Please tell me this George Foreman Grill look-alike isn't the new PS3

I don't know how many of you are aware of this, but it's been rumored for a while now that the folks at Sony are working on yet another redesign of the PS3--presumably so they can sell the system for less money (while still making some sort of profit, of course) and rope in a few million more gamers between now and whenever they finally release its successor.

I've been paying close attention to those rumors due to the fact that I'm still "sans PS3," as my French friends say. (OK, so I only have one French friend, and he never says "sans PS3." Or at least I don't remember him ever saying that particular phrase.)

So, how did I react after seeing the photos below, which spread across the Internet like a swarm of Smorgs yesterday (starting with this blog post) and which show what appears to be the aforementioned redesign in the flesh, so to speak?

Honestly, my first thought was: Damn, that thing is ugly. And then I thought: Wait, that's not really the new PS3, is it? Please don't let that be the new PS3.

Now that I've had a few hours to digest this shocking bit of news, do I feel any differently? Not really. Before anyone rakes me over the coals, though, I'd like to say that I realize these photos are rather terrible (to put it lightly) and that the final product probably will look at least a smidge better than the one depicted above.

Also, I'd like to say that all will be forgiven by moi (yep, another French reference) should this third PS3 system hit store shelves in my neck of the woods for less than $200 (which is what it'll take for me to jump back aboard the PlayStation train).

How about all of you? What do you think of this redesign--should it be shown to be the real deal, of course? Are you delighted? Disgusted? Disinterested? Some other word beginning with "d"?

About those Project Café/Wii 2 rumors ...

Well, the folks at Nintendo of Japan finally admitted that the successor to the Wii--supposedly codenamed "Project Café"--will be revealed at the upcoming E3 event (June 7-9 in Los Angeles) and will be released sometime next year.

Unfortunately, that's about all they admitted during a press conference held earlier today in Osaka, Japan.  (Another will be held tomorrow in Tokyo.)

Sure, Nintendo CEO Satoru Iwata shared that the company "will offer something new for home game systems," but that's hardly a shocking statement given its forward-thinking DS, 3DS and Wii systems.

The question is, will the "something new" Iwata refers wind up resembling any of the rumors that have been swirling around the Interwebs for the last week or so? (Read about them here.)



Will the system's controller really have a six-inch touchscreen in the center of it (as depicted in the mock-up above), for instance? If so, will it really allow users to stream games and other media to said screen without turning on their TVs?

Also, does this mean Nintendo is turning its back on the Wii remote and the motion controls that were popularized by it--or will this new console be backwards-compatible with its predecessor?

That last question has me feeling a bit edgy at the moment, I have to admit. I've really enjoyed using the Wii remote--its pointer functionality, especially--and I'd hate for Nintendo to give it up just so they can offer the masses something new and exciting.

What do all of you think? Are you curious about Project Café, or could you care less about it?