Eurogamer reports that Sony is flatly denying the delay of the PlayStation 3. From the article: "Sakaguchi was responding to allegations made by Merrill Lynch analyst Joe Osha in a report published late last week, in which Osha claimed that the PS3 could launch in autumn in Japan, with a US launch possibly being delayed to early 2007. 'There is no change in our original plan to release the console in spring 2006," Sakaguchi told the press in Tokyo, referring to the company's only stated goal for the launch so far - namely that the console will appear in at least one territory, most likely Japan, this spring.' They have lots of opportunities at GDC and E3 to change the public perception that their next console is still very much a work in progress.

kukyfrope writes "After Sony stole the show last year with their dazzling game trailers, will actual hands-on impressions of the PS3 stand up to all the hype, or will Microsoft's second wave of Xbox 360 games (HALO 3 anybody?) show Sony why 360 is not Xbox 1.5." From the article: "While the Xbox 360 is off to a great start, Sony is not stupid. The company knows that the PlayStation brand name is extremely powerful, and that a lot of hardcore and casual gamers are waiting on the PlayStation 3 before deciding on a next generation console. In addition, if you want a cheap Blu-Ray player, the PlayStation 3 will be the only way to go. Stand alone units are looking to run $1500 or more, but it's unlikely the PS3 will release at anything higher than $500."

Gamespot reports that Sony will be devoting a quarter of its booth to the PS3 at next week's Taipei game show. The question is, will there be anything new? From the article: "It hasn't been disclosed whether Sony is planning something similar [to 2005's E3] with the Taipei Game Show, or if the console will finally appear in a playable form. Sony's appearance at 'the other TGS' comes just one month before Microsoft launches its Xbox 360 in Taiwan on March 16."

GameDaily has a look at what we can expect from the big names at E3 this year. From the article: "It's do or die time for Nintendo as far as the company's future consoles are concerned. The Revolution will be a key portion of Nintendo's pre-E3 press event. We expect to see at least three titles up and running on the show floor, as well as a handful of titles in video form from Nintendo and a few third party developers. Nintendo will also be hyping up its retro downloads service for the Revolution, and will likely have several classics playable using the Revolution controller."

Gamecloud wonders out loud, in the wake of increased fines for 'inappropriate attire', if Booth Babes even matter in the grand scheme of E3. From the article: "By far the most vocal complaint about E3 from some quarters is the attention paid to the paid models that exhibitors bring to the show. Of course, most trade shows do have "booth models" or "booth babes" but at E3 the nature of the video and PC game industry and the fact that its being held in Los Angeles causes exhibitors to bring in tons of models and have them wear costumes and clothing that in some cases can be very sexually provocative. Despite the complaints these models are a distraction from the games and can even be offensive to some, web sites (including Gamecloud) do post galleries of booth model pictures at every E3 and they tend to be some of the most popular features of any web site's E3 coverage."

Colin Campbell has an editorial at Next Generation in which he applauds the decision to fine risque outfits worn by the traditional 'booth babes'. From the article: "Exhibitors at E3 employ a whole range of human beings to attract attention to their booths and excitement to their live events. The ones who attract the largest crowds are either celebrities (fair enough), well-loved industry-creatives (quite right) or so-called 'booth-babes', often behaving in ways that at least mimic the lowest sort of strip joint. People do not dress this way in normal life, not even in Los Angeles. There are some companies that seem more susceptible to this kind of technique than others. It's difficult to imagine, say, EA or Sony or Microsoft or Nintendo bothering with this nonsense."

Press the Buttons has the news that, thankfully, this year's E3 will attempt to return to the 'industry only' event it was always intended to be. From the post: "The first day of the show is only for authorized media (meaning no more paid-by-the-hour GameStop clerks roaming the floor just for fun and taking up a journalist's valuable time in line for the next big thing) and, as Portico points out, there's now a more dignified dress code in place for the 'booth babes'." I'm glad that PAX exists for everyone to attend, just as I'm glad there are events like E3 where game journos can do their thing. Update: 01/23 17:56 GMT by Z : Joystiq posits that these new guidelines may lead to censorship for mature games. Update: 01/23 22:16 GMT by Z : Additional opinions on this are available from Gamers with Jobs and Heroine Sheik. There's an official response to discussion of this decision from the E3 media relations team over at Gamecloud.

ConfusedFX wrote to mention a great feature at GameDaily that is trying to cut through marketing BS and get to the truth behind the upcoming next-gen systems. From a piece on the Revolution's street-date: "Now Nintendo is saying that a near final version of the Revolution will be on display and working at E3 2006. If the company expects to release in the US before Thanksgiving then it has to have a working model at E3, but exactly what does that mean for attendees of the annual expo? We expect to see Zelda: Twilight Princess running on Revolution with the new features discussed a couple weeks ago, and maybe Smash Brothers and a Mario title with a couple of little mini-games like we saw at the Tokyo Game Show. We may also see a handful of classic Nintendo titles to promote the Revolution download service Nintendo has vaguely discussed in the past. If we can play Smash, Mario and some Nintendo classics on the show floor we'll be happy Nintendo. Don't let us down!"

Making game logos is an art form, and Hamagami/Carroll is behind many of the most recognizable ones on the shelf today. Gamasutra takes a look at what it takes to craft iconic imagery, talking to company co-founder Justin Carroll. From the article: "Typically, we're brought in fairly early in the process, as soon as they start building marketing plans, somewhere about halfway through, we're brought in and we start working on the packaging. Depending on the company we're working with, we're also working on the in-store display, we're working on sell sheets, materials for E3, and different parts of the brand identity."

Next Generation is running an examination of the 2005 hardware announcements from the big three console companies. They look at details and benchmarks released so far for the next-gen consoles. From the article: "The wraps were taken off the PlayStation 3 at Sony's pre-E3 press conference. Non-playable demos and canned footage games in development (over which arguments still rage over what was 'real' and what were renders made to be 'representative') wowed the media and stole a good bit of thunder from the somewhat underwhelming Microsoft presentation that followed."

Gamespot reports that Nintendo has opened an office dedicated to the next-gen sequel to Smash Bros. From the article: "Heading up the new studio is the series' original creator, Masahiro Sakurai. He returns to the Nintendo organization after a two-year absence. According to Famitsu, Sakurai was persuaded by Nintendo president Satoru Iwata to return to Nintendo over conversations that took place at the E3 Expo held earlier this year. Preparing a new Super Smash Bros. game with such short notice was not easy for Sakurai, given the game's tight development schedule."

Pichu0102 writes "Gamespot reports that a bevy of details will be released about the Nintendo Revolution at 2006's E3 event." From the article: "So when will be the Revolution's coming-out party? Unsurprisingly, it will be at next year's E3. Specifically, the console will be unveiled at Nintendo's pre-E3 press event, which is slated for 9:30 a.m. Pacific time on May 9, 2006. The venue will be the Kodak Theatre--home of the Academy Awards--in Hollywood, California."

For some end of the day eye candy, eToyChest has a photo spread of the new 360 lounge in Tokyo. From the article: "This setup reeks of the kind of spread Microsoft had going on in their back-room party at the Shrine at E3, only with more game playing and less milling around wondering what was going on. The lounge has numerous Xbox 360 kiosks, two sofa areas set aside with 42-inch HD televisions for players to test drive titles such as Ridge Racer 6 and Ninty-Nine Nights, and one gigantic 200-inch big screen TV where players can weep knowing that they will never be able to have this kind of setup in their own home."

The yearly Austin Games Conference, the largest MMOG-focused industry event in the country, is taking place this weekend and a variety of places have coverage of the first day. For specific events, we have Gamasutra on MMOG economics and The Game Writer's Conference, a sister event to the AGC. Both Raph Koster (who has a blog now) and Next Generation have pieces on Damion Schubert's "What Vegas Can Teach the MMO" talk. For general color, Greg Costikyan has a feel for what it is like on the ground, and MMORPG.com has a Thursday wrapup. From the MMORPG.com piece: "The Austin Game Conference (AGC) looks and feels like a high school reunion. Dominated by the MMORPG industry, it allows developers to get together and compare their ideological toys. Unlike E3, this is not a commercial event. For example, EA's booth here is actually a booth, rather than some kind of football stadium. This allows for more of a community feel and serious discussion of issues facing the game industry without the need for marketing individual products to any great degree."

Pixelfoot writes "Loud music, scantily-clad models, guys hoarding free 'schwag', these things are all the lifeblood of the Electronic Entertainment Expo, but the writers of Gaming Horizon have had enough. They've got an article entitled Stuff We're Sick of: E3 Edition, going into their biggest gripes about the show and giving suggestions for how to improve it, including the now-popular notion among journalists to include a full day where the show floor is only open to media." I'll buy that for a dollar. From the article: "It seems like everybody has forgotten what E3 is for, exactly. Without droning on about the vibrant history of the expo, it's more than fair to say that E3 is supposed to be a place for people to do their jobs and it's turned into a carnival for looky-loos and swagbaggers."

IGN is reporting on The State of the Xbox 360, detailing information on the next-gen console since this past E3. From the article: "Coming into the home stretch here, it's clear Microsoft has had its fair share of problems. The MTV event, though brilliantly conceived, was a hype-without-substance infomercial that impressed nobody, especially the most important people -- gamers. At the actual MTV event, I did an informal poll which revealed that three-fourths of the people attending were there only to see the Killers. E3 was underwhelming to put it mildly, and the summer months proved to be vacant of everything but rumors, leaks, and more rumors and leaks. The Tokyo Game show helped Microsoft's cause a little, and Microsoft finally revealed its Japanese pricing and the worldwide release dates, leaving one major news announcement left open - the day-and-date launch games. Apparently, Microsoft and friends are still working on these last details."

Gamespot is reporting that the price for Sony's next-gen console is still something being worked out. Additionally, we're not going to get the chance to play demos for the system until February of 2006. From the article: "When asked why there were no playable PS3 games at the 2005 Tokyo Game Show, as previously promised by SCE president Ken Kutaragi, Saeki revealed that there was a long discussion inside Sony before the show opened. While many executives argued that it would be good for the public to play demos, eventually the decision was made to only show E3-style trailers, as it was the first time the PS3 was being shown publicly in Japan. When asked if there would be any changes to the February PS3 event where playable demos will be on hand, Saeki did not respond directly. However, he did say that SCE is planning something for the event that is sure to be a 'major' surprise. "

Edge Online reports that Masahiro Sakurai, designer of the Kirby series of games and the recent DS hit Meteos has launched his own game studio named Sora. In an interview, he talks about the design process behind Meteos. From the article: "It was created by one designer, one graphic artist and one programmer, and took three days. Design documents were written by myself alone and took me three days to finish. When I designed Meteos, we didn't know it would be released on the DS platform. That was decided after we saw the hardware at E3, in May 2004. And at that stage, we didn't have a dev kit or any real hardware information."

JoaoPinheiro writes "In an unexpected change from the big three companies slagging each other off, Microsoft's Peter Moore gives kudos to Nintendo's new controller! Xbox VP Peter Moore has said he wanted 'to give kudos [to] Nintendo for its attempt at innovation with the new controller.' Whether the word attempt is meant to hint at some slight sarcasm is debatable, though the overall message was positive. Moore commented the new device would 'bring people in that, as Iwata-san said, are either lapsed gamers or gamers that are intimidated by the complexity of the controller.' He referenced Microsoft's E3 speech, where it was said the company wanted a billion consumers touched by the gaming industry next generation. 'That was an industry message. Certainly, we can see Nintendo rallying to that cry and reiterating what Robbie said on May 16th; I heard the same words come from Iwata-san of Nintendo yesterday.'"

1up.com has an interview with director Tetsuya Nomura, one of the men behind Advent Children and Kingdom Hearts. In it, he talks about several aspects of Square-Enixs' gaming library, and admits he'd like to expand the PS3 tech demo into a full revamp of Final Fantasy VII. From the article: "The PS3 tech demo was actually not the perfect forum that he wanted to have. It was just timing that we had to submit something in time for E3, for the press conference. So, again, it was not perfect forum. And the 7 remake idea was always, always in conversation, just because it's so popular. And then just because of that tech demo here in the PS3 conference, that probably based more expectations of fans, obviously."