penguin_overlord • Comments

• PlayStation 4 to release before next Xbox - report

• penguin_overlord 02/04/2012

  There's going to be lots of hearsay like this report but I must say I wouldn't be surprised if the PS4 did launch before the next Xbox. I think Sony really learnt their lesson with the PS3 launching so far behind the 360. Plus, it will essentially use pretty standard PC-type components next time without the need to launch a new and expensive format like BluRay. Given some good launch titles like a new Uncharted or Killzone game, it could do really well.
  
  I think the PS3 was just a blip for Sony (although its lifetime sales will still beat the 360). I expect the PS4 to thrash the next Xbox and maybe even discharge Microsoft from the video games market. Reply +1

• PlayStation 4 codenamed Orbis, has anti-pre-owned system - report

• penguin_overlord 28/03/2012

  I don't really understand people's negativity towards anti pre-owned games technologies. This was always going to happen eventually. Many games today cost so much to produce that publishers can't afford to have a sizeable portion of their potential audience eaten away by people buying second-hand and contributing nothing to them.
  
  I'd much rather they introduce this than push up the prices of games further. Reply +1

• Face-Off: Gaikai vs. OnLive

• penguin_overlord 24/03/2012

  Cloud gaming is interesting tech but still too ahead of its time when most people struggle to get broadband speeds above a couple of megs. Ultimately, I'd prefer there to just be a single gaming platform standard. I think the lack of one today shows the video games industry still has some growing to do before it matures. The number of formats today is bewildering and no good for anyone. Reply 0

• PlayStation 3 turns five today in Europe

• penguin_overlord 23/03/2012

  Happy birthday, PS3. Still a great console but looking forward to the PS4 now. Reply +18

• Twisted Metal will be sold by GAME this Friday, Sony confirms

• penguin_overlord 12/03/2012

  Wow! Game actually have new stock. Doesn't really matter though as this is hardly a big game. In fact, this move is probably more for Sony's benefit than Game's as it's the sort of title that supermarkets won't go big for.
  
  Sadly, this is a car crash waiting to happen. Reply 0

• GAME "has two weeks to turn its fortunes around"

• penguin_overlord 10/03/2012

  It will be very sad to see another well-known name leave the high street and malls, and even sadder to think of the job losses, but I really don't see how Game can pull out of this. If they're not able to sell a lot of the new games and they're running out of money, there's nothing to save them.
  
  The thing is that they just don't provide a unique enough experience to make their existence worthwhile. For example, my local Game stocks the PS Vita but has none actually on display that you can play with. The boxes are and games are just tucked away next to the PSP stuff without any effort to promote it. Where are the big screens promoting the latest games and promoting what's coming soon?
  
  And as for the prices. I got ME3 from Amazon this morning - £28 for the PC version. I'm pretty sure that had Game stocked it they'd have charged more like £35. I've certainly seen COD:MW3 for the PS3 in there for £45 when it can be bought for less than £38 on Amazon. Who in their right minds actually pays these prices??? Game giving loyalty points is meaningless if you're being changed so much more to begin with. Reply 0

• Revealed: GAME's memo to staff on Mass Effect 3 cancellation

• penguin_overlord 29/02/2012

  Firstly, like other people here, as much as Game may have its fate coming, I do feel sorry for those who may have their jobs on the line.
  
  I've been playing games for well over 20 years now and a trip into town to buy the latest games was a big part of that at first. But then along came things like Special Reserve (remember them?) and then the Web. Just as HMV can't hope to fight off the appeal of online, nor can Game. Not only is it facing more competitive prices from places like Amazon and Play but also the increasing threat of things like Steam and PSN. There is no way with their current strategy they can compete with that.
  
  I do occasionally still go into Game but only to look at what's out for a few minutes. Last week I did buy a game in there for the first time in years but only because I had a gift card. I see zero advantage of buying games from there anymore, just as I don't understand why people would still buy paperbacks from a place like Waterstones instead of using something like the Kindle.
  
  With this latest news, the demise of Game is obviously now accelerated as Mass Effect 3 would have been a big hitter for them and brought in a lot of revenue in March. There'll be no new Xbox or PlayStation this year so they won't have that to look forward to, either, and as they're not exactly friends with Nintendo the Wii-U won't help them much, either. Even the new PS Vita won't benefit them as there are cheaper places to buy it and a lot of people will download the games. Reply -1

• Gaikai predicts Sony or Microsoft to bow out of next gen

• penguin_overlord 11/01/2012

  Ain't going to happen. Not for the next gen at least. Sony and Microsoft have both made significant money from this gen and that's sure to continue with the next Xbox and PlayStation. I do think though that smarter TVs and technology like OnLive will make it very likely that at least one of the companies will bow out before the next next gen.
  
  It's hard to see the need for a dedicated console in 2020AD when many people have fast broadband access (either cable or wireless) and want the freedom to play their games from multiple devices connected to the cloud. Reply +1

• Sony: No PS4 for "quite some time"

• penguin_overlord 18/06/2011

  Realistically, I think the PS4 will be out Christmas 2013. Microsoft will almost certainly show the next Xbox at E3 next year, ready for a launch around November 2012. They depend on having a head start over Sony to gain sales momentum and won't want to launch head-to-head with the PS4 - they need that one year advantage and also won't want to delay the launch much beyond the release of the Wii U, especially if it is a more powerful console.
  
  Launching the 360 12-18 months ahead of the PS3 was key to the console's success. No doubt the PS3's high sales price was a big factor as well but had they gone head-to-head at launch there's no doubt in mind that the PS3 would have a sales advantage by now as the sales gap is already narrowing a lot. Sony have been hinting lately that the PS4 will cost less to develop than the PS3 did so I expect it's retail launch price will be less as well - definitely below £400 - especially as it will use Blu-ray again and the cost of that was a big factor before. I think the price of the PS3 Vita has surprised everyone so Microsoft won't want to chance going head-to-head with the PS4 at launch if it's the same price as the next Xbox, especially as PS3 sales would have overtaken 360 sales by then.
  
  And although Sony do keep saying there's a ten year lifecycle for the PS3, that doesn't mean the PS4 won't launch before then as the PS3 will still be sold alongside it and will probably drop down to £99 by Christmas 2013 and get an even smaller design. If Microsoft do debut the next Xbox in 2012, alongside the Wii U, no way will Sony want to delay launch by more than a year.
  
  Reply +4

• Microsoft unveils Halo 4 at E3

• penguin_overlord 06/06/2011

  @davisorle
  
  Why do you think the next Xbox is so far away? The 360 came out Christmas 2005 - a year before the Wii - so with the Wii getting replaced next Christmas I think there's every chance the 360 will be as well. The Halo games are big system sellers but only seem to come out every couple of years so it would be a big missed opportunity for them not to tie Halo 4 in with the launch of Xbox 3. Microsoft will want to get a lead on Sony with the next Xbox and I suspect PS4 will be out 2013.
  
  But having said that, Halo 2 only came out a year before the 360 so there remains the chance the same could happen again here. But personally, I don't think Microsoft need Halo 4 to be a big system seller for the 360 when they'll want to get people moving up to the next Xbox. Reply +1

• penguin_overlord 06/06/2011

  My prediction is that this isn't an Xbox 360 game but a launch title for its successor. It makes sense that Microsoft will unveil the next Xbox at E3 next year to compete head-on with Nintendo's new console Christmas 2012. It also makes sense to kick-start a new trilogy on a new machine. Microsoft will be looking for a big launch game for Xbox 3 and this is it! Reply +8

• EA: new Xbox rumours "total fabrication"

• penguin_overlord 07/05/2011

  No Xbox 3 or PS4 announcements at this year's E3, I think. Xbox is doing fine right now (in the US anyway) on the back of Kinect and the PS3 is selling better than ever and is on course to overtake 360 in lifetime sales any day now. Plus Sony has the NGP to focus on this year.
  
  I do expect announcements next year though, although I suspect a new PlayStation won't launch until 2013 as Bluray does give it an advantage over the 360 already. Reply +2

• Nintendo announces new home console

• penguin_overlord 25/04/2011

  I've never owned a Nintendo piece of hardware as they're primarily designed for kiddies but this may be worth a look if they can get good third party support with games like COD and GTA (providing they don't dumb them down for younger players).
  
  I definitely don't expect Sony to announce a new console this year as they'll want to concentrate on launching the NGP. I don't expect the Xbox 360 successor at E3 this year either as Microsoft will want to get mileage out of Kinect. I still think there's a good chance of it launching next year though, with the PS4 in 2013. Reply -31

• Tough Road Ahead

• penguin_overlord 16/04/2011

  I'm no fan of Nintendo (every time I seen one of their stupid DS, 3DS or Wii commercials I want to throw something at the TV) but no one should count them out...
  
  [link url=]http://www.entertainment-and-technology.com/nintendo-in-trouble[/link] Reply 0

• Retrospective: The Need for Speed

• penguin_overlord 21/11/2010

  I played this for hours on my 3DO and it was at the time the main reason why I bought the console. Two other great 3DO games were Super Street Fighter II and Wing Commander III. SSF was arcade perfect and WC absolutely whacked the PC version with higher quality textures and FMW.
  
  A great console but overpriced and probably always doomed to failure. Reply 0

• Retrospective: Skool Daze and Back to Skool

• penguin_overlord 31/10/2010

  Highway Encounter was my fav Speccy game. Reply 0

• Japan's PS3 3D game updates next week

• penguin_overlord 01/06/2010

  Glasses are going to be the biggest challenge for 3D to be successful in homes. The move to HD didn't require any change to people's viewing habits. They could carry on watching programmes just as they always did before, only in high definition. But 3D requires you to wear glasses and focus on the screen and comes at a time when many people do other things while watching TV, including surfing on laptops. That won't be possible when wearing the glasses.
  
  This is again why I think it will be gaming that takes off first for 3D because when you're playing a game you're concentrating on the screen and not getting distracted by other things. Reply +1

• penguin_overlord 01/06/2010

  @3william56
  
  With regards to colour degradation, I was referring specifically to cinema. Some movies have been able to compensate better than others, and it also depends on the projection technology used (e.g. 2K or 4K) but it is true that 3D movies often lack the clarity of 2D ones.
  
  And I actually have already played 3D games on a PS3. Impressive but it's rather like watching 3D movies at the cinema. With the exception of Avatar, few movies have really been filmed with 3D in mind - it's been an afterthought during post production. It's the same with the first batch of games like Wipeout. It's questionable how much extra it actually adds to the game over and above playing it on a big 50-inch HD screen with good speakers around you.
  
  Killzone 3 may be the first proper 3D game to be released. Reply +1

• penguin_overlord 01/06/2010

  I still maintain that HD is an easier sell than 3D. HD provides a picture quality several times better than SD (4x for 720P and 6x for 1080P) whereas picture quality for 3D can actually be degraded. When you see a 3D movie at the cinema, the colour is up to 20% inferior to the 3D version. Even PS3 games are going to lose some graphical quality as the hardware can't yet maintain the performance needed for 3D.
  
  It's the next gen of consoles that are really going to push 3D. Let's be honest. The 360 and PS3 have even struggled at times to maintain 2D 720P graphics with DigitalFoundry showing that many games are actually running at a lower resolution than that but then upscaled. So much for the original promises of native 1080P graphics on every game. The next gen should be able to handle 3D 1080P graphics but we're still looking at a minority of people who are going to be able to experience it at home. Over 90% of the people who buy a new TV right now are going to go for a 2D model because they're much better value. Even in a year's time that won't change significantly. Reply +2

• penguin_overlord 01/06/2010

  3D is going to be a slow, upwards climb, even more than the uptake of HD was. With HD, it was far easier to see the immediate benefits of HD and even if you didn't have much HD content to start with, chances are that by moving to an LCD screen you did at least benefit from a bigger screen than the CRT one you replaced. I think it's gaming where HD will see the first successes because gamers are a very dedicated bunch who aren't shy about buying the latest tech. Reply 0

• The FarmVille Diaries

• penguin_overlord 05/04/2010

  The funny thing is that Farmville won't even run properly on the iPad because it requires Flash. So that's 85 million people they're going to disappoint straight-away. Reply 0

• Blizzard fixes WarCraft III hacks

• penguin_overlord 16/03/2010

  Eight years on, it's still an awesome game. I hope Blizzard make a Warcraft 4 after they get the next Starcraft and Diablo games out of the way, although at the rate they develop it probably won't be out until 2015. Reply +2

• Eurogamer's Game of the Year 2009

• penguin_overlord 31/12/2009

  A well deserved victory and, alongside MGS4 and Killzone 2, testament to what the PS3 is capable of. Looking forward next year to the joys of MAG, GOW3 and GT5. Not sure about Heavy Rain yet. The PS3 has certainly found new legs recently. Reply 0

• Tech Analysis: Uncharted 2

• penguin_overlord 19/09/2009

  Sony is all set to own Christmas this year Reply +8

• MS: Elite pricing unrelated to PS3 Slim

• penguin_overlord 28/08/2009

  Welcome to the downward spiral of the 360. Increasing the price of the Arcade model is madness at a time when people are so careful of what they spend. And the Elite appears overpriced as well with just a £50 difference between it and the PS3. Where are the 360's big software hitters over the next 6-9 months? And don't keep mentioning Halo games. What is there to compete with the likes of GT5, Heavy Rain, GOW3, FFXIII and Uncharted 2? Reply +2