TwistedBishop

So for all the people who tape their power brick and 360 together the PS3 will be smaller? Bargain.

I can't believe I'm saying this, but I actually want to play that game now. What do you think the chances are it will come out in a region-free Korean version like GRAW?

The physics engine in Half-Life 2 can indeed screw up in emulation, but honestly I think the problem is being exaggerated a bit.

I've played through the game twice and ran into the bug at three different points; dying is what seems to trigger it, as it never starts out wonky to begin with. Each time you just need to restart the level and it vanishes. It's annoying, sure, but it doesn't make the game impossible to play.

It really doesn't make much on a multitude of levels for Halo 3 to release this November.

-It won't stop the PS3 from selling out.

-It won't convince the Playstation loyalists, who wanted a PS3 and couldn't get one, to switch to 360.

-The swing demographic of more relaxed gamers, who wanted a PS3 for the Christmas season and either couldn't find one or got priced out, will likely pick up 360s anyway.

-Considering the Halo movie due out Summer '07, it would be wiser to use the two properties - game and film - to cross advertise each other, rather than spending large ad budgets twice. This also has the potential of reaching a much wider demographic than established gamers.

To me, the obvious release date is late Spring/early Summer 2007. That's when the hardcore people will have shaken out of the PS3 buying splurge, and both consoles are readily available on shelves. That's the critical time for a console, when it comes down to the people whose minds aren't already made up. That's when Microsoft needs its killer ap.

R: Yes, the DS is region-free. The power adapter will also work fine in the U.S.

I only have import figures to go by, and they're a bit inflated, but for what it's worth:

The Lite is being sold (at least on Lik-Sang, haven't checked elsewhere) for $170.

For comparison, they list the original DS at $150.

I bought my DS shortly after Christmas, basically as little more than a vehicle for 2D Castlevania. I certainly never expected to love it as much as I have grown to; the breadth of games across all genres is amazing and Nintendo is making all the right moves with things like their Wi-Fi service. It excels in every way possible as a portable gaming device.

The only real sticking point was the look, especially compared to something like the PSP --sexy it isn't. That's been corrected now.

I couldn't help but pre-order a Lite.

Yeah the power connector might be a problem for imports.

Do they use a different voltage/outlet standard in Japan than America, the way Europe does?

Doesn't it seem like the GBA cartridges will stick out a bit from the slot? I'm not sure the curves match up.

That would be a bit disappointing, considering how slick the machine looks otherwise.

Thanks for the info Grahamulax. I guess I will try to import one afterall. I bought my current DS fairly recently, but this is just so beautiful...