E3 - Day 1 | Home Theater

E3 - Day 1

By Geoffrey Morrison • Posted: May 10, 2006

E3 opened this morning, and it was the usual jumble of people and wonder of video gaming. Surprisingly, though, the show itself seems to have been toned down. It is still loud and garish, but there seemed to be more room to move in the aisles, and it was at least 30 dB quieter than before. You could actually talk to the person next to you in a normal voice, something not possible in previous years. Here's the PS3 in black. According to the latest specs, the $500 PS3 will not have the card readers, wi-fi, or, get this, HDMI. My guess is that it will output component at 1080i. Even the $600 version has gone from 2 HDMI jacks to just one. Perhaps most amusing is that they will play SACDs. It well go on sale November 17. From reports I’ve heard, lines have already formed for one of the 2,000,000 available on that date. Two-mil more will ship at the end of December (after Christmas).

I set up a section in Galleries for screen shots and photos of the first day. Check it out here. (Start from the bottom and work your way up).

Lastly, if there's a game or gear you want me to check out, post a comment below.

Comments

Submitted by Robert Cralle on May 12, 2006 - 1:35am.

I have yet to read anywhere whether that lone HDMI port will be 1.3. I'd think it's gotta be. With that in mind, it's weird that Sony hasn't announced it.

Submitted by Geoffrey Morrison on May 12, 2006 - 4:10am.

I believe it is, and it was one of the things that caused the delay. The spec sheet says

Submitted by Sahib on May 15, 2006 - 4:59pm.

I would think that without the HDMI output, that the price would be lower for the entry level PS3. It seems like a steep increase in price from the $300 price range of previous units.

Submitted by Geoffrey Morrison on May 16, 2006 - 2:10pm.

True, but Sony is using the PS3 to push Blu-ray, and there is only so much of a hit per unit that they could afford to take. They expect to sell 6,000,000 by March, and I

Submitted by Fedrual Harrison on June 13, 2006 - 11:52am.

Is it true that the movie studios are not going to activate the down-rez feature on their Hi- Def DVDs so Playstation and XBOX can get a foot hold? When they do can you let us know so we can avoid that DVD and buy regular DVD instead?