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Next-Gen Gaming to be Uber Expensive
The CNN column Game Over is running an article discussing the costs associated with going Next-Gen. Using the Xbox 360 as an example, they calculate that to get the full next-generation experience would cost almost $2000. From the article: "The first test comes this fall, when Microsoft debuts the Xbox 360. The company hasn't announced a price for the machine, but several industry observers believe it could cost $399 -- $100 more than new consoles have traditionally cost."
I mean how many times can you play Mario and Zelda!
More than I can stand to play Halo, at least.
There are more than just one "Mario" game rehashed over and over. Every Mario platformer adds something new, and there are the many many spinoffs. The only thing those share with the original are the character, Super Smash Brothers, Mario Party, Mario Golf, Mario Tennis, Mario Kart, whatever that new one is, they're all very different (besides the mascot) and always introduce new gameplay elements in each revision.
Compare this to several other console games that, while they might even be completely different titles, their gameplay is always the same and unfun.
The 360 might have more general purpose CPU power than the cell, but we don't want a PC, we want a games/media box, and the PS3 has oodles more ability there. Physics, graphics, AI, and sound all can be done highly effectively with the cell. MS is also spreading FUD when it calls the SPUs DSPs, they are a lot more flexible than that. In addition, the SPU's are much more integrated than the 360's 3 cores, with the ability to read and write each others memory.
The GPU is a tough call. Little hard info is known about either, but they are going to be in the same ballpark. I don't think a machine with dual 1080p output (the PS3) is going to lag too much.
Memory bandwidth is also a tough call. It used to be chip+cache+RAM+video RAM, but these designs are different. Again, a machine with the video output and storage of the PS3 is probably going to be able to make use of it.
I do agree with the quote at the bottom of that page, though; "However, hardware performance, while important, is only a third of the puzzle. Xbox 360 is a fusion of hardware, software and services. Without the software and services to power it, even the most powerful hardware becomes inconsequential."
"A language that doesn't affect the way you think about programming, is not worth knowing" - Alan Perlis
Last time around the dollar was considerably stronger than it is now.
If you compare against Pounds Sterling, for instance, One US Dollar back in 2001 would get you around 72p. Nowadays it'll only get you about 54p, so versus the Pound it's lost about 25% of its value, which coincides remarkably well with the $300 -> $400 change.
Of course, the Xbox isn't manufactured in the UK, so the numbers will be rather different with respect to whatever countries it is manufactured in, but it is a trend. The Dollar just isn't worth as much any more and although you are to an extent buffered by your sheer size, if the Dollar doesn't increase soon you will find things getting more expensive.
From what was shown at E3, and not taking into account all the theoretical pre-rendered b/s... it looks like the machines are damn near equal except for in the realm of shaders. The PS3 looks to be able to do twice as much if not more there, and shaders will make a big difference in image fideltiy...but only graphics whores like me will probably notice...The average Joe won't be able to tell the difference between the two, and probably not the Revolution either....but that's yet to be seen. Sony's spreading just as much FUD and Hype with the Cell as MS.
"A truly wise man realizes he knows nothing."
Who are they marketing to? Not you.
Like Apple ( well, at least Apple before the Mac mini ), they're marketing to People With Money.
They're marketing to people who buy their _kids_ iPods and color-screen cell phones. People who buy their kids new cars the second they get their learner's permit. If you're worried about how much it'll cost... they're not marketing it to you, at least not for the first few years.
Here's the real test, IMHO. You don't have at least one High-Definition television in your house? They're not marketing to you.
Which is to say, they're marketing to gamers. They're marketing to people who are thinking really hard about spending that $800 on a graphics card that they know will cost $250 in 8 months. They know they'll pick up blokes like you and I a year to two down the road, when their costs have dipped a little. But first, it's time to fleece People With Money ( and early adopters and gaming fanatics with skewed priorities ).