Los Angeles (CA) - In an otherwise rather underwhelming presentation of its next-generation game console and upcoming software titles, Sony unveiled during the E3 opening keynote the launch date and price of the Playstation 3: The console will be available just in time for the holiday season and be available in two versions for $500 and $600 (500 and 600 Euro, respectively) - and will include a motion-sensitive controller.
Sony's multi-billion dollar investment is inching towards its launch later this year. And after Sony had delayed its E3 keynote for almost an hour and demonstrated what appeared to be sometimes very rough and early demos of next-generation gaming titles for more than an hour, SCAA president and chief executive officer Kaz Hirai revealed what everybody in the audience was waiting for: The availability and price of the PS3.
Included with the PS3 will be a new controller that very much looks like current PS2 controller but does not only integrate Bluetooth wireless capability, but can also sense hand movements: Instead of pushing buttons, players can simply move the controller to control characters on the screen. In a demonstration of "Warhawk," a flight simulation, a plane's flight direction was determined simply by the physical movement of the controller. It does not take much to see that this new controller holds by far the most potential for true game innovations on Sony's new game console - aside from more pixel resolution and surround sound.
