E3 PS3 thread

[Spriggan]

With E3 upon us I'm creating a new PS3 thread so there will be on on the main page.  While I'll be creating posts here covering news items as I see them feel free to discuss anything about the PS3 here, also feel free to post your own news since I won't be posting everything I read but only things that stand out to me.

So the price has been officially announced.

$499 for the version with a 20gig HD and $599 for a 60gig HD.  Ugg...I think I'll wait until after the first six price drops, when it would actually be around $300.  Considering the Wii (still hate typing that) is projects to cost between $150-$200 I can't see paying $300-$400 more just for better graphics.  Well that and a Blue-ray player, considering that those right now cost $1000 one has to wonder how much money Sony is losing selling the PS3 for half that price.

[Spriggan]

Not much info on it but it looks like there are 2 FFXIII games slated for the ps3, not sure if they'll be laungh titles or not but some people have suggested they might be but with FFXII coming out in the US only 1 month before the PS3 I doubt it will be a US launch title.

Yea for gamespot, they've got some pics:

http://www.gamespot.com/ps3/rpg/finalfantasy13/screenindex.html?sid=6149455

[Spriggan]

It looks like Nintendo should have kept their controller secret a little longer, SONY just might have one-upped them by making the PS3 controller work close to the same way.  Well, at least they got rid of the dumb looking batarang design.

http://www.gamespot.com/news/6149512.html

[Parker]

Meh.  Six degrees--does that mean up/down, left/right, forward/backward?  If so, then that doesn't really seem all that exciting to me.  Waving a dualshock around to control something . . . cool, but not I-must-get-this like the Revolution.  (Wii--I'm hoping they announce it was all just a scam tomorrow morning.)

Also, I just read this article (http://www.gamespot.com/news/6149552.html) that details how stripped down the PS3 is from the version seen last year.  Gee, how did that part not make Sony's conference?

[Spriggan]

Well the lack of a vibrating controller is no surprise considering the lawsuit that's ongoing.  The only other loss I see is a lack of HDMI, I don't know why people needed 6 USB ports and 3 Ethernet ports, I always took that as overkill personally.

As for the difference between the two versions, well considering that the Blue-ray disk player costs more then what they're selling the PS3 for Sony had to cut some things to make it feasible.  Features always change in game systems as with any hardware, Sony is a business and they can't justify losing $600+ on a system by including everything but the kitchen sink.

[Parker]

True, I just think it was rather underhanded of them to show it with all these unrealistic bells and whistles at first--so that everyone gets it firmly in their minds how over-the-top amazing it is, and then do a bait and switch now.  And have you seen how ghetto their 20GB model is?  It has a ton more features lacking.  I don't know--I was very unimpressed with Sony's conference this year.

[Spriggan]

Well I think it less of a bait-and-switch and more of a "Oh my word these blue-ray are freaking expensive".  I do agree that the 20gig version is stripped down but then again it is $100 less so if you do buy the 60gig version you're getting more then 40gig for that extra money.

[Parker]

Yeah, but if I were going to buy one--and there's no way I'm shelling out that price for a good year or two, until blue-ray or HDDVD have settled in--then the 60GB is the only way to go.  It would have been nicer to really give an option--but with the lack of features on the 20GB, I don't see it as a viable choice.  It all comes down to the same thing: PS3 and 360 are too expensive for me to want to get them.  Wii (blech--the name!) will hopefully be more reasonable.

[Spriggan]

Joystiq has an interesting article on the difference of the Wiimote and the Dualshake (is it just me or are both those names very lame?), well interesting in the fact they aren't whining about the controller technology that both Nintendo and Sony "invented" after seeing Microsoft and Lodgetech's version of this at the local clearance bin at CompUSA but instead talked about the application of both in games.

http://www.joystiq.com/2006/05/09/anatomy-of-shame-dual-shake-vs-wiimote/

[Spriggan]

PS3 worth it's weight in gold?  Not quite, but it is worth it's weight in Uranium.  From Joystiq:

http://www.joystiq.com/2006/05/09/ps3-worth-its-weight-in-uranium/

The $599 PS3 is, however, worth its weight in Uranium.  The radioactive substance so popular amongst terrorists is expected to hit $54 a pound this year, meaning that if you choose to buy 11 pounds of Uranium (and why wouldn't you?), you'll actually end up saving $5. Cutting-edge console and Blu-Ray player, or a vast quantity of apocalyptic material? Not an easy decision to make, but either investment will likely end up blowing you away (sorry).

[Oldie Black Witch]

I think I agree with Mr. M on this one. We were having a conversation about the PS3 price right after it was announced, and he commented that with a price that high, Sony is begging for piracy.

[Spriggan]

Umm...how are people going to pirate hardware?

[Parker]

With a sword and eyepatch, of course.

[Spriggan]

The man is on to something.

[The Holy Saint, Grand High Poobah, Master of Monkeys, Ehlers]

It seems that with hardware, you're much better off having a ninja steal you some. Stupid pirates.