Tech: TGS 2006 - The Empire Strikes Back

Sony looked a bit flustered after its incredibly disappointing showing at E3, and, to their credit, they added price cuts and HDMI support to the low-end PS3 (but the price cuts are only in Japan, unfortunately). The PS3 was easily the star of TGS this year, with lots of high-profile games on hand to placate the masses who were hungry for some indication that Sony was taking this whole thing seriously.

Standout games for me include Metal Gear Solid 4, Shirokishi (AKA White Knight Story), and the 18 different variations of FFXIII (I'm exaggerating...slightly). There are, of course, some rehashed games like Gran Turismo HD and Ninja Gaiden Sigma, but that happens with every system launch.

All in all, I'm looking forward to seeing what the PS3 can do ... in 2007. Quite frankly, everyone knows Sony is following the same strategy it used for the PS1 and the PS2 - a paltry launch with limited unit availability to drum up the hype, and then roll out the units in early to mid 2007 when they'll be cheaper to make and when the true AAA titles, like Final Fantasy and Metal Gear, will arrive.