QuickJump QuickPeek Issue # 03: Of herpes, price cuts, and the madness that is E3

(From the Editor: Welcome to the third issue of our weekly feature, QuickJump QuickPeek! The feedback we’ve been getting from you guys has been great since the first issue was released three weeks ago. As a sign of gratitude, we’re adding a new section that serves as a tribute to the best part of the industry; it’s not Jade Raymond silly, we’re talking about you guys! We won’t be spoiling anything in the intro part, you have to go “peek” with us to find out. On to our third ish!)

It’s been said that obsession, rather passion, is the most powerful driving human nature (it’s not friendship either, go back to playing Pokemon). And this week’s big events were glaring testaments to that line of thinking. For the fans’ obsession for more affordable stuff, we were given a PS3 price cut; for the people raving about slimmer figures, we were given the Wii Fit and the PSP Slim; and for the people obsessed with gaming news, we were given the madness that is E3. It’s been excruciatingly challenging trying to put all the week’s big events in a single issue, but we managed.

The full article awaits after the jump!

(From the Editor: Welcome to the third issue of our weekly feature, QuickJump QuickPeek! The feedback we’ve been getting from you guys has been great since the first issue was released three weeks ago. As a sign of gratitude, we’re adding a new section that serves as a tribute to the best part of the industry; it’s not Jade Raymond silly, we’re talking about you guys! We won’t be spoiling anything in the intro part, you have to go “peek” with us to find out. On to our third ish!)

It’s been said that obsession, rather passion, is the most powerful driving human nature (it’s not friendship either, go back to playing Pokemon). And this week’s big events were glaring testaments to that line of thinking. For the fans’ obsession for more affordable stuff, we were given a PS3 price cut; for the people raving about slimmer figures, we were given the Wii Fit and the PSP Slim; and for the people obsessed with gaming news, we were given the madness that is E3. It’s been excruciatingly challenging trying to put all the week’s big events in a single issue, but we managed. Here they are:

PlayStation Portable
We totally understand some men’s obsession with slim women. That’s why we have Jessica Alba wallpapers on our PCs and Elisha Cuthbert themes on our PSPs right? Wrong. Men want slim women because they eat less food and usually opt to bear no children, which generally means less work and more gaming for the guys.

Kicking aside stupid sexists comments and lame attempts at trying to be funny though, the slim trend – at least in the gadget industry – seems to lean more towards practicality and adaptability.

Profitability’s definitely the reason why Sony came up with a redesigned PSP that’s said to be 19% slimmer and about 33% lighter than the PSP’s we currently own. Trimmed hardware plus video output feature equals revenue all over less effort – a pretty good equation towards financial success if you ask us. Anyway, you can view all the details and hands-on pictures of this PSP Slim by going over here.

The other PSP-related big thing in E3 is a very rich update for Ready At Dawn‘s mega project with SOE, God of War: Chains of Olympus. If the seriously cool stuff they’ve shown at E3 is any indication, we would soon have the epic battle between gods, mortals, and monsters exploding on our PSPs. You can check out the drool-inducing screens and pants-wetting video here.

Outside E3, we move on to the homebrew front. There’s been a couple of notable homebrew game releases this week, among them is a combo’d unveling of PSP Doom v.06 and PSP Heretic v0.7. In the emulator field, UberJack was on hand to give us the latest serving of his Master System and Game gear emulator, SMS Plus. The hacking scene is pretty active as well, with up and coming becus25 giving us a tasty OE expansion for his custom firmware 3.40 IE.

The team of QJ.NET’s most successful blog would like to take this opportunity though to shell out our own thoughts regarding the announcement of PSP Slim. We really don’t care if it’ll sell well, or if it will silence fans long calling for a hardware tweak for their handhelds. What we do know is this: with this new hardware, Sony has once again given the PSP homebrew scene something to look forward hacking.

It’s been widely perceived that hackers and coders have done all that is necessary for the PSP, that it’s become so predictable it’s not fun anymore. Simply put, our community’s aching for a real challenge. And we believe this PSP Slim will quench that thirst. Picture this, controlling Kratos on customized firmware, running on a Slim PSP complete with all emulators, applications, and homebrew games. Sweet isn’t it? It’ll probably take some time, but we have no doubt that it will be done some time in the future.

That’s how this successful PSP homebrew scene of ours began. Nem, Fanjita and Noobz Team, Dark Alex, Booster, and the rest, they all came to rescue us from the pits of homebrew-less firmwares that were, at that time, uncrackable. And rest assured that developers will once again relish this challenge. And we’ll all be here obsessively waiting to blog about it.

– QJ.Net’s PSP team

PlayStation 3
We’re getting used to a lot of good press lately, and things are starting to look like the way things were back when the PS2 was at this stage of the game – being put down by critics only to gain steam a few months after its release to eventually beat the GameCube and Xbox. We all know the results of this next-gen console war are very much far into the future, but it feels good to win a few battles every now and then. So on to this week’s PS3 highlights.

Even before the big guns were fired at E3, Sony was able to draw first blood in announcing a US$ 100 price cut on its 60GB units. This move, although widely considered as inevitable, worked its magic in spiking the PS3’s sales up, even improving its Amazon ranking by 2800%. Fears of this improvement being a “one time, big time” deal was dispelled when Sony bigwigs from E3 announced that PS3 sales continue its strong showing, even doubling the numbers from the previous spike. Things are looking bright huh? Sit tight, the really juicy stuff is yet to come. [Ed. It’s worth noting that this story is still unfolding, particularly with regards to the length of time this price cut will run for. Rest assured we’ll have a the full story covered on QJ.]

Widely criticized for lacking in console-moving titles and plagued by rumors of losing the exclusivity of the big games under its belt, the PS3 responded with all guns blazin’ in E3. Toting along its ride side is a very hot trailer of Halo killer Killzone 2 with graphics comparable to that of Epic Games’ Gears of War. To its right, it wielded Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of Patriots with legendary Hideo Kojima promising (and later on proving) that this installment will definitely go out with a bang (it’s announced to be the last of the series as well) and that, ahem, it’ll remain a PS3-exclusive. The reinforcements are a force to be reckoned with too (click on the link to check out their corresponding E3 updates) – Unreal Tournament, LittleBigPlanet, Gran Turismo 5, Heavenly Sword, etc.

All great things must come to an end though, and as good as the sales of freshly price-slashed 60GB PS3, Kaz Hirai officially confirmed that this particular PS3 version will indeed be phased out, making the cheaper offer last only until the stocks are all moved. It’s hard to complain though, with the 80GB version rolling out of factories ready to reinforce the PS3’s ranks.

All in all it was, again, a great week for us PS3 loyalists. The future is indeed very promising and with more killer titles, such as Grand Theft Auto 4 and Final Fantasy XIII lined up for release next year, things are bound to get even better.

– QJ.Net’s PS3 team

Xbox 360
E3 wasn’t that special for Microsoft‘s Xbox 360, but it doesn’t mean our green, mean machine is taking the opposition for granted. There just aren’t many things you can nitpick concerning the Xbox 360, so as the saying goes, why fix something that isn’t broken? [Ed. The irony of this comment is rather amusing Jerico] On to the week’s news.

There was the recurring red ring’d Xbox 360s issue, one of the few areas Microsoft has to work on. According to a story we ran a couple of days ago, the said repairs to the damaged units may cost Microsoft around US$ 1 billion. Also, analysts estimate that the company has lost more than US$ 6 billion since 2002 and with Microsoft extending their warranties again, the costs could pile up in the next three years.

Another pre-E3 problem for Microsoft is a lawsuit filed against them by a certain Jorge Brouwer after his Xbox 360 allegedly scratched his disks. The guy’s demanding a cool US$ 5 million in damages; a hefty sum alright, but it’s because he wants Microsoft to account for all the damaged discs worldwide. Bouwer’s lawsuit stated that Microsoft is “well aware that the Xbox 360 console has been defective since its introduction to the marketplace,” explaining that this gives merit to their case. You can read more about this here.

With the PS3 getting cheaper, some analysts have kept predicting that Microsoft will announce a price cut of its own. Says Wedbush Morgan’s Michale Pachter, “the value proposition for the PS3 is increased at the new lower price point, putting increased pressure on Microsoft to cut the price of its Xbox 360,” adding that “the 80GB and 60GB PS3 models compare favorably to the 120GB and 20GB Xbox 360 models.” This was reported in full detail here.

In related news, Mercury News journalist Dean Takahashi has also surfaced this week claiming that Microsoft’s alleged new move to counter Sony’s recent price cut for the PlayStation 3 will be codenamed “Project Falcon.” Also according to him, this will center around the latest internal electronics in the Xbox 360 (an IBM microprocessor and an AMD/ATI graphics chip that are manufactured in a 65-nanometer production process). This will supposedly solve the overheating issues of Xbox 360s. You can check the report here.

It’s not all that bad though, like we said, it’ll take more than bad press to put a good product down. This week’s E3 gave us a glimpse of the awesome titles lined up to join the already-kick ass library of Xbox 360 games. Video games such as Halo 3, Assassin’s Creed, Project Gotham Racing 4, Guitar Hero III, Blue Dragon, BioShock, and a lot more were showcased and got good feedback from the participants. You can check out the E3 updates on each game by clicking on their respective links.

That’s it from us this week. We Xbox 360 fans can look forward to next week confident that the tides will turn to our favor this time. See you then!

– QJ.Net’s Xbox 360 team

Wii
It’s becoming more and more apparent that Nintendo has started to master the art of making formal presentations. The success of the past two E3’s along with other big gaming-related events the past year is a clear testament to this. The Wii is making a lot of heads turn, and you have Nintendo’s marketing geniuses to thank for that. Then again, it’s hard to get it wrong with the affordable technological wonder that is the Nintendo Wii. Here’s another the bulk of Wii updates that made us happii gamers this week.

The first piece of big news is the unveiling of the Nintendo Wii Zapper. Remember the gray-and-orange gun you used to shoot down ducks in Duck Hunt? It’s the same here, except it’s more of an attachment rather than an entire device. The Wiimote clips onto the front of the Zapper, and the Nunchuck on the back – probably for the handle. Retails at US$19.99, bundled with a free game specifically made for the Zapper.

We also got a big surprise with the revelation of Wii Fit. This game pretty much takes what Wii Play and Wii Sports tried to do, and takes it to the next level – that is, a game designed to get gamers in tip-top condition. Shigeru Miyamoto demoed it himself – Wii Fit gets gamers to dance, stretch, and pretty much have a workout by completing 40 different activities, with the Wii Balance Board acting as a highly-sensitive dance pad that tracks movement, weight and pressure. And with the game tracking your progress and Body Mass Index as you play, it certainly blows away the saying that games rot your mind (and body). Full details, screens, and video here.

Being consistently criticized for having most of its games molded for the casual gaming market, Nintendo unleashed a bevy of updates for hardcore titles set to recapture the true-blue gamers’ interest: Super Smash Brother Brawl, Metroid Prime 3: Corruption, Guitar Hero 3: Legends of Wii, Mario Kart Wii, and Super Mario Galaxy. That’s just the tip of the iceberg, you can check out corresponding E3 updates by clicking on the respective links for each game.

Whew! Just reporting about the week’s event make us feel Wii Fit already! You can expect more good things to transpire in the coming weeks, so make sure you stay glued to our pages (well, at least after playing with your Wiis).

– QJ. Net’s Wii Team

Honorable Mentions
Games are great in providing us with alternate realities relieving us of the world’s aches and pains, but even the most realistic video game still has no match to, well, “reality”. So it’s been part of QJ.Net’s deans of geekology (laugh at our name all you want, we’re kinda used getting that treatment with the other QJ teams anyway) mission to provide everyone with that much needed daily dose of reality. We’ve got two very compelling stories for you guys this issue, here they are:

The Earth’s said to be made of a delicate balance between Yin and Yang, but sometimes the balance between the good and the bad is just dumbfounding. Take the case of German biotech company MediGene AG recent discovery – modified herpes simplex virus can cure cancer cells! Here’s a snippet of the report:

Based from lab tests, a modified version of the herpes simplex virus known as NV1020 is capable of killing cancer cells while leaving normal tissues unharmed. The normal herpes simplex virus causes cold sores but the genetic make-up of NV1020 has been altered so as not to infect and affect nearby normal cells. Furthermore, this new strain of herpes simplex only replicates in cancer cells and kills them in the process.

Funny how the world works huh? We believe even Phoenix Wright didn’t see that coming. Herpes curing cancer? There goes safe sex talks… Read the full discovery here.

Here’s another groundbreaker: Apple and Blizzard Entertainment are two very successful companies, with their respective hits iPhone and World of Warcraft. But we wonder if the geniuses among their ranks thought of making WoW playable on iPhone. Too bad Alan Joyce isn’t among their ranks.

You see, Alan uploaded a video clip over at YouTube showing Blizzard’s World of Warcraft running on Apple’s iPhone. He was able to do it with the help of Telekinesis, a third-party streaming program that allows users to remotely access their Macs through a collection of mini web applications on the phone. You want to know more about this? Go here.

That’s it from us this week! We’ll be back next issue and like we always says, keep it real!

Comment of the Week (***New Section***)

As promised, we’re trying out a new section solely dedicated as a tribute to our ever growing readership. Just to set things straight, we do go over our comments section and enjoy reading intelligent conversations and intense debates (barring the occasional spammers and the “first! woot! wott!” kids). In this space, we’ll be featuring the one comment that stirred intellectual thinking, spurred fanboyisms, or was just plain hilarious. For this week, we have our quite well-known regular reader on the spotlight:

4 more years of PS3 profitability? Any profitablity for sony? It all depends on how long sony can profit off the PS3 that’s all. The PS2 is still profitable for them, so it remains. They aren’t going to run a charity to fulfill a promise they made because most of you will have forgotten it by then anyway. All previous consoles have had a lifespan of about 5 years. By that time most people are looking for the next step forward. I’ll be looking forward to the next XBOX around 2010 or 2011 because I can’t even imagine what next gen will be capable of. At least the PS3 is now reasonably priced, and if I already didn’t have the 360 sony could have had my business.

– Mister Common Sense on PS3’s future.

Those who frequent our boards often enough should know why this one’s been chosen. But there are bound to be some who’s still not familiar with him, so will you guys enlighten them? Who knows, you just might see you own name and statements up here next issue!

See you again next week!