So what. Sony claimed a Spring launch for the PS3. Sony promised 2 HDMI ports. Microsoft and Sony BOTH are full of it.

That's right. They promised a 3840x1080 display, didn't they? Dual-head HD action.

I don't think Microsoft has ever come out and said that they were beating expectations on sales.

But Microsoft did mention something about every system coming with a wireless controller. Something about every console coming with a HDD. There was talk of a webcam included in the Premium. And backwards capability... that just never happened.

So yes, Microsoft and Sony BOTH are full of it.

Out of all that crap, the lack of BC on the Xbox 360 is the only one that saddens me.

Having had some time to think about all of this, here are my thoughts on Sony's conference:

- The games. As joshd2012 said, it's more of the same. The only games that really stood out to me were MGS4 (love the dark tone of the trailer) and Eight Days (nothing groundbreaking, but looks really slick). The EyeToy-ish card game looked interesting but very gimmicky. Beyond that, none of the games shown interested me at all. I give Sony credit for covering a wide range of genres, but everything seemed like PS2++ rather than something truly new.

- The controller. Having gotten used to the 360 controller, it's a little disappointing that Sony didn't update the form of the PS3 controller at all from the PS2 controller. Not that the PS2 controller is bad, but it could do with so tweaking to make it a little more ergonomic. The tilt-sensing was a surprise, but certainly comes off as a weak attempt to steal some of Wii's thunder. It doesn't seem nearly as sophisticated as the Wii controller, and as others have said, I doubt it will be a widely used feature. Sony gets some points for the controller's lightness and wireless functionality. Other than that, not very impressed.

- The two SKU issue. It was a bad idea when MS did it, and Sony's approach is even worse, since you can't upgrade the $500 model to have the same capabilities as the $600 one. Add in consumer confusion over the differences and you've got a very precarious situation. By the time of the PS3 launch, I doubt that a significant portion of the market will have both an HDTV and a desire to watch Blu-Ray movies. The whole HD-DVD/Blu-Ray format war is a clusterfuck in and of itself, but that's a topic for another discussion entirely. The bottom line is that there won't be a clear winner by November, so are consumers going to want to pay $600 for a game system that also plays just one of the next-gen movie formats? Early adopters certainly will, but I doubt that too many other people will be clamoring for it. The PlayStation name obviously carries a lot of weight, but the $600 price tag has the potential to scare off a good portion of PS2 owners and even longtime Sony fans.

Bottom line - it'll still fly off the shelves come November, but after the initial rush, I have my doubts as to how well it will do. A hardcore gamer might be willing to drop down $600 for the latest console, but that's a significant jump over even the 360 (which I thought was pushing the price limit). The early adopters, Sony faithful, and Blu-Ray enthusiasts will probably spend their money and be very satisfied with the their purchase, but with the hefty price and the confusion over the two models, Sony will not attract the casual gamer. If you want a Blu-Ray player anyway, I think you can justify the price. But I'm not looking for an HD movie player - I just want a game console. I'm out until the $600 model drops to $400 (or preferably $300), especially given the lack of intriguing games. Sony got a few things right, but on the whole, I found the conference pretty disappointing.

back back back back.... HOME RUN.... you hit a bullseye

Nice summary MaxF.

My thought on the pricing is that it puts itself out of normal people spending range. Anything that approaches $500 is out of most peoples impulse buy zones, I have expendable income and I find 599 FAR too much to spend, and even 499 too much. $399 was really pushing my limits for the 360 and I still feel somewhat frivolous because of it.

A quick poll around my office shows that most think that's way too much for them to spend (and they are all geeks like me).

Keep in mind, these are my opinions...and others around me. You may feel that 599 is still too cheap and you'd gladly pay twice that. And if you do, enjoy it I'll be enjoying my early retirement with my ColecoVision. :P

When will Sony announce a single unified online control system like Microsoft has with Xbox Live?

By far the best thing about the Xbox/Xbox 360 is the Xbox Live unified online control system, which makes multiplayer games extremely easy to implement. If Sony can implement something similar for the PlayStation 3, they could overtake Microsoft in almost no time flat because of the sheer potential size of the PS3 user base.

Actually, something else I was thinking... Game pricing wasn't mentioned was it? So Bluray is more expensive by default...does anything think we'll breach the already retarded prince of $59.99?

I can't imagine any games utilizing Blu-Ray any time soon. The overhead for changing the games to that format vs. 2 DVDs would be very cost prohibitive. That would definitely be passed on to the consumer and $60+ would be highly likely.

The 1st gen games won't use blu ray, in fact I doubt 2nd gen or even 3rd gen games will unless it's because of HD video. A DVD9 will be a lot cheaper for a while methinks.

I think it's time for me to go find a second job.

I also have reservations for that 599, and im a hardcore sony fan. I just hope by the end of E3, they'll announce that the 499 PS3 also comes with HDMI. That will make this whole thing easier to deal with. I could care less for Wifi and the SD/CF ports.

Also, all games on PS3 will be on Blu-Ray disc, this was announced a while back that no PS3 game would be on DVD or CD to help with the anti-piracy. And I can afford the 599 system without a flinch, i just find it hard to justify that much. Damn you sony, give us HDMI on the cheaper unit!

That's what I figured (not using Blu for quite some time). But then why bother with it? If it's going to be a couple years before they are necessary, and even then they'll be more expensive just use DVDs.

Just saw the post about all games on BluRay- so will this affect gaming prices then? Or will they swallow lower margins here too?

by the way, i wonder if it still does real time graphics

There's no way. They have to make money on some end of this.

so you're saying you expect games to breach $60 for PS3?

All games were reported to be on Blu-Ray discs as mentioned before.

The reason for this is partially to prevent piracy (something that costs Sony millions in profits every year) and partially to drive down costs of producing Blu-Ray discs. Economies of scale. The more discs you produce, the cheaper each disc costs to produce.

What do we think, $69.99 to 75 for these suckers? They have to account for the BR tech somewhere, right?

I think Sony has really shot itself in the foot with their pricing. $600 is approaching Neo Geo territory. I think it's a mistake to be using BluRay and 1080i this soon. The market majority is just not there yet to support this technology. They would have been better off waiting until the next generation to allow consumers to catch up because I still think we are a good 5 years at least until the majority of people are able to afford HDTV, let alone 1080i capable units, as they are still too expensive. Plus the difference between 1080p and 1080i isnt that great to notice a big increase in quality.

It's a shame because I would like to have a PS3, but Sony has made my decision pretty easy, I'd rather take that $600 and apply it to a HD unit. I think microsoft is right on the money when they say the sweet spot for this generation is 720p/1080i. The rest of the market just isnt there yet to support Blu-Ray or 1080p.

Yep, which is why I said you needed it to "ensure full compatibility."

Sony has just announced a speaker in the PS3 controller.

hehehehehehehe

I think you meant to say 1080p is what they should have waited. I agree there, but I think even more is that the price reflects Sony's determination to get Blu-Ray established. In their zeal to just have more numbers out there in order to help them win the format war, they had to raise the price of the PS3. That's what is unfortunate, as I think MANY parents will not buy the PS3 for their kids - or they CANT because of the price.