Wasnt that good? E3 i mean. When you think that it couldn't get any better, it does.

Microsoft announcing M(icrosoft)ii's for 360. The worst kept secret ever but still amazing to finally see in action. A new dashboard with cool ipod-ish design and some amazing games. GOW 2, Banjo Kazooie on Arcade, Final Fantasy XIII. Excellent. Not exactly groundbreaking stuff and there was a lot of multiformat titles but they are solid games and at least us gamers will be satisfied with our console of choice. Now the Netflix Features I can take or leave but at least it's a nice option to have. It's not what we buy or consoles for but at least the options there. Although MS seemed to take a leaf out of Sony's (Me Too) book with games like Lips (Singstar) & Myscene (Buzz).

The best show this year was Nintendo. GTA on DS. New controller add-on, Wii Music, Wii Sports Resort. Animal Crossing, Wii Speak. It's obvious someone is working hard. A company that seems willing to give us things we want even if some of us didn't know we wanted it. Wii Speak. A mic on top of your T.V.. Great idea at least everyone can join in on the banter rather than those with headset. I didn't want this but now i do. If only to let everyone hear my screamsof anguis as another 10 year old beats me on Mario Kar. Damn my ham fisted driving!!

So surely Sony have something in the bag and remind us why they had so many dedicated players buying their consoles.

Well, no they didn't to be honest. I know my previous posts have been a bit down on Sony and The PS3/PSP but it's more to do with the fact i know what they can do, i know what they have done and yet somewhere, somehow they lost thier way.

Big Name for Sony was Resistance 2. Never been a fan of the original but at least they were trying and with this, well they haven't. Imagine Half life 2 and Gears of War mixed together and your there.

FPS. Check.

Aliens. Check.

Big Citadel like HL2. Check.

Big Brumak from GoW style set piece. Check.

Total lack of originality. Erm... Check.

It's still early days though....."cough".

No wait there's a TV channel about cars for Gran Turismo. erm, Woohoo?. Next!

Ah hold there's another sequel, God of War. Pre-rendered video though. Shame.

And so it goes, sequel after sequel, more games we all knew about months ago and nothing to see here move along.

Yet somehow there is hope. It's called Little Big Planet and this could be awesome. A game with it's own look and style that looks if it could be something special. Using this title, Sony did a presentation of it's sales and figures using an interactive level and if marketing is going to be this exciting then I'm in the wrong job. Check out the video it's well worth a look.

Sony's Home looks intriguing as well so long as it's not just a Second Life clone and has the interactivity promised this could have potential for gamers to hang out.

I've accused Sony of being a me too company in the past. Nintendo mentions motion control, Sony says "Me too" Microsoft has achievements, Sony says "Me too". and so on. This is from a company that used to innovate and surprise. Yet here there lies a glimmer of hope for Sony that might just convince gamers to hop on board PS3 because let's face it, something has to, right?

England cracks down after Smoking Ban comes into enforcement...

Sony have released firmware update 3.51 which closes the security hole used to downgrade the PSP hardware. This was down to some enterprising people who found a loophole on the Lumines UMD Game that circumvents the previous firmware upgrade

Great!!

Because what all PSP owners want is an update. Just because Sony can't produce any original content for thier own hardware they are stopping anyone from creating thier own homebrew applications.

Sony, if you want us to be loyal to your brand stop being so bloody ignorant of the people who pay your wages and start giving us something we actually want.

1. Your PSP download store is crap. I want demos released on a regular basis. not once in a blue moon.
How many games are available on the hardware? hundreds!
How many demos are available to help us make informed choices? A handfull!
Conclusion? Rubbish!

PS. How come all the music on the store is from bands we've never heard of (or want to hear)?
Have you seen Itunes? Take a look you might be surprised


2. Where are our proposed PS1 game downloads? What? They're available on the PS3 console to download? Crap! You want me to spend another £400 so i can download games that i bought years ago on a system i still own and you still expect me to give you more money for the privilage? get to f***!!!!
You allow me to download rubbish pictures from the PSP store on my P.C, why can't i buy them from there? Or at least allow a program to convert my old PS1 games to my PSP?

3. Stop releasing useless Firmware updates. How about giving us upates that have at least give us new features rather than an update to fix security holes. I could see the point if we kept credit card details, etc, on our PSP's but to stop us from using our PSP's for something we might want to use them for is a complete waste of time. I mean how many people actually use the downgrader software? Probably a small minority of the people who actually want to make the most of a console that you don't seem to give a toss about. P.C's have thrived on homemade content for games i.e Counterstrike, Team Fortess, etc so why not embrace this and make the console a must have.

Now, how many people actually use the downgrader software for piracy? Exactly. I'm not condoning Piracy in any way but I'm not surprised that piracy is common on the system when from the start of the PSP lifespan, owners were ripped off from the very start with ports of PS2 games with no extra content or features. And as for the games we bought because they were PSP exclusive? That's right you only went and released it on PS2 a few months later.
Thanks a bunch Sony. Your taking the p*** now.

No wonder Microsoft and Nintendo are doing so well.

At least Microsoft didn't forget the PS3 launch!!! lol

As seen on the BBC News Website: 

"At the Virgin Megastore in London's Oxford Street, the software giant handed out chairs to those queuing that had a website address printed on them.

Anyone visiting the webpage saw an Xbox 360 branded site that "welcomes" Sony to the next generation and chides the electronics giant for being "late". Microsoft's Xbox 360 launched in late 2005"

"Game news site Next Gen reported that French gamers were outnumbered by the media on the boat Sony moored by the Eiffel tower to act as a temporary electronics store selling the console.

The event was upstaged by Microsoft which drove its own boat covered in Xbox 360 logos up and down the Seine near the Sony craft."

Mind you maybe Sony got thier own back:

"Game website Kotaku reported that in Berlin, at a branch of the Saturn electronics store, 50 gamers got a free PS3 after smashing their Xbox 360 by throwing it off a wall."

 Full Story at:  http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/6485483.stm

Well that's it done with now i suppose!

After months of waiting for the UK launch and it seems to be a bit of a blink and you'll miss it event.

The fact that only 120 or so arrived at the Big launch store in london kind of says it all considering the amount at the Nintendo Wii and the World of Warcraft:Burning Crusade release dates.

Mind you those customers who braved the British weather left very happy after recieving a free copy of the Resistance:Fall of Man game AND a Free Sony Bravia 46" Lcd TV at the Oxford Street Virgin Megastore in London. Lucky Sods ! eh?   T

But i suppose Sony have to start making it up to the British Public one way or another.  After months of delay and bad publicity (backwards compatability anyone?) Sony decided to give something back to thier dedicated supporters.

The fact is today no one seems to be caring that it's out.  There doesn't seem to be the buzz of the Wii launch or the aftermath of weeks of console shortages that followed it.

Maybe Sony have finally got something right by supplying the country with enough stock for the console buying public to get their hands on (are you listening Nintendo?)

Or maybe Microsoft are laughing all the way to the bank by having a console that is doing so well that no one wants a PS3.

 Time will tell and no doubt over the next few weeks we will have the facts on wether this was the greatest console launch of all time.....