Yes, the NXE (the New Xbox Experience) is a vast improvement over the previous Xbox 360 GUI. And yes, some say, and may be right, that it's just a rip-off of the PS3's XMB (even down to the three letter acronym) with a slight tilt to the right to avoid copyright violations.

So, many are wondering if the next firmware update for the PS3 will be something of a revolution, much in the way the NXE was for the Xbox 360. The short answer? No.

In a PC World interview Sony's Director of Network Operations, Eric Lempel, chimed in on the PS3 interface overhaul rumors:

You'll definitely see another firmware update this year, but it won't be like what the rumors say. We're working on some consumer features that consumers will definitely like, but it's nothing like what you're reading about, and at this time I don't want to confirm any of those features because they're not completely locked down yet. We're looking pretty good, and timing is a little rough, but just in terms of that rumor, it's not the case.

Does the PS3 really need a GUI overhaul? Tough call. I happen to really like the XMB, but when one company innovates, it's hard for its competitor not to follow suit.

[Source: PC World]

Well, everyone wanted to hear about a PS3 price cut at E3, and it didn't happen. Now the web is aflutter with discussion about the price cuts, why it didn't happen, why it should happen, etc. Sony has decided to strongly chime in on the issue.

During an interview with Fast Company, Jack Tretton said the following:

People are having short-term thinking - the platform is not even three years old. It was $599; it's now $399. The focus on pricing is something we appreciate, but you have to have the conviction and the confidence that you are on the right path for the long term and ultimately you'll get all the consumers you want. You won't get them all day one, but we're looking to get them over a 10-year period. It's going to take different things to get different consumers.

In a GamePro article Sean Mirkovich goes over the issue in a fair amount of depth and ends with a call for a cheaper PS3.

"Logically" it would make more sense for Sony to invest in a product that was more efficient and didn't cost so much to produce and sell.

Here's the thing. Consumers are so obsessed with the "console wars" that they latch on to key memes and can't see past them. The reality is that the PS3 is a better system than the Xbox 360 and the Xbox is far more expensive in the long run as they nickle and dime you for your gaming experience.

For example, I recently set up a PS3 and an Xbox 360 on two TVs in my girlfriends house to see how they treat files handled on a PC differently. Both were easy enough to set up. But here's the kicker. I had to buy a $100 wireless adapter for my Xbox 360, because unlike the PS3, it doesn't have WiFi built in.

Now we are wanting to play online games. So I have to buy a "gold" Xbox Live account for $50 a year, because unlike the PS3, there is a fee to play online.

Not counting the built in Blu-ray player, or having to buy rechargeable battery packs for the Xbox 360... the bottom line? It costs hundreds more to get the same experience from an Xbox 360 that the PS3 has out of the box. Once you add WiFi alone the two systems cost the same, and the PS3 has so much more.

So price wars? Please. The Xbox 360 is a great system, no doubt, but don't fool yourselves, it is simply more expensive to own. More proof? Ask my buddy who bought a launch system that just red-ringed on him... that three year warranty isn't doing him much good now.

Sony need not lower the price of the PS3, it just needs to educate the gaming population that they are getting more for less.

[Source: GamePro via PCWorld]

The tale of backwards compatibility on the PS3 is a confusing one, so buckle up.

At launch, the original 20GB PS3 (which I still use daily) and the 60GB PS3 both had an emotion engine chip (the brains behind the PS2) built in. So you could thrown in a PS2 disc and your PS3 would play it happily.

To save money Sony created a software emulator for the PS2, so the consoles from a while back would play PS2 and PS3 games, but not every PS2 game. Fans complained.

Instead of updating the emulator, Sony implemented the "PS3 First" strategy. All PS3's since that point offer NO backwards compatibility. Fans cried. Heck, I cried.

That's where we are today, if you want a PS3 that plays PS2 games, you have to go hunting for an older used one. But there's hope!

Recently Sony patented new PS2 software emulation. While it's all speculation at this point, we could be seeing PS2 comparability come back to the PlayStation 3. The big question, will it be free? Or will it be a premium firmware upgrade? Or will it only be available on special "new" PS3's? Only time will tell.

[Source: PC World]

File under rumors: There is a lot of chat, right now, about price cuts in the fall.

As the console wars continue to heat up, Sony and Microsoft are angling to try to find a way to knock Nintendo's Wii from the number one spot, and it looks like price might be the battleground.

PC World's Matt Peckham has a great article rounding up the rumors and providing some interesting insights into the price cut concept. For example, why not make peripherals and accessories cheaper?

Though yours truly doubts we will see a PS3 price cut, Peckham's article is certainly worth a gander, as I'm more than happy to be wrong about this one.

[Source: PC World]