo wasn't shipping them any more. he also said that there are only 2 games supported by the 56k adapter and they stopped making games for the 56k adapter. if you want to play anything else other than pso, you need to get a bba. i think you just got your story messed up.

[Zecht]

that last post was by me, but psow had an anurism so it didn't say it was me... just to let you know who your talking to.

[BigDaddy]

Nintendo hasn't been the market leader since the NES days. They're probably the most conservative company in the market today.

They let CDs pass them by.

They let the Mature market pass them by.

They let the DVD medium pass them by.

It should not perplex anyone that they are letting online gaming pass them by. I don't even know how many statements NOJ has made regarding their negative view of online games.

I mean look at the Sports games for the GC. Not only does it not have online play like the others... but VC will pull their entire line out after this year. And it looks like EA is following suit.

As for your connection on dial-up, just like the DC version, it is going to depend on how good your ISP is. If you're using a FISP, your connection will most likely suck. If you're using a good ISP, then aside from slightly shorter load times and a little less lag, BB and NB on the PSO servers won't really matter as it is optimized for both.

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: BigDaddy on 2002-12-13 14:35 ]</font>

[Tavia]

Message(#6851-000082-4355824355)

Hi!

The Broadband Adapter has not been discontinued. While initial shipments have sold out in many places, including here at Nintendo, new ones are on the way. Keep checking at your local retailers for the Broadband Adapter.


Nintendo of America Inc.
R.M. Rickets

Nintendo's home page: http://www.nintendo.com/
Power Line (Automated Product Info): (425) 885-7529

[Annoy]

As a sidenote - I heard one of the clerks at GameStop last night say the the BBA was discontinued due to the fact that they don't have enough online support (3rd party-wise), and that they may do the same with the modem. I realize that this is most likely a rumor, and probably incorrect at that. But I figured that it was worth posting.

Nah...don't worry about it...In the newest Nintendo Power Magazine, they say they were just put on backorder to fix a few "glitches" (personally I think someone dropped theirs in the toilet, then returned it and claimed it didn't work). They're supposed to be coming back out on the 27 of December (suuuuure....wait untill AFTER Christmas, not good sale planning on their part). There is a possibility they may begin to distribute them before then too...so baisically...just keep on checking thse shops. And maybe you'll get lucky one day and they'll be out.

Personally I'm hoping some shop in Arizona (I'm going there for Christmas) will have one. Who knows...maybe I'll get lucky. In the meanwhile...I gotta stick to begging my mom to get me the PSO Collection for my GBA http://www.pso-world.com/psoworld/images/phpbb/icons/smiles/icon_razz.gif

[CajunSamurai]

In regards to speed:

On 56k on PSO V1/2, I had item lag of up to 2 or 3 seconds with one disconnection every night or two.

On BBA on PSO Episode 1&2, when hosting OR joining a broadband "hosted" game (that is, someone with broadband that created a game), item lag is half a second, max. Usually about 1/3rd of a second, I'd say. I figure I get ping times of about 100ms or less at almost all times.
During a BBA game, it takes between 1-2 SECONDS for someone to join a game... I believe this is true even for 56kers in the game. http://www.pso-world.com/psoworld/images/phpbb/icons/smiles/icon_biggrin.gif
When downloading quests and challenges, it usually takes a matter of 3 or 4 seconds, rather than the 1 or 2 minutes it took on V2.
When scanning lobby lists and joining lobbies, it is substantially faster.

But, you won't get the fast item pickups or join times if playing in a dialup hosted game. I assume that the game is simply optimized for either 56k or BB, depending on who makes the game.

So yes, you get a lot more speed... but for a game like PSO, you really don't need broadband, 56k works fine. BB sure does come in handy though.

[Kaervek]

*DELETED* Double post... d'oh!

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: Kaervek on 2002-12-14 16:10 ]</font>

[Kaervek]

The following is stated on the 'Nintendo.com Online Store' website:

Regarding Broadband Adapter:

"Broadband Adapter (Available Late December 2002)
$34.95

Currently on Back Order - Will begin shipping in late December 2002"

Regarding Modem:

"Modem Adapter (Available Late December 2002)
$34.95

Currently on Back Order - Will begin shipping in late December 2002"

This should clear up any confusion.

I have come to the conclusion that GameStop employees (or anyone other than the source, for that matter) have no definitive say in what is happening in the video game industry. They just take my money and give me a receipt.



<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: Kaervek on 2002-12-14 16:12 ]</font>

[Grendelrt]

I work at a gamestop, and I can tell you most people that work at gamestops just look at what it says in the computer and blurts it out. The BBA comes up as delisted in our computers, and people take that as automatically discountinued. Nintendo said that they couldn't fufil the orders to a lot of gamestops and thats why it has been delisted. So no its not discountinued, and yes most gamestop people will say it is, they are dumb, dont listen lol. BTW I found mine at a Walmart cause our store didnt get any, from what i have heard , walmarts have been the place most the people i know found theirs.

[Abductor]

That's a great observation. I might also add that the "inside rumor" you hear from some guy at a store is most likely something he heard on the internet heheh. It's not like Gamestop management or Nintendo keep your local store clerk in the loop.

Tavia was the voice of reason writing Nintendo directly. A corporation will sometimes mislead or dodge a question but someone out there usually knows the correct answer.

One thing that stood out in my mind, because I worked at SEGA for 5 years, was the comment posted by one observer that the game may have been discontinued because after all, how much money does Nintendo make off a 3rd party game?

Well the answer to that question is a lot. All the game makers are selling their systems at a loss! They make all their money off in-house titles and 3rd party titles, and they make a little profit on peripherals like extra control pads. That's why you always just get one control pad. But anyway Nintendo gets a nice chunk of the sale of every 3rd party game and 3rd party accessory. It's pure gravy, they get big fat checks from developers without doing much of anything.

[Moo2u]

On 2002-12-13 10:42, BigDaddy wrote:
Then you have Sega stopping shipment/production of PSO with no word on when or if it'll even be back, which doesn't help the stituation any.

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: BigDaddy on 2002-12-13 10:45 ]</font>


WHat? I might be a bit slow, but I haven't heard this at all. Hehe, guess I'm the opposite of most people here. I got a BBA, but no PSO!

Damn, now what do I do with a BBA, but no game! :S

[Abductor]

To expound on what the author was saying, I read another interesting tidbit as to why some retail employees were saying it was discontinued. A lot of retailers list items as "discontinued" on their inventory screens when the supplies are sold out, because backordered implies another batch is soon to ship to the retailer. The retail guy then in turn tells you "it's been discontinued".



<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: Abductor on 2002-12-15 22:57 ]</font>