E3 Console Thoughts

By the way, E3 stands for Electronic Entertainment Expo. It is probably the biggest annual video games expo on the planet. Every major company makes a big deal about it and this year all three major console companies (Sony - PlayStation, Microsoft - X-Box, and Nintendo) have come out showcasing their new consoles for the next generation which makes this years E3 huge, even for E3. Now with that background out of the way, here are my thoughts on the new consoles.

First off, Microsoft's X-Box 360. From the looks, it is an impressive console. What Microsoft did/is doing with their online plan really puts them over the top.
However, i'm disappointed with the strides the 360 has taken over the original X-Box. In the days of the NES to SNES the processing power doubled. When the SNES was replaced by the N64 the processing power was quadrupled. I kind of feel like the X-Box 360 is a NES to SNES leap. Sony called it the X-Box 1.5 and while i don't fully agree with that statement, that seems to be the case in part. The X-Box 360 is 2 to 3 times more powerful than the X-Box, and it is setting itself up to be more of a multimedia device, which is really good. However, there really isn't anything innovative or new about it. It's not changing the way games are played or bringing all new technology into the system, if anything it seems to be just bridging the gap between a little bit more advanced console and a Microsoft Windows XP Media Center computer. However in doing that while it still makes a darn good console, it looks to make a less than par computer.
It's saving graces are that it has a really impressive online plan (only an extension of the current plan however), and that it is coming out first (this fall).
Personally i will probably never own an X-Box anything due to my qualms with Microsoft's history of breaking in, taking over, and monopolizing. No way will i support that.

Next is the PS3. Sony in conjunction with Toshiba and IBM have developed a new kind of chip called the cell chip. Basically the processor of the PS3 is a combination of 7-8 of these cell chips working together to do all of the multitasking necessary for the next generation of games. It promises to blow away the competition in pure processing power, and it gives the PS3 the ability to multitask in breakthrough ways. The cell chip in and of itself completely changes the way processing is done. To put it into perspective, Intel and AMD (the big two makers of computer CPU's) are developing and talking about their new, revolutionary, duel-processor chips. It's big, 2 core processors in one to make it easier for the computer to multitask! Well, with the cell processor it's more like 7 or 8 cores (or individual cell chips) in one. Overall it looks to blow the X-Box 360 and Nintendo Revolution out of the water with its pure processing power, which means faster, better detailed, and more cinematic games.
One letdown for the PS3 however is its limited/lack of real online plan. From what i can tell, it seems to following the plan of letting the game developers define the experience for their own games. This is good in that it better allows the developers to have full control of their property and it makes online a free service for most games. It is problematic in that it does not promote a real "community" experience for the gamers.
Ultimately, what is really going to make the PS3 is the games. If the game developers don't utilize the processing power of the system, it may prevent the PS3 from becoming the leader of the pack.
The PS3 will probably be my 2nd choice in console. I will most likely wait for the price to drop before i invest in this power machiene.

Finally, the Big N. Nintendo's new console is called the Revolution. It is supposed to revolutionize the way that people play games. The processor is supposed to be comparable to that of the other consoles, but that's not the real star of the system. Nintendo is attempting to revolutionize the way people interact with the games. The controller will be gyroscopic (tilt the controller to change direction), have pressure sensitive squeeze grip controls (reminiscant of stress balls), with an integrated microphone, and another big "revolutionary" concept that will redefine the gaming experience. So far Nintendo has been pretty tight lipped about what this "revolution" will be, but one rumor/speculation is that it will be some sort of 3-D display. Personally just with what's been revealed i'm really excited.
One of the big things that i'm really excited about is the Revolution's promise of backward compatibility. It will be able to play GameCube games as well as being able to download and play the games from the NES, SNES, and N64 systems. Talk about fun.
Nintendo's online plan is also promising to be amazing in that it is being developed in conjunction with IGN/GameSpy (well established online gaming names) to create a true Nintendo community while also being free.
As you've probably guessed, this is going to be my number one choice for console in the next generation.

Disclaimer: This is not a full listing of all of the pro's and con's of these systems. It is not meant to be. This is my personal views and interests only.