Like bellbottoms, not having a PS3 is very, very bad.
Most people won't need convincing that life without a PlayStation 3 would be as utterly backwards as bellbottom fashions, Brut after shave and Duran Duran's Rio on the record player.
Sony's phenomenal established user-base of PlayStation products in European homes, where gaming consoles are as ubiquitous as DVD players, means that there's an army of converts baited for the release of the next machine.
If we're to believe the hype, the company who made gaming cool should maintain its position at the top of the heap with an edgy advertising campaign, freebies at launch and a general feel good vibe that can only be described as brand loyalty.
"One glance at the increasingly powerful blogosphere will unveil a chaotic power-struggle which rages across the digital landscape."
But, like the suburbia of John Waters' Serial Mom, there's an undercurrent of something-not-quite-right undermining a smooth-sailing launch campaign.
Joe Gamer may not be aware of the turmoil, but only a wafer thin muslin sheath hides it from view.
One glance at the increasingly powerful blogosphere will unveil a chaotic power-struggle, fraught with a clash between Sony fanboyism, ill-conceived marketing tactics and questionable muckraking citizen journalism, which rages across the digital landscape.
This goes beyond hurt feelings at the delayed European launch; it hits at the heart of the machine's functionality, its dramatic price spike for the UK version of the console and the library of titles available to play.
Published 27th February 2007
