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PS3 Production 'In Full Swing'

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the don't-mean-a-thing-if-you-aint-got-that-swing dept.

1up is reporting on comments from Phil Harrison, saying that the PS3 is in full production mode. There are apparently already 10,000 devkits out there, and something like 100 games in the pipe already for the console. From the article: "Sounds pretty much like the usual rah-rah, go-team kind of stuff you'd expect to hear before a major system launch, but mentions of third-party support become far more interesting when you learn that many folks, both within Sony and without, are apparently 'scared of the wrath of Phil Harrison,' according to a Guardian source. Are third-party developers as excited and supportive as Harrison would have us believe, or are they just scared of receiving a Sony-flavored beat down?"

69 comments

  1. A Sony-flavored beat down by TheRequiem13 · · Score: -1, Offtopic

    Probably tastes like chicken. Chickem and fist.

    --
    What?
  2. And Tommorow's Story by fullphaser · · Score: 4, Funny

    Developer's PS3's all catching on fire, sony claims lack of fans...

    --
    Did someone say cake?
  3. Bizarre! by Threni · · Score: 5, Informative

    Why not link directly to the article here, instead of going via some other site?

    http://technology.guardian.co.uk/weekly/story/0,,1 835502,00.html

    1. Re:Bizarre! by PygmySurfer · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Why not link directly to the article here, instead of going via some other site?

      How can you generate hits to 1up.com if you link directly to the story at The Guardian?

    2. Re:Bizarre! by dolson · · Score: 1

      Because that's what Digg does, and it seems to be working for them.

    3. Re:Bizarre! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Why not link directly to the article here, instead of going via some other site?


      How can you generate hits to 1up.com if you link directly to the story at The Guardian?


      Why bother generating links from 1up.com? Their server dies within 2 seconds of posting on /. anyways. And they don't recover for days (by which time you've forgotten what all those 1up tabs you have open were for, and close them). At least this way we still can visit the original source even if a blog goes down. 1up has consistently shown it cannot sustain a mild /.ing. Might as well just generate hits for Mirrordot instead.
    4. Re:Bizarre! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0



      Maybe they didn't link to it because it says Phil seems like a nice guy. (Yeah, Guardian, everyone who "sounds laid back" on the phone is "nice" - it's never just an act with these corporate PR mavens, no.) The thing about being scared of him is more to the point - the guy is deeply litigious and that's why I'm posting this anonymously.

      Ever since I left Sony I've watched with shadenfreude as Phil has dug himself deeper and deeper into this PR disaster he engineered. I'd say Phil has made it very hard for any intelligent person to stay on at the company (unless they find it easy to ignore the bad publicity he constantly generates on their behalf).

      Fact is Sony are screwed anyway. The PS3 has no development kit to speak of. You get a poor-quality port of gcc (although soon you might get a reasonably OK port of that). But that's it. Sony refused to pay IBM for use of the XL compiler (the most advanced in the world) so now they're stuck with shite. There's no tools specifically for the SPUs (gcc-spu sucks worse than gcc-ppu), the compilers don't support SIMD at all well, and the GPU technologies on the software side are in the dark ages compared to what MS offer.

      On PS2 this was all just an "inconvenience" to developers. It's not now. The tools we have now make it impossible to use the machine to anything like its full potential unless you invest in about 30 engine programmers per game - so it won't be, by anyone but Naughty Dog. The PS3 is going to end up looking in practice like an underpowered XBox 360. One superb datapoint is that one team ported their (single-processor) PS2 AI code directly to the PS3, and the code ran slower by about 30%. Go Sony.

      Sure, maybe PS3 developers can use Unreal3 but (with all due respect to Tim Sweeney's crew) that just isn't designed for the PS3's architecture. I imagine UR3 on PS3 would have a difficult time outperforming UR3 on XBox360. Epic will probably make a lot of money from that but they won't save PS3.

      Sony needed to invest millions of dollars into the software for PS3 but they didn't. Instead they invested a ludicrous amount into specialized hardware, while the rest of the industry is doing ASICs with commodity cores and caches. On the software side they saved a few grand here and a few grand there to the point it became a pathology.

      Sony is a hardware company in a software world. That's not an insurmountable problem but unfortunately Kutaragi is a hardware guy, Stringer is more concerned about CRT factories in Wales, and Harrison doesn't know anything about technology at all.

      Regime change is what's needed. And that should start with Phil Harrison.

      </rant>

      All just IMHO of course ;)

  4. so... by pestilence669 · · Score: 1

    So modchips will be available when?

    1. Re:so... by atomicstrawberry · · Score: 1

      Sony have quite cleverly declared that the PS3 will be completely region-free. The implications of this are that they can then get modchips outlawed completely, even in countries like Australia where they've been ruled legal. After all, if there's no regioning in the system, the only reason to get a modchip is to play 'backups' (which we all know is basically a synonym for 'pirated copies') and the occaisonal homebrew.

    2. Re:so... by FunkyELF · · Score: 1

      Occasional homebrew??? My modded xbox broke a little while ago and I went out and got a new one and a new modchip for the sole purpose of running homebrew applications like xbmc and gentoox.

    3. Re:so... by KDR_11k · · Score: 1

      Perhaps they saw how few people bothered with a modchip on the Gamecube because its region restrictions could easily be cracked with an easily available disc.

      --
      Justice is the sheep getting arrested while an impartial judge declares the vote void.
  5. FUD Turns To Bitterness by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Flamebait

    Ah yes, the approaching launch of the dominant console. Dark days for fans of other consoles. The heady days of wild and uncontrolled FUD driven by burning hate from previous defeats in the console marketplace turn to bitterness as it becomes clear that once again the months and months of FUD have been for naught.

    What was 'teh PS3 is Doomed!' from the Dreamcast/Xbox/Xbox 360 fanboys becomes 'Sony is once again fooling people with teh Hype!' as those very same 100+ million console players go out and buy PS3s...

    It's like sitting in a theatre and watching the same movie over and over again...

    1. Re:FUD Turns To Bitterness by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Funny

      Said the fat slob dressed up in his shirt with japanese saying, of which he didn't even know, while vigorously wacking off in his parents basement.

      "Just a few more best buy gift cards this birthday, christmas, next birthday, next christmas, selling my ps2, and my blow up brad pitt doll, and I'll be able to afford it!"

    2. Re:FUD Turns To Bitterness by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The Dreamcast fanboys said it about the PS2 - and you know what? They were right. The PS2 sucked compared to the Dreamcast, except for the games. And what made the games for the PS2? The developers buying into all the hype! So the PS2 won through hype, not through the quality of the console.

      If you want a quality console to lead, you need to deflate the hype.

    3. Re:FUD Turns To Bitterness by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Seriously, what do you have against Dreamcast? You've been posting time and time again, lumping the Dreamcast in along with the Xbox. Is it the Windows CE brand on the front, or what?

      Sega's collaboration with Microsoft and their subsequent failures led directly to the Xbox, sure. But get over it. Dreamcast was a superior console with some of the best games of all time on it. It is nothing like Xbox, and Sega has suffered enough because of their poor judgment in partnering with The Beast. You're under some delusion that there are spiteful DC fans out there who want to see Sony fail. That's false.

      Back off.

  6. OMFG SONY AM TEH FAGORT COMPANEE TINENDO WII 4 LYF by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Troll

    Sorry, thought I was on digg for a second there.

  7. Uh... whatever, Zonk by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    Why exactly would they be afraid of Phil Harrison? I mean, what's Harrison going to do, throw a chair at them?

    1. Re:Uh... whatever, Zonk by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
      Why exactly would they be afraid of Phil Harrison? I mean, what's Harrison going to do, throw a chair at them?


      I think you might be getting confused with Steve Balmer. :-)
    2. Re:Uh... whatever, Zonk by ZakuSage · · Score: 1

      No, he's going to throw a small rubber ducky.

  8. Another Zonk-flavored post... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Only Zonk could manage to turn the announcement of a console's production status into a personal insult to a Sony rep. Xbox360 must need help if this type of press is necessary.

  9. non-story by deuterium · · Score: 1

    Yeah, yeah. What would a reporter expect him to say?
    Considering that the console is due on the scene in only 4 months, I would hope that developers had all the tools they needed by now. This isn't realy much of a statement, and actually seems like a backhanded admission that things haven't been going well up to now.
    "All the pieces of the puzzle are there..."
    To dust off an old chestnut, do you want a cookie or something? Why is this worthy of Slashdot news?

    1. Re:non-story by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      To dust off an old chestnut, do you want a cookie or something? Why is this worthy of Slashdot news?

      What isn't? This site will print anything.

      No Digg!

    2. Re:non-story by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I don't know, but the truth might be nice.

      They have something like a 20% production ratio on Cell chips fabricated. I can't remember if it's 20% defect rate or a 20% success rate (but I'll give them the benefit of the doubt and say it's the defect rate) but they're still having massive production problems producing the Cell.

      With only four months to release, developers only just now getting their hands on finished dev kits, and Cell production still with a massive defect rate, Sony's looking to be in a world of hurt come November.

      It'd be nice to hear them admit it for once, instead of claiming that $600 is cheap for a monitor-less, keyboard-less computer. Because, don't forget, the PS3 isn't a game console. It's a computer and a cheap Blu-ray player. Because it's not a console, Sony has plans to upgrade it throughout its life.

      I'd love to hear Sony just flat-out admit that they've made mistakes with the PS3 launch and then take steps to correct them, but they won't. Instead we're stuck with more blatantly false hype and stupidity coming from Sony.

    3. Re:non-story by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      A 20% defect rate isn't bad. That only adds 16% onto the price, so another $16 onto the $200 they lose on each system - who cares?

      A 20% success rate adds 400% onto the price and would make that $100 Cell into a $500 Cell.

      We'd better hope it's the former, for their sake! But the former wouldn't be newsworthy. So it's probably the latter.

  10. Needed to by TheOrangeMan · · Score: 1

    Homer: Hummm... Sony-flavored beat down (drooling noises).

    --
    My left arm is all scars and I consider that a valid excuse...
    1. Re:Needed to by twistedsymphony · · Score: 1

      Something tells me Sony flavoring would taste like a cross between licorice and grape soda...

      --
      Collector's Edition
  11. Amazing Console by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Flamebait

    The $499 PS3:

    1080p BluRay movies over component
    BluRay Live support - additional dynamic content updates and information for movies
    DLNA compliance - http://www.dlna.org/home/
    1080p Games over component
    Free online play for all non-MMORPG titles - confirmed over and over again by Sony
    Full backwards compatibility for all PS1 titles
    Full backwards compatiblity for all PS2 titles - PS2 chips included in the PS3
    Linux
    Online movie and music store
    Webbrowsing and other desktop apps
    Tilt controller
    Every single developer that supported the PS2 onboard with their games for the PS3
    All parts of the system except the HDMI port are upgradeable
    Harddrive upgradeable with stadard store bought drives

    For 100 dollars more you get:

    60 gig harddrive
    WiFi
    HDMI

    Metal Gear Solid, Final Fantasy, Gran Turismo, Ratchet and Clank, that Naughty Dog Jungle Game, Lair, Heavenly Sword, God of War...

    Internal power supply.
    The PS3 is supposed to be as quiet as the new model PS2 - very quiet.

    1. Re:Amazing Console by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

      My sources tell me that it's better than that, that there's a huge surprise in store for PS3 buyers.

      Sit down - because you may find this one difficult to believe. But it's 100% true.

      Every PS3 will come with a $2,000 coupon towards a brand new Sony plasma TV. And yes, if you use the coupon toward a TV costing less than $2,000 (and Sony markets three, right now, and that's going by MSRP, so you can find many more), the TV is free.

      So for $600, you not only get the best console, but you get a high quality television as part of the bargain.

      Oh, and one more thing.

      Yes, the PS3 will come with Linux. But it will also come with Mac OS X. Sony's the first company since 1996 to license the Macintosh operating system. You can't get better than that.

      Yahoo! Stocks Message boards, a message from an insider spills the beans.

    2. Re:Amazing Console by Null+Nihils · · Score: 1

      Dear Slashdotters,

      Recommend you avoid modding up contrived-sounding unsubstantiated rumours posted by an AC.

      Love,
      Null Nihils

    3. Re:Amazing Console by elrous0 · · Score: 1
      But what of rendering Toy Story realtime?!?!? WILL IT RENDER TOY STORY REALTIME?!?!?!?

      Please, Lord God, tell me it will!!!!!

      -Eric

      --
      SJW: Someone who has run out of real oppression, and has to fake it.
    4. Re:Amazing Console by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      "One of the basic premises of the Xbox is to put the power in the hands of the artist," Blackley said, which is why Xbox developers "are achieving a level of visual detail you really get in 'Toy Story.'"

      http://news.com.com/2100-1040-250632.html

      Way to own yourself you stupid little bitch.

    5. Re:Amazing Console by scot4875 · · Score: 1

      Just because you found a quote that can be attributed to Seamus Blackley does not mean that Sony didn't say it first.

      I remember, very clearly, when the PS2 tech demos (remember the rubber duck?) came out, about boasts of Toy Story graphics by Sony. I also remember the post by a Pixar employee refuting the claim.

      Unfortunately, it's gotten so buried in the 'net by trolling fanboys playing he-said-she-said that it's impossible to find a link anymore. Closest I can come with a quick search is:

      here

      --Jeremy

      --
      Jesus was a liberal
    6. Re:Amazing Console by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      What a fucking loser.

      Even the most pathetically diehard Xbox fanboys aren't stupid enough to bring up Microsoft's idiotic "Toy Story" graphics claim anymore.

      Congrats retard!

    7. Re:Amazing Console by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The Toy Story thing was all Microsoft. What you can find is Sony's rigged demo of the PS2 rendering cutscenes from Final Fantasy 8 in real time. (Rigged because only two characters were rendered in real time, the rest was the original CGI behind it.)

      Sony's claim was that they could reproduce the CGI from Final Fantasy 8, which for a TV resolution is completely equivilent with Toy Story.

      As we all well know, they couldn't.

  12. Round One. by cjkeeme · · Score: 2, Interesting

    According to a report, about 200 thousand component sets were shipped to Asus in June, which means that the company is in position to build 200 thousand game consoles. Seems like a nice start for Sony.

    1. Re:Round One. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I didn't know Asus were manufacturing the PS3. Judging from my PC experience, that should be a good thing. Imagine if it was... ECS!!!

    2. Re:Round One. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      or even worse...Abit

  13. Quote by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
    Sony already dominated the games market, having comprehensively crushed both previous leaders, Sega and Nintendo. -- Is Sony fighting a losing battle?
    Interesting stuff, eh? Looks like they'll be only one system surviving the Next Generation: The Playstation 3.
  14. Stop posting this shit in everywhere by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Gog I KNOW it's the same guy too because it's the EXACT SAME pre-fabricated guerilla advertising piece of CRAP. It is NOT relevant to the discussion.

  15. Zonk - Are You...Crying? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    If Zonk is this scared of Sony and the PS3 in August, we are going to have to all be on suicide watch for Zonk come late November when console gamers are rioting to get their hands on one of the initial two million PS3s...

    1. Re:Zonk - Are You...Crying? by Valthan · · Score: 0, Flamebait

      If by suicide watch you mean sit there with some popcorn and watch him commit it while munching and laughing...

      --
      --Valthan
  16. Re:Un-Amazing Console by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    When I grow up, I want to be a marketing droid.

  17. ...said the Nintendo fanboy by LKM · · Score: 4, Insightful
    Ah yes, the approaching launch of the dominant console

    ...said the Nintendo fanboy before the launch of the N64.

    ...said the Atari fanboy before the launch of the 5200.

    We don't know how this generation is going to play out. We don't know how good the PS3 will do. We don't know how good the graphics are. We don't know how the Wii games will look, and most of us don't know how they'll play. We don't know how adults and non-gamers will respond to the Wii. We don't know if the PS3 is going to be worth it for them.

    We know nothing, and history only tells us one thing: Unexpected things do happen.

    1. Re:...said the Nintendo fanboy by timeOday · · Score: 1
      We know nothing, and history only tells us one thing: Unexpected things do happen.
      I can predict one thing about the future for certain... I am not paying $600 for a console. (At least until inflation changes the meaning of "$600").
    2. Re:...said the Nintendo fanboy by piper-noiter · · Score: 1

      Actually history tells us two thing. Unexpected things happen, and the most expensive console almost never wins.

      Sega Saturn
      3DO
      NeoGeo
      Intelevision (I had one, it was awesome. It still lost to Atari)
      --
      Shick's Law: There is no problem a good miracle can't solve.
    3. Re:...said the Nintendo fanboy by Duds · · Score: 1

      And what we DO know is that Sony has made several of the classic mistakes that have cost others in the past.

    4. Re:...said the Nintendo fanboy by ZakuSage · · Score: 1

      $500, the $600 has nothing useful to offer the majority of people.

    5. Re:...said the Nintendo fanboy by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      We know nothing, and history only tells us one thing: Unexpected things do happen.
       
      i've been a console and pc gamer since console games used to be that little box you flipped switches between tennis, squash, or any other game that involved a two white bars and a white box and i've seen many an unexpected thing happen. anyone remember the Atari Jaguar? according to the pre-release FUD we should have them in every home, i've never met anyone who has physically seen one. IMHO anyone who thinks at this moment that they have info or knowledge that shows that any of the current and near future lineup of consoles has some kind of domination over the others is talking out of their ass.

      IMHO, i'm more inclined to believe the Wii will be popular but you never know, motion detection looks cool, but so did the nintendo power glove at the time and it turned out to suck monkey balls. the others are so expensive that i would more likely just build a better pc, but after release price drops will happen. I would say definitely what one will win, but I lack the ability of time travel to verify such claims, anyone who can say which one will win should sell their knowledge of space and time to the highest bidder.

    6. Re:...said the Nintendo fanboy by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      We don't know how the Wii games will look

      We can certainly speculate that they'll slightly better than the GC, since that is what the hardware is.

    7. Re:...said the Nintendo fanboy by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Except for the whole "works with HDTV while the $500 one doesn't" bit.

      You'd have to be a complete idiot to buy the $500 version just to have it suddenly and randomly stop displaying full HD some day and randomly revert back to DVD-quality.

      For the cost of a single PS3 game, you can ensure that your PS3 will work with all Bluray movies. Not a hard choice.

    8. Re:...said the Nintendo fanboy by KDR_11k · · Score: 1

      That's only movies and if Bluray still exists when the ICT is reintroduced you can probably buy a standalone player for 50 bucks. Never mind that I wouldn't use a PS3 for movies considering Sony's stellar track record with drive quality...

      --
      Justice is the sheep getting arrested while an impartial judge declares the vote void.
    9. Re:...said the Nintendo fanboy by LKM · · Score: 2, Insightful
      We can certainly speculate that they'll slightly better than the GC, since that is what the hardware is.

      Uhm... You working at Nintendo? ATI? IBM's chip business? Didn't think so. You can speculate all day long, but you don't know jack shit, just like everyone else. You don't know the Wii's specs.

  18. Bring out the 'zonked" tag by SuperKendall · · Score: 1

    Well I thought perhaps the anti-sony slant here had calmed down, but it seems to be back again - how long did it take to find a blog with a negative slant on a story about manufacturing?

    Time to re-activate the 'zonked' tag.

    --
    "There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
    1. Re:Bring out the 'zonked" tag by toddhunter · · Score: 1

      I used to worry about Zonks posts, but lets be honest, who really cares how much microsoft is paying him to shill? Once everything is released we'll all be off to sources we trust to help make our decisions anyway.

    2. Re:Bring out the 'zonked" tag by SuperKendall · · Score: 1

      I don't really care either (doubting that these posts to SLashdot are having any kind of influence in the world at large), but it would be nice for historical record if a tag trail were there to remind him and the rest of us what once was.

      --
      "There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
    3. Re:Bring out the 'zonked" tag by mgblst · · Score: 1

      Sony is facing a struggle over its PlayStation 3, with critics concerned about the processor and the price. Jack Schofield reports on the next stage in the console wars.
       
      This is taken from the guardian newspaper. I don't think it took much surfing to find a negative view about Sony's PS3. In fact, I would go so far as to say that it is not just a slashdot slant (as with most things), there are a lot of people who don't like what has happened. The only one with a slant, it would seem, is you.

    4. Re:Bring out the 'zonked" tag by SuperKendall · · Score: 1

      I agree it's easy to find negative stories about the PS3. There are also positive stories - such as PS3's going to manufacturing. What is a slant is when you take a positive or neutal story and put negative spin on it - after all, if there are so mnay negative stories already why try to spin the neutral ones in that direction as well?

      I have no slant of my own, I think all three next-gen consoles have compelling features. I would just like to see straightforward reporting here instead of commentary that makes one roll the eyes at the obvious bias.

      It's not like I am the only one that sees this either, there have been plenty of other comments from each and every one of the "zonked" posts.

      --
      "There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
    5. Re:Bring out the 'zonked" tag by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You have a blatant pro-PS3 slant. The "going into production" bit isn't even really good news, they're behind schedule and their production rates aren't anywhere near what they should be.

      Face it, there honestly is no good news about the PS3. It's basically all bad.

      Sorry, pal, but the PS3 really has earned it's bad news. There is no negative slant against the PS3. It's just reality.

    6. Re:Bring out the 'zonked" tag by BlackRookSix · · Score: 1

      Sorry, pal, but the PS3 really has earned it's bad news.

      This is compared against the "good news" of the other consoles? As a relatively disconnected gamer who is intentionally keeping away from the hype wars that the current generation of consoles is generating, haven't every one of them had bad news?

      Xbox 360: Overheating. Rumors of catching fire? Tons of bug patches in the first few months? This does not lend me to say "Wow, very stable and something I'd want to buy for my child's room."

      Wii/Revolution: The ridiculous name change fiasco aside, has anyone even heard if it will step up and just play DVDs? If so, have they announced which HD-DVD format they are using? Also, in comparison, I haven't heard squat on how many games are slated for this platform at all.

      PS3: Overpriced. Late. Hardware issues? Maybe, but compared to the other two, it doesn't seem any worse.

      Honestly? In regards to the money thing, most gamers might pay for it if it is to truly take the place of a gaming computer, without the constant updates, copy protection eating your media drives, malware, etc, etc, etc. And, I am betting that many gamers are waiting on the PS3 for two major reasons: More games, and proven track record with the PS and PS2.

  19. 100 games in the pipe... by acomj · · Score: 4, Funny

    100 games in the pipe...No wonder my email is so slow...

    Oh wait.. tubes, not pipes.

    Never mind.

    1. Re:100 games in the pipe... by 7Prime · · Score: 1

      lol, was I the only one who got this?

      http://www.cafepress.com/leftward.66531036
      --
      Multiplayer Gaming (defined): Sitting around, discussing single-player games with my friends, at the bar.
    2. Re:100 games in the pipe... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      This quote is priceless:
      " Right now there are more than 100 Blu-ray movies available today."
      Um, WHERE? Under his mattress? Right now there are less than 25 Blu-ray titles released. Less than 70 will be released before the end of the year. If he is going to lie about something that is so easy to verify, why should we trust any of his other "facts"? Maybe he meant Sony had sold over 100 Blu-ray discs since its launch. That would make it almost as popular as UMD...

  20. Lack of sarcasm detected by acomj · · Score: 1

    Who moded this "insitefull"..

    Funny, maybe..

    1. Re:Lack of sarcasm detected by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Didja bother clicking the link? That's why it's insightful as a response to the "PS3 rulez!!!1!" comment.

  21. The launch time was never the issue by Travoltus · · Score: 1

    Everyone knows Sony is better on its word than MS: if they say the PS3 is coming out, it's coming out, and in large numbers. Mistakes in the past aside, they won't make the same mistake MS did with the 360.

    No, indeed, they are making other mistakes.

    Disclaimer: I plan on getting a PS3 on the release day.

    The doom and gloom talk surround Sony is based on (by order of importance):

    a) the arguably prohibitively high price of the PS3
    b) the staggering loss it is nonetheless taking per unit sold
    c) whether or not Blu-Ray will dominate or crash and burn as a next gen DVD format
    d) the difficulty of programming games for such an ubercomplex processor

    In short, if the production cost per unit is too high and the price at the store is too high for customers to buy, Sony may be digging its grave one inch deeper with each unit that comes out.

    But I still want one. I'm banking on the PS3 delivering what I crave - gargantuan Speedtree-enhanced environments with very smart interactive NPC's in a nonlinear universe as diverse as Morrowind and Oblivion combined plus as fast and frenzied as Ninety Nine Nights! [PS3 fan boy mode on, must stop now.]

    --
    --- Grow a pair, liberals... stop letting the Republicans bully you!
    1. Re:The launch time was never the issue by BlackRookSix · · Score: 1

      All of the platforms are going to have (or do have) problems. 360 has its overheating and supply issues. Microsoft rushed it to market like a madman, and has been playing catch-up since. They released how many bug patches the first few months? Has anyone heard anything about how many games are slated for Wii? Seems like every game commercial or trailer I see says "Coming to PC, XBox360 and PS3." or some subset of those three. Hardly ever is Wii mentioned.

      My guess is that the PS3 will sell fine, just like the 360 is doing, and as the Wii will. The hype alone is driving the drool value for most console gamers up, and let's face it: in the American crowd, drool value is driven by marketing, which rarely has any realistic connection to the engineering or manufacturing departments. How long have we put up with "trailers" that are CGI animations, not actual game-play, or are heavily post-production doctored for venues like E3? Oh, and E3 alone has become the bane of the industry itself, many would say. It used to be about games and innovation. Now it is about marketing droids driving interest, mailing lists so they can spam you, and click-through ads. They'll do everything in their power to grab the gamer's attention, because some idiot released that gaming is the next largest industry after movies, so all of the droids came running.

      Don't be fooled. For every "outspoken" gamer activist with an opinion, there are 10-20 gamers who are not die hard Slashdotters, don't give a rat's ass about sites like Gamespot, and they buy their games at Walmart or Target (American chain stores) instead of dedicated gamer stores. That segment of the market is much more powerful than the 5% that are ranting or bitching here or there about this or that. That segment is the mindless drone that is swayed by meatless marketing driving the market right now.

  22. Zonk gone? by KDR_11k · · Score: 1

    That would be so nice, we could get a games editor who doesn't aspire to be a tabloid writer.

    --
    Justice is the sheep getting arrested while an impartial judge declares the vote void.
    1. Re:Zonk gone? by BlackRookSix · · Score: 1

      Slashdot is a tabloid. You haven't caught on to that yet? How naive are you, again? ;)

      They get paid for their ads, and they drive clicks/views to those pages, just like every other drivel site. Only thing is, sometimes there is actual news on here.

      It is quite obvious. They post the stories, and don't even comment on them. Hell, I bet that they don't even read the comments!

  23. Curious how Sony solved their memory b/w problem by veranikon · · Score: 1

    Not terribly long ago, Inquirer ran a story about how the Cell processor in the PS3 suffered from a rather striking lack of local memory (e.g. cache) bandwidth. "Striking," as in the read bandwidth being something like 3 orders of magnitude slower than the corresponding write bandwidth. I'm curious whether this problem was fixed by spinning new silicon, or whether Sony must ship their flawed boxes as-is.