E3 03: Poor GameCube, or, Ninty Press Conference

Jibberdish was on hand for today's Ninty presser and waddaya know, the Mario factory fails to inspire, again. Sorry George.

You can hype the GameCube’s long overdue connectivity features all you want, but hello, Super Mario Sunshine? Blech! And no bags like last year? And where the eff is Zelda? Not Four Swords Zelda, the next real Zelda game?

At least Iwata-san kept it real. He knows systems aren't moving, neither is first-party software (what there is of it). Still your flashy videos of Pikmin 2, combined with news of Star Wars Rogue Squadron III: Rebel Strike, developed by Factor 5 and published by LucasArts, and Capcom’s talk of Resident Evil 4 have me all giddy again, especially after this morning’s suprising Sony presser.

Oh, and Shinji Makami said, “Don't pee your pants.”

How can I resist? - Casey Lynch

E3 03: Sony surprises with PSP, new PS2 bundle

Remember Kaz Hirai’s “the console wars are over” speech last year? Well, he may be right after hearing about the PSP, Sony’s just announced handheld gaming device.

Deets were slim, but here’s what we know:

The PSP uses a new optical discs called UMD (Universal Media Discs) that are 2.4 inches in diameter. It features a 4.5-inch backlit screen a built-in rechargeable battery and USB connectivity. Blam-o.

Other highlights from the conference:

Polyphony’s grass demo from Gran Turismo 4.

Harai confirmed a PlayStation 2 version 2.0, with progressive DVD playback support, reduced fan noise, an IR port for the remote control that will come bundled with the Network Adapter.

The Eye-Toy, a USB-camera-enabled peripheral is demoed. It lets players interact with the images onscreen sans controller. A few games were shown, including Kung Fu and Wishy Washy, the latter of which is about how I felt about the new device. Could be cool, just needs the right software to make it so.

Oh, EA’s John Riccitiello was on-hand to talk about all things EA Sports, and he was particularly thrilled about the new NFL Talk feature, similar to the SOCOM mics. Yes, talking whilst playing is goooooood.