Inhuman Interface
I survived E3, although I didn't blog much during the conference because there the press events are spread all over the LA area. I hate Las Vegas in general, but it's high time they move E3 to Vegas; at least that city knows how to get people from place to place. I'm an old pro at driving in Los Angeles traffic, which is a refreshing change to the passiveness exhibited here in Seattle where I live, but the time it takes to actually get from point A to point B slowly drains away the day. We still managed to get some great interviews, a few of which are mentioned in recent postings here.
I think my two favorite finds at the show aren't available for public comment just yet. I got to play a few minutes of the new Gears of War game in a press event behind closed doors. Even if you're not a gamer, the amazing things that are happening in computer graphics are a sight to behold. The demo pitted 16 press folks on two teams of 8 in a showdown. I didn't last long because I'm lousy at playing that style of game, which is why I routinely avoid things like Halo, but I can still appreciate the attention to detail in stunning graphics and creative ways the players move. The other game that shows real promise is Mass Effect, which for lack of better description is a space version of Oblivion. The demo team showed off a number of playable sequences and gave us the usual "this is unique" marketing spiel, but it sure felt like I was seeing Oblivion. The one unique aspect to the game was the ability to issue commands to two AI teammates who provide backup to your main character. The endless quests, side quests, story arcs, and expandable universe are all distinctly similar to what Bethesda has already offered both PC gamers and Xbox 360 owners.
One interview I haven't posted over on The Chris Pirillo Show site was with Logitech, who showed off an awesome steering wheel setup for playing racing games. I was ultimately more interested in their new G5 and G7 mousing options. The Logitech G5 comes with counter weights so you can make it feel the way you want and is USB connected. The Logitech G7 is wireless and feels better than any wireless mouse I've used in a long time. I think I might be persuaded to switch away from my Microsoft mouse for something that should be more responsive and comfortable.