PLAYSTATION 3 LAUNCH DATE AND PRICE ANNOUNCED
Perhaps the biggest shock of the today's Sony Pre-E3 press conference was that Sony let the cat out of the bag regarding the price of the Playstation 3. In an information filled press briefing, Sony laid out many of the features of the upcoming console;

The launch date: November 17th, 2006

The price of admission: two versions of the console will be released; one with a 20 gigabyte hard drive priced at $499.99 and one with a 60 gigabyte hard drive priced at $599.99

Wireless Controller - Bluetooth capable... and it will have some form of motion sensor, akin to the Nintendo Wii concept. The controller apparently looks like a silver Dual-Shock 2 with a playstation logo guide button in the center... much like the 360 controller guide button. (I haven't seen the controller yet, but this is how it's being described)

Sony's online PS3 community will have many features in common with Xbox Live, but will be free of charge for all.



Start saving your money folks, because at $499.99, Sony just declared total war on the competition... I wonder how happy Sony's Blu-Ray partners are about the lowball price of the PS3 though. We'll keep our eyes on this story as it continues to break and keep you updated with news from the front.

Update 1: Kotaku has some pictures of the new controller - Click here to head over and see what they've got.
Update 2: Here are some pictures of the two PS3 consoles and the controller from the Japanese Playstation 3 website. Click here to see them.

Update 3: There are serious differences between the 2 versions of the PS3. The 20 gigabyte version does not contain the following features found in the 60 gigabyte version;

Memory Stick, SD or Compact Flash readers.

WiFi connectability

HDMI Output



Keep in mind that from what I've read so far, this isn't just a case of a Core and Premium model like the Xbox 360. In the 360's case, you could always buy the components not included with the Core system at a later date (other than the chrome accents) - Unless these 3 items that allow these funstions connect to the PS3 externally, there will be no way to upgrade at a later date.

Update 4: The Playstation 3 controller does not feature any form of vibration. Sony claims this is because it would interfere with the motion sensor. I personally think it's because Immersion still refuses to license vibration technology to them after they lost that court case.

Stay tuned right here for more information as we find it!

SQUARE ANNOUNCES 2 FINAL FANTASY XIII FOR PLAYSTATION 3
That's right, Kotaku is reporting that Square will be releasing 2 Final Fantasy XIII games on the Playstation 3. The first title, Final Fantasy XIII appears to take place in a more technologically advanced world than some of the other titles and apparently stars a heroine who looks a bit like Yuna from FFX. Not much information was available on the second title, Final Fantasy Versus XIII, which I'm just guessing is going to be some type of online combat game based on FFXIII. (That's pure speculation on my part by the way)

SQUARE ANNOUNCES FINAL FANTASY V & VI FOR GBA
Square has announced they will be bringing the much loved games Final Fantasy V and VI to the Gameboy Advance sometime this year. Classic RPG lovers rejoice.

NEW METAL GEAR SOLID GAME COMING TO PSP
Gamespot is reporting that Hideo Kojima put announced a new Metal Gear Solid game for the PSP. Unlike the previous games, Konami is promising this one will be a true Metal Gear action game and takes place in 1970 highlighting Big Boss and the formation of Foxhound.

XBOX LIVE MARKETPLACE E3 CONTENT BEGINS TO APPEAR
Xbox Live's Major Nelson is reporting in his blog that the first bits of E3 content are now available in the Xbox Live Marketplace. According to the list, here's whats up for download currently;

Demos
Test Drive: Unlimited

Trailers
BattleStation: Midway (Ubisoft)
Brother In Arms Hell's Highway (Ubisoft)
Bullet Witch (AQ Interactive/Cavia)
College Hoops (2K7 2KSports)
Dance Dance Revolution Universe (Konami)
Dead Rising (Capcom)
John Woo Presents Stranglehold (Midway)
NCAA Football 07 (Electronic Arts)
Rain (AQ Interactive/Cavia)
Sonic the Hedgehog (Sega)
Test Drive Unlimited (Atari)
The Lord of the Rings, The Battle for Middle-Earth II (Electronic Arts)

Gamer Pictures
X3 Gamer Pictures
Adidas Gamer Pictures

MICROSOFT FORMALLY ANNOUNCES HD-DVD DRIVE FOR XBOX 360
Microsoft's E3 page has been updated with an article explaining the benefits of HD-DVD, highlighting the problems with Blu-Ray and confirming that a USB based HD-DVD player add-on will be coming to the 360. The big question for most Xbox 360 owners is of course, at what price? Albert Penello, Director of Global Marketing for the Xbox stated the following;

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"Stay tuned. We decided to save that good news for another day, but we're clearly out to make this an affordable option for Xbox 360 owners" - Albert Penello
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What does that mean? Well, it means Microsoft is bracing for the inevitable statements that the PS3 is the only console that can play HD movies. It also most likely means that Microsoft is waiting for Sony to put a price on the PS3 before they commit to a price of their own, presumably allowing them to closely match the PS3 in terms of overall cost for the ability to play HD format movies.

VIRTUA FIGHTER 5 TO BE PS3 EXCLUSIVE
Gamespot is reporting that the next chapter in Sega's Virtua Fighter franchise, Virtua Fighter 5, will be appearing exclusively on the Playstation 3.

XBOX LIVE GOLD FREE WEEK SET TO KICK OFF
At 3:01am EST (12:01am PST), Microsoft and Verizon will be kicking off their Bringing it Home promotion. In addition to the free week of online gaming goodness, we should be seeing tons of content, both videos and demos, hitting Live as the week continues. A quick stop over at Major Nelson's blog revealed the following comment;

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"I have to tell you there is a TON of stuff that will start popping up on Marketplace starting Monday morning (PT). I see demos, trailers, themes, gamer pictures and more getting ready for the march to Marketplace.
I’ll post details once the content goes live. That’s all I can say for right now." - Major Nelson
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The good Major also happened to list the link for Xbox Press site, so head on over to read all the relevant press releases as they come along as a companion to Microsoft's E3 site. We'll update on the additions to Live and the rest of E3 as we're able. Hang onto your hats!

Well boys and girls, E3 week has officially begun, let the festivities commence. I'm sure as we work up to the pre expo press conferences the news will be coming fast and furious. For those keeping score at home, here are the official links for the big 3 and the E3 Insider page, which is the expo's official website

Microsoft E3 2006 Page

Sony E3 2006 Page

Nintendo E3 2006 Page

E3 Insider Website

SIGIL GAMES & MICROSOFT PARTING WAYS
It appears that Microsoft Games and Sigil Games are parting ways on Vanguard: Saga of Heroes. According to a press release from Sigil Games, Sigil and Microsoft are currently in talks regarding the transfer of publishing rights, and upon completion, Sigil and Sony Online Entertainment will co-publish the title. The co-publishing agreement would work as follows;

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"As co-publisher of Vanguard: Saga of Heroes, Sigil assumes greater control of marketing and PR, while maintaining responsibility for game development, community relations, media relations, customer support, and quality assurance. Under the terms of the agreement, SOE will provide distribution, marketing, hosting and back-end support -- including billing and technical support -- for the game. Additionally, SOE is tentatively planning on adding Vanguard, upon its release,to SOE’s Station Access™ subscription plan. Station Access allows players to enjoy all of SOE’s MMO titles for one low monthly price." - Sigil press release
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It's interesting to note that Sigil Games is headed up by Brad McQuaid, one of the original designers of SOE's EverQuest game, and that one of the things often mentioned regarding Vanguard was that Sigil wanted to make it more in tune with the original "Vision" EverQuest had before Sony completely took over Verant Interactive. While according to the press release, Sigil would be maintaining creative control over the game, I for one would begin to worry about Sony slowly trying to gain control of this game in an attempt to give them a profitable successor to EverQuest.