If the words of Dave Perry are to be believed, the overwhelming success of Nintendo's Wii is more comparable to a fleeting love affair than a long-lasting relationship.  He is of the opinion that eye candy is the big draw for the vast majority of gamers.  According to Perry, once one of the competing consoles has a killer app like Halo, "they'll drop their Wii controllers" and the party will be over.

Such a trend can already be observed in the handheld market.  In terms of worldwide sales, the outstanding visuals of the PSP have been a recipe for success.  The technically inferior DS has struggled to capture even a small fraction of the user base.

Hold on a sec.  I think Perry's absurdity caused my neurotransmitters to act up.

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I powered on my Xbox 360 last night, only to find that it wasn't a happy camper. I was hankering for some Bomberman Live. I had to settle for my PlayStation 2 instead… I've had it since Christmas and treated it well. It froze a couple times (Lost Planet caused it several problems), but otherwise has worked just fine. I hadn't fired it up in a while, so it was surprising that it went from fine to dead without being used.

So I packed it up, took it to Best Buy and attempted to exchange it. But the little trickster decided to work fine there. So maybe I didn't do something right. Got it home and it booted up once, froze, crashed, made strange noises, and then it was back to the 3 blinking lights (the ones that mean hardware failure). So tonight, it goes in for good, because I have games to review and this is just not cutting it.

The moral of this story? None really, since I always treat my equipment well. Technology just doesn't always work, so it's nice to know that a company such as Microsoft is covering its users. Sure I have the extended warranty with Best Buy, but for those who don't, a 3 year warranty against the dreaded blinking lights problem is a fine way to handle things (and a needed acknowledge of a serious problem). I'm glad I don't have to send it in, simply because I've got lots to play on it over the next month.

I've killed very few consoles in my 20+ years of gaming, a couple Dreamcasts, a Sega CD model 2 (the model 1 is still chugging along), my original Xbox, and that poor original Gameboy I dropped down the stairs the same freaking day I got it (it worked for a while after, but had lines on both sides). Guess I can add one more to the list. Let's just hope there's nothing wrong with the harddrive… Hopefully tonight, I'll get to play some Bomberman!!!

The transition from E3 '06 to E3 '07 was a jarring one, with the size downgrade being only the most obvious change.  The central hangar where the E3 show floor was held was supplemented by several hotels where exhibitors demonstrated their biggest titles behind closed doors, all but defeating the point of having a smaller, press-only event in the first place.  Additionally, press meeting rooms would be used, cleared out, rebuilt in about 15 minutes or so, and then everyone would troop back in.  A smaller, more exclusive E3 isn't that bad an idea, but a less effective one doesn't help anybody.  So, onwards with the evolution.

Now that everyone has come home, a survey has been sent around indicating the possibility of more changes for next year.  A few tweaks to efficiency are a given, of course, but bigger differences are also being discussed.  It's pretty obvious that the E3 organizers are aware of the problems, as indicated by questions about Barker Hanger and the Fairmont Hotel, which were farthest away from the hotels where events were scheduled.  Also up for the possibility of change is the date, with options being discussed for May through August.  The most surprising change for regular E3 attendees is a potential move from LA, though, to San Francisco, Laguna Beach, Sand Diego, or Santa Monica.  Or maybe E3 will stay put in its home city.  Who knows at this point?  The only thing definite is that more changes are coming.

The F.E.A.R. series is about to get even more complicated. If you haven't been paying attention original publisher Vivendi owns the F.E.A.R. name while developer Monolith holds the rights to the world and characters. Problem is, they are no longer working together so Monolith is right now developing the direct sequel to F.E.A.R., due in 2008, to be published by their new masters at Warner Bros., but which will not bear the F.E.A.R. name.

Vivendi for its own part is continuing to release expansion packs for the original game, two of which are scheduled for this Fall.

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No, you read that correctly. Effective July 30, Peter will be stepping down from his position as Senior President of IEB at Microsoft. Moore has decided to return to his family in Northern California, where they lived until he took he position at MS. He'll be remaining on board to assist with the transition for his successor, Don Mattick. 

Update: In case you just tuned in — we've found out the TRUE reason why Peter left Microsoft. Hm… makes you wonder where some of Nintendo of America's top execs have gone off to, eh?

"“Peter has contributed enormously to the games business since joining Microsoft in 2003 and we are sad to see him go,” said Robbie Bach, president of Entertainment and Devices Division at Microsoft. “Since that time, he presided over the global launch of the Xbox 360™, spearheaded a revitalized and rebranded Games for Windows business, and helped steer the console’s ascent."

Mattrick will take over as the senior vice president of IEB at Microsoft, effective July 30. Mattrick was the founder of Distinctive Software Inc., which operated as a private company from 1982 until its merger with EA in 1991. Mattrick held various senior positions within EA, most recently as president of Worldwide Studios, until his resignation in February 2006. In February 2007, Mattrick began working with the Entertainment and Devices Division at Microsoft as an external advisor.

Good luck Peter, you've made a huge asset to MS and wish you the best! Hopefully EA will reach some new strides of innovation with his addition.