[Dakar V]

Dakar's Sony E3 Wrap-up

• PSP PSP PSP (Now with Metal Gear & Gran Turismo)
• Lots o 3rd Party games
• New IP: Agent, exclusive from Rockstar
• Final Fantasy XIV launch exclusive to PS3 (We got it, MS!!! We got it!!! Suck on that!!!)
• "We'd also like to get in on this motion control orgy, but in the least impressive manner possible."
• Deluge of their big but mostly already announced titles at the end: Ico, GT5, God of War III


It looks like Sony's short term strategy is doubling-down on the PSP.
As far as Final Fantasy is concerned, it feels less like a coup and more like retaliation for MS' genuine surprise last year. Seeing as how XIII isn't even out yet, it falls kinda flat.
I admit I'm downplaying Sony's motion controls, but despite the good impressions given, there was a lack of any real direction for use, particularly in comparison to MS' presentation. hawkeye likes to rip MS for being unoriginal, but a lot of what Sony demonstrated seem more torn right from the Wii as opposed to MS Milo and other apps.
This year might finally start to show off the PS3s technological superiority.

Also, Jesus Christ, 2 hours.

[Stogieman]

I missed the presentation. Did they finally give a release date to GT5?

[mattyb]

Gizmodo fanboy LOVES the Sony Motion Controller. FFS, he needs to stop drooling.

[Stogieman]

So I guess no PS3 slim or price cut? I don't see them gaining any ground against the Wii or 360.

[mattyb]

This is actually quite scary.

Needs something physical for certain apps.

Even more scary.

[Dakar V]

Originally Posted by Stogieman 

So I guess no PS3 slim or price cut? I don't see them gaining any ground against the Wii or 360.

That price cut isn't coming til the holidays and they won't announce it until the last second before the holidays, for what little good it'll do them. I suspect a lot of gamers are consciously waiting for the price drop, and quite a few unconsciously. Of course, they might not be able to afford an earlier price drop until they can get the cheaper to produce slim out the door. Which is also not announced for the same reason – impact of current stock sales.

[starman]

Natal: Meh
Nintendo: Fail
Sony: WOW!

Looks like people are trying to take some of the WoW pie. Final Fantasy XIV and Star Wars are both poised to take on WoW and/or whatever next MMO Blizzard comes out with.

I love the Sony controller. I think this one might kick the Wiimote's ass. The Sony demo was pretty impressive.

[Chuckit]

Originally Posted by exca1ibur 

WTF?!? Final Fantasy 14.

Maybe FFXIII has taken so long they've decided just to skip it.

[Hawkeye_a]

Sony needs to go the way of Sega for it's own good. They're hardware business has been an utter failure for the past 3 years. They're new hardware announcements are pretty lack luster and i doubt will spur any sales, let alone profits. The new PSP.... meh. The new 'motion controllers'....too little too late...and they look horrible. no headlines about it anywhere is a good indication.

They should just start publishing software for XBox and Nintendo.

(I remember some fanboys saying Nintendo should have done this last gen.... one difference..... Nintendo was profitable)

[klb5090]

Yes, Please - Perfect Dark XBLA

[jokell82]

Originally Posted by starman 

Natal: Meh
Nintendo: Fail
Sony: WOW!

Looks like people are trying to take some of the WoW pie. Final Fantasy XIV and Star Wars are both poised to take on WoW and/or whatever next MMO Blizzard comes out with.

I love the Sony controller. I think this one might kick the Wiimote's ass. The Sony demo was pretty impressive.

Really?!? I thought Sony's keynote was the worst of the three, with Microsoft being far and away the best. Although while Natal looks cool, it's a typical Microsoft move to announce something that's a year away. We'll see about that one. But disregarding Natal Microsoft blew away the other companies this E3.

Originally Posted by Hawkeye_a 

Sony needs to go the way of Sega for it's own good. They're hardware business has been an utter failure for the past 3 years. They're new hardware announcements are pretty lack luster and i doubt will spur any sales, let alone profits. The new PSP.... meh. The new 'motion controllers'....too little too late...and they look horrible. no headlines about it anywhere is a good indication.

They should just start publishing software for XBox and Nintendo.

(I remember some fanboys saying Nintendo should have done this last gen.... one difference..... Nintendo was profitable)

You do realize that the PS3 has sold MORE units than the Gamecube, right? And the PSP has sold over 50 million units worldwide. Sure, that's not DS numbers, but that is a HUGE amount of sales.

You'd have to be smoking crack to think Sony should just up and quit.

[exca1ibur]

Anyone get the Uncharted 2: Multiplayer Beta, yet? It's up now. This is pretty fun just did a few matches to get the feel for it.

[exca1ibur]

Originally Posted by Chuckit 

Maybe FFXIII has taken so long they've decided just to skip it.

Actually I wonder if that's what happened to XIII Versus as we haven't heard jack squat about it in about a year.

[Chuckit]

Originally Posted by Hawkeye_a 

Sony needs to go the way of Sega for it's own good. They're hardware business has been an utter failure for the past 3 years. They're new hardware announcements are pretty lack luster and i doubt will spur any sales, let alone profits. The new PSP.... meh. The new 'motion controllers'....too little too late...and they look horrible. no headlines about it anywhere is a good indication.

They should just start publishing software for XBox and Nintendo.

(I remember some fanboys saying Nintendo should have done this last gen.... one difference..... Nintendo was profitable)

Between its three systems, Sony is still selling pretty well. The PS3 isn't profitable, but that's because the mothership decided to use it as a marketing tool for Blu-Ray and fill it with alien technology rather than make a good video game system. The PS2 is still pretty profitable for Sony. I'll probably get a PS3 late this year or early next year when the prices have come down somewhere in the realm of reasonability.

[starman]

Originally Posted by Hawkeye_a 

Sony needs to go the way of Sega for it's own good. They're hardware business has been an utter failure for the past 3 years. They're new hardware announcements are pretty lack luster and i doubt will spur any sales, let alone profits. The new PSP.... meh. The new 'motion controllers'....too little too late...and they look horrible. no headlines about it anywhere is a good indication.

They should just start publishing software for XBox and Nintendo.

(I remember some fanboys saying Nintendo should have done this last gen.... one difference..... Nintendo was profitable)

Christ, dude, could you STOP being such a fanboy?

EDIT: To solidify my point:

Sony needs to go the way of Sega for it's own good.
...
(I remember some fanboys saying Nintendo should have done this last gen.... one difference..... Nintendo was profitable)

You're essentially doing the same thing that you're bitching about. Can't you see that? You're the one on the OTHER side telling the Sony people the same thing.

Ok, the Wii was profitable. Big whoop. I never use mine. Ever.

[exca1ibur]

Gran Turismo PSP Video

Wow. Impressive.

[Hawkeye_a]

@starman, jokell82

Numbers(unit sales) count for nothing. it's the balance sheets that determine success in the business world. the PS3 is still bleeding money, and their new motion controller was probably a wasted investment/atempt to copy Nintendo again. they SHOULD have focused on games or making the PS3 cheaper. They didn't. As for the PSP.... 4 revisions.... and still incapable of winning the mindshare of the masses and waning third part support. A PSP2 would probably be a waste to bring to market imo (which personally sucks cause i think Nintendo should have competition in this space).

And yeah, as mentioned i know thats what people were doing last gen to Nintendo..... those people had s**t for brains, cause despite selling fewer units, they made a lot more money than M$ with the XBox for example.

Please note that the reason i suggest they close the hardware shop, is not cause im a fanboy, but i'd rather see that happen than the whole division go under. Luckily for them the PS2 is still selling, along with PS2 software.....their only saving grace. What bugs me is they've diluted the PS brand and tarnished it with the PS3.
Cheers

[ajprice]

A still from the GT5 trailer, with a rally car that HAS DAMAGE!!! Woohoo, yay, alright!! etc...

[Hawkeye_a]

Man, this PS3 title will probably get me to pick up the console(at the right price)...

The Last Guardian

Absolutely breathtaking stuff.

[jokell82]

Originally Posted by Hawkeye_a 

@starman, jokell82

Numbers(unit sales) count for nothing. it's the balance sheets that determine success in the business world. the PS3 is still bleeding money, and their new motion controller was probably a wasted investment/atempt to copy Nintendo again. they SHOULD have focused on games or making the PS3 cheaper. They didn't. As for the PSP.... 4 revisions.... and still incapable of winning the mindshare of the masses and waning third part support. A PSP2 would probably be a waste to bring to market imo (which personally sucks cause i think Nintendo should have competition in this space).

And yeah, as mentioned i know thats what people were doing last gen to Nintendo..... those people had s**t for brains, cause despite selling fewer units, they made a lot more money than M$ with the XBox for example.

Please note that the reason i suggest they close the hardware shop, is not cause im a fanboy, but i'd rather see that happen than the whole division go under. Luckily for them the PS2 is still selling, along with PS2 software.....their only saving grace. What bugs me is they've diluted the PS brand and tarnished it with the PS3.
Cheers

Sales count for nothing? You have got to be joking. The PSP is the best selling non-Nintendo portable gaming system EVER. 50 million units worldwide. It is profitable. Just because you don't like it doesn't mean it is not a success.

And starman is certainly right about you being a fanboy, and it is getting annoying.

[Dakar V]

Originally Posted by klb5090 

Yes, Please - Perfect Dark XBLA

See, I was just talking about this a few weeks ago. I imagine they'll bump up multi to more than 4 players, but regardless, it should be very fun. I see a lot of LTK and King of the Hill etc.

[Dakar V]

Originally Posted by Hawkeye_a 

Sony needs to go the way of Sega for it's own good. They're hardware business has been an utter failure for the past 3 years. They're new hardware announcements are pretty lack luster and i doubt will spur any sales, let alone profits. The new PSP.... meh. The new 'motion controllers'....too little too late...and they look horrible. no headlines about it anywhere is a good indication.

They should just start publishing software for XBox and Nintendo.

(I remember some fanboys saying Nintendo should have done this last gen.... one difference..... Nintendo was profitable)

Nintendo also had a larger audience of people who wanted their games but hated their system.

That aside, profitability is the only difference between Nintendo and Sony that makes this idea smart this gen but dumb the last?

[starman]

Originally Posted by Dakar V 

Nintendo also had a larger audience of people who wanted their games but hated their system.

That aside, profitability is the only difference between Nintendo and Sony that makes this idea smart this gen but dumb the last?

Again, it's his fanboy mentality. His last post proves it. That's one of the reasons why I stopped coming here, he couldn't hold a mature conversation because he'd basically become a hypocrite.

As for "no headlines", it's all over the place. It made engadget, but Nintendo did not. Gee....

[Dakar V]

Originally Posted by starman 

Again, it's his fanboy mentality.

I know, but its fun to see him create some convoluted point of logic to justify his fanboyism.

[Hawkeye_a]

says the guys who got every prediction about the handheld and console market wrong this generation.

By all means... carry on...fanboys.

[Dakar V]

Originally Posted by Hawkeye_a 

says the guys who got every prediction about the handheld and console market wrong this generation.

By all means... carry on...fanboys.

There's that convoluted logic I was talking about! Wait, my predictions make a fanboy? So if I think Punch-Out! will outsell all games this year, I'm a Wii fanboy, right? Right?

[exca1ibur]

Originally Posted by Hawkeye_a 

@starman, jokell82

Numbers(unit sales) count for nothing. it's the balance sheets that determine success in the business world. the PS3 is still bleeding money, and their new motion controller was probably a wasted investment/atempt to copy Nintendo again. they SHOULD have focused on games or making the PS3 cheaper. They didn't. As for the PSP.... 4 revisions.... and still incapable of winning the mindshare of the masses and waning third part support. A PSP2 would probably be a waste to bring to market imo (which personally sucks cause i think Nintendo should have competition in this space).

And yeah, as mentioned i know thats what people were doing last gen to Nintendo..... those people had s**t for brains, cause despite selling fewer units, they made a lot more money than M$ with the XBox for example.

Please note that the reason i suggest they close the hardware shop, is not cause im a fanboy, but i'd rather see that happen than the whole division go under. Luckily for them the PS2 is still selling, along with PS2 software.....their only saving grace. What bugs me is they've diluted the PS brand and tarnished it with the PS3.
Cheers

Umm. Did you watch their keynote? Most of the presentation WAS about games. That was the first thing they came out and stated. 300+ games in the pipeline, AND showed live demos and videos of most of them.

[Dakar V]

For curiosity's sake

Impressions: online and live with OnLive

An OnLive executive told us that speeds through the modem were averaging four to five megabits per second, which is at the top end of a low end cable modem usage tier.

Of the four games, the shooter was the only one that felt slightly sluggish, and it was also the only active multiplayer game out of the bunch, pairing us with other OnLive users scattered around the country.

In summary, the thing works.

---

Kotaku - From Stick Figure To Mind-Blowing Controls - E309

I held my hands out as if holding steering wheel and acted as if I was driving a car. It was that simple and the results were surprisingly precise.

The person demonstrating the game pointed out that it was really just a tech demo to show off the game's potential. He said that because the game wasn't made for the tech, there were some issues.

To prove there were no tricks behind the tech, the team had the system sitting out completely exposed.

---

Kotaku - Wii Vitality Sensor Gets Smoothly Fingered - E3

[sek929]

Am I the only one having flashbacks of the slew of sh!tty peripherals the NES tried to shovel down our throats? It seems to me the Wii is only a catalyst to sell useless add-ons for mediocre games.

[Dakar V]

I forget, but already a game got mentioned as Motion Plus only. That would be the next trick – NIntendo getting 50 million people to go out and upgrade their controllers forcibly (and massively inflate the numbers of Wii Play 2, by extension)

[sek929]

I came very close to being suckered into buying a Wii, it's times like these that make me glad I didn't.

[sek929]

From today's Penny Arcade:



Metroid is the ONLY thing that makes me jealous of the Wii.

[Chuckit]

Originally Posted by sek929 

Am I the only one having flashbacks of the slew of sh!tty peripherals the NES tried to shovel down our throats? It seems to me the Wii is only a catalyst to sell useless add-ons for mediocre games.

That's what I thought shortly after the Wii was announced. It seems like Nintendo always wanted to do this and have only recently figured out how to persuade people to buy the weird crap.

[Dakar V]

I don't think it was a desire unique to Nintendo.

[jokell82]

Originally Posted by Dakar V 

I forget, but already a game got mentioned as Motion Plus only. That would be the next trick – NIntendo getting 50 million people to go out and upgrade their controllers forcibly (and massively inflate the numbers of Wii Play 2, by extension)

Red Steel 2. And I just read a hands-on of it and they're saying the motion plus adds basically nothing to the game over the original.

[Chuckit]

Originally Posted by Dakar V 

I don't think it was a desire unique to Nintendo.

I can't think of another company that ever pursued it half as aggressively. Sega had the Menacer and a six-button controller, Sony had the Dual Shock, and I don't think Atari or SNK had anything. Nintendo had more than that just on the NES.

[Dakar V]

You, my friend, didn't get raped by the Game Gear.

Edit: In retrospect I'm thinking less traditional peripherals and more add-ons which I think the Motion Plus basically is. Remember the Genesis? The added the CD, The six-button controller, the 32x... It had the powerbase converter and mouse available...

[Chuckit]

I actually did have a Game Gear, which I bought rather than a Gameboy because the Gameboy screen pissed me off. But even if we're counting portables, I think Nintendo still wins.

Sega released a lot of systems, but its systems were generally actual new systems, even if two attached to an existing system. It's pretty different from things like the Power Pad, Power Glove, Wii Fit Pad, Heart Monitor, etc.

[Dakar V]

So, are they planning on shipping Wiis with Motion Plus standard?

[jokell82]

Originally Posted by Dakar V 

So, are they planning on shipping Wiis with Motion Plus standard?

I don't think so, but a few of the games that require it (Red Steel 2, Tiger Woods Golf) will come with it.

[mattyb]

Originally Posted by sek929 

Metroid is the ONLY thing that makes me jealous of the Wii.

I played Metroid Prime on the Wii for a couple of hours when it first came out.

It was shite.

[Dakar V]

Quick Thursday Morning Round-up

Your first multi-disc major title for the 360.

'!' Metal Gear Solid Rising confirmed for PS3, PC

Kotaku - Nintendo Selling Black Wii in Japan This Summer - Top

Kotaku - Why Didn't The Original Wii Remote Have Wii MotionPlus? - Satoru Iwata

Kotaku - No Online Play For New Super Mario Bros. - E3

Kotaku - The Old Republic Wordier Than Entire Run of The Sopranos - E3

[starman]

Lost Odyssey was the first major 360 title on multiple discs (4).

[jokell82]

Originally Posted by starman 

Lost Odyssey was the first major 360 title on multiple discs (4).

There've been a few, but I wouldn't consider any of them (including Lost Odyssey) major. Forza 3 I would, though.

[Dakar V]

I'm aware of Lost Odyssey, I don't think it compares with Forza.

[starman]

It sold 570,000 copies in the U.S. as of 2008 and cracked last year's top 10. That's not major?

Also, it seems you added the words "major title", that did not come from Kotaku.

EDIT: 600,000 in the U.S., 100,000 in Japan, and 200,000 in Europe.. That's almost 1 million worldwide.

[Dakar V]

Originally Posted by starman 

It sold 570,000 copies as of 2008 and cracked last year's top 10. That's not major?

Not in the sense of eagerly anticipated and franchise game.

Originally Posted by starman 

Also, it seems you added the words "major title", that did not come from Kotaku.

Actually, I wrote the entire title for that link, so yes, I know that didn't come from kotaku.

In case you missed it, I editorialize a lot of the news content I post, and the links I provide aren't the news, but my picks for what is the most interesting or important news.

I thought everyone was aware of this already.

[sek929]

Originally Posted by mattyb 

I played Metroid Prime on the Wii for a couple of hours when it first came out.

It was shite.

Hmm really? Did you get a chance to play Metroid Prime on the GameCube? That game was absolutely fantastic, once I beat it my roommate decided to sell the GC due to lack of use.

[Dakar V]

Kotaku - MAG Preview: Generic Action Game - Mag

What Needs Improvement?
Personality Deficit: Looking through the fact sheet for MAG reveals an interesting back story about a dark future in which Shadow Wars are fought between private military companies, but the game itself doesn't seem to reflect this. It feels like any other online multiplayer game. It isn't bad, but it doesn't really stand out. Perhaps the portions outside of actual game play better reflect this, but what I played just felt a bit too plain vanilla.

Lag Issues: Even in the controlled environment of a trade show demo the lag monster rears its ugly head, and I found myself firing at enemies that were there one moment, gone the next, disappearing from my sights only to reappear as a corpse a moment later. Conversely, at least once I was shot by a guy who I swear wasn't there a moment before. I'd hate to see such an ambitious game ruined by networking issues.

I thought of something: Matchmaking times in Halo are largely dependent on the size of the battle (obviously playlists popularity factors as well). Could you imagine the wait to start a game in MAG? I sincerely hope they implement some type of L4D drop/add system, I'd hate to spend 20 minutes in a battle, only to lose because more players quit on my team.

[starman]

The Wii is too weak, says Miyamoto.

Miyamoto: Super Mario Bros. Wii could be better, but the Wii's too weak