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Sony To Ship Enhanced PSX Console/DVR Combo
bluethundr writes "The Register has posted a story indicating that Sony will ship the new PSX models on July 1 (Japan first, Europe to follow, then - eventually released to us Yanks?) following the company's move to suspend production of the original model of PlayStation 2/digital video recorder hybrid, earlier this year. Apparently: 'The new models, the DESR-5100 and DESR-7100, offer the same storage capacity - 160GB and 250GB, respectively - as their predecessors, the DESR-5000 and DESR- 7000. What's changed is the introduction of a better graphical user interface and the ability to add DVD-style menus to content copied from the unit's hard drive to a DVD-R, DVD-RW or DVD+RW disc.' Sony also appears to have added a range of extra video recording modes to maximise the amount of programming that can be stored on the PSX's hard drive."
One of the major selling points of the original PS2 was that DVD players were still fairly expensive, but gaining popularity. For the price of a nice DVD player, you could get that and much more. I don't see that happening with the PSX, but only time will tell.
Disconnect and self-destruct, one bullet at a time.
I just don't understand why they don't focus more (read: release) the PS3 instead of this intermediate step with the PSX. I just don't see something so expensive taking off when the same things can be had for pennies on the dollar. No.. a PS3.. A think there would be a lot of people able to fork over some dough for that beast.
Hmmm.
" What's the point of a DVD-R if I can't play the PS2 games I use it to copy, that is legitimately backup for educational purposes!"
To save TV shows you recorded?
"Derp de derp."
Almost $900 for a PVR / Playstation 2? That's a bit pricey for a gaming console which i'm sure will be (already is?) obsolete.
Acronym time : DIY PVR IMO. FU PS2/PVR DRM.
The PSX includes a TV recorder, a large hard drive, and a DVD burner to save recorded TV shows. Comparable products that don't require a full PC sell for over $800 -- and they don't play PS2 games, either.
You can put together the hardware for $350, but you assume (rightly so, around here) that everyone has a free powerful computer to put it all in, and nobody minds a cheap uninsulated case sitting next to their TV to encode everything.
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Well currently they are still winning w/their PS2 console. They can hold out for a while longer in comfort before MS may/may not beat them to the punch on the next generation.
I'd prefer that they be working solely towards releasing the PS3 but that's just wishful thinking.
Sure, enough people would be willing for fork over the dough for the PS3 but they seem to be betting on the possiblity that people will fork over the dough for this one...
The 160 GB model of the PSX costs $676 with a pretty unfavorable dollar-to-yen ratio right now. An off-the-shelf x86 PC isn't designed to encode video, so you'll need a pretty powerful CPU to keep up.
Price it out, including $x for your time. In the end, you'll see the same split as with TiVo: people willing to pay $600 for a solution that works out of the box, and people willing to spend $800 to build their own box and shout down everyone else.
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You bring up a good point in the fact that this same type of machine can be built for less, and be customized and tailored to fit their needs. I just fail to see it marketed towards normal teenagers, who when the PS2 first came out had trouble paying the $300 price tag. Now they want $900? I just don't see it happening and especially with all of the other devices that most already have in the US.
Hmmm.
bit expensive is an understatement...
I can get a PS2 for $119.00 from different places on the net.
I can get a replayTV for $109.00 from an assortment of places on the net also.
So I am guessing that I need to add the Ethernet adapter ($39.00) and the hard drive ($79.00) and then I pretty much have the same thing. except that the replayTV has more features, upgradeable, I can openly communicate with it from my PC so I can master DVD's of my favorite shows easily and it communicates with other units in the house.
Why do I want to spend an extra $300.00 - $400.00 for some convergence box? if you wanted a brain-dead stand-alone setup change the replaytv to a DVD player/writer with hard drive and i am STILL much cheaper.
I really hope they are adding more features to it as it is unimpressive as it is.
BTW, I have yet to find any consumer DVD writing device that can make highly compatable DVD's my authoring a DVD on a PC plays in almost anything, including older dvd players while the sony player/writer, the panasonic and other brands have playback issues in other players from old to even brand new.
I am betting that DVD playback issues will also rear it's ugly head in this device.
Do not look at laser with remaining good eye.
Sony is taking heat from MS? In what kind of bizzaro world is that happening? Based on my own observations, the PS2 is MUCH more popular than the XBox due to its plethora of PS2 and PS1 titles. I know a lot more people that own a PS2 over an XBox. Heck, I know more people that own Gamecubes than own an XBox. That says something.
There is a difference between "insightful" and "inciteful" other than spelling.
The MTBF of a PS2 is only about 3 years though. Anyone who bought a PS2 in the first year of release has probably had theirs break already, if not it will break soon. Then they'll need a new one, or a PSX.
Non gratis rodentus anus
65nm, 300mm wafer.
"Cell is going to be like IBM's Deep Blue integrated on one chip," said Ken Kutaragi, chief executive officer of SCEI, referring to IBM's chess-playing supercomputer, which is based on a massively parallel architecture.
"One Cell processor will have, say, 1 teraflops performance. One thousand Cells make 1 petaflops performance. Then 1,000 of these 1,000 Cells can combine.
"We are planning to create a processor architecture that makes this network connection possible. We will focus on processors. The day when processors can truly link together will surely come. This project is such a huge challenge," said Kutaragi.
Seems pretty damned focussed to me. The Cell chip looks to be well on schedule..
But I know what you mean; I'd like to have one next week, too. How much do you think a prototype Cell chip would cost?
I survived the Dick Cheney Presidency 7 to 9 AM 7-21-07