So I've watched the Microsoft E3 press conference and I can't help but wonder where J Allard has disappeared to.  He's one of the main executives that launched both Xbox and Xbox 360 and was pretty much the poster child for Xbox 360 last year.  I think Peter Moore is doing a damn good job, but I also that hope J's off working on the rumored "X-Boy" rather than going the way of the dodo (aka Ed Fries).  You know Microsoft is going to make a portable, it is just a matter of time.

 

Come to think of it, I think I know more about the executive staff for Xbox than I know about the head honchos at my own company.  That can't be a good thing.

Recap:

- PS3 will launch worldwide in November 2006 with approximately 2 million units.

- U.S. price point is $499 for 20GB version and $599 for 60GB version

- "Batarang" controller from last year has been replaced with the "dual-shake".  The new controller uses very similar ergonomics to PS1 and PS2 controller.  Wireless connectivity via Bluetooth and 6-axis motion sensitivity.  No more rumble functionality.

- A robust online service was suggested with downloadable content, microtransactions, identity management, rankings, etc.  Basic online access is free.  No word on cost (if any) for online multiplayer.

 

My Reaction:

- Microsoft's strategy is looking pretty damn good right now. Although Sony's online service shows potential, no one believes that Live will be challenged as King in the near future.  The 360 is a full $200 cheaper. 

- The new controller is a joke.  They removed the rumble feature to add motion sensors?!?   There is a "guide" button of sorts and lights to indiciate controller 1-4 similar to 360 controller.  The ergonomics are 10+ years old. Where's the innovation again?

- The price point is steep, but it does have a Blu-Ray drive.  They will have no problem selling millions even at this price point.

- A couple of the games look pretty interesting, but the rest is just "HD" versions of gameplay that is several years old.  I'm sure the quality will improve between now and November, but the hype from last years "target renders" is gone.

- The strength of the PS3 over 360 is going to be in media (Blu-Ray and Sony catalog of music and movies). 

 

 

What's the meaning of those number?

 

Key to a combination lock? nope

Winning lotto numbers? uh uh

 

Those happen to be the pick numbers of Ohio State players drafted to the NFL this weekend.  The Buckeyes managed 5 first round draft choices (out of 32) and 8 overall picks. 

 

Name	Pick #	Team
AJ Hawk	5	Green Bay
Donte Whitner	8	Buffalo
Bobby Carpenter	18	Dallas
Santonio Holmes	25	Pittsburgh
Nick Mangold	29	NY Jets
Ashton Youboty	70	Buffalo
Anthony Schlegel	76	NY Jets
Nate Salley	121	Carolina
Rob Sims	128	Seattle

Here's some more news from the PS3 camp:

 

 

I heard about Microsoft's new framework for streamlining game development across platforms (dubbed XNA) two years ago, but one VERY important detail came to my attention today.  The new framework will allow coding in my favorite language of C#.   It remains to be seen how much of a fully accelerated 3D game could or would be written in C#, but at least I have hope for one day being more than a consumer to the games industry.  I have pretty much avoided C and C++ (the de-facto languages for game development) since graduating college in favor of more modern languages such as C# and Java.  I've done some basic 2D graphics work in .NET in addition to a ton of web and forms UI, but I would love to tackle a full game.  Perhaps a game developer job is in my future? 

 

 

P.S.  Oh yeah, there's information in there about how Xbox Live is becoming an "open server platform" too. 

Read about it here.

 

Summary:

Sony has announced the wholesale pricing structure for their upcoming Blu-ray disks (read here).  Basically, you are looking at $18-$24 wholesale.  Ouch!  Although retail prices aren't set, obviously they will be at least $20 for old titles and probably closer to $30 for new titles.  On the upside, they may be packing in UMDs with "relatively minimal price increase" over the Blu-ray packaging.  I wouldn't mind having a few UMDs for trips, but I'm certainly not going to go out and re-buy movies that I have on DVD for $20+ unless they are HD quality.