NEON MERCURY's ++ ps360ii Lite ++ thread -weaning you off WoW since 07

[Kal]

XBOX 360 is still the best... and Wii is the best option for the price... PS3 sucks

[picolas]

It also gives the PS3 time to redeem itself to give me more reason to buy it.  I know MGS4 and GTA4 will be big reasons, but to be frank, two games aren't enough to make me buy a $600 system.

GTA4 isn't ps3 exclusive.

[ᾦɐļᵲʊʂ]

Personally, it looks like the Wii is the only really smart purchase.  I can see getting a 360 if you're a diehard fan, or prefer its game selection, but for the price, availability of downloadable classic games (that just keeps on expanding) and ingenuity of the system, it looks like the PS3 and PSP will both get a swift kick in the nuts from the Wii and DS.

The tables sure have turned.

[polkablues]

XBOX 360 es still el mejor... y Wii es el mejor opcion por el precio... PS3 sucks

How so?  I've been playing my PS3 constantly since I got it.  Wii, I played through the Zelda game, rented Elebits for a weekend, and haven't touched the damn thing since.

[pete]

http://kotaku.com/gaming/mario-in-the-sky-with-diamonds/clip-mario-hooked-on-shrooms-257382.php

[edison]

An early sunday ad (July 15-21) for Circuit City is stating that the PS3 will have a $100 price drop

[ᾦɐļᵲʊʂ]

Only $499!?!?

[Stefen]

I think it comes with 5 free blu-ray movies too. Shitty movies, but used blu-ray flicks are in high demand and you can probably trade them in and get 2 games.

[MacGuffin]

An early sunday ad (July 15-21) for Circuit City is stating that the PS3 will have a $100 price drop

Sony Blinks, Drops Price Of PlayStation 3 In North America
Also announced: a new version of the console that will include an 80-gigabyte hard drive.

Sony appears to have blinked first in the current video game console war.

The company that dominated the battle among the PlayStation 2, Xbox and GameCube announced Monday (July 9) that its current model of the eight-month-old PlayStation 3 will drop in price from $599 to $499 in North America, effective immediately. Neither Microsoft's Xbox 360 nor Nintendo's Wii have dropped in price since the systems' respective launches in November 2005 and November 2006.

Sony also announced plans for the August introduction of a new version of the PS3 that will include an 80-gigabyte hard drive — 20 GB more than the current model — and a copy of the early 2007 racing game "MotorStorm." The new model will retail for $599.

The PlayStation 3 has been the third-place console in 2007 month-to-month sales, according to NPD, a research group that tracks sales in the U.S. Dave Karraker, head spokesperson for Sony's American PlayStation division, told MTV News that part of the reason to lower the price on the 60 GB model was to get the system in more hands. "We need to increase our installed base," he said. "That's no secret to anybody."

Sony Computer Entertainment of America President/CEO Jack Tretton cited falling component costs as an added factor. "Since the introduction of the original PlayStation 3 60 gigabyte model back in November of last year, the company has been able to reach some tremendous production milestones and ultimately has been able to reduce the cost of the PlayStation 3," he said in a statement. "We want to pass those cost savings on to consumers, and as a result, we have been able to lower the price."

When the PS3 price was first announced in May 2006, Sony officials explained that the console's cutting-edge Blu-ray disc player, which plays high-definition movies, was a significant factor in the console's unusually high price. Coupled with this announcement, Karraker pointed out that Sony's standalone Blu-ray players recently dropped in price by $100, a sign of falling Blu-ray component prices.

In April, Sony streamlined its PS3 line by eliminating a $499 20 GB model that lacked built-in WiFi. Why would Sony return to having two versions of the PS3? "The thinking is we would be offering this as part of the expanded effort for downloadable content and in preparation for the extended download store that's coming," said Karraker. He said the upcoming store will give PS3 owners the ability to download TV shows and high-definition movies. The added storage will also make more room for some of the bigger downloadable PS3 games, such as this fall's "Warhawk," which Karrarker said would be about 1 GB.

Aside from the increased storage and bundled game, the 80 GB version will be identical to the 60 GB one, and will not be in a different color or receive a specialized name. That's a different strategy than the one used by Microsoft. This spring, the Xbox 360 maker added to its line of $299 and $399 Xbox 360s a $479 120 GB Xbox 360 Elite, painted black to set it apart from the other model's white finish.

Console comparisons are rarely apple-to-apple comparisons. As it stands now, the Elite will offer twice the storage as the newly price-cut 60 GB PS3, but only Sony's machine has built-in WiFi and the ability to play back high-definition movies on disc (the Elite can store and play high-def movies rented from Microsoft's Xbox Live download store). Naturally the other big difference is the competing lineup of exclusive games. Those rosters will be brought to the fore this week as Microsoft and Sony showcase their lineups at the Electronics Entertainment Expo in Santa Monica, California.

The current top-selling console in America is the Nintendo Wii, which has benefited from positive reception of its unusual motion-based gameplay and its lower price. The Wii has outsold the 360 and PS3 every month this year. For example, in May — the most recent month for which NPD sales are available — the $249 Wii sold 338,000 units to the 360's 155,000 and PS3's 81,000. (The $129 PS2 sold 187,000.) The cheaper the console, the bigger sales might be. So given the falling component costs cited by Sony reps, would the company consider bringing back the 20 GB model for a lower cost, possibly $399, to make a run at Nintendo? Not quite. "I think the 20 gigabyte [version] is gone and gone for good at this point," Karraker said.

What isn't being ruled out is a continued evolution of the PS3 and more new models to come. The 80 GB version may not be the last new PS3. "We'll see how the waters churn on it," Karraker said. "If people want more hard-drive space or want something else, we'll address that and keep moving. That's no different with a car model and adding new pieces and parts that people are looking for."

He added: "If you look at what we're really focused on right now, it's increasing our installed base and creating that great content for those games. Whatever we need to do to make that happen is what we're going to do."

[Reinhold]

Sony refines PSP console design

Sony has unveiled a re-designed PlayStation Portable which is slimmer, lighter, and comes with a video-out port for watching content on TVs.
The form factor of the portable console is virtually unchanged but the device is now 33% lighter and 19% slimmer.

Sony has shipped more than 25m PSPs since its launch in 2004.

No release date or price was given for the new PSP. It lags behind sales of the Nintendo DS, which has shipped more than 40m units worldwide.

At a press conference in California, Sony also said it was working with Epic Games to optimise its Unreal graphics engine for use on the PlayStation 3.

Unreal Tournament 3, which uses the engine, will be available exclusively on PS3 in the Autumn. Seven developers, working on 20 more games, will use the optimised engine.

Sony also said it had secured exclusivity for much-hyped shooter Haze, at least for the "holiday season".

The firm also ended speculation that Metal Gear Solid 4, from veteran developer Hideo Kojima, would appear on the Xbox 360 as well as the PS3.

Sony said the game was "set for a simultaneous worldwide launch in early 2008 exclusively on PS3".

The press conference was also used to demo upcoming games, such as Killzone 2, and the latest iteration of the online portal, PlayStation Home.

Nintendo also held a press conference, at which it announced more games that it hopes will continue to broaden the gaming demographic.

Games announced included exercise title Wii fit, a new Mario Kart game for the popular console and the first Zelda game to appear on the Nintendo DS.

Nintendo of America president, Reggie Fils-Aime, said: "We're building on that foundation with games and accessories appealing to our current fan base and drawing in even more new players."


Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/technology/6293200.stm

Published: 2007/07/11 19:45:15 GMT

© BBC MMVII


ZELDA: PHANTOM HOURGLASS LAUNCHING OCTOBER 1
Register the game and get a quill pen-shaped stylus.
By Andrew Hayward, 07/02/2007

Nintendo of America announced today that The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass will be hitting North America on October 1st. The Nintendo DS adventure, which serves as a sequel to the 2003 GameCube title, The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker, was recently released in Japan, where it received a near-perfect score from premier gaming mag, Famitsu.

Nintendo will also be making a special bonus available to members of the My Nintendo website, as those who register both their Nintendo DS system and the Phantom Hourglass game will be eligible to receive an exclusive stylus shaped like a quill pen. The stylus, patterned after an in-game item, appears to be available on a limited basis, so early adopters will want to jump on that on the release date

[picolas]

1st wii post evar! probably last as well.

edit on standard comp: ebgames promotion of trade in 10 games (like, recent ones), get a free used wii + my video store's need to sell a crapload of games for $10 each = $100 wii.

[NEON MERCURY]

b/c of the price drop of the ps3...i decided to get one...and here are my thoughts


Pros:

-very sexy looking, nice gloss finish, very eyecatching piece of hardware, when someone sees it they ask about it
-versatile...more so than the 360:  photos, videos, games, blu-ray, internet browser, music, backwards compatible w/ps1 and ps2 games, downloadable content, and other shit that i'm still finding out
-HOME looks really cool
-upgradeable harddrive...thats a good thing b/c you can pop out the 60 hdd and upgrade it easily
-futureproof?
-after all research i've gathered that its more powerful than the 360 and has outstanding potential
-wireless controller comes with a rechargeable cord
-if its anything like the ps2....the ps3 should have a 10 year lifecycle..so, $500 for 10 years of gaming= just over $4.00 a month
-free online multiplayer
-incredible settings/options for various media via system updates
-marketplace w/old school ps1 games
-quiet
-after e3, there are some good looking exclusives

Cons:

-if you own a 360, there are not a whole lot of games to get  [i just have resistance and will get sigma friday]
-dashboard is drab and boring
-free online can suck b/c the presentation, quality, and options pales in comparison to the 360
-rechargeable battery is built into the controller meaning...if your battery dies, you buy another controller
-web browser is clunky

[Kal]

So the Wii is the best thing ever...

Besides having a blast with Wii Sports, I downloaded some old games... like Zelda for SNES. I used to love that game and it brought so many memories. I was surprise that the game was so cool and had so many features even 15 years ago.

[polkablues]

So the Wii is the best thing ever...

Wait a month and tell me if you're still playing it.

[picolas]

i'm 4 days away from a month and still playing. though mostly gamecube games i missed out on.

resident evil 4 is a classic. metroid is coming soon but i've never been into it.. i want mario galaxy so badly.

last night i made a terrible mistake and purchased Mario Bros from the virtual console thinking it was Super Mario Bros. (for those unaware of the difference Mario Bros is crap)