"I have only one thing to say: EMotion."

Well, E3 is good and done now. There are tons of games I want to cover, but we'll get to that in a different post. This post is about one thing, and one thing only. The Sony Press Conference. It's a long watch, so if you aren't interested, I'll give you a shortened version of the key points that pissed me off.

Firstly, the demos they showed, sucked. Last year, the whole Killzone fiasco didn't really help them, but the first teaser for Metal Gear Solid 4 at TGS did wonders for them. However, none of the demos they showed at E3 this year were really all that impressive. The only one that looked decent was Heavenly Sword, which was essentially a spiffy God of War with better visuals.

Then of course, there was, how did they put it, "Six Degrees of Freedom." Last year, at E3 '05, Sony unveiled the prototype for the PS3 controller--not a popular design, though I actually liked it. Sony, at the request of their rabid fans, decided to redesignit. At some point rediculousley close to E3, Sony also decided that, Nintendo's motion sensor idea was such a threat, they would steal it. Only, not only did they steal it, and not improve it, they would make it worse by having obviousley less functionality. Also, they would give it to the Warhawk guys the weekend before E3. Almost every developer working on a PS3 game had no clue about it untill the bloody press conference! What does it say about a company when, six months untill launch day, they scramble and shove this half-assed, ripped-off idea down the system's throat?

But their greatest offense was the pricing. So, lets see. Microsoft came out with two different packages for the Xbox 360. Sony will release with two different packages. The cheaper 360 bundel, $400 CND. The cheap PS3 bundel, $600 CND. The Premium 360, $500 CND. Premium PS3, $700 CND.

Now, as insane as that pricing is, it makes sense for the simple fact that the Blu-Ray drives are not cheap by any means. My problem is the actual difference between the two bundels. The $600 "retard pack", comes with the console, a wired controler, a 20gb internal hard drive, no HDMI support, less USB ports, and no Memory Stick slots. The $700 pack comes with a 60gb hard drive, HDMI support, more USB ports, and a Memory Stick slot. Now, my first question is, what the hell is the point of Blu-Ray without HDMI support? What's the point of developing this high-defnition proprietary format that shoots up the price of your console to the point where a very small number of people will buy it, and then not provide your cheaper version with the ability to actually fully utilize the format? The next question to follow would then be, if you aren't going to provide that obviousley necessary component, why design the cheaper version in a way that doesn't even allow the consumer to buy accessories for it? Everything on this console is internal, which means there's no ability to install a larger hard drive, or add HDMI support, or use Memory Sticks. Fucking genius.

To put it simpley, Sony scrambled. Their online service is basically Xbox Live--not to say that is a negative thing, because that's basically what Sony fans wanted anyways--their controller is the Wii-mote but shitty, and their console costs way more than the average gamer is going to ever be able to afford. $700 for just the console? You realize that buy the time the PS3 comes out, you will be able to buy a 360 Premium bundel for $400 CND, a couple wireless controllers, a play-and-charge kit, and a couple of games for the cost of a PS3? Maybe if they could show us which of their launch titles--none of which have been announced--is going to be their $700 game? I love Metal Gear Solid, but there's no way I'm paying that much to see Snake commit suicide.

It's kind of sad when Peter Mooore, the macho alpha-male hancho of Xbox 360 can tear into Sony and not have to fear any sort of backlash. Sony's really fucked themselves here. 17 November is going to be an interesting day.

Peace,
Ram