NPR reports that despite a faltering economy, games sales are still up tremendously (Original Article: In Tough Economic Times, Video Games Console). Not only are games 'economical' in their value, but they're also often just as good the second or third play through. There are only a handful of movies that I truly enjoy sitting through repetitively. The only part I don't agree on in this article is the statement on 'diversity'. I think games can be more diverse than some movies. No longer does market weakness affect solely one country and no where else would I ever find equal ground to discuss a hobby with people from around the world.

Maybe it won't be as thin as the slim-line PS2, but it seems that Toshiba and Sony are working on reducing the power requirements of the PS3, thus slimming the system down and reducing production costs. Original Article: Sony, Toshiba Prepare to Release 45nm Version of Cell Processor Next Year. This could mean 'cheap' PS3's for everyone!

I'm just now absorbing this. I knew there were a lot of good games coming out for the PS3 this fall, but look at this release list for October alone... and these are what I consider the "good" games!

Socom Pre-order Ships 10/14/2008
Saints Row 2 Pre-order Ships 10/14/2008
Dead Space Pre-order Ships 10/14/2008
Rise of the Argonauts Pre-order Ships 10/14/2008
Far Cry 2 Pre-order Ships 10/21/2008
Legendary Pre-order Ships 10/21/2008
LittleBigPlanet Pre-order Ships 10/21/2008
Bioshock Pre-order Ships 10/21/2008
Fallout 3 Pre-order Ships 10/28/2008

Maybe my old brain's being fuzzy, but I think this is the largest release listing I've ever seen in my years as a gamer. First off, how does anyone who can afford this list have the time to play these games? Second, where am I going to find the time to eat, sleep, or work? This list right here illustrates how far this industry has come. It's a great time to be a gamer, but a bad time to be a clock-puncher .