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You know it, we know it, the whole damn world knows it: On ever-so-rare occasions, there are technologies that we, the nerd elite, have ever-so-slightly... umm... overhyped. That's right, we said it. Overhyped. It's just that when we're talking with engineers or reading about about some hot new technology, we get so damn excited. So excited! And can you really blame us? I mean, who wouldn't get excited when you hear about CPUs that clock in over 4GHz, or instruction sets that will multiply your CPU's performance? And geez, who wouldn't want to turbocharge his gaming framerate? Hell, we shouldn't be blamed for overhyping, it's those damn engineers fault!
We get it. It's a very small notebook, and you're a cheapskate. But anytime the hype from one product single-handedly launches a whole new product category, we get suspicious. The Eee and its "Netbook" ilk are (a) criminally underpowered, (b) sport keyboards that will be fat-fingered by anyone who doesn't describe his hands as "fey" or "elfin," and (c) include displays with maximum resolutions that we haven't seen since we upgraded to a 12-inch CRT. It's great that you can trade in some cereal boxtops for a "Netbook", but we'd rather spend a buck or two and get a real computer. You know, something that wouldn't have been considered underpowered in 1997.
We're now on the cusp of the sixth year that has been described as "the year" that HDTV adoption will finally take off and Change the World™. Sometime in mid-2003 we proclaimed that HDTV-madness was sweeping the nation. And now, almost six years later, even our moms have finally bought shiny, beautiful 1080p sets and invested in HD cable or satellite. But the general public? The general public is so dumb and lazy that they're watching YouTube quality video on their plasmas and LCDs, because they're too cheap (or aforementionedly dumb and lazy) to invest in HD signals. Meanwhile, I'm the dumbass who's watching HD content on the four-foot thick, 500-pound rear-projection behemoth I "early-adopted" in 2001. Yes, I'm bitter. Still.
Distracting? Yes. Fun? Yes. Revolutionary? No. Facebook isn't anything special. It's simply the best execution of an idea that started way back when with Friendster, took a wrong turn as Orkut, and accidentally pandered to the teenybopper audience in the form of Myspace before inadvertantly backing into the mainstream by giving drunken college kids a place to post pictures from last night's party. Yes. I'm looking at you, Norm.
I said it in the magazine, and legions of superfans got pissed. So I'll say it again right now! Right up until the point that everyone went camping on New Caprica, Battlestar Galactica was the best thing on TV. Since then, it's been more about who fraks who than sending toasters to hell. A once-awesome sci-fi masterpiece has been reduced to Melrose Place in space. Meh.
Spore's finally been released, but that's not stifled its critics, who say that it's nothing more than a stripped-down version of better, more complex, more interesting games. Of course, the true irony is that the game Wil Wright built to save science doesn't allow your critters to evolve naturally. Instead, it's nothing more than a treatise in bump-mapped intelligent design. Oops.
Comments are closed on this article
washkid12
October 01, 2008 at 2:51pm
Few things.
I'm on my 5th 64bit computer, and have still never used a trrue 64 bit app. And actually I ditched Ubuntu 64 and vista 64 for ubuntu 32 and xp. Seriously 8 gigs of ram on a buggy os and experimental application software isn't exactly great.
Crossfire. I remember I had 2 350$ 6800gt's in my amdfx50 computer. And I still would lag in CS. It only added rames in some games. And nothing has changed 4 years later. It's rubbish.
The Wii is very un fun. Face book is lame, and the Iphone is cool. But I have always had a smart spone and never use them to their potential. So I say they are all over rated. But I still have to have them! :)
Stephenh1984
September 30, 2008 at 2:01pm
why is sli and crossfire on their i don't know were you get 4 or 5 times the price because you and 1.5 times the fps is fine like if you are running at 30fps 1.5 times that is 45fps which is no complainable or at least i think it is
FrydChicken
September 30, 2008 at 7:26am
I agree completly... Battlestar Galatica has been shit latlely, the Nintendo Wii needs better games, the Iphone is just a plastic piece a toilet paper that plays music... thank you for sharing my oppinion
CrimsonKnight13
September 29, 2008 at 5:59am
This is truly a troll's feast...
Most of the items on the list have brought a frenzy of people who disagree with it,
including myself.SLI/Crossfire is extremely handy for "Beyond HD" gaming & shows the benefits of it
many times through including Max PC's very own Dream Machine EVERY SINGLE YEAR.x64 handles extremely well with 4GB & onwards through gaming & memory intensive apps.
We may not be seeing the applications take a hold of it very well but those that do
support a large amount of RAM gobble all that is available & fly like rockets. I can't
complain when I see huge returns with 8GB.The rest of the items I'll leave alone since I really haven't dealt with them.
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Libera te ex infernis!
preacher1010
September 27, 2008 at 5:54am
thanks to the original poster of this comment, "tpav*", i learnt alot
EXPOSED! HD TV programming is not really hi-def yet....
"However, there's a real "paradox" going on when comes to HDTV vs BD or
HD DVD. While most of the serious movies which produced in BD or HD DVD
are perfectly calibrated as far as picture (and audio) quality is
concerned so to meet the D65 international movie standards, HDTV
stations are postprocessing the video properties before they air it in
order to make it more "impressive" for the "average eye" and also make
up for the low AVB broadcast due to limited available bandwidth. What
they usually alter (increase) is contrast and sharpness in simple
terms, not to mention the change of video "input levels/ black levels"
which are expanded form 16-235 (international TV standards) to 0-255
(PC video standards). By performing the above postprocessing, the video
looks like having deeper "blacks" (dynamic contrast levels), while
increased contrast and sharpness are giving the "illusion" of a better
and more crisp picture. In fact, image details are negatively affected
(visual info is severely decreased in dark scenes) when the source
video deviates from the internationally accepted standards. Can anyone
with a "trained" eye recall the HDTV broadcasting of Bionic Woman
(2007) tv series? Almost every episode had different visible picture
"quality". Some were more bright while others not.
What I just said, also explains the increased noise levels (disturbing
sometimes) that many of you I'm pretty sure you've noticed during
watching an actual HDTV broadcast some times, though digital
broadcasting specs are supposed to be.....noise free. Finally, that's
also a reason video noise exists in lots of HDTV rips posted in the
web. It's not just because of "improper" or inadequate ripping/encoding
or the use of very low AVB
Keith E. Whisman
September 26, 2008 at 2:04am
Don't forget Star Wars Episode 1. What a complete and utter crap movie. And the hype wagon was out of control until people started actually going to see the movie.
The Video game Prey was way over hyped. The game actually sucked large hairy balls.
The $500dollar Geforce 5900Ultra Video card was way over hyped as well until maximumPC discovered what was really going on with this so called DX9 video card. I had already spent my hard earned money on one and then found out it was the Nvidia equivalent of a Hugo.
Star Wars Galaxies was way over hyped.
Marriage is way over hyped.
The 30minute Star Wars episode of Robot Chicken. What crap. Yep it's still being over hyped.
Global Warming. Over hype Over hype Over hype.
The Ozone Layer hole. Wasn't that supposed to encompass the entire planet by now? Or was that idea put off until Al Gore made millions off of scaring people world wide about his global warming thing. Hey Al Gore if my car exaust is causing global warming how do you explain the global temperature rise on all the other planets in our solar system? Remember them Al? You know Mars it's heating up. Yep. Global Warming. Do you still think that we humans can do anything to stop global warming now? I don't think so. Instead of blaming humanity why don't you look at world history. We don't know what kind of long term cycles the planets and the sun go through. I mean cycles that happen every million years or so. Perhaps we are all screwed because of what happens every million years to the sun or some other cosmic thing. Who knows. We don't even know what's all in the oceans let alone the solar system and the galaxy and the Universe.
dmateja06
September 25, 2008 at 11:04am
the EEE pc is garbage. whos fingers actually feel comfortable on that thing. those are computers for little people and hobbits. seriously go and buy a real laptop the money you will pay for the eee pc and any other laptop with better features is going to be just about the same or a couple hundred more.
the eee pcs remind me of those wanna be computers that were like spelling and math aids when i was a kid. except with windows on it.
but hey you can do just about the same with the two
**not a fan of apple - do not own iPod or iPhone
and the iPhone very hyped but is quality even though getting apps to be realeased for that thing might be a pain in the ass but the phone itself is great. easy to use , user friendly , the works
Devo85x
September 25, 2008 at 4:50am
The only way I get hyped is if I read something definite (like Nehalem) or see it for my self (iphone) otherwise i dont usually pay too much atention so this stuff doesnt seem "crapy" when it comes out... as for bsg... DAMN THEM FOR MAKING IT SUCK!
rmmst49
September 25, 2008 at 12:23am
right on every point. 64-bit computing will be great, 5 years from now, and hdtv is great, though, yes, i watch more grainy video online than i do in high def. BSG has sucked from new caprica on, and it also sucked the rest of the time except for the first and last 2 episodes in season's 1 and 2. I've never seen such great promis wasted, except for firefly getting cancelled. Sci fi is in a sad state these days, i mean, seriously, in the genre that by definition gives you license to run with literally anything you could imagine in any universe of possibilites, no one can come up with any new ideas. boo.
og_greek
September 24, 2008 at 1:06pm
64 bit is not only for content creation, and for addressing ram. 64 bit computing will be better for everything, as the instructions the CPU will process will be 64 bit instead of 32 bit, so everything will be processes faster (because more instructions can be executed), as long as the software is programmed for 64 bit, of course.
HeartBurnKid
September 24, 2008 at 12:18pm
Seriously, the Wii provides the perfect counterpoint to PC gaming, IMHO (as opposed to the 360 and the PS3, where all the good games either show up on PC eventually, or were on PC first). And I've never been at a want for something to play on it.
Yeah, maybe if all you play on it is Wii Sports, it gets old after a while, but the big secret to console ownership is to BUY NEW GAMES now and then. If all you're playing on it is Mario games, that's your fault, not the console's. It's not like other games haven't been there; they haven't come out at the rapid pace that I'd like, but there's enough to keep me in new games between PC releases.
Go track down a copy of No More Heroes sometime. It's a great game that did criminally bad on the market because people like you were waiting for the next Mario game.
rmmst49
September 25, 2008 at 12:38am
you know what, f u u fing nintendo d'oeuvre. the reason people don't buy new wii games is that there are none worth buying. So, if i take you at your word that you do any pc gaiming, that means that in all likelyhood you are lying about ever using your wii and that if you did in fact try to pop a new disc in right now out of pure spite for me exposing you, you'd probably die a horrible lonely death coughing up blood from the hysterical reaction of your throat and lungs to the cloud of accumulated dust, pet dander and general ignorant piggishness thats been building up in your beloved consoles loading slot ever since you finished mario sunshine.
hogkill
September 24, 2008 at 6:57am
This list needs to be fixed bigtime.
Ignoring your BAAAWWW worthy self-opinion of putting Wii on the list, you didn't put the iPod on at all, let alone #1.
The iPod is without a doubt the most overhyped contraption on the planet. There are thousands of better/cheaper mp3 players on the market. It's like everyone buying the same brand of TV sets for no reason.
And yes Spore was very overhyped. The game looked stupid from the get go. I'd have more fun gluing pipe cleaners to my dogs than playing something like that. But stupid is as stupid does.
ferds7
September 24, 2008 at 6:33am
As a content creation/3D guy, I think 64 bit is awesome. Someday when "you" people (as you put it) can actually use it, you'll enjoy it too.
Plus, what would you use it for anyways besides content creation. I can't think of many other programs that would require that much ram at this time.
I suppose your games could load a little faster but otherwise I see nothing.
ironsmyth777
September 24, 2008 at 5:57am
HaHaHahahahahahahaha!!! Someone finally had the guts to say it! Thank you! I get toasted every time I Hint at Max PC not being the king of all computer wisdom and knowledge. I love you guys, I do. You've taught me more by daring me delve into the hardware and software than my college computer courses did. However when I suggested (just a couple of days ago) that you guys sometimes miss the mark with your chasing the "latest and greatest" only to be proven really wrong in the long run I was called Joe Commodore! How funny is that! :) I was ROTFLMAO typing a response.
Anyway, thanks for touching the tip of the iceberg on this topic and I'm all for a section devoted to "stuff that should have been better than it actually turned out to be" section. Or call it "We Were Wrong, and here's why..." section. I like the second one best.
I would like to point out also that it's not all your fault. Sometimes you get a little excited over hardware (and software) promises without waiting to see the real world applications and/or problems. I think it stems from having such close relationships with hardware (and software) providers that you get caught up in the frenzy. It's okay, just thanks for finally acknowledging it.
ps. I enjoy tv and movies as much as the next person but my subscription to Entertainment Weekly is where I want to read about that. You guys are Maximum PC... try not to forget it. (and that also means weighing you're articles againist real world users, most folks don't, and can't afford, bleeding edge. But that doesn't mean you can't help with their performance issues.)
Keith E. Whisman
September 23, 2008 at 8:33pm
Um 64bit's problem is that it hasn't been hyped enough. I remember it took a couple of years for 32bit to take hold but it did and 16bit apps eventually died away.
I was told off for dissing on Eee PCs a few months back on this site no less. They were crap then as much as they are crap now.
And why trash on SLI? SLI is just a way to fit two video cards into your computer for better perfomance. What about that isn't cool? How SLI not awsome? Next thing your going to complain about over hyping quad core cpu's because all four cores hardly never get used at once to increase performance. Yet Quads are the minimum recommendation at maximumpc.
So if useless extra cores are ok then why is SLI overhype?
bathtbgin
September 23, 2008 at 8:20pm
You've finally posted on your main page the very article that got me
to hate "The List". This thing reads like a forum troll wrote it and
it has no business being in the magazine. You claim that you "dont
have the room to do the best of the best justice" but some how you've
managed to find space for something David Letterman is getting bored
with, and in 72pt font as well. If I want to read crap like this i'd
subscribe to Maxim.
Oh and episode 3x01 to 3x04 of BSG
were the best of the series, the rest of season 3 sucked, and season
4.0 was better but 4.5 is going to have to be amazing to make up for
the love "quadrangle". As a whole though its not overhyped especially
when you consider that more people watched those crappy scifi original
movies than an episode of BSG what it was at its peak popularity.
hogkill
September 24, 2008 at 7:02am
Battlestar Gallactica is for 12 year olds, and people who dress up as wizards while they throw dice.
hellomms
September 23, 2008 at 7:46pm
not even a single thing listed here. even the laptop is not my own
denyasis
September 23, 2008 at 6:22pm
#9
Yes, beacause deciding against buying a LCD thats 10x more expensive than the same sized LCD and then paying double the cable bill for only 20ish "HD" channels that aren't even in total HD (only some programs are recorded in HD) must be dumb and lazy.
For the amount of money that the General public must "invest", I think one would expect something more than a "better picture" some of the time from a fraction of channels. Hence why it is over-hyped.
skhills
September 23, 2008 at 6:15pm
I'm sure it was quite a battle for the top ten spots, but I'm surprised blu-ray and PS3 didn't make the cut. I'll admit that you're right and I don't play my Wii as much as I thought I would, but at least it was a small investment.
What about PS3 as the first console to hit the $700 mark? Only a bargain when compared to those early blu-ray adopters that spent a grand for a movie player that played discs that cost twice as much as DVD's and look about the same as upconverted DVD's to the general public.
karnak
September 24, 2008 at 3:40pm
That is a fallacy that blu-ray looks the same as upconverted DVD. We have tested several movies having the blu-ray version and the DVD version and there is a clear difference. Sure if you just glance it may look the same, but we enjoy actually watching our movies, and there is a clear difference.
fake gordon mah ung
September 23, 2008 at 5:54pm
BSG has been the biggest source of disappointment for me.
Deanjo
September 23, 2008 at 5:30pm
#5 is so wrong, linux users have been reaping the benifits of 64 bit computing for years where it shows realworld performance gains. It would more appropriate if you listed 5 as Windows 64 as that pseudo 64-bit OS doesn't have any real 64-bit apps for it. Hell half of it is still 32-bit.
Deanjo
September 24, 2008 at 7:29am
Prety much anything that does media encoding, database, rendering of course, compression, encryption, fft's, webserving, etc. Ranging from 5 -30% increase in performance.
JPmatt6
September 23, 2008 at 8:25pm
Uhh.. I'm pretty sure #10 was the most right.
I agree with all of them though.
Stephenh1984
September 23, 2008 at 5:44pm
first in the subject you said 1 and 5 were wrong and then you said 10 and 5 were in the acctually comment
personally i think their all right
