ASE editor RudeMoody takes the leap into the next-gen of video gaming and shares his personal observations on Microsoft's newest playtoy: the Xbox 360. (Part 1)
E3 is in full effect today, and it'll be interesting to see how the 360 fares in the new console war. I thought $400 for the loaded 360 was a little steep for a new console, but it looks like Sony will top it with its $600 loaded system. We'll see if it lives up to the hype. Most of what we've seen is still smoke and mirrors. I really want to se what actual PS3 gameplay footage looks like. I really hope the Nintendo Wii takes off. Its controller looks to be one of the coolest things that I've ever seen in gaming, and it will also be the least expensive of all the new systems. I'm sure that it'll take flack for being less powerful graphically, but Nintendo has always been about well designed first party games. I've accepted that I have to buy a separate system to play my Nintendo faves, so it might as well be relatively cheap, and do some cool new things with the interface. If any third party developers like it and make a cool game, all the better. Nintendo is still leading the handheld race with its innovative (and significantly cheaper) DS. The price and the fact that they finally shipped some cool games (or whatever) are the chief reasons for Nintendo's continued dominance in this arena. I think this is the right move for Nintendo. They can't sompete with the manufacturing muscle of Sony or the bottomless pockets and online dominance of Microsoft, so they create an inexpensive system with an innovative interface. It could actually work...or at least keep them alive for another generation.