We were told that the Wii would be under $250, and Nintendo delivered on that promise. Barely.

As Penny Arcade's Tycho pointed out, we can't really be angry at them for it, as they were essentially truthful, but the implications of such a statement were clear, and the average estimate of wiiprice was in the $150-$200 range.

I can't help but think Nintendo would have been wiser to promise something below $300, so as to guarantee a wide margin and avoid much of the ensuing disappointment.

But in that disappointment was born a fresh interest in, and tolerance for, the PS3. I cannot point to any specific examples, as my claim is based more on the zeitgeist of the game media.

Here at Kotaku HQ, I am situated directly over the throbbing, gelatinous heart of the gaming memewad. It's swampy, rotten and opaque, but one gets to recognize the amorphous feelings emanating from the evil cesspool of incoming RSS. An RSSpool, if you will.

I can't catch every specific instance, but I can sense the sort of collective emotion of the fanboys, media, press releases and forums. And the Sony bashing has been lashed back a few notches. There's a lot more excitement about the PS3's pretty stunning capabilities. I'm hearing a general grumbling and occasional yell of approval for trailers like the one for White Knight, and not just from the holdout Sony fanboys.

Being faced with the Wii's true price has put a better spin on the outlandish cost of our favorite waffle iron, and their PR blunders are met with more chortlings and "Oh, that Sony!" than screaming monkey rage, somewhat deflating the hysterical hatred for the company that until recently has been so fashionable.

What does it all mean? I am reminded of the way sleepy parakeets will shake violently to fluff out their feathers, and then slowly subside into their former shape and eventually drift off, surrounded by a gentle snow of their loosened down. I think we're settling in for the winter. Most of the cards are on the table at this point, and there's very little to do now except sell plasma, stand in line, and see how it all plays out. Eliza Gauger

[thanks to Stickypig for the suggestion]