E3 - Sony Just Bores Me to Tears

Sony's performance at this year's E3 isn't nearly as dreadful as Microsoft, what with the elephant circus and the Kinetic and the shameless bribery of free Xbox 360s to the videogame press.  The best I can say is that Sony left me feeling bored and indifferent.

I really don't know what Sony's plan is, to be honest.  Like Microsoft, they have a larger agenda, and video games are only but a gateway drug.  Sony's scheme is to get us to buy expensive 3D televisions.  Good luck on that.  But they also want to chase after Nintendo, and the Wii's Expanded Audience.  This leads in the opposite direction, away from heavy technology and towards classic arcade games.  Doing so, however, risks the wrath of the "hardcore" gamers who support the Playstation 3, the same crowd who booed and sneered at Wiimotes for the last four years.

And so, Sony appears indecisive, overly cautious.  The Move is scheduled for a September release, but I still know next to nothing about the software lineup.  I'm still trying to find gameplay videos, trailers, or descriptions.  The only thing I've seen so far is...sigh...yet another rediculous ripoff of Wii Sports, and promises of the same exercise and dancing titles as Microsoft.

What is the point to the Move, really?  Controllers cost $50 each, which is good.  A package for existing PS3 owners is $99.  But the complete package, which includes the PS3 itself, costs $400, double the price of a Nintendo Wii.  So just who is the audience here?  Perhaps this explains the emphasis on Move controls for existing hardcore PS3 titles.  Those core fans are the only ones who are likely to afford the device.

Does Sony and Microsoft really expect families to spend $400 on their consoles?  Really?  I hate to sound like a broken record on this, but this is not how you break into Nintendo's turf.  This is a recipe for disaster.  And the games...ugh.  These guys don't have a clue how to make arcade games.  They're not interested in videogames, anyway - this industry wants to make movies and sell $2,000 3D televisions with $100 nerd glasses.

Meanwhile, Nintendo just unveiled a 3D handheld that doesn't require glasses and will likely sell for $200 or less.  That's the sound of an iceberg striking the hull of the Titanic, kids.  A FAIL for Sony at E3 2010.