I’ve always seemed to have very sudden revelations about various aspects of my life. I will be extremely into something for what seems like forever, and the next day, I could care less about it. Well, I had several of them this weekend.

I think I’m done with video games. The games are getting way too long, the systems too expensive, and I simply don’t have the time for them anymore. As much as I would love to play Halo 3, I am not buying an Xbox 360 just to do that. And the PS3? Forget about it. No way I’m dropping the necessary money for that monstrosity.

So all this gets me thinking and… I think I’m done with video games. I simply don’t have the time for them anymore. I’m going to keep most of what I have, sell off some excess, but I have more than enough games in my possession to keep me entertained for years. And heck, if you wait long enough, you can pick up old games on eBay for a couple bucks. Heck, I bought a Super Nintendo game cartridge a few months ago for $.99 (yes, I still have my SNES, and I still play it).

Then I started sorting through my DVDs… why do I have half of these? Like I ever have time to watch them! And if I want to see an episode of Family Guy or The Simpsons, all I have to do is turn on the TV, so… I listed all those on Amazon and sold them off and will be purging more of my DVD collection this week.

I think I’m just realizing I simply don’t have time for the 5,000 ways I have to entertain myself, and especially those that require no human interaction. I’ve made a lot of new friends over the past year, and it is far more interesting talking to them then hacking through a demon in a video game or watching Bart Simpson get in trouble… again.

You know I sure was more excited about all the new video game systems like a year ago? So why not now? General lack of funds for all the new systems…over-pricing of systems (sorry, but $600 for a PS3, if I’m lucky, is just flippin’ insane)…too many games for the older systems I still haven’t finished…and any number of small technical aspects that just annoy me.

When I unpack a PS3, why should I have to immediately install an update? Why at launch time is it not fully backward compatiable, and is actually failing on some of the PS2’s most famous titles?

Is it just Sony annoying me? Nope! Nintendo decided it was a good idea before the Wii even launched to tell everyone “Oh hey, there will be an upgraded model next year with DVD playback capabilities, but please go ahead and buy this one because we all know you are silly little fanboys!” Never mind you have to put a stupid sensor in front of your TV, beyond the game system, to make the bizarre Wiimote work. (the device in front of the TV is circled in red below)

Then comes the question of the Xbox 360…a year old and no price drop? Thanks Microsoft!

About 2 weeks ago I did some Super Nintendo shopping on eBay for grins…I spent $.49 on an Animaniacs game and $9.99 on an unopened copy of Super Return of the Jedi. Think I will stick with the systems I have for now, thanks!

E3, The Electronic Entertainment Expo, is going on in Los Angeles right now. As was expected, the video game console war is stepping up with Sony announcing the pricing of the Playstation 3, Microsoft announcing add-ons to the XBox 360 and Nintendo changing the Revolution in to the Wii.

First up, XBox 360 is adding an external HD-DVD player priced at around $100. If you already have a 360, this is a steal. An HD-DVD player is going to set you back around $800 if you buy a stand alone unit.

They are also making some big changes to XBox Live. Once Windows Vista is released (whenever that will be) they will launch “Live Anywhere and you will be able to play games cross platform, and also see where your friends are. They will also cross over to cell phones, but how that’s going to work, I have NO clue.

Halo 3 has a trailer being shown, but it’s not due until 2007.

Nintendo has changed the name of the Revolution to the Wii…why, I have no idea. They say they want a name that can be used in any language, but still…uck. They are keeping the motion control controller, but it has been modified since last year.

Still not sure how much I like this thing. Your not going to want to play any game for too long because your arms will wear out.

Wii Connect 24 interests me though. The Wii (UGH!) will be connected to the internet all the time, but when you put the system on stand-by, Wii Connect will check with Nintendo to see if any of your games need updating. The next day when you turn on your system, you may discover new levels, weapons, vehicles and so on for games you own. I like this idea.

And Sony…oh Sony. They’ve announced early November for the world wide release of the PS3.

The system will either $500 for the base system, or $600 for the loaded system. Now, with either one you get the Blu-Ray player (a bargain at either price), but if you want WiFi and high-def video output, you will have to go for the $600 model. You will also get a larger hard drive, but who knows if that will be important yet or not.

Do note though, last years stupid controller is GONE! *does a happy dance*. The new controller will be wireless and will feature some motion control, but will not rely on it like Wii’s does.

So, what to do? Well, it would seem you will need to be saving up tons of pay checks to pay for any of these systems. I’m sorry, but I will not be shelling out $500 – $600 this November for a game system. I’m not even sure I’m that in to gaming anymore to be honest. I haven’t had time play a game in months, and frankly, I’m not missing them much. I have so many other things going on, I just don’t see the point. Even if I do feel like playing, I have tons of games built up over the years to entertain me. I am just not sure what these companies are thinking by pricing the systems at these prices.

All info thanks to Engadget.com

So, Nintendo unveiled the Nintendo Revolution controller.

Need I really say anything?

E3 is rocking the video game world this week with announcment galore! The console wars are back, and badder than ever.

Microsoft – Nothing new here, we already know all about the Xbox 360, so you may move along. The only update being that it is backwards compatiable to Xbox 1. Thank goodness. Expected release by end of 2005.

Nintendo – The Revolution is here, and boy is the name appropiate. While the Playstation 2 was the first backwards compatiable system, the Revolution is moving the bar higher. Using emulation and downloadable content, you will be able to download 20 years of Nintendo games and play them all from the Revolution. The NES, the SNES, the N64 and the system will accept Gamecube discs. Wireless controllers and Wifi enabled. Yowza! Expected release sometime in 2006.

Sony – The mama of all the systems, the Playstation 3 was unveiled. Wireless controllers (but boy is that controller ugly), Wifi eneabled, backwards compatiable with Playstation and Playstation 2. 256MB system RAM 3.2GHz, and 256MB GDDR VRAM at 700MHz, 6 USB ports and a 3.2 GHz Cell Processor rated 2.18 teraflops. (non-geek speek “Holy damn!”) Expected release in early 2006.

So, yay, lots and lots of gaming goodness, but now, reality begins to set in. How much are these suckers going to run? The only rumored price so far is around $465 for the PS3. Um…I’m sorry, but I do not need to take out small home loans to buy my gaming systems. While all these new features are wonderful, I do not plan on shelling out that much money on systems. That is just insane. What mother is going to tell little Johhny “Oh of course you can have the new Playstation, we don’t need groceries this week!” That is just insane.

So while I am excited, I am also way cautious of what all these new sytems are going to cost.

Now sources are saying that Nintendo MIGHT debut the Revolution at E3. Fraid of missing the hoop-la are we?

I admit I have a Game Cube, but of all my systems, it gets played the least. The controller looks like something Willy Wonka would have dreamt up with all it’s vividly colored buttons. So if Nintendo is going to want to play in the new herd of systems, they are going to have to step it up. The console wars have already had one big fatality with Sega and the Dreamcast (which I actually liked, and still play), could Nintendo be next?