I arrived at my local Toys-R-Us with 2 mugs of coffee and the Sunday paper at just after 5:00AM thinking I'd sip some coffee and read the paper for a few hours until they opened at 8:00AM. Little did I know there would be 19 other crazies already standing in line. Luckily after a near 3 hour wait in the freezing rain I got my Wii! I've just played a little bit but I am very impressed with it so far. The controls definitely take a little getting used to but they seem cool. I'll try to follow up with a post in a week or two after I've really had a chance to get used to them more.

I've been meaning to blog this for awhile, but haven't found the time. A few weeks ago I played the 360 for the first time at a buddies house. It's very hard for me to admit this, but I think I've been converted.

Unlike some gamers I've always been a one console kinda guy. First it was the Nintendo (yes, the original). It was difficult to get off of the Nintendo but when I first played the PlayStation (yes, the original) I was immediately converted. I remember feeling guilty about abandoning the Nintendo at first but the draw of games like Syphon Filter and Tomb Raider was just too hard to turn away from. That affair lasted quite a long time for me and included me going through more then a few PS2's (if you haven't seen the pic of my latest PS2 check this post).

It was a good run even though there were a few lulls where there were no games that really did much for me. The original Socom (and online gaming really) breathed new passion into my gaming career (did I just say career?) and made more loyal to Sony than ever. Socom 2 came out a short time later and was a disappointment to me. The hit detection system was flawed, there were tons of glitches and lag was a huge problem with the online play. It was obviously a rush job to ensure speed to market while the first version was still such a success. Then there was Socom 3 - a completely different game then the other two. I'm still not sure they bothered putting the Socom name on the box.

So back to the point of this post. I played a handful of games at my buddies house and each of them were more impressive then the last. NBA Live (I think that was the one), Call Of Duty (part something - 2 maybe?), Fight Night Round 3 and the ultimate - Gears Of War. What an unbelievable game. I've never seen graphics like this. Not only were the graphics far better then I've ever seen but the gameplay was amazing too! A true team based shooter that relies on real warfare tactics (stealth and precision) rather then the 'run and gun' type tactics that so many games rely on. I'm hooked and converted.

It also doesn't hurt that the XBox is about 200 bones less then the PS3. Now I just need to scratch up the cash and buy me one of those bad boys.

Over the last few days I've been doing some conversion of old VHS tapes to DVD and quickly found my tiny 40gb hard drive getting completely full. So this morning I hopped in the car and went searching for some bargain HDDs, but all the stores around here seemed to have jacked their prices through the roof now that Christmas is over. I quickly remembered that I had another 40gb HDD sitting in my desk drawer that came from my PlayStation 2. I originally bought the drive (for $99!!) to use with Socom 2, but since the PS2 is on it's last legs (see pic) I decided to use it as extra storage in this trusty old Dell. My PS2:

I had a little trouble getting it all set up, but now that I'm done I thought I would document the steps that I took in case anyone else is trying to get this done too. Disclaimer: I'm a developer, not a hardware geek so if your PC explodes by following these steps I'm not to blame. These steps are for use with Windows XP. Afterthought: Power down the damn machine first please. Step 1: Remove all jumpers. The PS2 HDD that I have happens to be a Maxtor (model # 2F040L0) and a quick check of the Maxtor docs told me that this particular drives acts as a slave when all jumpers are removed. Step 2: Plug your PS2 HDD into a spare IDE port (I had a spare cable on hand that was clearly labeled for motherboard, slave and master inputs. Step 3: Plug in a spare power lead from your motherboard. (See disclaimer above - don't blow anything up please). Step 4: Secure HDD (or be lazy like me and lay that bitch on the bottom of the case) and close case. Step 5: Power up PC. Step 6: If not recognized by windows, install new hardware. Step 7: At this point Windblows will not recognize the new drive, so right click My Computer, choose Manage, then choose Disk management. At this point you should see the drive as unallocated (I think that's what it was called - again, me = hardware noob). Right click on the 'unallocated' disk space and choose partition. You'll want to make sure the File System matches your original C file system type. Walk through this simple wizard and kick off the format/partition. Once it's complete you'll be all set. In my case I created a G drive that now has about 38gb of free space for me to use. That's about it. Please feel free to let me know if anything that I've done here is incorrect or could be done better. But it works for me, so I'm happy.

The Playstation 3 will launch next month, and many critics have wondered if Sony will experience the same success they have in the past with their previous two consoles. I personally have always been a Sony fan, but I'm still on the fence as to whether $500-$600 is too much to pay for a console. If you're like me, check out this list of features and facts about the new console. This is only a partial list of the more interesting points in the FAQ that I found here. The price tag is still lookin a bit too high for me, especially now that I've been come more of a casual gamer than I once was. Especially considering the fact that games are rumored to be as high as $80!

When will the PS3 be released?
North America Launch on November 17th, 2006 (SCEA)
 
What is the price of the PS3?
    * Console with 20GB HDD - $499.99 USD / $549.99 CAN
    * Console with 60GB HDD - $599.99 USD / $659.99 CAN

What is the difference between the $499/$549 and $599/$649 configurations? Both solutions include Blu-ray the latest standard in high-definition video, Bluetooth, four USB ports, 1080p video, HDMI, and the world's most powerful microprocessor, the Cell.  Additionally, the $599/$649 solution includes memory stick, secure digital and compact flash readers, Wi-Fi, and a 60GB hard disk drive (HDD), the $499/$549 system comes with a 20GB HDD.

What is Blu-ray?
Blu-ray (BD) is a next-generation media format that delivers the ultimate high-definition entertainment experience. Just like the DVD format offered a technological leap over CDs, Blu-ray Disc" is the next leap forward in the natural advancement of data storage and digital entertainment.

Why is Blu-ray important to gaming?
With Blu-ray, PLAYSTATION®3 offers game developers unprecedented power to express their creativity and a larger canvas to create a level of interaction, sophistication, and reality that has never existed in gaming.As a result, consumers can experience high-definition quality gaming for the very first time.

What is the six axis motion sensing system?
The six-axis motion sensing system found in the new PLAYSTATION®3 controller employs technology that provides for seamless interactive operation, thus eliminating additional settings to TVs. With this system, users are able maneuver the controller in six different axis (pitch up and down, yaw left and right, roll left and right) as a natural extension of their bodies, all in real-time and with high-precision.

Will there be a charge for PLAYSTATION®3 online service?
We are sticking with our philosophy of maintaining an open platform; the online basic services will be offered to PLAYSTATION®3 users free of charge.

How much will games cost?
Games are rumored to cost:
    * $70-$79 US dollars or $83-$94 Canadian dollars. (Game Geek News)
    * $59.99 US dollars (Gamestop)

Where can I see a list of all the announced Games, Movies, etc? Games

• Official PLAYSTATION®3 Game site.
  
• Announced PLAYSTATION®3 Games
  

• Blu-ray Movies
  
  • Announced Blu-ray Movies

With all the talk about gaming lately, I realized that there has been little talk in the blogshpere about the new PS3 and it's reported $600 price tag. Which leads me to my question - would you pay $600 for a next gen console? Is it really worth that much? My gut feeling is Yes, it is. Blue Ray discs, a bad ass processor, HDMI, bluetooth wireless controllers with motion sensitivity, etc definitely are cutting edge technologies - but are consumers ready and willing to pay the price for them? I read a good article in PSM last week that brought up a good point - many developers are programming games for multi-platform compatibility these days - meaning that they may not take full advantage of the PS3's full processing power (at least initially).

In a move that I'm guessing will surprise few gamers, Sony has announced today that they will begin charging for downloadble expansion packs for the popular shooter Socom3. From the press release:

Each SOCOM 3 Map Pack can be purchased online for $5.99 per pack by logging into a SOCOM 3: U.S. Navy SEALs online account. Using either a compatible USB Mass Storage Device (such as a USB Flash/Thumb drive), internal hard disk drive (40GB) (for PlayStation®2) or a PSP system with Memory Stick Duo Media (minimum 32MB)...

An interesting note is the statement that the content can be downloaded to a "compatible USB Mass Storage device" - until now, the only options for saving games and content was the horribly undersized (and overpriced) 8mb memory card, or the horribly underutilized 40gig HDD (which I'm still trying to figure out why I dropped $99 bucks on since I've never even OPENED the copy of FFXI that came with the it). Interesting stuff, but just the beginning of Sony tapping into the huge market of gamers with disposable entertainment income.

For the record, if you're listening Sony/Zipper - Socom 1 was the best shooter ever made for the PS2!

This is a few days old, but for those who are interested the latest release in Eidos Interactive's epic Tomb Raider series will be released April 11 for PS2 & PC (with a later release for PSP and 360).

The original Tomb Raider was pretty groundbreaking when it was released back in '96 but the series has hit a few bumps along the way in my opinion. I'm quite interested in seeing how this new version turns out.

Oh yeah - here is the official press release.

According to canoe.ca, Sony Computer Entertainment has acquired Zipper Interactive, makers of the hugely popular SOCOM titles for the PS2. This is interesting news for PS2 fans. I'm guessing that this is Sony's way of securing the SOCOM franchise so as to prevent Microsoft from securing a liscening agreement with Zipper for the XBOX 360 (of course I could be completely wrong!). SOCOM was instrumental in the popularity of online gaming for the PS2.

The main difference between XBOX Live and PS2 online gaming is of course the cost. PS2 users are not (yet) required to pay a monthly fee for the ability to play online games. Critics may argue that this system which relies on the actual game developer to run and support the servers is the sole reason that online gaming for PS2 suffers from many more performance issues than the XBOX. I'm sure that Sony is very interested in Zipper's experience in the online gaming realm as they prepare to launch the PS3 sometime this year.