Gosh you know, it’s almost getting to be routine.

There’s another huge report, this one weighing in at 27 pages by a firm called “Research and Markets”. Kind of a generic name, I know. But it’s really a company! I looked it up. Anyway, they have this well-researched report, I’m sure, that says the PlayStation 3 (PS3) will be top of the heap come the end of 2007. The report also says that “The next-generation console market as a whole will actually peak in 2008 according to the report, eventually generating $21.9 billion, whereas software sales will rise through 2010 at $16.8 billion.” Hmmm, interesting.

I find it hard to believe any of these reports, because they’re trying to do something humans have been famously bad at: predicting the future. Maybe we need some of those future-seeing elevators from The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (the book series, not the movie). But for what it’s worth, the pile of reports declaring a PS3 victory seems to be getting rather large.

1UP.com - PS3 Leading In 2007, Says Report

Researchers say that the same “physiological responses” that cause smokers to keep sucking death sticks are the same as the responses in brains of those who play a lot of video games.

Hmmm… that may explain a few things.

Like how every Thursday I get a craving to play video games with a few buds. (Friends, not beer.)

Seriously, though. I think video games can be addictive, but not to the same degree as drugs, which physically alter your chemistry. (Uh, I think.) A coworker of mine is heavily addicted to World of Warcraft. He has multiple characters on multiple servers and plays this game all the time. But at least he’s not destroying his body and family in the process. His body’s already destroyed, and his family plays online with him!

I have a feeling that a lot of things will go neglected once people get their Xbox 360’s, and later when the Revolution and PlayStation 3 (PS3) come out. But then things will go back to more or less normal, and things will continue as before. Can’t do that very easily with a crack addiction.

Technology Review - Game Away the Day

Why is everyone screaming “Sony propaganda” so frickin loud when Microsoft has so successfully propagandized the white blood cells out of every North American? Kutaragi makes a statement that the PS4 will be out within the next decade and everyone goes ape-toes. Duh! Consoles are on a 5 year cycle! So of course the PS4 (and the Xbox 1800) will be out within the next decade! Doesn’t take an Einstein to figure that one out. The dude’s an engineer! Therefore he talks like one. Engineers are always looking to the future. It’s natural to talk about this version and the next version of something in the same sentence. Just because normal folk don’t think that way doesn’t mean we have to read the world into his comments. At my current day job we are working on version X. We also think about what will go in version X+1. We were thinking about X+1 even back on X-1. No big deal.

Reading the comments on Joystiq’s post makes for quite an object lesson in brainwashing. The masses have it in for Sony and are singing Kumbaya for Microsoft. One poster goes so far as to say what Sony devices have failed for him recently. Does he really want to go there? ‘Cause he ain’t gonna win that one.

And uh… this is Microsoft we’re talking about, remember? The king of propaganda, bullying, and forcing inferior crap down our throats until our tastebuds are desensitized? Remember them? Them’s the same Microsoft as is selling the Xbox 360. Same Microsoft. There ain’t two of them. Just one.

Joystiq - Sony propaganda machine at it again?

PSINext has a fascinating article analyzing NVidia’s new 7800 GTX512 and what it might mean for the PlayStation 3’s RSX chip, which is based on the G70 playform the 7800 also uses.

There’s a whole lot there, so you owe it to yourself to take a look. The RSX conjecture starts off with a bang:

First and foremost, for anyone that has been wondering whether or not it would be possible for Sony to reach it’s stated goal of 550 MHz with RSX, this release should put those fears firmly to rest. Not only has NVidia been able to do it with a 110nm chip (RSX will be 90nm), they have done it without any of the advanced low-k and silicon-on-insulator (SOI) technologies Sony will be using. In fact since the first leaks of the GTX512’s performance began to emerge a week ago, the tenor of the discussion has changed noticeably from wondering whether Sony would meet the 550 MHz clock in the first place to wondering how much they might exceed it by.

The article discusses whether the RSX will be run faster than 550MHz or not. Whether or not it’ll use new faster memory. And whether better anti-aliasing and HDR lighting support could be added.

PSINext - The NVidia 7800 GTX512: Insights Into RSX?

The Next Generation has taken a look at the Xbox 360 launch titles and gives its opinion.

They like Perfect Dark Zero and Project Gotham Racing 3 the best, waxing turtle-like over them both. The label Perfect Dark Zero “The 360’s biggest launch shooter and biggest game.” And they think that PGR3 will take over Xbox Live, shifting some serious units, even without proper HD support and only 2 player local support.

Personally, I think it’s not a bad list. Sony will have to work hard to do better with the PlayStation 3 (PS3).

Next Generation - Analysis: Xbox 360 Launch Titles

Surprise surprise. Sony won’t prevent gamers from buying used games after all. And they won’t stop you from bring your games over to a friend’s house.

Sony’s not that stupid.

Joystiq - Sony responds to PlayStation 3 DRM rumor

I own a PS2. One day I’ll own a PS3. But I have to admit that the most fun I have playing video games these days is playing PGR2 at my friend’s house against three of my friends. PGR2 ROCKS! My friend plans on getting an Xbox 360, so I was really looking forward to playing PGR3.

I just discovered a minute ago that PGR3 for the Xbox 360 will only support up to two players locally. That sucks!

First, I hear that the game is really rendered at 1024 x 600, then upscaled to 720p. Crap. Then I hear that the game will only have five locations: Tokyo, Las Vegas, New York, London, and Germany’s Nurburgring. Crap. All my favourite European locations are gone. Now I find out that I can’t play PGR3 with three other friends at the same time! Quadruple crap.

Where’s the fun in that?

Bizarre Online Forum - 4 players simulatiously on one XBOX360 ?

Planet Xbox 360 has a list of games that won’t play on the Xbox 360, and it looks quite long. Joystiq points out that it has some inaccuracies, but it’s still a pretty good indication nonetheless. What they did is take the list of all Xbox games, subtract the compatible ones, and got this list of incompatible ones. Of course Microsoft will be working to shorten this list, but it gives you an idea about what you’ll be missing out on with the Xbox 360.

Planet Xbox 360 - The Xbox Games You Won’t Be Playing On The 360

I just found this article and so I have to continue yesterday’s topic about HD on the Revolution.

It looks like 82% of home in America will have HDTV access by 2010. Now, that doesn’t mean that they’ll have HDTV televisions, but this is still an indicator that HDTV is on the move and gaining momentum.

I don’t think it’s a wise move for Nintendo to play themselves out of the game. It’s like their folding their hand without even seeing the cards.

HD Beat - 82% of homes HDTV equipped by 2010

For an interview with Ken Kutaragi, check out the BBC.

The article is here:

BBC NEWS - Nurturing the PlayStation dream

The video is here.

The higher bandwidth video is here.

You need RealPlayer to play the video. The interview starts at the 12:45 mark.

There’s not a lot that’s new, but you do get to see Mr. Kutaragi holding the PS3 and turning it for the camera, for what it’s worth.

Revolution has no HD.
Wait, Revolution migh have HD…

Uh, nope. It doesn’t.

* Million Dollar Baby SPOILER WARNING *

I just watched Million Dollar Baby yesterday, and man the ending is a bummer. The chick was doing so well! So much potential. Knocking ‘em out all the time. And then BAM. That’s it. All over.

Is that what it’s going to be like with the Revolution? It’s going to have a good processor, good graphics, an interesting controller. But BAM, no HD. Today that might not be such a big deal, though my friend Steve is disappointed (he’s a current GameCube owner and will be buying an HDTV when he can). But what about 3 years from now? The HDTV landscape will be a lot different by then, and an SD console will be severely lacking.

The PlayStation 3 (PS3) and XBox 360 both support HD. And not just halfway. All Xbox 360 games have to support at least 720p. We don’t have word yet on what Sony will be mandating, though current thinking is that they won’t be that stringent (unfortunately). But the point is that both consoles will do HD extremely well.

What about the Revolution? Zilch. Nintendo: do the right thing. Support HD!

1UP.com - No HD For Revolution News Story

HD Beat has an HDTV buyers guide for XBox 360 owners.

If you’re looking to get an Xbox 360 or a PlayStation 3 (PS3), this guide will apply equally to both. Except for one thing. The guide mentions that there will be no HDMI/DVI for the Xbox 360 (also backing up my article). This is not the case for the PS3. So if you’re planning on buying a PS3, getting an HDTV with HDMI is very important. You could go halfway and get an HDTV with DVI/HDCP (which is what I did last year before HDMI was commonplace), but really, HDMI is better.

HD Beat - HDTV Buying Guide: Xbox 360 Edition

XTN Data conducted a survey in September (man that’s a long time ago) to see what platform UK gamers are looking forward to most.

Of a thousand survey respondents, 32% were planning to buy a PlayStation 3 (PS3), while 27% cast their vote for the Xbox 360.

That’s not actually such a ringing endorsement of either console. Is nobody planning to upgrade to next-gen? What am I missing here?

GamesIndustry.biz - PS3 tops UK poll as most anticipated next-gen console