Any impressions from E3?

I actually followed this years E3 more closely than past - I've had a resurgence in Console gaming - my gf gave me a Nintendo DS & Gamecube, and got into my sons Xbox - so my interst was a lil peaked.

Nintendo seems to have the edge - they are doing something different with the Wii controllers.. looks like fun...and will supposedly be afordable.

The shocker is Sony PS3 going for 599, I think? Is this insane?
One article I read called Sony evolutionary not revolutionary...

Maybe I am hust not that hardcore.. I love arcade games, PC games (CS & DoD), and console / handheld (Black & Mario Kart).. but 600 for a unit and games are going up also to 60... wow.

 

I'm sorry, I don't do impressions. My training is in psychiatry.

 

PS3 will come in two flavors (499 and 599) and the price tag isn't a shocker considering whats been put into the hardware.

Fact still remains, it kicks the living crap out of the price of a comparable gaming PC.

So is 600 dollars expensive? Yes. Is it expensive if all you use your 1500-3000+ dollars computer for is gaming?

Hell no, its a steal.

I'm sure thats what they are looking at.

That, and lets face it, they sell these consoles for less than the cost. Only over mass selling and years of doing it, does it turn a profit. The software is where the money is at.

Sure, I'm disappointed, but with infaltion and increased cost to manufacture plus the extra brawn of the machines, we can't expect things to launch at the same prices previous generation consoles did years ago.

 

Bwahahaha...trust you!!

 

Yea its been an interesting one this year.

PS3s price does seem uncharacteristically high for a gaming console, but like you say Adrynalyne, this is the time when a games console is actually comparable to a bleeding edge gaming PC, and developers are no longer limited by the hardware platform.
But will I be prepared to fork out that much for a console?? not sure yet. Blu-ray isn't necessarily an advantage yet - the whole Blu-Ray vs HD-DVD is just another Betamax vs VHS that the world could do without. Competition is good, and yet this seems bad. Gotta wait for the dust to settle and the winner emerge, or risk getting burnt with hardware retired early.

One thing I've come to resent from E3 especially these past few years is the amount of time that pre-rendered features get. Gaming is not about watching a movie (ok that line is blurring, but still) its about playing a game, and yet there is increasingly little time spent on the actual game play mechanics compared to some fancy movie sequence at this event.

But what stands out?

MGS4 was just anohter MGS trailer. I'll follow its progress but nowhere near as keenly as I did the first 2 games.
Assassins Creed excited me a little. This looks like a new take on an underused genre so I hope that they do soemthing cool with it.
GTA4 - hehe - it was obviously going to be announced. A shame thats all it was. Announced.

Nintendo Wii I'm sorta watching with a bemused expression on my face. Its like the underdog thats been beaten at what it arguably once did best, and is now throwing something completely unusual out there, and the world is still waiting and watching to see where it'll land, and how it will be recieved.

I don't know... I'm watching the next-gen race towards us not sure which way I'll go. Im not goign to be able to afford all I want (obviously) so Im just going to squeeze the last bit of juice out of my PS2 while the big boys duke it out. Jaws Unleashed is coming out and looks like a game I'll play with a smile on my face.

One things for sure though... with the race to continually dominate this market its going to be an interesting couple of years.

 

I've learned my lesson in the past. Get revision 2 of xx gaming console, at a lower price, increased reliability, and a much larger library of games

I'll leave buying at launch for the rich, bored, and the beta testers

Blu-ray is overkill in the PS3, imo. We'll see, I guess.

 

Consider this a market survey shows that consumers spend annually 500-600 dollars in the console (consoles, games, accessories) market.. so is the average consumer (not like us geeks) going to spend the whole budget on the PS3? I am sure there are mad gamers out there that will spend that...
I know that I for one was turned off by the PS2 "laser troubles" and the 90day warranty.. the more I waited ,like a prev. post for the next "better" version, the more interesting the Xbox became. Also with stuff like gas costing more I'm sure the disposable income is shriking in families.

Time will tell.

 

Interesting. My PS2 (launch) had a 1 year warranty.

But yeah, 90 day warranty is a joke. Its one of the only reasons I don't have a 360.

 

Indeed it will.

Still, for the gamer, who plays the latest games, the console is way cheaper than a PC.

 

Bet there were some gamers in there "look real women,they're just like on the internet but in 3D"

Still dont know why the mouse and keyboard hadnt been ported over,It'd be a huge leap for console FPS gaming

 

http://www.gametrailers.com has some interesting E3 game previews and booth interviews if you like that sort of thing, Foogoo. The go-go dancers sporting leather minis in this one are a bit much, but the graphics for Mobile Ops look promising...if you like that sort of thing (and if you don't, there's always go-go dancers in leather minis).
http://www.gametrailers.com/player.php?id=6060&type=mov&pl=game

 

True, but until I can run Office, Adobe Photoshop Elements, download and keep all my digital photos, rip .mp3 from CD & load them onto my Creative Zen, and do the full 9 yards that are available on the web, it still won't replace my computer. Yes, a gaming rig is more expensive than a console, but any DECENT computer, plus the cost of the game console, plus decent living room equipment to run them on if you don't have that already, can cost more than a pretty good gaming computer. And you can't do much to upgrade your game console. If ALL you do is games, console is cheaper. But it sure ain't for everybody.

 

Hecen the reason I said when the computer is specifically for games in an earlier post

 

And their software is even better.


As far as gaming is concerned, one huge advantage PC's have over consoles is the ability to patch games, as well as Mods etc.

Apart from price, the only advantage consoles have is that you don't need to bind control keys (and they are more stable than PC's).

 

True dat.

Also, you're right on the money about Blu-ray being overkill. Not only does it add a fair bit to the cost, but the format war still hasn't been settled last I heard. Might end up being this generation's Betamax. Sony LOST that one.

 

They seem to be slowly winning (BluRay), but it's close.

I think the only reason it's included in PS3, is for market penetration, and to curb piracy.

 

I think Sony included it because Sony is one of the primary proponents of that format, and it's an easy way to get more of THEIR preferred version into the marketplace.

For recording (which I don't think you need on a game console), BluRay's higher capacity looks inviting, but ultimately, it will be the movie industry's decision on which format they'll use that rules. The average consumer, as opposed to the average geek or gamer, is mainly interested in what format their favorite movies get released in. There was a short time when commercial movies were available in both Betamax and VHS, but the movie industry decided on VHS and that was the end of Betamax for all intents, even though its SPECS were superior to VHS. Could happen again. (shrug)

 

BluRay will make it a lot harder, if not impossible, to copy games.

Considering console manufacturers make their money from the games themselves rather than the hardware, it may just prove to be a wise move.

 

Oh no doubt about it.

They've invested a lot into this format, and will not want to see it tank, and certainly placing it into the PS3 is going to affect it. After all, for your $600 you're getting a Blu Ray player as well as a damned powerful games machine.

I recall reading that the adult, errrr, movie industry had collectively backed Blu-Ray and that they represent a considerable size of the DVD market so this was considered a blow to HD DVD.

Most movie studios are sitting on the fence and watching to see which one emerges victorious with tentative commitments to both...

I think whichever lasts will be the one with the largest presence at launch for the largest part of the consumer market. Like you say GT, the superior format doesn't always win. Whichever one is available most readily to the average person with the most of the titles they want on it will gain a huge market share that will be almost impossible to beat. In my oppinion at least...

 

The mouse and kb have ported over -
http://www.lik-sang.com/info.php?category=&products_id=5438&
I am a PC-FPS gamer and refused to learn to use sticks... thank god there are more like me...

 

Sweet,I didnt know that,I figured it would be easy but aint seen any,anyone who plays online with a pad has no chance then

 

No they aren't.

The only ones with a foot in both camps are Buena Vista Home Entertainment, Paramount Pictures, The Walt Disney Company, and Warner Bros.


Bluray already has the following movie studios, among others, on board, 20th Century Fox, Electronic Arts, MGM Studios, Sony Pictures Entertainment, and Vivendi Universal.

HD DVD have New Line Cinemas and Universal Studios.


These companies have already officially sided with each format.

That doesn't mean they won't change in the future though.

 

I recall reading this and thinking 'well that doesn't leave many other big players', but seeing your list below I'll happily retract that comment

Nice catch

 

I've already heard that there's at least one company talking about a dual-format drive for computers that will handle both BluRay and HD-DVD formats, which would be a nice solution for puter users. Haven't heard any talk about dual format set-top boxes, and I doubt the two competing groups would WANT dual format; they're all fighting for their own. I'm not interested in buying either ATM, since I clearly remember the Betamax debacle, plus the first generation drives and media are very expensive. It just ain't worth the gamble right now.

I've still got a box if Imation 120 Meg Super Disks in a drawer that was an alternative to the Iomega Zip drives some years ago. No longer in business, and the drive is long since dead. I don't need another one of those.