We've all heard debates about the feasibility and value of a "One Console Future"  where all gaming takes place on a single platform. Silicon Knights President Dennis Dyack and EA executive Gerhard Florin were the last two big names to express support for the idea, and this blogger wants to share some thoughts. I love Fight Night Round 3 and I'm excited about Too Human, but I'd have to disagree with the two bosses on this one.

The Washington Post recently posted an article on its site called "Sizing Up Blu-ray and HD DVD" which some of you may be interested in. You can check it out by clicking on the read link below, though those of you closely monitoring the new format war will probably not find anything new there.

One interesting part of the article, though, was a quote from PC Magazine editor Lance Ulanoff. "My advice now: If you can hold out for a better-performing, lower-cost multiformat [HD DVD and Blu-ray] player, do so," he says.

There's been talk but little evidence that such a player is even in the works, but it's an interesting concept worth exploring. It will probably come a few years from now, but the question begging to be answered is "can we wait?"

Companies on both sides of the format border are doing everything to make everyone who's still using old-fangled DVD players to make a choice and join their cause. Sony, as everyone knows, has taken the bold step of equipping the PlayStation 3 with a Blu-ray drive. The gambit raised the price tag on the gaming console, but has resulted in an early lead for Blu-ray. The HD-DVD camp, on the other hand, will tell you that their format is the more preferred one judging by stand-alone player sales. It's a rivalry reminiscent of Betamax versus VHS and Netscape versus Internet Explorer.

At this point, it would be really tough to say which line of players will eventually own the market and which one will become novelty gadgets. How this cookie crumbles is ultimately your choice as gaming is seen as a major determining factor here. Have you made the choice, or are you still happy on the outside looking in?

The HD-DVD group has earlier announced positive signs coming from the European front of the high-definition format war where it says that its stand-alone HD-DVD players are outselling Sony's Blu-ray players on a three-to-one scale.

The data, the group says, comes from research firm GfK and covers countries Italy, Spain, France, Switzerland, and Germany. The numbers included all current HD-DVD players stacked up against players outside of the Sony PlayStation 3 console which is also capable of playing Blu-ray movies.

The group, however, made it clear that Blu-ray discs are still outselling HD-DVDs in the same region and declined to comment on whether or not the format is losing money in the United States and other markets around the world.

Comparisons have already been drawn between this format war and the rivalry between the Betamax and the VHS formats from about three decades ago. Others have likened it to Netscape versus the Internet Explorer from back in the mid-90's.

The HD-DVD format has been in Europe significantly longer than Blu-ray. Its technology was developed by Toshiba and is capable of storing more data than its predecessor, the DVD format. It can also play videos at a higher resolution and is touted to have better audio output than recent storage media.

The Blu-ray camp is led by Sony and is backed by other biggies such as Apple and Samsung. It also plays HD videos but can store information on a bigger level and is said to sport more features. The price point for Blu-ray, however, is steeper than that of its sole rival.

It seems that the always booming adult entertainment industry is slowly warming up to the Blu-Ray format. Well, some of you may not find this important but it should be remembered that many industry experts believe that during the format war between Betamax and VHS, the latter won because the skin flick business chose it over the former.

Anyway, adult industry big names held its annual conference back in January (that coincided with CES, if we may add), and it was noted that most film studios still prefer producing on HD-DVD format as well as on regular DVDs.

Despite that, a movie called "Debbie Does Dallas" was released on Blu-Ray back in March 28. This time, LFP Video Group announced its partnership with New Media Adult Entertainment and CDGirls.com to distribute "Jenna Haze Oil O*gy" in retail stores across the country.

If you really want to know, the movie features adult star Jenna Haze and used to be only available online and through catalog. LFP Video Group President Michael Klein noted,

LFP leads the way in adult entertainment and it is only fitting that we are the first to market with an adult film in this exciting new format. This release expands the Hustler tradition of breaking new ground with our video titles not only in content, but also by utilizing the latest technology available, so our customers can enjoy superior picture quality.

Lastly, it is also worth mentioning that the movie will also be available in other formats HD-DVD and DVD-WMV.

In the aftermath of GDC 2007, Sony Worldwide Studios chief Phil Harrison called for PlayStation 3 owners in PAL regions to calm down regarding the issue of backwards compatibility and expressed his confidence that the PS3 will dominate once more.

Harrison reminded everyone that backwards compatibility has always been important to Sony and that it will always be part of their strategy. He reiterated earlier statements that even if the Emotion Engine is removed from PAL PS3's, software emulation combined with hardware methods will enable a growing number of PS2 games to be played on their next gen console.

"it's important to remember that the PS1 catalogue remains unchanged, and definitely, March 23, we expect over 1000 titles to be playable for PlayStation 2. Within that list is the vast majority of games you would want to play," says the Sony stalwart.

He also expressed faith in the Blu-ray disc technology, saying that what happened when DVD's took over is quite likely to have a similar effect in the case of the PS3. He noted that the innovations that Sony is making will help the medium grow and as it proliferates, consumers will see the true value of the PS3.

Harrison adds "I only have to remind myself of what it was like in the HMV store near my office in London when we launched the PS2. There were 16 aisles of VHS, and one aisle of DVD. Within a few weeks that had almost completely inverted, and I imagine it will be the same with Blu-ray disc."

However, he did concede that all the major players in this console war have their goals and niches. Confronted with predictions of analysts that the market shares of the Wii, Xbox 360 and PS3 will be more evenly distributed this time, Harrison said "yes. I think that there have always been different market shares depending on the region, and I think we've always seen that in the history of PlayStation 1 and PlayStation 2."

The Sony boss was quick to put the spotlight back on his turf, however, as he concluded "certainly, in parts of the world where PlayStation is most successful, to a certain extent it defines the videogame market - and that will continue."

Well, despite efforts to reconcile the two opposing formats, it looks like a winner may be declared after all - by the adult movie industry nonetheless.

In any case, the adult entertainment industry holds an annual get-together of its own which coincides with the CES. Now, if one is to recall the old war between Betamax and VHS, it has to be noted that the VHS won because the adult industry preferred it over its competitor.

When asked why they preferred the HD DVD better than the Blu-Ray, companies such as Pink Visual and Bangbros have pointed out that Blu-Ray is just too expensive. According to the spokesperson of Bangbros,

Blu-ray has superior quality, yes, but HD DVD is easier to produce, cheaper to produce and there are more HD DVD players in homes than there are Blu-ray players, for example in the Xbox 360.

Meanwhile, Pink Visual's complaint was that "Blu-ray discs cannot be replicated", and other companies also agreed that the sheer cost of producing their movies on Blu-Ray does not make it a good candidate as a possible HD solution for their line of work.

Tag this as off-topic. This is not news. This is however, something that may be a bit entertaining if you're a Tekken fan. Consider this the byproduct of beer, too much Tekken: Dark Resurrection for the PSP, and a VHS/betamax marathon with buddies.

In this post, this blogger will point out a few observations regarding some Tekken fighters. Particularly, with which real-life celebrity they might've been based on.

Let's start with the obvious ones.

Yeah, most Tekken characters are inspired by pop-culture martial arts heroes and anime cliches. With characters like Law and Lei, the reference is pretty obvious, but with some other characters it isn't quite that immediate. For example, anyone remember Cynthia Rothrock?

More on Cynthia, Arnie, B-Movie villains, and Connan O'Brien after the Jump!

Now that the PS3 has officially launched in Japan and the U.S., you'd think that all the criticism and bad publicity will die down. After all, the said console sold out in both places during its launch, and fans are all too eager to bite the eBay bait even if the PS3's being sold twice, even thrice its actual price.

But I guess you can't please everybody. "The Independent" (a British newspaper) writer Tim Webb wonders whether the PS3 will have the same fate as the Betamax, which was introduced by Sony in 1975. Undoubtedly, it was technologically superior to its competitor, but unfortunately, it was toppled by the VHS in the end.

The PS3, is undoubtedly more technologically superior to its next-gen counterparts, with the Cell processor, Blu-Ray, and all.

Hands down, it's truly built for the future. However, our source points out that snazzy as its features may seem, we are still living in the present, and the present may not have sufficient tools for a machine built way ahead of its time. I don't know about you, but I sure am keeping my fingers crossed that the PS3 will take a far better turn than its video recording predecessor.

Do you want an all expenses paid, three-day trip to Los Angeles in October, 2006? How about a meeting with God of War development team (including David Jaffe) plus playing God of War II before it is released to the public?

We all do! That is why we are joining the God of War Ultimate Fan Contest. The goal of the contest is to have fans create an entertaining video (in DVD, VHS, CD, etc.) that is no more than 2minutes and 30seconds long.

The video would have to prove just how much of a fan you are by showing your attention to game detail, fantasies of alternate endings, and maybe a cool Grecian costume.

It will be remembered that Kratos wasn't a God before he started his career. But now look where a little devotion got him.

Show your love now for God of War and send all entries to P.O. Box 1998, Santa Monica, CA 90406, not later than September 25 of this year. For complete rules and details, click here.

While their first incarnation may have been as big as a mini-bar and hot as a Dell laptop, this final version of the PS3 dev kit is looking quite snazzy in stylish black. Early versions also gave people the impression of jet turbines, and it seems that Sony's taken care of that little issue, as the final version is reportedly much quieter. Hmm. Before, the dev kits reminded us of the Betamax. Now they remind us of VHS players. Just a thought.

Developers also got their hands on the final version of the redesigned PS3 controller along with the new dev kits. Check out the pics of what could be the best console yet, at least at the hardware department.

Kudos to MGSROCKS1 for giving us this lead.