I thought I'd get over the massive gaming industry upsets of the last month. But, sitting here right now, if that day is coming, it isn't today. Here's a quick round-up on what the world's had to say about some of the developments of recent weeks. I'm sorry if this seems like a little bit of Sony-bashing - and heaven knows I'm a big PlayStation adherent - but it just seems like there's no love for Sony out there at the moment. What happened, Sony? Where did you drop the ball?
Next-Gen Pricing
With the XBox 360 already selling for about $400 US and the Wii pegged for between $200 and $300, Sony's announcement at E3 that the PS3 would go for $600 to $700 US (425 UK pounds) was not without a lot of criticism.
Joystiq: "The $599 PS3 is [...] 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." (link)
Ken Kutaragi (Sony): "The $600 PS3 is too cheap. No one calls into question the price differential between some slop at the cafeteria and a meal at an upscale restaurant. If you can have an amazing experience, we believe price is not a problem." (link)
Peter Moore (Microsoft): "Why you would buy a $600 PS3? [...] People are going to buy two [consoles]. They're going to buy an Xbox [360] and they're going to buy a Wii ... for the price of one PS3." (link)
Phil Harrison (Sony): "I think Peter Moore is exactly right. I think Nintendo will be the second system consumers purchase after PlayStation 3. [...] Frankly, I'm amazed that we can [sell the PS3] so cheaply." (link)
Next-Gen Controllers
Controllers have been big news this year; with Nintendo announcing a motion-sensitive DVD-remote style controller, and Sony dropping their rumble feature in favour of copying Nintendo. Here's what some have had to say:
Next-Gen Names: Nintendo WiiTaku Chihaya (Yuke): (upon finding out for the first time last week that the PS3 controller would not support rumble) "We didn't know that! Wow, that stinks! [...] I'm kind of disappointed there won't be vibration in the controller." (link)
Clint Hocking (Ubisoft): "How much more 'me too' can Sony be?" (link)
LucasArts: "We're looking into [the possibility of a game where you control a lightsaber with the Wii-mote]." (link)
Joystiq: (on the Wiimote) "Are we hopeful? You bet. Are we floored? Not yet, but we're not willing to rule anything out." (link)
Nintendo took a right turn to common sense about a month back when it revealed that its new console, previously named the Revolution, would now be called the Wii. Never has the internet exploded with so many comments about urine and genitalia. (Personally, I'm looking forward to asking a clerk if he can demonstrate some games I can play with my Wii.)
The Gaming Hobo: "Nintendo Wii? La La La, this isn't haaaappen-ing!" (link)Next-Gen Graphics
Silflay Hraka: "Worst. Name. Ever. [...] Using all the marketing wisdom of a cane toad high from licking itself, Nintendo has chosen to call their upcoming game console 'Wii'. [...] Wii will be the straw that breaks the back of the camel that has been carrying Nintendo in the horse race that is video gaming these days." (link)
Reggie Fils-Aimes (Nintendo): "We'd like to thank the people who wrote good things when they heard about the new name. Both of them." (link)
There's been a flurry of worthwhile quotes about the much touted graphical capabilities of the PS3. Well, actually, I only have one quote, but by Jeebers it's a good'un.
David Jaffe (developer of God of War): "The PS3 is probably the most powerful game machine on the planet, but it has technical limitations in that it seems to be incapable of rendering three-way sex scenes in real-time." (link)E3 Press Conferences
Nintendo had Shigeru Miyamoto conducting the Zelda theme with the Wiimote, Microsoft had free fish and chips, and Sony had.... Powerpoint slides? Here's a few reactions to the big three conferences from E3. And by "big three", I mean Sony and Nintendo.
Kazuo Hirai (Sony): "Next generation doesn't start until we say it does." (link)Wow. It's only two months ago that everyone was talking about "the PS3, the XBox 360, and whatever Nintendo vomits up"... and now the PS3 is beginning to verge on irrelevancy. If it weren't for my tendency to spend too much on games anyway, and the promise of PS3 Metal Gear action, I'd be seriously contemplating jumping ship on my platform of choice. Thanks for following my regurgitation of other people's content - stay tuned for more high quality posts at The Dust Forms Words!
The Gaming Hobo: "Many people I know are still in shock over Sony's conference. And for the most part, not in a good way. Sony's conferences are generally pretty boring, but this really took the cake. At one point, Phil Harrison had to actually ask for applause." (link)
The stock exchange: A little graph is available showing the finance world's reaction to Sony's E3 press conference. (link)
David Sirlin: "I have never seen anything like the mob scene at Nintendo. [...] It was pretty clear who owned the show." (link)
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