Wishful thinking: hypothetical PS3 news for 2007

Everyone loves wishful thinking. Nostradamus made fearless forecasts for the future, and even one speculative piece in 1981 managed to get the general ideas for future gaming right. While we at QJ don’t actually have a time machine or even enough foresight to make any viable predictions for the future of gaming, we can always dream.

For the most part, there are a couple of news articles related to Sony‘s flagship console that we wish would pop up over the course of the next year. Some of them may be happy, and others may not be that wonderful to hear, but they’re things many gamers do dream about.

First: Sony announces its killer PS3-exclusive multiplayer FPS

As much as we liked Resistance: Fall of Man, we know it’s not going to be Sony’s killer app for the PS3. There just aren’t enough units out yet to make any lasting impact on the multiplayer FPS scene, and too few games to compare it to.

Before the Xbox 360 hit it big with the Gears of War juggernaut, Microsoft fans were more than willing to spend their time with Halo 2. Sony didn’t have that option with the PS2, unless you count Final Fantasy XI, so we’re hoping 2007 brings word of a PS3-exclusive. Our speculation: some time after the European launch, perhaps August, for anything remotely related to this. By then, the PS3 should have a greater circulation, lower cost, and more high-rated games.

More wishful thinking, which you might agree with, if you click on Full Article.

Everyone loves wishful thinking. Nostradamus made fearless forecasts for the future, and even one speculative piece in 1981 managed to get the general ideas for future gaming right. While we at QJ don’t actually have a time machine or even enough foresight to make any viable predictions for the future of gaming, we can always dream.

For the most part, there are a couple of news articles related to Sony‘s flagship console that we wish would pop up over the course of the year. Some of them may be happy, and others may not be that wonderful to hear, but they’re things many gamers do dream about.

First: Sony announces its killer PS3-exclusive multiplayer FPS

As much as we liked Resistance: Fall of Man, we know it’s not going to be Sony’s killer app for the PS3. There just aren’t enough units out yet to make any lasting impact on the multiplayer FPS scene, and too few games to compare it to.

Before the Xbox 360 hit it big with the Gears of War juggernaut, Microsoft fans were more than willing to spend their time with Halo 2. Sony didn’t have that option with the PS2, unless you count Final Fantasy XI, so we’re hoping 2007 brings word of a PS3-exclusive. Our speculation: some time after the European launch, perhaps August, for anything remotely related to this. By then, the PS3 should have a greater circulation, lower cost, and more high-rated games.

Second: The return of Rumble

We don’t care if it’s in the form of a Nintendo 64-like Rumble Pak, a full-fledged controller mod, a third-party peripheral, or some legal lovey-dovey between Immersion and Sony. We’d just really like to see rumble functions return to the PS3.

Whether you thought about it or not, Dual Shock became the catchphrase for rumbling, vibrating controllers. The N64’s Rumble Pak also had it, but the high sales of PS2 units turned Dual Shock into the name that popularized the rumble feature. This will definitely be wishful thinking unless someone does something.

Third: Gran Turismo 5 to ship before 2008

What could be a better way to top the awesomeness that was Gran Turismo HD than by taking everyone’s breath away with a surprise announcement of a 2007 release for Gran Turismo 5? Polyphony Digital has a bad penchant for delaying things, to the point that Gran Turismo 4 Mobile was labeled “vaporware” by Wired, so this seems close to impossible.

It’s a new year, however, so we’re hoping they surprise us early in 2007 with an announcement, so we can pray for a Christmas release.

Fourth: Lower Prices

The above picture clearly illustrates what would happen if the PS3 got increased circulation and games got sold for less. We know it isn’t exactly profitable for Sony to do that, but there has to be some way to make it economically viable for the head honchos to approve and the marketing guys to implement.

Perhaps they could skip having really weird ads?

Fifth: The Final remake we’ve fantasized about since the PS1

No words adequately express just how much Square Enix fans adore Final Fantasy VII. We shall leave you with a single picture and the one thing many Squeenix fans will want to hear about from a PS3 version of FFVII remake.

Aeris, Resurrected