Mikey Boom

So I got Guitar Hero 3 for my Wii this past weekend. It’s probably the most addictive game I’ve ever played. However, I’m not as addicted to it as this guy:

…or as cool.

Come one! come all! To the next generation of gaming on the Sony Playstation 3. Recently, Sony announced a $400 model of their next gen platform gaming system, the PS3, would be released in the UK for the holidays. Yesterday, Sony made a similar official statement stating the same 40 gig model would also be released here in the States next month! I used to have a PS2 and thought it was one of the best gaming systems I’ve ever had. I was hesitant to purchase the PS3 because of its steep $600+ price tag. I can’t wait to get my hands on this new model which will have almost all the same functions as the 60 gig and 80 gig versions (minus backward integration with PS2 games) including it’s wonderfully astounding Blu-Ray capabilities. This is great news! I can’t wait to play my old favorites like Grand Theft Auto, which I hear the new version for PS3 is releasing early 2008. Gamers get your wallets ready. I guess I should upgrade my Netflix account to accommodate Blu-ray.

Extra tidbit: Sony has also stated the 60 gig model will also get a price reduction for the holidays from $599 to $499. Wowza!

Check out this video of real time Halo 3 game play. You can see new weapons and a new combat area. It looks like the same ole good stuff you know an love with some cool little improvements! Looks pretty cool, let me know what you think

CLICK HERE FOR VIDEO

In recent interviews with Electronic Gaming Monthly Magazine (EGM) Sony demonstrated how the PS3 and its portable counterpart, The PSP, will interact with each other.  Sony states that the PSP will serve as an upgraded wireless remote with what Sony calls “Remote Play’.  According to IGN, a multimedia news and reviews website, “Remote Play” will allow instant access for the PS3 to send media out to the PlayStation Portable.  For example, if were playing a first person driving game, like Sony’s highly anticipated title MotoStorm, not only would you use the PSP as a wireless remote but additionally you would be able to use the LCD screen of PSP as a rear view mirror for the car you are driving.  This amplifies the user experience and sets the bar a little higher of the PS3 in this highly competitive industry.  Here is another good example of how the PS3 and the PSP will interact.  Imagine watching a movie in 1080p high definition off your PS3. Now imagine stopping it midway thorough, via the controls on your PSP, and than sending it wirelessly to your Playstation Portable so that you can watch the rest of the movie on your way out the door. According to IGN, the PSP will have full access to the PS3’s XMB menu so files will no longer have to compressed to fit on the PSP’s memory card. This will allow you to use the PS3 to store video, music, and photos which you will be able to watch, listen to and/or view from remote location. Thus far the interact-ability between the PS3 and the PSP seems limitlessly at the hands of Sony’s creative departments.   I predict Nintendo will ultimately try to add similar features to their Ninendo Wii and Nintendo DS consoles.

With a launch list of lack luster games and a selling price double that of the previous PS1 and PS2 models, Sony’s new gaming behemoth, the PlayStation3, has been repeatedly been a target of negative press. One could argue that never before has Sony had to face such harsh competition. PS1 and 2 ran along side Sega Saturn or Dreamcast but these were consoles with indisputably far less capabilities. The Nintendo Wii and the Xbox 360 are far more superior opponents, the likes of which the PlayStation systems have never encountered. But help is on its way for the PS3. A steady flow of upgrades to their free online network in conjunction with the addition of classic downloadable games should keep the masses content until big title debuts such as Final Fantasy XIII, Motortorm, Killzone2, Devil May Cry 4, and Virtual Fighter 5 are ready for unveiling. The biggest question here is: Will Sony have ready a big title debut to compete against the much anticipated competitor titles like Halo 3 on the Xbox360 or Mario Galaxy on the Nintendo Wii? Game critics speculate the release of Metal Gear Solid 4 to be the PS3 best hope of competing against big name titles on competitor’s systems and furthermore may ultimately help against the negative press the system has received thus far. No release date has yet been established for PS3’s Metal Gear Solid 4. Sony has sold 1.26 million PS3s, Nintendo has sold 4.4 million Wii systems and Microsoft has sold 10.4 Xbox360s. Without a doubt, Sony is gearing up for strong comeback. In a recent interview with Electronic Gaming Monthly magazine the director of sales for Sony Computer Entertainment Americas (SCEA), John Tretton, said the short term goals of Sony PS3 are “…to get as many good games to the market as quickly as possible-games that differentiate our platform and really show what our platform can do”.