Lost Odyssey expected to ship on 4 DVD's. Game time is roughly the same as BioShock, but the extra CG scenes in Lost Odyssey appear to be the main cause for the increase in number of discs.

TGS interview with president of BioWare.........

Very interesting market analysis on the console war in North America. Amazing how a PS3 and 360 price drop can reduce Wii demand by 17% in just two months. 360 demand increased by 20% and PS3 demand increased by 40% during those same two months.

http://blog.compete.com/2007/09/19/x...ii-demand-ps3/

Makes sense to me. People knew that 360 and PS3 price cuts were coming, so they waited for them. Now that they are here, demand has increased. Bioshock and Halo 3 have not hurt either.

I don't think that anyone expects the Wii to have a price cut anytime soon, so people have been buying at a constant rate. That might be declining as people either figure that they will get one for Christmas or the market is just naturally drying up.

I still don't know how much what the 360 does changes what people will do with the Wii. They seem like different machines serving different markets.

On a realted note, I wonder how much of a bump the 360 will get once word breaks online that the stock of RROD 360s is off the shelf and all of the new cooler 360s are on the shelf. Are there a lot of people waiting for that moment? Or is the fact that I only talk about this with game obsessed people slanting my view of the situation?

MS is in a pickle in that regard. The 'game obsessed' as you call it will know about it pretty quickly. It's going to be a lot tougher for MS to get that info to the general public and 'casual gamer' (which appears to be the latest catch phrase). They can't openly promote the change to the publice without admitting that there were problems previously, which they've only passively admitted thus far by extending the warranty. However, the general public will never know any different if some form of communication isn't done. They can't rely on word of mouth.

I agree.

Still, there has to be a group of people who have said to themselves, "I am going to buy a 360, but I will wait for the cooler units." And they are keeping an ear at least half to the ground to see when those will be out. I just wonder how big of a group that is. In the hundreds? The thousands? The tens of thousands?

The "casual gamer" issue is also important for MS, of course. I just wonder about the more in-touch gamer who has made the express choice to wait.

To be clear (while splitting hairs), the new DualShock 3 controller is different than past 'rumble' controllers. The controller actually has multiple mechanisms in the controller that allow for directional feedback. For example, if someone were to shoot at you from your character's left and you are hit, the left side of the controller will vibrate to give you instant feedback that someone is shooting at you on your left hand side. Here's an article with MGS4 demo impressions where they discuss how the rumble works.......

http://www.1up.com/do/previewPage?cId=3162991

That's cool. Maybe the blind can play some games?

It's just like the PS2 in that regard. Early release units had some big problems with disc read errors. Those people eventually bought a PS2 to replace their early one, but I don't think there's going to be any sudden jump for a 'second launch day' when the new systems come out. It will just gradually happen over time as the 3 year warranties run out on the old units and they go and buy a new 360 rather than pay to repair the old one. I would guess that people would likely wait to make that jump, assuming the longer they take to replace their old one, the better chance they have of getting a new one that won't have similar problems.

(insert IGN article detailing how blind gamers will cause PS3 sales to skyrocket)

:)

If Microsoft couldn't increase demand with a price drop, Madden 08 (being exclusively advertised for 360), and Bioshock both coming out then something would have been terribly wrong.


360 - hardcore gamers
PS3 - hardcore gamers
Wii - hardcore and casual gamers

They are competing, Wii just gets some extra sales on the side. Most Wii owners have been playing games for years, a few months ago Nintendo came out and said that 10% of Wiis sold went to first time console owners, 90% had bought a PS2, PS1, SNES, or whatever else at one time or another.

Yeah, but I don't think a significant chunk of that 90% buys a Wii as an either/or proposition.

I don't think anybody goes in saying "well, this is it. I'm not going to fool with a PS3 or an Xbox 360, the Wii's got everything I need!"

I mean, some of the 10% probably do. Why not? It's fun, it's easy to play, and it's cheaper than the other options.

But somebody who's a "hardcore" gamer is probably not going to throw away MGS4, FFXIII, Eternal Sonata, Mass Effect, Halo 3, etc because Wii is where it's at.

The competition between Wii and the other two is more for development resources than for market share, IMO. Especially with the discrepancy in costs between the PS3/360 and the Wii. Lots of money for PS3/360 doesn't freeze Wii out, but lots of money in Wii development might cause some hitches in 360/PS3 development if the company in question isn't either huge or aggressively expanding.

New game announcement.........Motorstorm 2. Will be released in 2008.


http://www.gamesindustry.biz/content_page.php?aid=28820

I decided the PS3/360 was not for me, and went with the Wii only for this generation. And, I really don't see that changing, but I guess it could happen.

If we call your definition the "new hardcore" gamer, then I guess I would be an "old hardcore" gamer. I have easily purchased several thousand PC games since 1991 (SimEarth was the first one). And, I have over 150 PS2 games. Those would be my main systems. I don't own an XBOX. I don't have a blue-ray player or HD-DVD player. I don't own a cell phone (I mention this, since you can play games on them.) or a high definition TV. I do have an enhanced TV (480p) which is the highest output for the Wii, PS2, and standard DVDs.

I do see myself having a large library of Wii games once they establish their platium/greatest hits/player's choice/cheap price line-up of games, but at the moment I have less than a handful of games. Though, there are about a dozen games out for the Wii that I would like to get once their price drops.

I just have a Wii, and although the 360 has some games I want to play... I can't see myself buying one right now. I have a crappy 19" Citizen TV in my room, and a messed up 36" JVC in the basement. Both are regular tube TVs, so I won't see a huge benefit with the next gen graphics really. Plus no sound systems. If I had a better setup, maybe I'd be a igger next-gen fan.

I've always thought the same thing. I never understood why someone would pay so much money to upgrade to a 360 or PS3 if they don't have a HDTV or HD monitor to play it on. You're buying a corvette with a one cylinder engine when you do that.

Especially given the continued support for the PS2 and the Wii, there's really no reason to upgrade without an appropriate TV.

Dear God! That's, ummmmm, a lot of games. :)

They do take up a lot of shelf space. Especially, the game manuals.

You keep them all? Yikes!

I had about 30-40 old PC games that had just been lying around. I just posted them all in one eBay listing and sold them as a group to get rid of them. Pocketed a couple hundred dollars and had a lot more space on my desk as a result.

Trailer released at TGS for new Metal Gear Online game........

http://www.gametrailers.com/player/25132.html

Also, new gameplay footage of MGS4.......

http://www.gamersyde.com/news_5097_en.html

I agree 100%. I saw no reason to buy a 360 or PS3... that is, until I bought a 50" plasma this summer, then it made sense. My friends would bring their 360's over sometimes and it was almost frustrating playing on my 27" TV. It was almost worse than playing the Wii or a last-gen system because it was sometimes a struggle to see all the little details that are jammed into the screen.

I have an HDTV and still don't want a 360 or PS3 :D

Me

Latest hardware numbers out of Japan. Wii sales continue to plummet, now only a 2:1 sales lead over the PS3 (was 6:1 only 3 months ago).


It should be noted that it's not a case of the PS3 making up ground, but when Wii weekly sales fall from around 80,000 to 25,000 in 3 months, that's got to be a concern.

Some have suggested that some Wii's were rerouted to North America. I went hunting for a PSP Daxter pack at multiple stores last night here in Kansas City. I was surprised to find that Wal-Mart, Best Buy and Circuit City all had at least 6 Wii's in stock. Wal-Mart actually had 11. I'm wondering if Nintendo is oversupplying North America in the hopes that there will be enough Wii's to handle at least some of the holiday rush. Regardless, if you want a Wii to give as a gift for X-mas, now is likely the best time to buy it while it's still available.

Playstation Home delayed until the spring:

http://www.dailytech.com/article.aspx?newsid=8977

We got 90 Wii's in late last week, prior to the Sunday ad. We got another 18 on Tuesday (I'm told we actually got 24, but I can only visually account for 18), and another 15 or so yesterday.

I'm guessing that, yeah, there is significant diversion going on. Only 21k Wii's may have sold in Japan, but hey, how many are still on the shelves over there? That's the bigger question before the word 'concern' trickles in.

Oh ok. It rang a bell... did you consider yourself a hardcore gamer? If so, I think that should be revoked since you didn't know what MGS4 stood for. :)

There are limited numbers in stock in Japan, but nothing like the large stock we're currently seeing in the U.S. As I mentioned, the surplus will be be sucked up as we move towards the holidays. It will be interesting to see how stock numbers change over the next month or two in both regions.

Good move here by Microsoft. Moving their focus to Europe as Japan appears to be a lost cause. Only question here is why it took so long to move those resources to Europe.......

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?p...d=a0FYuTjLAMec

Phil Harrison says that the rumble tech is the same as in the Dual Shock 2.

http://biz.gamedaily.com/industry/feature/?id=17519

Not sure if that means the stuff discussed in the preview has been technically doable on the PS2, or if this is just an expansion of how the DualShock 2 tech is used.

Also, apparently Beautiful Katamari isn't coming to PS3, but PS3 will be getting a Katamari game of its own.

http://www.1up.com/do/newsStory?cId=3163131

Exclusives for everybody!

(Yes, I'm bored. Waiting for my umpire clothes to be ready to go into the dryer so I can sleeeeeeeeeeeeep.)

I don't think the declining Wii sales in Japan are all to do with supply. There hasn't been much released on the Wii over there in the last month or two. If gamefaqs.com is right October won't have any big games either but count on Wii sales shooting back up when Galaxy, Smash Bros., and WiiFit come out.

More important than Japanese sales is that MLB Power Pros is coming out next week, right in time for the beginning of the playoffs. If anyone reading this is somewhat interested but not fully convinced the game will cost $40 instead of $50. I hope they tack on a player editor because I'm sure I'll find some issues with the player ratings but that's my only big concern with the game. Hopefully this game sells enough that this North American release isn't a one-time thing, the more competition in sports games the better.

This week at TGS a trailer was released for King's Story, formerly Project O, a Wii game that kind of reminds me of the Settlers with some RPG elements. I really like the art style and the game's music should be good going by the Bolero variation in the trailer. This game won't be out for awhile even in Japan but it looks great.

http://www.gametrailers.com/player/25389.html

More info about the new Tecmo Bowl game. Editable jerseys, helmets, and player names.........

http://www.gameinformer.com/News/Sto...0851.49147.htm

Yep, was confirmed on another site. That's what I get for reading a IGN opinion. :)

Pachter believes Little Big Planet will be a system seller for the PS3:

http://www.gamesindustry.biz/content_page.php?aid=28926

New details on Saints Row 2...........

http://www.thq-games.com/uk/news/show/2750

Halo 3 likely to gross around $300M on opening day...........

http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2007/...881838207.html

"Tecmo Bowl is straying from the sim-type game, and it will be an arcade-style game"

Hm...

SI

Let's be honest. I'm not sure how much of a sim it was before. Anyone who's seen the Bo Jackson 5 minute touchdown run (which was the entire quarter in a Tecmo Bowl game) would probably note that it was always arcade-style. The fun in Tecmo Bowl was that you could get some relatively accurate stats in head-to-head matchups without giving up the 'fun factor' in the game.

Unsurprisingly, Gamespot gives Halo a 9.5.

The Bad

* Rewinding saved films doesn't work quite like you'd expect it to
* AI-controlled Marines can't drive to save their lives (or yours)
* Inevitable flood of prepubescent online players sure to hamper your enjoyment of the online modes.


LOL

For those looking for a HDTV and a Xbox 360, Best Buy is offering a free Xbox 360 with any Samsung DLP TV this week.

The first 2 games that were on the NES were definitely arcade and what people remember the most, however, when it ported over to the SNES the game was becoming more and more of a sim that included a fairly impressive franchise mode for the time.

Interesting. Seems to me like Sony's giving up on pitching it as a game machine, and still trying to push it as the crossover box.

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/723678f8-67a...%3DPlaystation

'giving up on pitching it as a game machine'

They don't have to do one exclusive of the other. There's plenty to offer on both sides. Right now, it's accepted by most video review sites that the PS3 is the best Blu-ray player on the market. I certainly don't think it's a terrible move to emphasize the strength on that front. If it gets more PS3's sold, great. But they're not downplaying the gaming end by any means and the article doesn't say anything in that regard.

Sony released it's quarterly financials today. Overall game division sales are up 60%. Fiscal year-end goals for all Sony consoles remain unchanged.

http://www.123jump.com/earnings-call...gs-Call/23285/

They can push it all they want as a Blu Ray player, but they are going to undoubtedly piss off retailers who sell actual blu ray players in the process. There's virtually no margin on a game console, whereas there is an okay one on the stand alone players.

The PS3 is prominently displayed in the 'Video Games' section of all stores. When it is moved to the 'Home Entertainment' section, then we can have this conversation. It's still a gaming console and I would guess that few would hear 'Playstation 3' and think anything other than gaming.

You don't know how many times I hear a week, "well, I want a blu ray player, but i'll probably just buy a PS3"

Isn't that a win for Sony in that case? If they sell the console by means other than gaming, that would seem to be a positive. Granted, some people don't like the decision to include BR in the console, but now that they've already gone down that road, I would think that any sales via BR are good for Sony. The vast majority of sales are still for gaming in regards to the PS3.

Your comment would seem to make perfect sense when combined with the article that Fozzie posted. They know that there are some people who are buying it as a BR player. Pushing that as an advantage with a marketing campaign makes perfect sense. It still doesn't mean that they are doing it by disregarding the gaming part of the system as Fozzie implied.

Another Wii game with no online gameplay. This time, it's Table Tennis........

http://loot-ninja.com/2007/09/24/tab...o-online-love/

The Wii has shown how important online play is.