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Price cut coming: maybe--maybe not.

(Credit: Sony)

The rumors are flying about a possible big Sony PlayStation announcement for Tuesday. The only problem is no one is sure what the announcement involves, with speculation running from a PS3 price drop to a PS2 price drop to something about God of War 3.

Anyway, the original rumor came from an Australian publication, Smarthouse, but Kotaku says it's gotten word directly from Sony that an announcement is "imminent."

Furthermore, Kotaku thinks that we're looking at a PS2 price drop to $99.99, not the much-hoped-for PS3 price drop to $299.99. Joystiq concurs with a source at K-Mart saying the cut is coming April 5. How anticlimactic would that be?

So, what do you think Sony's announcing (if indeed, there really is an announcement forthcoming)?

Update: According to Joystiq, Sony is calling the rumors of a PS3 price drop totally false. However, it didn't deny rumors of a PS2 price chop (but who really cares, right?).

(Source: Smarthouse via 1up via Joystiq, Kotaku)

(Credit: Kotaku)

A Kotaku hands-on of the PlayStation 3 keypad reveals some new information about the $50 snap-on accessory. Sony has had plenty of time to go above and beyond the Xbox 360 Chatpad and as expected, it does seem to improve on it in a number of ways. We liked the chatpad for its ease-of-use, satisfying performance, and the fact that it didn't require any power.

The PlayStation 3 keypad, on the other hand, does require separate charging, as it cannot tap into the PS3 controller. Because of this, it also must connect to the console via a separate Bluetooth connection. As far as we can tell, it's almost as if the keypad is merely a clamp.

The keypad attaches for above-the-controller texting, while the Xbox chatpad rests below. We found it manageable to play games with the chatpad connected, but eventually removed it because of comfort issues. It seems the PS3 keypad's placement is a better fit.

Feature-wise, the keypad trumps the Xbox chatpad. There are shortcut buttons to access your message box and your friends list. Also, the keypad can turn into a touch pad--think laptop trackpad--for mouse-like movement. This will come in useful if you use your PS3 to browse the Web a lot.

The keypad is set to be released mid-month, so check out our full review coming soon.

In the new Xbox Live experience, much of the interface is designed to cascade horizontally across the screen, allowing users to see a wide selection of choices. On HD TVs, users will be able to see even more information, given the wider screen.

(Credit: Microsoft)

Whether you're one of the legions of hard-core Xbox players or someone who's only played with the game console casually, get ready for an all-new Xbox Live.

Since the first announcement of the new approach to the massively popular service at E3 in July, some longtime fans have fretted that Microsoft is morphing it into a place for purely casual players at the expense of those for whom Xbox Live is nearly as much a home as where they actually live.

Well, based on a demo I got recently of the (not quite finished) new version of Xbox Live, I'd have to say, fret no more.

Dubbed the new "Xbox Live Experience," this re-launched service--which is rumored to be launching in November, but which Microsoft will only say is due "before Christmas"--really does seem to have something for everyone: an easy-to-use graphical interface complete with deeply customizable avatars that casual players will enjoy, and all kinds of new functionality that will actually reward the dedication of the hard-core Xbox player.

With the new Xbox Live interface, users will be able to see all information relevant to their account in a simpler, easier-to-understand format.

(Credit: Microsoft)

Microsoft readily admits that there may be a bit of a transition period for those core players--a time during which a lot of griping might be heard--but the company fully expects a gradual realization on the part of those players that the new service takes the existing Xbox Live and adds all kinds of new community and interactive functions to it.

And, again, I would have to agree.

To date, the Xbox Live interface has been based on what are called blades, essentially pages of information stacked on top of each other in such as way as to maximize the number of choices Xbox Live players have and the directions in which they can go. They can see lists of games to play, choose to watch a movie, go into a section to buy add-ons for games, and so on. The new interface largely does away with the blades era and moves into a more advanced motif of full windows that spread out on the screen and stretch off into the distance, allowing users to shuttle through them, left to right or right to left.

But that's getting a little too far ahead.

The sticker that appears on Blu-ray discs.

(Credit: CNET Networks)

Sure, I and the rest of CNET's home-theater editors think the PlayStation 3 is the only Blu-ray player really worth buying today. But no matter how we feel, it's easy to spot why other machines have an uphill battle trying to unseat the PS3 from its Blu-ray throne: Sony's sticking it to the competition, literally.

Take a closer look at all those stickers on the front of all those Blu-ray discs in your local Best Buy and you'll see what I mean. There's the Blu-ray disc headline and then the fine print message, "For use only with Blu-ray disc players, Blu-ray disc computer drives and PLAYSTATION 3 game consoles." Glance quickly at the sticker and all you see is Blu-ray Disc and PlayStation 3.

I asked Sony PlayStation reps about it the other day and, while they didn't have any comment, they just smiled knowingly and said, "Yeah, we like that."

We're not sure how long the sticker deal is in effect but it seems that as long as it is, the PS3 is going to have a not-so-subliminal marketing edge over other Blu-ray players. How long do you think it will take for some other player to top the PS3 in terms of Blu-ray player sales? I think we're looking at a couple of years, even if the price for standalone players dips under $200 or less. After all, the PS3 will come down in price, too.

The video game industry had better thank its lucky stars that hard-core gamers do what they do.

According to a report issued Monday morning by industry analyst firm, The NPD Group, the most active group of players, which it termed "extreme gamers," devote more than a full-time job's work week to their avocation. But they don't get insurance benefits for their efforts.

Rather, NPD's "Games Segmentation 2008" report explained, extreme gamers put in an average of 45 hours a week playing games, and, even better--for the video game industry's coffers--bought a whopping 24 titles in the last three months.

True, these committed gamers make up just 3 percent of the 174 million that NPD said play on PCs or Macs or dedicated video game machines. Still, that means 5.22 million people out there are putting in serious amounts of time gaming away. And if you stop and think about the dollars they're spending, if they're buying 24 games every three months, it's kind of breathtaking.

The NPD report identified seven different segments of gamers, including our extreme friends. The others include 9 percent who are "avid PC gamers," 17 percent who are console gamers, 14 percent who are online PC gamers, 15 percent who are offline PC gamers, 22 percent who are "young heavy gamers" and 20 percent who are "secondary" gamers.

Update (Monday, 2:43 PM): This story has been modified to reflect correspondence from Microsoft this morning.

If you can see past the extremely odd prose style of this Ars Technica piece Friday by Ben Kuchera, there's actually some potentially very interesting news there: Microsoft may be ready to truly reach out to the mass market with its Xbox 360.

According to Kuchera, Microsoft may well be readying a new round of price cuts for the Xbox 360.

(Credit: Microsoft)

Remember, just prior to E3, Microsoft lowered the price of the 20GB Xbox 360 from $349 to $299.

Now, writes Kuchera, courtesy of his source, "the mole," Microsoft is planning to roll out new pricing on the entire line of Xboxes. For a console with no hard drive, the price could be $199; for one with a 60GB hard drive, it could be $299; and the high-end model, known as the Elite, with a 160GB hard drive, could go for $399.

Microsoft said it does not comment on rumors.

If the report is true, however, Microsoft could be making an important move. According to many industry observers, the magic price point in video game machines is $200. Go below that, the theory goes, and you potentially open up your machine to the truly mass market.

Right now, the lowest-priced of the next-generation consoles is Nintendo's Wii, which runs $249. Sony's PlayStation 3 can be had for $399 for a model with a 40GB hard drive, and this fall it plans to introduce an 80GB model for that same $399 price.

If the Ars Technica report is true, then, Microsoft could be the first to break the magic $200 barrier and such a move could go a very long way to helping the company reach its declared commitment to winning the console wars.

If I hear from Microsoft with comment about this, dear readers, so will you.

The Xbox 360 Pro (aka Premium) will now cost $50 less.

(Credit: Microsoft)

A couple of weeks ago I wrote about rumors that Microsoft was planning to chop the Xbox 360's price in July. Well, that price cut was all but confirmed today by Kotaku.

After posting leaked photos of upcoming Best Buy, Kmart, and other circulars, the gaming blog now has a GameStop employee's cell-phone snapshots of shelf art and an internal memo announcing that the Xbox 360 Pro (aka the Premium) would drop to $299.99 on Sunday, July 13. Not coincidentally, E3 kicks off the next day with--you guessed it--Microsoft's press conference.

As Sony's PlayStation 3 has come on strong in recent months, sales of the Xbox 360 have been flat, so a price drop seemed likely. The success of Metal Gear Solid 4 continues to give the PS3 a boost, but chances are Sony, too, will have to trim the price of its console before the holiday buying season.

All that said, the big question remains whether Microsoft will announce any new configurations of the Xbox 360. Rumor has it, the company is just using the price drop to clear out inventory of the 20GB Premium before it brings out a new 60GB version. (Of course, if you're willing to take a chance on a refurbished Premium, you can do significantly better than $300). There's no word on whether the Xbox 360 Elite or the Arcade (no hard drive) will also get $50 snips or whether a flagship model with a built-in Blu-ray drive is really in the works.

Personally, I'd like to see Microsoft get rid of the useless Arcade and reduce the number of Xbox 360 choices down to two to avoid confusing consumers. Anybody else want to guess what Microsoft has up its sleeve next week and what Sony's next move will be?

Last week we told you about the recent firmware upgrade the PS3 was getting and touched on the arrival of milestone version 2.40. While Sony has confirmed the inclusion of an in-game XMB (cross media bar), the rest of the 2.40 update was a bit cloudy.

But now, CVG claims to have the final list of features that make up the much-anticipated upgrade. In addition to the XMB, version 2.40 will feature a trophy system that will let compatible games track your progress, similar to the Xbox 360 Achievements. Instead of a score, you earn different level trophies as you progress.

According to the site, you'll be able to access the following features via the XMB during gameplay. But be warned: some games may not support this feature.... Read more