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"The PS3 - My Thoughts"

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Wed 07/02/07 at 09:41
Moderator
"possibly impossible"
Posts: 24,985
This is probably the hardest fought console battle we've seen since Sega and Nintendo went head-to-head in the 16 bit days.

Sony launch their PS3 in Europe in March and it will sit on the shelves next to the already successful 360 and Wii consoles.

Now we know the price, I can make a much better comparison of the 3 choices.

For the PS3, £425 is much better, and inline with previous Sony console releases. Only £25 more in fact. I still think more people would buy it at a sub £400 price point, but I think the pricing is much fairer than it could have been here, for what you get.

The main point when thinking about buying a PS3 should really be how much you want the PS3 exclusive games. If you only want the ones that are also available on the 360, then the only other reason to get one is to be an early adopter for Blu-ray. I don't even think the blu-ray player is fully featured, but perhaps someone could confirm or deny this.

So, it's a case of buying a £279 console or a £425. The former has the option for HD DVD if you want to upgrade at £130, making it almost the same price for both machines if new DVD formats bother you. Graphics-wise, it's hard to tell the difference at the moment until Sony's console has some second generation games, which we can assume would be better looking, but by how much is hard to say.

Or you could always get a sub £200 Wii and have fun... :D

Anyway, there ARE reasons to get a PS3, especially for fans of Sony software and the greater number of Japanese titles out there. There are quite a few hardcore Sony fans in Europe that haven't been put off by the launch delay or tempted in the meantime by one of the other options. Which means Sony will still have a guaranteed user base at launch, even if (going by the US launch) it's possibly not as much as they hoped.

In fact, I see the biggest obstacle for Sony in Europe as the length of time the other 2 have had to take hold of the market, not the price point or the delay. The 360 has a wealth of titles already and the Wii is just that much different, as well as having enough media space devoted to it to put it in the forefront of anyone’s mind when buying a new console. Though personally I think the Wii and PS3 audience will only cross over a small amount and their user bases will be different enough that they shouldn’t have too much effect on each other’s market.

Taking away all the arguments of price and delays, the machine itself seems to be well thought out and ready for anything the future has to offer (at least as far as the next 3-5 years go). Sony say that it’s fully upgradable, but I’m sceptical about how ‘fully’ that is. Obviously, a lot depends on whether the Blu-ray format takes off and whether there are any teething problems with disc errors etc (as the pits on the Blu-ray discs are smaller they may also be more susceptible to damage if scratched or dirty). But Sony are looking at upgrades as and when needed which, in 3 years time, may make all the difference against the 360 which competes with it on a graphical level.

Since graphics seem to be a strong focus for Sony and Microsoft this time around, updating the graphics on the PS3 would surely be the most important ability any console allegedly capable of being upgraded should have. Sony haven’t said anything, but I can’t see an easy way of updating graphics hardware, only the software. PCs have graphics cards, that’s how they stay ahead, but consoles have chips built specifically for them and often come attached to the mainboard. We’ll find out in time, but I remain sceptical about how long Sony can keep off the launch of another new console in 5-7 years, even with their ‘upgrade-ability’ on the PS3.

But we’re here now, so lets focus on this year. Sony need to make inroads with the PS3 and the only way they can do it is by showcasing their exclusive titles. It’s the only way that any console can compete. Historically, titles on multiple formats have often been written with the weaker format in mind, being ported across with few changes. This means that unless exclusive titles are present, people may go for the cheapest platform to play their games on. But Sony have some strong titles waiting for release. Gran Turismo has been the major talking point so far, especially graphically, and Sony’s deals with 3rd parties should bring some strong titles to the system.

So, is Sony doomed? No. Will they have a tougher time than with the PS2? Most definitely. It’s impossible to say that one console is better this time around, the 360 and PS3 are so similar, despite their different specs, and the Wii appeals to the rest of the market. We can only wait to see how it all pans out in a few years time, but it’s a hot battle this time around and an interesting one. Just don’t write Sony out of the game at this point…
Thu 12/04/07 at 16:48
Regular
"8==="
Posts: 33,481
Game wrote:
> After using my PS3 since launch, I'm struggling to find a reason
> why this machine won't do well. I've been impressed by the
> console in every aspect,

>
> The games weren't really my cup of tea.
>

> Expensive? Yes. Big? Yes. Heavy? Yes.
>
> PS3 is the future. I love my 360 and I enjoy SSX Blur on the
> Wii, but the system is the perfect all-rounder.
>
> I like it. Now all we need is MGS4, GTA 4, Pro Evo 7, Guitar
> Hero 3, Ratchet 5 and Ico II.... hahaha, sound familiar?! ;)

...

Sounds totally worth it right now.
Thu 12/04/07 at 01:52
Regular
"Copyright: FM Inc."
Posts: 10,338
Game wrote:
> I could be wrong.

I'm 40.

My major objections to buying the PS3 are the facts that I owned 4 PS2s, live in Europe, currently own an XBox 360, use a standard TV and don't have £400 lying around.

I was about to go as far as stating that I think Sony have already lost this war a year before they launched the PS3, and qualifying that with the simple fact that I'm never, ever wrong about these things. But then I look at the Wii doing so well and I thought that was going to be a complete flop too, so I thought I'd not mention anything ;)

Sony might surprise me. For the sake of some decent competition to keep the others on their toes I sincerely hope they do.

Next generation (2011?) might be the most interesting of all, seeing as by then the majority of mature gamers will have sampled all types of consoles. It'll be interesting to see whether Next Gen will be sold on games, technology, online capabilities, advances in gameplay (where the hell is Virtual Reality?) or something else completely.
Thu 12/04/07 at 00:22
Regular
"Fishing For Reddies"
Posts: 4,986
Not really... you get what you pay for. I know it's hard as gamers to understand that consoles aren't or shouldn't be a vessel for anything BUT games, but it's no longer the case.

For the same reason your Nokia N95 can cook dinner, launch a spaceship and cure cancer, you PS3 can play Blu-Ray films, display your photos, manage your music and still play games (!).

Everything electronic progresses. It's technology and the bloody thing wont' stand still. There's no point releasing a console that doesn't do what the PS3 does because not only during the 10-year life span of the console will you want it, but you'll probably need it. There's nothing in the PS3 that doesn't benefit the customer in one way or another.

If you take the 360 premium and spec it up to the PS3 you're way over the budget. Wi-Fi adapter, media card reader, HD-DVD player... granted, these are options from Microsoft and you don't have to buy them, but you're worse off if you do.

When you buy a digital camera you suddenly realise you need another lens, a spare battery, a case and a memory card. When you buy a PS3, you don't need to add a thing.

The PS3 aims for the center of your living room entertainment setup... To be the one man band,... tinker, tailor, soldier and sailor all in one. As soon as you realise what you get, what it does and how long it'll last you £400 is a good price and not really that far out of reach for the 18-35 year old male demographic that forms up most of the gaming industry.

I could be wrong.
Wed 11/04/07 at 23:59
Regular
Posts: 9,995
Game wrote:
> After using my PS3 since launch, I'm struggling to find a reason
> why this machine won't do well.

Price?
Wed 11/04/07 at 23:55
Regular
"Fishing For Reddies"
Posts: 4,986
After using my PS3 since launch, I'm struggling to find a reason why this machine won't do well. I've been impressed by the console in every aspect, and growing up as a Nintendo fan-boy - a period which has long passed - I didn't think that'd be the case.

The XMB was new to me; I haven't owned a PSP or even played on one for more than the 4 minutes it took for me to complete the Loco-Roco demo a year ago. But it's flawless. Everything it about 5 button presses away, and there are no menus to get lost in. With the 360, I found myself looking for new LIVE arcade games under Market-Place when in fact they had their own TAB under games, although they're LIVE Arcade games which you download from the Marketplace which isn't under the games tab and.... *stars* *cross-eyed* You know the rest... I've got the hang of it now, but there's never been a time where I've been lost in the PS3. Nice.

The games weren't really my cup of tea. F1 I liked, Resistance was just another shooter offline and MotorStorm was nowhere near as pretty and quick as it should or could have been. Having said that, I got the latter two at launch, and as launch games, you can't complain. Res is great online and the single player isn't bad. MotorStorm is the pinnacle of online racing at the moment. There's no "I've raced for 315 hours of my life to get this spoiler that makes me go 4mph faster PS: It's got a faster stripe!" The playing field is level. Pick a vehicle, race in mud, no rules. Beautiful. Online excels, offline isn't so great.

Pictures on SD cards weren't quite as inspired as those of the Wii persuasion might be accustomed to, but it does the job. Trailers, Pictures, Demos and Films are where they should be. Nice and simple... gaming for everyone at its finest, believe me. There's not much sense in releasing a console with two controllers that are really just one, and having to play in a certain position because you need to find Mario a door 12 months after people in the US did. SONY are keeping things simple, and they're doing it well.

Expensive? Yes. Big? Yes. Heavy? Yes. Worth it? Definitely.

PS3 is the future. I love my 360 and I enjoy SSX Blur on the Wii, but the system is the perfect all-rounder. The Flintoff of consoles, the Thierry Henry of consoles, the Ford Focus, of consoles.

I like it. Now all we need is MGS4, GTA 4, Pro Evo 7, Guitar Hero 3, Ratchet 5 and Ico II.... hahaha, sound familiar?! ;)
Sun 08/04/07 at 16:19
Regular
"8==="
Posts: 33,481
It's funny how the original Xbox was criticised for it's exclusives being mainly shooters and racers and now that's what the PS3 currently has.

I guess Sony are trying to go for the hardcore first and then bringing in the casuals later like MS are doing with the 360.

Trying to do that a year behind makes serious problems.
Sat 07/04/07 at 21:56
Regular
"Mooching around"
Posts: 4,248
I was playing one with my cousin today, MotorStorm we played.

Oh my it was Awesome. The graphics were amazing, yes, but suprizingly, so was the gameplay! The console was so much more responsive than the 360, it was sharper and more fun.

The Sixaxis did make for a great laugh too, trying to control your car with it was hilarious and just made the game that more fun to play. A great feature, albeit a novelty one.

Then we played F1, which I hate, but yeah. The physics engine their seemed near perfect, but I'm no judge.

Anyways, just wanted to let you guys know, it's amazingly good fun, we could've played for hours. :)
Mon 02/04/07 at 13:24
Regular
"@RichSmedley"
Posts: 10,009
Kawada wrote:

> Went into Gamestation today and talked to my mate there, they've
> only sold 1 PS3 out of 20 so far today, ouchies.

That many! :D

I went into HMV at the weekend and they just had a demo disk running which graphically looked good running on a HD TV but it will have to halve in price before I'd even consider buying one.
Mon 02/04/07 at 11:52
Regular
"capture on"
Posts: 11
the 360 is better than the ps3
Fri 23/03/07 at 13:35
Regular
"Brooklyn boy"
Posts: 14,935
Went into Gamestation today and talked to my mate there, they've only sold 1 PS3 out of 20 so far today, ouchies.

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