7T*MGTE - Not a fanboy at all - thought I find it hilarious that you parallel Bill Gates as equalling all of Microsoft's gaming section. You must not like the man very much - does he owe you money or something?
Yes, Sony Hype is very real. They did it with the Playstation 2, they did it with the Playstation 3, they've done it on damn near every game they've put out.
Technical demos from the Sony camp are NEVER what you get - remember the PS2 tech demos? God Of War came the closest to approaching what they convinced everyone they would have - and how many years after the fact?
I prefer Forza to GT - while the GT series was pretty in the replays and such. they never had me in-game, when I'm behind the wheel.
If you haven't played the Forza 3 demo, go do it. It is seriously amazing, and I'm anxiously awaiting October 10th.