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Goldeneye tested on 12 year-old, fails 'timeless' test
AddictedGeek.com recently dropped a N64, four controllers, and a copy of the much-beloved Goldeneye in front of a 12 year-old. Mind you, said 12 year-old, while a "confirmed geek," has never played a game that predates 2001. His entire gaming collection is firmly rooted in a high end PC, Xbox 360, and PS2.So what was this young upstart's reaction to what many of us consider a 'timeless classic?' Well, the little bastard panned it:"The single-player was one of the worst I have ever played ... I can see why it was so popular when it first came out, but nowadays very few aspects of the game stand out, and many more pull it back ... it wasn't long before we pulled out Halo 2." (Kids these days...)
The Big Three's consoles: size matters
Just thought you'd like to know. And yeah, even thought it's not the stylingest, we think aesthetically (if not the Wii then) the PStwo is probably our fav. But that's just us.P.S. -We understand the Wii's not 100% accurately represented here. Looks pretty close though.[Via Joystiq]
PS3 pad loses DualShock name and vibration but picks up Wii-esque motion detection and wireless connectivity
In a shocking turn of events, the PS3 controller has gone from banamerang to wireless DualShock 3, except without the DualShock name and vibration.If you take a good look at the back of the new control pad (see the close-up above), you'll notice that the DualShock 2 brand name imprinted on the old controller has now been supplanted by a row of LED lights to show which input has been set, either wirelessly or via the wired USB recharge port. Sony's now the only name in-line for PS3 controllers either on the pad or in the press releases (see "the new PS3 controller").
PS2 price cut fails to impress [Update 2]
The reaction to yesterday's PS2 price cut has been one of disappointment on two levels:1) Sony could or should have brought the price down to $99. This comment from Resident Gamer is a typical example of this opinion: "So why is Sony being so picky about moving it to the $99 mark? Not like everyone doesn't have a PS2 already (he's got a point, Sony's sold over 100 million of 'em). But they need to make it so that anyone else who might be a new gamer can easily get into playing at a low cost and enjoy the large body of games PS2 has." Like we mentioned in our earlier post, the reason Sony didn't go for the symbolic "under $100" price point is most likely because of the PS3. With E3 just around the corner Sony will want all the attention to be on their next-gen effort, rather than on their console that was six years old last month (the PS2 was released in March, 2000 in Japan).
Sony's PlayStation 2 now only $129.99
Remember way back in October of the year 2000, when Sony introduced the PlayStation 2 for $299.99? Yeah, that was a long time ago, but if you still don't have one, don't feel like getting a 360 or waiting any longer for the PlayStation 3 -- whenever the hell that'll be released -- or just want another PS2 for around the house, you'll be pleased to know Sony once again dropped the price on the PS2. Now the diminutive console will run you $130, down twenty bucks since the console's standing price since its last cut about two years ago. They're still not gonna beat out Nintendo's ever-cost effective $99 GameCube, but hey, when it comes to games, we know for a lot of people it just ain't about the price.
Sony lowers price of PlayStation 2 to $129.99
A little earlier than expected, Sony announced today that they've reduced the recommended retail price for the PlayStation 2 from $149.99 to $129.99/$139.99 CND. Just as the earlier report suggested, Sony didn't opt for a more dramatic $99 price drop, instead going for a more subtle cut ahead of this May's E3. So, will Microsoft follow suit by cutting the price of the original Xbox from $149? Considering the company's willingness to leave their previous generation console behind, we'd say the chances are unlikely. Meanwhile, the Nintendo GameCube has been sitting pretty at a $99 price point since September 2003.Read the relevant section of the press release after the jump.
Novotable offers ergonomically-questionable retro, PC, and console gaming
We're pretty sure you don't see many tabletop arcade games around anymore for a reason -- mainly, it's not very comfortable to hunch over a screen for more than few minutes. Luckily for us, our poor PacMan and Centipede skills (and perpetual lack of quarters) made this mostly a non-issue in our arcade-trolling days, but now a new product called the "Novo Infotainment Table" (or Novotable for short) is offering to bring spine-curving videogame action for yesterday's hits and today's PC and console titles right to our homes. The Novotable is basically a 32-inch LCD mounted horizontally onto an articulating stand, attached to a pair of arcade joysticks, and stuffed with a subwoofer, Shuttle PC, and your choice of PS2 or Xbox. You also get a a stainless steel keyboard to swap out the controllers in case you want to use your multi-thousand dollar device (actual price: unknown, but presumed high) for something other than playing the biggest pixelated hits of the 80's, plus the usual lineup of PC features that you'd expect to find on a Shuttle, such as WiFi, Bluetooth, and FireWire and USB ports. We could see installing a few of these in a bar for some drunken Rampage fun, but the Mansion gameroom only accepts original pinball and arcade cabinets, so no Novotable for us, thanks.[Via Joystiq]
PS3 price point comments poorly translated
We were kind of expecting this to happen: Sony has stated that the comments made by Sony Computer Entertainment France boss Georges Fornay yesterday regarding the price of the PS3 were "not an indication of PS3 pricing" and were "mistranslated or misunderstood". He was in fact speculating that if the PS3 were to launch between €499 and €599 it would be considered cheap in comparison to dedicated Blu-Ray drives (which start at around €700) but that "current video games machines" (excluding the Xbox 360, natch) would still be significantly cheaper than the PS3. Gamesindustry.biz says that this correction suggests the PS3 could launch from anywhere between €150 and €800, but if you ask us that range is about as useful as anywhere between one and infinity. Move along folks, nothing to see here.
Japan outlaws resale of retro game machines
On April 1, Japan's Product Safety of Electrical Appliances and Materials Law (PSE) will take affect, prohibiting the resale of more than 259 electrical devices made before April 2001. The new law was designed to prevent electrical fires, but has been called into question by Japanese retro gamers. "Who do they think they are protecting?" questioned a shopper at the Super Potato secondhand game store. Despite the fact that sellers are permitted to submit products for recertification and that some devices, including most Nintendo and Sony consoles of yesteryear, have escaped the reach of the law, PSE's bureaucratic web of exceptions and conditions has outraged gamers. Unfortunately, Japanese officials have said there are no plans to postpone PSE.[Via GameInsider]
NES plus Playstation 2 equals NEStation
Another day, another NES casemod. This NEStation from French console hacker kotami certainly borrows heavily from the PS2's design, although we'd challenge anyone to fit a full-size NES into one of those itty bitty slimline PS2 cases.We're not sure what the motivation behind this mod might be--perhaps it's down to the old adage that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. Will we see the NEXbox next?[Via digg]
