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22nd
SEP
No More Heroes 2 is last installment on Wii, next game on new Nintendo platform [Bwah?]
Posted by Mavrik | Filed under Gaming
Clarifying an earlier statement that No More Heroes 2 would be the franchises’ last installment on the Wii, creator Suda 51 told 1UP that the upcoming sequel is “the last iteration for this current platform.” Suda believes there will be a “Wii 2,” and he’d like to do another “game in the series on the next Nintendo platform.”
This is interesting not because of No More Heroes, but because there have been a lot of rumors circulating about a possible Wii 2 appearing around 2011. Nothing conclusive has been revealed, but as most leaks go in the gaming industry, there tends to be some truth to it. So I guess Nintendo is going to go ahead and release a new gaming system in the near future while Microsoft and Sony are attempting to lengthen their consoles’ life cycles by releasing their motion-sensing add-ons.
31st
AUG
PlayStation 3 Slim’s Blu-ray Drive Is Worse Than Original’s
Posted by Mavrik | Filed under Gaming
While most of the PlayStation 3 Slim haters in the house have been knocking Sony’s new system for the lack of PlayStation 2 backwards compatibility, these haterade drinkers will be pleased to know that the Slim also has an inferior Blu-ray drive. Engadget did an extensive analysis of the system and discovered that the Slim’s Blu-ray drive is a tad slower than the original’s.
“We’re actually a bit surprised by the results here, so we checked over these a few times. It seems that the PS3 Slim’s Blu-ray player is actually a tiny bit slower than our 60GB PS3 classic from 2006, albeit not by much. The time between inserting the disc (listening for that last little ‘click’ sound) and having it register in the menu was pretty much the same ten seconds each time, but once you click on the disc and actually launch into the movie, the time it takes to get to a non-loading screen was seconds quicker on the classic. Not a drastic difference, but after so many years to improve theBD technology, you think they’d bother to add something with a little more pep here, and certainly not deliver something with less.”
Personally, I really dig the Slim. I love that it uses less power, runs cooler, and isn’t nearly the fingerprint magnet the original is. Plus, I’m totally geeked out by its awesome 17-blade fan. Still, it’s disappointing that its Blu-ray drive is outperformed by a three-year old model.
Are any of you disappointed in the PS3 Slim’s Blu-ray performance? Shouldn’t a three-year update of a console have a drive as good or better than the original’s? Or is the difference small enough that it doesn’t matter to you?
18th
AUG
Sony Announces PlayStation 3 $100 Price Cuts
Posted by Mavrik | Filed under Gaming
Well, it’s official. After months of speculation, and persistent denials, Sony has revealed that starting tomorrow the 80GB PlayStation 3 will be available for the low, low price of $299, and the 160GB model will now be $399.
Sony Computer Entertainment CEO Kaz Hirai made the announcement during Sony’s GamesCom 2009 press conference, during which Hirai also revealed that that the long rumored and highly anticipated PS3 Slim will also be available for $299 starting the first week of September.
That to me is a HUGE move for Sony and may finally give them an edge over the competition. And for many gamers out there who have been wanting to pick up a PS3, but weren’t able to commit to the $399 price tag, this news could not be more welcomed. I’m not entirely sure why anyone would throw down $299 for an 80GB PS3 when the 120GB PS3 Slim is coming in a few weeks for the exact same price.
Sony started out this console generation as the big, black behemoth that was a bit overpriced for most gamers. Now though, with the new price cut and, especially, with the Slim version, Sony has repositioned the PS3 as a much more consumer friendly, gamer-loving console.
And there was much rejoicing.
As a side note, I wonder if the PSP’s price point (especially the PSP Go at $250) is really bad now that the PS3 is cheaper.
18th
JUN
Zero Punctuation bursts the E3 Bubble [And I Agree Almost Completely]
Posted by Mavrik | Filed under Gaming
I say almost completely because he gets super negative near the end when he talks about the 3rd party games (granted that’s what made zero punctuation what it is: the constant bashing). Everything he says about Nintendo, Microsoft, and Sony is pretty true though.
Tags: Consoles, e3, Microsoft, Nintendo, Sony, Zero Punctuation
16th
JUN
Kaz Hirai on How to Succeed as a Console
Posted by Mavrik | Filed under Gaming
You can usually count on a PlayStation 3 to be a slick, dependable piece of hardware. This is something Sony likes to remind us time and time again. Now that they have a great lineup of games thing might start working out for Sony afterall. Don’t count them out just yet. Why do you ask? Read the quote below by Sony exec Kaz Hirai:
“A console always needs a solid core of games that appeal to gamers…If you go mainstream too quickly and don’t support the core gaming audience then you lack the pillar to support your platform. Without this pillar you end up with a fickle audience that might be big but will probably move on.”
I agree 100% with the man. It’s been my biggest concern for Nintendo from the getgo. Even now in Japan we have seen slowing sales for Wiis. Perhaps Nintendo’s lack of games I have been preaching for some time now may come back to bight them in the asses. Good thing they announced some strong core games for next year because otherwise they might have been in trouble.
People often make fun of Sony for going on and on about a “ten year lifespan” for the PS3, but the tale of the tortoise and the hare has been told and re-told for a reason. Could Sony be the tortoise? I think it just might be.
Interview: Playstation boss Kaz Hirai [The Guardian]
Tags: Consoles, Kaz Hirai, Nintendo, PS3, Sony, Video Games, Wii