Save the princess, save some dough

God of War 2 for PS2: A fairly
solid game... if a bit too short
and simple

My absolutely adorable handsome younger brother (who, sadly, at 12, is already taller than me) spends a large chunk of his free time not already claimed by homework, reading and various sports practices playing video games on nearly every console system imaginable. To him (and my cousins and his friends), one of my awe-worthy accomplishments is that I've beaten him (and my cousins and my other brother) in nearly every one of those games. Yup, I might be bragging just a little.


Anyway, yes I'm a big gamer, but — like many shoppers, I assume — I'm slow to purchase consoles. I find it hard to justify giving in to those increasingly higher and higher prices for the system and the games. Wow, I haven't gotten a new console since I was given a Playstation 2 by my older brother so many moons ago. So, while little bro can jump easily between Nintendo Wii and Microsoft XBox controllers, I stick to the Nintendo DS Lite and PSP handhelds and replays of PS2's God of War 2 as I wait patiently for prices to drop.

Nintendo Wii

But good news in tech blog land! It's been rumored that Nintendo will be dropping the price of the Wii $50 to a sweeter-sounding $200. Maybe not a lot, but remember: that's the price of a game or two!

The price drop might not change your mind about purchasing a Wii if you were unsure before, but if you've been hovering near a Toys R Us ever since the gaming console's 2006 release (and bemoaned its subsequent forever sold-out status due to its blow-your-mind popularity), this is just the news you've been waiting for. Read the story

Sony Playstation 3, which
also is now available in a
"slim" model, launched Sept. 1

In other gaming news, in addition to Sony dropping the price of it's 80-gig PS3 (to $299), it also is planning to launch a new motion controller this spring (Read the story).

Question is, despite all the pretty graphics, solid game library and Blu-ray bells and whistles, can the struggling game system catch up to the Wii with a controller? Time will tell if it's as fun and functional as what Nintendo has going.

Anyway, rumor has it the Nintendo Wii price drop will take effect beginning this Sunday. Just in time for some early holiday shopping, perhaps? Sounds good to me :)