Eric

"26. No wonder they low-balled the horsepower ratings on the 335, 414 h.p. and a paltry 295 lb./ft of torque, very disapointing. Rather have a Vishnu tuned 335"

I read the 295 lb.-ft of torque on insideline and almost fell out of my chair. An M3 producing less torque than the 335i is like Mini building a truck that can out-pull a Ford. I have to imagine it's some insider's idea of a pre-emptive April fool's.

While I like some aspects of the styling (not diggin' the mesh on the rear bumper and personally think the S5 is overal a sexier machine), a potentially $30k premium for this modest hp increase over a Vishnu 335i is a joke.

The only hopes I have for this is if A) they keep the price materially below the RS4 or B) if the output figures are being equally understanted as the 335i. A 0-62 time of 4.9s for an M3 when insideline's 335i did it in 4.8s just won't be happening.

I hope they don't pull back the performance on the next run of 335i's to make a more noticable gap between it and the M3.

I can promise you if Microsoft hasn't already determined the timing/amount of a price drop, they are in the process of doing so. As companies prepare yearly budgets, they determine pricing & subsidy for products over the next 12 months. Microsoft's fiscal year ends at the end of June, so the likely senario is they are doing some high-level estimates now but won't have an 'approved' plan until the new budget kicks in.

The exception is every quarter most companies re-evaluate their budgets and adjust up or down based on current performance. It is possible they could plan a price cut in one of those quarters, but unlikely given a price cut in the first half of the year wouldn't do much to 'move the needle' as it would in the 3rd or 4th quarter w/Halo in the mix.

Of course, there's always the executive mandate where Stevie says "do it" and the financial analysis comes second.

Hopefully nothing short of a Vertu.

IPTV...okay, fine. How about a web browser? Think you can build one of those Microsoft?

Way to over dramatize Joystiq. I understand that homebrew is something that a fair portion of Joystiq readers do, but that niche is hardly a significant portion of the mass consumers that will be buying the PS3 over the coming years. I really get tired of reading all these articles that imply joystiq readers' opinions, habits, etc. is exactly the same as what the hundred million people who buy a system will have. Take all the anti-Sony hype on this website over this year...did that stop people from lining up in droves this weekend for the chance at a PS3?

Deadwood

I definitely want to see rumble in the PS3. To me, the rumble feature has become essential to immersion in games. Rumble isn't something you 'know' is there, but you definitely tell when it's gone. I hope Sony at least allows the PS3 to utilize rumbe. Even if their 1st party controlers will be motion-only, let the PS3 communicate with a rumble controller and let logitec or someone else develop them. If you're going to go as far as put an emotion chip in the PS3 to allow backwards compatability, support the rumble those games use. Even if Sony's worried about interference, allow the player to select rumble or motion.

Didn't Sprint sue them as well for something similar in the later part of last year?

Given how Table Tennis is shares absolutely nothing in common with the needs of a free-roaming, large scale world like GTA...it's not even slightly indicative of how GTA might play...that is, unless it has a table tennis minigame.

Exactly why I don't play on Live.