e32006
Latest
PS3 worth its weight in Uranium
When hordes of gamers stand in line at a press conference, eagerly awaiting a disgruntled security guard to open the doors and let them storm through, the conversations one can overhear seem to fluctuate wildly between intriguing and painfully moronic. One of these discussions, which nestles snugly between those two extremes, was regarding the PS3's rather hefty cost. It didn't take long for someone to make the joke that the PS3 is just about worth its weight in gold. The remarks got a few laughs, despite the fact that current gold prices don't quite match up to such a claim.The $599 PS3 is, however, worth its weight in Uranium. The radioactive substance so popular amongst terrorists is expected to hit $54 a pound this year, meaning that if you choose to buy 11 pounds of Uranium (and why wouldn't you?), you'll actually end up saving $5. Cutting-edge console and Blu-Ray player, or a vast quantity of apocalyptic material? Not an easy decision to make, but either investment will likely end up blowing you away (sorry).
Dell gaming preview: The XPS desktop
You're looking at the latest work-in-progress gaming desktop from Dell, the next XPS. They invited us down today and let us take a gander at their prototype.They didn't tell us anything juicy about stuff like the components, pricing or a release date. The directors who headed up the presentation were mainly looking for some feedback from the gaming community. One of the interesting things with this new minimalistic design is the complete air flow from rear to front. Unfortunately, everything they showed us was purely aesthetic, so we'll have to hold out for a bit longer to find out about anything else.[Reposted due to technical difficulties.]
E3 gamer fashion: Nintendo keynote
We took this shot while waiting in the Hyrule (second floor balcony) line at Nintendo's media briefing this morning. Blue DS? Check. Over-sized pockets? Check. Rhinestone studded plastic gun? You know it.
First impression: Too Human for Xbox 360
At the Microsoft reception today after their event, the press was given an opportunity to get their hands on some Xbox 360 titles before the show floor opens up. I managed to score some hands-on time with Silicon Knights' Too Human, and so far it looks pretty good.
Dual Shake functionality tacked on at last minute
That's the impression given by a Eurogamer interview with Warhawk developer Incognito. One of the questions posed in our controller comparison editorial was in relation to how long ago the decision had been made to enhance the PS3 controller with automagical motion sensing capabilities. The article states that the developer only got their hands on the technology within the last two weeks, but the actual response given by Dylan Jobe to one of the questions is far more telling. When prompted about how long they had actually known about it, Jobe responded with, "We've really known officially for about a week and a half, and we did the final tuning just a couple of days ago."A couple of days ago? Yikes. Note to PS3 game developers: The PS3 controller has motion sensing abilities. Just thought you might like to know.[Thanks Kimmo!]
E3 parking significantly cheaper than the PS3
Parking at this year's E3 is relatively cheap at least compared to last year's $40/day. Regardless, both are significantly cheaper than the PS3 (easy friends of Sony, just kidding around).[Thanks, C.K.]
E3 showdown: Sony vs. Microsoft vs. Nintendo [update 1]
Now that the Big Three's media briefings have concluded, it's time to decide who put on the best show. Here are our picks: Best Badge - Winner: Nintendo (we've been waiting to get our own personal ticket to Hyrule since 1987) Cheapest Parking - Winner: Sony (it was free; we paid to park while attending Nintendo and Microsoft's briefings) Shortest Lines - Winner: Microsoft (we walked right in; Sony and Nintendo kept us waiting ... and waiting ... and waiting) Dopest Venue - Winner: Microsoft (we said it before: "This is by far the best venue of the three. Majestical, red, Chinese, comfortable, cool: this space also probably cost the most of the three ... If you got it, flaunt it.") Audience Approval - Winner: Nintendo (Microsoft was a close second, but the fanboys were definitely in the house at the Kodak Theatre) Technical Difficulties - Winner Loser: Nintendo (during the first several minutes of the RedSteel demo the center stage screen was blank with only the Wii logo on display) Best Tunes - Winner: Microsoft (Sony had a stockpile of tracks, but Galvanize by The Chemical Brothers featuring Q-Tip is still looping in our heads) Best Food - Winner: Microsoft (fish n' chips in a Chinese takeout box? Need we say more? Okay ... fine: 'chocolate fountain.') Best Swag - Winner: Nintendo (a DS Lite carrying case beats Sony's Memory Stick media kit -- even if the case remains empty until June)* *Update: We won't be keeping any swag.
18 Xbox Live Arcade titles revealed [update 1]
Here's a quick n' dirty breakdown of the 18 Xbox Live Arcade games that were playable at Microsoft's after (media breifing) party: Cloning Clyde - indie platformer Contra - arcade port; Konami code works; diagonal shooting was spotty Defender - arcade port Frogger - arcade port Galaga - arcade port Heavy Weapon - indie side-scrolling tank shooter Lumines Live - like PSP version, but with downloadable videos Mutant Storm Empire - indie sequel with upgraded visuals; continuous levels; room-to-room (a la Smash TV) Pac-Man - arcade port RoboBlitz - indie title using Unreal Engine 3; build was unplayable unbearable Scramble - arcade port Street Fighter II' Hyper Fighting - arcade port; controls (on gamepad) were inconsistent Small Arms - indie Smash Bros. ripoff Texas Hold 'Em - poker (without real money) Time Pilot - arcade port Totemball - indie camera-controlled musical platform adventure Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 - arcade port Uno - card game A Microsoft representative told us that these titles should be available by the holiday season, with some seeing summer/fall releases. Street Fighter, Texas Hold 'Em, and Uno will represent the next available batch of XBL Arcade games and should be released in the coming weeks.Update: Uno is (available on) Live! [Thanks, Dan]
Halo 3 trailer: See it again for the first time
Here's the Halo 3 trailer again, embedded for your puny viewing pleasure. If you want more pixels and have no luck with XBLM, try Xboxyde's 720p torrent or Bungie's large Quicktime version. Oh yeah, Bungie reminds the world this baby is real time with an appropriately sarcastic announcement: Nobody saw it coming. Halo 3! Who knew? For the last year or two, people have speculated about what our next project was and surprisingly, in all that time, not a single person guessed that it would be Halo 3. Not one. We declare it the best kept secret ever. ...We won't ruin the content of our short presentation by describing it frame by frame, but we will note that everything you're seeing here is being rendered in real-time on the Xbox 360, using the current version of our Halo 3 game engine. The HDR lighting, self-shadowing, GPU-run particle system and many other effects should make it intact (and more) to our final game. Worth repeat viewing.
First looks at Viva Pinata
After the Microsoft press briefing today, we managed to get a demonstration of Viva Piñata, the upcoming 360 title from Microsoft and Rare. At first glance the game seems extremely colourful and inviting; the game is based around a single garden, which starts as a desolated area.By building up the garden and its ecosystem (of piñata creatures), more and more piñatas are attracted from nearby gardens to live in the player's -- the first piñata that will venture in is a worm, which needs nothing but some soil to flourish, but more demanding creatures come along later. By balancing all their requirements -- some creatures will want to eat each other, for example -- the player can create a happy environment.The game seems very much like a cross between Animal Crossing and traditional God-game titles like Dungeon Keeper. Although it looks to have immediate appeal to children and younger players, it's likely to reach out to Sims fans too -- possibly even the elusive female demographic. We'll have more on the title during E3.
Nintendo briefing: featured first-party Wii games [update 1]
Here's a quick list with initial impressions of demoed games featured at Nintendo's media briefing today. The company also said 27 playable Wii games will be available on the show floor tomorrow, with even more titles in video format. Disaster: Day of Crisis - Probably one of the nicest looking titles showed on Wii. Excite Truck - Think Excite Bike, only with trucks, better graphics, and a side-turned Wii remote. The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess - Will have two game versions; one for GC one for Wii. The Wii controls appeared to work well and drew a lot of excitement from the crowd. Metroid Prime 3: Corruption - Looked like a GameCube version of Metroid Prime, only with Wii remote functionality. Project H.A.M.M.E.R. - Run around with a guy and a huge hammer. Didn't look way deep, but fun a la Destroy All Monsters Super Mario Galaxy (temporary name) - Graphics looked very artistic and slick. Looks like Mario has some new moves too. WarioWare: Smooth Moves - Wario Ware + Wiimote. Looked quick and fun. Wii Sports - Features golf, baseball, and tennis games. The tennis game looked extremely easy to pick up and fun to play. [Update 1: List only includes first-party games]
Konami to blogs: How does that work again?
At this very moment, Konami is holding a mysterious press conference in the depths of LA, presumably revealing details on their flagship title, Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots, as well as several new titles that will be available on the E3 show floor. Sadly, Konami decided earlier today to unceremoniously lock Joystiq out of the conference due to a heinous act that was committed yesterday. It seems that Konami is still trying to wrap their heads idea around the blogosphere, struggling to come to grips with the concept of us providing readers with information on forthcoming games. Konami requested us to remove the offending snaps of their booth on the show floor, snaps which revealed some games that were not due to be announced until, well, now most likely. Since we believe that to be an unreasonable request that will disadvantage our readers, the post will not be coming down. We apologize for not being able to provide more excellent liveblogging from their conference.We'll still be providing normal coverage of Konami's many titles on the show floor and will not let their rampant blog-o-phobia affect our writing. C'mon, how could we not be excited about more Solid Snake?
E3: The Gears of War mural, day 3 [update 1]
More than halfway done -- can he finish by Thursday?* Check back tomorrow as we update. As someone has already mentioned yesterday, the wonderful artist in question is Kurt Wenner: Master Street Painter. When his work is complete we will offer you high-resolution images of the mural.See Also:Day 1Day 2[update 1: fixed a typo]
Top Five Signs You're at an E3 Party
The parties "officially" start Tuesday night, but still, some of us were out rockin' out as only E3-ers do on a Monday night during conference week. The International Game Journalists Association (IGJA) held a casual "undwinding" session at Golden Gopher right after the Sony Press Conference. If you couldn't find your way there, here are the top five signs you should be looking for when looking for an E3 Party: 5. The brightest light in the bar is coming from someone's Blackberry at the end of the bar. 4. There is one female in the entire place. Oh wait, here comes one out of the Ladies' Room! Our bad. There are two females in the entire place. 3. Only dorks carry backpacks (there was a pile of them in one of the corner booths). The cool guys are carrying purses. 2. Everyone is wearing matching necklaces. And the number one sign you're at an E3 Party: 1. No one is playing Ms. Pac Man.
Halo 3 trailer blows up XBLM
All hail Master Chief. As you probably already know, the trailer for a little game called Halo 3 is now available for download on XBLM. The pic above is from the MS keynote. I hear the Marketplace is slammed, but you can check it out here as well. Does this first glimpse meet your high Halo expectations?
Dean Takahashi at Not an E3 Party
Sarah: So, what'd you think of Sony's keynote? Dean: (shrugs) Sounds like Sony is stealing Nintendo's thunder. This is going to be fun to watch this week.
Joystiq / Engadget Podcast 078 - 05.09.06 [update 1]
(Ed: This podcast was recorded after last night's Sony keynote. Check back later for our thoughts on today's events.) Now that the plane has landed, we've got our show reg covered and the first of the big three keynotes is out of the way, we decided to hit the mic with some of our fellow Joystiq bretheren and recap day one of E3 '06. No big surprise that Sony dominated today's news, what with their launch date hopes announcement for the PlayStation 3, its pricing strategy, and a new trick for the old dog that is their PS3 controller redesign. Not to be left in the dust, Nintendo did get some Wii launch titles confirmed; yet unconfirmed, however, is that fresh new rumor about the Wii clocking in at $250 when it hits the U.S. streets. Microsoft didn't want to go without their share of attention as well, and confirmed that the Xbox 360's HD DVD drive will connect via USB. (You can imagine our surprise on that one.) Day one is over, day two has just started, but podcast 78 is a go. Get the podcast [iTunes] Subscribe to the Podcast directly in iTunes (MP3). [RSS] Add the Engadget Podcast feed to your RSS aggregator and have the show delivered automatically (MP3). [MP3] Download the show (MP3).[OGG] Download the show (OGG). [Vote] Vote for us on Podcast Alley! Host Engadget's Ryan Block Featuring Joystiq's Chris Grant, Ross Miller and James Ransom-Wiley Producer Randall Bennett Music J J J - 'Suits' in Japan Format 54:28, 24.9 MB, MP3 Program 00:00 - Playstation 3 - Sony's Keynote35:30 - Nintendo Wii selling for $250? 40:52 - Square / Enix deets 44:19 - Microsoft says HD-DVD connects via USB (duh.) LISTEN (MP3) LISTEN (OGG) Contact the podcast: 1-888-ENGADGET, Engadget (Gizmo Project) or podcast at engadget dawt com [Update 1: added content categories and updated the title]
Poll: Who was the key(note)master?
The keynotes are over, so you know what that means: armchair analysis time! So who emerged victorious from the arena of souls E3's highly competitive keynote circuit? Did Sony's confidant keynote inspire the faithful? Did Nintendo's playful keynote placate skeptics? Did Microsoft's ADD-addled keynote keep them from looking like old-news? If you haven't had your eyes glued to the sub-etha absorbing every bit of keynote news, read up on them, and let us know what you think ... Who's the key(note)master? Microsoft and their software-centric show? Nintendo and their Wii-nouncements? Sony and their Dual Shake controller?
Engadget & Joystiq's live coverage of Microsoft's Xbox 360 E3 event
2:42 pm - Koolaid blood spills from corpses, buildings demolished, apocalypse. The Gears of War trailer is the very first thing shown, and the applause is decent, but not deafening. CliffyB onstage now, giving us a playable demo of Gears of War. The game looks even better than our preview back in September at the Tokyo Game Show. It's come along nicely, with added HUD elements and a targeting system.
Confirmed: Wii controller shell revealed
Looks like Wii's controller shell has been revealed, even via Nintendo's website (see url). Wiigamer writes: "Our sources have confirmed to us that this is definitely real, however several questions still remain - why is there a cable, and does the remote simply click onto the bottom of the unit? Or is it now a stand alone unit?"Nintendo made no mention of the controller shell at today's media briefing, but hopefully we'll learn more when the E3 show floor opens tomorrow.[Thanks, Paul]
