Ever changing, the future is. Fluid. But that doesn’t stop a collection of fanboys such as the TPS staff from engaging in news-fueled idle chitchat about an one-system economic model, the viability of such offshoots as Panasonic and Google in the videogame market, and the accuracy of political stereotypes.

Scott Rodgers
Sports Editor
It seems as though both the PS3 and Xbox 360 are here to stay. Both consoles have re-energized themselves with slimmer versions, new controls (Move and Kinect), and other various capabilities.

But we’re here to talk about the future, the next generation, when we can finally live like The Jetsons. You know, having treadmills hang off our back porches that are thousands of feet in the air and when Sam’s dream of HyperWebNet will become reality.

Recently, Mark Rein of Epic said that gaming is going mobile. “It feels like there’s a great opportunity for game consoles to cease to be something you plug into the wall and, rather, become something you take with you,” he said. “Of course, it will be more than just your game console; you can have your productivity apps, your documents, and your media collections on it, as well.”

He went on to talk about how consoles like the 360 and PS3 could become tablets. These new consoles will allow for casual social gaming (i.e., going out, setting up your PS4 tablet on a table, and playing games like those found in Start the Party) and your standard fun (according to Rein, you could go home, use technology like AirPlay or Wireless HDMI to connect to the TV, pick up a controller or even use your phone, and go to town on some Call of Duty 14: Prehistoric Warfare).

The success of the iPhone and iPad has obviously changed the landscape of our favorite hobby. Are you concerned over the potential lack of quality (why make the equivalent of a $60 release this generation when there is much less risk attached to a $4.99 title)? Perhaps having your PS3, PSP, and iPad rolled into one, streamlined package is too appealing to pass up?

So with that I propose to you, fine members of the TPS staff: how should we react? Is the sky falling or is the future brighter than ever?

Marc N. Kleinhenz
Features Editor
There’s another possible piece to this puzzle that we’re overlooking: OnLive. It just may be that our mobile tablets will simply be, more or less, empty shells that are dependent upon the Sony Cloud for all computational capability and further levels of sentience. (My Xbox 720 will be nicknamed HAL.)

And just to make sure that the future is as fluid as humanly possible, here’s another mind-fuck for you: what if another manufacturer beats Microsoft, Sony, or Nintendo to the punch line and releases its own semi-mobile, all-in-one monstrosity? And what if that manufacturer is Panasonic?

Welcome to the Jungle, indeed.

Aram Lecis
Senior Editor
Marc, before I even clicked on that link, I was thinking, “Ha! This will be another 3DO-level disaster!” While I applaud the idea they are trying, the lack of software support will be its demise, as it doesn’t seem like it will run Windows stuff natively.

That doesn’t mean I don’t think the concept is sound, and I am sure that we will see the idea of a “tablet” gaming system, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see it come in the next generation. Why anyone would see this as anything other then the next logical evolutionary step is beyond me, but there are throngs of people that always hated letterboxed movies because they “cut out a lot of the picture,” so I am sure someone out there will find some reason to object. (“I hate convenience!”)

As for the ability to connect to the cloud to run all our games, I absolutely believe that that is coming, too, but probably not until the generation after next, when high-speed wireless internet is more readily available. I’m afraid we don’t have the infrastructure in place just yet to support that. Most major cities’ 3G networks don’t even seem to be able to handle the traffic they get just trying to read tweets, so I don’t know if it could support millions of people trying to play Pathways into Darkness 2: Revenge of Durandal or whatever Bungie does next. Even though I’ll be a cranky old man by then, I’ll totally dig my PlayStation 5 that streams every movie and song ever recorded from anywhere in the world, and I can play Peggle vs. Zombies on the touchscreen or use the built-in XHHD (Xtra High High Definition) 3D projector to game anywhere. Of course it will be backwards compatible with PS4, PS3, and PSX games, too. Bring on this brave new world!

Parjanya C. Holtz
Senior Editor
I like how you conveniently ignored a PS2 backwards compatibility function in your future scenario, Aram.

I’ll be the technophobe here. I highly doubt that we’ll be seeing anything as daring as a cloud computing service within the next – let’s say – two to three iterations of Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo consoles. Any industry is aware of the risks of trying too much new stuff at once, and while few like to admit it, the videogames industry is very conservative at its core – not too different from Hollywood or the music industry, I might add.

No, I’m pretty sure it will take at least a couple more generations before we see cloud computing fully established, not to mention portable cloud computing/consoles. Maybe by the time those do exist, OnLive will have made such a name for itself that they end up becoming the market leader, ultimately winning the infamous and unavoidable console war, or at least being at the very front of it.

One thing that we should not forget with consoles is that they are like any other electronic gadget out there; just because every smartphone or HDTV on the market technically is the same device packed into a different casing and branded with its own company logo, featuring slightly rearranged software and hardware functions, it doesn’t mean Nokia and Apple will suddenly call it a day and start making the ultimate phone together. Competition is good for business, and even better for the consumer. Getting to choose what fanboy we grow up to become is a luxury we shouldn’t underestimate.

Marc N. Kleinhenz
Features Editor
My two predictions (whether they be short- or long-term):

1. No other manufacturer beyond the established three will make it in the industry. Sorry, OnLive and Jungle.

2. The three manufacturers will become, essentially, software-only companies. No other business is segregated like videogames are; imagine having access to only certain television content on a Sony TV, with other programming opportunities available solely for Samsung models, etc. It doesn’t make sense.

When consoles stop being exclusive affairs is when the industry will hit the big-time (just as when the monthly, collectible format is scrapped, comics will become an ubiquitous art form).

It is inevitable.

Scott Rodgers
Sports Editor
All right, then. So I guess it boils down to this: the battle lines are clearly drawn for each of the “Big Three.” I think Marc is on the right path that eventually we’ll one day have a way Microsoft, Sony, and Nintendo games will be played on the same device. Who makes said device is up to anyone’s imagination.

But, in closing, I propose this question to you: which of the three is the biggest loser? And who benefits from this scenario the most?

Andy Curtiss
Staff Writer
It seems pretty clear to me that, in the scenario Scott proposed, Nintendo loses the most. They’ve been around longer than the other two. Nintendo is a Mecca all on its own. For their games to suddenly be played on a system that plays Sony’s and Microsoft’s, as well, would mean that Nintendo loses part of its identity… part of its mystique. Let’s face it – Nintendo has never had to share anything. Sure, the Sega Genesis had part of the market back in the 16-bit days, but, in the grand scheme of things, that was a brief point in time. And as far as hardware is concerned, I believe that Sony and Microsoft will need to duke it out for who would be able to produce the system that would run them all. But, yeah… still sheerly imagination and speculation.

It would seem to me that Microsoft would benefit most from one system for the three companies’ games. Of the next-gen consoles, I have a feeling that the Xbox family lags just a little behind the others. Not with any glaring problems, for the most part. But it seems to me that if they were able to do away with having to worry about a system, Microsoft could cultivate the talent they have working for them and channel that energy in another direction.

I think the more interesting question, for me, is what impact does that suddenly have on our favorite developers and publishers? If suddenly there was one system to unite them all, then what becomes of my beloved Capcom or Tecmo Koei or Namco Bandai?

Parjanya C. Holtz
Senior Editor
If this scenario indeed comes true, which I still highly doubt (at least not within the next 10 to 20 years), then Microsoft will profit the most, as the other two companies clearly have an easier time producing a solid piece of hardware. Sony and Nintendo also have an identity to lose, which Microsoft is still somewhat in the process of building.

But wouldn’t it completely contradict the current system of moneymaking? I mean, all of these companies are making most of their cash from selling publishers a license that lets them release their games on their specific platform. Selling hardware units is just the big three’s way of making sure publishers want to have their games on Sony’s, Microsoft’s, and Nintendo’s systems. Heck, they’re even losing money at the beginning of a console’s lifecycle. (At least in the case of Microsoft and Sony – I’m not so sure about Nintendo, or the Wii, more specifically.)

But, yeah, I’d miss our good old console wars. Also keep in mind that competition only benefits us, the consumer. I tie certain games to certain platforms, and as much as I would be interested in playing a Mario game in HD on my PS3, it just wouldn’t feel right. The industry would slowly lose its soul over technological and commercial convenience, and that would just be a terrible thing to happen.

Aram Lecis
Senior Editor
I’m going to have to go ahead and agree with Paji on this one. I’m not sure that we will be seeing a unified console in the near future, and I think when it does happen, it will be to the overall detriment of the consumer. There have been two or three major consoles in every generation since the dawn of videogaming, driving innovation, and I have yet to see any real indication of a shift in that paradigm. If this epic event ever did come to pass, my feeling is that it won’t involve any of the current “big three” but will come form someone like Google or whatever conglomeration owns Facebook in the future. Or maybe Atari. Never count out Atari.

If such an event were to occur in the near future, however, I think Nintendo would be the clear loser, since they stray the farthest from the “classic” gamer model, and it is their non-traditional offerings that set them apart. If this were a political equation, Sony and Microsoft would be the Democrats and Republicans, indistinguishable except for a few talking points (i.e., console exclusives) and Nintendo would be the Libertarians with their wacky, offbeat ideas to shake up the establishment. Unifying everything would push out the outliers and probably leave us with far less “experimental” projects.

Marc N. Kleinhenz
Features Editor
Just in the interest of historical accuracy, every generation has had multiple systems except for one – the 8-bit generation, when the NES was so dominant, it prevented Sega’s, Atari’s, and NEC’s consoles from even acquiring a toehold in the market.

Also, from the advent of the modern American political period 65 years ago, there have been quite substantial and well-entrenched differences between the Democratic and Republican worldviews.

For better or worse.

With all the hoopla attached to other giant trade shows around this time (E3, PAX, Gamescom), sometimes the Tokyo Games Show gets a little lost in the shuffle.  Japan is Sony’s home court, though, and they often save some of their biggest surprises for TGS.  This year might not have seen many unexpected announcements, but it was rife with new details about a plethora of anticipated titles.  Yes, we heard a lot about 3D and Move integration, as well as bizarrely (to the Western audience) themed PSPs, but we also were treated to new footage and features for Gran Turismo 5 and The Last Guardian.

While we didn’t send anyone to Glorious Nippon this year, we did gather some of the TPS staff in the conference room to talk about what we saw during the TGS stream (at least the parts Square Enix didn’t make them black out).

Scott Rodgers
Sports Editor

So, guys, TGS is over.  There has been a lot of interesting news to come out of the convention.  Perhaps none is bigger than the re-imagining and redesign of Dante of Devil May Cry.  Ninja Theory is trying to put a fresh spin on the series, and I’m fine with change.  However, I have to think the new “Dante Cullen” is a bit too radical for my tastes.  I’m willing to give it a shot.  The combat looked a bit slow forDMC (especially in a trailer), but as long as I don’t have to play the game twice with different characters, I’ll be fine.  What about you guys – are you on Team Dante?

Gran Turismo 5 looks incredible.  No other way to put it. How many of you are rushing out to buy your racing wheels?

Of course, I love the idea of Project Dark.  From Software has been nothing short of amazing in their last few titles, so I have to think this will be a hit, as well.  Can’t wait for more details.

Also, The Last Guardian will be great.  We all know it.  Unfortunately, someone/something must die.  Who you got – the boy or the gryphon thingy?

Finally, the Team Ico Collection.  Are you for or against HD remakes?   I love them, but I can understand people complaining about buying the same game twice, or collectors who lose a lot of value.  But who cares – trophies!

What say you, gentlemen?

Kyle Heimbigner
Staff Writer

I’m going to start off with the game that I just absolutely cannot stop talking about – Gran Turismo 5!  It is hard to put into words how amazing I think this game is going to be.  I actually am going to join the unclean masses and play with a DualShock controller instead of a steering wheel!  But, yeah, this game is far more than what I expected. 70 unique tracks, 1,000 cars, a track maker, weather effects… I was expecting big things from GT5, but nothing like this!  Polyphony has really raised the bar here and November 2nd really can’t come soon enough.

As for the Team Ico Collection, I’m really looking forward to it!   I didn’t get a chance to play these games on the PlayStation 2.  Also, being on the PlayStation 3 hardware should really do justice to these games.  They deserve a lot better then the 480p resolution they were presented in.  Plus, Shadow of the Colossus had a lot of technical limitations and frame rate issues due to the PS2 hardware.  It will be great to see all of those issues corrected and to have the game presented in 1080p.

Parjanya C. Holtz
Senior Editor

I have to agree with Kyle – the Team Ico Collection is something I’m very much looking forward to.  I bought both Ico and Shadow of the Colossus on the PS2 but never got around to finishing those games.  This is my chance to finally make up for those wrongdoings.  Plus, I get to experience both titles in 16:9 HD with Dolby Digital sound and trophies.  I say keep the remasters coming, Sony.

GT5 obviously looks amazing.  However, the game I’m most excited about is From Software’s Project Dark.  I can’t wait to see what the Japanese come up with to ruin my dreamscape this time.  Demon’s Souls was terrifying and comforting at the same time.  It’s something I rarely experience in games, and I need more of that.

When it comes to Dante, I’m very happy to see Ninja Theory overtake that franchise.  It’s been a while since a Devil May Cry game did anything in terms of getting me interested.  I have a lot of faith in the Heavenly Sword developer, and I’m sure they’ll come up with something fresh and unique that will still satisfy fans of the old Dante.

What do you guys think of the new Castlevania?  I absolutely ignored this series for all my life, but now it’s starting to catch up to me.  The new trailer looks amazing, both story- and art direction-wise, and then there’s Kojima’s (supposed) involvement. How can anything go wrong there?

Speaking of Kojima – was there any news regarding Metal Gear Solid: Rising?  I’m very curious to see where that game’s direction is heading, but I really hope they don’t ruin the MGS name with a mediocre action fest.

Aram Lecis
Senior Editor

The first thing that struck me about the TGS Sony conference was how long it took to get going.  I know people in Japan have different tastes, but spending 15 minutes telling me about some Monster Hunter-themed PSP was a little much.  Not only that, but when they got around to talking about upcoming games, most of the trailers were blacked out!  All I got to see was a TGS title card while what sounded like the rape scene from The Witness played in the background.  But enough about that.

I’m not a huge fan of driving sims, but even I will probably end up picking up GT5 when it hits stateside, if for no other reason than to show my friends just how graphically amazing the PS3 can be in the right hands.  Those weather effects are drop-dead gorgeous.

I really wish we had seen more of The Last Guardian.  It sure looked pretty, but I still have no idea what you do in the game – although I know enough about Team Ico to know that I’ll probably be doing something related to puzzle-solving.  Despite owning and beating both games, I will definitely be picking up the Ico/SotC bundle day one, especially since they are promising to do more than just improve the graphic resolution (and lock in the frame rate).  Hopefully this will be a huge success and pave the way for more of these collections, because we all know the PS2 had some of the most compelling games in any console generation.

I’ll let you guys debate the merits of new, emo Dante and the latest Devil May Cry game, since that was never my cup of chai, and nothing about this new look or move to a new Western developer seems to change my feelings one iota.  But I will definitely be closely following Project Dark, as I think we all agree that Demon’s Souls was the surprise hit of last year (although I don’t know that I found anything about it comforting, Paji).  I was a very early importer on DS, but I’m guessing Project Dark will get announced for the West pretty quickly.

One other thing that stood out to me at TGS was the new look at Level 5’s upcoming Studio Ghibli collaboration, Ni no Kuni (Second Land), which is surprisingly being developed for the PS3 and the Nintendo DS.  Level 5 can usually do no wrong (I’m ignoring White Knight Chronicles), and the Ghibli animation team does some of the most stunning work I have ever seen. Everything about this game so far makes it look like the closest thing we have seen to an interactive animated comic book.  Will it ever come to our shores?

The Legend of Zelda.  Donkey Kong Country.  Kirby.  Mario Sports.  Nintendogs.  Even Kid Icarus and GoldenEye – no doubt about it, no matter the angle or the context, Nintendo had games, games, games at last month’s E3.  And that’s only on the stage floor; once the press conference’s lights had gone down and the crowds had dispersed, there was a second, even more potent tsunami of offerings in video and demo form:  Mario Kart, Animal Crossing, Star Fox, Pilotwings, Paper Mario, Professor Layton, Resident Evil, Kingdom Hearts, Metal Gear Solid.  It’s almost literally a never-ending parade of videogame goodness, comprised of some of the biggest and best in the industry.

Sony, on the other end of the spectrum, had a plethora of PlayStation-branded initiatives.  3D gaming, motion gaming, portable gaming, premium online gaming – although some rather large and robust titles were on hand at the presser, ranging from Sorcery to The Sly Collection to, most notably, Twisted Metal, they functioned, at least in the context of the media briefing, more as living proof and demonstrations of the company’s expanded portfolio of services rather than real destinations, in and of themselves, for wayward gamers this holiday season.

The irony could not be more palpable.  For years now, Nintendo has unleashed its software library to not only prove the viability of the Wii’s motion controls, but to also expound upon them at every turn:  Link’s Crossbow Training introduced the Zapper (or is that the other way around?); Mario Kart Wii, a steering wheel peripheral; Wii Fit, the balance board; Wii Sports Resort, Wii Motion Plus.  (On tap next is the still-mysterious [and inexplicable] Vitality Sensor.)  For Nintendo to abruptly transition from this cavalcade of casual-friendly plastic add-ons to a roster of hardcore-leaning, remarkably motion-less games is stunning, to say the least.

Sony, of course and obviously, has pushed the opposite tack since its very first steps into the videogame industry.  Titles like Resident Evil, Final Fantasy VII, and Gran Turismo, among many, many others, established the PlayStation brand, while Onimusha, Grand Theft Auto III, and Ico (again, among several others) almost immediately cemented the PS2’s status as worthy successor and, indeed, expansive expander; even the PS3 was launched with a stable of high-profile, surprisingly original (if not always critically regarded) software, ranging from Resistance to Heavenly Sword to Uncharted.  To arrive at a show where peripherals, whether they be 3D glasses or the Move and its family of motion-sensing cousins, constitute the bulk and brunt of Sony’s efforts is extremely interesting, if not outright historic.

(More interesting still is Microsoft’s dramatic submission to the sway of the casual court.  With half of its conference devoted to previously-unveiled games, little in the way of new or major announcements, and an overwhelming focus on Kinect and its ability to either engage players in Wii shovelware or users with voice-accentuated movie playback, MS unceremoniously took Nintendo’s former position of sacrificing hardcore zeal for mainstream attention.  Its briefing was, in many ways, a nadir for the company, in terms of both the Xbox as well as the 360 eras – although there is little doubt that Halo: Reach, Fable III, and Gears of War 3 will dominate, both commercially and critically, at the end of this year and the beginning of the next.)

In many ways, the market is right back to where it was 15 long years ago:  Nintendo, with the upper hand, versus Sony, with a lot to prove, locked in a hotly contested and easily decidable conflict.

It’s just that now the battle lines are more amorphous and the centers of power, reversible.

Something’s a-brewing at E3.

This would normally be nothing either new or unique, given the expo’s status as ground zero of the gaming world, but, in this particular case, it represents a long-gestating trend that promises to change the industry of our cherished pastime just as much, if not more, than Sony’s multimedia cavalcade and Nintendo’s motion-control revolution:  diversification, which is a polite way of saying a fracturing focus and splintering product line.

This year’s Microsoft presser was split neatly down the middle between the Xbox 360 and Kinect, the motion-sensing camera formerly known as Project Natal – a first for the company, despite the former and sporadic (not to mention typically lackluster) presence of Games for Windows content in shows past.  Nintendo likewise divvied up its presentation between its Wii and newly-announced 3DS systems, though this is hardly new in the big N’s case; it’s been segmenting its conferences since the first expo, 15 long years ago.

But Sony takes the cake (no pun intended, dear Gabe Newell).  Perhaps reflecting its diverse product line as an electronics manufacturer, SCEA had to contend with the PS3, PSP, and PSN even before the new additions of the PS Move, PS Plus, and PS3D (not an official appellation, but Sony may yet reconsider this excellent chance at [further] branding) were added to the E3 mix.  The console market has literally never seen the likes of this before, even with the endless iterations of both the 360 and the PS3 taken into account.  The question now facing both Sony and the industry is:  will gamers across the country – and, indeed, around the world – embrace this PlayStation saturation, or will they shrug indifferently as they cast their controllers, both traditional and motion, aside, just as they did to the Atari-led gaming blitzkrieg of the late ‘70s and early ‘80s?

The answer resides in yet another answer to yet another query.  Such a full roster – so full, in fact, that the PSP only showed up for some five minutes at the two-hour-long press briefing – is indicative of just one of two possibilities:  confidence or fear.  Either Sony is so thoroughly convinced of the ten-year lifespan of its mighty console that it is eager to keep piling reason upon reason to keep the PS3 front and center of the living room, or it is so fearful of either a weak economy or stronger-then-expected competition from its two eternal rivals that it feels the incessant, almost compulsive need to keep tweaking and fiddling.  For, make no mistake, this is a situation that can easily go either way; videogame history is paved – well, all right, occasionally paved – with examples of companies engaging in interactive excess, such as Sega’s barrage of the Sega CD, the 32X, redesigns of the Genesis and Sega CD and 32X, and the Saturn within a two-and-a-half year period.

Ultimately, however, it seems that Sony just may well end up rewriting history, and doing so successfully, yet again.  Not only do the manufacturer’s recent initiatives provide real and substantial additions to the gameplaying experience – there is a far cry from playing Killzone 3 in 3D or Socom 4 with the Move than, say, playing the DSi XL over the original DSi – but it is extremely unlikely that all consumers will feel the need to purchase all of the expanded capabilities, just as, indeed, a third-party developer will not feel compelled to release a brand-new title with 3D and Move functionality along with PS Plus-exclusive DLC.  Rather than relying upon the standard console tradition of everyone-does-everything-identically content, Sony may be trailblazing a new, expanded (forgive me for using the dreaded buzzword) structure of allowing different types of users to freely engage in different types of uses.

If this is truly the case, then be fully prepared to see the Wii Too and the Xbox 720 – not to mention, of course, the PlayStation 4 – utilizing the exact same set-up.

There is a running contest being waged amongst the console manufacturers and evaluated solely in my mind.  I call it the Ingenuity Award, and it is bestowed on the company that most shakes things up, that most pushes the console envelope, that most advances the medium of videogames.  In the 32-/64-bit generation (1995-1999), the recipient was easily Sony.

It was under Sony’s watch that cartridges were phased out, systems (slowly) became multimedia beasts, and marketing campaigns switched from the prepubescent demographic to that of the twenty-somethings; it was on the PlayStation that such endearing and enduring gameplay experiences as Resident Evil, Tomb Raider, and Metal Gear Solid were collected.   Despite the Nintendo 64 offering some compelling titles of its own – many of which are still considered to be the best games ever crafted in the history of the medium – there was simply no contest between the mostly regressive and reactionary Nintendo and the progressive and trailblazing Sony.

The 128-bit generation (1999-2005) saw a substantial-but-not-irrevocable slide, with Microsoft, the new newcomer, grabbing the award – there was no way Sony (or Nintendo) could compete against the onslaught of a perfectly streamlined console experience that produced Halo and resulted in Xbox Live – but it was a backtracking that carried with it a formidable dose of forewarning:  if the giant international corporation were not careful, it could and would replace Nintendo as the remote island of gameplay experiences, an oasis of Gran Turismo and Ico surrounded by miles and miles of cultural irrelevance.

It was, alas, a warning the company was too arrogant to take notice of.  The 256-bit Sony is a fumbling, Vaudevillian mess, the Jar Jar Binks of Microsoft and a resurgent Nintendo’s Rebel Alliance – one produces X-wings and Admiral Ackbars; the other, in a vain attempt to mimic his more sophisticated brethren, fabricates fart jokes in between Jerry Lewis pratfalls.   What a difference eleven years makes.

Just what happened?  There have been many mistakes, ranging from outrageous price tags to the seemingly never-ending parade of dropped features (dual HDTV outputs, USB/memory card slots, backwards compatibility, Linux support), but there is one fundamental element that lurks behind every misstep and manifests itself in every miscalculation:  passiveness.  Instead of being boldly progressive, Sony is now blindly reactionary, lurching desperately from one concept to the other in the desperate hope that something, anything will work to keep the evil bogeymen of Microsoft and Nintendo at bay.  The one thing that each of these concepts has in common?  They’re all someone else’s idea.

Sony had been in the console manufacturing business for exactly one decade when Microsoft kicked off the current generation with one of the most mystifyingly moronic decisions in all of videogame history – releasing multiple configurations of one system.  Instead of rebuking the development by summarily ignoring it, as did Nintendo (to much success), Sony instead adopted it as its own, even taking it to an extreme that can only be described as silly.  Three-and-a-half years and six iterations later, there are now more PS3 variations on the market than the number of Nintendo consoles made within the past 25 years.

But it is in Nintendo’s newfound Mecca of motion controls that Sony has most shamelessly shoplifted.   After an initial, bungled effort to incorporate motion sensitivity into its original, quasi-DualShock controller – blatantly lifted from the Wii’s press conference announcement and rushed to market before Nintendo’s system could arrive – the company has ended where it began, making much fanfare and flourish over the PlayStation Move, a Wiimote controller that makes use of a Nunchuk-esque “sub controller” and a video camera (which is itself a holdover from the PS2 days).  Sony even kicked off its marketing campaign for the device at this year’s Game Developers’ Conference by essentially brandishing the peripheral(s) as a “Wii for the HD” crowd.  One cannot get more reactionary than this.

A comparison can be made between the console manufacturers and television networks – when one is on the outs, it turns to cutting-edge material (or, simply, material that cuts edges off of production costs), making it fresh and new and rocketing it to the top of the Neilson hill.  Once it becomes dominant yet again, it becomes complacent and, thus, grows stale and conservative, plunging down the ratings ladder and starting the process all over again.  There is little doubt that Sony will manage, at some point down the road, to reinvent itself and, along the way, the rest of the industry, as well – but there is still the small, gnawing possibility that it will pull a Sega instead of a Nintendo, becoming an evolutionary dead-end instead of evolving to serve other ends.

Indeed, at the rate Sony’s going, I just might have to add another category to my mental competition:  Most Wayward Spirit (original recipient:  Sega).