PS3: It's new, it's shiny, it costs a shit-ton

So Sony announced the North American launch date and pricing for the PS3 today. It'll hit on November 17 this year (contrary to my prediction of next year, but it's not like anyone you or I know will actually have a PS3 in 2006 anyway), and will come in two flavors, a 20 GB HD version and a 60GB HD version (even though Sony had previously said they weren't going to have two price points like Microsoft did). Oh, and did I mention the price? Yeah, it's $500 for the "core" system, and $600 for the "platinum" system.

Holy shit, I think the PS3 is going to be DOA in the US. It'll sell as many units as they can make in Japan, because Japanese people are just that nuts, but US consumers are not going to shell out that much bank for a fucking game console. Especially since just like the core version of the 360, the cheaper PS3 is going to be missing key features.

The only semi-good thing about all this is the controller. Sony ditched that fucked up batarang/banana/dildo looking piece of shit, and went old school. In fact, that's the same design as the DualShock and DualShock 2, except for a few key differences. 1: It's wireless. There's USB connectivity for charging, or for use with a PC. 2: The R2/L2 buttons now have more travel, and act more like triggers. 3: There's no more shock. Sony instead opted to have a motion sensor with "6 axis of movement." So here we have a controller that is pretty much exactly the same as Sony's 2 previous controllers, except it's wireless/USB with a play and charge kit like the 360, has Xbox-like triggers, and a motion sensor like the Wii Happy Fun Time (except not as good). Way to innovate, Sony.

Personally, I like Microsoft's reaction to Sony's press conference. I had heard hype about Sony's response to Xbox Live, and apparently what they talked about today was a "vague" online strategy. Which is all I'd really expect. Microsoft has had 5 years and two platforms to perfect Live, and it's pretty damn good. Sony can't expect to jump right in and try to compete. And the $200 price delta is nothing to scoff at. That's a lot, and I fully expect it to get even larger, since Microsoft would be silly to not cut the price of the 360 by at least 50, if not 100 bucks on November 17. Or perhaps throw in a game with the bundle. Perhaps a small, niche title like Halo 3?

How can Sony possibly justify that price? Is it the Blu-Ray? I don't think so. The DVD player functionality moved PS2s because DVD was already an established format, and people could pick up a PS2 for 300 bucks, or a stand-alone DVD player for 250. So they bought the PS2. But Blu-Ray isn't an established format, and it's going to be fighting a war with HD-DVD (which Microsoft has thrown their hat in with). Even if Blu-Ray is the clear winner, it doesn't mean people are going to buy a PS3 in order to have a Blu-Ray player, especially at that price.

Maybe Sony has a killer list of apps? That's gotta be it. Let's see here, there's MGS 4. That's an exclusive. Final Fantasy 13, if anyone cares. A new Sonic the Hedgehog game, but that's multi-platform. Project Offset is an interesting indie game, but that's multi-platform, too. Elveon caught my eye, and that's exclusive. A new Gran Turismo game, but again, who cares. Then there's Rainbow Six: Vegas, UT2k7, and John Woo's Stranglehold, but those are all mutli-platform. What does the 360 have on the horizon? Let's see, there's Chromehounds, Prey, Halo 3, Gears of War, BioShock, Too Human, Mass Effect, Huxley, Saint's Row, and Forza Motorsport 2. All exclusive to the 360 (and in some cases, PC). There's also Superman Returns, Hitman: Blood Money, and Splinter Cell: Double Agent, which will probably end up being multi-platform, but they haven't been announced for PS3 yet. So the games aren't really in Sony's corner, at least not right now.

Wow, so we're looking at a $600 piece of shit. Bravo, Sony. I salute you.