The Holiday Video Game War is On

Jonathan Takiff - Philadelphia Daily News

THE GIZMO: Handicapping the holiday video-game war.

With hardware price cuts, new models and dozens of fresh games debuting, it's clear the coming months will prove a bonanza for video-game buffs. Here's how we see this horse race developing:

SHOW: Getting aggressive with a new 40GB PlayStation 3 priced at $399 (available Friday) and a price reduction of the 80GB model to $499, Sony is sure to persuade a goodly number of fence-sitters to jump, finally, for its third-generation game system.

Besides the smaller hard drive, the new PS3 model reduces the number of HDMI interfaces to just one and eliminates backward compatibility with PlayStation 2 titles (available in the 80GB version). But the bargain model still plays Blu-ray high-def movie discs - a big advantage over Xbox 360 (which needs a $179 external drive to play HD-DVD movie titles). Underscoring the advantage, the new 40GB PS3 comes bundled with a Blu-ray copy of the blockbuster movie "Spider-Man 3," which looks spectacular on a high-def TV.

But what about the games, dude?

While a lot of the early PS3 games were ports of titles also available on Xbox 360, some genuinely original content is starting to appear on the system, like the just-out "The Eye of Judgement - Biolith Rebellion" developed with Hasbro.

A unique cross between a video game and a card-based board game, it uses the new, table-stand-situated PlayStation Eye camera/microphone to watch over how you play out your hand of collectible cards on a cloth map.

The PS3 processes the data and dramatizes the results with exciting on-screen characters and action. You can play against the machine - but better with another gamer locally or online.

The whole EOJ package goes for just $69. And through the PlayStation Network, you can also use the camera to chat with up to six people at a time.

Other exclusives cranking up PS3 enthusiasts: the recently debuted and beautifully cinematic "Heavenly Sword," the upcoming "Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction" and the top-rated unveiling at E3, "Little Big Planet," a do-it-yourself game-building project due out early in 2008.

Even rival Nintendo executives have commended it.

And there's more.

A recent PS3 upgrade lets you move content to a PSP wirelessly (a feature that will be stronger when Sony starts music and long-length video game downloads to PS3). Near-future improvements include: picture-in-picture capability to run Blu-ray movie special features; and a force feedback enhancement for many PS3 games current and future (requiring a new, DualShock 3 controller).

Coincidentally, Sony may undercut PS3 with its own rival products.

To mark the seventh anniversary of PlayStation 2, "the best-selling gaming platform ever released" (that's 120 million consoles and 1 billion software units), Sony will soon offer a $149.99, "ceramic white" PS2 console bundled with the SingStar Pop game and two USB microphones.

Sony expects to sell about 12 million PS2s globally this fiscal year, 11 million PS3s and 9 million PSP portables. The latter is newly revitalized and selling well in a slimmer, lighter, faster, more energy-efficient and versatile second-gen version.

PLACE: The much-anticipated arrival of super game "Halo 3" pushed sales of Microsoft's Xbox 360 system into the lead in September.

Last week, Microsoft played another card, introducing the long-expected Xbox 360 Arcade console at a relatively "bargain" $279.99, just $30 more than the Nintendo Wii. Microsoft previously sold the Core 360 at that price - and there are still some floating around, so be careful which you buy.

Both old and new models hit the price point by doing without an internal hard drive, though you can always add an external drive later.

What's different? The Arcade is the first 360 to include a wireless controller, an HDMI connection, 256 MP of memory (for game stats storage and a smidgen of download capability) and five family-friendly games: "Pac-Man Championship Edition," "Uno," "Boom Boom Rocket," "Feeding Frenzy" and "Luxor 2."

And while Microsoft doesn't like to talk about internal changes, we're guessing that Arcade runs on the smaller microprocessor also found in the new Elite 360. This chip runs cooler and at lower power to eliminate the all too common overheating/unit breakdown problem that has plagued older 360s and cost Microsoft billions in repairs.

The Xbox 360 also will reach out to the family (i.e., Wii–ready) crowd with a significant crop of nongame video content available online, including Looney Tune cartoons and Nickelodeon shows such as "Blue's Clues" and "The Backyardigans."

Also new are Xbox Live Arcade games such as "SpongeBob SquarePants Underpants Slam" and "Shrek-'N'-Roll." And the company is claiming it will have the largest next-gen collection of "E" and "F" rated games this season - more than 200 in all - including exclusives like "Scene It? Lights, Camera, Action" and "Viva Pinata: Party Animals," plus multi-format entries like Activision's "Bee Movie Game" and "Guitar Hero III" (which will, at least, boast a slightly different guitar controller for Xbox 360, plus some exclusive downloadable content).

Analysts predict all that, and a huge base of core-gamer titles appearing first/exclusively or slightly better on 360, will help the platform achieve unit sales as high as 17 million this year.

WIN: While Nintendo's entry was once seen as the dark horse, the Wii's unique, friendly appeal to non-core gamers has made it the new-generation game system to beat in sales this holiday season.

Wii arrived a whole year later than Xbox 360 but is already neck-and-neck in sales with the Microsoft system. Nintendo execs say only limitations in factory production will hold the Wii back.

As to any notions of cutting the current price from $249 when stores can still barely keep them in stock? Hey, you've got to be kidding!

Some analysts predict Wii sales could top 19 million consoles this year.

A huge crop of games are coming out for the system, even from high-end makers that initially didn't dig it. Electronic Arts, for one, has introduced the microphone-equipped music-video creator "Boogie," plus the fun-for-young 'uns "My Sims," and multi-game "Playground," which applies the motion-activated Wii controller to help you play dodgeball and tetherball, to throw paper (airplane) racers and steer slot car racers.

Another unlikely product source is RockStar Games, getting into the Wii thing with a surprisingly fun, let's-get-physical version of table tennis.

And, of course, Nintendo's stepping up its game with the likes of "Super Paper Mario," "Carnival Games" (more than 25 in all) and a console version of its very popular DS Portable brain-training franchise, "Big Brain Academy Wii Degree."

WEEKEND GAME STOPS: Want to get your hands on some of the latest, greatest video games?

Seagate will set up its Digital Experience Tour at the Court at King of Prussia (Macy's Court) Friday through Sunday to showcase new titles for PS3, Xbox 360 and gaming PCs - the latter running on high-end Alienware computers.

Seagate's special interest is to introduce its PS3 hard-drive DIY upgrade kit, which features a massive, 160GB internal drive and an external drive to back up the data on the stock drive. Sony actually approves of this modification, with instructions how to do it in the PS3 owner's manual.

Gamers also will be out in droves this weekend at the Pennsylvania Convention Center to attend the America's VideoGame Expo.

Running in concert with that event is the career-oriented "Breaking In: The Games Conference," featuring gaming notables in panel discussions like "Breaking into the Game Industry" and "Tales from the Trenches: Women Who Know."

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Copyright 2012 by Philadelphia Daily News