(continued from previous page) ...calls made between PSP to PSP and PSP to others on Skype (Using PCs) will be entirely free. For calls to landlines and other cell phones, then you will need Skype credit, which must be purchased.

In all, Skype for the PSP undoubtedly expands the handheld’s capabilities, which will give it more concentration. I just do not seeing this feature used by the casual gamer. This is something that the hardcore crowd will eat up however. Speaking of the casual gamer, what I did rave over during CES for the PSP was the announcement of GPS. Boy am I excited to use this! Currently I have no GPS system in my car and believe me; I will jump all over this.

Hopefully Sony will release a peripheral that connects with the car, to make easy usage. This differs from Skype in that it presents a technological feature currently not available to most people. The ratio to PSP owners and car GPS gadgets is not even comparable. This is where I see the success of the PSP coming from in 2008 besides games. Hopefully Sony gets on the ball and advertises both Skype and GPS for the PSP and not just assumes that because it is released, the consumer will automatically know about it.

Onto the PlayStation 3 side of things, there were also some nice features. While nothing groundbreaking, we did learn that Metal Gear Solid 4 core development is done and now it is entered into the debug stage. This means that a release date is just around the corner. However, for a more tantalizing news effort, enter Blu-ray. The events leading up to the show revealed that Time Warner will be producing titles on the Blu-ray platform exclusively. This move put Blu-ray as the dominant high definition format over HD DVD.

The announcement even created such an impact that it pretty much withdrew the HD DVD camp from the show, almost unofficially declaring Blu-ray the winner. With Blu-ray now on top, this will open the flood gates for the PS3 as consumers will be flocking to the console not only because it is a great gaming console, but a Blu-ray player that can also play videogames. I think that Microsoft and Nintendo do not understand just yet how it will impact them. It is sort of like being cut, but not noticing it until you look down and see the blood pouring out.

In conclusion, this was CES, not E3 or TGS in which the soul focus is on gaming. At CES, videogames only account for a mere fraction of what is on display. However, what was revealed and announced from the Sony camp will play a huge factor in the success of the PS3 and PSP in 2008. Perhaps if I were actually in attendance, things would have lightened up a bit.

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Justin Pinter (PR Manager, Journalist)

Alright, so I am just going to make my opinions short and quick to the point. Here are some of the things I found interesting coming out of the CES event.

Blu-ray Wins! Opening into CES, Time Warner announced that that they will go Blu-ray exclusive starting this May. Then shortly after New Line Cinema and HBO announced they would follow suit, giving Blu-ray 70% of the high def market share in studio support. What first came to mind after hearing this news was, "YES! Lord of the Rings will be coming to Blu-ray!", then my thoughts moved to, "Awesome, now this will help drive some sales for the PS3." Now that Blu-ray is accepted as the overall winner, consumers will hopefully begin buying Blu-ray players, and what's one of the best and cheapest Blu-ray players around? The PS3.

Sony OLED: Now this wasn't really gaming related, but I found it interesting none the less. Basically this new type of High Definition TV makes even the higher end LCD's look pitfull. Where as a standard LCD has the contrast ratio of 10,000: 1, the new OLED's are display a bright and crystal clear 1,000,000: 1 ... (continued on next page)