Three big-picture PS3 predictions from OPM

John Davison, editorial director for Ziff Davis Media's Game Group, penned three predictions for the PlayStation 3 launch in the April edition of Official PlayStation Magazine. Here's a quick summary:

1. Launch: "November in the United States" and "it won't be a penny more than $399.99." (Because Sony's in big trouble if it cedes two holiday seasons to the Xbox 360. Plus, Microsoft has created a strong pricing precedent with the Xbox 360.)

2. The Dualshock 3: The boomerang ain't gonna fly. It's got no room for a battery pack. The new controller will likely look a lot like the PlayStation 2 controllers.

3. The games: Only a few games will be available at launch. Most of them won't utilize the full potential of the PS3. (We'd say that none will. It's just not possible until developers have more practice creating software for the PS3.) Davison writes, "the real jaw-droppers on the system aren't going to be shown until E3 in 2007."

Solid, sane predictions all.

[Image comes from a prerendered scene from upcoming PS3 title Warhawk]