Have you had a chance to look at Sony and Nintendo’s stands, and what do you think?
Major Nelson: I think Nintendo’s stand was great fun. There was a lot of DS stuff there and I understand the DS has been wildly successful here in Europe, so that was cool. As for Sony, I’m really surprised that there were no playable demos on show. We’re getting pretty close to launch for that console, so it was strange not to see anything playable. That’s sending a message. And that’s pretty much all I can say about that…
Take off your Microsoft hat. As a gamer, what do you think of PS3?
Major Nelson: I’ve got a PS1 and a PS2, but as a gamer with PS3 I feel like roadkill. Sony seems so intent on pushing Blu-Ray forward that it’s going full steam ahead and not holding back on the torpedos. We’ll see what happens when they ship. I’m sure they’ll have a few good titles, but I don’t know if that will make me spend 7 or 8 hundred dollars. For that money I can get an Xbox 360 and a Wii! I hope Sony isn’t marginalising itself out of the market because it’s done some amazing things for the industry and we need a good competitor. Microsoft is at its best when it has a good competitor.
What do you think of the Wii’s approach?
Major Nelson: It’s going for a different market. It’s like the Mac in opposition to the PC. Some people love Macs, and some people will love the Wii. I’ve had great fun when I’ve played with it, although I’m worried I’ll get sore arms! Nintendo’s a very clever company and they’ve done some wonderfully original things like the DS, so I’m excited to see how the Wii goes.