Truly the golden age of gaming: Xbox 360, Sony PS3 and Nintendo Wii

After reading many comments from everyone over a few different posts about the 3 main next-gen consoles (Xbox 360, Sony PS3 and Nintendo Wii), all I see is everyone trying to convince everyone else which is the better games system.

The facts are that all have qualities in their own right and while each may also have faults we all certainly have our favorites (well I like all 3).

What I do not understand is why most people are fighting each other when this truly is the golden age of gaming.

We have read the problems that people claim the 360 has had and the lack of this and that on the Playstation 3 and the lack of this and that on the 360, then there is the Nintendo Wii where many talk of gameplay before graphics and PC Gamers say they have the best graphics overall…lets all stop fighting.

Who here can admit we are in the golden age of gaming? and should all talk how good games are (or bad) and not which is the better games system (as you will never change people’s minds when they have a strong belief).

Sony unveils The Agency

Sony Online Entertainment has confirmed that it is developing The Agency, a fast-paced online action shooter, for the PC and PS3. Assume the role of an elite agent in a modern day setting as you live among spies and mercenaries. Enjoy cooperative and competitive story driven missions set in exotic locales and enjoy ‘espionage, intrigue and explosive game play.’

Live the life of an elite agent

“The inspiration for The Agency came from the spy and espionage genre. We want to put players in the heart of the action to experience what it’s really like to live the life of an elite agent,” said Hal Milton, Lead Designer, Sony Online Entertainment. “Players will jet set around this virtual world to exotic locales, infiltrate enemy organizations to steal secrets and perpetrate sabotage, all the while building their own agency with an eye towards global domination.”

The beginning sees players choosing to be a UNITE spy or a ParaGON mercenary. Whatever you choose, The Agency will immerse you in illicit activities including drug smuggling, assassinations, espionage and counter intelligence. Increase your influence by gaining ranks within the agency, eventually building your own agencies as well as joint agencies with others.

Recruit operatives

Players can recruit operatives who will gather intel, provide satellite scans or even build a new sports car. Operatives become more powerful as players advance and players can decide whether to use them to help themselves or their team or trade them with other players. Operatives are collectible non-player characters, providing the goods and services players need and allowing them to concentrate on the mission. Working 24/7, regardless of whether players are logged in, operatives can be kept up to date through email and instant messages.

Players will be immersed in hundreds of unique missions in The Agency, each with varied end-goals requiring combat, stealth and style. Engage in varied game play including sneaky assassinations, all out assaults, vehicle challenges and mini-games in casinos. Players will need to collect the right weaponry, gadgets, gear, attire and aliases to gain access to locales and eventually acquire influence over them.

With no typical class restriction, players can supplement their gear with exotic and powerful skills thanks to persistent character development. Players can customize their character’s attire based on which mission they are on, some emphasizing combat or support, others stealth and even cover identities. Players can also engage in other activities in The Agency including taking on other players at the card tables, the shooting range or in head-to-head combat.

Fun now, no waiting

“SOE is looking to take the online gaming industry to new places with The Agency, not only in terms of its theme, but also in its design. It’s accessible to all types of players, blending genres and changing up established conventions. It’s different from anything SOE has released before,” said Matt Wilson, Director of Development, SOE Seattle. “Our goal is to break from traditional online games and provide players with a ‘fun now, no waiting’ game play experience in a dynamic, ever-evolving online world.”

Sony Ericsson files a patent for a mobile device with gaming capabilities

Sony Ericsson has filed for a U.S. patent application for a mobile device which is also capable of videogaming features.

This could potentially form a base of a PSP based mobile phone device. But the company said in a statement that they are not currently working on a phone based on its PlayStation Portable (PSP) video game brand.

Sony Ericsson spokeswoman Merran Wrigley said in a statement: “We’re continually evaluating other propositions but they have to be credible propositions. We’re not interested in sticking parts on phones that destroy the brand equity that’s been built up by Sony.”

Sony has been quite successful with their Cybershot and Walkman branded mobile phone devices. Cybershot branded mobile phones are equipped with digital camera features while the Walkman branded mobile phones feature advanced music capabilities.

Sony added that they are currently scheduled to launch products featuring music and imaging capabilities at an event scheduled to take place in Berlin on June 14. Looks like we can see a potential challenger to the upcoming Apple iPhone from Sony.

Sony Vaio goes Colourfull

Sony has introduced a new line of notebooks featuring eye-popping colours and a chic design -- Vaio CR series. Trimmed in silver, the CR notebooks come in what the company calls five "fashion-forward" colours: sangria, cosmopolitan, dove, indigo and black (matte finish). The notebooks will also have an LED light that pulsates when the machine is booting, shutting down or hibernating. Sony has long led the laptop-as-fashion-accessory movement (remember the C series models and the FJ series), offering laptops in varied hues when other manufacturers were just starting to experiment with colours beyond black and grey. The CR series is no different, featuring a case that is brimming with colour, right down to the touch pad. Completing the look, each CR notebook comes with its own funky VAIO branded wallpaper and optional colour-coordinated carrying bag and mouse. As for specs, the 5.5-pound thin-and-light laptops comes with Intel's latest Centrino Duo platform, with Core 2 Duo processors, integrated graphics, and an 802.11n wireless card. The 14.1-inch wide-screen display includes a fairly standard 1,280x800 native resolution, and the display bezel has room for a built-in Webcam and microphone. The laptop also packs Sony's LocationFree software that lets users watch live TV, access their personal video recorder or DVD player, and view that content on their notebook via the Internet. The six new CR series models start at $1,350 and will start shipping by the end of June.

Sony BDP-S300 - sub $500 Blu-ray player

Those of you expecting a Blu-ray player for under $500 have just got your wish granted. Sony has announced that its BDP-S300 will be released for $499, making it the first Blu-ray player cheaper than the 60 GB Playstation 3 which is priced at $599.

Fully capable of supporting 1080p signals, HDMI 1.3 as well as Dolby Digital Plus and 5.1 surround audio, the BDP-S300 seems quite a reasonable alternative for those who don’t want to spend an extra $100 for the gaming and multimedia capability of the PS3. This will probably mean fewer kids will be able to persuade their parents to get a PS3 as their Blu-ray player, because it’s not the cheapest one anymore. I wonder how many complaints and protests Sony received from teenagers begging them to rethink this matter after this latest announcement.

In related news, Sony has also cut the price of its larger BDP-S1 player by $200, effective immediately. I’m still confused about the S1’s purpose, since the S300 seems to have all the same features plus audio CD playing capability, in a smaller size. Maybe some readers can enlighten me on this?