E3 2006

Microsoft's got a head start, but now Sony and Nintendo reveal what they've got up their sleeves.

by Wootini

E3 is now underway, and since Microsoft shot its wad last year, all they can do now is show more games for the Xbox360. But will their head start be enough to take the lead from Sony and Nintendo? Now that everyone has shown their hands, it's easier to judge who will come out on top in the next gen console race. Well, okay, not really.

 Microsoft has a solid lead, and now that Sony has revealed that the PS3 will cost $499 or $599, depending on which configuration you want, the $299 and $399 Xbox360s are looking like a much better value. (Still, I'm salivating at every clip and photo of Oblivion that I see, and I was really hoping for a price drop on the 360 come Sony's release date, but since the regular price will still be competitive, that's not likely now, is it? Sigh...) Of course, mind you, the Nintendo Wii (the less said about the name change, the better) is rumored to be priced in the $200-250 range, which would make it the cheapest alternative. So the fact that you could theoretically buy yourself a Wii and a 360 for the price of the PS3 is a little frightening.

As far as the tech goes, you've got nothing that really surpasses anything else. The Wii seems to be holding its own, despite rumors that it was going to be a gussied-up GameCube. And even if the PS3 is more powerful than the 360, the fact that the 360 games are going to be well into their second wave while the PS3 devleopers are still learning the ropes will give Microsoft a slight edge, even if it's only imaginary. What I found interesting about the technology that has been revealed was the fact that Sony appears to be more of a follower than a leader this time around. Their online strategy is an obvious attempt to one-up Microsoft's successful Xbox Live system, with some minor adjustments they hope will score more points. Guess the dismal response to their attempts to take the PS2 online showed them that Microsoft was doing at least one thing better than they were...

And what's with the new PS3 controller? Yeah, the boomerang sucked ass, but just when you think they've gone back and rereleased the same old controller yet again, they reveal that it has a motion sensor in it! Hm. Why does that sound familiar? What'll really be interesting is to see whether Sony has really implemented the motion control solidly or if it's a quick add-on to try and take some of the wind out of Nintendo's sails. Because Nintendo's entire Wii console is based around the idea of the wireless remote control-style controller to introduce completely new methods of gameplay. Sony's motion sensor seems to just be a gyroscopic half-assed attempt to parrot what they realized might be an awesome idea.

I'm actually really psyched to see what Nintendo can do, and I think the Wii, stupid name or not, could be the console that puts them back in the game. Everyone laughed at the DS when it was announced (me included), but now it's my favorite handheld, and there are more awesome games coming out for it than I can come up with. (I need a longer commute -- just kidding!) The bizarre controller had many writing Nintendo off before it was even released, but now that people have been able to get their hands on it, minds are changing. God, if only I was a legitimate videogame journalist with the ability to go to E3 and try it out for myself... Sigh... Anyway, never underestimate the power of originality.Oh, and there's also the fact that they'll have both a Mario and Zelda game at launch. All that, combined with what will probably be the lowest price point in this console generation could very well put Nintendo on top once more.

Hm. Maybe Microsoft will drop the 360 price to compete with Nintendo a little more, and I can be playing Obilvion by Christmas.