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itsablog
don't bother with new playstation last modified: Friday, November 17, 2006 (9:26:20 AM) Some of you know this already, but I'm a pretty big fan of gaming of all kinds. This includes video games. This goes back about twenty years or so.
I would like to take this opportunity to speak to parents out there and curious onlookers as to why the new Sony Playstation 3 launch has people all excited. It's insidious. You see, they are built entirely on hype. This is worse hype than the Xbox 360 launch of last year, which actually had a few good games to back up the launch. The PS3 is not launching with games of any merit. (Disclaimer: I own neither of these systems, and don't intend to because the games aren't very good on either yet.) Supply is limited due to some idiotic hardware decisions made by Sony because they want to push a new, overpriced, incompatible DVD format into the market (think Betamax). So, they float these machines with no games at around $600. When it was time to preorder these, I was under the assumption that no one in their right mind would pay more than $300-400 over retail (~$1000) for a system so I didn't bother trying to preorder one -- even to sell it on ebay. It was obvious that consoles would be scarce, but I had no idea how stupid your average American consumer is. There's people hawking these things for $2000+ on auction sites -- for a box of electronics with few playable games. Let's imagine you get a console and two (subpar) games out of the handful of really bad launch titles for $2000. You've just spent $1000 per game. A very decent used car is $2000. This is complete stupidity. There is no other word for it, and I don't call large market trends stupid without careful thought. The Spice Girls were a product of misguided media oversaturation. Reality game shows are products of people wanting to be closer to stories and players they hope they can relate to. This is just stupid. Sony wants to see you wait in line and be that sucker that ponies up $1000-2000+ for a console because the AP will write shallow human interest pieces about how you waited all night for your useless home entertainment device. It's all about getting Sony good press at your expense. Sony, right now, is a company scared of two things: Apple, who is cannibalizing their consumer music device market with the iPod + iTunes integration, and Microsoft, who has made an excellent online service with Xbox Live. As a software architect/designer/developer by day, I can tell you that Japan is historically really bad at creating quality software, so I can assure you that Sony is crapping rocks because of these two companies and their respective products because they know that Japan as a *nation* can't outdo them. They are scared for their future right now moreso than anytime in their past. If the Playstation brand tanks, Sony has nothing left to stand on. *This* is what the media hype is all about: a corporation full of people past their prime in ideas, products, and innovation trying desperately to stay above water. Get informed. The Playstation 3 will undoubtedly get better games and a lower price tag sometime in the next six months. Quality is worth paying for, but this simply isn't it. If it's your kid asking for one, tell them these things suck. I'm basically an overgrown kid, so I'll talk to them if you want. Just send me an e-mail and phone number with a good time to talk to them. Every single person who got a console today to play is a sucker. A big, PT Barnum, born-yesterday sucker. Don't be a sucker. Don't be an average American consumer with more money than sense.
AMEN! I copy edit for a video gaming website, and NOTHING that has been previewed for this console has made the outrageous start price even close to being worth it. I agree with you... wait until good games get released and the price tag drops.
The reason the system is a big deal is not for the games. It''s because it''s a cheap blu-ray player. That''s what Sony is banking on more than anything. They want to get it into people''s homes and give BR-D the push it needs. That''s why so many people have waited on purchasing BR players. The same exact thing happened with PS2, DVDs and it ended up killing off Dreamcast. Sega went with a CD based system and launched nearly a year before PS2 did. But Sony just -announced- a DVD based gaming system and people waited. And waited. Just to buy a PS2. Dreamcast was already out and had a ton of great games, but everyone wanted the DVD player combo video game system that Sony offered. I''m not interested in the PS3 either. But it''s definitely not about the software. It''s about the hardware and what you can do with it. You can load an OS on the PS3, among other things... In Japan, DVDs didn''t take off and become devalued the way they did in America. So the notion of jumping on the Blu-Ray technology at launch is more appealing to them. The "improvements" you see when you compare a DVD to any high-def disc look kind superficial when you consider the price. But if DVDs were as expensive here as they are in Japan, then the Blu-Ray might be more appealing. Waiting is a good idea, considering the PS3 is not entirely backwards compatible like they promised. The X-Box 360 will be able to record TV if you wait just a little longer.
http://www.penny-arcade.com/2006/11/17 "This is beyond insulting. This is beyond ridiculous. It is farcical." Penny Arcade''s Tycho, one of the most respected straight-talk video game commentators, chimes in with his opinion.
I wasn''t done typing and it posted somehow O_O Anyway, I was saying... if you wait, companies always manage to improve and refine their product for better prices. Sony loses about $180 for the expensive PS3 bundle and about $300 for the cheaper PS3 bundle. Of the reported sales/preorders so far, no one is buying any games, just systems. Sony only recovers with software and BR disc sales. Just a bit of trivia, Nintendo has never sold a console at a loss. They actually make money or manage to break even for every single console they''ve ever sold. Which is not true for Sony or Sega (back when they were making consoles). As you can tell, I like video games too. ^_^
In 360''s defense, they have DoA4, Gears of War, SvR2007, Dead Rising and Oblivion. So they''re library is ok at best. PS3 will get off the ground, library wise, with the new Tekken, MGS, GTA and Devil May Cry. I say it will be a market dominator in 6 months. Nintendo will do what they have done the last two generations, enchant the hearts of gamers for a lil undera year before they get bored of the gimmick and nostalgia and realize the other syetems have a vastly superior library.
for me it always 2 questions can i use the controler with 1 hand the game cube and ps2 i could use both but my gamecube broke so all i could play was animal crossing but i degress so it looks like its sony again for me once the price drops and they get some rpgs i can use my ps2 for at leasrt another 2 years
i *wish* i could afford a PS3 at $600+... jeez!! oh well. i''m happy with my rinky dinky nindendo ds. it keeps the boredom away just as easily.
That''s the thing Startyde, Nintendo isn''t trying to compete. They went off in a completely different direction with the Wii and neither Sony nor Microsoft can do what Nintendo has done. Miyamoto said they had a choice: graphics or control. If the DS hadn''t been such a huge success, they would''ve went with graphics. But with the uncanny valley the way that it is, innovative control makes more sense. That''s why the DS out sells the PSP. The CEOs of both Sony and Microsoft said in their respective press conferences that everyone would own a Wii and [insert their game system here]. When you have your competition admitting they will own your system, that''s a good sign. As for library, the Wii will have the largest. With the NES, SNES, Genesis, MSX, Turbo Grafix 16, N64 and Commodore 64 games available for permanent download. Not to mention the fact that it plays Gamecube games. Wii has more software than the other systems, hands down. Whether you like Nintendo or not, they run their company properly. Despite being the cause of the Playstation, they''ve made one major mistake and pokemon saved them. Otherwise, Nintendo will always do well. Not losing money on the hardware is a major part of that. They don''t have to fixate so much on software sales because of that.
Holy crap . . . I just checked some Ebay auctions . . . these things are going for $3500-4000 a pop! 0.o One was even at $50,000. I kid you not. WTF is wrong with people?! Their kids do *not* need this system for Christmas that badly. Geez . . . and people wonder why America is going to crap. Honestly, I''ve got the slimmer PS2, and tons of games to play on it. I haven''t really had time for gaming lately (sadly enough), so I''ve got a huge backlog. Plus, I still haven''t gotten around to purchasing some PS2 games that I want. Heck, I''ve got some PS1 games I''ve been meaning to play . . . Of course, the prices on Ebay make me wish that I had preordered one and could sell it now. That would be *nice*!
There were people SHOT while waiting in line for the new PS3s! But these people had also been waiting in line for about a week, so maybe they deserved to be shot while getting mugged...? CRAZINESS. My only hope is that the price of PS2s will go down, so that I can finally buy one! :)
*cackles* You make me glee. XD I for one intentionally stay at least one or two steps behind the industry when it comes to gaming. I intend to eventually get a Wii, but not for a year at the very least, if not more. If you stay a step behind the times, you get your systems at easy availability, reasonable prices, and usually bundled with a desirable game. The gaming system I''m getting this festivus: the DS. Yeah, I''m just now getting a DS. And now that the PS3 has come out, I''m hoping to inherit a hand-me-down PS2. XD Yes, I also do not have a PS2. As it stands my PS1 was hand-me-down from my brother when he got a PS2, and I''m hoping a similar thing happens with either him or a friend. And as far as Xboxes go, I have no desire to own either. There are no titles on Xbox that pique my interest that I can''t get on another platform. The only time they came close was with Toejam & Earl 3, but from what I''ve heard and read, that game doesn''t stay true to its series, so it''s expendible in my eyes. I primarily follow the Sonic, Mario, and Zelda games, but there are still reasons for me to get a PS2; unlike the Xbox, that system has exclusive games that I WOULD like, such as Sega Superstars, Guitar Hero, Kingdom Hearts, and a Naruto game I can''t think of the name of. Plus being backwards compatible with PS1 titles, it''ll be a space saver. To the tune of the next gen systems needing decent games at the time of launch, I think a lot of us can agree that Nintendo has cornered the market there with Twlight Princess. x_x Thank goodness that game will be on GameCube also for people like me!
Love the quote. That alone proves your IQ is higher than most American consumers. XD Considering we only JUST bought our frist PS2 this past summer, I don''t hink you''ll have to worry about us. We liiiiive for discount drop-down and out prices.=D And yes, Americans average around 78% stupidity from what I''ve seen/experienced. There are only maybe 75,000 smarties out there, and they''re all spread out. So at least Sony can figure on profits from the 225,000 shmucks.
From what I''ve seen, heard and even bothered to mess with the PS3, I''ll keep my PS2 thank you. ^_^ I also have been watching some Ebay auctions and my eyes keep bugging out O_O when I see how much they go for! Like a few people here already have mentioned, I''ll stick with Wii when it comes out. The price is nominal, not insane, and it does have a bigger selection of games, not to mention a completely interactive controller-base. Sorry Playstation, you cooked up nothing that really sticks out more for this next-gen gaming. |
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