Gunslinger Gaming

A father. A son of a NASA associate involved with the Apollo Missions. A rocker. A player of Pong. Our dear friend, Dick Lazer, is a strange, awesome brew of a person. If you have ever had the opportunity to game with him, I can personally promise you will have a good time. He has also been with the Gunslingers since the “early days,” so it is fitting to set aside some time to learn more about what makes him tick during the month of June: the Six Year Anniversary of the Gunslingers. Pick your poison, kick your boots up, and enjoy the following rather untamed interview!

GS: You have been a Gunslinger since July 2009. You have probably seen more changes around these parts than most people. Do you remember the first Gunslinger with whom you gamed? What is a favorite memory of yours?

Dick Lazer: Lets see, the first person I met here was Missie (Sissy) in the chat. She was so nice and inviting. I thought it was awesome she was from Denmark. Then, I met Murph, Korchie, and Freddy, but the first person/people after that I played with, I think, (LOL) were Miranda and you, Murph, on The Conduit.

After that, I found out this was mainly a MKW (Mario Kart Wii) clan, which I had, loved, and had more than a blast on many occasions. Back to the question. One of my fondest memories would have to be the Christmas video you made on Reflex, and I was playing under my doppelganger name of NoNeck (going back to my habit of calling people “no necked m’er f’ers”) and at the very end I’m t’baggin some poor soul. I remember it like it was yesterday. Loper walks up and says, “Oh, I don’t think I want any part of this,” and backed out of the scene. LMFAO.

[*The Video in Question:]

GS: Before we get too far, let’s talk about your username. Now, your real first name is Richard, but what is the story behind the use of “Dick Lazer.” If I recall correctly, there is an amusing story attached to the name being used in real life, yes?

Dick Lazer: Okay, there is no real big story behind my name. When I was a kid, my dad worked for NASA, the Apollo missions. Anyway, there was this guy who worked for my dad. He was real cool, and was in charge of some kind of lasers. His name was Dick Laser. My friends always thought it was funny to call me Dick, seeing that my name is Richard. (Kids are just great. I wont tell you my last name, just that kids also called me “rich turd hog barf”, @ssholes. LOL) So, as soon as you could put your whole name on your high score in the arcades, Dick Lazer I was.

My name Dick Lazer has passed into my real life. Hell, my plates on my truck read D LAZER. So, into a shortened version of said story: I was just leaving the liquor store, driving down the road, and there’s a bunch of people in the road, all drinking, talking shit. I’m just trying to get by, and this big ol’ dude, mad dogging me; talking shit, calls me out with a few “f yous” and “I’ll kick yer f’ing ass.” So, I throw it in park (Yeah, I might have had a drink or two, and might be pretty large myself—not as large as him—but stout) and step out of the truck, when a guy comes running out of the house saying, “Hey man, don’t f@!# with him. That’s Dick Lazer!!” The other dude says, “That’s Dick Lazer??” He says, “Yeah, look at his plate” (D LAZER). Anyway, he looked and smiled at me. Turns out these guys came to a lot of our shows and were big fans, and, honestly, I believe my name just might have saved my ass. I was alone. HAHA.

GS: In addition to being an ever active Gunslinger and once donning the GS Leader cap, you have been kind enough to include a few of your songs in the GS Jukebox. Do you still practice your craft? Which bands are among your all-time greatest influences?

Dick Lazer: Yes, I do. Can’t stop. I don’t really have a band as much these days, just a couple of friends I like to make noise with. Still recording as much as possible. I recently digitally remastered a few songs from a band I was in in the ’90s. I will get you some fresh tunes for the GS Jukebox. Hell, we have better versions of those songs now, I think. My major influences growing up were mostly Led Zepplin, Black Sabbath, and Rush. Later, I moved more into Ozzy Osbourne, Slayer, and Pantera. Page, Iommi, Lee, Lifeson, Rhoads (RIP), King, Hanneman (RIP), and Darrel (RIP) all speak to me.

[*Footage of Dick Lazer Playing COD back in 2009 cut to "I Wanna Scare People," a song performed by him and his band, So Below.]

GS: You first signed up with GS as a Wii owner. Then you moved to the PS3. Now, you representing on the Xbox360. What was the first game you ever owned? Looking down the barrel of the next generation of consoles, have you made up your mind on which one you may or may not be getting?

Dick Lazer: Nintendo forever. Anything else, never!! LOL. I still have the Wii, and the PS3 (stopped reading bluray ;( ), but, yes, the XBox is my new frontier. (Speaking of which, TripleF73 just signed on, LOL.) My first game? I was very lucky that my dad loved new things. I had Pong the first Christmas it was released, then Atari and Intellivision right there after. Both my parents loved video games. The

Lazer’s first game.

first Nintendo didn’t come out until after I moved out, but my mom still bought one, day one.

Next, Next Gen? The jury is out. I just don’t know yet. I wont know until next year. My wife wants to get an XBoxOne at Christmas, but I’m not so sure. I think I’ll wait for a couple of updates, and a price drop!!

GS: There is a term in gaming called “bromances.” There is none as legend at GS as the long time one between you and GS*Freddy. What games are you playing together now? How on earth can you two stand each other after all this time?

Dick Lazer: What can I say, Freddy (Jay ). I first met him during my first Frosty Pints on The Conduit, then next on MKW and COD: Reflex. I can happily say I haven’t gone a week (most of the time, a day) without talking to my bro. Nowadays, we are playing BO2, zombies and MP, and a little Forza 4. Mostly COD, though. It’s always been our thing. Playing Reflex is when we really got tight. “Stand each other?” HAHA, we are like brothers. We piss each other off to no end!! But, you know? I wouldn’t have it any other way. At the end of the day, we are still brothers. I think of his wife, Sammie, as a sister, and his son, Tbear, as my nephew. I love them all. Thanks again for making this site for me, BTW.

GS: As a husband and father in your family life, what is a day like in the Lazer household? How does the rest of the family regard gaming? Is there any advice you can give other parents who are seeing their children drawn into gaming habits as well?

Dick Lazer: My life is like most of yours: Get up, kids to school, us to work, blah blah, coffee coffee. We are a gaming family, though (go figure). Let’s see, living room, my area: 360, PS3, and Wii. My wife is a PC gamer, so it’s World of Warcraft for her on her Vaio. She is very high ranked in her guild. My oldest has a lappy for WOW, and a PS3, N64, and GameCube in her room, and my seven year old has a Wii and a Nexus tablet. She prefers her tablet. I believe you should just let the kids game from the get-go. Yes, stuff has to get done…chores, rooms clean, whatnot. But, if video games are “no big deal,” then that’s exactly what they are. No big deal. My kids have all sorts of shit to play with, but I’m always catching them with these things, maybe you heard of them. They call them books. They like boardgames, too. LOL,

GS: There is a rumor that you are no longer welcome at Disneyland. Is this true? Elaborate if so inclined.

Dick Lazer: Well, uh,….mmm, erm….Let’s just say I HAVE visited DisneyLand and World many times since said incident, which may or may not have happened, and may have happened like this…..

Yes, Disney Jail is a real thing. If only it looked like this…

It was late spring, nineteen-eighty-something. We may have been in a group of eight. One of which may have been my girlfriend/wife now, one might have been her father, and just maybe her little sister. We had five friends come along to help me move (moved to Cali from AZ) star tours was brand new, and after a couple hours we may have decided, the 6 of us (dad and lil’ sis were off doing their own thing) to head out to the parking lot for a lil’ 420 action before we got on Star Tours. (Hey, it was the ’80s.) Anyway, you would not believe how powerful binoculars are. Before the bowl even got around, we were surrounded by Mickey’s freakin’ SWAT team!! Well, four of us were 18+ (barely), and two were 17. 18+ in Cali, no biggee. Under 18? BIGGEE!!! So, the two underagers were taken to Mickey Mouse Jail (no shit, LOLl) until dad was found (yes, my girl might have been one of the underagers :O ), and we remaining four were threatened with Orange County jail. When they found her dad, he said, “Kick ‘em out. I’ll meet them at the car when the park closes.” He met us afterward and never said a word. So long story short, no real law was called. They just said we were 86′ed for life.

Three things to be learned here:
1.) Don’t smoke at Disneyland. You’ll get caught.
2.) If you do, don’t worry. They wont take your weed.
3.) 86′ed, schmay-ty 6′ed. We went back the next day. LOL.

GS: You seem to be a zombie game fan, particularly with the first Call of Duty: Black Ops feature. Does that stem from a more broad appreciation for horror films? If so, what films are among your favorites?

Dick Lazer: I just loves me some zombies!! Wanna play? LOL. Yes, I love zombie flicks. Anything

One of Lazer’s all-time zombie movies.

George Romero has done is golden for what it is, but my favorites would have to be, not in any order: Shawn of the Dead (“All we have to do is get back to the pub mate,” LOL), Zombie Land (“Rule #1: Cardio, the fattys were the first to go,” hehe), and 28 Days Later. 28 Days Later was real to me. If it’s going to go down, it’s going to go like that. I’m looking forward to World War Z. I read the book, and the movie doesn’t have anything to do with it but the name really, but it looks freakin’ crazy awesome. Tidal waves of crazed, flesh eating people? Really? Sweet.

GS: What was the oddest birthday gift you ever received?

Dick Lazer: I got this thing from my brother one year. It’s like a stamper, and you stamp a piece of bread, then toast it. After it’s toasted, the following appears: there’s a picture of a hand flipping the bird and says, “F#ck Y@u,“…but it has the ‘u’ and ‘o’. LOL.

So, I guess I got f#ck y@u toast, once.

GS: What is your favorite drink?

Dick Lazer: My drink is a Pile Driver (named it myself, *hic*). It’s one part vodka, one part OJ, and one part Mountain Dew: Code Red. Mix in a big ol’ tumbler. No ice. Put your vodka in the freezer, and it’s your ice now. Two of them, and you’ll understand the name.

Thank you for being a Gunslinger and a friend all these gaming years, Lazer. Also, thank you, readers, for taking the time to read this interview. If you would like to comment on it, you are welcome to do so AT THIS LINK.

Robin has been a fellow Gunslinger since August 2011, but if you have spent any time in the GS chatrooms, you probably know her best as the ever polite personality named Sophiebean. Of course, you may not find her crossbow tactics all that friendly on the Call of Duty battlefields. Let’s find out a bit more about Robin/Sophiebean/TheReasonYouHaveanArrowStuckinYourHead by sitting down for an interview with her!

GS: The very first post you ever made in the GunslingerGaming forums was in the Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 Masterlist. Is it safe to assume that was the game that got you here? Regardless, how did you happen to wander into our virtual saloon? With whom did you first get into game?

Robin: I found Gunslingers when I was looking at the Battlefield forums and happened to come across this great place. The first people I remember gaming with are Margarita Mama, Bullet Stopper, RLGORMORTIS, and Carbon Bigfoot in Black Ops.

GS: Despite the fact that you have many responses that welcome new members into the group, you like to keep your discussions close to the vest. Would you consider yourself a shy or secretive person in real life? Speaking of real life, how widely known to your friends and family that you are a first person shooter killing machine?

Robin: At first I am a very shy person in real life. As for my friends and family that know that I play first person shooters, that would only be the ones I hang out with the most so not many know.

GS: Your profile states you reside in New York. All too often, people assume that must translate to a life in New York City. What is YOUR New York life? In the city? In the country? Can you share with us a story from your personal life that, for you, best illustrates what a life in New York state means to you?

Robin: I actually live in the country. The closest city to me is Rochester about an hour away. Though, someday I would like to visit New York City. As for what life is like in New York, I don’t really have any stories to illustrate what life up here is to me, but, to me, it seems fast paced at times, and I like it at that pace. Though, the winters up here are too long for my liking, and the summers are too short.

GS: Your PSN is a crossbow reference. How exactly did that come about? Since we are on the subject of names, your forum name is Robin, yet you may be best known for you chat handle, Sophiebean. Which of the two do you identify most with and why?

Robin: I was given the nick name Crossbow Queen in Black Ops. I like the crossbow and some how managed to get kills with it, so the name was created and stuck. I liked the name so much that I decided to make it my PSN. The name I identify with most is Sophiebean since Sophie and Bean are the names of my two dogs, who every once in a while can be heard in the background when I have my headset on. So, that name just means more to me.

GS: Right now, there is a thread in the forums discussing favorite GS moments. As someone who enjoys a presence in chat, what would be one of your favorite moments in chat, funny or otherwise?

Robin: There are so many moments that I have enjoyed in chat, but my favorite has to be one night when we where talking about interesting flavors like Soy sauce Kit Kat and Smokey Bacon Lay’s chips. And so many other flavors there are.

GS: We need to know what makes Robin tick! Gaming aside, what are some of your other passions in life?

Robin: Some of my passions are to read and to spend time outside when its nice out, preferably 80 degrees and up. I also like to look at the stars on a clear night.

GS: True, you are a killing machine in FPS games (and, no, she is not paying me to type that), but you also seem to love a good role playing game. If someone absolutely green to the genre asked you what were some titles that are mandatory to play so he/she got a true impression of the potential of the genre, what titles would you name and why?

Robin: Even though I like role playing games, I can’t remember other ones that I’ve played, but I would definitely recommend Skyrim since you can do almost anything in the game that you can think of. I think it’s a good game to jump into even if your new to Role Playing Games.

GS: Okay. A leprechaun appears in front of you, gives you a million dollars for traveling expenses, and limits you to only to the speed of light. What place would you most wish to visit? No, you are not required to take the leprechaun along. Lawn gnomes, perhaps.

Robin: I would have to say Ireland. Even though I could go any where at the speed of light, I would still choose there mainly because I’ve always wanted to go there.

GS: It is time to come clean. Everyone has a guilty pleasure when it comes to favorite television series or movies. What series/movie that you just can’t help but like?

Robin: My guilty pleasure for TV/Movies is MASH. I know its an old show, but I’ve always loved watching the series.

GS: What is your favorite drink?

Robin: My favorite drink is Snapple raspberry tea.

Robin, thank you for taking the time to answer some of our questions, and, to everyone out there reading this interview, thank you for taking the time to learn more about your fellow Gunslinger!

April’s edition of the Member Spotlight features House.Lannister, a Playstation 3 player who sports a Game of Thrones reference as his username, has been a Gunslinger for just over a year, now. If you ask him, he will swear he is a shy, unassuming person in his “real life.” You got on mic with him and play some rounds of online combat, you start to doubt his claim. That is why he is a great Gunslinger to get to know better, and I invite all of you read the following interview.

GS: As of March 30th, 2012, you have been a Gunslinger member officially for a year. How did you happen to come across the rest of us, and with which GSer(s) did you first get into game?

House.Lannister: Amazing that it’s already been a year… Wow, what a great year it’s been! Anyway, I had just gotten my PS3 about a month before finding the Gunslingers and the only game I had was Killzone 3. I tend to enjoy the objective type of games over the straight deathmatch stuff and since I was so new to the PS3, I didn’t have any buddies to squad up with. I went out to the Killzone site and was shocked and appalled at the incredible nastiness and disrespect that existed there. To this day I always feel like I need a shower after visiting that cesspool. I almost threw in the towel and resigned myself to the fact that I’d have to go it alone; but as a last ditch effort, I started sifting through the clan threads. That’s when I came across Murph’s gunslinger thread. I swear it’s only a slight exaggerating to say it was like the heavens opened and a chorus of angels sang – I signed up immediately. The first Gunslinger I gamed with was Scars… (normally I’d throw in a jab here because it IS Scars after all and who doesn’t like to poke fun of HIM!), but to be perfectly honest he’s the main reason I knew I was hooked from the get go and would make Gunslingers my online family – he really made me feel welcome and got me involved immediately. Within a couple of days I was running with Bison, Steak_N_Fries, Sosyc, CheesyMonkey, BigBangBear and quite a few others.

GS: Your original Introduction post remarked that you signed up for KillZone 3. What many people may not know is that the Nintendo Wii and your kids have a big role in you getting back into gaming. Can you tell us about that? Did it affect your decision in buying the Playstation Move? Additionally, let’s put some context the questions. What was the first game you ever owned and what was the last game you played prior to giving up gaming until picking it up again?

House.Lannister: First games were for Atari 2600 – Breakout, Combat (since it came with the console), Defender, Yars Revenge, and Pitfall come to mind as favorites among the shoe boxes full of cartridges. Pretty much kept up with most new consoles from then until the early nineties when I went to college. Even though I took my SNES with me to school I ended up playing more games on my computer at that time… Maybe it just felt more like studying!! For the next 10 years or so I’d get an occasional game on the computer (Sid Meier’s Civ and Alpha Centauri were a couple that consumed me for a month or 2 at a time) but for the most part games took a back seat to Real Life. Then a few years back my Mom gave my kids a Wii for Christmas and the seal was broken. At first, it was just some Wii Tennis here or some Band Hero there… with the kids of course. Then IT HAPPENED. A friend handed me this disk and said I should give it a try… COD4: Reflex. This was my first ever experience with Online Multiplayer (and first FPS since Doom) and Holy S^*t was I hooked. I convinced a co-worker (and now fellow Gunslinger Iskaral_Pust) to pick it up as well and we’d always try and play together. Only major complaint we had was we couldn’t talk to each other while we played (well, the noob tubes and quick scopers too, but that’s another long winded post all by itself!). That’s when the wife surprised me with the PS3 as a belated birthday present. It was bundled with KZ3, but I immediately ran up to Gamestop and bought COD4, figuring “hey, I know the guns and maps, I just have to get used to the new controller and I’ll be in business!” Um… Nope. That’s when I realized that aiming with analog thumb stick is a skill I just do not possess. So COD went back to the store and the PS Move came home.

GS: You have been playing KillZone 3 for over a year now. Do you find yourself as the type of gamer who enjoys one title at a time or do you juggle other titles as well? What unreleased game that is coming out in 2012 do you find of interest, and in what ways may your experiences in KillZone 3 serve as a meter stick to your expectations?

House.Lannister: Historically I’d say I tend to have one primary game at a time. I’m a bit of a “completionist” (some would call it OCD) so I tend to keep at a given game until I’m done with it. Online multiplayer has changed that a little for me though since it’s never really DONE. So now, I’d say I have one game for online gaming and a couple of other single player/offline games to mix in when I’m in the mood for just getting lost in a game by myself. As far as future titles are concerned, I’m really looking forward to Dust 514 and Counterstrike: Global Offensive. I wouldn’t say that I use Killzone 3 as a meter stick per se, but fun gameplay, varied game modes and good graphics (all while being Move supported) is a combo that’s been pretty hard to find so far.

GS: You have remarked that you are an engineer in your GS forum profile. What sort of engineer are you? How long have you been in this profession, and what do you find most appealing about the profession?

House.Lannister: I’ve been a Mechanical Engineer in the Jet Engine Business for the last 15 years; initially in the design and improvement side of the business but now in the troubleshooting and repair side of the house. Basically I’m the onsite technical support for the Air Force whenever they have engine problems – If the engine isn’t operating like it should, they look to me to help figure out what’s wrong and get it fixed and back in the air as quickly as possible. It’s taken many years of job shopping within the company to find my niche, but I can honestly say now that I Love My Job. At the risk of sounding kind of cheesy, to me the most appealing part of my job is the pride that comes with helping keep the F-22 flying – that and getting to walk out of my office throughout the day and watch Raptors take of and land (yeah, if it hasn’t been fully established by now, I’m a geek).

GS: Being a parent, which gender has caused you more grey hairs? Your sons or daughters?

House.Lannister: Tough question… It is true I didn’t have a single grey hair before kids, but each one causes grey hairs in their own special way. I struggle with the mind blowing emotional swings with the girl (and she hasn’t even hit puberty yet!?!) and the strong willed defiant nature of the boy. But I’m not sure how much of that is gender based or simply the particular personality of the kids.

GS: We now know House.Lannister, the professional and the gamer. What are some other loves in life you wield that we may not yet know? Living in Virginia, does any of your other interests have a more local application?

House.Lannister: We’ve only lived in Virginia for a few years and really haven’t found a local niche hobby yet – does shuttling kids around town count?? Before VA (and kids), we lived in Connecticut for 7ish years so we really embraced Skiing and Snowboarding. Before CT, we lived in South Florida where my in-laws introduced me to SCUBA diving. By far diving is still one of my favorite hobbies; we just don’t get to do it as much as we’d like to anymore. Last but not least, motorcycles have been a life long passion – I’ve been riding them in some fashion since I was about 5 years old.

GS: What was the last vacation or trip you and your family took? If asked, what would your family say it is like traveling with the House.Lannister? Please refrain from using phrases such as “God-like” or other red-flag terms of untruth.

House.Lannister: Nearly all of our family vacations involve driving to visit family. Since that’s the way it’s been since the kids were infants they actually handle the 6-16 hour drives like champions. Where the complaints tend to come from is the seat next to me… She’d be the first to tell you that my right foot is entirely too heavy and I’m not the most tolerant of drivers that aren’t paying attention or think they are the only car on the road.

GS: What was the first album you remember buying, and, to date one’s self, on which media format was it on?

House.Lannister: I love music in general but I never really spent much of my disposable income on it. My parents had a pretty large record collection that I’d sift through when the radio inevitably got too monotonous, so I never felt the need to have to go out and buy more music. However, the first album I remember buying for myself was Metallica’s Ride the Lightning on cassette tape. The main reason that one sticks out is I had just gotten this new fanged device called a Walkman (how’s THAT for dating myself) and was amazed that I could actually bring my own music with me while I was cutting the grass.

GS: You have been a responder to the “What Are You Currently Reading?” thread and have noted in your GS forum profile that reading is among your interests. What sort of genres do you most often read? If left on a desert island (yes, I did just add a desert island question), what are some reads you just couldn’t live without?

House.Lannister: I try to mix it up a pretty good bit. Fiction tends more toward the sci-fi and fantasy genres with some spy, mystery, and horror mixed in for spice. I also try to have a non-fiction in progress (usually political or science based, but occasionally I’ll pick up a historical account or biography as well) to try and put some perspective on the 20 second sound bites that are thrown at us on a daily basis and passed off as “News”. As an aside, for anyone still in the “reading with kids” stage of life, I highly recommend The Strange Case of Oragami Yoda and Darth Paper Strikes Back… They are just full of win. As far as the desert island question goes, I’m going cheat a little: I’d choose my Kindle with a solar charger, that way I can load it up with Stephen King, George R.R. Martin, and Tolkien. Almost sounds like an awesome vacation… Don’t suppose I’d have access to the 3G network would I??

GS: Prepare yourself. The following question is going to be a tough one. What is your drink of choice?

House.Lannister: Sweet Iced Tea! But, I assume that’s not what you’re really asking; if I’m aiming for something a little stronger I’ll usually go with a Jack and Diet Coke.

Thank you, House.Lannister, for being a member of the Gunslingers and taking the time to answer our interview. To our readers, thank you for your attention and game on!

By now and thanks to 2010′s E3, many gamers have heard of Sony’s intention of releasing their answer to Nintendo’s WiiMote with the Playstation Move. It promises to move the Playstation 3 towards the direction of providing motion-controlled gameplay experience.

Of course, that is going to need game developers producing titles that are compatible with the Playstation Move. Here is a list of the first twelve titles announced by Sony that will support the new control scheme:

Sorcery

Kung-Fu Rider

The Fight: Lights Out

Heroes On The Move

SingStar Dance

Sports Champions

Tiger Woods PGA Tour 11

Killzone 3

SOCOM 4: U.S. Navy Seals

LittleBigPlanet 2

EyePet

Time Crisis Razing Storm

You discuss this topic and join other Playstation 3 topics in the Gunslinger Gaming Forums.

The Sony Playstation 3 had a lot of loss ground to make up. After finally edging out its own system, the PS2, in annual sales, the PS3 still came in a distant third after the Xbox360 and the Nintendo Wii. The last 12 month annual sales period ended on March 31st, 2010, so where now does Sony stand in the console war?

Sony lost $435.6 million last year. As daunting of a figure as that may be, that is an improvement from the year prior that cost Sony a whopping $1.05 billion. PSP sales dropped from 14.1 million units sold to 9.9 million.

According to Sony,

“Game sales decreased due to unfavorable foreign currency exchange rates and decreases in unit sales of PSP hardware and of PS2 software, although unit sales of PS3 software increased……Despite PS3 hardware cost reductions and increased unit sales of PS3 software, profitability deteriorated primarily due to lower unit sales of PS2 software and of PSP hardware.”

There are promising signs for the PS3, however. Sony did meet their (what was once considered unlikely) goal of selling 13 million PS3 systems. Much of those sales came in the fourth quarter of the fiscal year, which very well may point towards 2010 being a good year for the PS3.

[Source: Gamespot.com]

Discuss this topic and other Playstation 3 related topics in the Gunslinger Gaming forums.

Scheduled for the summer of 2010, Sony plans to release firmware for the Playstation 3 system that will enable the system to play games (Blue-Ray support will be a separate release) with 3D effects. In the near future, gamers could enjoy 3D effects in their favorite games much like they enjoyed the enhancement in blockbuster movies such as The Avatar.

There are a few catches, however. Just because firmware is being released, doesn’t mean that players will immediately be able to put in Modern Warfare 2, for example, and become engrossed in 3D warfare. Game makers will need to re-release these titles with 3D production. Also, the 3D enhancement comes at a price. According to David Coombes, Sony’s Platform Research Manager, playing games in 3D could cut their console’s processing power in half.

[Source: IGN.com]

Discuss this and other topics about the Playstation 3 at the Gunslinger Gaming forum.

The official numbers for May have been released by the NPD Group, and for the third straight month, Wedbush Morgan analyst Michael Pachter’s forecasts have missed the mark.

But that’s very good news for Sony in their battle with Microsoft for second place in the next-gen race.

Pachter had predicted XBox to outsell PlayStation 3 for the month of May in North America, but Sony wound up selling 208,700 units while 186,600 XBox 360 consoles were sold during the same period of time.

Nintendo won for May altogether with 671,000 units sold.

While Playstation 3 was number two this month, it was expected that GTA IV would translate into big hardware sales. It didn’t.

“The continued success of GTA IV is not translating into big hardware sales for either the PS3 or the 360 but there may yet to be a lift in June due to gift-giving for Father’s Day and graduations,” said NPD analyst Anita Frazier.

Sure, Microsoft has slashed the price of Xbox 360 in order to try to get an edge against PS3. And yes, Nintendo’s DS still outsells Sony’s PSP.

But that doesn’t mean that Sony isn’t having an incredible fiscal year nonetheless.

Head honcho Jack Tretton recently revealed how the company is ahead of the game with PlayStation 3 and PSP.

“We are tracking at 100 percent up over last year,” he said in an interview with Reuters. “…About 30 percent ahead of where we should be. So sales could slow down and we will still hit our number.”

In fact, if the trend continues, there may be some heartbreak when the holidays roll around.

“I’d say we are able to meet somewhere between 80-90 percent demand, based on how things are trending,” said Tretton. But even if supply does get limited, he said that the shorages would not be “drastic”.