The dev kits that have already been handed out are incomplete "loaner" kits and the final dev kits won't be out till July, http://ps3.ign.com/articles/696/696076p1.html, however as you said this does give developers plenty of time to further polish their games even though I'd be surprised if any games were ready for a spring 2006 launch.
Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter is the current "Killer App" for the 360, although Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion may give it a run for it's money when it comes out next week.
Since everyone and their mother has a view on when the PS3 will launch, how much it will cost (retail and component-wise), and how the revolution will wipe everyone else off the map, I propose that we create a next gen comment time capsule.
The capsule would contain a record of comments and predictions on the next generation games consoles from slashdot users. This capsule will be sealed, buried in the ground and then only dug up and opened on four specific dates:
1) and 2) Launch of the PS3/Revolution. Then we can see if our predictions of Sony and Nintendo's prices and launch features were correct.
3) The announcement of the next "next-gen" consoles. Our comments will tell our future selves and future slashdotters not to repeat the mistakes of our past by believing (or disbelieving) the marketing hype.
4) The end of the 360/PS3/Revolution generation. Only on this date will we know whether our predictions were correct or not.
If this plan were to be carried out then maybe we could all stop guessing about the next gen and actually enjoy the lower prices and good games of this current generation.
Most console FPSs used dual stick controls before Halo did, even Turok on the N64 had you using the c-buttons to look around much like a second stick. The same is true of using the face buttons to look around in Unreal Tournament and Quake 3 on the DC, so I imagine your "control issues" are not limited to Halo but to all modern first person shooters.
Halo has several other control schemes to try out and certain games like Timesplitters 1/2/3 allow the player to completely customise the controls. Most if not all FPSs have look sensitivities that can be altered and allow inversion of x and y axes. Perfect Dark Zero even has a "classic" N64 style set of controls which you'd obviously love.
With all these options I don't know how you couldn't find or create a control scheme to suit your gaming needs.
Yeah I didn't mention it but the "PSP now in stock" was just below the 360 banner. The worst though is Dixons, they've had a sign up about PSP stock since october/november.
Try Nottingham (in England), Woolworths and Virgin Megastore seemed to have a couple of Core units behind the counter last saturday. They had large signs up about it and everything, it was quite impressive.
I have both a DS and a PSP and I have to admit I prefer the DS. The real proof of the DS' popularity is my housemates reactions to it. I am currently in my third and final year of uni and I live in a fairly geeky household off campus. One of my housemates has just bought a DS (after months of temptation) and after seeing our wireless advance wars and mario kart battles, my other two housemates are considering getting ones as well.
The only interest they've expressed in the PSP so far has been "Ooh, it has a nice screen".
I dont understand all this fuss about swapping discs. Hasn't it worked before? Look at Resident Evil 4 for the Gamecube, it has two discs but that hasn't stopped it from an average score of 96% http://www.gamerankings.com/htmlpages2/535840.asp or receiving Game of the Year awards http://www.gamespot.com/pages/features/bestof2005/ index.php?day=6&page=1.
I understand that some games wouldn't suit multidisc that well, for example "free-roaming" games like GTA or RPGs, but some games (FPSs) could do well with a single player disc and a multiplayer disc. Alternatively why not put the single and multiplayer components of the game on separate layers of the DVD?
I admit I know very little about DVD manufacture and suchlike so could someone please enlighten me why multidisc/layer is so bad?
That's already the case (sorry for the unintentional pun) in the UK where all PC games come in DVD style cases and have done for several years now. Unfortunately the shelf space dedicated to PC games and my beloved gamecube still seem to be dwindling in size compared to the PS2/Xbox/DS/360/PSP shelves.
The link (and I presume the computer guy nex) only seem to discuss PS3 footage from E3 2005. All the footage from that was rather suspect especially killzone 2 which has since been revealed by guerilla as "basically a representation of the look and feel of the game we're trying to make" not the actual game itself or what it'll look like at the end of the day (http://ps3.ign.com/articles/616/616591p1.html).
The MGS4 trailer from TGS 2005 might not be such a great example of the PS3's power as you think: http://www.joystiq.com/entry/1234000883068264/, http://www.games-digest.com/2005/11/kojima_says_me t.html, http://www.gamersreports.com/news/101/, where hideo kojima says that MGS4 could run on a 360. There doesn't seem to be any elaboration on what he means by "run" so you can argue about lower frame rates/graphics or whatever you'd like.
I don't know what the PS3 is capable of and neither do you. Just please don't fall victim to the hype, you'll only be disappointed.
Halo set out a lot of the conventions for later (especially console) shooters. For example the 2-3 weapon carry limit or the recharging health/shield which even call of duty 2 adopts.
Although I agree with you that nintendo probably are the future of the gaming industry, the sales figures don't. It seems that innovation doesn't sell consoles or games anymore. You can try to argue with odd sucesses but for every katamari damacy there's a prince of persia: sands of time or oddworld: stranger's wrath.
Also to be fair to the xbox 360, when was the last console launch with a genre defining game? It has to be the N64 with mario 64, or possibly the xbox with halo CE. Nintendo certainly didn't have any for the gamecube or DS launch.
Slashdot Mirror
Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter is the current "Killer App" for the 360, although Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion may give it a run for it's money when it comes out next week.
The capsule would contain a record of comments and predictions on the next generation games consoles from slashdot users. This capsule will be sealed, buried in the ground and then only dug up and opened on four specific dates:
1) and 2) Launch of the PS3/Revolution. Then we can see if our predictions of Sony and Nintendo's prices and launch features were correct.
3) The announcement of the next "next-gen" consoles. Our comments will tell our future selves and future slashdotters not to repeat the mistakes of our past by believing (or disbelieving) the marketing hype.
4) The end of the 360/PS3/Revolution generation. Only on this date will we know whether our predictions were correct or not.
If this plan were to be carried out then maybe we could all stop guessing about the next gen and actually enjoy the lower prices and good games of this current generation.
I'm sick of PS3 news and it's not even launching for months!
Halo has several other control schemes to try out and certain games like Timesplitters 1/2/3 allow the player to completely customise the controls. Most if not all FPSs have look sensitivities that can be altered and allow inversion of x and y axes. Perfect Dark Zero even has a "classic" N64 style set of controls which you'd obviously love.
With all these options I don't know how you couldn't find or create a control scheme to suit your gaming needs.
Yeah I didn't mention it but the "PSP now in stock" was just below the 360 banner. The worst though is Dixons, they've had a sign up about PSP stock since october/november.
Try Nottingham (in England), Woolworths and Virgin Megastore seemed to have a couple of Core units behind the counter last saturday. They had large signs up about it and everything, it was quite impressive.
I have both a DS and a PSP and I have to admit I prefer the DS. The real proof of the DS' popularity is my housemates reactions to it. I am currently in my third and final year of uni and I live in a fairly geeky household off campus. One of my housemates has just bought a DS (after months of temptation) and after seeing our wireless advance wars and mario kart battles, my other two housemates are considering getting ones as well. The only interest they've expressed in the PSP so far has been "Ooh, it has a nice screen".
I dont understand all this fuss about swapping discs. Hasn't it worked before? Look at Resident Evil 4 for the Gamecube, it has two discs but that hasn't stopped it from an average score of 96% http://www.gamerankings.com/htmlpages2/535840.asp or receiving Game of the Year awards http://www.gamespot.com/pages/features/bestof2005/ index.php?day=6&page=1.
I understand that some games wouldn't suit multidisc that well, for example "free-roaming" games like GTA or RPGs, but some games (FPSs) could do well with a single player disc and a multiplayer disc. Alternatively why not put the single and multiplayer components of the game on separate layers of the DVD?
I admit I know very little about DVD manufacture and suchlike so could someone please enlighten me why multidisc/layer is so bad?
That's already the case (sorry for the unintentional pun) in the UK where all PC games come in DVD style cases and have done for several years now. Unfortunately the shelf space dedicated to PC games and my beloved gamecube still seem to be dwindling in size compared to the PS2/Xbox/DS/360/PSP shelves.
The link (and I presume the computer guy nex) only seem to discuss PS3 footage from E3 2005. All the footage from that was rather suspect especially killzone 2 which has since been revealed by guerilla as "basically a representation of the look and feel of the game we're trying to make" not the actual game itself or what it'll look like at the end of the day (http://ps3.ign.com/articles/616/616591p1.html). The MGS4 trailer from TGS 2005 might not be such a great example of the PS3's power as you think: http://www.joystiq.com/entry/1234000883068264/, http://www.games-digest.com/2005/11/kojima_says_me t.html, http://www.gamersreports.com/news/101/, where hideo kojima says that MGS4 could run on a 360. There doesn't seem to be any elaboration on what he means by "run" so you can argue about lower frame rates/graphics or whatever you'd like.
I don't know what the PS3 is capable of and neither do you. Just please don't fall victim to the hype, you'll only be disappointed.
Halo set out a lot of the conventions for later (especially console) shooters. For example the 2-3 weapon carry limit or the recharging health/shield which even call of duty 2 adopts.
Although I agree with you that nintendo probably are the future of the gaming industry, the sales figures don't. It seems that innovation doesn't sell consoles or games anymore. You can try to argue with odd sucesses but for every katamari damacy there's a prince of persia: sands of time or oddworld: stranger's wrath. Also to be fair to the xbox 360, when was the last console launch with a genre defining game? It has to be the N64 with mario 64, or possibly the xbox with halo CE. Nintendo certainly didn't have any for the gamecube or DS launch.