Speaking to The Mercury News' Dean Takahashi, designer Shigeru Miyamoto gave a slight jab to the PlayStation Home for its familiarity.

"What they're doing already exists in one form on the PC," he said. "Our focus [with Miis] is always to be different and do something that's different." Miyamoto furthers his opinion by expressing how the Mii system embraces but isn't focused on the internet, while noting that the character system took 20 years to "come to fruition." We assume much of that time was just Miyamoto circling the idea in his head, as his GDC keynote places the Mii conception alongside the Nintendo 64 era.

"We are trying to do something that is different and create something that hasn't been there before," he said.

A caricature creation system may not have been done explicitly on consoles before, but we still wouldn't call it an entirely new concept. Nor would we give the same honor to Home, but their integration is indeed a first for game consoles.

Miyamoto went on to address the idea the user-generated content, citing it as an inevitability. "It's not simply the question of whether there is a game editor," he said. "It is what form does that editor take." We have some idea.

Also of note, Miyamoto gave the obvious revelation that a Wii fitness game, tentatively titled health pack or Wii Fit, is underway to ride the wave of success of Wii minigame collections Wii Play and Wii Sports.

[Update 1: There was some confusion as to what Miyamoto said in the third line and what we added following the quote. The editorial has been given its own paragraph so as to alleviate some confusion.]

Microsoft is expected to announce Sunday night that it has sold 10.4 million Xbox 360 units, actually making good on their promise to surpass 10 million by the end of 2006, according to San Jose Mercury News' Dean Takahashi. In addition, Robbie Bach and Bill Gates are to announce that Xbox 360 will be able to act as a set-top box for Internet Protocol Television (IPTV).

As the video marketplace is doing surprisingly well, surpassing other video-on-demand services, offering television as well sounds like a natural progression. However, we're not looking forward to leaving a heat-loving console on continuously, nor does a 20GB HDD sound ideal for any DVR features including in IPTV. Perhaps the announcement will coincide with a new Xbox 360 model and larger HDD?

Bach and Gates are expected to make the announcement at the Consumer Electronics Show Sunday night. Official NPD figures for console hardware sales should be revealed January 11.

[Update: The article has been taken down. It was dated for January 7; was it leaked a bit too early? Also, many are opining in the comments that the 10.4 million figure is "shipped" and not "sold." We'll know the wording chosen by Microsoft on Sunday and the official NPD numbers within the week. Update: The article is back up with only minor (i.e. typographical) revisions.]

Dean Takahashi posts about what he anticipates for 2007; the San Jose Mercury News reporter writes mostly an overview without wild predictions of the year. Instead, Takahashi includes lots of release numbers, cites scheduled games, and gives a bulletin of what to expect.

Mentioning that the most significant, recent PC game releases were in 2004 and 2005 -- Half-Life 2 and F.E.A.R. -- Takahashi thinks that 2007 will bring a resurgence to PC gaming; he cites Windows Vista and DirectX 10, new video cards, and a handful of important game releases to back up the claim.

We hope that PC gaming bounces back, but we're more skeptical. Is Vista going to improve gaming, or just create another upgrade hurdle for consumers? Will PCs always be relegated to first-person shooters, MMOs, and casual titles?

Dean Takahashi compares the three-console showdown beginning this week. His overview is mostly recap for us: the Wii is for new -- and unproven -- family gameplay, and the Xbox 360 is for hardcore gamers. The PS3? It's for techies who need the glossiest gadgets.

He doesn't find much reason to pick a PS3 over the 360, other than being the cool kid on your block. But he also mentions that his opinion could be swayed if unique games come out for the new system.

Do killer apps drive console sales? We can't think of a standout that would justify buying the hardware for any of the three consoles -- maybe Gears of War. Maybe that's why we have mixed feelings about the two launches. But we expect next year's game releases to warm us up to the new hardware.

Xbox boardroom biographer and industry observer Dean Takahashi wonders what's next for Bungie. They're currently holed up in their fancy new headquarters working (tirelessly we imagine) on the third installment of Microsoft's Xbox-selling secret weapon, Halo 3. But what else are they working on in their Dr. Pepper and Dorito encrusted fortress? Takahashi's inside sources tell him they're working on not one, but maybe two other projects.

Just like Xbox's J Allard disappeared suddenly from the limelight, only to turn up working on another not-so-secret project, Bungie's general manager, Pete Parsons, is mysteriously no longer their general manager. Takahashi intimates that Parsons is now leading a secret second team at Bungie while other Bungie all-stars, like "Jason Jones, the project lead on the Halo games, and Chris Butcher, the top programmer," are working on yet another project "beyond the Halo universe."

If Halo 3 is to be the final installment of a Halo trilogy, is Microsoft going to sit back and let their most lucrative franchise go out in style or continue to milk it for all it's worth? With a Halo movie in the works, what about the inevitable tie-in game? After all, a Bungie with business sense would make Halo 4 and 5 and ... we'd also take LEGO Halo. Seriously.

[Via Xboxic]

The sometimes forgotten reality of Xbox Live is how much of a scurrilous cesspool it is. This was brought into pie chart form by one Mr. Josh Smith last February after he recorded nearly 34 hours of Halo 2 then dissected it with a keen eye on the cussin'.

Dean Takahashi, author of Opening the Xbox and Xbox 360 Uncloaked, writes a column this week for The Escapist on the Xbox platform's best feature: Xbox Live. Oh yeah, except it's not about how great it is, it's about how much profanity there is.

Of course, Microsoft has taken measures to address this shortcoming with the 360's four different gamer "zones" and a feedback system. Takahashi writes, "Taking a cue from eBay, the service now has a feedback system where gamers can rate their rivals. Each player carries a reputation with him. By clicking on someone's gamertag, it's easy to file a complaint about someone. If the complaints pile up, Microsoft can remove the gamer from the service."

With Halo 2 still dominating Xbox Live charts, it's hard to tell if the new features are going to be effective in making the 360's first multiplayer killer app fun to play.

The man responsible for introducing us to Freddy Krueger may soon be following in the footsteps of the Wachowski brothers, Steven Spielberg, and other Hollywood heavyweights who are crossing over into the gaming biz. And unlike some people in the entertainment industry, writer-director Wes Craven feels that if video games contain "deep stories, characters, and narratives", they should be considered forms of art.

Speaking with author and Mercury News blogger Dean Takahashi at the MI6 Game Marketing conference, Craven also confirmed he is "in talks" to make an original video game. However, if you're expecting a Resident Evil-style romp from the horror maven, you may be surprised with what he eventually produces. The former college professor feels there are not enough educational games on the market, and sees opportunities to simulate world politics and health problems. Whatever it is, Wes, don't let "you know who" make a movie out of it.

In addition to Nightmare on Elm Street, the prolific Craven has also written and/or directed The Hills Have Eyes, Swamp Thing, Scream, and Red Eye.

See also: WesCraven.com

We stopped by the eFocus event over at the California Mart in LA's Fashion District. Just a few snapshots of what we saw... 

Sarah: So, what'd you think of Sony's keynote?

Dean: (shrugs) Sounds like Sony is stealing Nintendo's thunder.

This is going to be fun to watch this week.