The PlayStation 3 has been garnering some surprising defenders these days, and we can now add another developer the list. In an interview posted on PlayStation.com, legendary game designer Sid Meier exposed at length about his love for the PlayStation 3 and the PlayStation brand in general. According to the article, Meier owns a PlayStation 2, a PSP, and a PlayStation 3 and actively uses them all (with Resistance being one of his recent favorite titles). Most interestingly though is that he feels that with the arrival of the PlayStation 3, it's time for him and Firaxis (his development group) to move into console gaming.

While Meier has dabbled in console gaming before, most famously with Pirates! and it's recent sequel, this appears to be a major paradigm shift for him. He explains his reasoning behind the shift a little more in-depth:
"Computers no longer have the edge on set-top systems. The technology is there; the audience is ready for deeper and more gripping experiences; and the bar's formally been raised in terms of enthusiasts' expectations. I hate to use the word convergence, but I don't know how else to describe the situation... The timing couldn't be more perfect."

Now, before people take to the streets and start screaming about how Civilization couldn't work with a controller, keep in mind that he has not specified at all what his next-gen projects are. Also keep in mind that the PlayStation 3 supports bluetooth keyboards/mice as well as the obvious USB support. So if Civilization did come out for the PS3, there's no reason to automatically assume he would 'dumb it down' for consoles. Still, it's much more likely that we'll see entirely new games released, though you can pretty much be guaranteed sure they'll carry at least a shred of the classic tactical style gameplay he's known for.