| | After watching each of the "Big-3" press conferences, I got a distinct impression from each company.
Sony: I felt that they wanted to get everyone thinking forward while reminding them that Sony holds the key. They were very insistent that the future of console gaming rests on the shoulders of Sony and the Playstation 3. Kaz Hirai, the keynote speaker at the conference, stated, "We're not interested in gimmicks, clever rhetoric, or conventional thinking." This could be seen as a slight jab at Microsoft. I'll go more into that later.
Sony did a good job of showing off what the PS3 could do through many gameplay demonstrations. They also announced alot of really great titles that will be available once the console is released in November.
There are some people that stated that the Sony press conference was boring and highly uninformational. I ask these people, what were you looking for? A show and a treat? This is a press conference. I thought that Sony handled it very professionally and did a very good job. They displayed alot of new titles that I am really excited about. One of which, Eight Days, really caught my eye. The demo they showed flipped between CGI movie and gameplay rather seemlessly it made for a completely immersive viewing experience. I can only imagine what it would be like to play. All in all, I am even more excited about PS3 than ever before. The price is steep, sure, but I'm definitely willing to spend the money for this thing.
Nintendo: Miyamoto beginning the conference with a virtual orchestra with the Wii controller in hand really set the tone of the Nintendo press conference. We were all going to have alot of fun with this one. And we had a great time. Nintendo's focus is to be the all inclusive console. They are striving to expand the gaming demographic and I think that they will be successful. Nintendo is doing a good job catering to all types of gamers with the titles that they have unveiled. The new Zelda looks amazing. Red Steel is really going to bring alot of people to the Wii.
The Wii is a very interesting console mainly because of the controller. It's unlike anything that we've ever seen before and it's going to sell units just because of the intruige it brings. The bottom line with the Wii is that Nintendo is trying to make games simply fun; accessible to the masses and appeal to everyone who likes to have a good time.
Microsoft: Peter Moore was introduced as the "Zen Master of Gaming." What? Sounds like some more clever rhetoric that Kaz mentioned. The first game that they showed off was Gears of War. A pretty violent and bloody game. It looks pretty good but wouldn't be my first choice to start off a press conference.
Microsoft's goal was to address the competition. They wanted to drive their points home by making comparisons between apples and oranges. Moore stated that projections indicated that Microsoft will have sold 10 million units before the competition has sold it's first unit. He referred to it as a "10 million unit head start." My question is, head start to what? Obsolution? MS is so intent on selling as much as they can as fast as they can. Why? Are they that desperate that they are trying to cash in while they can? Seems like Microsoft is looking over it's shoulder ALOT.
They want to show that they have the casual gamer in mind as well with x-box live arcade, where you can play alot of old arcade classics...What about new content that's casual friendly? Oh right...that's Wii's job.
Another point of interest for MS was the Japanese market. They are really pushing that market hard. I wonder if they are trying to prove to themselves and the rest of the world that they can be international powerhouses like...Nintendo or Sony.
X-box Live is doing alot of things to integrate different media types and mediums in the console as well as connecting gamers from all over the world. I will give them credit for this however they are Microsoft. They run the internet remember? There are alot of things that Microsoft is doing to break down the barriers between PCs and consoles but when given the choice, I'd rather play PC games on my PC and not an Xbox.
I'm sure you have noticed my lack of love for the Xbox...but they aren't helping since there are zero titles that I am interested in. I will admit that there was a point where I was really close to buying an Xbox for Fable. Changing my mind was probably one of the best decisions I have ever made. Any game that I had any interest in on the Xbox was also available on the PC. I always ended up with the PC version and was quite content. No need for me to have an Xbox when I have a computer. Unless I can play the new Final Fantasy games or those party games that Nintendo puts out, on the PC, I'll be looking to the Playstation and the Wii for my console needs.
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| | Posted 5/10/2006 10:25 AM - 132 Views - 0 eProps - 0 comments
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