Ted Price: PS3 Has Become 'Whipping Boy' for Press

[cliffbo]

Ted Price: PS3 Has Become 'Whipping Boy' for Press

Ted Price (right), Insomniac Games' CEO doesn't think the media has given the PlayStation 3 a fair shake. He said it and Sony have become the "whipping boy" for the press, but he's confident the console will have a fantastic Christmas. He also talks about the leap Ratchet & Clank has made over Resistance.

As part of an in-depth interview to be published in the coming days on GameDaily BIZ, Ted Price, CEO of Insomniac Games (the independent developer behind Resistance: Fall of Man on PS3) stood up for the PS3, defending Sony against the barrage of negativity they've been faced with over the last 6-8 months since launching their new console.

"I think the PS3 has become the whipping boy for the press, quite honestly. I think everyone just wants to fill it full of arrows because Sony's had some pretty amazing success over the years. And it's easy to overlook that it's been, I think, the fastest selling PlayStation console. I think it's human nature to want to take down the guy on top, and Sony has definitely gotten its share of... mud [laughs] ... but it's unfortunate," he said.

"I wish people hadn't been so ready to criticize Sony, because we're certainly affected by that as well, since Resistance was synonymous with the PS3," he continued. "Obviously, Sony has come out and said that there are things they could have done better, but I could say that about any of our games too. The fact is that PS3's out there, it's sold well, and we're looking at an upcoming Christmas that should provide a lot of unique content to players, which is pretty exciting... and top among them Ratchet, of course."

And speaking of Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction, videos and screenshots have already revealed what looks to be a very impressive title. Price confirmed that this latest Ratchet was probably Insomniac's biggest project yet. He said the team is now putting the finishing touches on the title, which he called "the largest and most complex game we've ever made." The company has learned a lot about the PS3 thanks to Resistance and the team is putting that knowledge to good use.

"Resistance is still the #1 PS3 game out there in terms of overall sales, and all of the knowledge [we gained from developing Resistance] we have now applied to Ratchet, and have been able to make Ratchet head and shoulders above Resistance in terms of the visuals and what you'll see in the game," Price said.

The complete interview will go into detail on why Insomniac has been ranked one of the best companies to work for, for three straight years (for example, did you know that they have an in-house masseuse and chiropractor?), what Ted Price thinks of "crunch," the new E3, the advantages of independence, and much more. Stay tuned!

http://biz.gamedaily.com/industry/feature/?id=16680

[ddaryl]

and because of all of the rediculous press, and Sony haters out there I have become a full fledge Sony loyalist and won't even consider purchasing a competing system.

but IMHO Sony has built the most impressive console ever by a wide margin. it's a shame the undeducated or the easily mislead can't see through the fog. The PS3 is an amazing piece of equipment that will leave the rest in the dust....

[Applefiend]

And Ted has just noticed, he's a sharp one. :)

I look forward to his next editorial: "I think the Iraq war may not be going well." or "I really think it's time that Tony Blair left office".

[NeoPlayStation]

He's right. I can imagine the media reaction if the PS3 & X360 defect rates were reversed.

[woundingchaney]

This just in the ocean is composed of water.

[Shadow Voa]

And air is a requirement for living beings...

[Phoenix]

and because of all of the rediculous press, and Sony haters out there I have become a full fledge Sony loyalist and won't even consider purchasing a competing system.

but IMHO Sony has built the most impressive console ever by a wide margin. it's a shame the undeducated or the easily mislead can't see through the fog. The PS3 is an amazing piece of equipment that will leave the rest in the dust....Umm... The PS3 is expensive. That's not at all "uneducated." Nor is not predicting it to do poorly. It's just an opinion, just like your prediction that it will leave everything in the dust.

[Applefiend]

Nah, not expensive at all, compare to a certain other device which has wall to wall great publicity.

$600 for the phone and wait to you see the plan you have to go on:

http://tech.yahoo.com/blogs/null/31534

$1400 for the life of the plan, $2000 for a flippin' phone. Be sure Apple and AT&T are making a huge profit on this phone, it's not subsidized like PS3.

If you want to do the PS3 hate thing and take the most expensive price, try $2400 for 2 years ($100 a month) + the phone, $3000 for a frickin' phone.

And evvvverybody in the media loves the iPhone. Because the media are sheep, they go with the flow. Baaaaah!

(I'm just pi**ed I can't get one in New Zealand)

But the idea that the media are protecting us poor consumers against things that aren't good value is total boll*cks. Thankfully people can think for themselves and see they're getting some great value from PS3.

[PSXBatou]

This just in the ocean is composed of water.

Its apparently more than just "water"

On average, seawater in the world's oceans has a salinity of ~3.5%, or 35 parts per thousand. This means that every 1 kg of seawater has approximately 35 grams of dissolved salts (mostly, but not entirely, the ions of sodium chloride: Na+, Cl-). The average density of seawater at the surface of the ocean is 1.025 g/mL; seawater is denser than fresh water (which reaches a maximum density of 1.000 g/mL at a temperature of 4°C) because of the added weight of the salts and electrostriction.[1]

:devious:

[LiquidEagle]

And Ted has just noticed, he's a sharp one. :)

I look forward to his next editorial: "I think the Iraq war may not be going well." or "I really think it's time that Tony Blair left office".

:laugh: Ted Price has been a defender of Sony and the PS3 long before it came out... I remember he said a lot of great things in Sony's defense on the 1up show and in many other places. He's a stand-up guy and that shows with his company being the only company to make the Society for Human Resource Management’s top 10 3 years in a row.

[Applefiend]

I know, hence smilie. :)

[False_Messiah]

I simply dont understand this

this iphone costs $600. Why everybody( okay, 99%) in the press think its fair? Damn, a mega hyped cell phone or a ultra powerfull HD videogame that can be used as a computer, media center and Blu ray player? Okay, the price really is high, but the difference of treatment bugs me.

[Shogun042]

yeah i agree with the iPhone comparison.

the press loves it and the iPhone has been mentioned on SportsCenter like 100 times today. even a McDonalds ad i'm pretty sure was aimed at the launch of the iPhone because it depicted some website or something like that launch and it was getting all sorts of press and it ended up not being bigger than the BigMac.

anyways, there's a shitload more technology inside a PS3 than an iPhone and as much as i love Apple $600 is a bit unreasonable, but Apple is smart and knows people will buy.

anyways, everyone wants to see someone fail that's why Sony gets all sorts of negative press. that and because of free laptops and other such stuff. hell today was a good day for PS3 with all those stunning Heavenly Sword, Lair, and Uncharted vids and screens popping up but then i find out that all the 08 football games on the 360 are running at 60 fps and all 08 football games are at 30 fps on the PS3. (madden, NCAA, all pro).

[LiquidEagle]

i find out that all the 08 football games on the 360 are running at 60 fps and all 08 football games are at 30 fps on the PS3. (madden, NCAA, all pro).

Huh? gotta link for that dude? that honestly amazes me...

[cliffbo]

lol... i think we should just stand back and look at ourselves before we complain about the way the media are treating Sony. Ted Price is just saying what he feels and everyone is on is case. the media are pulling the strings here and some puppets are twitching

[curryking1]

The iPhone is getting criticised by smaller sites.

I remember reading an article after googling about 'Why the iPhone sucks.'

But major press are going the mainstream bandwagon route of interviewing people that stood in line for the thing and saying 'It will leech the success of the iPod and autowin etc etc etc.'

I have a feeling Apple's stock will dip very slightly when the masses and investors find out it doesn't sell as well as the iPod initially, unless they know this already... I dunno.

The iPod is just cool.

P.S. But one thing I think everyone is missing. The PS3 is only hated on by gaming media. The mainstream press does not hate on it very much, nothing significantly really. The mainstream press loves the iPod, the small insignificant gaming press hates on the PS3.

I never see CNN or ABC citing joystiq or Kotaku or 1up in their PS3 reports, they just report lackluster sales, but really, that's probably hardly affecting the PS3, only popularizing the PS3, and the Wii more so as well.

[Coded-Dude]

The iPod is just cool.

Its just an overpriced micro-drive with a clever interface.
There are better products for much less money out here.

[Segitz]

Pah, why an iPhone??

I recently ordered the XDA Orbit (O2 branded HTC 3300 Artemis Premium) for 69€ (15€ per month with 50min and 100 texts included for 2 yrs). Ok, it may have a lower resolution screen and no "dual touch", but it has GPS and severl other neat things (VOIP client ootb etc.)

I lies in Ditzingen at UPS now, as UPS doesnt ship on weekends here :( (DHL does)


This often is the trend. Problem is, Apple made a brand (the i Products) which are known to be expensive but good (not touching the battery swap issue etc.). Interestingly, Apples competitors sell their hardware MUCH cheaper, yet Apple doesnt get flak for it (the new Sandisk players are rated higher in the "Stiftung Warentest" (independent "stuff" testers, which are financed thru taxes and some other stuff), not only because of price, but because of usability and assembly and such).

The two way measurement (dunno, literal german :D) of this stuff makes me a bit angry. But as this is the norm, I couldnt care less. Those who wanna get a gimped cellphone shall get it (gimped because of nearly no homebrew stuff, my new WM6 cell will have SCUMM and other cool stuff (offline wiki reader!!))

[LaLiLuLeLo]

Not to mention having to buy a new one every 2 years when the battery dies.
PSP ftw!

[LiquidEagle]

The two way measurement (dunno, literal german :D) of this stuff makes me a bit angry.

The English phrase for something like that is "double standard" :)

[makeitlookreal]

When a few awesome games come out a lot of people will have to shut up and stop bashing the PS3.

[Red]

Yeah but they are still too many f.... sony/ps3 haters out there.

[Domination]

I totally agree with Price. Sony has been used as a punching bage since before they launched, and the truth of the matter is, people love to see those on top or with greater ambitions in mind way on the bottom. I think in time, though, they'll realise what's really out there. Personally, I'm not moved by any of it because I'm completely and well aware of the purchase I made, and I can't say that I have a single regret about it -- well maybe one: I can never seem to take complete advantage of it. But, I think I'm more excited about where the console is headed for the long stretch if anything. Already, it consumes a lot of my attention without the catelog of a few dozen AAA titles. I can only image what will happen when everything starts to roll out at a steady and much greater pace.

[Applefiend]

Yeah, cos they totally stopped bashing the PS2 when it got awesome games. :)

Some people are just jerks.

[Hisham]

Haha, I will say this truthfully right now.

My 360 gets ALOT more playing from me than my PS3. All I basically am using my PS3 for right now is PS2 games and VF5.

Sony has to learn tho, gamers are cheap (generalizing here). Because gaming isn't seen as a pasttime which is cool, and the casuals won't buy it because it is way to much. The reason why apple can price there stupid ass phone at $600, because phones are cool, and having the latest one is a status symbol of sorts. The PS3 is not a "cool" status symbol, and Sony needs to learn to not try to market it as such.

However I agree, the Sony bashing is on a whole new level, but some of it is Sony's own damn fault (note, I said SOME, not all of it, cuz no company deserves all this negative publicity) for forcing gamers to get needless shit with it, which doesn't relate to gaming in the least. Cuz I know when I buy a console, I buy it for the gaming purposes. All that extra shit is nice to have, but not needed. And like I said, the casuals won't get it because of the fact that it isn't a status symbol, and it costs way to much.

I personally think Sony will not slingshot into first this gen, but they will put up quite a fight for first, and there will be no real massacre like last gen (PS2 totally spanked Xbox and Gamecube).

[edoshin]

Needless shit? WTF!?! .. I would have been disappointed if PS3 came out without BR, HD and HDMI. Its more like Sony gave us a gift as I would have had to purchase a standalone HD movie player.

[Hisham]

Yes, the HDMI port becomes needless to mostly everyone when you don't get a cable out of the box. Because if you aren't a fanatic, you aren't going to go and get a HDMI cable which is like 40 bucks at best buy. And then there is the fact that most people still need to upgrade to HDTV's.

Not to say that I don't use it, but lets look at the average gamer. Ususally going to school, and has limited money. If you get a PS3, will you want to buy a wire for 40 bucks or just to get 20 more dollars and get another game.

I'd choose the second option.

Anyways, HDMI wasn't really the useless shit I was talking about. The useless shit that is driving up the cost like mad is the blu-ray player, and I am pretty sure that most people are comfortable with DVD's and don't want the next gen format just yet.

And the space issue for DVD's can be overcome. Remember back in the day some PSOne games spanned 4+ CD's. They could do the same thing with DVD's and it wouldn't be such an inconvenence unless you are a fat ass who can't get up to change a CD.

[yoshaw]

I don't give a shit what the world thinks of Sony. No seriously, Idungivash1t! When all the freaking world turns against Sony. I know I'll be there, supporting them(I know a lot of my friends here would too). Now some would think I'm a fanboy. Yes, that I am but there's more to it than just blatant fanboyism.

The loving Sony company was born on the same date as I. Simple as that. I love Sony for simply being born in this world n provide me a videogame console called Playstation. And if it wasn't for Sony I'd been still playing childish games with a plumber making midgets of toads or air-hanged boxes to this day n age. Do these haters even comprehend this simple thing? We'd still been in that plumber shithole(or collecting rings in loopholes) if it wasn't for Sony!

Fcuk that shit and fcuk everyone who wants Sony to perish(ok I'm just pissed off here,stay wimme, I'm still me). I just know that if there exist people who appreciate for what Sony has done to videogame industry, then Sony will never ever lose its place from the top spot. And right now I see them people in numbers. Millions infact! Go figure.

PS: Fcuk stupid media journos. 1crap sux!

[Hisham]

Haha, very well yoshaw, but look at all the mistakes this gen which have cost them.

Out of the 3 big companies I will have to say, yes I am a Sony fan more than anything. I loved the PS1 and PS2 more than the other systems, but they have had there fare share of faults this gen, and I am just pointing those out. So if they didn't include a blu-ray player with the PS3, alot of people on this forum would be dissappointed. But I guarantee the 200 to 300 dollar price drop they could get out of that, would help them sell A LOT more consoles.

[yoshaw]

They will drop the price. That's inevitable! PS' of yore always received this facelift(or size reduction) from the inside-out that helped reduce price n manufacture cost. Sony being the hardware company is working on it right as we read/write on this forum. Considering the fact that Howard Stringers recent remarks almost guarantee a Christmas price drop, I'd say days of PS3 mongering at retails shops aren't that far off.

;)

[Hisham]

We'll just have to wait and see.

If anything this should teach sony the razor blade way of business isn't the way to go in the video game industry anymore.

[solidsnakejej]

I just can't believe that MS isn't taking more flak then they have been. From hardware failures to other issues you'd think that people would go after them more but idk it just seems weird. I think that things will pan out in Sony's favor by the end.

[yoshaw]

We'll just have to wait and see.

If anything this should teach sony the razor blade way of business isn't the way to go in the video game industry anymore.


See Hisham, when you criticize them mishaps, you're being no different than what is Ted outlining here. You're not giving Sony a chance. To keep talking about what they've done bad n wrong n worse is fine. But it's been overdone to a point where guys like Ted Price have to step in n shake up the scene.

Sony is in the business for the long run and they haven't missed a single chance to point it out. That should give them enough room to spread the price thin and up the ante like they've always done in the past(cue in PS1 and PS2 memories). Unfortunately, media n no offense, people like you my friend, keep harping on the same issues again n again.

What's wrong with giving a 2 time champion the benefit of the doubt?

Why can't we put our faith in a company which uplifted the videogame industry from the gutters of child only perception onto a scene that is now termed equivalent to music and movie industry?

We as gamers or Sony fans need to stand up to this and against the BS that is Sony hating in the media. There are more positives than negatives to Sony. And I'll do whatever I can to make a voice out of it. Right now I'm simply a small beep on a forum. But combine that with others who share similar feelings as I and we might be looking at a bigger canvas that favors and appreciates Sony's efforts.

Fcuk negativity.

[Hisham]

The fact of the matter is that the negatives outweight there postives right now. That is one reason people keep harping on that.

I am pointing out where they went wrong from a business persepective, because profit is all they want in the long term. Right now, both Nintendo and MS are doing a better job of that, which is one of the reasons Sony is getting the flak. It is because they are the 2 time champion that they are being harked on because of the mistakes they made which make them seem more like a rookie than a champion. Same thing happened to Nintendo when the Nintendo 64 came out. And Nintendo was a 2 time champion then too.

And yes, I know it seems unfair, being Sony fans and all, but think of all the harking on Nintendo during the 32-bit era. It is just the way game journalism works. They always like to pick on the weakest link...

[yoshaw]

Nintendo was in a different scene at a different time with different set of technology. The negatives you point out are bullshit run for the hills propaganda overblown by amateur media journalists biased to a point its disgusting calling them a multi-platform covering journos.

I'll make it easier for you to end the argument. List me the negatives that actually sound reasonable other than the price of PS3. What are the reasonable negatives that push everyone to harp at Sony. List them.

[solidsnakejej]

Well I think there are a lot of positives more for the ps3 then people give it credit for but the 360 from what I've been hearing is there are quite a few delays among big titles like Mass Effect. I don't really see it as unfair I know how journalism works they see something that will get them more views so they report on it. Like MGS4, if someone from Konami says MGS4 and 360 in the same sentence it means it's coming to 360.

[Hisham]

Nintendo was in a different scene at a different time with different set of technology. The negatives you point out are bullshit run for the hills propaganda overblown by amateur media journalists biased to a point its disgusting calling them a multi-platform covering journos.

I'll make it easier for you to end the argument. List me the negatives that actually sound reasonable other than the price of PS3. What are the reasonable negatives that push everyone to harp at Sony. List them.

Okay for my first point, I do have to mention price, but very briefly.

First the small shit, which isn't really too bad, but can turn off a lot of people because of the other systems actually doing it. The wire is a big thing. I remember when my I got my PS3 (after I had gotten my 360) and I remember thinking how awesome it will be. Only to open it to find I have to get a HDMI or component cable. Either order it online, and wait a week for it, or drive 30 minutes out of my way to go to Best Buy to pick one up. That is not such a big thing in the long run, but you don't know how many friends have told me having to spend $60 CDN to actually get the PS3 to look go on their HDTV's, they would just pass on it for now. Now I am a fanatic, so I did go out and get the wire, but paying the extra on the already expensive system is not a good move.

Next small negative is the PSN network when compared to the XBL network. Yes, it is free, and I am grateful for that, but not everyone sees it like that (especially video game journalists). And compared to the fee, 60 bucks a year, which ends up being something like 8 bucks a month, not to many people will look at it and say OHH PSN IS FREE. They will say, OHH XBL IS SO MUCH BETTER.

Now on to the BIG negatives.

It has a small library of games. Now of course game libraries come with time, but look at it this way, with more and more 3rd parties jumping on the Wii bandwagon, they have less time to make PS3 game. It could end up having droughts of good games like what happened with the Gamecube, but that is a worst-case senario.

The loss of exclusive games like DMC4, Soul Calibur IV, ect. is also such a big blow to Sony as well because there goes potential system sellers to your competitor, who is already in a better situation in the market than you.

And this is just mentioning the video game side of things. The business side of things, although they have been getting better with Stringer in charge, have still been pretty shaky to be honest. First the razor blade method. Selling the system at a loss is bad enough, but with also your price tag being that high (high price is relative btw, $600 is high in the video game industry, even tho you are getting a deal with the PS3), thinking you can make it ALL up in software is foolish and just bad business.

And the last thing, which is the biggest negative ever. E3 2006.

Haha I'm only kidding, but man, that was pretty bad. HIT ITS WEAK SPOT FOR MASSIVE DAMAGE!!ONE!111 haha.

However, I could continue with other shoddy business strategies for the PS3, but the sun is coming up, and I need some sleep tonight. It was nice debating with you. :-p

[Applefiend]

Well, as far as it goes I can say 100% I'm happy with the $450(NZ Prices) I paid for 360, played a lot of great games last year, not so many this year but there's some quality titles coming out, very happy with the $600 I paid for my PS3, movies, games, great system, but nowhere near hitting it's stride yet, it will be March 08.

And there's one more system I bought... Least said soonest mended eh. :)

Very happy with 360 and PS3, no complains really other than 360 BC, because you do need old games until the new ones come out, or you'll end up with just 6/10 trash to play. All worth what I paid for them and more.

Awesome fun man: PGR3, Resistance, Condemned, Geo Wars, Zuma, Motorstorm, Blast Factor, Lost Planet, Kameo, Flow, RR7, Prince of Persia Classic, Tekken 5 DR, GT Concept HD, Super Stardust HD, Call of Duty 3, Gears of War, Oblivion, FN R3, Virtua Fighter 5.

FUN FUN MOFUING NEXT GEN FUN! So why some dudes always gotta complain. Bitch, bitch, bitch. All some people do all day.

And man, the stuff coming out... But all you get is blah blah, blah, money money money, $600 $600, complain complain...

[KRA]

Haha, very well yoshaw, but look at all the mistakes this gen which have cost them.

Out of the 3 big companies I will have to say, yes I am a Sony fan more than anything. I loved the PS1 and PS2 more than the other systems, but they have had there fare share of faults this gen, and I am just pointing those out. So if they didn't include a blu-ray player with the PS3, alot of people on this forum would be dissappointed. But I guarantee the 200 to 300 dollar price drop they could get out of that, would help them sell A LOT more consoles.


you don't get the picture.
ok sony could easlly do something ilke cheap little upgraded ps2
and sell it like a hot cakes.

insted they made great console and you should praise them for that. not writing that it is some kind of fault.

it's just stupid. just like writing yeah i know hdmi blu-ray and cell is great
but averange gamers... who cares about averange gamers?
be happy that sony is really pushing great hardware and that will fruit in great games for sure.
and then averange will follow anyway.

and please don't act like some kind of anal-yst
and if you really have to point out something just look at the whole picture.

[Domination]

Yes, the HDMI port becomes needless to mostly everyone when you don't get a cable out of the box. Because if you aren't a fanatic, you aren't going to go and get a HDMI cable which is like 40 bucks at best buy. And then there is the fact that most people still need to upgrade to HDTV's.

Not to say that I don't use it, but lets look at the average gamer. Ususally going to school, and has limited money. If you get a PS3, will you want to buy a wire for 40 bucks or just to get 20 more dollars and get another game.

I'd choose the second option.

Anyways, HDMI wasn't really the useless shit I was talking about. The useless shit that is driving up the cost like mad is the blu-ray player, and I am pretty sure that most people are comfortable with DVD's and don't want the next gen format just yet.

And the space issue for DVD's can be overcome. Remember back in the day some PSOne games spanned 4+ CD's. They could do the same thing with DVD's and it wouldn't be such an inconvenence unless you are a fat ass who can't get up to change a CD.

To start things off, if you thought the HDMI cord was too pricy for the average consumer or college student, which it is not when you order from online or shop around, what makes you think they would have an HDTV to have it be required? And just for future information, you don't need an HDMI/HD cables to play games on the console (Nintendo Wii anyone?). So if you can already experience next-gen with the lack of an HDMI cord, how is this a setback to the user if they can upgrade on such a small accessory at anytime, if they even needed it - kinda like the HDD/memory card for the 360 or its HD-DVD but less expensive? Wouldn't this, too, be considered a setback, and even greater one at that? The HDMI cord was likely excluded because HDTV isn't as widespread.

Also, I don't think you're being very consistent when you talk about razor blades but then bring up something like cheap HDMI cords. ;)

Moving on to Blu-Ray...

You seem to think having a larger, next-gen disc means movies or changing game discs when in reality, that's only half of it. Since the PS3 uses Blu-Ray for games, games will take advantage of Blu-Ray - basically meaning more will be added to those games that can only fit on a single disc. You don't need an HDMI cord or HDTV to experience Blu-Ray games, and Blu-Ray discs do not consist of just movies like an add-on would. Therefore, you are paying not just for movies, but a Blu-Ray experience.

[Domination]

Haha, very well yoshaw, but look at all the mistakes this gen which have cost them.

Out of the 3 big companies I will have to say, yes I am a Sony fan more than anything. I loved the PS1 and PS2 more than the other systems, but they have had there fare share of faults this gen, and I am just pointing those out. So if they didn't include a blu-ray player with the PS3, alot of people on this forum would be dissappointed. But I guarantee the 200 to 300 dollar price drop they could get out of that, would help them sell A LOT more consoles.

Their plan isn't to recoup profits from just games. Their strategy is to recoup cost from everything, which is why you have the PlayStation Store (which consist of more than just games,) and Home, PlayStation accessories, or the PS3 hardware going into other consumer electronics.

And BTW, if Sony was able to reduce losses from a $1.8 billion down to around $400 million in less than a year, for you to underestimate their plans to reduce cost over time is just a little silly, I think. It is exactly what Ted Price is saying about the media; they make the situation far worse than it really is.

I'm going to edit this next post just to break down some of the specifics:

Next small negative is the PSN network when compared to the XBL network. Yes, it is free, and I am grateful for that, but not everyone sees it like that (especially video game journalists). And compared to the fee, 60 bucks a year, which ends up being something like 8 bucks a month, not to many people will look at it and say OHH PSN IS FREE. They will say, OHH XBL IS SO MUCH BETTER.

PlayStation Network is not PlayStation Online. It might not be at its full potential just yet since it's just starting to establish itself, but it is catching up to Live for sure, and in some areas surpassed it at this day in point. If consumers see this, I personally believe that those who were already uncomfortable about paying for online, but didn't really have much of a choice since Live did offer more for its time, would simply skip the little differences that made Live the Live server it is today for a free and much more flexible opportunity.

Now on to the BIG negatives.

It has a small library of games. Now of course game libraries come with time, but look at it this way, with more and more 3rd parties jumping on the Wii bandwagon, they have less time to make PS3 game. It could end up having droughts of good games like what happened with the Gamecube, but that is a worst-case senario.

The loss of exclusive games like DMC4, Soul Calibur IV, ect. is also such a big blow to Sony as well because there goes potential system sellers to your competitor, who is already in a better situation in the market than you.

No doubt, more 3rd parties are developing for the Wii, but what you don't consider is because the Wii's controller mechanism is so different from the others and it lacking the hardware to support those next-gen titles as well as the users it has targeted, developers are having to only realise those games on the other platforms. By doing this, the PlayStation 3 is being supported through default.

Now, since Sony has invested their resources into their own exlcusive for 1st and 2nd party, which happens to be much larger than both Microsoft and Nintendo put together, I seriously doubt their will be a drought of content on the platform when things start to pick up. You're basically naming games that were either timely exclusive or exclusive for a minimum period. But if those titles are still showing on the platform, it's not considered a loss since those users will still have them to play.

And this is just mentioning the video game side of things. The business side of things, although they have been getting better with Stringer in charge, have still been pretty shaky to be honest. First the razor blade method. Selling the system at a loss is bad enough, but with also your price tag being that high (high price is relative btw, $600 is high in the video game industry, even tho you are getting a deal with the PS3), thinking you can make it ALL up in software is foolish and just bad business.

You speak as if the console will remain at a $600 price tag. Already are there plans to reduce the cost of the console. I also believe this was answered in my previous responce.

And the last thing, which is the biggest negative ever. E3 2006.

Haha I'm only kidding, but man, that was pretty bad. HIT ITS WEAK SPOT FOR MASSIVE DAMAGE!!ONE!111 haha.

However, I could continue with other shoddy business strategies for the PS3, but the sun is coming up, and I need some sleep tonight. It was nice debating with you. :-p

LOL! Again, this is exactly what Ted Price was talking about. Did this hurt the PS2's sales? As a matter a fact, has it hurt any of Sony's sales since then? More than half the population don't even know what an E3 is, let alone this affecting those users decision to purchase the console. Some of these same individuals trashing the console are some of the same ones contemplating on whether to pick one up, not to mention those who already have. So yeah, I guess all the trashing was just a little pointless at the end of the day if one has to spin so much time pondering on something which they depise to the very silicone. ;)

[OmniCloud]

Haha, very well yoshaw, but look at all the mistakes this gen which have cost them.

Out of the 3 big companies I will have to say, yes I am a Sony fan more than anything. I loved the PS1 and PS2 more than the other systems, but they have had there fare share of faults this gen, and I am just pointing those out. So if they didn't include a blu-ray player with the PS3, alot of people on this forum would be dissappointed. But I guarantee the 200 to 300 dollar price drop they could get out of that, would help them sell A LOT more consoles.I didn't understand this one either:huh: Would it had cost Sony that much more money to release a bare-bones PS3? Then again, how about just making the 20GB PS3 with no HDMI or something and selling it for the same price as X360?

Again, it must have been the cost of selling the product, because I don't see any other reason why they wouldn't do it...

Both PS3 versions would still have the same basic features for developers...Maybe a price-drop this year isn't out of the question...

[OmniCloud]

But yeah it's been repeated many times before...PS3 is really tomorrow's tech in today's market. Sony has to do the work themselves because there's two other system that easier to make money on right now.

I'm all for Wii, but MS needs to step there freakin' game up...

[curryking1]

Its just an overpriced micro-drive with a clever interface.
There are better products for much less money out here.

That doesn't change the fact that it's cool to have and cool to talk about and cool to broadcast on your TV station, and the bandwagon for it has room for the whole world.

[Hisham]

But yeah it's been repeated many times before...PS3 is really tomorrow's tech in today's market. Sony has to do the work themselves because there's two other system that easier to make money on right now.

I'm all for Wii, but MS needs to step there freakin' game up...

Yeah this is probably what I have been trying to get at. It is a system which could have used 6 months to a year more in developement because it isn't fit for todays market. Again, looking at my first post in this thread, I do say Sony will catch up, but I am still skeptical about how well they will do because of the bad press and stuff right now. I personally don't think they will be in first this gen, but they sure as hell will put up a fight.

And Domination, the last part about E3 was a joke... You should have seen that. :-p

you don't get the picture.
ok sony could easlly do something ilke cheap little upgraded ps2
and sell it like a hot cakes.

insted they made great console and you should praise them for that. not writing that it is some kind of fault.

it's just stupid. just like writing yeah i know hdmi blu-ray and cell is great
but averange gamers... who cares about averange gamers?
be happy that sony is really pushing great hardware and that will fruit in great games for sure.
and then averange will follow anyway.

and please don't act like some kind of anal-yst
and if you really have to point out something just look at the whole picture

Hmm, can you see where you are wrong here?

Even without blu-ray, the PS3 will still be as powerful gaming machine, it just won't be able to play blu-rays, and having a system like that for 7 or so years before the next gen is fine for me. DVD's do the job just right for now. And not anywhere in my post do I critisize Sony for the cell or the processer in the PS3. And the only real beef I have with HDMI is that you actually have to go buy the wire when the 360 comes with component out of the box.

And it is the average gamer population that Sony should be targeting. Not just the people who can afford to spend the money, because I know I probably wouldn't have my PS3 if it wasn't for my brother chipping in.

To start things off, if you thought the HDMI cord was too pricy for the average consumer or college student, which it is not when you order from online or shop around, what makes you think they would have an HDTV to have it be required? And just for future information, you don't need an HDMI/HD cables to play games on the console (Nintendo Wii anyone?). So if you can already experience next-gen with the lack of an HDMI cord, how is this a setback to the user if they can upgrade on such a small accessory at anytime, if they even needed it - kinda like the HDD/memory card for the 360 or its HD-DVD but less expensive? Wouldn't this, too, be considered a setback, and even greater one at that? The HDMI cord was likely excluded because HDTV isn't as widespread.

Also, I don't think you're being very consistent when you talk about razor blades but then bring up something like cheap HDMI cords.

Do you understand how overpriced HDMI cables are in the stores? This is because the fact that they are made overseas, and then all the middle man crap that stores have to go through to get it to their stores. Including it with the system would be alot cheaper for the consumer and I doubt it would have added much to the price, but that is beside the point because that is just a minor annoyance, and not the main problem with the system in todays market.

They are taking the approach by selling it at a loss at a $600 price point, they can make it up in software and the long term. I don't buy that (mainly because $600 dollars is too much for a video game system to average people). Why didn't they just take out blu-ray and lower the price by 200 or 300? The gaming portion of the system wouldn't be compromised too much, and brand recognition would sell the system. This past year the playstation brand name has been compromised, and now they have the work of building it up again. I have faith that they will do just that, but they won't end up in first this gen by a close margin.

Sony got all caught up in the format wars and the attempt to push blu-ray, that they didn't think of the average consumer right away, and they are paying the price now. :-/

[Red_Eyes]

I agreed with you all. Sony should have just re-release the PS2 again, but with a motion sensing wand and call it next gen.

[gozirah]

@Hisham

I believe the reason why Sony could not wait any longer to release the PS3 is because of the need to deliver incentive for 3rd parties to actually start development. It was a chicken and egg problem.

If Sony had included hmdi cables, the truth is that most of them would not be used-- many early adopters probably did not have compatible HD sets.

I think you're right. Sony did not think of the average consumer right away. But their strategy ultimately will. I think that the public has much different expectations of the pacing of the PS line than Sony. Everyone, especially the press, is thinking that the PS3 should have instantly taken up the momentum of the PS2, and had 10 mil sales right off the bat. And that developers would instantly know how to create next gen games.

Instead of working off of these unrealistic expectations, I think what Sony is doing is more long term strategic planning. For example, lining up it software release timing with a corresponding reduction costs with parallel drops in price. It might irk would be early adopters, but it's going to result in a great combination of more game innovation and a bonus that Sony does better business long term.

[Domination]

@Hisham

I believe the reason why Sony could not wait any longer to release the PS3 is because of the need to deliver incentive for 3rd parties to actually start development. It was a chicken and egg problem.

If Sony had included hmdi cables, the truth is that most of them would not be used-- many early adopters probably did not have compatible HD sets.

I think you're right. Sony did not think of the average consumer right away. But their strategy ultimately will. I think that the public has much different expectations of the pacing of the PS line than Sony. Everyone, especially the press, is thinking that the PS3 should have instantly taken up the momentum of the PS2, and had 10 mil sales right off the bat. And that developers would instantly know how to create next gen games.

Instead of working off of these unrealistic expectations, I think what Sony is doing is more long term strategic planning. For example, lining up it software release timing with a corresponding reduction costs with parallel drops in price. It might irk would be early adopters, but it's going to result in a great combination of more game innovation and a bonus that Sony does better business long term.

That basically sums it up.

[OmniCloud]

@Hisham

I believe the reason why Sony could not wait any longer to release the PS3 is because of the need to deliver incentive for 3rd parties to actually start development. It was a chicken and egg problem.

If Sony had included hmdi cables, the truth is that most of them would not be used-- many early adopters probably did not have compatible HD sets.

I think you're right. Sony did not think of the average consumer right away. But their strategy ultimately will. I think that the public has much different expectations of the pacing of the PS line than Sony. Everyone, especially the press, is thinking that the PS3 should have instantly taken up the momentum of the PS2, and had 10 mil sales right off the bat. And that developers would instantly know how to create next gen games.

Instead of working off of these unrealistic expectations, I think what Sony is doing is more long term strategic planning. For example, lining up it software release timing with a corresponding reduction costs with parallel drops in price. It might irk would be early adopters, but it's going to result in a great combination of more game innovation and a bonus that Sony does better business long term.Yeah, that does it for me too...

Let's see if you analysis of Sony's strategy works out...

I think it will...

[Phoenix]

I agreed with you all. Sony should have just re-release the PS2 again, but with a motion sensing wand and call it next gen.Making shots at Sony's competition is just as ignorant as the analysts who whine about the PS3 costing so much and being doomed.

[edoshin]

If Sony had sat on BR, they would have had another Betamax situation. I for one am ready to move past DVD and am grateful that PS3 basically delivered BR as a gift. Economy of scale will eventually render the extra cost a moot point .. but that's the price that early adopters have always paid. And the cables is no big deal. Unless you require 20 feet of cable for a projection system, I've been hearing over and over that monoprice or (whatever that website is) offers cables as good as $200 monster cables at around 10 bucks. I sat on a $6000 plasma television watching HD content on PBS before PS3 liberated me.

[Khaos]

You gotta admit, though, that maybe Sony went into this gen feeling alittle too overconfident, which gave way to mistakes on their part. The price and the 'future technology' things are what I speak of. People are cheap, and with a $600 price tag, it needs to be justified for them. And most people still own SDTV's, so they won't be caring about HD content. Sony simply needs to give more incentives (obviously in the form of a price drop and killer games) to potential customers.

[AC!D]

It amazes me that people are so narrow minded.
First MS said we don't need 1080p and the media bought it and called Sony liars and what happens next MS gets 1080p.

Then MS said we don't need HDMI and the media bought it and called Sony liars and what did MS do they released X-box Elite with HDMI.

Then MS said we don't need blu-ray and the media called Sony a liar but GTA one of the biggest selling game series of all time's dev said we need it.

Then MS said there is nothing wrong with their hardware and it wasn't rushed to the consumer and the media bought it and called Sony a liar because Sony had to delay their machine to get the hardware perfect for the consumer. Eurogamer reported on thursday that repair companies in UK are withdrawing repair support for x-box 360 3 red ring support because there is definatley a problem with the console, what does MS do they deny it but they are the good guys cause the media say so right ( im on my third x-box360 i have had the red ring 2 times now).

Jack Tretton says Sony is working on cutting the price by X-mas what does the media do they call Sony a liar instead of asking why MS hasn't cut the price after 2 years.

Then MS says PS3 doesn't have a good game library after 7 months but did MS have Resistance, Motorstorm, Ninja Gaiden Sigma, Oblivion, The darkness, Virtua Tennis 3, Virtua fighter 5 and 60 games after six months and did MS have God of war 2, Tomb Raider Anniverssary, Final fantasy 12, Okami, Rogue galaxy that they could play on their system after seven months.

I tell you what guys when you look at it logically apart from the price which will dropand the PSN network that will improve over time and the factthat Sony is the third largest developer in the world after EA and Ubisoft im willing to say the gaming press can go to hell and the Sony will be king again because Sony (and Nintendo) care more about the consumer than MS do ive found out to my disgust.

Sorry for the rant guys ive said my peace.

[Rockmond]

It amazes me that people are so narrow minded.
First MS said we don't need 1080p and the media bought it and called Sony liars and what happens next MS gets 1080p.

Then MS said we don't need HDMI and the media bought it and called Sony liars and what did MS do they released X-box Elite with HDMI.

Then MS said we don't need blu-ray and the media called Sony a liar but GTA one of the biggest selling game series of all time's dev said we need it.

Then MS said there is nothing wrong with their hardware and it wasn't rushed to the consumer and the media bought it and called Sony a liar because Sony had to delay their machine to get the hardware perfect for the consumer. Eurogamer reported on thursday that repair companies in UK are withdrawing repair support for x-box 360 3 red ring support because there is definatley a problem with the console, what does MS do they deny it but they are the good guys cause the media say so right ( im on my third x-box360 i have had the red ring 2 times now).

Jack Tretton says Sony is working on cutting the price by X-mas what does the media do they call Sony a liar instead of asking why MS hasn't cut the price after 2 years.

Then MS says PS3 doesn't have a good game library after 7 months but did MS have Resistance, Motorstorm, Ninja Gaiden Sigma, Oblivion, The darkness, Virtua Tennis 3, Virtua fighter 5 and 60 games after six months and did MS have God of war 2, Tomb Raider Anniverssary, Final fantasy 12, Okami, Rogue galaxy that they could play on their system after seven months.

I tell you what guys when you look at it logically apart from the price which will dropand the PSN network that will improve over time and the factthat Sony is the third largest developer in the world after EA and Ubisoft im willing to say the gaming press can go to hell and the Sony will be king again because Sony (and Nintendo) care more about the consumer than MS do ive found out to my disgust.

Sorry for the rant guys ive said my peace.

This right here is powerful posting.

[masteratt]

:clap:
Well done dude.

Everyone is going to think we are bunch of Sony suck-ups for agreeing with that but it's a fact that Microsoft is always looking to rape the consumer at every opportunity and I never liked them.

I have respect for Nintendo because they care about the industry.

The gaming media these past few years has been a fucking disgrace to say the least.

Good post and agree with every point you made there.
Sums everything up.

[woundingchaney]

The entire gaming media from journalism to corporate PR has been a disgrace for the last 2 years.


As far as who wants to rape the consumer more, its been a little bit overdone hasnt it. MS fans say this, Sony fans say that, everyone loves the Wii. Either way much of the blame lies with the consumer for making uneducated purchases regarding what ever system they are unpleased with. All of these companies have dollar signs in their eyes long before they start preaching about enabling the modern gamer.

[masteratt]

Damn right, businesses are supposed to make money, that's why they exist.

But Sony is much more linear with the consumer when trying to make their buck than Microsoft is.

Few examples that pop into my head:
Sony let's you use any pic as an avatar/ background (in future firmware anyway, they did it with the PSP so i'm sure it's coming) for example while Microsoft digs in your pocket and charges you for a theme/ avatar.

Faceplates, okay fine the PS3 can't be customised but Microsoft is over-charging you for a piece of plastic that doesn't even cover the whole of the X360.

Pay to play online. Again, XBL might be better than PSN right now and rumours suggest Sony might charge you for achievements and such (which i think is bullshit claims) but then again, they give you choice and their way of making money is by 'making you happy' by letting you buy stuff on HOME.
Again, you don't HAVE to, you can still use all of HOME's features, you still get the HOME experience for free.
That's another example of Sony 'caring'.
If HOME was a MS service you probably would have to pay everytime you wanted to play pool or something.

And a few more examples I'm sure (oh yeah, batter charger when Sony let's you use a standard USB cable to charge).

So there we go, that's how Sony gets their loyal customers.
They show they care about us and their business model evolves around making us happy so happy customer = paying customer.

While Microsoft almost has no care for the customer and just finds sneaky way to take every penny they can.

[Red_Eyes]

Damn right, businesses are supposed to make money, that's why they exist.

But Sony is much more linear with the consumer when trying to make their buck than Microsoft is.

Few examples that pop into my head:
Sony let's you use any pic as an avatar/ background (in future firmware anyway, they did it with the PSP so i'm sure it's coming) for example while Microsoft digs in your pocket and charges you for a theme/ avatar.

Faceplates, okay fine the PS3 can't be customised but Microsoft is over-charging you for a piece of plastic that doesn't even cover the whole of the X360.

Pay to play online. Again, XBL might be better than PSN right now and rumours suggest Sony might charge you for achievements and such (which i think is bullshit claims) but then again, they give you choice and their way of making money is by 'making you happy' by letting you buy stuff on HOME.
Again, you don't HAVE to, you can still use all of HOME's features, you still get the HOME experience for free.
That's another example of Sony 'caring'.
If HOME was a MS service you probably would have to pay everytime you wanted to play pool or something.

And a few more examples I'm sure (oh yeah, batter charger when Sony let's you use a standard USB cable to charge).

So there we go, that's how Sony gets their loyal customers.
They show they care about us and their business model evolves around making us happy so happy customer = paying customer.

While Microsoft almost has no care for the customer and just finds sneaky way to take every penny they can.
That's right. More money for the hard drive. More money for HDMI. More money for Live. They're applauding Microsoft for screwing them over. They're spending all these money for add-ons for the 360 and they're complaining about PS3's price? When they don't even own a PS3?

[Red_Eyes]

Making shots at Sony's competition is just as ignorant as the analysts who whine about the PS3 costing so much and being doomed.
Sony put a lot of high tech technologies into the PS3, hence the high price. The only way you'll see the PS3 with a cheap price is if the PS3 was just a PS2 with a magic wand. High tech technologies = high price. Get with it. Just because you can't afford it doesn't mean you should complain about it.

[fastasleep]

Why didn't they just take out blu-ray and lower the price by 200 or 300? The gaming portion of the system wouldn't be compromised too much, and brand recognition would sell the system. This past year the playstation brand name has been compromised, and now they have the work of building it up again. I have faith that they will do just that, but they won't end up in first this gen by a close margin.

Sony got all caught up in the format wars and the attempt to push blu-ray, that they didn't think of the average consumer right away, and they are paying the price now. :-/

Your notions are simplistic, to say the least. Isuppli had bluray drive pricing at $125 when the ps3 launched . Xbox 360 dvd rom pricing was at $20. If they dropped bluray for dvdrom, how the hell do you think they could drop ps3 pricing by 200 to 300 with only a $105 difference between the two drives.

Secondly, there are no cost savings advantages to dvdrom in years 2, 3, 4 and beyond. Dvdrom is commoditized, its like buying a brick. What you pay today isn't going to change a hell of a lot going forward. Bluray drive pricing, on the other hand, will come down in years 2, 3, and 4 as the technology matures and approach dvdrom pricing. Short term pain for long term gain. It would've been outright stupidity on sony's part to go with dvdrom for a system with a 10 year life span. They made the right decision, it was the only decison they could've made.

[OmniCloud]

The entire gaming media from journalism to corporate PR has been a disgrace for the last 2 years.


As far as who wants to rape the consumer more, its been a little bit overdone hasnt it. MS fans say this, Sony fans say that, everyone loves the Wii. Either way much of the blame lies with the consumer for making uneducated purchases regarding what ever system they are unpleased with. All of these companies have dollar signs in their eyes long before they start preaching about enabling the modern gamer.I agree, but like some of the posters mentioned, the way MS get's loyal customers is a tad bit more "SCREWUINDASS"...(I just made that up;)) As far as PR goes, it's very shameful, I still somehow get the unoriginal vibe mostly from MS though...

Sony put a lot of high tech technologies into the PS3, hence the high price. The only way you'll see the PS3 with a cheap price is if the PS3 was just a PS2 with a magic wand. High tech technologies = high price. Get with it. Just because you can't afford it doesn't mean you should complain about it.Come'on man..that's just not nice:-(

I think a bunch of us are Sony Suckers (lol) simply because there strategy sounds respectable and there winning our confidence with there plan for entertainment. Phil has constantly said, "Hey, we're going to have the best software..." There's been a bunch of interviews and PR and other stuff with all the big shots at these respective companies.

Basically-whoever runs there mouth the best wins. Sony has been running it for the pass 10 years! Some of it was BS (Virtual Cyber world:huh:) Some of it has delivered (Eye Toy) and a lot of great software has been made on Sony's platform. I'm having a hard time figuring out just what MS's strategy is or better yet what they want the gaming market to become? I've yet to see anything really original or unique about Xbox gaming. They sort of bulldozed there way into the market with a machine that didn't even make them any money, but established a western fanbase. Dunno, color me a MS hater or whatever, but I'm still unimpressed.

Ninty is Ninty. I hate that they played me by not really offering anything different with GC from the competition and catering to casuals with the Wii, but all in all-they have been the most unique and innovative company. Trying new stuff the most, new ideas, new games. So, even though I sold mine, I'll be picking up another Wii sooner or later, and well, Nintendo is a damn fine company...

So there's my 2 cents. A few users will probably share my sentiments, but don't get outta hand fellas:nono: there's no wrong opinion...

[Hisham]

Your notions are simplistic, to say the least. Isuppli had bluray drive pricing at $125 when the ps3 launched . Xbox 360 dvd rom pricing was at $20. If they dropped bluray for dvdrom, how the hell do you think they could drop ps3 pricing by 200 to 300 with only a $105 difference between the two drives.

Secondly, there are no cost savings advantages to dvdrom in years 2, 3, 4 and beyond. Dvdrom is commoditized, its like buying a brick. What you pay today isn't going to change a hell of a lot going forward. Bluray drive pricing, on the other hand, will come down in years 2, 3, and 4 as the technology matures and approach dvdrom pricing. Short term pain for long term gain. It would've been outright stupidity on sony's part to go with dvdrom for a system with a 10 year life span. They made the right decision, it was the only decison they could've made.

Alright...

http://www.engadget.com/media/2006/02/ps3_cost.jpg

As for the future plan, that is all well and good, but was Sony expecting to be this far in debt right away? I doubt it. And yeah, in 3 years price will be managable, but what about now. Will they be able to recoup the losses when the price actually gets low enough. I say no. They will probably get close, but it won't end up like that.

There is a difference between thinking long-term, and reckless business moves. I say the incorporation of blu-ray was a bit of both.

The entire gaming media from journalism to corporate PR has been a disgrace for the last 2 years.


As far as who wants to rape the consumer more, its been a little bit overdone hasnt it. MS fans say this, Sony fans say that, everyone loves the Wii. Either way much of the blame lies with the consumer for making uneducated purchases regarding what ever system they are unpleased with. All of these companies have dollar signs in their eyes long before they start preaching about enabling the modern gamer.

This is the truest statment in this whole thread.

[OmniCloud]

I won't say that it's the fault of gaming journalism and PR though, it's the industry in general.

Games are still just "Games"

Until there's more Shadow of the Colossus, Metal Gears, and more mature forms of art, the entire industry is going to be looked at the same as it was 15 and 20 years ago.

Gaming journalist don't have to be upfront, unbiased, and respectful if the industry there talking about isn't even considered a true form of entertainment by the masses:huh:

Sure, there more assholes out there, but really, you can't just say the PR or the websites are the cause of all the retarded statements and discussion about gaming. Fans of gaming have made the industry into what it is...

Maybe there's simply not enough maturity because there's not enough mature people buying games. There probably the ones making them:shrug:

I think the industry is still stuck in the Purist vs. Enthusiast mode. Some people think games are games with emphasis on fun. Some people think if people would stop thinking like that for a few seconds, then some1 will make a game that makes your cry or literally laugh out loud. Some people think there's a balance that must be met between those two goals because playing a game is a interactive form of entertainment.

Whoever is right though, there's definitely not a clear choice of what games are "right" for the industry, and therefore it's a lot of conflicting views out there.

I've read some pretty bad PR, but I've also read and heard some good stuff:huh: Some people probably don't care what they say because they know it will hardly affect sales. Some people say things to make there customers more loyal.

Case in point, it's entertainment, and there's never going to be a serious tone for gamers unless more and more serious games are made.

Movies and books are still on a very different level than games, and it doesn't look like that will ever change...

[Hisham]

I won't say that it's the fault of gaming journalism and PR though, it's the industry in general.

Games are still just "Games"

Until there's more Shadow of the Colossus, Metal Gears, and more mature forms of art, the entire industry is going to be looked at the same as it was 15 and 20 years ago.

Gaming journalist don't have to be upfront, unbiased, and respectful if the industry there talking about isn't even considered a true form of entertainment by the masses:huh:

Sure, there more assholes out there, but really, you can't just say the PR or the websites are the cause of all the retarded statements and discussion about gaming. Fans of gaming have made the industry into what it is...

Maybe there's simply not enough maturity because there's not enough mature people buying games. There probably the ones making them:shrug:

Like I said in my first post in this thread.


Because gaming isn't seen as a pasttime which is cool, and the casuals won't buy it because it is way to much. The reason why apple can price there stupid ass phone at $600, because phones are cool, and having the latest one is a status symbol of sorts. The PS3 is not a "cool" status symbol, and Sony needs to learn to not try to market it as such.

However I agree, the Sony bashing is on a whole new level, but some of it is Sony's own damn fault (note, I said SOME, not all of it, cuz no company deserves all this negative publicity) for forcing gamers to get needless shit with it, which doesn't relate to gaming in the least. Cuz I know when I buy a console, I buy it for the gaming purposes. All that extra shit is nice to have, but not needed. And like I said, the casuals won't get it because of the fact that it isn't a status symbol, and it costs way to much.

Gaming isn't seen as cool, so the $600 dollar price tag for a mostly gaming machine will be seen as too expensive to the casuals.

[OmniCloud]

We think alike on some points Hisham...but as long as we have forums..I think we'll be alright as far as entertaining ourselves;)

[fastasleep]

Alright...

http://www.engadget.com/media/2006/02/ps3_cost.jpg

As for the future plan, that is all well and good, but was Sony expecting to be this far in debt right away? I doubt it. And yeah, in 3 years price will be managable, but what about now. Will they be able to recoup the losses when the price actually gets low enough. I say no. They will probably get close, but it won't end up like that.

There is a difference between thinking long-term, and reckless business moves. I say the incorporation of blu-ray was a bit of both.


That merril lynch pricing chart is pure bollocks. Those geniuses can't even add. The total costs according to their chart is $800 not $900. Has to be hands down the worst cost breakdown analysis I've ever seen. You can pretty much file that report into the garbage which is where it belongs.

I'll take Isupppli's cost teardown analysis of the ps3 conducted at the ps3 launch over some market analyst working at Merril Lynch, thank you very much. If you take a look at Merril Lynch's figures, their pricing estimates for the cell and the RSX are whack. A 300million transistor chip, the RSX, costs just $70, but a 234million transistor chip, the cell, costs more than 3 times as much at $230. What's wrong with that picture?

[Xer0]

Sony put a lot of high tech technologies into the PS3, hence the high price. The only way you'll see the PS3 with a cheap price is if the PS3 was just a PS2 with a magic wand. High tech technologies = high price. Get with it. Just because you can't afford it doesn't mean you should complain about it.

So even if it was priced at 2 million dollars it would be okay?

As for the thread topic, the reason the PS3 is being blasted is because at the end of the day all it is is paying 700 dollars to play Resistance. The system is expensive and at the moment there really arent many games that justify that expense. After the big games come out, the MGS FF's and LBP's (Still think this is one of the most important games for Sony) a lot of the negetive press will get dropped because the system will finally be worth it.

[Applefiend]

Well, personally I believe everything analysts tell me, that's why I sold all my Apple stock in 1996.

They can't even count up to $900, that's a classic comedy slide. :)

If you got a PS3 and all you played on it was Resistance it's wasted on you dude.

[Xer0]

Well, personally I believe everything analysts tell me, that's why I sold all my Apple stock in 1996.

They can't even count up to $900, that's a classic comedy slide. :)

If you got a PS3 and all you played on it was Resistance it's wasted on you dude.

Besides Resistance, at the moment what other games are on the PS3 that make the counsel a must have or at least seperate it from its peer, the Xbox 360?

[Applefiend]

Sony don't pay me to sell PS3s, you'll have to discover them for yourself.

I've done this on forums before where someone says "Hur hur, what's good on console X besides game Y", you give them a list of great games and movies, they poo poo all of them. It's pretty dumb.

[Segitz]

The worst complaints from users and media alike were, in my opinion, that Sony uses proprietary hardware... The only "non-standard" thing used within the PS3 is the BDROM, which of the nature of it isnt standard (new technology). You can use a bog standard PS2 to USB adapter for christs sake (mine does work like a charm) as well as standard 2.5'' SATA harddiscs (which are more than 50% cheaper than MSs offerings).

This non-issues were overblown by many people, yet they didnt even bother to point out, what MS does to you.



My biggest concern over the 360 wouldnt be anything else than the hardware issues. I mean, I know that "stuff breaks" and usually mine doesnt (as I take good care of my stuff, even my cellphones look like new after two years and today I finally get my new one), but after hearing a multitude of people complaining about noise, overheating and breaking (esp. the noise would put me off), I dont know why MS still doesnt remedy this with a new hardware spin. As the EUs consumer rights people are already looking into it, MS has a big problem on hand (if they find out, it IS a hw issue, then MS must surely take all old revision mainboards for free repairs).

This is not 360 slander, this is merely my view on this topic! The 360 has great games (I still hope any iteration of Dead Rising will come to my PS3 :D, but as it is Capcom, my hope isnt futile) and is a good console overall.


As already said, Media guys are cheap. The Jaffe doesnt want/like/whatever BluRay comment comes to mind. This was a defamatory statement at its best sort of. And Jaffe and Sony didnt come out guns ablaze to correct this statement (which I find good, you dont need to comment on every bit of crap there is out there).

Also, the PS3 being expensive. Yes, I too (and many others of my friends too) think it is too expensive, but Sony went that route and have to live with it. It is THE top notch console of this generation. The 360 is (although this comment shouldnt have come from Sony execs) merely a XBox 1.5 imho. It is merely a hardware upgrade (a rather small one too). Just a boost in processing speed and nothing else, compared to Ninty and Sony who went the extra mile for Motion Sensing, Bluray media and other really neat stuff (Linux, USB/Bluetooth controllers, Card Readers, standard HDD, digital video output, a GOOD dvd scaler/deinterlacer (the PS3 did nearly 130/130 at AVS forums compared to the 360s nearly 0^^) and whatnot). The recent comment of some Sony guy was the one, which hit the nail onto the head. Sony could merely have done a PS2.5 at 250€ retail price, but they didnt want to (and REALLY shouldnt have imho) do it.


Now, after seeing the Wii selling like fresh buns, I am thinking that this generation might be longer than the last two (only Ninty has to respin their hardware because of the old techniques used in the Wii). Sony and MS can release an included controller (within the package of the console and/or games) to complete the Wiis worst enemy. But atm I dont see the Wii being superior because of the Wiimote, but because of the price. Their hardware entry price is so cheap (cheaper than the PS2 and Xbox when they entered the market), and while being new, it became a fad (not saying it still is one now). Most people dont buy consoles at over 200€ (watch the recent bonus round at gametrailers) and the other two are twice/thrice that.

[Junox50]

Ted has always had a good mind, and I agree with what he says. Most of the time when you're on top, there's always gonna be someone that puts you down. Best advice is to ignore those people and go about your strategy.

[LiquidEagle]

AC!D, awesome post there in your little rant. +rep and a big ol' SALUTE for that. So much truth I hope somebody's hurting from it because that's something a lot of us here have known but others (namely the media responsible for it) would do well to read that post.

The entire gaming media from journalism to corporate PR has been a disgrace for the last 2 years.

Yup. A-fuckin'-greed!!


As far as who wants to rape the consumer more, its been a little bit overdone hasnt it. MS fans say this, Sony fans say that, everyone loves the Wii. Either way much of the blame lies with the consumer for making uneducated purchases regarding what ever system they are unpleased with. All of these companies have dollar signs in their eyes long before they start preaching about enabling the modern gamer.

Hey, I don't like the Wii :-p

I don't like it's approach to gaming and I don't like what it's doing to the gaming industry, but I've already ranted about that in a different thread between Viper & I so that rant is on a cooldown right now :laugh:

[Applefiend]

Yeah, playing more 360 than I usually do and the noise is terrible. It can be hard to hear your game over the damn racket that thing makes, I forgot all about that.

But a fine system with great games never the less.