Come Christmas 2006, Australian gamers will have their choice of three next-generation consoles -- Microsoft's Xbox 360, Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii. The recent Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) at Los Angeles unveiled the latest details about the three consoles and gave gamers the clearest indication yet as to what the next-gen battleground will look like. Which vendor impressed the most? Who has the best strategy? What are the major issues that still need to be addressed? Read on to see how Sony, Nintendo and Microsoft are shaping up for the next-generation console war.
Will Sony sink or sail?
The gaming world expected a lot out of Sony at this year's E3. After all, as the current generation console leader, Sony needed to hit a six at E3 to prove that it could shake off Microsoft's strong challenge with the Xbox 360. There was also plenty of negative speculation in the months before the show regarding the PlayStation 3 that needed to be knocked on the head, such as reports of release delays and prohibitively high pricing. But despite a lot of hoopla at its pre-show conference and having one of the best stands at E3, Sony for the most part failed to quell nagging doubts about the its next generation console.
Granted, Sony's announcement of a firm global release date of 17 November and pricing for the PS3 was big news, and served to dispel concerns that the Xbox 360 would have too long a lead on Sony's new console. The system's price also fitted in with many people's expectations, though it was still somewhat of a shock to the system to see that punters would have to pay AU$1000 for a top of the line PS3 (or AU$829 for a base model). Still, the PS2 launched with a AU$750 price tag five years ago, so many keen gamers will probably accept the PS3 price tag without too much fuss.
What failed to set many gamers' hearts aflutter was the quality of PS3 games being displayed on the E3 floor, at least in terms of graphical eye candy. Sure, they looked impressive, with demos of the next-gen Gran Turismo, Genji 2 and Heavenly Sword being the standouts. But for a machine boasting the tech guts of the PS3, most people expected something that would knock their socks off. Graphics on PS3 games on show looked about on par with what was being displayed for the Xbox 360, which could spell trouble for Sony if marked improvements aren't realised come launch day (punters love eye candy when it comes to new consoles).
There were also rumours swilling around the E3 show floor (backed up by reports from some publishers this week) that many game developers had still not received final specs or development kits for the PS3. With roughly six months to go before launch, this doesn't bode well for those expecting a large range of PS3 titles to choose from come 17 November.
The PS3 controller looks identical to the PS2 one.
Sony's other major announcement for the PS3 -- the addition of movement sensitivity in its wireless controllers -- also failed to generate much excitement. Sony demoed this new functionality on Warhawk, an expected PS3 launch title. Compared to the level of intricate movement being achieved by the Nintendo Wii's own controllers, the PS3's seemed more of an afterthought than an integral part of Sony's next-gen offering. Sony also said that it had only recently disclosed to its game developer partners the existence of movement-sensitivity on PS3 controllers -- the major reason why there was only one game at the show which made use of such functionality.
In the next few months, Sony will no doubt make more announcements, unveil more games and generally try their hardest to impress on gamers the world over that the PS3 is THE next generation console of choice. The question is, is 17 November too pressing a deadline to turn some of the cynicism around?
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Brigadier
25/05/2006 11:18 PM
Nice articles on each of the consoles. I think the Revolution (yes, still stubbornly refusing to call it 'Wii' :P) is in a very good position already. If we consider that it might have mass-appeal (especially in Japan) like the DS has had, it's safe to say it will be a massive success. A lot of people who plan on buying an Xbox 360 or a PS3 also plan on buying the Revolution as a 'secondary' type of console, which spells more sales for Nintendo, as well. Microsoft is currently in the best position with their Xbox 360 of course, seeing as it's the only next-gen console available right now. As was mentioned in the article, Bill Gates hopes for ten million 360s sold, and while we can't say that for sure, what we can say is that Microsoft will be taking full advantage of the free months they're getting before the other two consoles launch. Definitely a good position to be in, and I think the Xbox 360's mid-range price will appeal to a lot of people. I saw Sony's press conference live (through an online video feed) and it really failed to impress me...well, besides the Metal Gear Solid 4 trailer. Ignoring trailer after trailer of games we won't be able to play for a good year or two, we arrive at the announcement of the motion-sensitive controller. Wow, slightly surprising in a humourous way, and very unimpressive in an embarrassing way. Not much else to say really, besides the fact that the motion-sensitivity seems terribly rushed, and likely was. Oh, and they've had to give up rumble in the process, which really isn't a good thing. At launch I'm sure Sony will do just fine, despite the outrageous price - the brand name will ensure that. Long-term, though - who knows?
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Fireacer
03/09/2006 11:26 PM
i have to agree with alot of what this article presents. the only issue that i have is that nintendo would of suffered if they had mentioned pricing at E3. though the pricing is amazingly good ( at about $350Au) it would detract from their gaming emphasis. I would also tend to disagree with the reviewers perspective on the wii controller and its functionality. i dont think that nintendo would be re-callobrating the controller evertime someone used it at E3, i suspect the default was used....which means things like responsitivity or actually playability will rely mainly on people playing it at home.
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Wii and Xbox 360
27/01/2008 08:58 PM
Yes we Know that the Playstation 3 has tall the good things such as Blu ray disc drives and more but Sony are just copying off the Xbox 360 and nintendo Wii. Because did you notice that the Playstation 3 was released after the other two. The Playstation 3 has motion sensitive controllers just like the Wii does and Has really good graphics just like the Xbox 360 does.
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