With just over a month until the Sony PlayStation 3 and Nintendo Wii release, your average everyday non-journalist gamer still hasn't had the opportunity to try out the upcoming consoles. The burgeoning Digital Life show, open to press and public alike, would have been a great chance for folks to get some hands-on time with the consoles, but console manufacturer and game developers alike conspired to deliver few opportunities to do just that. The PS3 had a dedicated area in Sony's booth, but only two demo units and two playable titles--NBA Live 2007 and Resistance: Fall of Man. Additionally, Sega had the PS3 version of Sonic the Hedgehog in playable form, though its presence was largely negated by the similar-looking Xbox 360 version just feet away. The Nintendo Wii was even scarcer. Nintendo had no presence at the show--no big surprise--but Konami did have a playable demo of Elebits--which was surprisingly fun.
While Digital Life may have been lacking in next-gen goodness--wait a few weeks for retail kiosks to start popping up--it's still well worth the trek for any gamers in the Metro area, with the aforementioned companies as well as UbiSoft, EA, Microsoft, GameTap, and various other companies showing off some sweet upcoming titles like Guitar Hero II, Splinter Cell Double Agent, Contra for Xbox Live Arcade, and Sam & Max Freelance Police. If you've got a couple bucks and a few hours to wait in line, hit up the Jacob Javits Convention Center (or as I call it, the "Dub-J") and get your game geek on.