Konami issued a press release, pushing back MSG4 from Q1 to Q2 2008. For those that don’t understand moneyspeak, that’s around April, May or June.

“Konami has decided to delay the title’s release in order to make further improvements to the quality of the game and provide even greater enjoyment for more customers worldwide,” Konami said in a press release.

Does this suck? Yep. Big ones. But here are a few points: The season is already super-saturated with games. Chances are, Metal Gear being late means more people will actually be able to afford to buy the game and maybe, just maybe, new gamers can buy a PS3 to play it on. Another point is that Sony drops PS3 prices like Britney Spears drops babies (ohhh, burn!). So, hey, by Q2, there may actually be a cheaper PS3. I wouldn’t put it past them. Plus, Q2 is a quiet gaming month, so MGS4 dropping then will cause all sorts of insanity. Add to the fact that delays usually mean improvements and I see nothing but green fields and sunshine. What do you guys think? Is this delay good or horrible?

[via NextGen]

Jayslacks

The internet is ablaze with the rumor that a 399$ PS3 SKU is on the way. It has been predicted and ranted about, but more evidence has come our way in the form of Sky News’ story about how FoxConn, a Taiwanese manufacturer, is going to be producing PS3s. They currently make PS2s.
The Report also insinuates that the manufacturer is going to be making 40GB PS3s. These would be cheaper due to the lack of an emotion engine and USB ports. That, and that console manufacturing through FoxConn is probably much cheaper.
The real question that lingers in my mind when reading the report is, will it make a difference? Will a 399$ SKU be enough to push the PS3 this Christmas season. I, for one, certainly hope so. I like a little competition.

Chufmoney

I’ll start this out with a caveat: I personally think this rumor is borderline horeshit. But I would have printed it too.

The rumor goes something like this: Ars Technica (which is actually a pretty great site that I try to read as much as I’m able) has a rumor mole of sorts that predicted both the Xbox 360 Elite and the lack of wireless in the retail box of Rock Band for the 360. Both of these proved to be true, but I would also argue that they border on the ridiculously obvious.

(more…)

Wedbush-Morgan analyst, Michael Pachter, has decided that the 499$ PS3 SKU is here to stay. He stated that once the “2-3 million” unsold 60GB PS3s are sold, that “we expect the company to lower the price of its 80Gb model to $499 on a standalone basis.” Because the 80GB version does not contain the backwards compatibility Emotion Engine, they believe that the production cost of the 80GB unit will be equal to or less than the 60GB. They also predict a further price drop of the system to 399$ by early next year.

While it certainly would be nice if Mr. Pachter was correct, we at ESG have some doubts. Sony may have gotten themselves a lot of good PR when they lowered the price, but we don’t put it past them to squander that with some idiotic decision. Hopefully Sony really does give the system out for 499$ due to the lack of hardware based backwards compatibility, but somehow I feel they will justify the higher price by pointing to the larger hard-drive. Or, they will continue to package the system with a bunch of items, like Motorstorm, controllers, etc., in order to justify continuing the 599$ price point.

Prove me wrong, Sony.

Chufmoney