Cruising around the ‘net waiting for the Nintendo keynote to start I came across this on Evil Avatar. Basically what is says is that the “cheap” PS3 will not support HDMI. HDMI is needed for HDCP copyright protection. Copyright protection is needed to play Blu-ray movies. You see where I’m going with this? Without HDMI, the low end PS3 may not be able to play Blu-ray movies at all. I can’t imagine Sony shooting themselves in their collective feet so blatantly, so let’s chalk this one up to speculation for now. If it’s true, all I can say is wow.

UPDATE—contibutor SuicideNinja (no relation) has a better explanation. Apparently, if the copyright protection is imposed, it would limit the resolution on non-HDMI connections. Check out the comments for the full story.

Okay, obviously I haven’t been covering this thing live, being the non-paid, recreational blogger that I am. I’ll leave that to Joystiq. The stuff you care about is this:

• US $499 for the 20GB model
• US $599 for the 60GB
• Controller looks just like the Dual Shock, but with motion sensing abilities (not sure if it has actual position detection a la Wii)
• US Launch date of November 17th

So, PS3 is playing catch-up with Nintendo and coming in a full $200 dollars more expensive than the cheapest version of the 360. Meanwhile, Microsoft is left in the dust with no motion sensing control. Some actual demos were shown, many being promised as playable at the show. Cool.

Microsoft and Nintendo keynotes tomorrow. I am giddy.

Check out the Joystiq link above for more details.

—if anybody wants to change my “non-paid blogger” status, contact me immediately :)

SEGA has announcced that Virtua Fighter 5 will be coming to PS3 only when it ships next spring. While this isn’t exactly surprising, it is disappointing. It also serves as further proof that SEGA dislikes money—or at least American money. Why you wouldn’t port a fighting game to a console that is flooded with action titles is beyond me. Hell, the only fighting game competetition on the 360 is DOA and the next iteration of Mortal Kombat. You’d think that Virtua Fighter would clean up on the 360. But, like I said in my recent, hastily written rant, most of SEGA’s decisions confuse me these days. Most people don’t appreciate Virtua Fighter, but I stand by my belief that it’s the best technical fighter available. Oh, well. AM2 already stated VF5 won’t be online anyway.

—from Gamespot via Evil Avatar

Well, it’s nearly here. E3 starts in a mere two days. Keynotes will soon flood the internet. Announcements will be made. Awards will be handed out. The hype for upcoming games will begin. Some will rise to the occasion upon delivery, others will be miserable piles of excrement. This is the time of year when journalists look at games in development. These games will have promise. Reporters will look at them and say that the controls need work, but that the developers have plenty of time to work that out. We all know that never happens though. When the game comes out the controls will still suck. Sigh… So, what am I looking forward to? Let’s find out:

• Halo 3
• Too Human
• Any and all things Wii related
• Super Smash Bros. Wii
• Zelda (Gamecube and DS)
• Phantasy Star Universe
• Some Japanese RPGs for 360
• Nintendo sending me a free DS Lite (Please!)

There’s probably a few more things I could put up there, but that’s the big list. You may notice my lack of excitement for the PS3. Well, I’ve learned not to get too excited about Sony when it comes to trade shows, at least not when they’re talking about upcoming hardware. I’m sure there will be some real-time offerings this year, but I’ll wait and see. For me, this year is all about the Wii. It’s the only thing that’s really exciting. There are some potentially great games coming to 360, but the Wii really has a chance to bring something entirely new to the table. We all sit with bated breath to see what Nintendo is going to do.

 Ah…who am I kidding. I just want my new Smash Bros.

—oops. Fixed a spelling mistake.

In the seemingly never ending string of press releases, SEGA announces The Club for next gen systems. The Club is a collaboration between SEGA and Bizarre Creations. The release describes an underground culture where criminals are paid to stage gun battles. Spectators place bets on the outcome of these battles. Sounds kind of like Fight Club with a gangsta twist. I wonder, will players be able to wager Microsoft Points? Console gambling with real value? Doubtful, but interesting. So far SEGA has posted no media for the game.

On a side note, I’m not really sure I like the direction that SEGA is taking these days. It seems like they’re just trying to play catch up with EA. I have trust in Bizarre, but SEGA’s direction makes me nervous. However, that is a topic for another much longer post.

SEGA has released some new screens of Sonic for the next gen platforms. For some reason, however, this is not the subject of today’s Road to E3 ‘06 press release, which is in fact about Charlotte’s Web. Go figure. Click here to check out the screens.

Update: I just noticed that Sonic isn’t wearing his SOAP shoes anymore. Does that mean no more grinding?

—via the ever vigilant Gamebrink

SEGA has attached some screenshots to yesterday’s announcement off Full Auto 2 for the PS3. Why they weren’t there yesterday is anybody’s guess. Click the thumbnails below to see embiggened versions. I didn’t play Full Auto beyond the demo, but these shots don’t indicate a huge leap in visual fidelity. I fear any hopes of Full Auto 2 not being a port may be dashed. Click on the thumbnails below to see the embiggened versions.

In the latest Road to E3 press release, SEGA has announced Full Auto 2 exclusively for the PS3. Those of you with a 360 probably know that the first Full Auto was only okay, so PS3 exclusivity is interesting. After all, if it was successful on 360, why make it exclusive? Sounds like SEGA wants to start fresh with a new batch of PS3 owning gamers.

PR-speak to watch out for (emphasis mine):

•  fan favorite Unwreck(tm) feature
• sequel to the award winning Full Auto
• an extensive list of features entirely new to the franchise

Okay, it’s clear that SEGA wants this to be a hallmark series. Looking at the original website for Full Auto, the only actual award I can find is a silver from EGM and a Maxim game of the month. I don’t read Maxim, but if I did, it wouldn’t be for game reviews. Also telling is that the website says the Official Xbox Magazine gave Full Auto a 5 out of 5. That’s great, except OXM doesn’t grade on a scale of 5, opting instead for the 0-10 scale. All the rest of the “awards” were from last year’s E3, when we all still thought Full Auto was going to be Burnout with guns. Hmmm…

Anyway, the sequel will have new features and whatnot. You can read the release if you want details. Who knows, maybe they’ll get it right this time.

—image from Wrecked Exotics. Bonus points if you can name that car and its owner.

In their continuing E3 coverage, Xbox.com has posted an interview with the developers of Rainbow Six: Vegas. While I’m not sure I agree that Las Vegas is “awe inspiring”, I am excited about this game. Besides the obvious location, one interesting new feature mentioned is rappelling and “fast roping”. These skills will allow players to take their game to more vertical realms. The online component looks to build on the persistent character creation of the last game, though the developers assure that skilled players will still be able to compete with those who have better equipment. Some sort of website stat tracking is also planned but was not elaborated upon in the interview. Another cryptic quote: “We plan to use Marketplace in ways no other titles have done so far.” What does that mean? True episodic content perhaps? I’m guessing it’s overinflated marketing talk but we’ll wait and see. Expect more info at E3.

In the first of SEGA’s promised daily press releases leading up to E3, Virtua Tennis for PS3 and Xbox 360 was announced today. Several screens have been posted as well. I’m a big fan of all things SEGA and Virtua Tennis, so this is great news. So far, all I can say is it’s real purdy. Check here for more screens.