Next-Gen Updates From Leipzig

The Leipzig Game Convention continues in Germany. Folks looking forward to the Wii should be happy to hear Nintendo has announced some new games. They announced the new titles at their press conference, an event which both Kotaku and 1up were on-hand for. Sony hasn't had a lot to say in the last few days. As promised, there are no playable PS3 games available; just the same, gamers can look forward to 27 playable PS3 titles at the Tokyo Game Show. Microsoft, meanwhile, spent time at the convention talking about Xbox Live, and showing off their new peripherals. 1up up was there for the Microsoft press conference as well.

Comments

simply..

[buswolley]

a disappointment.

Missing from the summary

[JFMulder]

Microsoft apparently has grabbed exclusive license for the next iterations of FIFA from EA and Pro Evolution Soccer from Konami for Next-Gen consoles for at least a year. This deal doesn't prevent EA and Konami to release the games on current-generation consoles tough.

I thought that was a pretty big blow to Sony, but then I realized, with the market share Sony will have this year, with the probable shortages and everything, there won't be that much people to buy the two games anyway, so it's probably simpler for these companies not to bother porting to the PS3 for this year. Unless this drives soccer (sorry "Rest of the world", I meant Football :p) fans to buy a 360 instead.

Re:Missing from the summary

[fimbulvetr]

Sony's releasing their console this year?

Re:Missing from the summary

[kinglink]

I have not heard that from anywhere, but that's a major blow, because from my understanding Winning Eleven was the major game in Japan, and from Konami. Of course americans thinks nothing of soccer so that might be why we haven't heard it posted.

Of course if you think EA is going to ignore the PS3 why? EA wants to make everyone buy the game, and the asian companies who will probably buy the PS3 easier will be targetted by EA.

Even so with EA gobbling up every sport I'm a little saddened, but at least we should see some new unique games like Mutant Football League, resurface.

Re:Missing from the summary

[JFMulder]

I should have posted a link to this news. Basically, the deal states that (from the article) the two leading football titles from Electronic Arts and Konami will not be available for Sony's PlayStation 3 until at least twelve months after release on Microsoft's console

No word on the Wii at this moment.

Re:Missing from the summary

[MindStalker]

Well the Wii certainly proved itself to me. When they released "The Wizard" to DVD.

Otherwise. meh. You know Nintendo certainly does have a good marketting team (well minus the late 90's early 2000's, but you know..)

Re:Missing from the summary

[gabebear]

This would be huge news if true... It seems more likely that you misread something else though. Has anyone else read this anywhere?

Anyone else notice that the Wii's Battalion Wars 2 screenshots were in 1080 Hi-Def?

Re:Missing from the summary

[JFMulder]

Here's a link to the reply I made to my original post.

Re:Missing from the summary

[MBraynard]

Great marketing team indeed - just like how they marketed themselves from first to third place.

Re:Missing from the summary

[KDR_11k]

The marketers responsible for that have been shipped off to Australia.

So...

[UbuntuDupe]

did the Germans there say "wee" or "vee" (for "Wii")?

Re:So...

[billimad]

This account used to have terrible karma.

It still has ;-)

Re:So...

[maglor_83]

Not sure, but the translaters kept translating it as double-you double-eye

Cataan on XBLA!

[Saige]

I'm totally excited to hear that Settlers of Cataan (along with Carcassonne and Alhambra) is coming to Xbox Live Arcade! I absolutely love the board game, and if the XBLA version is decent, this is going to be a big, big time sink for me.

Re:Cataan on XBLA!

[ackthpt]

I'm totally excited to hear that Settlers of Catan (along with Carcassonne and Alhambra) is coming to Xbox Live Arcade! I absolutely love the board game, and if the XBLA version is decent, this is going to be a big, big time sink for me.

Have you seen the Microsoft implementation of Settlers of Cataan? I gave it a try, but thought it sucked bad. If you want to play a decent online version, get this. It requires Java, so you may not be able to play on your XBox, unless the MS game dev kit for XBOX lets you sneak Java in. It's pretty decent game play and a simple, easy to read and use interface.

Re:Cataan on XBLA!

[Anonymous Coward]

It requires Java, so you may not be able to play on your XBox

It's tied to Java, so chances are you won't be able to play it anywhere you already have a jvm because, like every other app, it requires a certain version. If you don't already have a jvm on something, chances are that you can't get a jvm for it because java doesn't run everywhere. If you do have the right jvm, it probably will be too slow to play anyway, and is likely riddled with bugs from the app AND the jvm.

Fixed that for ya.

Re:Cataan on XBLA!

[Rakishi]

Another good one is Sea3D (http://www.s3dconnector.net/) althrough the makers are making a new version from the ground up atm (last I heard they've got a workign version of that, mostly).

Re:Cataan on XBLA!

[drewmca]

Um, do you have any actual awareness of how Java and JVMs work? SOunds like you got burned by Microsoft's shitty JVM once and blame Java for it. Statements like "chances are that you can't get a jvm for it because java doesn't run everywhere" just blow my mind.

Re:Cataan on XBLA!

[KDR_11k]

Or maybe he's a cellphone developer?

And here are the 27

[_xeno_]

After a bit of digging, I found a larger list of titles than the two Reuters mentioned. Apparently the full list isn't available?

• Devil May Cry 4
• Blade Storm: Hundred Years War
• Mahjong Taikai
• Coded Arms: Assault
• Fatal Inertia
• The Eye of Judgement
• Warhawk
• Gran Turismo Series
• Genji
• Formula One World Championship
• Heavenly Sword
• Everybody's Golf 5
• MotorStorm
• LAIR
• Resistance: Fall of Man
• Mobile Suit Gundam
• Ridge Racer 7
• Armored Core 4

Only two I'm interested in the entire list are DMC4 and AC4. Even so, neither are enough to make me interested in blowing $600.

Re:And here are the 27

[_xeno_]

I haven't heard about those two games. The only two games I'm really interested in are sequels to games I enjoyed on the PS2. (Armored Core is underrated, IMHO.)

That's mostly because I haven't really been following the PS3 releases after they announced the price tag. While I probably can afford it, I'm not willing to pay the launch price. If I'm going to be getting a PS3, it'll be after the first price cut. (Just like my PS2 and PSX purchases.) Since I'm not really interested in the PS3, I haven't been following the games.

I figure I'll be more interested in the PS3 scene in about a year, see what it's like then.

I'm 100x more excited about the near-future of the PlayStation 2. Okami and FFXII are going to be lots of fun to get into.

Be sure to post a review of FFXII. At best I'm in a "wait-and-see" mood after playing the demo, and at worst not willing to consider it. The gameplay was fairly unexciting in the demo, and the story trailer made the story sound incredibly clichéd and lame. (Although this may also be tainted by the fact that I hated FFTA, and it's set in the same world.)

(OK, this time multiple previews. Can't wait to see what I goofed up on submit!)

Re:And here are the 27

[Anonymous Coward]

Coed Arms Assault sounds like it has a lot of potential in the adult market.

Re:And here are the 27

[ichigo 2.0]

Ridge Racer! Riiiiiiidge Raceeer!

Re:And here are the 27

[Bloodmoon1]

Only two I'm interested in the entire list are DMC4 and AC4. Even so, neither are enough to make me interested in blowing $600.

$600... for the system. $720 (probably) if you actually get the two games, and let's just assume 7% sales tax, so you can escape for around $774.20 assuming you don't want any other controllers, memory cards, etc., which would easily push the total over $800.

And you're still doing better than me on games that would make you want a PS3. Only AC4 appeals to me, though I remember Warhawk being fun, though I don't know how well it would transition into the brave new Blu-Ray world. And with FIFA heading over to X-Box, that's one less reason to buy a PS3 for me.

My brother finally managed to justify buying an X-Box 360 and 3 games today... after he won $8,000 (after taxes) at a casino on Monday (seriously). So maybe Sony is gunning for the lottery winners market? Untapped, I tell you. :)

Re:And here are the 27

[KoRnhornio]

• Mahjong Taikai

Are you shitting me? That's why they're trying to convince us we all need $600 consoles and ultra-mega-mega-HDTVs?

No playable PS3 titles

[Anonymous Coward]

Remember it's going to be ready in November. Maybe Sony just doesn't care about Europe.

Re:And *where* are the 27?

[_xeno_]

You know, even after preveiwing, I neglected to check the title. That should be "and where are the 27?" - there doesn't appear to be a list.

Blah. I'll blame it on having skipped my morning coffee.

Everything Is Wii And PS3 From Now On

[Anonymous Coward]

It looks like the next gen race has finally kicked into gear with Nintendo and Sony starting to show their cards for November's big launch battle. Microsoft's 360 is looking like Sega's Dreamcast of five years ago, still around but mostly forgotten.

If Microsoft is having sales troubles bad enough for stories like this:

http://www.vnunet.com/vnunet/news/2162752/xbox-sal es-slow-for-ps3-wii

one has to wonder how willing Microsoft is to continue losing well over a billion a year just to avoid the humiliation of pulling out of the console market. 3 million 360s worldwide after 8 months on the market is a disaster for Microsoft and the 360.

Re:Everything Is Wii And PS3 From Now On

[mikeisme77]

Nintendo and Sony showed next to nothing at the conference... The two games Nintendo showed were already rumored (and in the case of Strikers had been announced the week before, albeit only semi-officialy). Sony delayed their conference (although that wasn't mentioned in the summary) and then apparently showed next to nothing (unless their conference STILL hasn't happened)... Microsoft had the most announcements, but they don't exactly have any reason for secrecy as they aren't currently riding on a wave of hype--they're trying to create one (without much success...) Microsoft jumped the gun when they launched the 360, but in doing so they put pressure on Sony and that's showing as Sony's armor currently seems to be crumbly fairly quickly, partially due to their own ego but also because they're trying to meet a launch window that appears to early. Nintendo seems to have the only console that's ready--with a large number of quality launch titles (and other quality titles to come in the first year), a growing 3rd party developer group, and a system that they've been manufacturing for at least a month and recently increased production of (and without the hardware worries of their competitors since they're using fairly standard/very stable tech--as opposed to bleeding edge).
That's not to count Sony out, they have the mindshare still and they more than likely have either at least one more "surprise" or they'll have some lie they'll tell to convince the stupid people (at least 75% of the population) that nothing can beat the PS3. Microsoft has a decent foothold in the North American market, but they just haven't done enough to win over the other markets--although they're trying (the exclusive rights to FIFA for a year and the Japanese RPGs are steps forward... but it, sadly, probably won't be enough...)

Re:Everything Is Wii And PS3 From Now On

[Anonymous Coward]

What makes you believe the PS3 will fare any better?

The XBox 360's biggest problems are that $400 is a lot to pay for a console (historically speaking $300 is more then most people spend on a gaming system), and all the games that are released for it are clones or rehashes of previous generation titles with prettier graphics; the problem isn't that the words Microsoft and XBox appear on the packaging as some fanboys would assume. Games on the XBox 360 don't play any differently then games on the XBox did, and the graphics when compared to Resident Evil 4 (which everyone knows "cheated") do not look revolutionary.

All of this can also be said about the PS3.

Basically, if you want to see what people are used to from a generational leap play a Playstation game followed by a PS2 game, or an N64 game followed by a Gamecube game, and you'll notice massive improvements in graphics, physics, AI, environment size and environment interactivity. Now play an Playstation 2 game followed by and XBox 360 game, you'll notice that the graphics became much prettier but that (overall) the game plays basically the same.

What is keeping people away from the XBox 360 is that you're paying more for less of an improvement then they have had from every previous generation; people will avoid the PS3 for the same reason.

Re:Everything Is Wii And PS3 From Now On

[Anonymous Coward]

Boggle.

Whatever you need to believe to get through your sad little fanboy day...

PS Love the implication of Sony desperately trying to stay one step ahead of the Microsoft Xbox juggernaut...with Microsoft and the 360 actually doing significantly worse in all three major markets than the first Xbox that was destroyed by Sony's PS2.

Yeah, those Sony execs are peeing their pants over 'teh 360 momentum'! Ha!

Gonna love November when it slaps reality into you bitch. This is gonna be fun.

Re:Everything Is Wii And PS3 From Now On

[realmolo]

I pretty much agree.

I think of it this way:

With the Playstation/Saturn/N64 generation, we were introduced to "3D games". But they didn't look that great. Well, the N64 looked pretty good, but it was hampered by using cartridges instead of CDs.

With the PS2/Xbox/Gamecube generation, we didn't get any new *types* of games, but we got *good-looking* versions of the games we had on the previous generation. And they really did/do look good.

Now with this generation, we get *better looking* versions of the games we have been playing. But they're the same types of games, and they don't look all that much better. It feels like we're getting a relatively minor cosmetic upgrade, though the online features are nice. And the price! The 360 and PS3 are ridiculously expensive.

The Wii, of course, *will* have new types of games, and still will look great, and is likely to be the cheapest. Which is why I think it will sell pretty well.

Re:Everything Is Wii And PS3 From Now On

[Anonymous Coward]

I didn't say anything about 360 momentum... In fact, I said they shipped too early and are getting screwed because of it--they didn't get anything to attract the non-North American market customers until AFTER the 360 launched worldwide. I did say Sony was sort of forced to launch sooner then they wanted to and aren't prepared for the PS3 launch because of the 360--if they were to delay the launch by a year and have a totally prepared launch lineup then 360 might stand more of a chance (especially since the Sony hype machine wouldn't have as much influence when you're looking that far ahead into the future and that gives MS even more time to fix their mistakes). At the moment neither the 360 nor the PS3 appeal to me (and I had both an original XBox, which was my most played system of the last generation as well as a PS2, which was my least played system of this last generation... I played both the Dreamcast and the GameCube more). The PS1 rocked because of it's innovation, the PS2 was graphically inferior to both the XBox and the Gamecube and the one "innovation" (that wasn't just a technical upgrade) were the pressure sensitive buttons that were rarely used. XBox took the Dreamcast's online play and actually made a good system around it, so they get kudos for that in the past generation. Nintendo in the past generation... well, they had Mario, Zelda, Super Smash... other than that not much in terms of innovation (and a lot of people, not me, had issues with the Mario and Zelda since they broke from the "tradition" of those games). Nintendo floated on IP alone. Sony controlled the market due to hype/mindshare. Microsoft built the console online market.

This next generation, we have Sony doing more of the same with more power and borrowing the online plan of the XBox and the motion sensistive controller of the Wii (both smart moves) and adding a ton of cutting edge tech (although let's just hope Cell doesn't turn into another "emotion engine") but charging a price that, historically, leads to failure. Sony has admitted themselves that $199 is the key price point for console adoption (that's where 70% of the PS1s were sold) and inflation doesn't really apply to technology because in the tech world things cost LESS over time (look at what you get for $1,000 in a computer now compared to $1,000 in a computer in the 80's...) Microsoft just released the original XBox with upgraded specs, wireless controllers (who wants the version w/o the harddrive... I mean seriously, anybody?), and a sleeker outer shell--no new controller design (which used to be one of the main things you get from new consoles), no new features, nothing but a power boost. Then there's Nintendo, a company that has traditionally designed new controllers because Miyamoto wanted to do something new in a game (he's had the final say on the controller design since at least the SNES...) It should also be noted that, historically, if Nintendo makes a change to a controller/adds something EVERYBODY must add it (example: N64 introduced the analog joystick, within a year Sony introduced the original DualShock, which quickly became the defacto standard for the PS1 even though the original controller lacked an analog joysstick). Nintendo knows games and, especially, controllers better than any other company out there (part of why they normally don't allow you to customize the controls in games--they've researched the hell out of the controls to find the best configuration). And they're creating a completely new way of playing the game, that is admittedly borrowed from Virtual Reality environments (visit a CAVE at any of the major CS Universities). They are also going after a new market, and leaving the traditional market to Sony and Microsoft to fight over. Nintendo will see an increase in market share this generation, but the increase is likely to come from outside of the traditional market. Sony may very well maintain their current base (even with the high point), but their dominance will still shrink as the market grows with an influx of grey, girl, and new g

Re:Everything Is Wii And PS3 From Now On

[sammaffei]

What? Have you even seen "Dead Rising?" Definitely not the same old XBox,,,

Re:Everything Is Wii And PS3 From Now On

[xtracto]

With the Playstation/Saturn/N64 generation, we were introduced to "3D games". But they didn't look that great. Well, the N64 looked pretty good, but it was hampered by using cartridges instead of CDs.

With the PS2/Xbox/Gamecube generation, we didn't get any new *types* of games, but we got *good-looking* versions of the games we had on the previous generation. And they really did/do look good.

Moreover I believe it has been the natural trend in videogame consoles since I have memory:
0. Atari 2600 et. al.
1. NES/Sega Master System: New Technology/new kind of games [Compared to Atari, games that "have an end"]
2. SNES/Sega Genesis: Sligthly better technology/same kind of games [Compared to 1, more backgrounds, more pixels, etc]
3. N64/PSX/Dreamcast: New Technology/New kind of games [Compared to 2, Real 3D, new kind of input (analog joystick)]
4. GC/PS2/Xbox: Slightly better technology/same kind of games [Compared to 3, same input, sligthly better graphics and 3D, net play was the only new thing]
5.
  a) Xbox360: Slightly better technology/same kind of games [Compared to 4 - Xbox, better graphics and better network play]
  b) PS3/Wii: New technology/New kind of games [Compard to 4, Wii has a completely new kind of input while Sony has input improvement, new kind of gameplay].

From my point of view, the real "next generation" comes every 2 iterations. And, considering that each time the consoles life span is smaller a "new generation" is not what it was before.

Now, one thing to note is that this "2 iterations" thing is independent for each vendor, for example, sony had the PS1 and PS2 which where, the transition was not a real "next generation", now with the PS2 to PS3 there will be a transition. Nintendo has been doing the same since the NES/SNES, N64/GC Wii/??. Also with the handelds: GB/GBPocket GBLight/GBColor GBA/GBASP DS/DSLite.

On this line we have Microsoft whose first console was Xbox, and their "next gen" console is what I would call the "half" generation step. It is their next console the one that will truly be different from the Xbox.

Re:Everything Is Wii And PS3 From Now On

[apoc06]

MS has so far done a decent job of convincing the internet world that the xbox360 is relevent, but the real world isnt buying. the US is not respresentative of the world. even the psp, a console that the internet would have you believe is 'dying', sells better than the xbox360 worldwide. it can't match the sales of a handheld console thats older and theoretically should be having its sales trail off slightly by now? psp sales are still brisk, but xbox360 sales are the ones that are trailing off. i dont think that sony is losing too much sleep over the xbox360 anymore.

outside of the new zelda game, what other titles would you consider to be quality launch games for the wii? i see a bunch of interesting games and nintendo has a decent track record, but until you actually play through it is hard to automatically assume which games are quality.

the same argument that most people have here against sony titles also hold true for the others. question everything, not just sony.

Re:Everything Is Wii And PS3 From Now On

[apoc06]

maybe not, but what is there in dead rising that would prevent it from being ported down to the xbox? the only limiting factor is the amount of onscreen activity. the graphics can be dulled down a bit, and the game would have been the exact same.

what the OP was trying to say is that at least with the ps3 and wii you have the option to have a somewhat unique experience. there is some form of upward progression that is different from just spec increments.

Re:Everything Is Wii And PS3 From Now On

[mikeisme77]

I stated that the 360 was less than a stellar success and that Microsoft was trying desperately to fix their mistake of launching worldwide too early by trying to find things that appeal to gamers outside of North America (but it's too little, too late). Sony, being the current market leader, should be prepared for a greater level of criticism then their underdog competitors--when you're #1 everybody turns a critical eye to you trying to find the weakness in your armor. And as for Sony not seeing the 360 as a threat anymore, that's probably partially true... but it's also true that if they delayed the launch by another year and really made the PS3 ready in terms of a large supply and a large array of launch titles they could very well lose the North American dominance position altogether and with a year delay possibly even see the 360 gain at least a foothold in other regions. To completely ignore a competitor, even an "insignificant one" is a bad business decision. Admittedly I was considerably less critical of Nintendo, but in terms of publisher reputation they have the best reputation out there in terms of consistently releasing high quality titles. And it depends on how you define "launch titles" as sometimes "launch titles" can be anything within the first few months of the console's life--in which case I'm looking forward to not only Zelda, but Metroid Prime 3 (which is slated for launch day), Mario Strikers, Mario Galaxy, Red Steel (launch day), Super Smash Brothers Brawl, hopefully eventually a new Pikmin (although that hasn't been announced...), possibly Rayman: Raving Rabits, Wii Orchestra (as long as I can find it for $30 or less), Excite Truck, etc. I will say though that the "wiimote" is a huge risk because I've seen similar technology used in VR CAVES and tracking is often an issue (and this is in much more expensive equipment... but the trackers also are a couple years old) so unless Nintendo has found a solution to the tracking issue we could be seeing the next VirtualBoy.

What I don't understand...

[jizziknight]

...is why Sony doesn't have any playable titles yet. Are they not ready? Do they not want to show off an unfinished game? If they're not ready now, are they going to be ready for launch? This doesn't really speak well for their readiness for a November launch. At this point, the launch titles should at least be playable to a point, and the remaining development should be mostly finishing touches and bug fixes. I just don't get where Sony is going with this whole "no playable titles" thing. Anyone want to bet on if they'll actually be able to deliver playable titles at the Tokyo Game Show?

Re:What I don't understand...

[jgrana]

I don't think there's any way Sony will be ready for TGS at this rate. I mean, they haven't even started manufacturing consoles and the launch is supposed to be what, 3 months away? At this point, we should've seen playable demos at E3 from Sony, and more demos in Leipzig. I mean, sure, we don't have a launch date for the Wii. But we have a ton of almost-ready-to-market games (thanks to the dev kit similarity between the Cube and the Wii) and we know what the gameplay looks like. Even with the hazy launch date, I think Nintendo's in much better shape right now than Sony is.

Re:What I don't understand...

[AuMatar]

Remember when Sony execs said we'd buy the PS3 even if it had no games? They're going to test that.

Re:What I don't understand...

[trdrstv]

"...is why Sony doesn't have any playable titles yet."

Because it's too close to launch, and they know the graphics aren't nearly what they thought they should be by now (See Killzone 2 trailer). The MGS4 trailer is nice, but it's a CG trailer with no Hud or actual gameplay. My PS1 can play a comparable quality CG trailer.

I'm Still waiting on those 'Real time Toy Story level graphics' on my PS2 Ken...

Re:What I don't understand...

[jizziknight]

I'm Still waiting on those 'Real time Toy Story level graphics' on my PS2 Ken...

Clearly your Emotion Engine isn't configured properly.

Re:What I don't understand...

[Anonymous Coward]

Um, probably because this is the Leipzig games conference, and nobody really cares? They probably could have had games playable by now if they really wanted; they'll have games next month at TGS. They just apparently can't be bothered, and probably don't want to blow their load on a European conference probably nobody is following except the hardest core of geeks, when they could hold off a month and pitch to their home audience in Tokyo.

Re:What I don't understand...

[Anonymous Coward]

Oh. My. Fucking. God!

Way to make yourself look like an imbecile to the entire console world!

http://news.com.com/2100-1040-250632.html

"One of the basic premises of the Xbox is to put the power in the hands of the artist," Blackley said, which is why Xbox developers "are achieving a level of visual detail you really get in 'Toy Story.'"

Way to go idiot!

"The MGS4 trailer is nice, but it's a CG trailer with no Hud or actual gameplay"

Bwhahaha!!

Every Metal Gear trailer ever shown is all real time in game engine including this latest one.

No HUD, what a moron...

Re:What I don't understand...

[Rallion]

Because it's too close to launch, and they know the graphics aren't nearly what they thought they should be by now

I think you're right. I wouldn't argue that the PS3 can't deliver the visuals Sony is looking for. However, I don't expect developers do be able to make it spit them out, at least not yet. It's a new system based on a completely new type of processor. They get all excited about how it's different, when in fact this is a case where being different is bad.

This is another thing that people don't seem to consider when thinking about the Wii's graphics. They say, it's just a more powerful Gamecube! And they're right. But they mistakenly think that's a BAD thing. Developers KNOW how to harness the Gamecube. That will translate over to the Wii.

The PS3 will undoubtedly look much better in the long run -- once the actual battle is long over. It'l look some amount of better right off the bat, but not as much as some people seem to think.

Re:What I don't understand...

[jizziknight]

By "nobody" do you mean nobody in the US or Japan? I'm sure people in Europe care. It's not like many of them are going to travel to the US or Japan for a conference. Sure, they get the same internet we do, but still. I'm sure E3 gets more coverage in the US than anywhere else, TGS gets more coverage in Japan than anywhere else, and so on. By not showing any games in Leipzig, they're not really doing a whole lot to capture the (albeit smaller) European market. They should have had playable demos at E3 (can't recall if they did or not; if they did, I didn't hear much about them in the news, which probably isn't good either) and should definitely have some by now, with launch being three months away.

Re:What I don't understand...

[jizziknight]

Uh, dipshit, the PS3 by itself is the cheapest 1080p BluRay player on the market

Yes, because this really matters when few of the small number of people that actually have HDTVs have ones that can render 1080p.

27 playable games at TGS

Irrelevant until they actually show up at TGS. And just because there are 27 playable games, doesn't mean they'll all be ready for launch. They could be "playable" in that you can play through a 5 minute demo of the game.

What a fucking loser you are!

What a fucking coward fanboy you are!

Re:What I don't understand...

[Anonymous Coward]

Uh, dipshit, the PS3 by itself is the cheapest 1080p BluRay player on the market...

At $600 do I care?

There are already HD-DVD players on the market for $500 and when second generation HD-DVD players are released (in May/June 2007) they could very well be $300; hell, if you already own a XBox 360 you'll be able to get a $200 HD-DVD drive pretty quickly (I know, XBox 360 + HD-DVD drive is stupidly expensive [same price as PS3] but for people who already own a XBox 360 it isn't a bad deal).

27 playable games at TGS...

Why weren't most of these games playable at E3, and what's to say that they'll be ready for a November 17th launch? Remember, a basic rule is that if a game isn't shown at E3 (the biggest gaming press event in the world) it will not be released before the next E3; there are always exceptions, but this is pretty true for 95% of games that are not demonstrated at E3. Being that they would have to have a game in the hands of major magazines in late September (or early October) for it to be reviewed in time for the system's launch, why has no one played most of these 27 games yet?

Re:What I don't understand...

[Anonymous Coward]

I'm sure people in Europe care.

LOL

Yeah, as far as the video game companies are concerned, those aren't people.

By not showing any games in Leipzig, they're not really doing a whole lot to capture the (albeit smaller) European market.

And they never will. Fumbling the European market is an art, and the Japanese console manufacturers have perfected it.

Re:What I don't understand...

[KDR_11k]

Yeah, as far as the video game companies are concerned, those aren't people.

As far as console games companies are concerned, you mean. That's the reason the PC is still more important to gaming than the PS2 over here.

Re:What I don't understand...

[apoc06]

manufacturing usually doesnt start a full year ahead of time or anything. the wii is rumored to have /just/ started production themselves; their launch is supposedly sometime in october. launch units arent created that much further ahead of time as you think. xbox360 production started only ~70 days before the launch. barring component shortages, sony is sticking to standard industry launch plans and may just make their shipping goal. nintendo and sony have console launch experience; no big deal. unlike microsoft who is relatively new to the game, when it comes to mass manufacturing of consumer electronics, sony knows what they are doing.

The system will be ready, not the games.

[kinglink]

No no no... the SYSTEM is going to be ready in November. There's been little discussion on which games will be released.

And the number of games near the final version is small, definatly not 27. More like high teens.

More like high teens?

[Anonymous Coward]

And the number of games near the final version is small, definatly not 27. More like high teens.

Hmm, referring to the number of games or to the apparent leadership skills of Sony? :)

Wii games look odd

[Anonymous Coward]

Why is that tank game (BWii) appearing to be rendered at something like 1280x1024? The 3D objects looks nice and smooth, but the sprites are all blocky, I'm sure the sprites are at the right resolution for the Wii's target output resolution (640x480) however... weird.

Sony Still Reeling

[PaulMorel]

I have been confused about why Sony has been so quiet. True, the annoying PSP marketing campain never seems to end, and there are still some good titles coming to the PS2 (Scarface, GoW 2), but when it comes to the PS3 and it's launch, Sony has been way too quiet.

Isn't this about time where they should be ramping things up? I mean, MS just launched the first true next gen titles for the 360 (Dead Rising, Saints Row), shouldn't Sony be flaunting their great next gen exclusives (Assassin, MGS)?

The problem is that Sony has 27 titles that are close to playable, and none of them are killer apps. Devil May Cry 4 looks like the only decent title that will be available at launch, and the other titles that look good also look like they're a long way off. So what does that leave Sony left to talk about? Yep, they will launch in time for Christmas!

Personally, I think that they're still reeling from the 3-fingered-shocker that is XNA. I think that Microsoft's XNA software package is the straw that broke the camel's back. Everything that Microsoft had done to try and gain an edge just didn't seem like it was enough until XNA was announced.

Re:Sony Still Reeling

[Anonymous Coward]

I think it's a little premature to be calling XNA a 3-fingered-shocker.
XNA is basically .NET 2.0 for your Xbox 360, which won't be out till this holiday. I don't think any true hardware access is allowed, you'll basically be running in a VM similar to Java. Now consider Sony's plans to have the PS3 come with Linux. Granted Linux is probably going to be running in its own VM but I think it'll be a little less restrictive than XNA and not cost $99/year.

If you ask me, I think XNA is Microsoft's response to hearing that the PS3 will come with Linux.

Re:Sony Still Reeling

[Saige]

Assassin's Creed is NOT exclusive to the PS3 - it's coming to the Xbox 360 also...

Re:Sony Still Reeling

[Espen Skoglund]

The problem is that Sony has 27 titles that are close to playable, and none of them are killer apps. Devil May Cry 4 looks like the only decent title that will be available at launch, and the other titles that look good also look like they're a long way off. So what does that leave Sony left to talk about? Yep, they will launch in time for Christmas!

Not suprised. If Sony started up a PS3 marketing hype in August it would probably either 1) cool off before the holiday season, or 2) people would be so fed up with the whole PS3 thing that the marketing might end up working against its purpose. Perfectly understandable that they're doing what they do. It probably opens up up for a much more massive impact once they do go public with the whole deal.

FUD

[badboy_tw2002]

You'll be able to develop shaders and compile directly to managed code which, yes, is a VM but don't let that confuse you with "access to the the hardware". This sounds like it will be much better than the POS PS2 Linux box that said "OMG you can make games" when really you couldn't do much of anything you'd need to do to make a "real" game. MS has said that you'll be able to make games worthy of professional titles with the kit, and is pushing the exact same tech for developers to use in XBLA games.

It may not be HD...

[Cyno01]

I really hope the Wii outputs at least 854x480...