The Playstation 3 has not done quite as well as Sony hoped against the Xbox 360 and Wii. The reasons for this seem pretty elementary – Microsoft got out of the gate early with a powerful system and good games and so owns the high end while Nintendo rethought the gaming experience fundamentally, wrapped it all up in an affordable package and now owns the low end. Uptake for the Playstation 3 has been weak because frankly it doesn’t have any features to justify a higher price and compensate for the lack of games.

Or does it?

Anybody who’s read Snow Crash (or used Second Life) will recognize this. Sony looks to be trying the Metaverse angle as its killer app. I must say, this looks pretty interesting. Whether Sony will be able to deliver on the promise remains to be seen, but perhaps with the immense power that’s been built into the PS3, and the premium price that entails, really will result in some astonishing next generation experiences.