Is it just me that's become disappointed in the 'new' HOCP?

[Guden Oden]

While I've condemned Kyle's insensitive, bigmouth, smartass attitude in the past and vowed to never visit his site ever again (once because of some particulary offensive quip about dyslexic people for example), only to come sneaking back a couple months later.

This time however it looks like I'm about to leave for good, not because of some idiotic, assholey thing Kyle said, no. If it had only been that, I'm sure I'd come back again eventually...

No, it's because the site's become so DAMN BORING.

Don't you think it got really boring after the redesign? I mean... Who the F wants a "consumer" section? What's that supposed to be good for on HOCP? It's like some special 'Hell's Angels for kids' club, soft-core OCP or something. Doesn't make sense. They commercialized it too much, the site doesn't feel genuine anymore. Feel like I'm visiting IGN or something, the atmosphere changed too much. Plus, I'm really bored with the constant self-congratulatory bull I see in their articles and reviews all the time where they pat themselves on the back for being so awesome, knowledgeable and great. I mean, please. Cut out the horseshit, just gimme the review and I'll decide if it's great or not, thankyouverymuch.

The biggest issue I have however is that the news page is so short these days. I literally have to visit pretty much every day to not miss posts, and they don't have a blog-like "previous page" system, no. I have to go fiddle with the news archive instead, what a waste of an opportunity here. Engadget for example is so much easier to visit after a long break, I just keep flipping back into the past until I start recognizing the posts...


So, what do you people think? Did the site perhaps improve in your opinion? I'm really curious here!

 

[Chris123234]

I agree.

I seriously hate the impatient archiving of the new design, most of the time things are archived before the week is even over. And, when I get to the end of the news page and realize I have already hit the end and have to browse through the links in the archive section I tend to just go to another site because I hate having to click 3 more times instead of just scrolling down further (like how it used to be). Never design an imatient archiving system for use with impatient people like me!

Though the consumer part doesnt really bother me because I have never really noticed it. I guess I have some sort of selective seeing lol.

 

[Geo]

I tend to think it is possible that for the hardcore hardware enthusiast crowd that [H] could be on the same road to profitable irrelevancy* that Tom's Hardware has already taken.

Maybe Kyle won't let that happen, and will stay more visibly involved than Pabst ever did after the transmogrification began to happen.

Guess we'll see.


*"Profitable" being a key word in that phrase. Not arguing business results, just target market served.

 

[epicstruggle]

I tend to think it is possible that for the hardcore hardware enthusiast crowd that [H] could be on the same road to profitable irrelevancy* that Tom's Hardware has already taken.

I was thinking the same thing. I dont visit toms after all the crap he did to the site.

epic

 

[kyleb]

(once because of some particulary offensive quip about dyslexic people for example)

Any chance you might be so kind as to elaborate on that? Being dyslexic myself I can't help but be curious.

As for the website, I lost interest in it ages ago and don't go there aside from when following the occasional link from elsewhere.

 

[Citrous]

Yeah, I had been visiting the site since it was the "Unreal Framerate Page" way back when. I learned about the awesome Abit BH6 combined with Celeron 300A combo there. It's slowly turned into something I loathe, and your sentiment sums up my feelings about the page as well. I actually e-mailed kyle about it maybe 2 or 3 times over the course of the gradual change. I pretty much stick to Ars and a few other sites for all my needs now, but even they don't quite satisfy me completely. I feel like the beginning of the end for HardOCP was back when they added Steve Lynch as an actual Editor/Newsguy on HOCP, and not just running his affiliate site hypothermia. Dunno why really, his posts and such just left a bad taste in my mouth. On closer analysis I think it was the sweeping arrogance I felt was present in 90% of his work. Anyway, I'm glad to find out I'm not alone in these feelings.

 

[Guden Oden]

Any chance you might be so kind as to elaborate on that? Being dyslexic myself I can't help but be curious.

It was long ago now, years in fact before their redesign before this one, but as I recall, he inferred something like dyslexics being stupid for not being able to read properly.

 

[_xxx_]

Dunno, I think it looks good. And I like the more serious tone, the childish bull from a few years ago was just annoying. Now it's ok IMHO.

 

[Sobek]

While I've condemned Kyle's insensitive, bigmouth, smartass attitude in the past and vowed to never visit his site ever again (once because of some particulary offensive quip about dyslexic people for example), only to come sneaking back a couple months later.

*snip*

Ahhhh. Reading that was like going to the toilet after having held it in for hours...very pleasing.

I've just never mentioned anything because the bigwigs seem to enjoy hitting it out with themselves, but I do, for one, agree with prety much everything you've said regarding TOCP. Back 'in the day', I used to very much enjoy visitng the forums, reading some articles...was very enjoyable. But something just...changed, a while back. Everyone became so angry, so filled with animosity, I just did the whole "i'm going home" speech and left it be, returning to the norm (B3d).

Sorry, was I ranting? *wheeze*. OCP just needs a little TLC, methinks.

 

[L233]

The HardOCP frontpage is swamped with "news" and one-liner comments and I don't see the relevancy for the enthusiast demographic anymore. There are far better news sites out there, sites that don't make me wade through Steve's ultra-patriotic editorial quips. Seriously, why should I go to a website like HardOCP to read up on stuff like web browsers, talking iPods, DVRs and that new Pirates of the Carribean movie?

As for Tom's Hardware... I still frequent that site, not because their video card or mainboard reviews are that great but because they review stuff others don't, like networking products, TFT monitors, mobile products and so on. There are also some suprisingly well researched articles to be found that aren't straight reviews, like their excellent ADSL2+ article on the German subsite.

 

[KBeee]

You actually go to Hard [OCP]??????
I quit there after we got the old "You made a mistake..." (You're banned)
"You forgot to turn off the over-clocking" - (you're banned)
"Why were they banned?" (You're banned)
"They've been here 2 years..." (you're banned)
"But you've altered the images from the first review to the second review..." (you're banned)
fiasco
Stalin woulda loved it

 

[FrgMstr]

I will extend the news page by another 15 items and get that news archive button direct linked back to what has just scrolled off the page. Sorry for the inconvenience.

As for our content moving more mainstream, yes we have been focused on that for about a year now. H Consumer is moving along fine now and we will be regaining forcus on our enthusiast pages. Four new video card editors have been hired recently, a cooling guy is back on board, and we have three producing motherboard editors including myself.

Admittedly, things in the enthusiast end are not the same as they used to be, and never will be again IMO opinion. But still we want to get back to some of our roots this year.

 

[BRiT]

It's hard to be disappointed in the new site when you were already disappointed with the old site.

 

[rwolf]

I have no problems with it. It is only as exciting as the products and new that are available at the time.

 

[FrgMstr]

The button at the bottom of the [H] News page is now fixed so that it will move you to the previous news, no menus needed. We are working on page length now. Certainly this should not be as bothersome if you can go to the previous news easily.

 

[Guden Oden]

That's a good change.

Kyle, lemme ask you... How did you stumble on this thread, did someone tip you off, or do you goof off during the day reading B3D forums rather than work on your site?

 

[digitalwanderer]

Who are the 4 new viddy editors Kyle? Anyone we'd know?

 

[FrgMstr]

That's a good change.

Kyle, lemme ask you... How did you stumble on this thread, did someone tip you off, or do you goof off during the day reading B3D forums rather than work on your site?

I try to stop by once a week and I do a search on "HardOCP" to see if there are any community concerns here that need to be addressed by myself. From that point I go on to read the forums to see what the buzz is about, if there is any.

 

[FrgMstr]

Who are the 4 new viddy editors Kyle? Anyone we'd know?

Casey Brewer is one, and he has already written two evaluations.

PowerColor Radeon X1600 XT BRAVO

Sapphire Radeon X1600 PRO

Another is working on his first and two more are getting ready to be trained so we will have a staff of 5 video card editors. They are all local to the Dallas Ft Worth area and fit the bills as gamers that are video card enthusiasts as well.