E3 - part 1
I watched the Sony Press Conference from E3, here are some (largely negative) comments.
Their games look no better, and often worse, than the Xbox 360’s.
about 3/4 of their showcased games were just pre-rendered videos.
half of all the games they showed were not exclusive to the PS3 - there will be versions on the Xbox 360, probably earlier than the PS3 version.
it is horribly expensive - $499 for the “cheaper” version, which has a 20GB hard drive, $599 for the more expensive version, which has a 60GB hard drive.
The “pro” SKU also has - 802.11b/g wireless built in, 1 HDMI port, a multi-card reader (memory stick, Sd, flash).
Things different from what they promised last year (i.e. lies they told):
Last year’s console prototype had 2 HDMI ports on the back promised, and 1 analog AV output (now it has only 1 video output - the more expensive version has 1 HDMI output)
Wireless built in vs. only the $600 version has wifi (and no 802.11a)
7 controllers at once vs. 4 controllers
Last year’s console prototype had 2 USB Ports on the back (now it has none)
Last year’s console prototype had 3 Ethernet ports (now it has 1)
They showed their new controllers - oh, it’s a PS2 controller. It does have motion sensing built in, which is neat - XYZ, Pitch, yaw, etc.. (Nintendo Wii controller?) However, there is no rumble in the controller, supposedly because it interferes with the motion sensor. It probably has nothing to do with getting sued by Immersion Tech for infringing on their rumble patent. MS paid Immersion to get the rights to use it, Sony tried to fight it and lost. No more rumble for Sony.
Their controller has 4 lights on it to show which player it is (xbox 360 ring of lights is better)
Their controller has a button with the sony logo on it (Xbox Guide button)
They Mentioned back compat, but no details as to how it works, or how many games will work with it.
Some weird PS1 emulation on the PSP thing. Not that many people are interested in emulating 10 year old games. Woo… Ridge Racer.
Online service is a copy of Live, but from a couple years ago. They showed a karaoke game with a store where you could buy content, and it was pretty cool, you could preview the song, and it had pretty 3d flashy UI for the store. However that means they don’t have a standard store, and each game has to create their own storefront UI. Which means that for the most part it’ll be pretty boring, and cost the developer time to implement. Their online service has micropayemtns (Microsoft Points), downloadable content (Live has had that for 3 years), Friends (check), player profile (check) rankings (check), video chat (hmm), voice messaging (check), text messaging (check).
The console is larger and heavier than the ORIGINAL Xbox.
Sony stumbled a year ago and they’re having a hell of a time getting back up, and it doesn’t seem like they’ll ever fully recover. It is all about the games, in the end, but if nobody can afford their console, and they have insulted their audience too badly, too many bridges may have been burnt. Time will tell, but i wouldn’t invest in Sony right now. Even with their $500-$600 price tag, i’m sure they’ll be losing $100+ per console.
May 9th, 2006 at 8:34 am
I would argue that the Xbox360 is already “horribly” expensive, and that this PS3 is just “even more horribly” expensive. If Nintendo doesn’t come out with a reasonable price point, I’m not buying any of these systems for quite a while.
I don’t really follow these things that closely, so I don’t know what Sony “promised” last year. But given that you said they showed a “prototype”, doesn’t it imply that their specifications weren’t set? Sure, it’s a let-down, but I don’t think they’re really lying. Anyway, Microsoft isn’t exactly great at keeping promises. How many of Windows Vista’s promised features have now slipped out of the release?
May 10th, 2006 at 8:35 am
I’ll try to stay a little out of the Microsoft vs. the world frey here and maybe even make a couple of predictions, which I will admit is always a bad idea when it comes to technology.
Kevin you’re absolutely right and I think you should come out and say it. What Sony released isn’t going to cut it and without either a tax break (is it a hybrid?) or funtionality that will legitimize the expense the PS3 is too expensive and (if and when it comes out) too late. Too expensive shrinks your market, too late gives your competitors time to steal the market. Either way in the end you have fewer titles and that means… game over. If it weren’t for Nintendo pushing a console that may revolutionize (or is it now wii-ize) the industry I’d be ready to crown the xbox as king of the next-gen-console. The question still remains, however has the whole industry gotten too big for the expense. With losses springing up all over the place does the winner really get somthing worth having or merely name recognition for the next fight? Furthermore, the high consumer cost of the machines is opening a huge door for anyone that would like to make a box that may please someone other than the gammer in the household.
May 12th, 2006 at 8:07 am
Where’s Part 2?
May 16th, 2006 at 11:22 am
I’m not talking about Sony as a company, just their games division. The stuff like the rootkit give sony bad publicity, but that’s handled by another division. Their movie studios aren’t involved in making games either. The only connection the PS3 has with the rest of the company is the heavy bet on Blu-Ray.
Sony lied with the PS2 (and killed the Dreamcast), talking about toy story graphics rendered in game, and other such bullshit like their “Emotion engine.” Now they have the “RSX” or whatever in the PS3, and the magical Cell processor. I know last year was just a prototype, but why tell people you’re putting in 2 HDMI ports when you clearly have no intention of doing it because it is stupid and overpriced? That’s just spreading Fear Uncertainty and Doubt with no factual backup.
I think the Xbox 360 is just definitely expensive, but it’s not out of the ordinary. New consoles have cost $250-$300 for 10 years, the 360 bumped it up to $400 (for the non-retarded system). Sony is getting out of control and taking it up another $100-$200. It’s just not smart.
May 19th, 2006 at 3:19 pm
Yeah, I think Sony is out of their minds with the price point they’ve come out at, that’s true. I guess we’ll see in a few years who wins out. I think right now I’d put my money on MS. I wouldn’t be surprised if Nintendo did really really well, either. Nintendo has been able to do well with technologically inferior products before. DS has crushed the PSP because the games are just way more fun.
I wouldn’t really blame Sony for putting stupid labels like “emotion engine” on their products. That’s just stupid stuff filtering down from marketing departments, and almost every company does it. I wouldn’t be surprised if it works. How are you enjoying your Pentium with MMX TECHNOLOGY?
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not really defending them. I think Sony is really retarded. They could have easily won this generation just on brand-name alone. Instead they come out with overpriced system that no one can afford.
Also, I want part 2!