[icruise]

Originally Posted by Hawkeye_a 

A combination of factors actually.

If i were a studio-exec/content-provider.... i would be cautious of a single corporation in charge of a format. I think most people in the business are aware of corporations like Microsoft, Sony...even Apple rying to control the channel of delivery. Examples being.... Windows and iTMS. If i were a content provider id be cautious of making that mistake with the movie industry.

As a "semi-informaed" consumer i dont want a monopoly to exist. the reason why so many people are tied to windows is cause of what M$ did, and that inevitably leads to higher costs and lower quality. iTMS might suffer from this eventually, but there is a healthy dose of competition. the very nature of formats is that its single goal is to be the primary medium for a particular industry. competition is a no-no. and id rather have the DVD/MPEG consortium in charge of a format than a corporation be it Microsoft/Sony/Apple.

Sony may have created Blu-ray, but they don't "own" it -- lots of companies, including Apple by the way, are backing it as members of the Blu-ray Disc Association. This is hardly a "monopoly" type of situation.

[icruise]

Originally Posted by goMac 

That's the strangest part of all this. The PS3 does not use emulation. It has a PS2 onboard.

That's what I thought too (there were early reports saying this) but apparently that is not the case. It uses software-based emulation. (Or so I have been led to believe. I'll have to look into this further. But it would explain the problems.)

[Hawkeye_a]

Originally Posted by icruise 

Sony may have created Blu-ray, but they don't "own" it -- lots of companies, including Apple by the way, are backing it as members of the Blu-ray Disc Association. This is hardly a "monopoly" type of situation.

Yeah i know about that. And i also think it's worth mentioning that Apple now also supports HD-DVD.

The fact that sony developed Blu-Ray i think probably gives Sony some benefits with licensing/pricing, etc..... which is why i d still rather have the MPEG/DVD consortium in charge of the next format. Basically i'd prefer a group that develops a format, as opposed to a studio, hardware manufacturer(cameras, computers) creating a format with some legaleeze-fine-print giving themselves preference over the format over others who use it as well.

Im sure what Sony has done with the BR-Disc-Association is a nice show for everyone, but my instinct keeps me from trusting a corporation thats been so focused on trying to control the medium for the past couple of decades. (betamax, UMD, MD, MSP, etc). Dont get me wrong, im sure theyve gone to great lengths to make it "fair" and a great format to put conent out on..... im just questioning their motives and hwat that could mean for the entire medium i nthe long run.

[goMac]

Originally Posted by icruise 

That's what I thought too (there were early reports saying this) but apparently that is not the case. It uses software-based emulation. (Or so I have been led to believe. I'll have to look into this further. But it would explain the problems.)

I read again in a report today that it has an onboard PS2.

[Eug]

OK, one major annoyance with some HD DVDs.

With DVD, usually when you shut off the player, it restarts where you left off. This feature is fully supported on HD DVD... BUT:

Some discs don't allow the resume feature, for some bizarre unknown reason.

Now, some of those discs allow bookmarking, which is stored in non-volatile memory on the player. So, you can have bookmarks there whenever you want, and for however long you want them. However, if you just shut off the player, you don't get the bookmark. You actually have to remember to bookmark your spot before you shut the player off. This is annoying.

The worst is though some other discs don't support either bookmarking or resume. This means when you start the disc again, it starts from the beginning. You have to navigate the menus in order to get back to where you left off.

Whoever decided this was a good idea should be shot.

[icruise]

Originally Posted by goMac 

I read again in a report today that it has an onboard PS2.

Can you give me a link? I've been trying to google it without success. I would certainly prefer a hardware solution.

[Chuckit]

It's certainly big enough to have a PS2 inside.

[Chuckit]

Originally Posted by Eug 

OK, one major annoyance with some HD DVDs.

With DVD, usually when you shut off the player, it restarts where you left off. This feature is fully supported on HD DVD... BUT:

Some discs don't allow the resume feature, for some bizarre unknown reason.

Now, some of those discs allow bookmarking, which is stored in non-volatile memory on the player. So, you can have bookmarks there whenever you want, and for however long you want them. However, if you just shut off the player, you don't get the bookmark. You actually have to remember to bookmark your spot before you shut the player off. This is annoying.

The worst is though some other discs don't support either bookmarking or resume. This means when you start the disc again, it starts from the beginning. You have to navigate the menus in order to get back to where you left off.

Whoever decided this was a good idea should be shot.

Surely that's a flaw in the player implementation rather than the format. I hope, at least.

[goMac]

Originally Posted by Chuckit 

It's certainly big enough to have a PS2 inside.

That's actually what I heard, the case was enlarged to fit a PS2.

I'll go through my history and find the link.

Edit2: This is one article in my history, I'll go see if I browsed any others today.

The Older Gamers Paradise - 2old2play - PS3 Back Compatability: Not Perfect

[Eug]

Originally Posted by Chuckit 

Surely that's a flaw in the player implementation rather than the format. I hope, at least.

It's neither.

It's a flawed choice in the implementation of the specific disc. All HD DVD players support both resume and bookmarking. However, the author of the disc can choose not to implement either resume or bookmarking or both.

It seems most of them include bookmarking, but most do NOT include resume. Music HD DVDs mostly support resume though apparently.

I guess the "flaw" in the player implementation is that the player will not add a resume feature when the disc doesn't support it.

[icruise]

OK, I did find this page in Japanese that has pictures of the PS3 disassembled, and the caption to this photo reads, "you can see 4 large chips on the motherboard. To the far left is the EE+GS. It is thought that this is for the purpose of running PS2 software." And on the photo itself, you can see the words "Emotion Engine" so that seems pretty definitive to me. I guess the person who told me (very emphatically, by the way) that it was software-based was full of it.

[Hawkeye_a]

And here i thought Windows was inefficient tacking on decades of legacy code to maintain compatibility. now you have a console manufacturer lumping hardware together as well.... can you imagine what a disaster it would have been if the G3, G4, G5 CD, C2Ds had to go about compatibility in this mannor ? ugh....ugly.

[goMac]

Originally Posted by Hawkeye_a 

And here i thought Windows was inefficient tacking on decades of legacy code to maintain compatibility. now you have a console manufacturer lumping hardware together as well.... can you imagine what a disaster it would have been if the G3, G4, G5 CD, C2Ds had to go about compatibility in this mannor ? ugh....ugly.

This is where Nintendo did things right. Keep the architecture the same.

[goMac]

Ridge Racer comparison, XB360 vs. PS3

http://www.destructoid.com/ridge-rac...ns-27828.phtml

The XB360 seems to have the advantage.

[Hawkeye_a]

Since we're nearing the time when all 3 consoles will be upon us, here's my outlook:

XB360:
-head start was immencly beneficial (big surprise there). hard to code for ? developer's complaining ? time has obviously ironed those concerns away. it's all about the games, and the whole point of an early release is to guarantee a larger consumer base and library when the competition launches. They succceeded.
-The external HD-DVD is clunky. M$ needs to upgrade the XB360 in the first half of 07 with a built in HD-DVD drive and a "tighter" design
-the controller looks like the best of the last-gen-style of controllers.

Sony PS3:
-Underdog ? possibly. Engineers, not artists designed this console. proof lies in the comprimises made.possibly an enginnering marvel...the numbers are all bigger than any of its competitors.
-Sony's midset is similar to what i heard about Nintendo before the N64 launched. arrogant and over confident. Nintendo ruled for a decade before the N64, Sony ruled the previous decade. is it Microsoft's turn ? i think so.
-it's hard to attribute the PS3s soon-to-be-failure (my crystal ball gazing here)...to any one particular reason...simply cause there are so many of them. price ? innovation ? design ? supply ? launch library ? competition ?...all seem like likely reasons the PS3 will not rule this generation. I suspect it will get the same affection from the loyal hardcore that the N64 enjoys to this day.

Wii:
-Nintendo's changed a lot since Iawata took over.....the company just seems more focused....marketing, operations, development, etc. Which is great. their goal is to sell games, and the platforms they release enabled them to do that. hence the term "platform". it's like the hardware is almost secondary to the whole system.
-They seem to be shooting themselves in the foot by being rather inconsistent (nt that the other's are any better)....DVD playback ? hook up into a monitor ? region free ? they seem to have gone back on their words on thsoe issues which is kinda annoying. i dont care about the monitor thing or the DVD playback..but region free really might prevent me from getting one.
-Nintendo, although it seems to be courting developers much more since the N64....seems to think of itself as an Island. where M$ and $ony gobble up developers and get exclusive titles, Nintendo's seems to think it's sole purpose is to make great games itself...which is admirable, but probably not healthy for the platform.

Look at the DS as an example.....the top 10 DS games are possibly all written by Nintendo.... which is almost predictable since the whole point for developing a system like the DS was to develop a platform for the type of games they wanted to develop.

At the end of the day...a person who buys the Wii, wont be buying it for the hardware, but rather for a collection of Games. thats it...there's no tacked on feature that will sell this system.... photos, miis, weather, DVDs, etc...all that just doesnt matter. people who pick this system up will be doing so for the games and the way they are played.

Nintendo's delivered Zelda....some are already calling it "one oft he greats"...the next mario is around the corner as is....Smash Brothers Brawl, Metroid...and the other IPs Ninendo is developing (DDoC, ET, Pikmin, MK, Mario football thingy, Animal Crossing, etc).

So i think Microsoft willwin this generation...followed by the Wii and PS3.... who will come out second is hard to say....i think it'll be close.

Cheers

[goMac]

From what I've seen, the XB360 is the easy one to code for and the PS3 is the hard one to code for.

If Microsoft is good at anything, it's developer tools.

[Eug Wanker]

Only 60% of EB Games/Gamestop PS3 pre-orders will be filled, because some units were redirected back to Japan.

"...forty percent of the people who pre-ordered a PS3 from either GameStop or EB Games will be out of luck come November 17. To make matters worse, there are not enough 60GB PS3s to go around for the sixty percent who will receive systems. This means that a number of people will have to settle for the 20GB system instead."

===

Poor tie-in ratio lends more weight to 'grey market' sales theory

"Enterbrain, publisher of Famitsu, has revealed the the tie-in ratio of software to PlayStation 3 sales is 0.98 – less than one game per console."

"The figure suggests that a portion of the 88,400 units sold were bought with the intention of selling on as part of the 'grey market', the unofficial channel for second hand machines via internet auctions and retail stores, which label the stock as 'used'."

[itai195]

God. The pressure to launch around xmas time is just stupid when it causes things like this happen.

[Jawbone54]

Originally Posted by Eug Wanker 

Only 60% of EB Games/Gamestop PS3 pre-orders will be filled, because some units were redirected back to Japan.

"...forty percent of the people who pre-ordered a PS3 from either GameStop or EB Games will be out of luck come November 17. To make matters worse, there are not enough 60GB PS3s to go around for the sixty percent who will receive systems. This means that a number of people will have to settle for the 20GB system instead."

===

Poor tie-in ratio lends more weight to 'grey market' sales theory

"Enterbrain, publisher of Famitsu, has revealed the the tie-in ratio of software to PlayStation 3 sales is 0.98 – less than one game per console."

"The figure suggests that a portion of the 88,400 units sold were bought with the intention of selling on as part of the 'grey market', the unofficial channel for second hand machines via internet auctions and retail stores, which label the stock as 'used'."

If this is true, you can stick a fork in the PS3. I'm going to wait to pass judgment until it actually happens though.

[Dark Helmet]

Originally Posted by Jawbone54 

If this is true, you can stick a fork in the PS3. I'm going to wait to pass judgment until it actually happens though.

Na the same thing happened with the Xbox, DS and PSP with gamestop, they oversell.

To be honest it doesn't matter what price the PS3 is at launch, Sony could charge $1000 a pop for them and it will still sell out and not be able to ship enough.

The important part is 1 year from now. The price needs to come down, the games have to be plentiful and the supplies good.

[Eug Wanker]

Originally Posted by Dark Helmet 

Na the same thing happened with the Xbox, DS and PSP with gamestop, they oversell.

To be honest it doesn't matter what price the PS3 is at launch, Sony could charge $1000 a pop for them and it will still sell out and not be able to ship enough.

The important part is 1 year from now. The price needs to come down, the games have to be plentiful and the supplies good.

Agreed. The initial launch isn't crucial. it's the next 12 months, in terms of whether or not Sony can keep up with manufacturing, and if they can get pricing down.

Still, while I don't think the launch number are crucial, I do think a better launch would make the studios happier about Blu-ray. The numbers predicted for calendar 2006 by 3rd party analysts are not optimistic, and some of the Blu-ray exclusive studios (like Fox) are probably feeling the heat.

[Dark Helmet]

Originally Posted by Eug Wanker 

Still, while I don't think the launch number are crucial, I do think a better launch would make the studios happier about Blu-ray. The numbers predicted for calendar 2006 by 3rd party analysts are not optimistic, and some of the Blu-ray exclusive studios (like Fox) are probably feeling the heat.

The overall market for either HD disk is so so low right now it is a joke. Again, 6-12 months from now is the important part.

Blu-ray just went from 1 player that has bugs and costs $1000 and who knows how many owners to 80,000 blu-ray players shipped with the PS3 in Japan. After this weekend you can add another 100,000. By christmas everyone with a PS3 will have at least Xmen 3 if not a couple more disks.
March of next year there will be 4 million in just PS3's.

Toshiba claimed to have HD DVD penetration into 30,000 homes in the US earlier this year. MS and HD-DVD better hope more people are interested in the Xbox HD player.

[goMac]

Originally Posted by Dark Helmet 

The overall market for either HD disk is so so low right now it is a joke. Again, 6-12 months from now is the important part.

Blu-ray just went from 1 player that has bugs and costs $1000 and who knows how many owners to 80,000 blu-ray players shipped with the PS3 in Japan. After this weekend you can add another 100,000. By christmas everyone with a PS3 will have at least Xmen 3 if not a couple more disks.
March of next year there will be 4 million in just PS3's.

Shipped is different than active. It doesn't do Bluray any good if PS3 owners have a Bluray drive in their PS3's but don't care. At least with the XBox 360, people buying the HD-DVD drive are guaranteed to actually be using it.

In addition, if studios keep going in their current direction, it won't help Bluray to have a small selection of titles.

[Eug]

Originally Posted by Dark Helmet 

The overall market for either HD disk is so so low right now it is a joke. Again, 6-12 months from now is the important part.

Blu-ray just went from 1 player that has bugs and costs $1000 and who knows how many owners to 80,000 blu-ray players shipped with the PS3 in Japan. After this weekend you can add another 100,000. By christmas everyone with a PS3 will have at least Xmen 3 if not a couple more disks.
March of next year there will be 4 million in just PS3's.

Toshiba claimed to have HD DVD penetration into 30,000 homes in the US earlier this year. MS and HD-DVD better hope more people are interested in the Xbox HD player.

In the US alone, Toshiba + RCA had already sold 70000 standalone HD DVD players by the end of September. The next generation Toshiba standalones come out in December, and of course, the Xbox 360 HD DVD drive has been shipping for a week, and has seen very good sales in the US and it seems to be selling well in Canada now too. It launches next week in Europe, and Amazon Germany is already sold out so it seems it will do well there. It probably won't do well in Japan, but nobody thought any different.

My guess is there will be well over 500000 HD DVD players (including the Xbox 360 drive) by the end of December 2006. Maybe closer to 1 million.

P.S. Just cuz I had some time to kill, I checked my HD DVD disc sizes (on my Vista MacBook):

Corpse Bride: 19.0 GB (20 497 760 256)
King Kong: 27.4 GB (29 482 090 496)
MI:3 Disk 1: 26.7 GB (28 771 549 184)
MI:3 Disk 2: 22.6 GB (24 372 641 792)
Pitch Black: 21.3 GB (22 956 670 976)
The Thing: 25.6 GB (27 549 171 712)
Unforgiven: 25.7 GB (27 656 454 144)

[starman]

People are already camped out in front of my local BB.

Six years ago I woke up at 4am to stand on line there for a PS2. This time around, I don't care enough to bother. Sure, I COULD take Friday off and do it, but with no actual games out there that I care about, why bother?

[icruise]

The sad thing is that lots of those people are probably just going to turn around and eBay it.

[Jolt21]

Originally Posted by icruise 

The sad thing is that lots of those people are probably just going to turn around and eBay it.

gotta do what you gotta do. If i could take the days off, i would camp and then sell it on ebay.

[jokell82]

Originally Posted by icruise 

The sad thing is that lots of those people are probably just going to turn around and eBay it.

That's not the sad thing, that's the smart thing.

[ort888]

Is anyone here attempting to get a PS3 on the 17th? What is your strategy?

SWG... has anyone said how many units Canada is supposed to get?

I'm hearing all sorts of crazy rumors that the actual amount of launch units is around 200,000.

[icruise]

Originally Posted by jokell82 

That's not the sad thing, that's the smart thing.

Well, I agree in the sense that if I had a PS3 I might very well do the same thing. I'm not condemning the people doing it. But it's sad because so many people want the system and so few people are actually going to get it. I was just at my local Meijer and they had signs saying that you weren't allowed to line up more than 24 hours in advance for the PS3. There was a line of tents in front of Best Buy. It's just silly.

[Dakar²]

Originally Posted by icruise 

The sad thing is that lots of those people are probably just going to turn around and eBay it.

Hey, if you pre-order two, chances are you could sell only one and still make a profit.

[kman42]

I have heard quite a bit about the online functionality of the 360 and the PS3, but not so much about Wii. I know you can get the weather and download stuff, but will I be able to shoot my friend across the country or play golf with him?

kman

[ort888]

Not right away. None of the launch titles have online play.

[Eug Wanker]

Originally Posted by ort888 

Is anyone here attempting to get a PS3 on the 17th? What is your strategy?

SWG... has anyone said how many units Canada is supposed to get?

I'm hearing all sorts of crazy rumors that the actual amount of launch units is around 200,000.

Link?

P.S. Taiwan gets 500. Yes, 500. They must be pissed.

[Chuckit]

Originally Posted by kman42 

I have heard quite a bit about the online functionality of the 360 and the PS3, but not so much about Wii. I know you can get the weather and download stuff, but will I be able to shoot my friend across the country or play golf with him?

Nintendo has made the Wii able to do this, but for some reason I can't figure out, they really seem to be de-emphasizing the feature right now.

[Dakar²]

Originally Posted by Chuckit 

Nintendo has made the Wii able to do this, but for some reason I can't figure out, they really seem to be de-emphasizing the feature right now.

Well, they say they learned their lesson. Perhaps they're trying to 'perfect' it.

I'm not holding my breath, though.

[ort888]

Originally Posted by Eug Wanker 

Link?

P.S. Taiwan gets 500. Yes, 500. They must be pissed.

There is no link. It's message board speculation based on what people know about the amount of units available at certain retail outlets. None of the math seems to add up to anywhere near 400,000.

[Eug Wanker]

Originally Posted by Eug 

P.S. Just cuz I had some time to kill, I checked my HD DVD disc sizes (on my Vista MacBook):

Corpse Bride: 19.0 GB (20 497 760 256)
King Kong: 27.4 GB (29 482 090 496)
MI:3 Disk 1: 26.7 GB (28 771 549 184)
MI:3 Disk 2: 22.6 GB (24 372 641 792)
Pitch Black: 21.3 GB (22 956 670 976)
The Thing: 25.6 GB (27 549 171 712)
Unforgiven: 25.7 GB (27 656 454 144)

The Polar Express, a reference quality 100 minute title, is only 13 GB.

[kman42]

Huh. This review says the Wii won't allow massive multiplayer online experiences like the PS3, and presumably the 360.

STLtoday - Business - Columnists

[ort888]

A Walmart employee on the IGN boards just said that they got in 6 PS3s for the launch compared to the 22 they got for the 360 launch.

I think this is going to get ugly.

[ort888]

Have you guys heard this buzz about Resistance not supporting 1080i? Apparently, if you have an older HDTV that can only display 1080i and does not have the ability to scale 720p signals, you will be stuck playing Resistance in 480p.

That's pretty crazy. I'm not sure which HDTVs this would effect, but apparently it's quite a few.

Official US/JP PLAYSTATION 3 Launch Thread - Page 33 - NeoGAF

Here it is straight from the mouth of one of the developers of Resistance. Apparently the PS3 doesn't have any sort of built in scaler. If your TV doesn't support the same resolution your game does, then you are screwed.

Wow.

[Eug]

Originally Posted by ort888 

Have you guys heard this buzz about Resistance not supporting 1080i? Apparently, if you have an older HDTV that can only display 1080i and does not have the ability to scale 720p signals, you will be stuck playing Resistance in 480p.

That's pretty crazy. I'm not sure which HDTVs this would effect, but apparently it's quite a few.

Official US/JP PLAYSTATION 3 Launch Thread - Page 33 - NeoGAF

Here it is straight from the mouth of one of the developers of Resistance. Apparently the PS3 doesn't have any sort of built in scaler. If your TV doesn't support the same resolution your game does, then you are screwed.

Wow.

Indeed. WOW! If that is true, then that is totally braindead. This is truly a dealbreaker for many, including me.

I am SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO happy I didn't wait for the PS3. My TV does not support 720p in any way, shape, or form.

[Dakar²]

Originally Posted by ort888 

A Walmart employee on the IGN boards just said that they got in 6 PS3s for the launch compared to the 22 they got for the 360 launch.

I think this is going to get ugly.

Not to belittle crime, but I wonder how long till we hear about open fights, muggings, maybe even break-ins for the PS3.

[ort888]

Originally Posted by Eug 

Indeed. WOW! If that is true, then that is totally braindead. This is truly a dealbreaker for many, including me.

I am SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO happy I didn't wait for the PS3. My TV does not support 720p in any way, shape, or form.

What kind of TV is it? I'm wondering how many people this is going to effect.

I mean, my TV only displays in 1080i, but it can convert any incoming signal. So it wouldn't effect me. I would just output the PS3 in 720 and my TV would convert it.

[Eug]

Originally Posted by ort888 

What kind of TV is it? I'm wondering how many people this is going to effect.

I mean, my TV only displays in 1080i, but it can convert any incoming signal. So it wouldn't effect me. I would just output the PS3 in 720 and my TV would convert it.

My TV is a 5 year-old Toshiba widescreen direct view 1080i CRT.

Many TVs of that era suffer from the exact same problem. That's why basically all cable/satellite receivers can do scaling of 720p channels to 1080i.

That Sony wouldn't implement this is just beyond moronic, especially since even some Sony TVs of that era have the exact same issue.

[Eug]

Ouch.

First of all I have a ps2 and have been eagerly waiting for the PS3.

During the past two days I have inquired at some stores the allocations they are getting and I could not believe the results.

My local walmart (biggest retailer) is receiving only 4 , the sony style store only 2,

EB games also 4 , zellers maybe 2.
Some walmart stores are getting only 2.

Now I know that I don't live in a metropolitan area but this is just sad.

That would make for 12 ps3 in a city of around 60000 people.

I was ready to stand in line for a few hours but I cannot camp over night because I have to work the next day.

So my chances of getting a ps3 slim to none.

I don't want to pay 1500 online to buy it. So it looks like MS is getting my money instead.

To say the least I'm very dissapointed with sony I supported them before. I have a ps2 with a lot of games but I'm not going to wait until spring to be able to buy a ps3. I will just trade in my games and buy xbox.

This is not a launch this is more like beta testing.

Sory to ramble but I'm not sure what is going on.

[Eug Wanker]

Originally Posted by ort888 

Have you guys heard this buzz about Resistance not supporting 1080i? Apparently, if you have an older HDTV that can only display 1080i and does not have the ability to scale 720p signals, you will be stuck playing Resistance in 480p.

That's pretty crazy. I'm not sure which HDTVs this would effect, but apparently it's quite a few.

Official US/JP PLAYSTATION 3 Launch Thread - Page 33 - NeoGAF

Here it is straight from the mouth of one of the developers of Resistance. Apparently the PS3 doesn't have any sort of built in scaler. If your TV doesn't support the same resolution your game does, then you are screwed.

Wow.

Confirmed.

[ink]

Originally Posted by Eug 

It's neither.

It's a flawed choice in the implementation of the specific disc. All HD DVD players support both resume and bookmarking. However, the author of the disc can choose not to implement either resume or bookmarking or both.

It seems most of them include bookmarking, but most do NOT include resume. Music HD DVDs mostly support resume though apparently.

I guess the "flaw" in the player implementation is that the player will not add a resume feature when the disc doesn't support it.

Just wait for the Chinese hackable players.

[icruise]

Originally Posted by Dark Helmet 

Oh, and you can do a software hack to have ALL games output and up-convert to 720p and 1080i.

So ya, you better call it quits.

So... Did you find the link explaining how to do this yet?

[ort888]

Went to Best Buy and played the PS3 tonight. Erm, yeah. I played Motorstorm and some basketball game. The basketball game looked like complete crap. Motorstorm looked nice, but had major frame rate issues. It also didn't look any better then a decent looking Xbox 360 game.

Also, there were about 20 people camped outside, which is absolutely nuts. Here in St. Louis tonight, it's cold, raining and incredibly windy. Just walking from my car to the front of the store was unpleasant.

I wanted to talk to a few campers, but it was so miserable out, I didn't even want to stand out there. Besides, they were all hiding under trashbags.

It really got me thinking about exactly what kind of person would do something like that for a videogame console. Maybe I could understand if there was some sort of killer ap, but the PS3 launch lineup is pretty forgettable. The majority of the games are already on the Xbox 360 and are getting better review scores on the 360. What are these people really waiting in line for? The ability to say they owned something first? The desire to prove something? Some bizarre compulsion? It really is nuts. Those guys have 2 days to go and it might snow tomorrow. Is it really worth it? Really?

I wanted to tell them that I would be thinking of them while playing Gears of War in my cozy basement, but I decided not to be a prick.