PlayStation 3 Sticker Shock!

There were plenty of shocking things going down at the Sony Press Conference at E3 this year. Solid Snake wrapping his lips around the barrel of a gun and appearing ready to take the coward's way out, for one. The PS3 controller, for two. And hey, Genji 2's real-time weapon switching for three, while we're at it. But the big bombshell for the game fans watching around the world came at the end of the Sony press briefing on the Monday before the show started, when SCEA's big boss, Kaz Hirai, dropped the bomb that cast its shadow over the entire show: the pricing of the PlayStation 3.

Sony Press Briefing

If you were taking a drink every time something weird happened in this video, you might not make it to the shocking conclusion.

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People might have expected it to be a bit more expensive than what's currently on the market. But $599? Twice as much as the PlayStation 2 was when it was first released? Boom. That moment created a shockwave that covered most of Los Angeles for the rest of that week. Suddenly it wasn't about "is Warhawk any good or not?" Now it's "is Warhawk $599 worth of good?" While we'll have to hold off until November for that judgment call, the price took what sounded like a sure thing and made it far less certain, helping to set up a console battle that seems much more open than it's been in more than a decade.

To add a little more confusion to the proceedings, the company also announced plans to offer two versions of the system. A less-expensive model will be made available for $499, offering a smaller hard drive, fewer built-in features, and an added layer of confusion for consumers around the world. Riiiidge Racer!

Finalists

Final Fantasy Versus XIII (PS3)
GTA IV shows up at the Microsoft press conference only
Solid Snake puts a gun to his head (MGS4)
Solid Snake is a playable character (SSBB)