[PS3] PlayStation 3 Discussion Thread

Originally Posted by Elixir

Are they releasing this beta thing in january of 2008 to simply pool money, or is it actually a preview? Because I mean, I've seen Prologue on sale the same time Gran Turismo 4 was. That's probably because it was selling well.

It's just a cobbled up bunch of assets that are presentable enough to sell. And it's January 2007, Jan 2008 would be kind of close to GT5 proper.

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Or it could've been left over stock from not selling them, I don't know. Was GT4: Prologue good? Gamespot's not coming up with anything for it, it's just directly linking to Gran Turismo 4 itself.

Never played it, so I can't really say. Prologue isn't even a real "game", but like you said it's more of a beta type situation.

How ya doing, buddy?

Originally Posted by Slayer X

Just so you guys know though, that concept of having the two different GT5 packages is just that... a concept. They haven't actually said exactly what they're going to do, it was just an idea that they probably threw out there at TGS to see people's stance on it. We're going to have to wait until later to hear any final decisions as to how GT5 will be sold.

No, none of these games is GT5. The expected release date for these two, packaged together, is January 2007. GT5 proper isn't expected to release until that same time next year.

Oh, and Rockstar's made it abundantly clear that their next gen title will be on both consoles simultaneously. Apparently, none of them wanted to pony up the increasing sum of money they were asking for exclusivity.

Edit: PS3 Demo kiosks already going out

Originally Posted by IGN

September 29, 2006 - Sony has taken another major step on its path towards releasing the PlayStation 3, with the Akiba Keizan Shimbun newspaper reporting today that at least one major Tokyo retailer has taken delivery of the first PlayStation 3 demo kiosk. At this rate, the system may actually make it out on schedule!

Accoridng to the paper, the multi-story Yodobashi Camera outlet in Tokyo's Akihabara district now has an actual PlayStation 3 unit on display. A monitor above the system shows trailers for games like Afrika, Genji, Heavenly Sword and The Eye of Judgment.

The system is strictly hands-off at this point, but the newspaper reports that customers were stopping to take a look before heading to the register to purchase Pokemon Diamond & Pearl for the DS.

For a picture of the first retail PlayStation 3 unit, check out the Akiba Keizai Shimbun website.

What, you don't want my bikini-clad body?

PSM3, the same magazine that broke the ZOE3 and SH5 news has just received a PS3 from Sony along with Motorstorm beta, Resistance and a few other titles:

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Jam it back in, in the dark.

Here'a a whole slew of photos of RR7 at TGS, again, courtesy of DCharlie from GAF. Notice the "=O" face on one guy playing.

















There's nowhere I can't reach.

That's unbelievably close to what DCharlie and Wollan said over on GAF. They kept reemphasizing that while the art direction and overall style of the game remained the same, the lighting, courses and clever use of textures and subtle HDR lighting really makes a difference.

Not to mention the hyper-crisp resolution and 60fps gameplay. In other words, a marked improvement. We don't know if this is just a port up or a "from the ground up" title. We'll have to wait and see if Oblivion looks like the above in photos.

Edit: Confirmation of PS3 XMB OS running at 1080p, Friends list, etc.. Notice the Memory Card Utility (PS/PS2) option in the game area.

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Most amazing jew boots

First sighting of that famed PS3 Best Boy setup posted earlier. The motto for the U.S. seems to be Play Beyond.

















I am a dolphin, do you want me on your body?

If anything, Nintendo is taking the cue from Sony given we saw these rounded icons way back in '05. And again before we even knew what the Wii's interface looked like. One common complaint it's getting is that it's sterile and soulless, even though the solution to that is just put up a wallpaper.

The video basically showed us a rather intuitive and responsive setup.

I was speaking idiomatically.

HD resolutions are widescreen by nature, SOLDIER. And there's another screen floating around that shows the resolution list goes from 480i all the way up to 1080p and then it says "Custom" after that.

What kind of toxic man-thing is happening now?

Originally Posted by avanent

Oh, the web isn't free, your more than paying for it. Thats one of the things I DONT like about sony. I just want a damn game system. Stop selling me other crap ;.;

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Wii browser will be free for the first 6 months or so, not that I'll be using it, just saying. While the Wii also seems to have alot of extra crap in it, I don't mind so much, because it doesn't feel like I'm really paying for it.

Huh? The web isn't free, period. Just because Nintendo is more adept than Sony at pulling the wool over your eyes by making you feel like you aren't paying for it, doesn't mean that's actually the case.

And comparing the features of the two, it's painfully obvious which one is duping you. BTW, what resolution does the Wii's browser run at?

FELIPE NO

Originally Posted by avanent

Yes, I'm aware of what I was saying.


600 usd to play fun games, no game included
250 usd to play fun games, wii sports included

Unforunately, when you throw in the $500 unit into the mix, it just makes the Wii look that much worse. It's also the one to be used in comparisons given the barebones nature of the Wii.

You pay twice as much, gain over twice as many features present in the Wii, it's easily more a value. And if the rumors pan out, it may well include a PSP-like demo disc.

What, you don't want my bikini-clad body?

Originally Posted by avanent

I care about having fun first and foremost.

If I can just as much fun at 250, why pay 500-600 usd for it?

Who said this was anything but fun? I'm just pointing out, that approaching this just looking at what you get with each machine, one is the better value.

Your opinion is valid, regardless of the conclusion of that approach.

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Dual Double Layered Capactiy DVDs can hold upto 17gig according to wiki.

Much of that is redundant space, but why are we talking about DVD capacity?

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Yes, that would still require two discs though, as it is currently. Also, coding is small in comparison to the graphic aspects. The game is so big because of the graphics. Blu-ray is not required for making Resistance a great game (if it is turns out to be a great game).

Resistance, to be honest, is only 22GB because of the uncompressed 7.1 channel audio they have stored there. Its not high resolution textures because that would accomplish nothing, since the bandwidth would remain the same. The game, proper, is probably just a few gigs.

Jam it back in, in the dark.

Originally Posted by avanent

Wow, I didnt realize sound was that big... I know graphics are huge compared to coding, btu I had no idea where sound fit into that.

Yeah, it's been mentioned often. Uncompressed sound is a capacity whore, especially with that many channels. To top it off, Insomniac's partnering the game's extensive environmental damage feature with textured sound (ie: different sounds when objects hit the ground, depending on what type of floor it is, how it hit) and then positioning this on the soundstage.

Edit: Damn, Cetra responded after I posted:

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I really don't believe this to be the case. The developers of Lair are also claiming around 25GB for their game as well as stating that each level runs at about 4GB each.

Could it be because of the water simulations the cell has to be running on some stages? 4GB a stage? SL BR are 25GB, it's a bit much for them to be topping it off so soon.

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The uncompressed argument is stupid because developers are well aware uncompressed textures will take a long time to load, plus we aren't dealing with large backbuffers or texture memory on the PS3. Simply put textures aren't compressed.

But they're not so huge as to take up that much space. The texture work on the dragons is impressive, but overall there seems to be a lack of either good ones or decent AF.

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Same deal with uncompressed sound. I'm willing to bet they don't have the optical disc bandwidth leftover to be streaming 3Mpbs for 7.1 uncompressed audio, and they sure as hell don't have the system memory to be loading that kind of audio in memory.

IIRC, both the CELL and RSX handle audio to some degree, so it wouldn't be a problem there. As for the BR streaming, I'd have to find out what the bandwidth is for a 2x BR drive.

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What is most likely is eating up the space is texture variety. Normally we are used to seeing developers re-use textures. For example the rock texture in level 1, 3 and 10 are really just the same texture being reused. With these larger games I imagine the rock textures for level 1, 3, and 10 will all be different. Another example is enemy textures. Games have a tendency to just reuse the same models for the same enemies in each level. I'm willing to bet the enemy soldiers in level 1 of Lair will be using a completely different texture set from the enemy soldiers in level 2 of lair.

I'll give you this much, considering the Menials (mutilated humanoid enemies in Resistance) have some of the best skin texture work around even in the close shots. Throw in the massive stages claimed by both the media and Insomniac themselves and you've got a lot of models to cover.

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Give them the space and developers will use it. No doubt we will see a nice variety of different looking areas in most PS3 games since developers can afford to create a completely new texture set for each area with the capacity Blu-Ray offers.

Well, I won't say it quite like that. The developers have the space, and the tools in front of them to present us with varied environments. Whether they're willing and/or talented enough is the question. It's what seperates the White Knight Stories and Ridge Racer 7 from Sega's pathetic golf game.

There's nowhere I can't reach.

PS3 Startup and Motorstorm from same magazine that broke the ZOE3/SH5 confirmation.

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Key points:

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1) It's quiet like a sleeping baby. A barely audible hum. With the TV on you simply can't hear it at all.
2) It's heavy like a planet. No, really. It's impossible to pick up with one hand.
3) It's shiny like a mirror. In fact, it's impossible to take a photograph of it without the flash spanging every picture into a starburst mess. And therefore it's massively prone to fingerprintage too, with the tiny amount of dust in the office magically attaching itself to its surface in seconds.
4) The PS3 joypad is very light and the tilt system is very responsive. We like.
5) The start up is amazingly fast. And game load times were faster than expected. In fact, PS3 does both at about the same speed of PSP. ie, Long load times due to the massive Blu-ray disc? Nope. Simply not an issue.
6) Andy's fingers kept sliding off the shoulder buttons. But that's because his fingers are slippery.

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1) The speed the machine sucks the disc in. Wow!
2) The PS3 start up sound - it's like an orchestra tuning up. Cool.
3) The similarity between the PS3 interface and the PSP interface.
4) Watch out for the first recorded lifting of the PS3's flaps.
5) Listen out for the fact that Sony don't officially have a name for the 'PS' button in the middle yet.
6) And check out those flashing blue and green lights. Groovy.

Originally Posted by Dan G, PSM3

Hi there. Just to clarify - we were shown a finished final PS3 in our office on Friday 29th October. And then Sony took it away again later that same day. This was a test machine that played 'gold' discs - ie, preproduction versions of Resistance and MotorStorm, which appeared complete and finished. This proves that as of the 29th October Sony have real, working, finished PS3s - although they're in short supply and they couldn't leave it with us. As for having one to keep f'rever and ever - we've been told we'll have our very own machine "in a fortnight". Hope that clears a few things up. Cheers. Dan G

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Originally Posted by Cetra

Na those are mostly procedural in nature so they don't take much space. I bet most textures just have a few layers of damage textures. So figure the entire map is actually textured four times.

Again it depends on a lot of things. What if the dragons have 15 levels of damage textures? This honestly isn't an unreasonable number for a main model. So you just multiplied your required texture space of one model by 15. Apply the same idea to enemy models but say with 4-5 layers. Oh and you need your normal maps and lighting maps and such for each texture layer as well. Starting to get the picture? Now because of the nature of this type of thing you won't be loading all 15 layers at once. Rather when a texture 'gets damaged' you will swap the texture out with another texture. This is commonly what is done when developers mention the streaming abilities of the Blu-Ray drive. Your entire level can be 4Gb, but you won't be loading it all into memory at once.

And the level itself probably has light and normal maps for the various damage textures underneath. I see where you're going. The size of the stage, the various models (cars, shelves, desks) will all have this to a lesser degree.

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It isn't an issue of processing. Actually uncompressed sound has no processing requirements because...you don't need to uncompress the stream. Also 2x BR-Drive = 72Mbps. Now you might be thinking "3Mbps isn't a big deal compared to that." Well that again isn't the whole story. If you are directly streaming audio without a buffer then you can't interrupt the stream at any point to load something else or the sound will obviously skip.

Well the obvious solution is you can make a sound buffer, then if you need to interrupt your sound stream then you can start reading from the buffer. But let's consider that. I just mentioned uncompressed sound runs at about 3 Mbps. A reasonable length buffer you would need when considering the need to stream in and out textures on almost constant basis would be a 60ish MB sound buffer. You are going to use 60 MB of 256MB of main memory just to buffer your sound stream? Uh no.... And of course this is all assuming you'd even be able to do something like this. You also need to account for seek times and such when reading stuff off the disc. I just really don't see it being a reasonable option to stream uncompressed sound off the disc if you are doing any type of texture streaming which most PS3 games will be doing.

Well, the drive alone won't be enough, it'll be caching quite a bit on the HDD itself to help it along (we'd need a 6x BR drive to equal a 12x DVD drive's streaming rate).

While what we get coming off the disc may not be uncompressed in the end, in part due to the concerns you raised, it'll likely make up a far larger part of the disc's capacity than nearly any game to date.

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This is true. Developers still need to be willing to make use of such space and tools. Fortunately texturing these days don't really require a lot of manpower or time.

Skill and art direction are, though. These two will take care of themselves though, one good group to watch is Japanese developers as they get fiddling with textures and shaders.

This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.

Hint: Of course retailers are going to favor a cheap console over an expensive one, they can stock more of them and get more $$$ per batch.

I am a dolphin, do you want me on your body?

Originally Posted by Omnislash124

Of course that's true in Japan. Considering how PS3 releases with 100,000 over there. PS3 in the US should fare much better.

Besides, Japan loves the quirky stuff.

I like the quirky stuff too, but that's beside the point.

EDIT: On a second note.....The PS3 can't be lifted with one hand? Wow...is it really that heavy? Didn't see that coming....

It weighs eleven pounds and is slightly wider and taller than the original Xbox, so the weight and the way it's spread make that a bad idea.

I was speaking idiomatically.

Ubisoft is very much in Microsoft's coffers after the Splinter Cell 5 exclusivity announcement. They've already got SCA in the pipes for the PS3, but to cut off the console even though by the time SC5 rolls around it'll be moving full tilt?

What kind of toxic man-thing is happening now?

Originally Posted by Slayer X

That's the problem with Ubisoft. The Montreal branch always wants to go Sony only, the California branch always wants to go M$, and Japan always wants to go multiplatform. The only problem with cutting this SC after all the others being on all systems is that they've slit their throat in being able to continue the series on any other system. So if the 360 tanks, Splinter Cell will go along with it. Then again after doing what they did, perhaps they deserve it.

Well, I wouldn't word it so strongly, but what they're doing is pretty stupid on the face of things. The series has enjoyed very good sales on nearly all of the platforms it's been on so why suddenly (and willingly) restrict yourself to one platform even though the other is likely to catch bigger sales?

The simple answer to this is moneybags, paid exclusive, etc...

PS3 XMB Icons: http://www.jp.playstation.com/hardware/ps3/index.html

Edit: PS3 Game and Peripheral pricing revealed:

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IGN's got it up too.

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Sony's games are 5980 yen, apparently just over 50 USD.

http://translate.google.com/translat...tainment%2BJap


Sixaxis Playstation 3 Controller = 5,000 Yen including tax (US - $39.99) est

PS1/PS2 Memory Card Adaptor = 1,500 Yen including tax (US - $12.99) est

Playstation 3 Remote Control = 3,600 Yen including tax (US - $29.99) est


http://www.kotaku.com/gaming/top/her...ote-204792.php

And finally some pictures for the last link.

All stolen from Nfactor, psinext (+rep lol), kudos to him on the finds... hopefully this translates well to our NA shores... seems like the peripherals will, likely the games will too as well but it's up in the air as of now.

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And my first link is broken... lol.

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I just want to make one comment, I really like the adaptor for the memory card pricing. Very friendly and being made by Sony means that these will be easy to find along with anywhere the consoles and games are being sold. That's a bonus for me considering I totally thought I was never going to get my old saves back because I'm not a fan of third party hardware lol, and normally I don't add extra peripherals to a console, but the memory cards I will make an exception for. I want my friggin HD PS2 games.
Last edited by PotatoHead : 51 Minutes Ago at 05:15 AM.

Adapter:


Remote:



Jump for joy ladies and gentlemen, looks like getting your PS2 saves onto the PS3 will be cheap it seems. And the prices are far more reasonable than the $70 Sixaxis rumor going around. As if Sony was really going to pass up the option of providing another peripheral, one that nearly every PS2 owner will probably buy.

FELIPE NO

Originally Posted by Slayer X

There will be an adapter for PS1/2 controllers which will also support the custom controllers for thoes systems too. If thoes controllers will work for PS3 games has yet to be seen. If they do though any game that uses the motion sensor won't be playable with thoes controllers obviously.

A USB adapter/multitap for PS2 controllers is probably on the way, and even games that use the tilt function will probably be playable as I doubt that'll be the only control method. As for the games, Japan has a different pricing model altogether not to mention everything over there is more expensive.

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From Dual Shock to...
by Anoop Gantayat

October 3, 2006 - Six Axis. That's the official name for the PlayStation 3 controller.

Sony announced today its first accessories for the PS3, and included in the announcement was the name for the new Dual Shock. With the controller no longer featuring rumble, most expected the new name to do away with the "Shock," and sure enough, the final name of "Six Axis" reflects the motion-sensing abilities of the device.

Every PS3 will ship with one controller standard, but those who want multiplayer play will need to pick up an extra device. Sony also announced today pricing for extra controllers. In Japan, extra Six Axis controllers, model number CECHZC1J, will retail for 5,000 yen. This is a step up from current Dual Shock controllers, which tend to retail for just under the 3,000 yen mark. Converting to US dollars, the 5,000 yen price is approximately $40, although actual regional pricing tends to differ somewhat from direct currency conversion.

Sony also revealed today a few new bits about the controller. Each controller will have a Lithium Ion battery built in. You'll be able to connect to the PS3 via USB to charge the battery, with a single charge taking 30 minutes. And yes, you'll be able to play games while the controller is charging. It's unknown if Sony will be including a USB cable with the controller.

Stay tuned for further details on Sony's new PS3 peripherals.

What, you don't want my bikini-clad body?

Originally Posted by SouthJag

They're just blowing away the 360's accesory line-up and pricing out of the water, especially if they stick with the controller price at $40 instead of the $50 wireless one MS provides. Only thing you can really compare the memory card adapter to would be the 360's memory card itself, where one is $13 and the other is $40. Hopefully Sony'll keep the prices as close to the Japanese ones as possible.

Again, why would they bump them up substantially? Japan usually has higher prices, their games already cost more (and have a far greater price range then ours) as do most gaming items, period.

Maybe we'll see the memory card adapter at $15, but there really isn't much reason to bump the controller's price up when you have the pricing edge here.

Jam it back in, in the dark.

Hmm, more details on the memory card utility, though I don't know why the article takes such a negative stance on what's easily a big positive (especially at the pricepoint given and what yo can do to the saves).

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There will be a memory card adaptor for Sony’s PlayStation 3 that will allow users to transfer their data on to the console’s hard drive.
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All memory card data can be copied onto a virtual memory card within the hard drive of the PlayStation 3 with the use of an adaptor. Specific details about the adaptor such as cost and whether it will be included in any of Sony’s console packages have not been revealed.

According to the official PS3 FAQ, the adaptor will allow gamers to transfer their saved games to the new console. "To use saved data on a PlayStation 2 memory card, you must copy the data onto a virtual memory card within the hard disk. This requires a PS2/PSone memory card adaptor to copy the data to your PlayStation 3. A memory card adaptor is designed to edit, up/download game saves to and from EMS flash card or smart media card."

The idea of a separate peripheral for an already-expensive console is not pleasant. More expenses might be the last thing on a gamer’s mind after they pay hundreds of dollars for the next-gen console. This is still a benefit for potential PS3 owners as they will have their saved data available on the backwards compatible games.

There's nowhere I can't reach.

Originally Posted by SouthJag

The writer's probably just thinking that all peripherals at this point are bad, especially for next-gen consoles. I'd feel the same way too if all consoles handled hardware add-ons the way Microsoft and their 360 have. It's been out for almost a year now, and I swear to you it had almost as many accessories both first and third-party as the PS2 does.

That's the problem, people in the industry seem to have this fixation on the 360 as the singular next gen experience and all else is a derivative of said console. So when they come to report something on the PS3, what comes out is their bitterness of the other machine. On a brighter note, more photos from the PSM3 team:


Yes, it's see through. This is the liftable flap that covers the memory card slots. You can see through it with the camera's bright flash.



And here's an ambitious close up shot of the flap up. Yes, it’s blurred. Yes, we're sorry. Note the hard drive bay cover at the bottom left.



Rich playing MotorStorm. Two points of interest: One, the draw distance and textures. Two, Rich can play games with his eyes shut.



Rich tilting the pad. Note: blurred hands NOT due to crap photography.



Dan D driving a bike up a massive ramp in MotorStorm.



Nathan playing Resistance. Note: the red light on the top of the PS3 pad shows that he's connected to PS3 as 'player one'. Different lights show different player numbers, see.



The network port on the back of the PS3 features a green light. Green… That's got to be a good thing, right?…

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The ethernet port being active and this following news pretty much wraps up what we all expected: Online and other launch details will be ironed out at this event.

Originally Posted by Kotaku

We've heard the rumblings for quite awhile now, but it wasn't official until today. Sony is holding one last press gathering before the launch of the Playstation 3.

The Gamer's Day event, an invitation to "preview the beginning of the next generation", will take place on Thursday, Oct. 19 in San Francisco and feature a round-table discussion, executive presentations and a half-day of hands-on gaming time.

I suspect Sony will have most, if not all, of their launch titles on hand for playtime as well, perhaps, as some early builds of later games.

This has also got to be the event where Sony dishes the details on PSP connectivity and the PS3's online capabilities. I'm psyched... and going. Brian Crecente

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Canadian PS3 billboard:


This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.

Shaky cam video all but confirming 7 player gameplay in NBA 2K7:

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Originally Posted by Sports.IGN.com

Forget the days of pressing a button. With the new tilt controller, you actually shoot the ball. That's right, grab a PS2 controller and practice your stroke right now. Hold the controller with one hand in the middle, bring it up to your head, pause, then act like you're shooting the ball, complete with follow through. Instructions on the screen will rate your performance, tell you if you're too fast, too slow, or if you're pushing the controller to the right or left. Meanwhile, your opponent can pull the triggers to make your hands vibrate, making life more difficult as your polygonal player steps to the line.

"This is sick, man. It's genius how realistic the shooting feels," says Maggette. "I'm the type of guy, though, if you're shooting a free throw with the controller like that, I'm going to slap your hand, smack the controller, do anything to make you miss."

Maggette wouldn't put down the controller once he picked it up. The biggest gamer of the bunch, he already has NBA 2K7 for the 360, but he can't wait for the PS3.

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You can download it directly from the site, just look on the right.

Motorstorm can be controlled by tilting the pad as well as via sticks.

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You can even see the reflection of Motorstorm in the shiny exterior. Good, eh? Finally Rich, Andy, Dave the workie and I got to grips with the lush PS3 for the first time. First impressions? The pads lighter than we anticipated and we were pleasantly surprised by the top-notch feel when controlling the vehicles with the pads motion rather than the sticks. We also got to grips with Resistance: Fall of Man too. The jury's still out on this one but it looks amazing; like proper next-gen. But it really drew in a crowd of curious gamers. Including some teary-eyed men from an Xbox magazine...

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Edit: Glowing PS3 report from IGN's TGS roundtable. Anoop's comments are especially inflammatory to some gamers.

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October 2, 2006 - David Clayman, IGN Insider: It sounds crazy but of everything I played I had the most fun with Formula One 06 on PS3. The sense of speed from the cockpit camera is excellent and the game was balanced to make racing difficult but not frustrating. Blasting around the track as Michael Schumacher made Motorstorm feel like Diddy Kong Racing.

Before the Sony Preview Event I hadn't really experienced a game in 1080p. The difference is certainly not as noticeable as the transition from standard definition to 720p but when you are able to see 720 and 1080p next to each other the change in clarity is profound. Of course this also had a lot to do with the gorgeous screens these games were displayed on. Before I can experience the next generation of gaming in the highest quality I would need a much larger apartment.

Craig Beridon, IGN Insider:My most memorable moment of TGS? Waking up on Saturday morning and seeing the lines for the PS3 booth extending from the front doors of the Makuhari Messe convention center and wrapping around the building 2-3 times about two hours before the show floor even opened. Of course only to realize I had to go into the same enclosed area as all these people for up to eight hours of my day. Then immediately ****ing myself.



Anoop Gantayat, IGN Japan: This show proved to me that the PS3 is the big event this generation and the Xbox 360 really is 2006's Dreamcast (I'm purposely excluding the Wii, which makes me think more of a toy than a game machine). While the 360 had a few good looking games -- Lost Planet, for instance -- games like Heavenly Sword, White Knight Story and Motorstorm are a step up in the visual and animation department.

Microsoft's big two for this show weren't as impressive as I'd been hoping. Blue Dragon looks like just another Japanese RPG. It has gorgeous visuals, but I'm hoping there's more to the experience than the demo suggested.

Lost Odyssey, meanwhile, was my game of the show following Sakaguchi's 10 minute demo. After that 10 minutes, as soon as you take control of Kain following the boss battle, it shows hints of being just another Japanese RPG that happens to have a really cool opening. I was so excited about Lost Odyssey following its announcement that I started reading the scenario writer's latest book (which has been on the top 10 seller list all year). The storyline has an intriguing premise, so I'm hoping the end experience will be at the level of the demo's opening.

On the PS3, I was most impressed by White Knight, which was video-only but proved that poor animation is what's been keeping next generation titles from actually looking next generation. Metal Gear Solid 4 was also impressive, although not as much from a visual standpoint (there was a definite drop in quality from E3 and last year's TGS cinematics) as from a gameplay standpoint. The Oktacon camoflauge system offers up some interesting possibilities, as shown in the new trailer.

Surprisingly, one of the most impressive PS3 games was Ridge Racer 7. In screenshots, the title reminded me of the 360 version. Then I saw it in motion at the show in glorious 1080p. RR7 will be good enough reason for me to get the system at launch (I'm going to also sell my telescope, which is useless from my place in Shibuya's hotel district, to buy one of those Bravias Sony was using at the show).


With the PS3 now costing a far more reasonable 50,000 yen, nothing should stop it from having PS2-level success in Japan, especially with a killer 2007 that will see games like Virtua Fighter 5, Metal Gear, White Knight, Devil May Cry 4 and, possibly, Final Fantasy XIII.

Disappointments? Gran Turismo HD had severe frame rate problems, which made it unplayable for me. Premium mode looks so incomplete, lacking environmental lighting at this point, that I was questioning if Polyphony would be able to make a December release for the title. Maybe they'll end up making all of premium mode downloadable early next year.

I didn't get a chance to play it, but I was disappointed with the look of Lair. Based on the interviews the game seems to have a lot going into it, but it needs some polish.

And my award for the biggest laugh of the show was Sonic on PS3 and 360. I don't see how they're going to turn this mess into a polished year-end product (the title is due for Japanese PS3 release on 12/21) unless they redo everything from scratch.

Charles Onyett, IGN PC: I'll echo Anoop with my White Knight impressions. The video looked really cool, showing off bits of a battle system that seemed like it could actually be different from the turn-based snoozefests so common in RPGs. It also had giant robots. Never a bad thing. Despite making me really want to play, the video didn't make me want to spend over 600 dollars.

Other than that, nothing at the show really blew me away. I'd seen Lost Planet before, Lost Odyssey was disappointingly conventional, and the PS3 playable booths were so crowded I couldn't get a good impression of how everything there played. All I know is that about 85% of the attendees were crowded around the Monster Hunter booth, a game which I know little of and care even less about.

EBGames/Gamestop conference impressions and pics

Now, bear with me. This guy has typos all over his post, but the pics in the end may be real. Anyone who works at EBGames/Gamestop and went to the event confirm if they are?

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I just got back from our annual meeting for EB games And gamestop , and i got to play

Genji , MotorStorm , and Resistance

they all where on those new sony XBR tv's running at 720 P

Ok first off , to al the people, ( including myself at 1 point ) When you look at a ps3 game, you know your looking at a ps3 game , there is a very distinctive difference in them, the games are so crystal clear, the shadows, the particle effects are soo nice, and from what i played , all 3 of those games look a bit better then anything ive seen and played on 360.

Genji : originally i didnt think i would like this title, but after playing it , im buying this game on DAY1 ,

The way you can swap between characters at any given time is actually very nice , and gives for some huge combos, i got to play with the main dood with the swords, the big guy with the giant pole ( lol ) and some chick with these rings on a chain , this game when you see it in person looks amazing , plays very fast and very good, the whole time i played it NOT once did the frame rate EVER drop at ALL,The colors are so nice and vibrant , got to play what looked like and opening stage wich just kinda let you see how to play with the people , then once you beat that it moved you to a battlfield with a bunch of guys on it, everything was on fire , looks awesome ( they said this game would use some tilt features but was not in this demo )

MotorStorm: This honestly is the best looking game i personally think i have ever seen as far as realizm, This game is so beautiful you really have to se it in person , for those people that think gears of war has great graphics ( wich it does ) this game in all aspects looks better than that. They only had 1 course for us to play but it did let us pick between prolly about 7 different vehicles , i played with the motor cycle dirt bike, and a dune buggy , they handle like you are in the dirt , turbo is really cool, u have a meter if you hold turbo too long you rides engine and car will blow up.Every time u blow up or crash u get the burnout slo mo effect .Almost everysingle part of the car can be destroyed , I rammed a guy next to me and knocked his driver side door off, then i rammed him again and he actually fell out of the car . I notced this with all the games i played , MotorStorm looked spectacular and Not once, EVER did the Frame rate drop . ( o yeah this was the one game they said would have ni tilt features )

Resistance : This game is really cool , graphic wise it looks extremly well , somtimes when u get up on a wall the textures dont look to good . When u get up on an enemy or zoom in on his dead body to look at them, they are EXTREMLEY detailed.The weapons in this game are AWESOME. I really like the sniper rifle , it's alt fire makes time slow down for AWESOME headshots.The ragdoll physics are sooo sweet in this game , And another thing to note , for instance, im going down some stairs, and instead oflike just killing a guy or 2, like 10 or 15 guys come runnin up the stairs, these things are jumping off the walls, there are alot of guys on screen at once.there where 3 lvls for us to play and they where all awesome , this game has a fast paced feel like UT in a way , blowinf people up with grenades is SUCH a rush and soo fun. I am a Halo ( 1 ) fan myself, i have the game on xbox and on pc for multiplayed , even tho i didnt get to play multiplayed in the demo of resistance, the single played experience rivals if not surpases that of Halo, they have done an extremly well job at balancing this game, making the weapons fun, lots of enemies, ragdoll is perfect , giant enemies , the whole feel of this game is just awesome , even this game looks a bit better than anything that is out on the 360 . O yeah, with all the people on the screen, ships flying over head, explosions goinf off , and all the chaose that is going on, NOT once did i EVER see the FRAME RATE drop at all.

After playing these 3 titles ,and getting confermatin that all 3 of these will be available on November 17th, I will be buying all 3 of these games, Like i stated before you can defenetly tell the difference between a 360 game and a ps3 game , and its not something you have to look for, its apparent from the start , the graphics are so clear , the effects and shadows and everything are just sooo nice , and iff you didnt notice, on all 3 that i played the frame rate neer droped not once at all, to me and alot others this is huge, i havnt played a 360 game yet that dont have frame rate issues ( besides knockout kings, wich is awesome ) . I went in there a bit sceptical, just a bit, and walked out completley 100% happy with what i seen and played,

just on another note, the new ps3 controller as we al know, has the battery built in, comes with the charger also , and i was told you will get 25 - 30 hours of gameplay on them . I like the new controller alot, theres nothing like a ps controller, the new triggers are really nice, and made from a rubber now also, and the analog sticks also stick upward a bit more than they did, my only complaint is that i wish the controller had a tad bit more weight to it.Another cool thng was that the games where runnin off of component cables, the guy showed me lol , the system uses the same imput as the ps1 and the ps3 , so hopefully HDMI will be a bit better .

I cannot wait for NOV 17 now!

Conference photos









I am a dolphin, do you want me on your body?

Originally Posted by randomwab

After reading all that, i'm psyched! Pitty I can't get my hands on one until March unless there is a miracle and I come across an import system around Christmas.

Yeah, I was really blown away by how early and how well the impressions are of the controller's tilt feature. Oh, BTW, thanks random. I needed someone to post since the above was getting a tad on the huge side.

I was speaking idiomatically.

Quote:

According to the official PS3 FAQ, the adaptor will allow gamers to transfer their saved games to the new console. "To use saved data on a PlayStation 2 memory card, you must copy the data onto a virtual memory card within the hard disk. This requires a PS2/PSone memory card adaptor to copy the data to your PlayStation 3. A memory card adaptor is designed to edit, up/download game saves to and from EMS flash card or smart media card."

Looks like you're right Mr. Shonos. The extent to which you can edit them is unknown, though I bet it's rather limited. How did I know this little announcement would get the wheels in people's heads turning?

What kind of toxic man-thing is happening now?

Here's a real nice Motorstorm gameplay video, showing off the fantastic lighting and overall look of the game.

http://www.gameklip.com/v/1579

FELIPE NO