State of the Industry: The "New" Black

Prices are being rolled back across all major platforms in an attempt to reach as many households as possible this holiday season. The most prominent of these being the release of the new PS3. But don't call it a slim yet, Sony is hanging onto that subtitle for a later date. Instead; the PS3 has been rebranded, bringing in a new piece of hardware, logo and firmwire at a price point which is more stomachable. For me this means nothing, since I have a backwards compatible 60 gb and would rather dive on a grenade than watch it die. But hey, thats me. My brother on the other hand was out a PS3 when I moved out, and after a sleepless couple months, the new PS3 was released and he too is a Sony fanboy again. With the new PS3 you can get the same functionality as everyone else, plus a 120 gb Hard Drive, at a $300 price point.

Microsoft decided that this was as good as time as any to drop the Xbox 360 Pro completely. Going forward it seems the Elite is going to be the primary 360, while the Arcade is still available for some reason and with the Elite, Microsoft will match the PS3 price point at $300. So, right now it is a pretty equal value between these two consoles, but lets see what we really get. Graphics, sound, game controllers; are not going to be that different besides the case of 1st party titles. The PS3 has Blu-ray and WiFi built in, which bumps it up if either of those things are important to you. While, the Xbox 360 Elite has backwards compatibility with older games and a wired headset. Which compared to the PS3 features, are kind meh. If you wanted to get a PS3 headset, you can get a wireless one bundled with a game for 50 dollars or less, where as a WiFi kit on the 360 is around $80 or more. Seems to me the PS3 is the best buy this holiday. Xbox 360 will release a bundle with 2 games (Lego Batman and Pure), but if your interested in the Elite, act soon, because Microsoft is also offering a $50 rebate, if you purchase by October 5th. Come to think of it, I am on my fourth 20 gb Pro now. Maybe its time to UPGRADE!

And what the hell is wrong with Nintendo?? They drop the Wii to a $200 price point, but the price was not holding Wii sales back. Its the value of the Wii. Maybe if they could freshen up the bundle for the holiday, by say releasing the same Black edition they released in Japan this past summer or even bundling the motion plus with the console. Oh wait, you would have to have more than 2 games for the motion plus to actually matter (and don't tell me Grand Slam Tennis uses motion plus, it DOESN'T! First time I have had buyers regret in years). The fact is, the Wii is missing that "killer App" that can move hardware. Maybe if they were releasing a new Zelda or Metroid other M before Christmas, they could move some consoles. Instead, we get Wii fit plus and New Super Mario Brothers, which lets face it, is not going to grab my attention.

As you can see black is back and consoles are more affordable than ever. If you are missing out on something, this holiday season may be the best time to buy.