J B Cougar

It always amazes me, in this day and age, when a company says it will take a year or more to "get a fold hold" in any market, of any type. There are only a few exceptions, like the DS or the iPod, which take hold eventually after a year or so of being available to the masses. For the most part there is no guarantee whatsoever that a product will take hold if it does NOT take hold within a few months of its much ballyhooed, much hyped launch. Such is the nature of things, fair or unfair.

Who says the PS3 is guaranteed a success one year later or more? Sony? We are a fickle bunch, we gamers, so is it not the height of arrogance to say we will without a doubt adopt this technology a full year after it is released? I as a gamer am insulted. This marathon strategy is a defeatist one; almost a concessison that the PS3 is doomed -- if not to failure, then to a highly niche market of gamers. The spectre of the CD-i has never been stronger.

The fact that Sony, which at the height of its arrogance assumed gamers of all ages would take a second job just because this system was being sold at a loss, is now changing its message mere months before releasing the most important game console of its history, speaks volumes about the disaster that is going on behind the scenes at this company. Wii pricing has surely thrown this behemoth for a loop, as has the dominance of the 360 in North America. The price cut in Japan, and the negative analyst response to this move, only confirms this. NO? Not true? A company that freely bragged its system was worth every penny suddenly cuts the price -- without warning -- in one of the most important markets in gaming is not suspect? Pure BS if you deny this.

This is not to mention the 360, a system that undercuts the PS3 in both price and online capability. The "me too" syndrome that pumps out of the PS3 this week at TGS is undeniable and sad. Sony, with its billions to spend, could not innovate any more than a slightly motion sensing controller that looks exactly like the one I just played Tiger Woods 2005 with on my PS2?

It boils down to this, and I apologize beforehand: You are a fool if you spend more than $400 for a console in this day and age. A complete fool. When November rolls around, there will be no system on the market that offers more gameplay, online play or enjoyablility that what has already existed since last year or is immediately available on November 19. Exclusivity is no longer a factor. Graphics are no longer a factor. Price and gameplay are.

Save you money and enjoy gaming. Or, get walked over by an arrogant gaming company that will be irrelevant in one year, which, ironically, is when the PS3 will "just be getting warmed up."

A system that had all ten of the top 10 software title spots in Japan a week or so ago is losing its audience?

Yup, just I suspected. Yet another instance of Sony Logic raising its ugly head.

"Remember, fanboys only harm the gaming community."

So do intelligent, well-spoken people who spout the wrong information. Just as bad as a fanboy who knows nothing, in my opinion.

"...and some will cry repeatedly like little babies."

Encouraged, no doubt, by blogs that continually post the same stuff over and over again.

"Wii is going to DOMINATE the entire 7th generation of consoles.
It is the Future of Gaming.'

It's a pretty good point. Haptics wil be all the rage soon, make my words. Probably by the end of the Wii's lifecycle in five years. And it's such an easy argument to dismiss -- that Wii is a gimick. Just like the DS, as so many above have put far better than I can. Throwing in motion sensing technology from Warhawk 1 is a gimmick. Nintendo's reinventing video game culture with a single system and reigniting people's passion in gaming is no gimmick. All these bullies bashing the Wii are the kind of insecure stock who fold 6 months down the line and start secretly playing the system in their basements . Sure, I can;t prove that now, but that didn;t stop aZn_1080p. Nice screenname, btw. Nothing like using the buzzword of some PR marketing schlub to tell everyone abou your priorities. Frickin sheep.

And, downloadable content will be the rage soon too, meaning Blu-Ray really is just a meaningless flash in the pan. Proprietay formats, hooray for less freedom! Why do you think MS went with HD DVD? Because it was the path of least resistance in five years when physical media will be relatively obsolete. They can just dump HD DVD and not really have to worry about the consequences given that they'll be so into downloadable content (see: Zune, Windows Media Player's iTunes-like transformation recently, XBOX LIVE arcade).

At least Nintendo and MS will have their online communities to fall back onto. Sony will too, it's just that they will have a blatant rip off of XBox Live and no one will see the need to pay extra for what they already have. At least they'll have their "entitlements" though, right?

I hate to say it, but I finally agre with MS: There really is only room for two in this fight now. Sony made all the wrong choices, and now all they'll have are exclusive titles like Guitar Hero and GTA to fall back on -- oh wait, they dont even have those anymore either. And that's sad.

Good for them. Like in the world of open source software, the little guy is sticking it to the bloated developer with a litle innovation and a bare bones development model. I don't own a 360, and don't plan to, but this is the kind of news any fanboy coud appreciate. How else do you explain the success of Geometry Wars (one person!)? If games like that DON'T succeed, then you're playing into their hands -- they take the easiest route and will pump out franchise after franchise after WW2 sim franchise.

*Checks current collection of hundreds of normal DVDs... makes sure they're still there*

Yup, just as I suspected: I could care less about new formats.

Is there some kind of new editorial direction at Joystiq these days? Supporter of Nintendo or not, you have to look at that last choice and just scratch your head.

Joystiq Logic: If you don't watch movies, you are the type of person who will buy Nintendo's system. Makes perfect sense if 1+1=3 in your mind, but not to anyone else.

Hey, how about a choice that lets me say "I plan on buying cheap DVDs as they exist now, because they look just fine on my current television." I suppose you're lucky it's two months from a huge launch of two new systems, otherwise I assume traffic would be spiking downwards after the events of the last two weeks.

Free advice: Save money on commercials and put it into game development. And gameplay footage. And footage of what you are trying to advertise.

Let's make up more controversy, especially since we know next to nothing about Wii Channels! Great job!

"wouldn't be caught dead..."

Footsteps, you're obviously not emo, because otherwise being caught dead at any event, anywhere, would be the fulfillment of a lifelong dream.

"I wish I was dead... uuuuuggghhhh"