-data-
Scheduling clash prompts media fears, gives PS3 a short head-start over Xbox 2
The PlayStation 3 looks set to be the first of the next-generation consoles to take a bow in front of the world's media - albeit only by a matter of hours, with Sony announcing that its pre-E3 conference will take place just ahead of Microsoft's.
Sony will hold its event on a sound stage in Sony Pictures' complex in Culver City, just outside Los Angeles, at 15.00 PST on Monday, May 16th, and is expected to show off the next-generation PlayStation for the first time at this event.
Three hours later at 18.00 PST, Microsoft will kick off its own event in downtown Los Angeles, where it is expected to finally take the wraps off the next-generation Xbox, currently known only by its development codename Xenon.
The scheduling is threatening a headache for media and industry types who need to attend both events, since if the Sony event runs on for a while it could be quite tough to get from Culver City back into downtown LA in time for the 6pm kick-off with Microsoft.
Outline hardware specifications for both systems are fairly well known; the Sony system uses the custom Cell processor, created in partnership with IBM, and a next-gen NVIDIA graphics chipset, while Microsoft has opted for standard IBM Power-series processors and an ATI graphics solution.
However, a number of key elements remain to be confirmed, such as the amount of RAM in the systems, the type of media they will use - PS3 is expected to use high capacity Blu-Ray discs, while Xbox may well stick with the current DVD technology - and whether either will feature a hard drive
Of course, what many consumers will want to know is simply what the devices look like, with the external appearance of both systems being kept a closely guarded secret so far - and, indeed, what they're called, as neither company is expected to use the obvious "PlayStation 3" and "Xbox 2" naming scheme.
-data-
-data 2-
Next-gen Xbox wins the race to be seen first despite Sony's conference shuffling antics
Microsoft's next-generation Xbox console is set to be unveiled to the world not at E3, as was previously believed, but in a half-hour long special to be aired on MTV the week previously, on May 12th.
The move is a massive break with tradition on Microsoft's part, and will get the Xbox 2 in front of consumers several days ahead of the unveiling of Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Revolution in Los Angeles the following week.
"It doesn't make sense to unveil the product behind a closed door, at a trade-only event," according to Microsoft corporate VP Peter Moore. "We wanted to talk directly to the consumer first."
The half-hour show will be a star studded affair, hosted by Lord of the Rings actor Elijah Wood and featuring a range of athletes, celebrities and even a live performance from rock band The Killers.
Last week it emerged that Sony's pre-E3 press conference has been scheduled to take place a few hours ahead of Microsoft's event, reversing the running order of previous years and supposedly giving the PS3 a head-start over Xbox 2 in the coverage war.
Xbox 2 - or whatever the console is eventually called, as it's believed that both Microsoft and Sony have ditched the sequential numbering system for their new machines - will be launched late this year, with an October / November date currently on the cards. Neither Sony nor Nintendo is expected to launch new hardware until 2006.
Microsoft is also running a viral marketing game to lead up to the May 12th unveiling of Xbox 2, with the "OurColony" game mimicking many features of the hugely successful Halo 2 "I Love Bees" viral game, and giving players tantalising sneak peeks at some aspects of the console and controller's design - although so far the main info to be gleaned is that the controller is probably white, which ties in with reports from sources close to Microsoft that it has gone with a white colour scheme for the system this time around.
-data 2-
