Fresh from the rumor department comes a supposed Wii 2 console leak being reported by Maxconsole.net. The leak apparently originates on/from the French gaming site Logic-sunrise.com, however I dug into the site a bit myself with Google Translate and couldn’t find any trace of the information Maxconsole claimed to be getting from them. It could be that it wasn’t posted on the French site itself although that wouldn’t make much sense.

All in all, the rumored “leak” states that Nintendo is working on a Wii sequel with the following:

• The Wii2 system will feature a Blu-Ray drive with a secondary aim of stopping piracy.
• 1080P and lower resolutions will be supported, for blu-ray movies and games.
• The release date is scheduled for third quarter of 2010.
• The release will be worldwide and on the same day for all countries.
• A scheme will be available in which it is possible to trade in the original Wii for a cheaper price on the new Wii 2.

Update: Assuming this is true, you can add the probability of Netflix coming to the next generation Wii as well.

A next gen Nintendo console? I’m not even sure I would know what to do with myself. At this point, things are far from confirmed, but it wouldn’t surprise me one bit if this, or something close to it, turned out to be true. Nintendo, while making a killing in the casual market, could have competition from Microsoft’s Project Natal at some point and this type of advancement could have Nintendo gobbling up more of the market like Yoshi on an all night eating spree.

The “anything you can do I can do better” competition between the Sony PlayStation 3 and the Microsoft Xbox 360 for the title of ”Master Swiss Army Knife Console King Toaster Oven” continues as Sony announced their partnership with Netflix on Monday. Remember when video game consoles didn’t cost 500 dollars and just played video games? I do.

Starting next month, PS3 owners (who are also Netflix subscribers) will be able to instantly stream thousands of movies and TV shows from the Netflix catalog to through their PS3. The only stipulation with the service out of the gate, is that PS3 owners will need to have a free Netflix-provided Blu-ray disc (available from netflix.com/ps3) in their console to utilize said service. This may be something that is eventually phased out by a future firmware update, but that’s purely speculation at this point.

Sure all these “extras” are nice to have, but its getting to the point where console manufacturers are going to need their own “Jimmy Football” and a slew of infomercials to justify the cost and explain the “jack of all trades”  functionality. Geek-gate tested! Geek-gate approved! Hit the jump for the full press release.

COMING SOON: NETFLIX MEMBERS CAN INSTANTLY WATCH MOVIES AND TV EPISODES STREAMED TO TVs VIA THE PLAYSTATION®3 COMPUTER ENTERTAINMENT SYSTEM

With Movies Streamed Instantly from Netflix, Blu-ray/DVD Playback and Downloadable Videos via the PlayStation®Network, the PlayStation 3 System Offers The Industry’s Most Comprehensive Options for Watching Movies and TV Shows

FOSTER CITY and LOS GATOS, Calif., October 26, 2009 – Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc. (SCEA) and Netflix, Inc. [Nasdaq: NFLX] today announced that they are joining forces to make thousands of movies and TV episodes from Netflix available to be streamed instantly to TVs via the PlayStation®3 (PS3™) computer entertainment system. Netflix expects to begin streaming via the PS3 system next month at no additional cost to Netflix members in the United States who have a PS3 system.

Today’s announcement pairs two of the most popular and fastest growing home entertainment brands in the U.S. The PS3 system’s installed base has reached close to 9 million units in the United States, and Netflix recently reported 11.1 million U.S. subscribers as of September 30.

The partnership further solidifies the PS3 system as the most complete home entertainment hub on the market today, enabling consumers to play high-definition games, watch Blu-ray movies, listen to music, view photos, browse the Internet, and download content from PlayStation®Network − from exclusive games to blockbuster movies and popular TV shows. PS3 system owners will soon enjoy an unparalleled experience watching their favorite movies and TV shows streamed instantly from Netflix, downloading from the PlayStation Network or watching Blu-ray/DVD media. The Netflix offering expands on the entertainment experience delivered to PS3 system owners via PlayStation Network.

For only $8.99 a month, Netflix members can instantly watch unlimited movies and TV episodes streamed to their TVs and computers via Netflix ready devices such as the PS3 system and can receive unlimited DVDs delivered quickly to their homes.

“The PlayStation 3 system has always been about more than just gaming, and it will soon be the only platform in the industry to offer consumers such a variety of convenient options for enjoying movies and TV shows,” said Jack Tretton, president and CEO, SCEA. “Whether you want to watch content on Blu-ray disc and DVD, download it from the PlayStation Network’s video delivery service, or stream videos instantly from Netflix, the PS3 system is the only solution that offers it all.”

“As instantly watching movies and TV episodes streamed from Netflix becomes an increasingly popular way to enjoy the Netflix service, our goal is to rapidly expand the devices that stream to our members,” said Netflix CEO and co-founder Reed Hastings. “As a leading game console and Blu-ray disc player, bringing Netflix to the PS3 system is a real win for both Netflix members and PS3 system owners.”
Initially, watching movies instantly streamed from Netflix via the PS3 system will be enabled by a free, instant streaming Blu-ray disc that is being made available to all Netflix members. The free instant streaming disc leverages Blu-ray’s BD-Live™ technology to access the Internet and activate the Netflix user interface on the PS3 system, which must be online via Wi-Fi or Ethernet.

Netflix members simply slide the disc into their PS3 systems to reveal movies and TV episodes that can be watched instantly. These titles are conveniently organized into a variety of categories based on members’ personal preferences, popular genres, new arrivals and members’ individual instant Queues. Members can use the Netflix Web site or navigate directly on their PS3 systems to add movies and TV shows to their Queues. With the PS3 system’s Wireless Controller, members can choose a movie to watch from their instant Queues or just play directly from any of the lists. They also have the ability to read synopses and rate movies. In addition, they have the option of fast-forwarding and rewinding the video stream via the Wireless Controller.

Netflix members and PS3 system owners can now reserve a free instant streaming disc for PS3 systems by going to www.netflix.com/ps3. Upon availability, the instant streaming disc will be delivered for free by first-class mail, generally one business day after members request it.

Joystiq reports that the acclaimed downloadable game Wipeout HD will be heading to Blu-Ray for European gamers. The bundle will cost £20 and, for now at least, is showing no signs of coming to the US.

Unfortunately, this bundle means that I no longer have an excuse to buy this game, as it will undoubtedly become a lot cheaper than £20 if you shop around. If you’ve been around these parts for a while you might remember our glowing review of the game, so this can really only be good news for everyone.

Everyone with a PS3, anyway. Everyone with a PS3 who lives in Europe, anyway. Everyone with a PS3 who lives in Europe and doesn’t already have the game, anyway. Everyone with a PS3 who lives in Europe and doesn’t already have the game and wants to buy the game, anyway. Alright, fine. Not everyone, then. Don’t be such a pedant!

Rumor has it that the God of War games, including a demo for the upcoming third game in the series, are coming to the Sony PlayStation 3 on a single Blu-ray disc.

The rumor comes from a translated post on the Twitter account of MarkPlayStation, the supposed manager for Sony Mexico. This “trilogy” would be coming this December.

With a little over four months to go, you’d think that Sony would’ve formally announced this by now. I certainly hope it’s true, as I’ve only ever played part of the first God of War and I’m not lucky enough to own a backwards compatible PS3.

PSX Extreme via Gamezine

Reports are in that US production of the Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children Blu-ray are complete and that Sony Pictures Home Entertainment plans to release it stateside sometime in June. Blu-ray.com also reports a slew of features, the most interesting being an “Exclusive Sneak Peek at FINAL FANTASY XIII”.

Nothing is confirmed at this point, and the “sneak peek” could end up being nothing more than another blue ball educing trailer, but if you like to hope (and who doesn’t) here’s a little more fuel for your hope powered jet pack. A Square Enix spokesperson told MCV the following back in January as a part of the Japanese announcement of Advent Children:

“At present the Final Fantasy XIII demo will only be available in Japan with the Blu-ray release of Advent Children Complete, but we hope to have further news in the coming months,”

Could this be that “further news” the representative was speaking of? Only time and profit margins will tell, but considering the rate at which units moved off the store shelves in Japan, my money says you will be seeing a demo in the US release as well.

All you readers mark your calendars because this is the PS3 you will more than likely want to import. The “Cloud Black”, as they are calling it, is being released to the world (okay, just Japan). Even with a just a small amount of design change, it is beautiful.

The system will be released at the same time as the Blu-Ray version of Final Fantasy 7 Advent Children Complete, both coming to stores April 16th. This is a smart marketing move by Square-Enix promoting both a PS3 model to play that wonderful new Blu-Ray disc, and not only that but something called the Final Fantasy XIII Trial Set.

Famitsu doesn’t seem to have much info on the FFXIII stuff, but the Blu-Ray will sell for about 5000 yen or $50 U.S., and the PS3 (which is a 160gb version) will go for around 50,000 yen or $500 U.S.

All they seemed to do was slap an image of the ring that Cloud wears which is also on his chest. The only problem I have with these decoration PS3’s is that all the images are on the top of the machine, and you never really get to see them but I guess it’s nice to have the bragging rights.

Source:  Famitsu

Famitsu has some news on the re-release of FFVII:AC in March.  Square has decided to release three versions of what is called the Complete Works of Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children. So, what’s that mean exactly?

New stuff will include hi-res pictures of the upcoming Final Fantasy games (XIII, Agito, and Versus), a trailer, and deleted scenes from the movies.  One of the more important scene modifications that I am interested in is apparently a much longer bike chase than what we saw in the original.  I thought it was a really interesting fight, and hopefully adding extra to it won’t make it boring.

The three versions being released are regular DVD, Blu-Ray, and PlayStation 3 (which will supposedly have a demo of FFXIII on it, though I don’t know why that’s not just on the Blu-Ray).  All three should look wonderful, but I wouldn’t mind getting my hand on that sweet-looking Blu-Ray version (I don’t own a PS3).

Source: Famitsu

The latest issue of Famitsu is all about the recent Square Enix DKS3713 event, and according to reports, the Playstation 3 exclusive Final Fantasy XIII demo that comes bundled with the upcoming Blu-ray edition of Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children Complete will actually run longer than the CGI film.

The FFXIII demo will come on a separate Blu-ray disc to the film, is reported to be from the begining of the game, and will run at least 90 minutes long, if not longer. That’s tight shit!

Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children Complete is scheduled for a March 2009 release.

Source: Famitsu, via PSU.com

A few days back, we reported on the Xbox 360 possibly supporting Blu-Ray in the future. That rumor has now been officially shot down by Microsoft.

Aaron Greenberg, group product manager for the console, came right out and told Reuters:

“Xbox is not currently in talks with Sony or the Blu-ray Association to integrate Blu-ray into the Xbox experience.”

He followed it up by saying that they’re the only console “offering digital distribution of entertainment content.”

Since the discontinuation of the HD-DVD player add-on, it looks like Xbox Live Marketplace is now the only option for Xbox users looking for HD entertainment.

Yesterday we reported that Microsoft is in talks with Sony to bring Blu-Ray compatibility to the Xbox 360 console. Now it looks like that isn’t happening.

In a phone interview with Next-Gen, a Microsoft representative denied that the company was planning on bringing Blu-Ray to the console.

“There are no plans to introduce Blu-Ray,” were his exact words. He then went on to say that Microsoft intends to focus on bringing blockbuster games, not movies, to the 360.

However, MSoft chief executive Steve Ballmer admits that the company is looking for ways to support the format, but he doesn’t say anything about the Xbox 360 specifically.

“Toshiba has moved on. We’ve moved on, and we’ll support Blu-ray in ways that make sense,” Ballmer said.

So it looks like Microsoft is going Blu, but as of right now, the 360 is staying i’s non-Blue self.

Sources: Next-Gen (link above), Games Industry

Microsoft had previously backed the HD-DVD format, offering an optional HD-DVD drive for the 360 console. However, Toshiba’s announcement last month to abandon the format has changed things considerably.

Now the option of giving the 360 a Blu-Ray drive is being considered, though whether or not it will be a plug-in peripheral or integrated within the console itself is unknown at this point. Adding a Blu-Ray drive to the console could take away the PS3’s edge in that aspect, but it would also drive up the console’s price.

Now here’s my question: how much do you guys (and gals) value Blu-Ray?

Source: Games Industry

Well it seems that Duke Nukem does all things well, and that includes predicting who would win the Blu-ray vs. HD-DVD war.

The Duke Nukem Forever trailer that we all saw back in December was originally part of a present to everyone who worked at 3D Realms for their Christmas party. What they didn’t show us non-employees was a four minute audio clip that played after the trailer that had Duke talking to the people at 3D Realms.

His speech was filled with inside jokes, the most notable being Duke predicting who would win the Blue-Ray/ HD-DVD war, in order to put one HD-DVD loving employee in his place. And Duke Nukem, my friends, is never wrong. Click on the link below to hear Duke’s thundering prediction made last December.

http://www.3drealms.com/sounds/duke_bluray.wav

“Blu-ray discs, yeah that’s right! Bue-ray, the true future of high definition, and you know it!” – Duke Nukem, December 2007

Also of note, 3D Realms says that the guy who does Duke Nukem’s voice is named Jon St. John. That can’t be true, can it? That seems as cruel as being named “Duke Nukem”.

Following the report of Toshiba officially pulling the plug on HD-DVD, Sony’s shares rose as much as 5% throughout the day.

The death of HD-DVD will likely lead to a higher adoption rate of the PS3, which in turn may lead to more NPD results in the vein of January, that had the PS3 outselling the 360 in the United States.

This then perpetuates the domino effect that we seem to be having. Both Universal and Paramount have now obviously announced their allegiance to Blu-ray, solidyfying the potential the format has to succeed.

Regardless of where our allegiances may lie, there’s no denying that a Playstation 3 that sells upwards of 250k in a US month is a good thing for the gaming industry.

Source: Next-Gen.biz

Image: Shiho Fukada for The New York Times

Wal-Mart, the nation’s largest retailer has decided to call it quits on Toshiba’s HD-DVD format, signaling what seems to be the end of the hi-def format war.

“We’ve listened to our customers, who are showing a clear preference toward Blu-ray products and movies with their purchases,” Gary Severson, head of home entertainment for Wal-Mart’s U.S. stores, said in a statement.

Just last week, online rental service Netflix Inc. has said that they will no longer carry rental for HD-DVD, allowing them to go exclusively with Sony’s Blu-ray disc.

With recent support from most studios and retailers, Blu-ray looks to be paving the way for HD-DVD’s grave. Studio support such as Disney, who supported Blu-ray from its early stages and Warner Bros, who has jumped ship to Blu-ray, are major reasons for the recent support.

Although Blu-ray may look to be the only hi-def format in the near future, HD-DVD still has an exclusive contract with Paramount Pictures, who also own DreamWorks and Universal Pictures.

According to the Associated Press, consumers are holding off buying hi-def DVD players until the format war has finally been decided.

Certainly the format war hasn’t completely ended, but with recent events, consumers are able to see which one will stay and may finally decide to go hi-def.

The Internet and mailbox movie delivery super-service known as Netflix, having seen a “clear signal from the industry” has decided to stop purchasing HD-DVDs and will exclusively support Blu-Ray.

Netflix plans to phase out their remaining stock of HD-DVDs by the end of the year. Ted Sarandos, chief content officer for Netflix, had this to say about the situation:

“The prolonged period of competition between two formats has prevented clear communication to the consumer regarding the richness of the high-def experience versus standard definition. We’re now at the point where the industry can pursue the migration to a single format, bring clarity to the consumer and accelerate the adoption of high-def. Going forward, we expect that all of the studios will publish in the Blu-ray format and that the price points of high-def DVD players will come down significantly. These factors could well lead to another decade of disc-based movie watching as the consumer’s preferred means.”

Even though only a very small percentage of people even rent hi-def movies in the first place, a majority of those rentals are Blu-Ray. Personally, I don’t think this is really that clear of an indicator that Blu-Ray is better, or even preferred over HD-DVD.

What I think is going on is that all of these PS3 owners are sitting around with nothing to do since most of their games suck. They figure they need to get some use out of their overpriced gadget, so they rent a movie or two. Here, look at this ad while I put on my flame-retardant thong.

Okay, I don’t seriously think that, but I do think that more of this is happening than the studios realize. The masses haven’t decided on Blu-Ray. Blu-Ray just invaded your home when you bought that game console. You’ve supported Blu-Ray without actually pledging your support for Blu-Ray.

I honestly don’t care who wins the HD format war. I think both sides are trying too hard to shove the “next generation” down our throats, and I’m content to just watch DVDs until they start showing movies directly to my brain.

Source: Netflix

Is the PS3-slim looking closer to reality than we first thought? IBM have announced that they will soon be producing a smaller, cooler, and potentially cheaper version of the Cell BE, the processor which powers the PS3.

Currently, the Cell is produced using a 65nm process, meaning the smallest thing on the chip’s die is 65nm wide. The new high-k process will be able to shrink this down to 45nm. This will produce smaller transistors on the chip, which in turn will require less energy to operate, produce an overall energy savings of around 40 percent, and reduce the total physical size of the chip by 35 percent.

Although shrinking the physical size of the chip won’t help shrink the total size of the PS3, reducing a lot of the cooling requirements of the Cell could lead to the removal of several cooling components and shrink the remaining ones, as well as the total cost of the unit.

Blu-Ray players have also been dropping in size, with some more recent models being slim enough to fit inside laptops. Although not currently produced in large quantities, it shows clear potential for other ways the PS3 could lose some weight.

Don’t go expecting your PS3 to drop a couple of dress sizes just yet, however. With the PS3 struggling to make a profit for Sony, it would seem unlikely they would push for a new model to be released too soon, especially considering how early we are in the PS3’s predicted lifespan. The Slim PS2 was released 4 years after the original launch of the PS2, so following that model, pencil late 2010 into your diaries.

Source: ars technica

Thanks to the loyalty of Sony fans everywhere, Digital Playground’s thrown their weight behind Blu-ray by releasing eight pornographic films on the format.

The pornography studio has announced the shipment of “Pirates,” the first Blu-ray title, on Jan. 4 (thank you pr0n gods, my birthday was on the 5th), we should be available by Jan. 11.

Digital Playground had initially chosen HD-DVD as the format they would be releasing their videos on but decided to ship Blu-ray also – meaning they will support both formats.

Company founder Joone told CEPro that he was influenced by PlayStation 3 owners asking when their content would be available on Blu-ray.

A lot of people were emailing that bought a PlayStation and they were basically saying, ‘When are you guys going to release Blu-ray?’ They really have no preference in format yet because it’s so new. When it comes down to image quality, there is no difference between the two.

According to CEPro the next eight titles to be released are: “Island Fever 4,” “Babysitters,” “Island Fever 3,” “Jack’s Teen America 3,” “Jesse Jane: Sexual Freak,” “Hush,” “Contract Star” and “Jesse Jane in Pink.”

Source: [CEPro]

The format war seems to be settling on whether or not Blu-ray or HD-DVD is the choice for the upcoming years. But what about an Xbox that plays Blu-ray movies?

“It should be consumer choice; and if that’s the way they vote, that’s something we’ll have to consider,” said Albert Penello, group marketing manager for Xbox hardware. Penello was asked by Reuters whether Microsoft would support a Blu-ray DVD accessory in the event that HD-DVD failed.

Since Microsoft fully backs Toshiba’s HD-DVD format, don’t expect a switch soon. Microsoft still believes that their videogame sales will not be affected by DVD sales, and has expressed doubts whether the format of choice will ultimately be Blu-ray.

“I fundamentally don’t think … this has a significant impact on Xbox 360 versus (Sony’s) PlayStation 3,” Penello told Reuters in an interview at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.

DVD has always been a big hit for current systems dating back to Sony’s PlayStation 2 and Microsoft’s Xbox, but the driving factor in video game consoles are the games themselves.

Microsoft currently offers an add-on drive for the Xbox 360 with a price point much lower than most stand-alone HD-DVD players.

Source: Reuters

Things are looking good for the Playstation Portable. Hot on the heels of the announcement that PSP users will be able to use Skype, we learn that the PSP will be able to download and play Blu-Ray movies.

Certain Blu-Ray discs will include special versions of the film made specifically for the PSP. Gamers can insert the disc into their Playstation 3, connect to the handheld, and copy a special lower-resolution version of the movie onto the PSP’s memory stick.

Sony hasn’t said which films – or how many – will include the specially optimized versions. They also haven’t clarified whether or not this ability is limited to only those with a Playstation 3. Let’s hope that isn’t the case.

Via Wired

Stand-alone HD-DVD players have outsold Blu-Ray for months, and this holiday season was no different. Factoring in the PS3, however, Blu-Ray takes the lead. So what does this mean when trying to predict the winner? Absolutely nothing.

Services like TiVo and Xbox Live Marketplace make it incredibly easy to watch what you want, when you want. Even the video on demand services from your cable provider are making actual discs obsolete.

Hard drives keep getting larger, and Internet connections keep getting faster. It’s only a matter of time before you can download or stream movies directly to a set-top box in seconds, and only pay a minimal fee to do so.

The GejBox features live DivX Stage 6 high-def internet video streaming, as well as a “hip” emote right in its logo, making it the coolest kid in town

Apple TV is gearing up again, Netflix offers streaming movies, and even the PS3 and Xbox 360 can stream movies from your PC. When talking about storage capacity, Blu-Ray’s much touted 50GB dual-layer is nothing compared to the terabyte (1,000GB) hard drives that are becoming available.

Couple all of this with the fact that most people (and by that I mean everyone I talk to) can’t see that big of a difference between an up-converted DVD and an actual hi-def media disc. Those same “most people” don’t see a point in upgrading. There is, of course, more of a visual difference the larger your television is, but most people don’t have humongous enough TVs to notice.

Then you also factor in the price of a player with the cost of discs being significantly higher. People just don’t care enough to make that commitment.

Downloading stuff from the comfort of their homes while sitting naked on the couch is what people want, because, let’s face it, people are lazy.

Better than the Blu-VD I got in Korea.

So while I don’t necessarily think Blu-Ray and HD-DVD are going to just disappear, I don’t think either one is going to ever replace the DVD. Maybe we’ll end up with a HD-DVD/Blu-Ray-type high-capacity disc that can play on a standard DVD player and costs the same as a DVD… but you didn’t hear that from me.

Spidey may be able to do whatever a spider can, but only the combined might of Sony’s Blu-ray capable Playstation 3, director Sam Rami, and the finest comic-book based trilogy to date, will have fan-boys swooning in delight.

Warm up your PS3’s kiddies, it’s time for a much needed Blu-ray work out, red and blue spandex not required. To quote the late Uncle Ben (sort of) “With great power (Ps3+ Blu-ray) comes the great responsibility (purchase the Spider-Man Trilogy on Blu-ray).” Yea, I’m pretty sure that’s what he meant.

Personally, I have owned seven (yes 7) different versions of Spider-Man one and two. Starting with Spider-Man 1 on VHS, as well as the collectors edition DVD box set which I picked up about 2 weeks later. Two years later, the Superbit disk (Sony’s attempt at high’ER’ definition DVD’s), along with the DVD version of Spider-Man 2, and the 2.1 release that hit stores earlier this year. Now (catching my breath) I have the third installment Blu-Ray set. That’s a whole lotta Spider-Man here, so I guess you could say that I am a pretty big fan of the web headed nerd in tights.

It seems pointless to review the storytelling quality of the first two films. Proof of its success, worldwide adoration, and sheer domination are not only derived from its mega box office status, but on display daily in every aisle of Walmart and Toys R Us.

While other characters or franchises may go through the typical highs and lows, according to recent theatrical releases (like Star Wars or Batman), Spider-Man appears to be embedded in the publics conscience, an unstoppable force of nature. From snack foods to fast food, glassware to underwear, cereal, action figures, video games, clothing, shoes, candy, bed spreads, vitamins… oh, and lets not forget that he has a few comic books to his name as well. Your friendly neighborhood capitalist is webbing up your pocket book as you read this review. All that said, you came here for a review, and a review is what you shall get…

Lets start off with a quick run down of the first two movies. Spider-Man 1 was really good, as it set a bold new direction for comic book movies, much like Tim Burton’s Batman a decade before. Spider-Man 2, could be considered as the greatest comic book movie ever made, with Batman Begins trailing as a very close second. Flawless? Of course not. Spectacular? Without a doubt true-believers! The biggest drawback however, happened in the films final moments, as the death of on of Spidey’s greatest villains, Doctor Otto Octavious (portrayed perfectly by Alfred Molina’s) left much to be desired . There ya go. Review over. Move along…

What I am obviously here to share with you is my opinion of Spider-Man; The High Definition Trilogy. As both a comic book and home-entertainment completist, I prefer to have all my disks, of a particular series, in the same format. Hence, my disappointment in the 007 films, as they are not yet all available in Blu-Ray format. With Spider-Man however, that is thankfully not the case.

The trilogy looks and sounds beautiful, yet it is by no means perfect. One of the major flaws with the advent of high definition entertainment, is its attempt to bring classics onto Blu-Ray or HD. These movies were filmed before technology junkies could predict how clean a picture HD would require, so many releases (while gorgeous beyond the capabilities of standard DVD) still have traces of grain that simply don’t show up in modern fare. That’s where Spidey 1 & 2 take a hit. For this reason alone, while 1 and 2 look better than ever on Blu-ray, they are not even in the same realm as Spider-Man 3. Thank digital film for that.

Spider-Man 2 includes the 2.1 cut (a nice bonus, but a little underwhelming since there’s only 8 additional minutes). I was perplexed and borderline upset to find that none of the five or so commentaries from the first two movies were included. Considering the size of a Blu-Ray disk, it is quite inexcusable. Sam Raimi is famous amongst Evil Dead geeks for his hilarious commentaries, and while his Spidey-versions are a little more subdued, they still make for informative, and highly entertaining tidbits, especially for those who consider themselves Raimi-Spider fans.

Also missing; the special features from Spider-Man 1 and 2. While I don’t miss the special features of movie 1 (lame HBO documentaries), I did thoroughly enjoy going behind the scenes of 2 and 2.1 in the DVD release. The vision for the sequel, was to place it in the realm of “The Empire Strikes Back” in regards to a sequel outperforming it’s predecessor. From casting, to story and especially the incredible L-train sequence, Spidey 2 deserves to be recognized on every level, and it’s a shame that Blu-Ray fans won’t get that chance.

It could be that Sony thought that anyone flipping the cash for a Blu-Ray trilogy, would be more interested in the A/V quality than the special features. It was probably a tough decision on their part, and NO I am not be sarcastic. On the one hand, including every special feature would create a definitive collection that fans would hopefully pay through the nose for. On the other hand, what if these fans (like myself) already owned them?

Would the company then be alienating its long list of early adopters by repackaging materials that wouldn’t be in Hi-Def anyway, essentially forcing those individuals to pay for the extras they already had? Not to mention that the HD war is a struggle on both sides, with movies like Spider-Man and Transformers trying to sway the balance of power in the direction of their respective format. Taking all of that into consideration, one can see how upping the price point could be seen as a tough sell.

Art by Michael Bencic. He writes, he draws, the kid is practically a super hero.

Despite my partial-complaint regarding these missing features, I also despise the over-stuffing of useless materials. Sure the idea of a 10 disk Matrix Ultimate set may SOUND cool, but have you tried WATCHING most of the self-important garbage on there? Well I have, and as a result, I still have yet to finish a 2-month old review, because I can’t bring mysely to stay awake through the bonus disks! Keeping Spidey 3 jam packed while leaving the other two disks pretty much bare-bones, is a wise way to keep the price down, the quality high, and the majority of customers happy.

And now, a drum roll for our feature presentation… Spider-Man 3! Here’s the deal, REAL Spidey fans know that the comics have always been up and down, in both quality and popularity. You have your small, personal stories, followed by gigantic, all encompassing epic battles. What has always made Spidey, well … AMAZING, is that he was fun and enjoyable in both story types.

In the movie universe, Spidey ONE was the origin and introduction of our hero, as well as arguably his greatest foe, the Green Goblin, played to a bipolar ‘T’ by Willem Dafoe. Spidey TWO took us to a different level, allowing us to experience a deeper, more personal battle consisting of doubt, love, and admiration. Spidey THREE, is a throwback to the great cross over super villain team ups of the 1990’s comic book series. We get 3 villains, one of which is Venom, some of the greatest action sequences ever put to celluloid, a reversal of allegiances, and a Gwen Stacey who is hotter than Satan’s pitch fork itself! Grrrrrrrrrr Tiger.

Sure, we may not get exactly the same Venom we all imagined, or a whole lot of him on screen for that matter, but this has to be somewhat expected, as the depiction of Norman Osborn/Green Goblin and even Doc Ock strayed a bit from the comic. Does that detract from the film, or from the characters in our memories? Not at all. Instead, view them as additions to a deep tapestry of mythology that will always grow and evolve with time.

As a Venom fanatic for almost 20 years now, I must admit that I found myself giddy as I watched Topher Grace’s scene stealing performance as Eddie Brock! Todd McFarlane must have felt like a very proud pappy to see his baby symbiote get the audience on their feet! Some fan-boys and critics wished he was on screen for a longer period of time, but in the end, Venom, represented throughout the film as Spider-Man’s “black suit”, gave us a true monster once united with Eddie Brock.

Remember, the maniacal Green Goblin died a loving father, and Doctor Octavious saved the city by taking his own life in the end. Even the Sandman was motivated by a very personal purpose; saving a sick child, but Venom, or rather Eddie Brock, is the only villain thus far who seemed to have a real bad guy complex. Sure, there’s a dance number, but it’s Sam Raimi guys… dancing Zombies were just as silly, yet Evil Dead 2 still rocks!

Thomas Hayden Church as the Sandman was and example of great, yet shamefully under utilized, casting. While a majority of the action revolves around the Sandman’s powers and special effects, he has so little dialogue that all the attempts to make him unlucky or sympathetic come in tiny doses, rendering them almost pointless.

MJ ultimately has MORE screen time than the title character in this installment, leaving me wishing she that she met her maker back in Spidey 2. I understand studio/movie making politics. The Spider-Man series is adored by fans of all ages, race, gender. I speculate that emphasizing Peter and Mary Jane was an executive decision, made to broaden the appeal and of course, to make Titanic-esque coin.

How much is too much though? THIS is too much. I went from being mildly interested in their love story in the first two films (because it gave Peter an emotional backdrop, although Uncle Ben’s death did the same) to just wishing her dead in the third. By no means do I wish harm on the actress Kirsten Dunst, but by the end of Spider-Man 3, you are PRAYING for Kraven the Hunter to make a special guest appearance, if only to accidentally snipe her in the head. Oh no, Peter is in more pain! Hey, a 4th installment with no MJ, could mean more incredible action sequences, instead of Aunt May blathering on about a marriage.

Then there’s Harry. Harry, himself, is well done. The NEW Goblin though, is abysmal. With the dozens and DOZENS of possible Spider-foes available, Raimi (who co-wrote this sequel) decided that he would rather CREATE a New Goblin. Not only is Rami’s creation poorly designed and visually uninspired, but it throws away every bit of tension that was built over the course of the first two films, ultimately delivering what ends up being a joke with no punch-line.

I think I speak for Spider-fans everywhere when I say… WTF Sam? The answer to why, might be a very simple one however. By creating their OWN character, and generically naming him, Sam, his writing team, and Sony now retain the New Goblin rights, meaning they can share an even larger piece of the sweet Marvel-Merchadising-Money pie.

Ultimately though, this blew up in their face, and I hope the fan reaction has taught Sami and Sony a valuable lesson. Tell us a decent story with the characters we know and love, don’t try and shoe-horn your own creations. If you want to do that, make another Evil Dead movie. This was the WORST possible direction for the Green Goblin saga to go. While Sandman and Venom are battling each other for precious seconds of screen-time, the NEW Goblin some how kept nudging his way in. Word on the ol’ internet is that Sony is not interested in Raimi as a writer for a 4th trip, and that very well may be the first positive step taken towards the next Spider-Man film.

With the enormous success of Spider-Man 3 ($800+ million so far) a sequel is inevitable. However, nothing lasts forever, and Sony needs to take a break and reassess the franchise. Another drawback is Toby’s acting, which in Spider-Man 3, was the polar opposite of Topher Grace’s entertaining performance. Toby seems almost devoid of Spider-Man’s personality in this episode. He lacks the charisma, and the delivery that made Spider-Man 1 and 2 fun to watch. He looks and sounds tired, and maybe that is because he is A) too old for the part, or B) tired of portraying the same character on screen. The answer may also be that he is both. You had your moments Toby, thanks for the memories, but maybe now is the time for some new blood.

Avi Arad and the production team need treat the movie-series like the comic book series. That said, a new creative team and or cast may be just what the doctor ordered. Don’t call the next movie Spider-Man 4, instead create a NEW story-arch/trilogy, and call this one “The Amazing Spider-Man”. Then in another 9 years, launch a “Spectacular Spider-Man” trilogy. The point is, I’m not concerned about having the same actor play the same role in every movie, what I am concerned with is that the characters and quality of the films remain at a high level.

The Special Features on Disk 2 are packed, and interesting. However, I wanted to see more on the history of the Sandman and Venom (a feature that was included and perfectly produced for the Silver Surfer on the Fantastic Four DVD/Blu-Ray). Sam Raimi was very open about his hate for the Venom character before production began, and it comes across even here. Including Eddie Brock was a Marvel decision, and now I am sure they are regretting putting this Rogue into Raimi’s hands.

The amount of effort that went into Sandman and Venom by the artists is exceptional though. The SFX teams interviewed are definitely fans, and they wanted to make the big-screen debuts of these characters very special. Mission accomplished, as both villains look incredible. The commentary track with the cast and crew is only interesting when Topher (a self professed geek) and Todd McFarlane go over the history and importance of Venom to the Marvel universe. Todd basically helped bring Spider-Man back into the forefront of comics back in the early 90’s, and Venom is one of the most iconic (and popular) introductions of a Marvel character in the past 20 years.

The blooper real is funnier than much of the the scripted comedy, excluding the on-screen performances of Bruce Campbell. He would be fun to watch even if he was beating a puppy. I am not justifying beatings puppies, or declaring Mr. Campbell as some sadistic puppy-hater. The point I’m trying to make is that he has more personality in his finger than the entire Spider-Man cast combined. In other words, I would have purchased a Blu-Ray disk called “Spider-Man’s Pal, Bruce Campbell!” at any price.

The video is gorgeous. Blu-ray has it’s new… well, Prince. I say Prince because Casino Royale sits would have to be considered Blu-ray’s King as it’s not only as crystal clear as Spider-man, but it is a much more entertaining movie overall. So we must all still hail to King Bond, however Spider-Man 3 is no slouch. It is practically flawless, and will stand out even more if you watch the movies in order. The sound is just as delicious, although I have a personal gripe with some of the compositions. Spidey’s theme remains intact, though Danny Elfman unfortunately jumped ship. That said, Venom and Sandman’s new orchestral cues are ominous and well performed.

Overall, Spider-Man 3 has its ups (Topher Grace, Action, Special effects, Bruce Campbell with a french accent while NOT beating puppies) and its downs (Mary Jane/New Goblin/lack of actual Spider-Man on screen/Sam Raimi’s greed for Goblin cash), but if you scene-select to everything that looks-like it contains the following you’ll get a much shorter movie… but the one you actually wanted to see: a fight, webs, Spidey-mask, Bruce ‘Frenchy’ Campbell, Venom, Sandman, J. Jonah Jameson, or Gwen Stacey falling from a skyscraper.

My Venom-fanboy praise and hatred of Sam Raimi’s New Goblin (blech!) aside, as a total package, Spider-Man; The High Definition Trilogy is a must have for web-heads who have taken the dive into Blu-Ray ownership. This Halloween, the real treat won’t be the Spider-Man lollipops you steal from the kids, but this disk-set spinning in your PS3.

The format war race has just gotten a little uglier with Microsoft offering $150 million to Paramount Pictures and Dreamworks for what they are calling “promotional consideration”. In short, the aforementioned studios have agreed to an exclusive HD-DVD deal that will run for 18 months.

If Microsoft dishes out that kind of dough for consideration of a product, you gotta ask yourself what they would be willing to offer for a “no questions asked — you do what we tell you for as long as we tell you” agreement.

First off, if you are forty-four years old and purchasing a $600 item without doing your research we are willing to bet that you are either single or extremely wealthy. Ask any man in a relationship and he will tell you that the key to making a high priced purchase is being able to justify it to the boss lady.

Secondly, we aren’t sure about the rest of you, but when we were six years old, we weren’t taking polls about Beta and VHS technology. We understand that consoles are often purchased for children, but we don’t know many children that could tell you the difference between a Disney DVD and a Disney Blu-ray.

Of course these are the results of just one survey, however it does make you wonder if cramming high priced gadgets into a machine essentially made for gaming can continue to be justified. The Nintendo Wii console is doing just fine without them.

Source: arstechnica.com

If you listen to The Mad Gamers tip and apply the following, you can save around $350 on a PS3, some movies, a few games and/or accessories. Here’s how.

1. Go to SonyStyle.com and sign up for a Sony Style Credit Card to get $150 in credit for your purchase of over $299 (Offer Ends September 30th). See post for more details.

2. When the new 80Gb Motorstorm PS3 bundle goes on sale (August 13th) for $600 buy it at SonyStyle.com You get Motorstorm for free, regularly a $60 value.

3. Go to bluraysavings.com and send in your form for 5 free blu-ray movies, a savings of roughly $140 (Offer Ends September 30th).

So you pay $600 + shipping & handling and you get an 80Gb PS3 that plays Blu-ray movies, Upscales DVDs, and plays games; a copy of MotorStorm; 5 Blu-ray movies after a mail-in offer; and $150 credit from Sony to spend on accessories or use towards your purchase of the PS3 at SonyStyle (after 8-12 weeks)… what are you waiting for? The PS3 80Gb launch date — that makes sense.

Sony tried to look at the glass as half full, noting that they sell each PS3 at a loss so the low sales numbers actually worked out to mean less money lost than they had expected. Price cuts in both Japan and more recently in the US have yet to make a discernible difference in the disappointing adoption rate of the PS3, although those cuts are recent their full impact has yet to be determined. What will remain constant is that Sony’s losses will continue for some time as they struggle to keep pace with the Wii and XBox 360 while selling at an estimated $200 loss per unit.

But Sony’s plan to deal with that is to lower the manufacturing costs of each system, first by removing the Emotion Engine from the system but also by reducing costs for manufacturing the pricey Cell processors, RSX graphics chips and Blu-ray components. Sony would like to achieve this by the end of the year and get back to the break-even point so they can focus once again on getting more PS3s into homes. It should be noted that rivals Microsoft also sell their consoles at a loss, although that margin is suspected to be lower and Nintendo’s bargain priced unit is actually a profit stream for the company.

And in spite of all the doom and gloom, there is actually some silver lining on the cloud that’s hung over Sony since their lackluster launch a little over a year ago. Many have pinpointed the inclusion of a full-featured DVD player in the enormously popular PS2 as one of the catalysts for that system’s success last gen, which came at a time when DVD players were still expensive and mostly still firmly stuck in early adopter land. Some of the slow pickup rate on the PS3 may have to do with the uncertainty of the comparable technology this time around due to the format wars of high definition DVDs. But lately Sony’s Blu-ray technology has made some promising inroads, scoring exclusivity as the HD format in Blockbuster rental stores and getting the nod from the US’ second-largest retailer, Target as their featured high definition DVD hardware platform. Target insists they’ll continue to carry the competing HD-DVD discs but will sell only Bu-ray players for the time being. East Coast warehouse chain BJ’s Wholesale Club announced a similar decision.

With Blu-ray starting to pull ahead and the PS3’s recent price dip putting it squarely into the position that worked so well for the PlayStation 2 as a competitively priced Blu-ray player that also happens to play next gen games, PS3 may finally be ready to compete this gen. Add to that a fairly strong showing at E3 which showcased several AAA-level titles coming in time for the holidays such as Heavenly Sword and Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction and perhaps the reports of Sony’s early demise have been greatly exaggerated.

When I was a kid I used to want to go places that my mom did not want to take me like Toys”R”Us, Disney World, and Sega’s corporate headquarters, so in order to shut me up she would say “ok tomorrow”. Did she really mean tomorrow? Nope. Well it appears that mothers are not exclusive to this group of master word manipulators.

According to Reuters, Sony’s President Ryoji Chubachi stated that the company has no plans for a price cut at the “present time”, yet reports are now pointing to retailer Circuit City offering the Playstation 3 along with 5 Blu-ray movies for $499 between July 15th and the 21st. It seems that Sony’s commander and chief may have been referring to the specific time of day on his watch when he made the statement, and hey … that doesn’t make him a liar now does it?

Another report by Gamedaily cites that a “merchandising manager (who wished to remain anonymous) at one of the world’s biggest retailers” confirmed to them that the price drop will be “retail-wide” and begin on July 12th with advertisements regarding the new price hitting consumers on the 15th.

If all this is true, consumers will not be waiting for the circular on the 15th, they will be waiting outside the store for the doors to open on the 12th. At this point in time however, Sony Computer Entertainment of America has declined comment. How much stock are you willing to put into an anonymous merchandising manager? Guess we will all know the truth soon enough.

Source(s): Gamedaily, Cheapassgamer

Sony is being hit hardest where it hurts the most … the wallet.

Citing violations related to the Blu-ray technology, Irvine, California’s Target Technology Company has come out swinging and Sony is left once again trying to soften the blow. Seeking damages, a suit was filed earlier this month targeting Sony Computer Entertainment America, Sony Pictures, and Sony DADC and claims that products sold and marketed under the Blu-ray lable infringe on a reflective layer material patent the Target Technology Company owns. The patent was filed in April of 2004 and granted in March of 2006.

Target is seeking a permanent injunction which would ultimately prevent Sony from violating their patent rights moving forward, along with damages and multiplied interest due to what they claim to be “deliberate and willful infringement”. All of this leave s us wondering … how much longer can Sony continue to dodge the barrage of legal punches being thrown their way?

Calls to both Sony representatives and Target attorneys have yet to be returned.

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