Anyone who has had at two or three gaming consoles at the same time will know how irritating it can be to have to deal with all the wires associated with these toys. You also have to consider the game controllers. While the new gaming consoles have wireless controllers, the mere idea of having to buy different controllers for different consoles is not that attractive. We have no choice at the moment, however.

If Sony’s patent application is going to become a reality, though, we just might be able to use one gadget to play games using various consoles. Think PlayStation, Xbox, and the Wii. I think that they’ve also mentioned compatibility with Atari and Sega!

How is this going to work? According to the patent application, the controller will make use of an LCD screen – touch sensitive of course. This screen will display the various buttons and controls that we currently find in game controllers. Obviously, this means that the experience will not be tactile at all. It’s much like the touch screen phones and tablets in the market today. The controller will be able to store 3 different controller configurations but will display only one configuration at a time.

I can easily see how advantageous one controller for all consoles can be. However, I am not so sure about the disappearance of buttons that you can actually feel. I think the tactile experience is part of gaming, and the touch screen idea might not be well-received. Then again, that’s what many said about the iPhone.

Tags: game-controllers, gaming consoles, sony, universal remote

Not long after Sony released its much awaited PlayStation 3 Slim, video game console makers seem to have woken up from their slumber. If you thought that the video game console wars are over, think again! It’s back and in full force.

Try looking online for a video game console and you will be met with various promises and offers. This console has better hardware to give the best graphic experience. This one is the fastest. This one has awesome sounds. And so on.

More than the actual console itself, manufacturers are coming up with a plethora of hardware add-ons that promise to give gamers the best experience yet. At the most recent E3 convention in May, Sony revealed a new control system that is compatible with the PlayStation Eye. Not to be outdone, Microsoft revealed Natal, a hands-free control system. Of course, Wii had its MotionPlus.

Now we are witnessing the slashing of game console prices. The PlayStation 3 Slim already costs less than the first models. I was really taken by surprise at how low the price was! The Wii is also getting cheaper, with a 20% discount in the works.

What does this mean for us, consumers? Simple! We will have more and better choices in the near future. Looking at things from another angle, owners of the Xbox 360 and PS3 Slim are quite assured of the longevity of their consoles – it doesn’t seem like the units will be phased out for newer ones anytime soon.

Tags: Microsoft, Nintendo Wii, Playstation 3, PS3 Slim, sony, video game console wars, video game consoles, video games, xbox360

By now, you’ve probably gotten yourself your own PlayStation 3 Slim – the newest console to roll out of Sony’s manufacturing plants. Then again, you might be holding off on making that purchase, especially if you still have the original PS3. If you do not know it yet, my own 60G PS3 died on me early this year. Apparently, the motherboard just melted. From what I have been reading in the forums, this particular model of the PS3 is really prone to this meltdown. Lucky me.

So you would have thought that I would have gone out and immediately bought a replacement. I thought it wiser to wait for a while, and I am glad that I did! Over the weekend, when the new PS3 Slim was released, I decided to wait no longer and get myself a new toy. So how is it?

Well, it has only been several days but so far, I am more than satisfied. To be honest, though, I have not seen much improvement regarding performance and functionality. I am still doing the exact same things that I did with the original PS3. I play my games, I watch videos and TV shows, I play online, and I download content. The Blu-Ray player is just as handy as ever.

So why buy the Slim? Well, it IS slim! I still am getting used to seeing this sleek black box where a chunky shiny black box used to sit. I don’t hear any noise – seriously, nothing at all – while it is on. It doesn’t heat up (please, motherboard, don’t melt on me again), and they say it uses less power (let’s see the electric bill when it arrives).

I say get yourself one if your PS3 is due for replacement. If not, then you can wait.

Photo courtesy of Letsbuyit

Tags: gaming consoles, Playstation 3, PS3 Slim, sony

As if Cory Barlog’s leaving was not enough, we heard the news of Phil Harrison’s leave taking last week. Sony seems to be losing a lot of its talents, doesn’t it? Phil Harrison used to be the head of Sony Computer Entertainment Worldwide Studios and his leaving the company is a serious blow – there is no doubt about that. As of February 29, he no longer serves as the president. But wait – there’s more!

On the 3rd of this month (just a couple of days ago), the gaming world went gaga over another bit of news. Not only did Phil Harrison leave Sony but he has joined forces with another big name in the gaming industry! Read this excerpt from a press release:

Infogrames Entertainment announces today the appointment of Phil Harrison as President and Directeur Général Délégué of Infogrames Entertainment, reporting to David Gardner. Phil Harrison also joins the Board of Directors.

What is Infogrames? It’s just the group which owns Atari. Who can forget this brand which so big in the 80s? They could definitely use an infusion of talent and creativity as the brand has suffered immensely over the years. Who knows, maybe Phil Harrison is what they need at this point. As for Sony, it is definitely a great loss – and may insult has even been added to injury here as their president has left for a competitor. As the French say, c’est la vie! I am sure Sony will continue to give us what we want – or die trying.

Tags: Atari, Infogrames, Phil Harrison, sony

You probably know by now that I am a big fan of the GOW franchise. Well, here is the moment that many of us have been waiting for – the GOW for PSP is coming out! In gaming lingo, when developers announce a game has gone gold, it means that the development is complete and that it will be ready to launch pretty soon. For God of War: Chains of Olympus, the PSP version of the popular game franchise, we could expect it to hit the stores early next month – that is, at least in the United States.

So what is notable about Chains of Olympus? Here’s Wikipedia’s take on this:

At a God of War II launch event on March 13, 2007, God of War II director Cory Barlog indicated that the PSP God of War game would be a spin-off, side story, or prequel of the main God of War video game series: “It is its own story that connects to the overall story. God of War, God of War II, and then if all the stars align God of War III will be the telling of a trilogy. This PSP story will be a further fleshing out.”

The Island of Rhodes website revealed that God of War: Chains of Olympus is a prequel to the God of War series. It chronicles the various adventures of Kratos throughout the ten years he spent in servitude of the Gods (hence the game’s name which implies a bond between the series’ protagonist and the deities of Olympus) preceding the events of God of War.

The Official UK Playstation site reveals that, “Kratos will journey to lands that no mortal has ever walked upon. With the world plunged in eternal darkness and the gods rendered powerless, Kratos will face the most feared creatures of Greek mythology, and ultimately be forced to choose between his own personal redemption and saving the ancient world from certain destruction.”

No matter what, we are going to find out what is in store for GOW fans in the coming weeks.

Tags: games, God of War, PSP, sony

So Sony has launched another contraption for its avid gaming followers and it really does cost a lot! While the Playstation series has been obviously something that most people are getting attached to, the cost of purchasing one may need to be looked at again. The suggest retail price for owning a Playstation 3 at the moment stands between $500.00 to $600.00 in the market and for sure, only a few can afford to shell out some cash just to buy this new gaming console launched by Sony for its seventh generation era video game console last November 11, 2006.

The price may be outrageous but the need to analyze its feasibility may be studied. For one, the games available for use with this new Playstation are only a handful. Perhaps the only possible thing that potential buyers would aim for is the distinction of owning the new device ahead of others. But isn’t this the same belief when the Playstation 2 was also launched some years back? One thing that should also be taken into consideration is the fact that people would wait for the price to drop before finally getting their own Playstation 3 device. As it stands, its current price will not attract purchases, considering that most consumers today would rather invest their hard earned money on the more important necessities of life today!

[tags]playstation 3, ps3, sony, playstation[/tags]

Tags: PlayStation, Playstation 3, PS3, sony

If there is one next generation console that I am really anticipating with the utmost excitement it would have to be the Nintendo Wii. The Sony PlayStation 3 may be more advanced, more powerful, more beautiful, more versatile but I am a practical man and I know that at this point I am not willing to shell out 600 dollars for a game console.I am anticipating the Wii mainly for two reasons – the price point is so attractive that I am willing to buy a unit at launch. This is the first time that I am buying a game console on the same day that it is going to be released. The second reason why I am excited about the Wii is the game play! I just love to try the nifty Wii-mote and see for myself how it operates and if it would really revolutionize the way we play games.

And I am not the only one that has these same opinions about the Wii. Popular Science Magazine recently awarded the Nintendo Wii its Grand Award in its Home Entertainment section. The award is part of the magazine’s yearly technology innovation roundup.

Popular Science cited the Wii for allowing people to go back to “simpler era.”

The widely read and highly respected Popular Science magazine has given the Nintendo Wii the nod by awarding it the “Grand Award” in the Home Entertainment section of its annual technology innovation roundup.

The magazine chose the Wii because it took them back to a simpler era – a time when, as the magazine said, games were fun, controllers only had two buttons and controlling games was simple.

It really is turning out to be a great decision for Nintendo to not get into the graphics war and instead focus on the game play .

[tags]Nintendo, Wii, Sony, PlayStation 3, Popular Science, Home Entertainment [/tags]

Tags: Home-Entertainment, Nintendo, Playstation 3, Popular-Science, sony, Wii

Sony’s foray into the portable gaming world proved to be a success with the sleek black design of the PSP. Even if there was a limitation when it came to games and movies due to the UMD format used, there was no lack of hardcore Sony enthusiasts who couldn’t wait to get hold of the PSP. Indeed, the PSP has proven to be what I’d like to call the ultimate multimedia machine.

More than being a portable console for games, you could actually watch movies on the go – with awesome graphics I might add. Furthermore, you can listen to your favorite songs wherever you go. The PSP can also serve as an e-book reader and a picture viewer. You can even connect to the Internet through WiFi! So what more can you ask for?

Apparently, Sony saw a market for something totally different – appearance wise. Black is beautiful but for others, white is more appealing. Perhaps that is why they released the white PSP. I have to admit, it has a class of its own. Originally set up in Amsterdam, Sony’s billboard ad for the white PSP has irked a large number of people. It seems that the ad has some racist elements in it. It didn’t take long for the news to spread and as a result, organizations initiated a loud protest over the ad.

Sony has reiterated over and over again that the ad does not mean to degrade any race or color. As a spokesman said, the ad has “no other message or purpose” – aside from promoting the white PSP that is. Still, the ad has been pulled out to avoid anymore controversy.

So what do you think?

[tags]sony, sony PSP, sony white PSP, PS3, gameboy[/tags]

Tags: Gameboy, PS3, sony, sony-PSP, sony-white-PSP

When Sony revealed the details about its new Sixaxis PlayStation 3 controllers one of the first concerns that were raised by many people was its lifespan. This concern was brought about by Sony’s announcement that the controllers will have built in lithium ion batteries and these are inaccessible to users. In other words the batteries are not replaceable. Of course, the immediate question became – what would happen to the controllers when the batteries are already dead? The prospect of disposable controllers was not a good idea because of the high price of replacement or extra controllers.Consumers and gamers can now breathe a collective sigh of relief because Sony is planning on setting up a service where wireless PS3 controllers can be replaced if the lithium batteries have already degraded and could not carry a charge anymore. The company has not yet given the exact details on the service as well as the cost for changing the controllers.

[tags]PS3, Playstation 3, Sony, Sixaxis[/tags]

Tags: Playstation 3, PS3, Sixaxis, sony

During the 2006 Tokyo Game Show, Sony announced to the public that it was going to bring down the price of the lower end model of the PlayStation 3 in Japan. The price drop will make the 20gb version of the console cost around 49,980 yen (about $429) when it goes on sale in November 11 in Japan.

With the recent announcement, various analysts in North America, where the same model of the PS3 will cost $499, were initially skeptical of the move and many saw it as a sign of weakness on the part of the company as well as a questionable business decision.

But the likelihood is that the price drop is just a sign of things to come. The Nihon Keizai Shimbun cited a study made by Enterbrain, Inc. (the publisher of Famitsu) that it is expecting more price reductions as well as a more expanded software catalog for the PS3 by the end of the 2007 holiday season.

Because of this, Enterbrain predicts that the PS3 will outsell its biggest rival in the Japanese market, the Nintendo Wii by the end of next year.

[tags]Enterbrain, Sony, Nintendo, Wii, PS3, PlayStation[/tags]

Tags: Enterbrain, Nintendo, PlayStation, PS3, sony, Wii