GTAIV, April 29th. Why you should care.
Grand Theft Auto IV release on April 29
Just like I'm not a fan of Final Fantasy, I'm not a fan of Grand Theft Auto. It's simply another good game franchise I would play. I'm sure GTA doesn't appeal to the hoi polloi of this board either, so you probably don't care about when it's coming out. However, there's something you should look out for, particularly if you're looking to buy one of the next-gen systems.
You might be aware that GTA was recognized mostly as a PS2 game. It did eventually come out on other platforms but PS2 always had it first. This time, however, GTA4 is launching at the same time on both the 360 and the PS3.
GTA is an incredibly popular franchise, especially among the mainstream gamers (mainstream being the type of people who eagerly buy Madden and movie games). There will be people who only buy Madden every year and GTA when it comes out. Personally, I work with a couple of them--though in Bermuda, "Football" = "FIFA". Previously, the PS2 was their choice since they could get Madden (or FIFA :P) and GTA to play on one game box. This time, Madden and GTA will be on both systems at the same time, and the two console manufacturers will be competing for attention. (Aside: Look at Assassin's Creed. All the commercials I was seeing for it on TV--the way you reach the mainstream who don't read game websites--advertised it as an Xbox 360 game. Regardless of the installed base of the systems, I'm sure it has benefitted the 360 version's sales.)
The 360 obviously already has the advantage. Putting aside any hardcore technical observations, the 360 is just plain cheaper. All they want is Madden and GTA, don't really care about anything else.
However--and this is the part you should care about--buzz is going around that the consoles may drop in price when GTAIV comes out. PS3 was likely to lower its price to get closer to the 360, while Microsoft would counter with their own price drop--maintaining their cost advantage.
Now, something that could potentially disprove this idea is the existence of the 40GB PS3 and the 360 Arcade units. By cutting out features of the fuller versions of themselves, they aim for the lowest common denominator and reduce their costs. After all, if these mainstream folks only want the latest Madden and GTA when it lands, what's in those cheaper packages is all they really need.
Either way, if you are looking at buying one of the systems, it may be worth it to hold out a little longer to see if a price cut actually happens. 'Course, if you don't care about GTA *or* getting a new system, then this information means nothing to you and you should just ignore it.
(SPOILER)That suggests that you shouldn't reply if you don't care. Though by me saying that, folks are likely to spite me anyway.
