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- sexualaj, on 01/22/2008, -5/+715 pages? Here it is on 1 page without all the extra crap;
http://www.next-gen.biz/index2.php?option=com_cont ... - roffelmeh, on 01/22/2008, -12/+75ps3 with full keyboard and mouse support = FTW
- charlescheese, on 01/22/2008, -19/+75Yeah you're so right, what gamers want to play MGS4, FFXIII, Uncharted, Ratchet, GTA4, COD4, Assassin's Creed, the Orange Box, Burnout Paradise, Little Big Planet, Resistance, Resistance II with 8 player coop 60 player multi, Killzone II, Rainbow Six Vegas, Rainbow Six Vegas II, Super Stardust HD, Gran Turismo, White Knight Stories, Afrika, God of War III, Devil May Cry 4, Tomb Raider, Oblivion, Fallout 3, Far Cry 2, FFXIII Versus, the Getaway, All of the Sports games, Haze, Unreal Tournament III, Heavenly Sword, Heavy Rain, LA Noir, Lego Star Wars, Lego Indiana Jones, Lego Batman, Lost Planet, Motorstorm, Ninja Gaiden Sigma, Resident Evil 5, Saints Row 2, Silent Hill 5, Skate, Soulcaliber 4, Virtua Fighter 5, Warhawk, Yakuza? Etc... That's most of the list of AAA released and 08 games.
You're absolutely right, it totally fails at a game machine. Who would ever want to play all of those crappy games?! I mean they suck, right? - DarkShroud, on 01/22/2008, -22/+74It was only the media (news, G4, Magazines) that really beat on the PS3. And I love how the articles didn't mention MS's hardware issues at all, like most. The hardware is solid as it has been for awhile. Blu-ray is a big help for games in general. Early year 1 PS3 games have very short load times while Uncharted has none. DMC4 is looking to be very good on the load as well. When properly set the games look good and player very well (EA doesn't count). This is what I care about for games. I could give a damn about achievements I play games for fun and I'm not alone in that.
- FatherG, on 01/22/2008, -15/+50You know what? ***** your 'five page article that could fit on one page so I can get those advert monies'
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Image The thing about brands? They’re all about reputation. And PlayStation’s reputation has taken a beating.
We need not go into detail here, but it’s sufficient to make the point that Sony’s dominance is over forever and its survival in the game industry at all has seemed, at times, less than certain.
Many brands would not have lived through the ignominious introduction of PlayStation 3.
But the PlayStation brand and the Sony brand have survived. They have clung on. They are still here. And now they are going to come back into play. The battle against Xbox 360 (let’s leave Wii aside for now) is not over. In fact, it’s only just beginning. And PlayStation will be the ultimate winner, although what that actually means is something I reckon is worth analyzing in its own right.
Here’s why PlayStation 3’s fortunes are turning.
GAMES
Image PlayStation has, rightly, been losing because its software line-up is not as compelling as Xbox 360.
If you look at the best games of the last year, Xbox 360 had a better year of it than PlayStation 3. Next-Gen placed four platform-exclusives from both consoles in our end-of-year top 30, but the Xbox 360 games’ average position was 10th while the PS3’s was 19th. The former had two games in the top ten; the latter had none.
However, a look at the big games for 2008 offers some promise for PS3. Apart from Metal Gear, Tekken 6, GT5 and the Final Fantasies we have two good FPS games in Killzone 2 and Resistance 2 and, perhaps most crucially, two delightful mainstream offerings in SingStar and Little Big Planet. Xbox 360 has a good line-up too, but it’s no better and, you could argue, a bit less thrilling, than its blue-chip 2007 offerings.
Microsoft has been fighting its console battle according to the tried and trusted rules of an age when consoles were largely sold based on their merits, chief among which was their games library. And it’s done very well. But PlayStation’s software offering is in the ascendancy and, anyway (here comes a heresy) sometimes it really isn’t about the software. “What?” – you splutter with incandescent bellicosity. “Not about the software? You sir, are a buffoon and a scoundrel.” Wait. Hear me out.
BLU-RAY
ImageThis is the real nub of the hardware war. It always was. For Sony, it has proven a dreadful disadvantage these past two years. It will prove the company’s most fearsome weapon in 2009 and onwards, and it will begin to make a difference in 2008.
The decision to go with Blu-ray as PS3’s drive was simultaneously a bad decision and a good one. It was bad because it hiked the price of the hardware. It was bad because it caused technology challenges and delays. It was bad because no consumers – none – were asking for it. It was bad because it looked like the company was trying to use its leverage in the game business to further its bigger picture ends.
It was good because Blu-ray is going to emerge as the winning platform in the war against HD-DVD. It was good because millions of people will be upgrading to hi-def over the next five years. It was good because a significant percentage of them will make PS3 a central part of that upgrade process.
For Jack Tretton and his pals at Sony, 2008 has begun with the sun shining and the birds singing – Las Vegas style. At CES Warner quit HD-DVD; the HD-DVD booth was way quieter than the neighboring Blu-ray booth. The consumer electronics zeitgeist declared the war over and Blu-ray the victor.
PS3 may well spend a significant proportion of this cycle as the console with the smallest installed base. But it will succeed in aiding Blu-ray’s march onwards.
It’s not the end of the war, but it is the beginning of the end, and Blu-ray is the one going forwards. The end of this foolish war will usher in a period of growth triggered by consumers relieved that they can make a purchase and not get screwed by this dim-witted squabble.
Consumers are replacing their TV sets with high-def flat-screens. They will also replace their DVD players with Blu-ray players. They will seek the machine that is noted for its quality; the one that is future-proof; the one with the trust-worthy brand name; the one that, wow, also plays games. They will invest in PlayStation.
So is it all over for Xbox 360? No, the sales numbers are still in that platform’s favor. But sales numbers change quickly. I’m going to predict that, at some point in 2008, Xbox 360 will enjoy its last ever month outselling PlayStation 3. It will be Blu-ray, not Metal Gear Solid, that makes this happen.
PRICE
ImageUp until this point, Xbox 360 has represented the best value. No longer. PS3 is $50 more expensive than Xbox 360 but you get a bigger hard drive, you get a Blu-ray drive and you get to play online for free. It is becoming extremely difficult to argue the case that Xbox 360 is better value than PS3.
In fact, Microsoft is the one most under pressure to cut price. Its paid-for system on Xbox Live looks wholly unsustainable and its lack of a Blu-ray drive is not compensated by that $50 differential (we don’t count the Arcade Pack – does anyone?).
It may be that Microsoft will cut its price to sustain its lead, but two can play at that game (PlayStation 3’s manufacturing costs are dropping substantially) and, anyway, market-share is not as valuable as it once was, certainly not valuable enough to persuade Microsoft to take a big loss on its hardware so far into the console’s life.
BRAND
PlayStation 3, as a model, looks, to me like a pregnant platypus. But some people see beauty in its lines. (I think all the hardware boxes this generation are pug-ugly, but that’s a different point.)
For many people, it looks like a tres-moderne piece of under-the-telly technology. And, what‘s more, it carries the Sony logo and the PlayStation logo. For those of us entrenched in the biz, both these brands carry baggage. But for them out there – the Year 3 Console Adopters, the people who bought a DVD player after the Millennium – these are brands to trust. They speak of sophistication and quality.
I don’t even posit this as an argument against Microsoft or Nintendo, simply as a point about Sony and its relationship with consumers. Sony still means something to billions of people, and so does PlayStation.
HOME
Will PlayStation Home make a difference? When I saw it a year ago, I was convinced that this piece of software would play a major role in the console wars. I still believe it has a touch of genius, the common touch, to take virtual living out of the machismo ghettoes of Xbox Live or the vacant loonyness of Second Life. If it works, it’s an amazing thing.
So, for the first time, Sony is holding some decent cards, even if its chip-stack has been eroded these past few years. It should go on to rack up a hardware base that rivals and then overtakes Xbox 360.
But wait…
WHAT DOES 'WINNING' MEAN ANYWAY?
All the above looks like some sort of prediction that PlayStation 3 is going to “win" the hardware wars. It really isn’t, because winning doesn’t mean what it used to mean.
This hardware cycle has confounded most of what we thought we knew about the console games market. We used to believe that there would always be an ultra-dominant console and a distant second-place. We used to believe that third place was no-where. It was once a central belief that games consoles ought not try and be something else; that convergent devices were anathema.
Those things don’t seem to hold any longer. All three console manufacturers are in a strong position to take a win from this generation; simultaneously.
Winning a 40% share this generation is a much more challenging proposition than an 80% share in the 1990s
There was a time when “winning” meant creating a big enough share that third parties would work exclusively with the publisher, thereby guaranteeing the growth of that share. Those days are gone. That fight is no longer relevant. Third-parties no longer see value in exclusives. Hell; there's almost an argument for first-parties to tickle their rivals with certain game releases.
Now, each company must win or lose according to its own criteria.
Nintendo will sell more hardware units than anyone else, and it’ll make a heap of money. In pure numbers on the ground terms, Wii may well win.
But this isn’t a big win for the game industry as a whole, because Nintendo takes such a huge percentage of the software market. Even with today's massive installed base, we don't believe Nintendo’s third-party partners can sell much more than 500,000 units of any game in first three months on sale (in either North America or Europe), whereas Nintendo games can and do sell millions.
Microsoft has broken into the games console club and, crucially, created itself a solid reputation as an entertainment brand. It has a larger installed base than PS3 and will continue to enjoy that lead for many, many months to come. Xbox 360 is also going to be a player – albeit not the dominant one – in the emerging entertainment download hub revolution. Crazily, Microsoft might actually make some money from its console adventure. That’s got to be a win even if it sells fewer consoles than its rivals.
PlayStation 3 won’t repeat the successes of the previous two cycles. It won’t dominate the market with solid gold exclusives. It may well spend a significant proportion of this cycle as the console with the smallest installed base. But it will succeed in aiding Blu-ray’s march onwards. That, arguably, is the most crucial factor in its play. As a corporate goal, it diminishes any rivalry with Microsoft to almost zero.
PS3 will one day be seen as a great product – certainly getting a 40% share this generation is a much more challenging proposition than an 80% share in the 1990s (against weak-assed Sega and stubbornly cartridge-a-phile Nintendo, for Chrissakes).
PlayStation 3 is set for greatly improved fortunes in 2008. Blu-ray is the factor that is tipping the balance. For Sony, there remains the enormous challenge of making sure those Blu-ray / PS3 owners engage in PlayStation 3 as more than just a fancy hi-def movie player.
Image Read Colin Campbell’s column every Monday at Next-Gen.Biz. Last week's column (on used games) is here. - DiggUmFrog, on 01/22/2008, -3/+34ONE ***** PAGE PLEASE!
- akkibaba, on 01/22/2008, -2/+30It would be incredible if all Digg submitters linked to a "Print" page if it exists, it's a huge pain in the ass to click through five pages just ro read an article.
- Myonosken, on 01/22/2008, -9/+32Please don't try and limit the beat down the PS3 took to just 'the media'. The start it had was terrible from the media, public and developers. Fiascos such as the PSP blog seriously damaged Sony's console reputation just before release and caused massive public backlash. On top of this, for a while at launch, it just didn't have the games to justify the ridiculous price tag it had. Now the price has dropped and games are available, it is looking better and better, but don't try and sugar coat it.
- joeykilluv, on 01/22/2008, -4/+22i hope the PS3 does well, so microsoft is forced to make the 360 better, isn't that what we all should want? competition is wonderful for consumers
- sugarazor, on 01/22/2008, -3/+19Oh my God, you act like it's something that actually means something. It's a friggin video game console. If you want a PS3, buy one. If you can't afford it, than enjoy what you have. Typical reaction from today's youth though - the grass is always greener mentality. So you don't get to play MGS, Little Big Planet or FFXIII - you still get Mass Effect, Gears of War, and Halo. Oh you don't get Blu-ray, you get a lot of multi-platform games that run smoother. Other than a few minor issues, the consoles are almost identical.
I know, I just committed fanboy heresy by saying the two systems aren't that different! Sorry fanboys, 360 and PS3 are like Republicans and Democrats - sure, they each have a lot of talking points that sound different, but at the end of the day, they're still soulless machines backed by giant corporations. - inactive, on 01/22/2008, -2/+18I wouldn't really agree that the Playstation's reputation has taken a beating. The complaints have been mostly about the lack of games, the high price, and the inclusion of features people didn't care about. Not so much about the build quality or raw capability of the machine. I'd rather that my product be seen as overpriced than unreliable. The PS3 has become the Lexus, it's nicer but it's too expensive to justify, and the 360 is the Yugo, it's cheap and gets the job done, when it's actually running.
- twodayslate, on 01/22/2008, -14/+28Just to let everyone know that Sony is still selling the PS2. They do not give up on their customers like Microsoft and Nintendo. They also have to work on the PSP. They have a total of three great systems.
- etruscan, on 01/22/2008, -4/+17I don't own any of the next-gen consoles (yet). I currently own a PS2 and an Xbox. I've evaluated each of the new ones, played on each, and have seen exciting things from all three. In 2008, I'll be buying my first of the new consoles... and I'm pretty firmly set on the PS3. I'm primarily a PC gamer, and I know that almost all those Xbox 360 exclusives eventually come out on the PC, plus - I'm not a huge Halo fan. I'm interested in BluRay, because I'm a firm believer in physical media... and I want to go hi-def. I like the idea of free multiplayer, and Home looks really cool. If sales of the PS3 start skyrocketing (thanks to the end of the format war), I predict more cool games that utilize the power of the Cell processor.
...I'm not saying that the 360 or the Wii don't have their own strong merits, but for me - it's PS3. - feylanks, on 01/22/2008, -4/+17high res view of girl plz
- fudsak, on 01/22/2008, -2/+15Tooooo looooong
- MrFisty, on 01/22/2008, -2/+15The fact that I'm on my third 360 due to hardware faults is exactly why I'm considering making the switch to PS3. The main reason I didn't consider one to begin with was price. It was 60% more expensive than a 360 for what you could argue is the same thing. Now the price is starting to level, Blu Ray (depending on who you ask) is getting the upper hand, no wide-spread tech issues. A few more really good games and I reckon PS3 will be in a very formidable position.
Moral of the story: MS, fix your systems or risk losing customers. - imikedaman, on 01/22/2008, -3/+16Why do people suddenly place so much emphasis on games existing on other platforms? Multiplatform games have existed since the dawn of gaming, and it's only a good thing. Releasing a game on multiple platforms just means more people can enjoy it.
The PS3 has a lot of great exclusive titles that are either already out or coming out soon, then to sweeten the deal you also get a bevy of good multiplatform titles. I see nothing wrong with that. - krd1979, on 01/22/2008, -1/+14In the world of technology one or two years is a really long time.
- craterburnsu, on 01/22/2008, -9/+21You sir, need to refrain from watching side by side comparisons at GameTrailers.
- masterm1nd, on 01/22/2008, -2/+13It's not very often that I get pissed off from having to scroll down so much.... I'd bury you but then I'd have to scroll all the way up...
- JigoroKano, on 01/22/2008, -2/+12PC gamers might wonder why they have to pay for something they are accustomed to getting for free.
- GoalieStr1, on 01/22/2008, -5/+15=computer???
- JayD16, on 01/22/2008, -1/+11Its probably because people would rather dig him down and collapse the post instead of scrolling through it.
- JayD16, on 01/22/2008, -3/+11You aren't everyone else though...
- FatherG, on 01/22/2008, -4/+12It may be long but it's all one page.
Rest of this comment after the jump - Sanooj, on 01/22/2008, -3/+11That's how I eat shrimps
- Scienceisfun, on 01/22/2008, -1/+9Not really. If Sony sells the PS3 for X dollars, the only question you have to ask yourself is "Is the PS3 worth it to me at X dollars?" You can take into account how much the parts are worth, sure, but that's not the whole story. You also aren't stupid for buying a medium Coke for $1 instead of one twice as large for $1.50, if you don't really want the larger drink. Passing up a good deal on something you don't want doesn't make you stupid.
\Not saying anything one way or the other about the PS3 itself - Daniel591992, on 01/22/2008, -4/+12If anything, I'll most likely have the longest lifespan. Sony has built a solid console, all they need is the great games. Just look how well the PS2 is doing.
- inactive, on 01/22/2008, -1/+9Most of these submission are written and submitted specifically FOR the ad revenue.
- WaRdRivR, on 01/22/2008, -4/+12A year ago Jack Tretton said the Playstation 3 was a 10 year commitment, and um, i guess he wasn't lying for once!
Quote: "We're going to take some risks and give consumers the technology that they'll need for the next ten years."
http://www.gamepro.com/news.cfm?article_id=103888 - Dymphna, on 01/22/2008, -4/+12Stop going to 360Trailers and actually set up your systems so they play well on the setting. They tend to look pretty much deadon identical. A few I've got looking better on the PS3, but it takes tweaking.
- cornflakepirate, on 01/22/2008, -2/+9Uncharted doesn't install. You fail.
- damnyooneek, on 01/22/2008, -3/+10Why the hell do people still call the PS3/Xbox 360/Wii next-gen?
- sugarazor, on 01/22/2008, -6/+13Ahead of it's time? You make it sound like the thing came out twenty years ago. It took a year to find it's footing... hardly the Van Gogh of Video Games.
- KMartSheriff, on 01/22/2008, -3/+10I don't know why you're getting dugg down. I mean *****, the PS2 is still the best selling console right?
- blankoboy, on 01/22/2008, -3/+10Full Keyboard + Mouse support (especially where FPS games are concerned) = Me buying a PS3. Developers, listen up!
- Dymphna, on 01/22/2008, -2/+9Tell me how downloading 50 GB ISOs go for you on Piratebay.
But yes, being one of the cheapest and most expandable bluray players on the market IS a selling point for anyone that wants to watch high-def movies, even if they aren't a gamer. - thecheatah, on 01/22/2008, -4/+10Did you read the article? Lack of games is exactly what it addresses. Saying that this year the ps3 will own in exactly that area.
- F9Phoenix, on 01/22/2008, -6/+12PS3ology indeed!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pq_1yWG7ieE - Peavey, on 01/22/2008, -2/+8The entire article on one page is four posts down at the link. I don't know why everyone is digging down this poor guy.
- FoxOrian, on 01/22/2008, -1/+7Your logic is illogical.
- cornflakepirate, on 01/22/2008, -1/+7Speling FTL!
- inactive, on 01/22/2008, -6/+11The PS3 was simply released ahead of its time. Now things are starting to change with huge support of blue-ray, lower prices, and a decent game library. I just wonder how long the lifespan of the PS3 is going to be in comparison to the 360/Wii since it's taken awhile for Sony to get on their feet.
- thecheatah, on 01/22/2008, -4/+9I don't understand why it would be pathetic. More people prefer xp over vista. More people prefer KDE3 to KDE4.
That is just how it is in the beginning. Its what people had wanted for a while and now its really really cheap affordable and guarantees to satisfy exactly what you wanted. - Iuvat, on 01/22/2008, -1/+6If the snes games came on VHS tapes, then i would expect it to play vhs.
- DarkShroud, on 01/22/2008, -0/+5It won't be next gen until they add a hard drive & HD video. Motion controllers have been around for yous.
- Dymphna, on 01/22/2008, -2/+7SNES != PS3. I didn't buy a PS3 just for the games, though that was an important factor. I bought my Wii just for the games, guess which one gets more use? The one that is a game console, and my main method of watching high-def movies, and my media center for streaming content to my TV from my Mac.
Worth the money I'd say. What is it with people who seem to hate getting more for their $? - TuxedoMax, on 01/22/2008, -1/+6My exact thoughts.
larger http://www.ewep.de/external_view1/image20281.jpg - kidcodea, on 01/22/2008, -8/+13u cant beat quality.
little big planet will mark the turning point - Thwarter, on 01/22/2008, -1/+6Everyone has their own priorities for what they want in a console these days. For me it was HD movies first, then reliability, then games, then media center. I bought a PS3 on Black Friday because I wanted to go HD and have a good source for HD movies, plus I wanted to be able to play games and have a media center as well. I considered both the Xbox and the PS3, but for $400 I got everything in the PS3. If I went Xbox 360, I would have to spend $300 for the xbox, plus another $170 for the HD DVD,$75 for WiFi, and have an extra device to power and use space in my cabinet. Combine that with the RRoD failure rate of the 360, and the relative reliability of the PS3, my choice was easy. And now with Blu-Ray taking the lead in the format war, it's even an easier choice. I also didn't want to have to pay $50 a year for online use.
Sure, there are a few cool games I won't get to play, like BioShock, but I will live. -
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