Critical Gamer writes: Last week, I wrote an article regarding the connection between videogame consoles and computers, and the war in the Congo – more specifically, people’s reactions to an article in Kotaku on the subject. Now, I am able to offer you a chance to show that you care.
I chose to treat the subject of ‘conflict minerals’ – in this case, minerals mined to fund the widespread rape and murder in the Congo – as more than something to update the site with one day. I contacted the international charity Oxfam with a view to supporting an existing online petition on the subject, and they kindly pointed me in the direction of Raise Hope For Congo. As part of their campaigning, RHFC have set up an online form where you can, with just one click of a mouse button, tell Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo that you want them to ensure their machines contain no minerals from conflict zones.
If you were a 90s kid excited about Nintendo’s upcoming N64 console, you likely read something somewhere about the Nintendo 64 Disk Drive, also known as the 64DD or DD64.
Genuine Enabling Technology was seeking damages, claiming the tech allowing PlayStation consoles and controllers to communicate infringes its rights.
Sounds like patent trolling they tried the same thing against Nintendo with the same pattern.
Motion and control input traversing over higher and lower frequencies seperate from each other allowing the controller to do both
So to recoup the money Genuine is going to take on Nintendo or Microsoft next. I hate patent lawyers they are some of the worst bottom feeders out there.
Microsoft has announced the Microsoft Rewards app on Xbox will be discontinued in April and has confirmed that weekly streaks will also be coming to an end.
Done, dusted, heartily agree.
So long as one man is different to another there will always be war.
It's sad but true, desire fuels everything include war. I live in a utopia and I know that, I am greatful about it and I will try to be as big a help to society as I possibly can. While I agree the situation is awful it's not going to change my mind on the next laptop I buy. If it's a £10 increase I'm fine with it, but £100 maybe not so much, it just strange how we value a human life, if it's indirect it's worthless, if it's direct it's priceless.
Now that's something you don't expect to find in your console. I've signed the form, but I'm always rather sceptic about how much good it will do... Of course it is horrible, but will those companies actually change something that they've been doing succesfully for such a long time? But well, no harm in signing, maybe something will happen :)
Another signature on the form certainly won't hurt. It's quite optimistic hoping that we'll change the minds of these companies though. One day everyone is complaining that games cost too much, and then we strongly disagree about the shortcuts the big companies take to try and cut them down. At least next time someone tells me that they are better because they have a Mac I can tell them that they fund the horrors of war (and then run off before they can tell me I'm doing the same).
for all the time it takes to sign the petition it's worth it.