Okay, I liked the previous poll about the best PS3 FPS, so in the same style, I ask you what you think will be the best PS3 racing game. Vote in the PS3Blog.net sidebar, as always. Here are the contenders (I’ve chosen ones whose release date isn’t too far off):

• Need for Speed: Carbon
• Formula One 2006
• Ridge Racer 7
• MotorStorm
• Gran Turismo HD
• Fatal Inertia
• Full Auto 2: Battlelines

Results of previous poll:

What PS3 FPS will be the best?

* Resistance: Fall of Man: 42% (75)
* Call of Duty 3: 24% (42)
* UT 2007: 16% (29)
* Half Life 2: 11% (19)
* Brothers in Arms: Hell’s Highway: 7% (13)

Total Votes : 178

I saw an article recently (I wish now that I’d kept the URL EDIT: HERE IT IS) talking about how there was one clear winner at the Game Conference in Leipzig: Microsoft. Why? Microsoft won because they announced that the two big footballl (soccer) titles (Konami’s Pro Evolution Soccer and EA’s FIFA Soccer) would be next-gen exclusive on the Xbox 360 for a year. This “coup” by Microsoft was a major win for the company. They stole the show, and Sony was nowhere to be found. Blah blah blah.

Well, Konami doesn’t agree with Microsoft’s version of events. Konami says that Pro Evolution Soccer will be Xbox 360 exclusive this year. Next year, it’s entirely possible that a PS3 version will be released.

According to Takatsuka, Microsoft’s claims have caused some issues for Konami (with Sony, no doubt), and he definitely wants to set the record straight. Winning Eleven is exclusive to the 360 for this year, but it’s likely a case of necessesity (the PS3 game, which he confirmed is being worked on, isn’t far enough along in development) rather than some major exclusivity deal with Microsoft. The PS3 version could ship as early as next spring, he admitted, though no timeframe has been set yet. The only thing certain is that it will absolutely not release before January 1, 2007.

I don’t write this to gloat about Microsoft’s faux pas. (Well, maybe a little.) I just want to point out to all those people who talk about Sony’s supposed arrogance that Microsoft isn’t exactly the knight in shining armour that everyone makes them out to be.

LGC 2006: Konami Calls Foul on Microsoft news from 1UP.com

gamesindustry.biz posted an article blasting Sony for putting up such a small show at Leipzig. Sony made no major announcements and showed nothing new. Some third party developers showed updates to titles for Sony platforms, but Sony themselves was very quiet.

My first reaction: Relax. We already knew that Sony’s big showing would be at TGS and Leipzig was going to be a much lower profile event. They had a pretty huge show at E3 in May and will have another major show at TGS in September. Do we really need another major event in between those? Can’t we just wait a month?

On the other hand, he does have a point. Sony has provided lots of previews and details but they’ve done so on their own schedule and seemingly disappeared for months. This has frustrated the press and specialist community which expects much more frequent and regular updates and commentary.

Microsoft has done a much better job at satisfying this desire. They even have paid evangelists such as Major Nelson planted in the blog community. What does Sony have? They have editors at OPM, the official PlayStation fan magazine, who loudly announce that they would rather buy a 360 than a PS3. Independent journalism is very important and I also appreciate Sony’s quiet PR approach over loud, manipulative spin campaigns. But every once and a while fans such as myself just want to hear some good news and hear something to be happy about.

At the end of the day, I care about the product they deliver more than the preview announcements and press releases. I’m a PS3 fan because it looks like it will have the best hardware, the best software lineup, and the best gaming experience for my dollar. But media perception does matter.

Will everyone forget this as soon as launch hysteria and the inevitable media blitz hits? Or is Sony missing its opportunity to swoon the right people?

Default Loss

A whole bunch of new pictures of the PS3 has recently been released by Sony. Follow the first link below to see them. For a couple impromptu pictures, check out the second link.

These pictures really show off how nice the 60GB version looks compared to the 20GB version. This console is looking really nice!

Does anyone know how to get photos like this from Sony? I can’t find them on Sony’s site anywhere.

Gamefront PS3 Pictures
Hmm. That link doesn’t seem to work anymore. How about this one.
Playstation 3 works but Sony doesn’t want to show it

Edit:

I’ve added lots of the pictures to the PS3Blog.net PS3 Image Gallery.