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PS3s Online Services to Compete With XBox 360

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the big-surprise-here dept.

wh0pper writes "Dubbed WA!PS3 Online, Sony plans to combat the Xbox 360's download service with their own service for the Playstation 3. Though this is only going to happen in Asian markets at first, this adds even more fuel to the fiery debate over whether the Playstation 3 will have a hard drive included with the system. The Playstation 3 will be able to download games to the console for gamers to play and Sony says it will be better than the Xbox 360's features."

128 of 182 comments (clear)

  1. Name? by TheBogie · · Score: 3, Funny

    WA!-T-F is with the name?

    1. Re:Name? by Pantero+Blanco · · Score: 1

      Seriously...How are we supposed to pronounce "WA!PS3 Online"? Sony should fire whatever marketer came up with that.

      That said, I hope the service is good enough to overcome it.

    2. Re:Name? by decipher_saint · · Score: 2, Funny
      "Seriously...How are we supposed to pronounce "WA!PS3 Online"? Sony should fire whatever marketer came up with that."

      WA-BANG-PSSS-THREE, it's as easy as Samir Nagheenanajar...
      --
      crazy dynamite monkey
    3. Re:Name? by BewireNomali · · Score: 1

      ... from the same people who gave you the VAIO.

      --
      un burrito me trampeó.
    4. Re:Name? by masklinn · · Score: 1

      I guess you're supposed to shout "WAH, PS3 ONLINE !!1!ELEVEN" while thinking "NO WAI", and then someone from sony will come to you and answer "YA WAY!!!".

      --
      "The way we can tell it's C# instead of Haskell is because it's nine lines instead of two." -- wadler
    5. Re:Name? by b1t+r0t · · Score: 1
      WA!-T-F is with the name?

      Maybe they plan to be mostly targeting at WA!SP customers?

      I'm just waiting for the day when the inevitable immature kiddies on the service get called "WAPS".

      --

      --
      "Open source is good." - Steve Jobs
      "Open source is evil." - Microsoft
    6. Re:Name? by Isotopian · · Score: 1

      And don't forget VIIV.

      --

      It's poetry with a beat behind it! And guns! They're like beatniks with automatic weapons.

    7. Re:Name? by Mr+Pippin · · Score: 1

      Hmmm, maybe should have gone with "Ecky- ecky- ecky- ecky- pikang- zoop- boing- goodem- zoo- owli- zhiv Online."

    8. Re:Name? by FiDooDa · · Score: 1

      Don't fire the person who came up with the idea. Fire the person that said "this is a great idea! i want to use it!"

    9. Re:Name? by HTTP+Error+403+403.9 · · Score: 1

      This is WA!lter WA!ng from WA!lla WA!lla, WA!shington. I think it is a great name.

      --
      I'm not a Troll, it's reverse psychology.
    10. Re:Name? by rainman_bc · · Score: 1

      I thought Wa-Bang would be spelled wa#

      ^_^

      --
      09 F9 11 02 9D 74 E3 5B D8 41 56 C5 63 56 88 C0
    11. Re:Name? by TomHandy · · Score: 1

      At least VAIO is vaguely pronounceable. WA!PS just seems like it's asking for trouble.

    12. Re:Name? by damsa · · Score: 1

      Its the asian market, but I can imagine a fuss when Timmy goes to a friend's house and tells his mom he is going to play some Rapes on Johny's computer. Then again it is Japan...

  2. I'm hyped! by saboola · · Score: 5, Funny

    Anyone for an eight way match of Rootkit Wars on the PS3? Let me know and I will let my DRM PS3 get permission from your DRM PS3, only after Sony gives us both permission to play in the first place. Game on!

  3. Where's the real stuff? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    I think I speak for a very large portion of the gamer base if I say :"Put up or shut up."

    So far Sony has been able to provide people with.. promises. Nothing concrete and no I don't consider a few screenshots or videos here or there as believeable material as most of them have already been revealed to be pre-rendered material.

    There's way too much hyping on both sides, yet only one party has so far been able to even deliver a reasonably working box to consumers.

    1. Re:Where's the real stuff? by shotgunefx · · Score: 1

      Have to agree with you there. I'm skipping the 360 (like I did the xbox), because

      1. I don't like MS all that much
      2. GTA5 will be exclusive on PS3, at least for awhile.

      I'm not a PS fanboy, but you could say I'm pro PS, or more Anti-MS, whatever.. still these stupid bullshit vaporware press releases are annoying me. Show me something, or shut up until you're at least near where you need to be.

      --

      -William Shatner can be neither created nor destroyed.
    2. Re:Where's the real stuff? by gutnor · · Score: 1

      Pro PS, ok.
      Anti XBox, ok.

      But Anti-MS here? In a war between Sony and Microsoft choosing one or the other looks more like choosing between being shot by a Beretta or a Smith & Wesson.

    3. Re:Where's the real stuff? by fitten · · Score: 1

      Yup... until the PS3 actually exists, it can do anything from play games to cure cancer to make a latte for me. It's easy to draw up a list of what you might do but it's a bit more to actually have it. Let me know when I can "have it".

    4. Re:Where's the real stuff? by ClamIAm · · Score: 1
      I think I speak for a very large portion of the gamer base if I say :"Put up or shut up."

      And the same "gamer base" has, for the past ten years, picked Sony. Hmm.

    5. Re:Where's the real stuff? by oGMo · · Score: 1
      I think I speak for a very large portion of the gamer base if I say :"Put up or shut up."

      So far Sony has been able to provide people with.. promises. Nothing concrete and no I don't consider a few screenshots or videos here or there as believeable material as most of them have already been revealed to be pre-rendered material.

      Ah yes. Sony has never done anything. Like have the last two leading consoles. With thousands of titles. Selling hundreds of millions of consoles worldwide. Yes, I'd say there's nothing concrete and no reason to consider Sony has anything to offer.

      There's way too much hyping on both sides, yet only one party has so far been able to even deliver a reasonably working box to consumers.

      Sony has announced its specs. They've given a few demos. There have been very few announcements. Most of the "hype" is from analysts. Who don't know what they're talking about. (Ah, but I repeat myself.)

      At this point, SCE has what's called benefit of the doubt. They, unlike "one party," have delivered two top consoles and seem to be well on their way to a third.

      --

      Don't think of it as a flame---it's more like an argument that does 3d6 fire damage

    6. Re:Where's the real stuff? by Nizer · · Score: 1

      Beauty is clearly in the eye of the beholder. What you consider to be signs that Sony are "well on their way to a third" are to others no more than smoke and mirrors. Personally, I'm starting to get a little nervous that a 2006 delivery ain't gonna happen.

      --
      My other sig is a ...
    7. Re:Where's the real stuff? by jacksonj04 · · Score: 1

      GTA5 - Liberty San Vice [Insert Name] City?

      --
      How many people can read hex if only you and dead people can read hex?
    8. Re:Where's the real stuff? by Haeleth · · Score: 1

      Sony has [had] the last two leading consoles. With thousands of titles. Selling hundreds of millions of consoles worldwide.
      At this point, SCE has what's called benefit of the doubt. They, unlike "one party," have delivered two top consoles and seem to be well on their way to a third.

      With due respect, history does not support your argument.

      In the early 80s, Atari had literally created the home computer gaming market. They had the leading consoles, with thousands of titles, etc. Then the 7800 bombed. Then the Lynx and Jaguar, which promised so much, were laughing-stocks. Where's Atari now?

      In the early 90s, Sega was a major player in the hardware business - Nintendo had a slight edge, but Sega's previous two consoles had sold solidly and had a fanatical following, and Sega was first to market in both subsequent generations, with consoles that promised the world. And we all know where that got them.

      Even Nintendo used to be preeminent. The NES practically created the modern videogame market after the 80s crash. The SNES was unstoppable, making even Sega's excellent sales look paltry. Nobody had ever been as successful as Nintendo, and they showed every sign of being on their way to a third hit with Project Reality - hell, they were even partnering with SGI on it! And where are they now? Everyone's first choice for a second console - solid third place.

      On a slight tangent, what about PC graphics cards? Remember 3DFX? The Voodoo was the first serious consumer graphics accelerator - it trashed the competition. The Voodoo2 consolidated their hold on the market: it was ubiquitous enough that some companies felt it was safe to develop games exclusively for it. They had delivered two top graphics cards, and seemed to be well on their way to a third. Then NVidia happened.

      How does the saying go? Oh yes...

      Past performance is no guarantee of future results.

    9. Re:Where's the real stuff? by oGMo · · Score: 1
      Past performance is no guarantee of future results.

      Wouldn't this apply to your entire post? Past performance, especially of other companies (!), is hardly guarantee of future results.

      However, while it's not a guarantee, that doesn't mean it's not a decent indicator. It doesn't mean that at very least, we can't give them the benefit of the doubt. Nintendo, despite not being #1, have shown that they are worth the benefit of the doubt, despite extreme skepticism about various decisions (the DS, the Revolution controller, etc.). They've made bad decisions in the past (Virtual Boy, cartridges, dropping Sony), but we know that they've made good stuff, and will continue to do so.

      The companies you mentioned however have many details you failed to mention. Sega has been shooting themselves in the foot since day 1. It's suprising they made it as far as the Dreamcast, and even moreso they continue to exist. Atari made some terrible business decisions, and the Jaguar wasn't a reasonable competitor. Nintendo made some bad decisions, keeping cartridges on the N64, not getting third-party support, focusing more on the kids market.

      All of these decisions were obviously bad from the get-go. The declines were predictable. Does this mean Sony can't do something stupid? Overlook some detail? No; but they seem to be on the right track. Even making sure they have all online the features.

      This doesn't guarantee they'll succeed. There are never guarantees. But considering their experience and track record, they get the benefit of the doubt.

      --

      Don't think of it as a flame---it's more like an argument that does 3d6 fire damage

    10. Re:Where's the real stuff? by shotgunefx · · Score: 1

      Some truth there. But the MS sentiment goes back further (plus as I don't buy much sony stuff otherwise, they haven't had much opportunity to piss me off personally).

      Like having to buy all thos "Undocumented DOS" books ;)

      --

      -William Shatner can be neither created nor destroyed.
    11. Re:Where's the real stuff? by elrous0 · · Score: 1
      SCE has what's called benefit of the doubt.

      Yeah, I remember when Atari and Nintendo had that too.

      -Eric

      --
      SJW: Someone who has run out of real oppression, and has to fake it.
  4. Other PS3 storage media. by GodBlessTexas · · Score: 1, Interesting

    The PS3 is ditching memory cards for Sony's Memory Stick Pro Duo format (same as the PSP and newer Sony gear use), which hold up to 2GB of data right now. While that's not enough to hold a full traditional game, that is enough to hold mini-games and media content the likes of which are currently being seen on XBOX Live and happen to be very popular. While a HD is an option that I'd probably want, I like having the option of getting one in the size that fits my needs, and given the size of HD content, I'd expect I'd want a big one.

    --
    Remember the Alamo, and God Bless Texas...
    1. Re:Other PS3 storage media. by Metaphorically · · Score: 2, Interesting

      So they're going from insanely high price per megabyte of storage to just ridiculously highly priced storage. I thought the PS3 was supposed to have a reader for other memory card formats as well. Wonder if they're going to only the memory stick option will support other media like that.

      --
      more of the same on Twitter.
    2. Re:Other PS3 storage media. by GodBlessTexas · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Not exactly. I picked up a 1GB MS Pro Duo on sale for $45. You can pick up 2GB for around $100 shipped if you look. If the PS3 doesn't come with a HD, and I don't think it will to keep costs down so the $499, $45 for 1GB of storage space isn't a bad idea. Compared to $40 for 8MB of space on the PS2, it's a pretty significant price reduction.

      --
      Remember the Alamo, and God Bless Texas...
    3. Re:Other PS3 storage media. by Rickler · · Score: 2, Funny

      Great idea, one 50 dollar game per every 125 dollar proprietary memory card. Oh the savings.

      --

      The human race is artificial intelligence created using object orientated programming.
    4. Re:Other PS3 storage media. by Metaphorically · · Score: 2, Informative

      I don't know, looking on Amazon the price for compact flash is still between 50% and 90% the price of memory stick. I bought a Sony camera a couple years back because the prices looked "close" to me. I've had to take endless ridicule from CF users as I hunted for bargains on memory stick that brought the price anywhere near that of cheap compact flash card.

      --
      more of the same on Twitter.
    5. Re:Other PS3 storage media. by StikyPad · · Score: 1

      Some things are more important than keeping costs down, like customer satisfaction. It would be nice if someone would just release a console without paring out features to buy seperately, but which pretty much everyone is going to need anyway. In the past, that should've been two controllers, and 1 game. In the present, that should be two controllers, a game, a HDD, onboard NIC, and a mic/headset. It seems that the idea of exceeding expectations has, as of late, been highly underused as a marketing technique.

      --
      https://www.eff.org/https-everywhere
    6. Re:Other PS3 storage media. by Babbster · · Score: 1

      Compared to $100 for 20GB of space, it's all a friggin' joke. I'll never understand how people can spin memory cards (especially Sony's format) into a good thing - or even an "average" thing - for a game console when the Xbox demonstrated how great it is to have a hard drive (BTW- Microsoft's decision to release a version of the 360 with no hard drive was similarly boneheaded).

      I'm not against Sony generally but on the memory card issue I think they're completely out to lunch. This is particularly true considering their (read: Kutaragi's) assertion that videogames are only a small facet of what the PS3 is going to provide to the consumer.

      At least Nintendo charged so little for the Gamecube that you could pick up a console, memory card and game, and still be paying less for those items together than for a PS2 by itself...

  5. All Talk If You Ask Me by gasmonso · · Score: 1, Redundant
    "Sony says it will be better than the Xbox 360's features."

    Big surprise that Sony says that. Well it should be better since it's gonna be out over a year later than the 360.

    http://religiousfreaks.com/
    1. Re:All Talk If You Ask Me by stupidfoo · · Score: 1, Informative

      No one cares about your website. Put it in your sig where it belongs.

    2. Re:All Talk If You Ask Me by maxpublic · · Score: 1, Flamebait

      No one cares about your website.

      I liked it. I'd suggest you try to remember that the only person you speak for is yourself. Nobody voted you in as Grand Poobah.

      Put it in your sig where it belongs.

      He can put it wherever he pleases. Go be something less obnoxious, like a grammar nazi.

      Max

      --
      My god carries a hammer. Your god died nailed to a tree. Any questions?
    3. Re:All Talk If You Ask Me by im_thatoneguy · · Score: 1

      You expected more from a stupid foo'?

  6. No HD in the US = foolish by stupidfoo · · Score: 3, Insightful

    What's the most widely acclaimed feature of the Xbox 360 so far? Xbox Live Arcade and Marketplace (downloading demos).

    There is no question that any next gen system needs to have some type of local mass storage. The only question is how big it needs to be. The 360's 20GB HD is already looking way too small.

    Oh and Fight Night Round 3 kicks ass.

    1. Re:No HD in the US = foolish by PeeweeJD · · Score: 1

      I agree with the "too small" thing. I just got my 360 last week and I already have a good amount of stuff on it. The quake 4 demo is over a gig. The PGR3 demo and a bunch of others are > 600 megs. HD trailers are hundreds of megs. Plus the 4 or 5 Live Arcade games I have too (not sure of the size on those though.

      I'm not pushing my HDD, but its by no means empty. And storage on the order of single digit gigabytes would not be enough IMO.

      Of course all of this may just be a ploy to sell memory stcks.

    2. Re:No HD in the US = foolish by BeoFebenna · · Score: 1

      No, man. If and until then, I'll just be playing my fucking xbox360. After that it'll fucking go in the pile with my N64, which I don't fucking play anymore. And then, I'll go pick up a PS3, if I can fucking afford it.

    3. Re:No HD in the US = foolish by happyemoticon · · Score: 1
      There is no question that any next gen system needs to have some type of local mass storage. The only question is how big it needs to be. The 360's 20GB HD is already looking way too small.

      Hard drives are so cheap nowadays I don't see why they don't bundle them with 250GB drives. Of course, it was very smart of them to have the hard drives be user-swappable in the 360, which makes upgrades in the future a very real possibility. If they're smart, they'll start letting people download full games soon. I had a friend in college with a modded Xbox, and the ability to swap games without physically getting up was such a great feature I'm surprised it's not standard. Plus, they'd get to cut the retailer and the wholesaler out of the equation entirely.

      If I had to make a bet, though, I'd say Sony's never going to allow full game downloads because their music, movie, and consumer electronics companies depend on retail distribution, and these divisions have already proven themselves a dozen times over to be stupid, tightfisted, shortsighted, penny wise and pound foolish. Microsoft as a company makes most of its cash through OEM sales and is making a strong push into online content and applications. Who do you think is going to win the 'Live' wars: Microsoft, which owes allegiance to no one and is desparately trying to get into online content, or Sony, whose seven heads are constantly bickering and is conjoined at the hip to Best Buy and Walmart?

    4. Re:No HD in the US = foolish by KDR_11k · · Score: 1

      I am starting to think that the Playstation niche of the console market aren't just unlucky for chosing the marketplace loser over and over again. It is becomming clear that you sad fucks are just fucking dumb.

      What the fuck are you clowns going to do when Sony pulls the plug on the PS3? Plauge the Net for years like the goddamn Amiga freaks? Mass suicide?

      (Sure sign of a troll post: It can be thrown back almost verbatim and makes just as much sense)

      --
      Justice is the sheep getting arrested while an impartial judge declares the vote void.
    5. Re:No HD in the US = foolish by ClamIAm · · Score: 1
      What's the most widely acclaimed feature of the Xbox 360 so far? Xbox Live Arcade and Marketplace (downloading demos).

      Who are the users of the 360 so far? Early-adopter gamers, as well as pseudo-gamers who are quick to hop on whatever IGN tells them is going to be big.

    6. Re:No HD in the US = foolish by happyemoticon · · Score: 1
      If you can't understand just how fucking stupid it is to include a harddrive in a console, and the myriad problems doing so creates, you have absolutely no business participating in a discussion on consoles.

      If you can't post a response without saying fuck, and can't say fuck without posting as Anonymous Coward, I won't bother feeding you, troll.

    7. Re:No HD in the US = foolish by Osty · · Score: 1

      I agree with the "too small" thing. I just got my 360 last week and I already have a good amount of stuff on it. The quake 4 demo is over a gig. The PGR3 demo and a bunch of others are > 600 megs. HD trailers are hundreds of megs. Plus the 4 or 5 Live Arcade games I have too (not sure of the size on those though.

      Perhaps you're just using it wrong? Demos aren't supposed to live forever. You play them, get a feel for the game, and delete it after a couple days. Same thing for videos. Watch them and delete them. Arcade games are capped at 50MB (because they need to be able to fit on a memory card, which is 64MB - some overhead = ~53MB).

      Most complaints about the hard drive tend to be along the lines of, "I bought a 20GB drive, but it says I only have 12GB free. I haven't even used it yet! Did I get ripped off?" What's happening is two-fold. First, remember that 20GB in HD speak is not 20GB. It's 18.5GB. Now subtract ~5GB for buffers (I believe it's been said how much space is reserved by the system, but I don't remember the actual size), and then another 1GB or so for the videos and music that ship on the drive (that you can and should immediately delete), and it makes sense that you only have 12GB free out of the box, and it makes sense that you'll never see more than 13GB or 14GB free even if you completely wipe the drive (which you shouldn't do, because then you'll lose Hexic).

      While I'd love to have a larger hard drive, and it definitely makes sense to have a bigger drive given demos and trailers on Marketplace, keep in mind that the Xbox went 4+ years with only an 8-10GB drive (of which 4-5GB was still reserved by the OS for buffers and cache). Also keep in mind that because the HD is now optional with the 360, you're not going to see games with saves greater than the size of a memory card (*cough*KOTOR*cought*). The only people I've ever heard of filling up their Xbox hard drive (assuming non-modders, of course) were people who had a ton of KOTOR 1 and 2 save games that they never deleted.

    8. Re:No HD in the US = foolish by cgenman · · Score: 1

      I can't say for sure, but I'm betting that's exactly what the console manufacturers fear.

      Big publishers would never support a console that cut them out of the equation entirely. Madden would never shout "Boom!" on a machine that cut out EA. EB wouldn't be too thrilled about pushing a console that pushed them out.

      With downloadable games, a lot of development houses could cut out the publisher. More and more people these days are willing to throw some high-risk funds at video game developers. And developers have the tools and talent to do basically everything but manufacturing, warehousing, and distribution. Cut those two things out, and the publisher doesn't really have a role.

      And I'm sure watching people upgrade the HDD's in Xbox and PS2's to rip game after game had something to do with the decision as well. 20 GB will hold 5 full-sized retail games. 260 would hold 65.

      On the other hand, you can max out your X360 HDD with just what is available on Xbox Live right now. In a year, the disk will be downright cramped. If Sony is smart, they'll use a full 3.5" drive (instead of the laptop drives in the X360) and put in a decent amount of space. Right when Xbox 360 owners are groaning about how they can't download anything without deleting something, they can look over and drool at the PS3's full 200 GB of space.

      Nintendo, I'm guessing, will measure their disk space in Super Mushroom Blocks.

      At the risk of rambling, the play-from-the-hard disk analogy is great for some people, but putting a disk in a tray is still a hugely intuitive and simple process. My girlfriend asked me once to show her how to install Katamari Damacy on the playstation. When I just dropped it in and turned it on, her jaw dropped. She has since asked for a copy of Macromedia's Developer suite on a cartridge.

      --
      The ______ Agenda
  7. humm yea by Amouth · · Score: 1

    "and Sony says it will be better than the Xbox 360's features"

    you think... i don't think they would come out and say "we are going to add this thing but the 360 blows us out of the water.. hell we wish we had that feature set on this thing"

    everything you do is better in your own eyes.. only others (and not the people you pay) can tell you if it really is

    --
    '...if only "Jumping to a Conclusion" was an event in the Olympics.'
  8. "Better than the Xbox 360!" by Sparks23 · · Score: 3, Insightful

    ...Sony says it will be better than the Xbox 360's features.

    'cause no company, anywhere, has ever made claims like this as a matter of course. I mean, I'm sure Sony actually /will/ put together a good service; they have the know-how over in the Sony Online Entertainment division. But did that even really need to be quoted in the article? It's pretty much a given that Company A is going to say, when hyping their product, that it will be better than Company B's.

    I mean, can you imagine Nintendo, for instance, coming out and going, "Yes! The Revolution is cool...! But the Xbox 360 is a better product." Even if it were true (and of course, the jury is still out on the competition to the 360), of course they wouldn't say it. ;)

    --
    --Rachel
    1. Re:"Better than the Xbox 360!" by masklinn · · Score: 3, Insightful

      I'm sure Sony actually /will/ put together a good service

      I'm not, ever browsed a sony portal/website? You can hardly find worse pieces of crap.

      they have the know-how over in the Sony Online Entertainment division

      Yeah, the makers of SWG, the sinkers of Everquest, woohoo, that's something to look forward to, kind of like watching the titanic depart from england after knowing the end of the story.

      --
      "The way we can tell it's C# instead of Haskell is because it's nine lines instead of two." -- wadler
    2. Re:"Better than the Xbox 360!" by Sparks23 · · Score: 1

      Well, true. I'd been assuming the service would be designed more by folks like Kutaragi's team (who I stand by my statement on them being some pretty sharp folks) than by, say, the Everquest team. :)

      --
      --Rachel
    3. Re:"Better than the Xbox 360!" by masklinn · · Score: 1

      Kutagari's more of a hardware guy, not a software/networking one. I kind of doubt he has the expertise with that kind of things, while the Sony Online Entertainment supposedly do.

      Now, truth to be told, there is still hope... as long as the SOE guys don't start making games for the PS3 it may recover.

      --
      "The way we can tell it's C# instead of Haskell is because it's nine lines instead of two." -- wadler
    4. Re:"Better than the Xbox 360!" by StikyPad · · Score: 1

      kind of like watching the titanic depart from england after knowing the end of the story.

      For those that don't get the reference:

      ****SPOILER****

      The ship sinks.

      ****SPOILER****

      --
      https://www.eff.org/https-everywhere
    5. Re:"Better than the Xbox 360!" by elrous0 · · Score: 1
      they have the know-how over in the Sony Online Entertainment division

      Yeah, just look at the fine job they've done with Star Wars Galaxies.

      -Eric

      --
      SJW: Someone who has run out of real oppression, and has to fake it.
    6. Re:"Better than the Xbox 360!" by elrous0 · · Score: 1
      Dammit, and I just rented that movie too! Whatever happened to putting "Spoiler" in the subject line, you insensitive clod?

      -Eric

      --
      SJW: Someone who has run out of real oppression, and has to fake it.
  9. WASP Online! by Sepodati · · Score: 1

    Is anyone else pronoucing that WASP online, also?

    Submitter could have just included the next two sentences and left off the link entirely, too.

    ---John Holmes...

    1. Re:WASP Online! by Rob+T+Firefly · · Score: 3, Funny

      Actually, if like me you pronounce it "Wops online" it sounds like an Internet-enabled reunion of my Italian-American family.

      --
      Slashdot Burying Stories About Slashdot Media Owned
  10. Goes something like this: by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny
    Microsoft: "And then.. my system.. it's gonna have a harddrive.. and a..uh.. wireless controllers.. and it's HD compatible.. and I'm gonna make the, uh, Live even awesomer."

    Sony: "Nuh uh! Your system is poop! Mine's gonna be awesomerer than your's! My system is gonna have, uh.. um..A ROUTER.. and uh, dual shock 3.. maybe I can squeeze in a harddrive.. nah, no harddrive. well, maybe.. And it's gonna play the Blu Rays! And, and, and it's gonna go online too! Only faster than your system! With prettier colors! And more funner games than what you've got! And I'm gonna call PS Web! It's gonna rock. So, nya!"

    Microsoft: "Wow, that sounds pretty cool." Here's mine *shows an Xbox360 Premium*

    Sony: "DOODY HEAD!!!"

    somethin like that

    meanwhile, Nintendo is playing quietly in the sandbox by itself making controllers in the sand and revolutionizing the way the other kids are playing on the playground they've been using for years.

    1. Re:Goes something like this: by Andrew+Kismet · · Score: 1

      To quote another /.er, "Sony and Microsoft are fielding the greatest cavalry regiments known to the world. Nintendo is building a nuclear missile."

    2. Re:Goes something like this: by iapetus · · Score: 2, Insightful

      That's the most willfully ass-backward analogy I've seen in a long while. Nintendo's the one producing the less technologically advanced solution. A better way to look at it is that Microsoft have made an Uzi, Sony are working on an AK-47, and Nintendo are putting the finishing touches to a Nerf Chinese repeating crossbow. I know which has the latest and greatest technology, but I'm sure there's fun to be had with the crossbow that I won't get elsewhere as well.

      --
      ++ Say to Elrond "Hello.".
      Elrond says "No.". Elrond gives you some lunch.
    3. Re:Goes something like this: by Wyrd01 · · Score: 1

      Nintendo's the one producing the less technologically advanced solution.

      Your statement is true if the only thing you're considering is graphical and processing power.

      If you consider other factors, the controller (i.e. User-interface) then Sony and MS have done nothing at all. They just took the exact same controller they already had and slightly changed the shape to fit the average hand better.

      Personally I consider a motion-sensitive, totally redesigned controller to be pretty "technologically advanced". If they do it right and get this thing working in an intuitive, user-friendly way I believe it could redefine how we play games, expand the gaming market to previously untapped sources, and could possibly usher in a whole new genre of games that weren't possible when all the control was done through sticks and buttons.

      On the other hand, if they screw this controller up and the motion sensing hardware has too many glitches Nintendo will have nothing else to fall back on. Although their online game download service sounds pretty tempting for those of us who grew up on Nintendo, SNES, etc... I would love to play Kid Icarus, Bionic Commando, and all those old classics on a console again. (Yes I am aware of MAME, it just isn't the same)

    4. Re:Goes something like this: by iapetus · · Score: 1

      Thanks for the correction. Since you're so up on these things, can you show me where Nintendo confirmed they were going to have a >20GB hard drive in the Revolution? Perhaps you can tell me why you think you know better than Satoru Iwata, who has made it pretty clear in interviews that Nintendo is not aiming to equal the power of XBox 360? Explain why I've seen unhappy Nintendo fans describing Revolution as 'Gamecube 1.5' after the announcement? Tell me what you mean by 'real world' code and what possible connection you think it has to the very specialist application of gaming? Let us know why boosting screen resolution by a factor of four is irrelevant? Detail why exactly the 20GB drive is so crippling when there's actually very little that needs to reside on it permanently?

      Thought not.

      --
      ++ Say to Elrond "Hello.".
      Elrond says "No.". Elrond gives you some lunch.
    5. Re:Goes something like this: by elrous0 · · Score: 1
      Meanwhile, sinisterly lurking in the background is Father O'Atari, looking to molest the first boy to venture from the herd.

      -Eric

      --
      SJW: Someone who has run out of real oppression, and has to fake it.
  11. 3 things by RiotXIX · · Score: 1

    1. Dupe: you made the list (or you would if I cared enough to add it).

    2. It's not going to be as good as Revolution: I'd given up on consoles (I'm not spending over 60hrs walking around some rpg fantasy land, slowly) - but the revolution allowing me to download old snes games from my past sealed the deal.

    3. I would like to pass my condolences to CowboyNeal (aka. da honk) for being shot yesterday at 2.47am while running his pimp service on the streets of Harlem, and wish his right arm a speedy recovery. I will avenge you, or die tryin'.

    --
    "You know you don't act like a scientist, you're more like a game show host." Dana Barret
    1. Re:3 things by VickiM · · Score: 1

      I think the real news here is that it is only going to be released in Asia to start with.
      Also, the point is brought up that the PS3 doesn't even have a HDD announced yet. All this is majorly pointing to a tiered release like the 360 had. After all, if us non-Asian countries don't have access to the online action, what would we be doing with the hard drive?
      And I think I recall reading something about developers or some other group wondering how Sony is planning on fiting everything into its little model box they showed last year. I think the HDD will be an optional add on, something you set up beside your PS3 and plug into it.
      Was that how it worked with the 360?

    2. Re:3 things by fistfullast33l · · Score: 1
      2. the revolution allowing me to download old snes games from my past sealed the deal.

      Okay enough about the old game downloads already. It's as much crap as those who keep their PSP's at firmware 1.0 so they can play hacked roms on the new hardware. As cool as that is, does it really make sense? I have a ton of old videogames that I never play even though I could and why would you even buy a $300+ device just so you can play 10 year old games on it? Not to mention the fact that Nintendo isn't going to let you play without paying so there's a whole other paying for the same content in multiple media argument. I mean, with the Revolution you can play new games as well, but will the old games be playable with their fancy remote control thingy?

    3. Re:3 things by drinkypoo · · Score: 2, Interesting

      Mostly, my Xbox is a media player. Secondly, it is an emulator, and I have full collections of genesis/megadrive and snes games on it (everything from US and UK, plus some translatations of Japanese roms.) Thirdly, it is an Xbox, and plays Xbox games. I have spent vastly more time playing SNES games than Genesis games, and vastly more time playing Genesis games than Xbox games.

      In particular, the Xbox is a better player of most games (those which are supported, which is the vast majority) than the original consoles. For one, you can save state, which means even in games that have no save function, you can save, and you can pause anywhere even in games with no pause function whatsoever. You can also bind a button to speedup so you can "fast-forward" through long and boring cutscenes, or make walking across the map way the hell faster. And, finally, it has antialiasing, so old and low-res games look pretty decent.

      Also, the revolution will have normal controller capabilities as well. I believe they've even announced support for the gamecube controller.

      Put more confrontationally, who the fuck are you to tell people what to do with their game consoles? Fuck off immediately.

      --
      "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
    4. Re:3 things by MentosPimp · · Score: 1

      Off the top of my head:

      1) He may have never had a NES before, but maybe remembers playing and enjoying NES games that a friend may have had.

      2) Who said that new Nintendo system is going to be $300+ ? Nothing has been announced yet. It's entirely possible that the new Nintendo system is the cheapest of the big 3 at the time of its launch.

      3) One should already suspect that you can control original NES games on the new controller by turning the new controller on its side (as it will then have the d-pad and 2 buttons properly placed for this)

      4) It is possible that the old games get a minor makeover in cleaning up graphics or utilizing some of the new controller's functionality.

      5) I would expect to pay a reasonable amount (maybe $5 max) to get a copy of the games. However, I dont expect to pay $20 for a copy of Super Mario Brothers or the first Legend of Zelda (like Nintendo is charging for the gameboy versions of these)

      6) As to why it is all desireable. If you only have one console, one would want to have as many games available for it as they could. I dont want to scour ebay for a NES, SNES, Genesis, N64, etc and then hook them all up to my A/V system. Even less so if there is only one game on one particular console that I am interested in. The convenience of being able to fire up one of these games without having to dig through a box in the closet, untangling a rats nest of wires to plug in that seldom-used console, constantly blowing into a old NES cartiridge, and hoping that the old hardware still works after all these years... that could easily be worth a couple of dollars.

      (Speaking of one game from one console, I'd love to find a way to get ahold of "Way of the Warrior" that was released on the 3DO about 10 years ago..)

    5. Re:3 things by RiotXIX · · Score: 1

      along with the Pimp's reasons above, I could never afford the games I wanted when I was a kid - they all cost ~$50.

      Plus I find platforms games more fun and skillful - I have yet to see something like those cool minecart levels (like the speed and timing required) in the Donkey Kong Country recreated in a 3d game. You get the very occasional platform game for newer consoles, but they're not as great as the entire nintendo backcatalogue put together.
      Additionally, since I have a PS2, and Sega has released the Sonic series (again, I had sonic 1 + 2, but the following ones, as much as I wanted them - spoilt friends did though), I can get Sega classic reissues on other platforms. Nintendo doesn't seem to licence. I could just get a snes controller/adapter/pc roms, but wouldn't it be cool to play an old-school game on a giant flatscreen tv? These games mean a lot more to me. It's not rebuyng on new-media - I never had them on the first place (although true, if I was in your position I probably wouldn't bother, unless I wanted new games). This should be the last console I'll need for the next 10 years (and get me back into casual gaming) - I don't find consoles basing their merits on hardware statistics to have as much shelf-life.

      That said, I'm not going to appreciate not being able bend my controller to snapping point during high-tension moments (the Donkey kong level where the green slime is rising and you have to hop platforms up the screen really fast).

      --
      "You know you don't act like a scientist, you're more like a game show host." Dana Barret
    6. Re:3 things by ssstraub · · Score: 1

      Not to mention the fact that Nintendo isn't going to let you play without paying so there's a whole other paying for the same content in multiple media argument.

      What's funny is people say that, but at the same time tout the xbox Live, which makes you pay for EVERYTHING including to play games you already bought! Nintendo doesn't charge me extra to play online games for free with the DS. That must be why it took them much less time to get the same amount of unique connections to Nintendo WiFi Connection as it took Xbox Live.

    7. Re:3 things by drinkypoo · · Score: 1

      You don't have to blow on carts any more. They make cleaning kits.

      Anyway, I agree with you (obviously, I have a sibling comment to yours that makes it quite clear) but I just wanted to chime in and say NO, you DEFINITELY don't want all those systems hooked up. At one time I had coleco, intellivision, atari 2600, sms, nes, genesis, snes, turbo grafx, ps2, and gamecube hooked up to the same system. It was a fucking nightmare of switchboxes and crap. Never again. All hail the hacked Xbox full of emulators and roms!

      --
      "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
    8. Re:3 things by MentosPimp · · Score: 1

      On one hand, it would be horrible to have such a multi-system setup.

      On the other hand, If I could dedicate a whole room just to gaming, I would love to rig up a system so that all those consoles could be ready to play and prominently displayed. Sort of a personal, interactive home gaming museum.

      But I dont have the A/V knowledge or patience to even try it.

    9. Re:3 things by drinkypoo · · Score: 1

      Actually, it's not too hard, but it is spendy. If you buy about the cheapest manual switchboxes you can find, you need 1.25 switchboxes for each four devices, rounded up to the nearest switchbox. Or something like that. $20 will get you manual s-video switchers made by pelican or someone like that from a video game store. Also, if you want to use all composite/s-video and no RF, you will also need at least one RF to composite adapter, which is at least another $20, to hook the RF sources up to. After that, you just hook everything up to the inputs, use decent cables between switchboxes and the master switchbox and the TV, and you're in there. You can also spend inane amounts of money on RF-controlled switchboxes, but the cheapest one I've seen was an open box 7-input for $99, and I bought it already :)

      --
      "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
  12. Tiered model by destruct85 · · Score: 1

    You know they'll end up with a tiered model just like the 360 did. That way they can advertise a lower price for the one model (appearing less expensive) yet still offer the premium bundle for those who want the hard drive. As for competing with Xbox Live, it had better be a damn good service. Ever since buying my Xbox I have been quite impressed with the workings of Live; even more so with the 360. There's not much I can really see being added in terms of features though. Personally, I'm quite happy with the Live features ad I'm not really sure there's anything I feel I need that I don't have. Price point may be a good way to beat Live (as Live is rather pricey), but with the projected price of the PS3, I somehow doubt that. Either way, it's great that they've made the move to an Xbox Live type system as opposed to the old system, and I look forward to trying it out. Guess E3 will be our first real look at it. On a random rant...the 360 hard drive though is somewhat of a rip-off anyway. I mean it comes pretty much half full out of the box. I saw somewhere that Microsoft may soon be offering the ability to buy full Xbox games off of the Live Marketplace. If this is true, you'll almost certainly need a bigger hard drive. You'll be bale to fit what...like 4 or 5 games on there before it's full? Sure a lot of people already have the games in original hard copy anyway, but if you're going to think like that why even launch such a service. Of course...it may be nothing but a rumour.

  13. I am tired of this sony hot air ... by guysmilee · · Score: 1

    Whats next are they shipping every ps3 with a puppy ... ofcourse the puppy will be better than microsofts puppy ... lets see some product ... this garbage PR is just ... well garbage ... i can see an xbox 360 i can hold it ... i can love it ... i can play it ... well maybe in 2 weeks when its delivered ... but it's real dammit!

    1. Re:I am tired of this sony hot air ... by OK+PC · · Score: 1
      Whats next are they shipping every ps3 with a puppy ...

      Sounds like Sony's answer to Nintendogs!

      --
      Did you get that thing I sent ya?
    2. Re:I am tired of this sony hot air ... by guysmilee · · Score: 1

      I've never dated a /.ter ... post your number and i'll call you tonight sugar.

  14. Re:Where's the beef? by Golias · · Score: 2, Funny

    The pceuliar thing is, I read your post just fine wthiout even ntoicing the miastke uintl you poientd it out.

    --

    Information wants to be anthropomorphized.

  15. What's up with /.? by SuperSanta · · Score: 1

    I'm used to getting the regular overdose'ing of googlewhore'ing.
    And since I'm a googlewhore, I readily enjoy and appreciate this.
    But Sonywhore'ing? Don't like it, don't want it!

    Slashdot is starting to suck just a little more every day.
    When did it jump the shark?

    1. Re:What's up with /.? by Winterblink · · Score: 1

      Let me just open up another seal of the apocalypse by pointing out that the majority of comments on this story is bashing Sony for attempting to compete with a Microsoft product and service. Competition's good, right? :)

      --
      "I'm a leaf on the wind. Watch how I soar."
      -Hoban Washburn
    2. Re:What's up with /.? by ivan256 · · Score: 1

      They have to keep pimping PS3 so all the obnoxious 360 fanboys will keep their ad views up by posting poorly punctuated comments.

    3. Re:What's up with /.? by DaveCBio · · Score: 1

      It's kind of sad when you see story dupes all the time on /. and yet I've never had a single submission ok'ed even though I though some were pretty damn relevant. I don't know the whole approval process, but it seems to me that it's highly flawed.

    4. Re:What's up with /.? by samureiser · · Score: 1

      I just had to give some props. It's been a while since I've heard someone use the phrase "jump the shark."

    5. Re:What's up with /.? by hobbesx · · Score: 2, Funny

      When did [Slashdot] jump the shark?

      Ah- Judging by your user ID, about two years before you signed up.

      --
      This rating is Unfair ( ) ( ) Fair (*) Funny
      Sigh... If only. Modding would be so much more fun.
  16. Sony should be... by corellon13 · · Score: 2, Interesting

    focusing on just making a great product. I think Xbox is winning this by keeping all the focus on them (free advertising/publicity).

    I think what Sony needs to do is make a solid product and actually make sure they have a better game line up. One of the main reasons I switched from Gamecube to Xbox was because I was attracted by titles that I couldn't get on Gamecube. All that to say that I don't think that throwing a lot of hardware and technology is the way to go. Instead, software features and game titles are the great equalizer IMO. At the end of the day, I just want to play some great games and have them look and sound good.

    --
    Do what is right and let the consequence follow
    1. Re:Sony should be... by MScrip · · Score: 1
      I think Xbox is winning this by keeping all the focus on them...
      I think XBox is winning by having their product on store shelves today... sort of...

      Anyway, how can 2 products battle when one product is a myth?

  17. Good god! by JohnnyBigodes · · Score: 1

    Sony hypes something up! Sony says theirs is better! I'm shocked! Say it isn't true!

  18. In other news... by aardwolf64 · · Score: 2, Insightful

    PS3s Online Services to Compete With XBox360

    Well, duh! In other news, Coke to compete with Pepsi!!! Stay tuned to Slashdot where, after these brief messages from the OSDN ad network, we'll discuss how Gillette's next product will be competing with Schick! :-P

  19. Dupe... by mikelang · · Score: 1

    I would prefer Slashdot to show a interesting new content.
    This one is just reiterating buzz-word about vaporware, that has been posted before.

  20. Forget PS3 and Xbox 360 crapp by sjonke · · Score: 1

    Get the Gaminator 5200. It will have better network even then puny PS3! You want polygons? Gaminator 5200's got way more than pathetic Xbox 360. Xbox 360? You make me laugh! So, don't waste money now on Xbox 360, nor put in pre-order for PS3 in 2007. Come 2008, you will be sick with any such purchase, vomiting up little bits of cheetos having wasted money on puny and pathetic system. Better to save for Gaminator 5200!

    --
    --- What?
    1. Re:Forget PS3 and Xbox 360 crapp by elrous0 · · Score: 1
      HA! You call that puny Gaminator a "gaming system"? What a joke! It's NOTHING compared to our company's "God-Mocker 9000 Ultimate Lifestyle Alterer System". It has 2,000 TB of storage (on special superconductive solid-state storage chips) and a quadruple-core Cray quantum computer CPU. And it's capable of supporting over 400 hexmillion polygons at 20 gfps, making it a 100x more realistic than the real world.

      Don't settle for some pansy-ass Gaminator! For 2010, they is only ONE system to buy. Think the future. Think God-mocker.

      -Eric

      --
      SJW: Someone who has run out of real oppression, and has to fake it.
  21. Here come to mod-downs by The-Bus · · Score: 1

    This is the third non-story about the PS3 we've had in the past month (that I've seen). About every week, it seems there's a need to include an empty article about the 360 versus the PS3 just to start the same discussion over again. Sure, last week we called this service "HUB" and two weeks prior to that it was that"things could look bad for Microsoft's new system" eventhough no one had any ideas or facts abotu anything.

    It's all a combination of Sony wanting to maintain the hype by sending out non-facts via their PR reps every week and bloggers and games newssites wanting to break a big story by being the first to "report" on something. The problem is there's nothing to report. Sure, opinion pieces and conjecture are nice, but only when they're well researched (for example, the cost of components for the PS3).

    So not only is this latest article pointless, it offers even less (and contradictory) information than any of the reports or rumors from the past few weeks.

    But I guess this is the way it will be until E3.

    --

    Small potatoes make the steak look bigger.

    1. Re:Here come to mod-downs by E-Rock · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Sony is scared shitless that the people holding out for a PS3 will stop waiting and buy a 360.

      There are good reasons to think the PS3 will be a 2007 release in a giant box at $1000 (the PS3 is a Blu-ray player and more, how's it going to be half the size and half the price of a Blu-ray player alone?) so Sony keeps making sure little blurbs about how awesome they are and that the PS3 is just around the corner. Of course the fact that no one has seen one, and that they aren't even showing demos, but only pre-rendered cut scenes is getting hard to ignore.

  22. Re:I'm hyped! PARENT NOT TROLL by Nom+du+Keyboard · · Score: 1
    Anyone for an eight way match of Rootkit Wars

    Whomever modded the parent as Troll -1 is a MORON -5.

    --
    "It's the height of ridiculousness to say for those 9 lines you get hundreds of millions."
  23. DRM? by TubeSteak · · Score: 1

    I can't think of any way to make the "in Soviet Russia" joke work for this story.

    Either way, you get clobbered with DRM.

    So instead, I'll steal a joke from an earlier article:
    In college, you owned a Sony. In Corporate America, SONY own YOU!

    I don't feel too bad about stealing that joke though, the /.er who originally made it designed http://www.dixie-chicks.com/ as his personal website.

    --
    [Fuck Beta]
    o0t!
  24. Whatever.... by Zantetsuken · · Score: 1
    I am all for the PS3 and the capabilities it will have, but first off, wasnt there a /. article a week or 2 ago saying the PS3 online networking system was being called "HUB" or something to the effect?

    2nd off, from what I've read (quite a bit, mind you...) no the PS3 is not going to have a hard-drive included, it's supposed to be a seperate add-on from what I understand... I think the download service the article refers to was supposed to put the games on BDs when you bought the content online through terminals in stores... but thats just what I understood from past articles, so I could always be wrong...

  25. So... by shoptroll · · Score: 1

    Can I download the source files for Toy Story 1 and render it in real time with this?

    Pretty please?

    --
    Insert Sig Here
    1. Re:So... by shoptroll · · Score: 2

      You should do your homework too you know... That wasn't a MS dig, that was a full blown snipe at the "Emotion Engine" BS Sony touted prior to the PS2.

      "To give an idea of the graphical prowess of their new system, Sony claims it is capable of rendering the movie "Toy Story" in real time."

      http://www.dvdfuture.com/features.php?id=2

      --
      Insert Sig Here
  26. See it to beleive it by DaveCBio · · Score: 1

    It's going to take quite a bit of effort for Sony to top Live. Not saying they can't, but Sony has a history of hype that doesn't always match actual product.

  27. News? by __aahlyu4518 · · Score: 1

    So... how is this news that one consolemaker is trying to compete with another consolemaker?

    Or were people thinking they were trying to compete with a Whopper?

    Or is the article trying to imply that the fact that they are going to have an online service hasn't been well known for ages?

  28. Breaking News!!!! Sony Makes Lofty Claim!!!! by ghost1911 · · Score: 1

    Yeah, we have some breaking news from the Sony vaporware dept!

    Is it just me, or is this really old news? Sony has been promising this since GT4. Oh yeah, and it will work with the PSP too? *snicker* I'd like to see that. I really would. But I don't think that I will.

    --
    .: 2+2 = PI SQRT(1+N) :. All together now, what is n?
  29. Re:Apple/Nintendo - Microsoft Is Irrelevant by drewmca · · Score: 1

    I think we can recognize you by your writing at this point, which is making these tired posts of yours actually amusing.

    I think Bill Gates is getting so disappointed with MS in general, let alone their "360 fiasco". Word is he's going to shoot himself in the nuts.

    Please continue your sterling efforts.

  30. The WA! by ghost1911 · · Score: 1

    Should stand for "Wicked Awesome!!!!" That would be the biscuit! (Apparently kids no longer say "the bomb"

    --
    .: 2+2 = PI SQRT(1+N) :. All together now, what is n?
  31. Re:but will it be better than the xbox720? by wolff000 · · Score: 1

    "that's FIRST post buddy... well the PS3 will be better in every way than the xbox360, but what sony should really be worried about is will it be better than the xbox720? at this rate it looks like by the time PS3 hits the market the xbox360 won't even be the competition"

    how do you know this one will be better? i'm no fan of ms or sony they both suck as far as i'm concerned. i do own both current consoles and the 360, will buy ps3 as soon as it gets here too. anyways since no one has been ablt lay their hands on one how do u personally know this on will be better than the 360? the only diff i see in the curretn boxes is one says sony and one says ms. they are both consoles with their pros and cons and equally lacking in graphics compared to high end pcs. then again why people compare consoles to pcs is beyond me since they don't directly compete and consoles aren't meant to replace the pc. back to the point all the fan boys on both sides need to calm down cause and again both suck. now all the fan boys can unite against me and stop screaming at each other. i like to think of myself as a peace maker:)

    --
    WTF?
  32. hmm.. by AzureWrathHal · · Score: 1

    Is this news? Or just an excuse to start a gigantic fanboy circle jerk?

    It's not like sony is going to come out and say "Yeah, we'll have an online service....but it will suck!"

  33. Re:Sony says PS3 will be better than 360 by AusG4 · · Score: 1

    'Truth' is in the eye of the beholder.

    My Mac kicks your Linux in the scrotum, my PSP spanks your DS and I really have no opinion on the straight/gay issue... I personally prefer the ladies, but to each their own when it comes to getting off, I figure.

    --
    bash-3.00$ uname -a
    SunOS panda 5.10 Generic sun4u sparc SUNW,Ultra-2
  34. Re:I'm hyped! PARENT NOT TROLL by steveo777 · · Score: 1
    Mayhaps old Billie has mod points?

    Honestly, with any article that deals with PS vs XBox vx Nintendo is riddled with fanboys armed with mod points. Say anything mean (true or not) about one system and you're a troll or flamebait.

    --
    This sig isn't original enough, it's time to come up with something witty...
  35. Sony is saying their ready? by Patentmat · · Score: 1

    Where do they get these writers? Unless Sony has something called "ready" (and its theirs) I think just maybe this guy is a bit confused as to the workings of the English language. So sad too, he put it right in the headline.

  36. Debate? by DSLAMngu · · Score: 1
    Wait, why is anyone "hotly" debating whether it will have a hard drive? It's a corporation's upcoming decision, not a foregone fact for anyone to state. Maybe I should debate over who's going to win the next presidential election or something.

    The hard drive is totally Sony's call, and Sony's call only. Once you realize, as a Sony customer, that the corporation hates you (Memory Sticks, Star Wars Galaxies, evil DRM, shoddy build quality, empty promises, Emotion Engine hype) you'll realize that you have no power as a fanboy to "debate" the course of the company's future. How about waiting?

  37. *If* Sony makes a better Live... by Sinnix · · Score: 1

    ...Microsoft will copy it. I mean, this is Microsoft we're talking about afterall. If there is one great thing you can say about them is that they do a really great job of copying other people's ideas. ;)

    1. Re:*If* Sony makes a better Live... by iapetus · · Score: 1

      Which is great. Because they'll copy it and make it better. And Sony will copy that and make it better. It's almost like... competition.

      --
      ++ Say to Elrond "Hello.".
      Elrond says "No.". Elrond gives you some lunch.
  38. BN: God throws lightning bolts at Sony marketers by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    Takeshi, 17, a senior year student at Pokimoko district Public High School described the scene like this:
    'My friend Tetsuo and I were sitting in Kabayishi road Starbucks discussing which Next Generation console will be the best, when we saw some strange flashes outside and saw some businessmen in suits running out of a stretch limousine that had smoke coming out of it.'

    Asked about how he knows they were Sony employees, Takeshi had this to say: 'There was a deep voice from the clouds that was booming "And this one is for the Emotion Engine. And this one is for 'Cinematic Gaming'. And this one is for the Cell chip hype. This one is for the Rootkit. This one is for the Killzone trailer. This one is for...". It was quite freaky actually.'

  39. who cares about theit bullsh*t propaganda by AlecLyons · · Score: 1

    "and Sony says it will be better than the Xbox 360's features"

    Seriously. I thought they'd be telling me they suck.

  40. OLD by aiboboy · · Score: 1

    THIS NEWS IS DO OLD. Slashdot got old, like my grandpa. Lame.

  41. Reading between the lines ... by Morgaine · · Score: 1
    >> Where's the real stuff?

    Well since nobody seems to have patented reading between the lines and empty speculation yet (:P), I'll try to answer your question.

    This is how I interpret what's been happening with the PS3, especially in the last couple of weeks:

    1. IBM, Toshiba, and Kutaragi's part of Sony have a great, world-beating idea ---> Develop truly revolutionary hardware, and guarantee its success by riding on the back of a huge games catalogue (PS2), terrific hardware expertise (IBM and nVidia), superb mass-market manufacturing capability (Sony and Toshiba), and collosal free expert manpower (FOSS developers, as preached by IBM and Kutaragi, who wants Linux on every PS3 hard disk).

    2. Then the various Sony entertainment divisions woke up and realized that the open vision would not lock down content. They control Sony entirely now (because that's become Sony's main profit stream, remarkably), so that was the end of Plan A.

    3. Since there never was a Plan B, Kutaragi and the whole Cell/PS3 project are now on effective hold, while the lawyers fight it out with the techs and manufacturing. The rumours of PS3 being delayed until 2007 are definitely possible, since nobody knows if this impass can ever be resolved before Sony management realize that it's cost them the lead over Microsoft.

    Although this is pure speculation, it fits the evidence remarkably well. :-(
    --
    "The question of whether machines can think is no more interesting than [] whether submarines can swim" - Dijkstra
  42. WTF by Karem+Lore · · Score: 1
    Like sony are gonna say "Hey, we're trying but it ain't gonna be as good as X-box 360"...Get a GRIP

    karem

    --
    When all is said and done, nothing changes...
  43. Re:Pong! by happyemoticon · · Score: 1
    It is pretty easy to see what a major mistake including the harddrive was in the Xbox.

    Whether it's a bad business decision for MS is irrelivent to me. I really don't understand why everybody's crying a river because they got more value for their dollar and one of the richest entities on earth ran at a loss. Seriously, you console enthusiasts have the mindsets of serfs.

    First, it racked up a huge portion of the billions in losses for the project that led to Microsoft having to pull the plug on the console early and scramble to rush a replacement out the door.

    A four-year lifecycle is pretty good for most consumer electronics. That's about as long of an extended warrenty as you can buy, and there's a reason for that. Hell, did you not read the legislation that is going to make electronics more than five years old illegal to sell in Japan? The billions in losses are to be expected, at least initially - it's common knowledge that companies sell consoles at an initial loss and then hope to make back that money and more with third-party licensing and in-house game sales. Perhaps they would have dug a more shallow hole for themselves had they not bundled a hard drive, but larger problem is that the Xbox did not sell as well as the PS2, and you'll need more than glittering generalities and unlinked citations to convince me that they lost this round of the console wars because of a feature they included.

    Second, the dual-SKU mess it created for 360 that has split the userbase and caused major problems for people with major features like backwards compatibility.

    I'm not sure how you'd pull off dynamic binary translation without some kind of local mass storage. Remember, the Xbox 360 is a big-endian, 64-bit G5 derivative, and the original is a generic x86. Maybe you should blame this on IBM's snake oil instead of the spinning magnetic media boogeyman, because if they'd gone with a dual-core AMD server chip or something, backwards compatibility would've been absolutely trivial. A 2GB flash dongle bundled with every box probably would've sufficed for local storage.

    Finally, online content distribution is the future. Period. I don't care how big a hardon you get when you go into Best Buy: there's a reason Comcast is offering movies for free and giving away DVRs. The major telcos are talking about a teired internet and laying big, fat pipes into most American homes for the same reason. Microsoft is working towards delivering applications online. Read the writing on the wall, people.

  44. Who reads the article? by toy4two · · Score: 1

    Since when do /.er's RTFA?

  45. lol, marketing by sn0wman3030 · · Score: 1

    "Sony says it will be better than the Xbox 360's features."

    O RLY?

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    Life is offtopic.
  46. In other news, water is wet by SQUAG · · Score: 1

    Of course they are going to compete. What will they think of next? A controller with buttons?

    --
    Think for yourself.
  47. WAPS? by MBraynard · · Score: 1
    Why not call it Degos Online.

    The fact that they didn't catch that they are using an ethnic slur as the name of their online services suggests it's time to short the stock.

    Donald Trump would fire someone for that. How stupid can you be. And it's not like they don't have a whole lot of eyes looking at this stuff.

  48. Re:Too bad for Sony... by Comen · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Dont get me wrong, I like the xbox, I got media center setup and waiting on one though.
    But these half-ass releases make me mad, on both sides, can't they step up the production? what good is advertising things when you cant even suppy them?

    I Still cant belive I cant walk in to Best Buy yet and buy one of these things.
    I keep calling around and everyone says they had some, but they were gone as soon as they came in!

    Havent found a online site yet that is selling them that is not a total rip off.

  49. Re:Too bad for Sony... by Comen · · Score: 1

    In fact, I went to Bestbuy.com and they still say due to limited suppy you need to just call the stores, wich means they dont have them available really.

    And Target.com has a banner that says "XBOX has ARRIVED!" but not one for sale on the site! WTF?

    Gamestop's and EB Games around my home are saying they wont get them for people that didnt pre-order till April! (I asked if I could still pre order they said they stopped around christmas taking pre orders and not everyone has a console yet) This thing went on sale before Christmas!
    And they all got a XBOX 360 sign and empty XBOX 360 boxs in the window as if they sitting in there waiting to you to buy one, WTF!

    Sorry but that is BS, false advertising or something.

  50. Re:Too bad for Sony... by Comen · · Score: 1

    Sorry I keep responding to myself.
    But check this out at Walmart.
    They have a 360 for sale here:
    http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_ id=4213561
    For $838.52
    The also have the Normal Premium System for 400$ BUT ITS OUT OF STOCK! here:
    http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_ id=4103879

    Now really check out that price and what you get for the money.
    They 840$ bundle is the same stuff exactly it seems to me, but with 5 games that you can pick. Problem is is cost more than the
    Premium System by about 350$ more.

    Now how is it that bundle is In Stock and the Premium System is Out Of Stock when its the same thing, except Walmart throws in 5 games that is not packaged with the XBOX 360 in any way shape or form!
    I have seem lots of these rip off out there and refuse to buy them not so much because of the money but because of principle, I dont want them to get the idea they can do this BS!

  51. Not Obvious by phriedom · · Score: 1

    It really isn't that obvious. Sony currently doesn't have an online service competing with XBox Live. They have broadband hardware, but the online part is left up to the game publishers. There is no centralized service, there is not one price. Each game on the PS2 can have it's own monthy charge for connection and there is no coordination between them.

    In contrast, you pay for XBox Live once, and login once, and from there see where all your friends are playing, send invites to them to come join you for a race or whatever. Plus all the new stuff that comes with the 360. My neighbor is obsessed with getting all the "achievement points" on every new game he buys.

    I had not heard that Sony was going to compete with this service until now. And while I don't have an X-Box or a new 360, I had decided that I was not going to buy a PS3 unless they will offer a centralized service with the features that XBox Live has.

    Honestly though, I'm most interested in the new Nintendo Controllers and the possibilities they bring if they really work and keep working.

    --
    Don't moderate flamebait as Troll. Know the difference or you will be Meta-moderated.
  52. Re:Sony says PS3 will be better than 360 by MrKibkibs · · Score: 1

    Welcome to Sarcasm. We hope you enjoy your stay.

  53. WEGA too by Rob+Nance · · Score: 1

    WEGA also, for their TVs, which has ALWAYS bothered me because if you look at the graphic for WEGA, it's really supposed to be two V's converging. It really should be VEGA according to their graphic.

    Back to the topic at hand, I love how Sony says "The Playstation 3 will be able to download games to the console for gamers to play and Sony says it will be better than the Xbox 360's features." Yeah, I too can make outlandish claims with zero to back them up.

    Rob "I'm smarter than you and have no actual proof" Nance

  54. Re:Sony says PS3 will be better than 360 by AusG4 · · Score: 1

    Wow.... good to see that there are still total assholes in the world.

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  55. Re:Sony says PS3 will be better than 360 by AusG4 · · Score: 1

    Besides.. the fact that the original comment is 0,Funny with 30/20 Overrated/Flamebait suggests that the half the people who read it 'missed your point'... at least be in a position of superiority before you act superior, dick.

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    SunOS panda 5.10 Generic sun4u sparc SUNW,Ultra-2