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Sony Console the Worst Launch Ever

No, not that one. 1up set out to see if the PlayStation 3 had the worst launch of any modern gaming console, and found that another Sony console held that title. The original PlayStation's launch was pretty dreadful, with Warhawk's average of 89.4 being fairly low for most launch title leaders. The worst launch lineup of the 'next-gen' systems is actually the Wii, which has averaged only a 71.3 over its 20 launch titles. The PS3 is next up, with 73.4, and the 360 has the overall best of the three consoles, having scored an average of 77.3 over its 18 titles last year. From the article: "Averages are just that, though, and don't tell you much about the best games that accompanied the launches. And the best of the batch wasn't a surprise, but it wasn't a Nintendo game either. Soul Caliber for the Dreamcast, with an average of 96.4 just barely squeaks out the win over the Legend of Zelda: The Twilight Princess for Wii. At the other end of the spectrum, both Wii and PS3 share the worst stinkers with Happy Feet for Wii coming in at a 45 and Gundam: Crossfire at the very bottom with its 34.8."

193 comments

  1. Not exactly the most scientific by AKAImBatman · · Score: 5, Insightful
    The worst launch lineup of the 'next-gen' systems is actually the Wii, which has averaged only a 71.3 over its 20 launch titles.

    That would be because the THQ conversions from the previous gen are dragging them down. Not to mention the Vivendi (Ice Age) and Ubisoft (Open Season) titles that are similar conversions. Most launches put their best foot forward, but Nintendo allowed a few tag-alongs to immediately fill out their software library. The result is that there's a lot of great stuff for the Wii, but there's also plenty of so-so conversion stuff that appeals to a very specific market.

    Of course, life would be better if movie and TV conversions were done better to begin with. Anyone remember when Capcom did the Duck Tales and Chip and Dale games for the NES? Now THOSE were great games first, but with quality TV tie-ins that tried to be true to the source material. Alas, once Capcom started chucking out unsuitable tie-ins of The Little Mermaid and other Disney properties, it was all over. :(

    Back on topic, these numbers don't really mean anything. If a store sells 2 HDTVs a year, but 3,000 DVDs, the averages will still say that the HDTVs are making them more money. For that sort of situation, you need a weighted average to find the profits compared to the number of units sold. It's the same thing here. A smaller launch lineup is going to have a better average than a larger, more varied lineup. Something which 1Up themselves admit when discussing the N64.

    So I wouldn't take these metrics as anything more than a cutsie invention. They certainly have little to do with the success or failure of a console launch.
    1. Re:Not exactly the most scientific by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
      If a store sells 2 HDTVs a year, but 3,000 DVDs, the averages will still say that the HDTVs are making them more money.

      OK, $4000 for a decent HDTV, that's $8000 gross. 3000 DVDs at a heavily discounted $15 is $45,000 gross. So the mean over the year for profit on the HDTVs is rather low compared to the ample profit margins of the DVDs.

    2. Re:Not exactly the most scientific by XMyth · · Score: 1

      Hurry, look up!

    3. Re:Not exactly the most scientific by AKAImBatman · · Score: 4, Interesting

      Let's say you have two different brands of HDTVs. One has a profit margin of $300, while the other has a margin of $600. Furthermore, let's say you have 4 DVDs with profit margins of $2.00, $3.00, $4.00, and $0.50. How do we compare the profits of one type of item over the other?

      Well, we could use averages:

      1 $300 HDTV
      1 $600 HDTV
      -----------
      $450/unit average

      600 $2.00 DVDs
      600 $3.00 DVDs
      800 $4.00 DVDs
      1000 $0.50 DVDs
      ---------------
      $2.23/unit average

      Obviously, the HDTVs win. But that's not a very good way to actually compare your business units. A much better way is weighted averages. If we weight the averages of the products against the total sales, we find that the HDTVs are only pulling in a profit of about 30 cents for every sale made while the DVDs are pulling in $1.00 for every sale made. So which one is more valuable to be selling? The big clunky HDTVs that take up shelf space but sell poorly overall, or the DVDs which make up most of the revenue and take very little shelf space?

      Of course, actual business practices would state that the HDTV is a method of selling more DVDs. So the sales of the HDTVs in the same store would be justified. But it does show how naive math can get you in serious trouble.

    4. Re:Not exactly the most scientific by HappySqurriel · · Score: 2, Insightful

      I generally agree with you that an "Average" doesn't really tell that much about the quality of a line-up, and I think that the quantity of games within a certain ranking would probably tell you more about a software line-up

      The Wii had 1 game at 90% or higher, 5 games that were 80%-89%, 7 games that were 70%-79%, 4 games that were 60%-70% and 3 games below 60%; I may have made a mistake with the handful of virtual console games mixed in the Gamerankings list.

      The PS3 5 games that were 80%-89%, 5 games that were 70%-79%, 1 games that were 60%-69%, and 2 games below 60%.

      Between the 2 I would say that the Wii had 13 games that were playable (70% or better) whereas the PS3 only had 10 that were playable; the Wii also had 7 crappy games (below 70%) whereas the PS3 had 3 crappy games. The Wii's average is lower even though it had more playable games.

    5. Re:Not exactly the most scientific by norminator · · Score: 4, Funny

      Let's say you have two different brands of HDTVs. One has a profit margin of $300, while the other has a margin of $600. Furthermore, let's say you have 4 DVDs with profit margins of $2.00, $3.00, $4.00, and $0.50. How do we compare the profits of one type of item over the other?

      My head hurts from your analysis. One question though: Are those African HDTVs or European HDTVs?

    6. Re:Not exactly the most scientific by Total_Wimp · · Score: 5, Insightful

      "Slashdot Headline is Most Misleading Ever"

      Console launch? No, game title average.

      Relivance? Console two generations ago was worst, but the time of the article makes you think otherwise.

      Agreement with article? No, the title of the 1UP article makes clear it's about the games and that it's an open ended question answered in the text.

      You can tell the truth just by reading further? Well yeah, but it's a not a main-page aritcle so you have to click-through first.

      Do I care that the Wii was the worst of this gen? Not really, because it still has good games.

      Do I think the PS3 sucks because Slashdot keeps wanting to tell me it does? Oh yes. I really don't care to think for myself.

      Good day all,

      TW

    7. Re:Not exactly the most scientific by wirelessbuzzers · · Score: 1

      So which one is more valuable to be selling? The big clunky HDTVs that take up shelf space but sell poorly overall, or the DVDs which make up most of the revenue and take very little shelf space?

      Of course, to make the profit margins what you said they were, you have to sell about 200 times as many DVDs as HDTVs. Many of them will be copies of the same few hits, but still, you may find yourself needing a lot of shelf space.

      --
      I hereby place the above post in the public domain.
    8. Re:Not exactly the most scientific by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
      Are those African HDTVs or European HDTVs?

      I don't know that!

      *thwump*

      AAAAAAAAGGGGGGHHHHHhhhhhh!!
    9. Re:Not exactly the most scientific by Joker1980 · · Score: 1

      "Anyone remember when Capcom did the Duck Tales and Chip and Dale games for the NES? Now THOSE were great games first, but with quality TV tie-ins that tried to be true to the source material." I do, oh the memories that came flooding back after reading that. There was a mickey mouse/disney (sorry forget the name)game on the SNES which was also excellent. They were great games but there is a danger with being too true to the source material. For example spiderman 2 on the PS2 was an excellent game, the major problem with it was it copied the film almost scence for scene which made it about as long as the film.

      --
      Well, Bart, your uncle Arthur used to have a saying: "Shoot 'em all and let God sort 'em out."
    10. Re:Not exactly the most scientific by DeadCatX2 · · Score: 1

      Anyone remember when Capcom did the Duck Tales and Chip and Dale games for the NES?Hell yeah I remember. Duck Tales and Chip and Dale are classics.

      *reminisces* Oh, to be young again...

      --
      :(){ :|:& };:
  2. Zonk and the PS3 by alexhard · · Score: 5, Funny

    Dude, we got it. You hate the PS3 and Sony. It's OK, we do too but we are REALLY getting tired of your stories about it..

    --
    Infinite time means everything that can happen, will. You being you is absolutely incidental. You do not exist.
    1. Re:Zonk and the PS3 by Madpony · · Score: 3, Funny

      Folding his arms in front of his chest Zonk looks at you sternly, and in the Comic Book Store Guy's voice he says, "Worst. Launch. Ever."

    2. Re:Zonk and the PS3 by GoNINzo · · Score: 4, Interesting

      I completely agree. If it's not an xbox 360 fan boy story or a ps3 hater story, it doesn't get put up. If you'd like some examples from the past 2 weeks, I come up with this pretty rough count based on article titles:

      Sony: 11 anti, 2 pro
      Microsoft: 1 anti, 6 pro
      Nintendo: 4 anti, 5 pro

      Granted, Sony is screwing up pretty badly, and the xbox 360 is hitting it's stride, it is a pretty annoying bias.

      We get it. We're interrupting your gears of war sessions and you can't find a ps3. But get over it. heh

      --
      Gonzo Granzeau
      "Nothing the god of biomechanics wouldn't let you into heaven for.." -Roy Batty
    3. Re:Zonk and the PS3 by Cl1mh4224rd · · Score: 1
      Microsoft: 1 anti, 6 pro
      Does not compute. Does not compute.
      --
      People will pass up steak once a week, for crap every day.
    4. Re:Zonk and the PS3 by CaseM · · Score: 1

      Granted, Sony is screwing up pretty badly, and the xbox 360 is hitting it's stride, it is a pretty annoying bias.

      Perhaps Zonk's article selection is simply reflecting general mainstream concensus, then, hmmm?

    5. Re:Zonk and the PS3 by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny
      Exactly.

      Here's Zonk's editorial process:


      "Hmmm...here's an article about hacking into Linux on the PS3 but that's not negative enough... we need something negative about Sony!"


      *phone rings*


      "Hi Mr. Gates, yep, I accepted another anti-Sony story... thanks for the business. Don't worry, I'll throw in a few anti-Microsoft stories to fool them!"

    6. Re:Zonk and the PS3 by toleraen · · Score: 1

      To me the bias is mind boggling. Everyone here hates Microsoft. It's usually abbreviated to M$, Microsuck, etc etc. Even if the article has nothing to do with Microsoft, operating systems, office suites, etc, there's always at least one thread of people that bitch about microsoft. Yet, for some reason, every gaming console article is just filled with Xbox fanboys. So everyone hates microsoft, but they make quite an exception for their main hobby. They realize the original xbox ran windows too, right?

      Can someone explain this in a rational manner? Thanks.

    7. Re:Zonk and the PS3 by Enahs · · Score: 1

      Easy!

      The raving fanboys hate Microsoft when the story is about Windows, security, stability, applications, business practices, etc.

      However, when the story is about gaming, everything else is a moot point.

      I notice the same thing with raving GNU loons. I've seen name-calling, tantrum-throwing, etc. in forums devoted to Linux when proprietary software is brought up, yet some of these same people are more than happy to throw a party when some gaming company does a native port to Linux. The only exception is Cedega (the proprietary WINE gaming fork) but only because it allows for non-native (Windows) games to be played on x86 Linux machines without anyone porting the game first.

      --
      Stating on Slashdot that I like cheese since 1997.
    8. Re:Zonk and the PS3 by skingers6894 · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Maybe the XBOX actually improved the console world, unlike many other Microsoft products. Is it possible that they actually got the XBOX line right? Maybe the Slashdot crowd can actually recognize a good product when they see it.

      Maybe Windows is rubbish, maybe office is bloated, maybe the Zune is appropriately brown in colour and maybe the XBOX is actually good. ...just a thought...

    9. Re:Zonk and the PS3 by Blakey+Rat · · Score: 1

      A couple points:

      1) The Xbox is a damned good product, regardless of how you look at it. The Xbox 360 is even better.

      2) The bias in the comments here is for Nintendo products. The Xbox bias is NOTHING compared to the Nintendo bias.

    10. Re:Zonk and the PS3 by king-manic · · Score: 1

      A couple points:

      1) The Xbox is a damned good product, regardless of how you look at it. The Xbox 360 is even better.

      2) The bias in the comments here is for Nintendo products. The Xbox bias is NOTHING compared to the Nintendo bias.


      1) the Xbox was a terrible product with a very limited genre list and cost MS a fortune. The 360 is good.

      2) Fanboys are always loudest and th emainstream tends to have the fewest fan boys. Also Xbox tends towards western formerly PC style games. Which happens to cater to the slashdot demographic. If we were to go to say RPG planet the concensus would be different or to Hello kitty fan club the concensus would be different again.

      --
      "There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy."
    11. Re:Zonk and the PS3 by gamer4Life · · Score: 1

      Not everyone on Slashdot here hates Microsoft. A lot of people on Slashdot live off of Microsoft - people with MCSEs and other consultants. Not only that, but every article that is negative about Microsoft always has at least several, "I know everyone here hates Microsoft, but...." rated +5 Insightful. Basically that's the way you get modded Insightful these days - praise Microsoft in a devil's advocate tone, or bash Sony. Fact is, there are some fanboy moderators (and editors *cough* Zonk), and they are shameless in their abuse of power.

      They don't realize that if Microsoft dominates the game console industry, that's their entrance into the PC market - imagine a world where Microsoft dominated software and hardware - pretty scary. Their gaming console will become a home entertainment console that coincidentally is capable of browsing the Internet (IE), and use Microsoft Office. Sony *has* to succeed - as you can see from Sony's missteps, they aren't a threat to being a monopoly - Microsoft, however is.

      As for gaming news, I think I'll skip reading Slashdot - I've submitted some neutral PS3 stories, which were ranked highly on Digg, and yet they got rejected in favor of this crap. In the meantime, I'll read Digg's Gaming Section - it still has negative PS3 stories, but it's a lot more balanced than a biased editor pushing their agenda like their being paid by Microsoft.

    12. Re:Zonk and the PS3 by Blakey+Rat · · Score: 1

      1) the Xbox was a terrible product with a very limited genre list and cost MS a fortune. The 360 is good.

      1) What the hell does it matter how much it cost MS? Is that how you judge every product? "Well, I liked this vacuum, but it cost Hoover too much, so I guess it's a bad product." Crazy.

      2) Adding a hard drive was, if not revolutionary, was on the far end of evolutionary. Notice that every console in this generation has some kind of mass storage device... that's Microsoft's influence. So is Sony and Nintendo's game download service; Microsoft had Xbox Live Arcade years ago. So is Sony's HDTV support; Xbox was the first console to support HDTVs. Xbox is the first console since the SNES to get PC-style RPGs and Adventure games-- so while it may have a "limited genre list," it has two genres that no other consoles had. How about taking over the mantle from Sega and having the most Sega games published? What other console can play Panzer Dragoon Orta?

      If you are capable of judging the console market from a neutral perspective, you'd realize that the Xbox is probably the most forward-thinking console in ten years. Sure it has downsides, all consoles do. But even if the Xbox 360 totally tanks and there's no sequel, there's no denying that Microsoft has changed the landscape of console gaming forever. That's more than the Sega Dreamcast can claim.

      But please justify your comment that it was a "terrible product" with at least ONE valid example.

      2) Fanboys are always loudest and th emainstream tends to have the fewest fan boys. Also Xbox tends towards western formerly PC style games. Which happens to cater to the slashdot demographic. If we were to go to say RPG planet the concensus would be different or to Hello kitty fan club the concensus would be different again.

      You're obviously wrong, because the vast vast majority of fanboys here (as I posted above, but you seem to have ignored) are Nintendo fanboys. Nintendo games couldn't be further from PC games.

    13. Re:Zonk and the PS3 by toleraen · · Score: 1

      Notice that every console in this generation has some kind of mass storage device... that's Microsoft's influence.

      Also notice that the Playstation 2 came out 1.5 years before the Xbox. It was designed with HDD support. The actual HDD came out several months before the Xbox was released. Not saying it wasn't a good system, but all the xbox is is a SFF computer. Microsoft built what they knew they could support...the already had the OS, they just needed something to run it on.

      I see a lot of nintendo fanboys in the PSP vs DS topics. However, when it comes to general console stories, the xbox fanboys really seem to shine. If you notice above on a quick count on the types of stories (pro/anti brand x/y/z), you see that MS has the best "good guy" ratio. I do try to stay neutral, but frankly when I see so much pro MS crap / anti Sony crap, it gets a little hard to side with MS. Maybe thats the true neutral alignment in me.

    14. Re:Zonk and the PS3 by king-manic · · Score: 1

      1) What the hell does it matter how much it cost MS? Is that how you judge every product? "Well, I liked this vacuum, but it cost Hoover too much, so I guess it's a bad product." Crazy.

      Ways to judge a product:

      profitability: In this regaurds the Xbox ia terrible. A failure. A abject failure. In 10 years it still will not recover Ms investment.

      Innovation: Not that much. As someone pointed out the HDD wasn't the first, the PS2 did it first. The only real innovation was that it was a cheap PC slickly packaged as a console.

      User Enjoyment: Not all products have to be cashcows or the next big thing to be great. But the Xbox did not do it for me. The machine with it's PC style games (FPS/wRPg's/Multi platform releases) just didn't find a niche in my living room. And fromt he sales total this is true of most gamers. It just didn't make itself different enough from a PC to warrant the expenditure if I already had a PC and wasn't dying to play halo. I got a GC because I wanted zelda, I got a PS2 for FF titles and other jRPGs.

      The Xbox was Microsofts learning failure. they took the leasons and moved on. They learned to keep your own IP so the costs scale down with time. They learned focus groups should not be the only thing you use to design your interface. They learned games genres are important and no matter how well you do it; not every one wants a FPS or multiplayer. But the box was ugly, the tech was so so, the intergration was good but the games were lackign diversity. Thus A Terrible rpoduct.

      --
      "There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy."
    15. Re:Zonk and the PS3 by Blakey+Rat · · Score: 1

      The Dreamcast was designed with HDD support also, as I recall. The Nintendo 64 and SNES both had expansion slots that could (theoretically) accept a mass storage device of some type. That doesn't change the fact that the Xbox popularized the HD, and that every other console maker is now shipping their console WITH the mass storage instead of "the option" of mass storage.

      Also I think you're fuzzy on dates... I don't recall hearing anything about a PS2 HD until Final Fantasy 11 came out, and that was several months after the Xbox was released. the PS2 HD was also a total flop; when they redesigned the PS2 case, they got rid of the HD port!

      If you notice above on a quick count on the types of stories (pro/anti brand x/y/z), you see that MS has the best "good guy" ratio.

      I would argue that that's because they simply have the best gaming hardware and most notable games out right now. Gears of War gets press because it's selling a crapload of copies... and nothing for PS3 or Wii is at the moment.

      I do agree that Sony gets a bad rap here, but I still say that the Nintendo fanboys outnumber the Xbox fanboys on this forum 2:1 or more.

    16. Re:Zonk and the PS3 by Blakey+Rat · · Score: 1

      profitability: In this regaurds the Xbox ia terrible. A failure. A abject failure. In 10 years it still will not recover Ms investment.

      Are you an accountant? Because, seriously, there's no way that a normal customer would case in the slightest how much their device made profit for the company that made it. Seriously.

      The reason, and ONLY reason, you're bringing up profitability is because it's a quick and easy way to make Microsoft look bad... especially among people who don't realize that Microsoft never planned or intended the Xbox to make a profit! If MS didn't expect a profit from it, and it didn't make a profit, then is it still a failure?

      So you're 0 for 1 right out of the gate.

      Innovation: Not that much. As someone pointed out the HDD wasn't the first, the PS2 did it first. The only real innovation was that it was a cheap PC slickly packaged as a console.

      Sure, if you utterly ignore Xbox Live, Xbox Live Arcade, the ability to rip music, the ability to use it as a Media Center (given, the software sucked, but it existed which is more than you can say for the PS2 or Gamecube), the HDTV support, the ability to display on a (VGA) computer monitor, and all the other goodies it innovated.

      0 for 2.

      (Ignoring the tripe about your specific situation-- I think we both agree that you don't represent the entire customer-base for the Xbox.)

      And fromt he sales total this is true of most gamers.

      The sales total!? Have you seen the sales of Halo 2? Are you kidding me?

      0 for 3.

      The Xbox was Microsofts learning failure. they took the leasons and moved on.

      No, it wasn't a failure. It was always intended to grab a foothold in the gaming market, not to dominate it. It wasn't intended to make a profit in the first generation. This is all well-documented. By Microsoft's own standards, it's been a success.

      They learned focus groups should not be the only thing you use to design your interface.

      Are you talking about the Dashboard interface? What's wrong with it?

      They learned games genres are important and no matter how well you do it; not every one wants a FPS or multiplayer.

      That must be why it has so many platformers, RPGs, and Adventure games. And a couple of Sims.

      But the box was ugly,

      Irrelevant opinion, IMO. I'm not going to say it's beautiful, but I don't think it's any uglier than most electronics. And it's decidedly more attractive than my surround sound box.

      the tech was so so,

      Compared to what? The Gamecube? It had tons more memory, more CPU power, more GPU power. It had more than the PS2.

      the intergration was good but the games were lackign diversity.

      The only genre of games it was missing was Japanese RPGs. And, as I posted above, it had two genres that do not appear on other consoles, Western-style RPGs, and Adventure games.

      Thus A Terrible rpoduct.

      I think you're stretching the poor word "terrible" far more than it deserves. Even if all you've said here was true and relevant (very little of it is), then it's still at least mediocre. Let's reserve "terrible" for consoles like the N-Gage.

    17. Re:Zonk and the PS3 by king-manic · · Score: 1

      Are you an accountant? Because, seriously, there's no way that a normal customer would case in the slightest how much their device made profit for the company that made it. Seriously.

      The reason, and ONLY reason, you're bringing up profitability is because it's a quick and easy way to make Microsoft look bad... especially among people who don't realize that Microsoft never planned or intended the Xbox to make a profit! If MS didn't expect a profit from it, and it didn't make a profit, then is it still a failure?

      So you're 0 for 1 right out of the gate.


      A consumer product that is ackowledged by it's board to lose money and missed revenue targets for every quarter except 2 is a failure. I need not be a accountant working under Microsoft to declare ti such and the information is public knowledge.

      Sure, if you utterly ignore Xbox Live, Xbox Live Arcade, the ability to rip music, the ability to use it as a Media Center (given, the software sucked, but it existed which is more than you can say for the PS2 or Gamecube), the HDTV support, the ability to display on a (VGA) computer monitor, and all the other goodies it innovated.

      Again all done before. Online tiered play, battle net. Rip music? Any Pc. Media center? Microsoft themselves had a dedicated media center PC OS with several vendors selling it with their "media PC". Also the concept of a "media" center merely meant it was a Computer you hooked up to yoru TV. I had one running back in the PIII days. Doubled as a DVD player, a music player, ect.. Your really listing conventional features the xbox happen to aggrigate. They did not innovate.

      No, it wasn't a failure. It was always intended to grab a foothold in the gaming market, not to dominate it. It wasn't intended to make a profit in the first generation. This is all well-documented. By Microsoft's own standards, it's been a success.

      #2nd place? They weren't aiming for #1 right away but they had projected much higher. they wanted 1/2 of the PS2s base at elast. they fell short. They own targets were not met.

      Are you talking about the Dashboard interface? What's wrong with it?

      No, I'm talking about the initial controllers. Garbage.

      That must be why it has so many platformers, RPGs, and Adventure games. And a couple of Sims.

      The genre list is not debatable. They have gotten either multi platform games, FPS's, and several notable platformers (ninja gaiden). However it's RPGS are all wRPG's in the spirit of PC games.

      The sales total!? Have you seen the sales of Halo 2? Are you kidding me?

      0 for 3.


      Xbox ~24 million sold
      GC ~21.20 million sold
      PS2 ~92 million sold

      It seems most gamers did in fact pick the compitition. A single game may sell a lot but it does nto mean you had major penetration. The Halo market does nto overlap all markets. It has a fairly specific demographic. Xbox did nto attain popular appeal like the PS2 or the Gameboy advances / DS.

      Compared to what? The Gamecube? It had tons more memory, more CPU power, more GPU power. It had more than the PS2.

      It was off the shelf Pc hardware with a custom GPU. Again the tech was soso. Not bad not good.

      The only genre of games it was missing was Japanese RPGs. And, as I posted above, it had two genres that do not appear on other consoles, Western-style RPGs, and Adventure games.

      Also missing were puzzle games; weird games like Katamari damacy or brain age; Lack of party games like Mario party. It basically catered to it's core demo: Frat boys.

      The xbox 360 is a much better thought out product. The Xbox was a first try and had a lot of problems. Take as you will fan boy.

      --
      "There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy."
    18. Re:Zonk and the PS3 by toleraen · · Score: 1

      I don't recall seeing the HDD a lot either, but according to Wiki, it came out in 2001 (in Japan). I personally love my HDD in my PS2. Then again, I've got it modded so that I can run any game right off the hard drive. Speeds up load times rather nicely.

      I generally agree with the rest. While "best" is subjective, I still fail to understand the hypocracy of crying evil every time the software side of MS comes up, yet hailing the hardware side. Gotta remember, as much fun as an xbox360 may be, microsoft is the root of all evil! Bending morals; the ultimate human trait.

  3. Slashdot headline worst ever by wampus · · Score: 5, Funny

    ...but not this one. Is Zonk some 14 year old with Mario sheets on his bed?

    1. Re:Slashdot headline worst ever by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Flamebait
      Is Zonk some 14 year old with Mario sheets on his bed?

      No, he just has a 15 year old named Mario in his bed.

      OHHH!!

    2. Re:Slashdot headline worst ever by gt_mattex · · Score: 1

      Per Zonk:

      8.) Nay-Sayers by Zonk (12082) Despite the obvious debt that the Warcraft setting owes to Warhammer (and D&D, and Tolkien) there have been several comparisons drawn between Warhammer Online and World of Warcraft. It's obvious that any modern fantasy MMOG will have similarities to what has come before; Everquest owes a great deal to MUDs, for example. That said, how would you respond to onlookers who look at your game, look at WoW, and say that you are trying to capitalize on the success of World of Warcraft by aping many elements of Blizzard's title?
      - Link


      I'd say that's one hell of an eloquent 14 year old.

      --
      "No doubt one may quote history to support any cause, as the devil quotes scripture." - Learned Hand
    3. Re:Slashdot headline worst ever by Chris+Burke · · Score: 5, Funny

      Is Zonk some 14 year old with Mario sheets on his bed?

      No, he's a 30 year old with Mario sheets on his bed.

      --

      The enemies of Democracy are
    4. Re:Slashdot headline worst ever by wampus · · Score: 2, Insightful

      I was commenting upon the constant "boo Sony" and "yay Wii" headlines. I am sure Zonk is a very well spoken and intelligent person, but this misleading headline irritated me. This type of thing also bothers me when mainstream news outlets do it, but it is especially depressing when "new media" does it, and as blatantly as this.

    5. Re:Slashdot headline worst ever by scot4875 · · Score: 1, Funny

      Wait ... is there something wrong with that?

      --Jeremy

      --
      Jesus was a liberal
    6. Re:Slashdot headline worst ever by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
      No, he's a 30 year old with Mario sheets on his bed.
      Don't you mean Master Chief?
    7. Re:Slashdot headline worst ever by NinjaFarmer · · Score: 1

      So Zonk's reporting is biased. At least he doesn't even try to hide it, so you can consider what he's saying in that light.

      I tend to agree with him about the quality of Sony as a company nowadays, although this headline was still a bit over-the-top misleading.

      For the record, my one bad experience with Sony is having a DVD burner brick on me after burning 3 DVDs.

    8. Re:Slashdot headline worst ever by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      If he ever wants to get laid, he'll have to lose the Mario sheets.

    9. Re:Slashdot headline worst ever by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Actually, he's an XBox 360 fanboy.

    10. Re:Slashdot headline worst ever by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      you must be new here...

    11. Re:Slashdot headline worst ever by sharkey · · Score: 1

      No, he's a 30 year old with Mario sheets on his bed.

      Worse, he's a 30 year old with *cough*STAINED*cough* Mario sheets on his bed.

      --

      --
      "Outlook not so good." That magic 8-ball knows everything! I'll ask about Exchange Server next.
    12. Re:Slashdot headline worst ever by PSXer · · Score: 2, Funny
  4. Sony. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    You give me great dishonor!

    1. Re:Sony. by Mattintosh · · Score: 2, Funny

      You're okay as long as they don't give you giant crabs for massive damage.

    2. Re:Sony. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      What you say!

  5. Average Scores by the+dark+hero · · Score: 5, Insightful

    What about average games sold per console sold? That to me would make more sense in determining the worst/best console launch.

    --
    You constantly struggle for self improvement - and it shows.

    Hooray for bad Engrish on fortune cookies

    1. Re:Average Scores by grogdamighty · · Score: 1

      Or the number or percentage of launch games that are ranked above a certain level. Personally, I'd rather have a console with 2 90s and 1 30 than 3 70s.

      --
      My other sig is funny.
    2. Re:Average Scores by RemovableBait · · Score: 3, Insightful

      I think almost any other metric would be a better one than 'average review score of the launch line-up'...

    3. Re:Average Scores by tzhuge · · Score: 1

      I agree that average games sold per console sold would be a better metric. However, that's partially clouded by what the early buyers are getting the console for. It seems that a larger percentage of PS3 buyers are reselling them. So that metric is quite likely tainted against PS3.

      I would rather see a more in depth examination of the top 3~5 launch titles for the different consoles. It's only the best and most unique games for any console I am interested in anyways. I think ultimately that's what most people judge consoles on rather than some abstract 'average' game construct.

    4. Re:Average Scores by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
      What about average games sold per console sold? That to me would make more sense in determining the worst/best console launch.
      But look at how many people bought Halo and what a heaping pile of fail that game was... The metric you suggest would only work if the definition of "best" was "most profitable".
    5. Re:Average Scores by donglekey · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Exactly, because a console doesn't succeed by it's average score, it succeeds by the number of really good games that are out for it. The PS2 isn't selling because there are 1000's of mediocre games, it is selling because there are dozens of great ones. The 360 is leading the way in the number of games people buy for the next gen. If the library was more diverse and the games were exclusive, it would probably be doing better than it already is.

    6. Re:Average Scores by AArmadillo · · Score: 5, Informative

      This is known as the attach rate. PS3's attach rate has been 1.5, the Wii's attach rate has been 3.0, and the Xbox 360's attach rate at launch was about 4.0 (now it is around 5.0).

    7. Re:Average Scores by cttforsale · · Score: 0, Troll

      When a modchip that allows true XBMC running on the 360, you'll get a 0.0 attach rate out of me...

    8. Re:Average Scores by Rabbid_Wii · · Score: 1

      Very good insight. This is perhaps the best measurement of any launch. Software is what really matters, and, unlike scores, which are horribly subjective because they're based soley on an opinion, games sold per console at launch is the true measurement for success. The fact that the Dreamcast had a 96.4 game at launch says nothing for the fact that the Dreamcast was killed two years after its launch, if that. So, who was more successful? The Dreamcast who barely edged out a higher score over Zelda, which has won almost every single Game of the Year title each time a rendition comes out, or the Wii, which sold out its 2 million consoles at launch and will most likely sell out the additional 4 million planned before January 2007? *shrugs* Oh, it's worth mentioning that the Wii is selling 3 games per console, average, where the PS3 is selling 1.5 average. Look it up on Gamestop and Gamespot news threads. Again, it's too early to really tell, but measuring launch success purely by launch title score averages is just silly. I'm not begrudging the XBox 360 or the PS3 either in this post. I love the Wii, but I'm old enough to realize that Nintendo finally did something right after three consoles in the past ten years or so (the 64, GC, and now the Wii). PS2 was short at its launch, but it kicked everything's butt, and I have no doubt the PS3 will rock the market as well, once Sony manages to manufacture any. The playing field is different, though, this time around, and Nintendo has shocked the world with its new console, period. They might not take the market back by storm, but they are proving that they have the innovation to stay in the game and perhaps gain the foothold they've lost over the last ten years or more.

    9. Re:Average Scores by twistedsymphony · · Score: 1
      would rather see a more in depth examination of the top 3~5 launch titles for the different consoles. It's only the best and most unique games for any console I am interested in anyways. I think ultimately that's what most people judge consoles on rather than some abstract 'average' game construct.
      Good point! Most people will buy only 1 or 2 titles, and most of the time there is a clear killer app that sells almost 1 to 1 with the console. Another good metric might be to simply compare the exclusive titles for that console. If you consider that variances in 3rd party titles are minimal you're really making your choice based on what one console offers that the other doesn't.
    10. Re:Average Scores by heinousjay · · Score: 0, Offtopic

      You're so cool

      --
      Slashdot - where whining about luck is the new way to make the world you want.
    11. Re:Average Scores by Phleg · · Score: 1

      Clearly this metric is biased against Sony. I mean, after shelling out that kinda dough for the console itself, of course nobody has enough money to buy more than 1.5 games. :)

      --
      No comment.
    12. Re:Average Scores by sabernet · · Score: 1

      I agree. At least add the "how many people were mobbed, beaten, robbed, shot, ripped off" category, the "didn't prepare one bit for the eventual expected line-up" category, the "most systems acting up on first batch" category and the "public awareness of the new device" category in the metric.

    13. Re:Average Scores by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Heaping pile of fail? I hope you're being sarcastic, because while Halo may be an extremely overrated game, it's hardly a "pile of fail".

    14. Re:Average Scores by be-fan · · Score: 1

      A console doesn't necessarily sell just for the "great" games either. "Good" games in a wide variety of genres also sells consoles. The PS2 has enormous numbers of "good" games in lots of genres. These games aren't Zelda: TP good, but they're something that any fan of the genre might find it worthwhile to play. One of the biggest problems with Nintendo consoles over the last decade or so has been that while there are lots of great games, there are very few good games. In other words, you can probably find a couple of dozen great games for the system, but its really hard to find a dozen good games in your favorite genre.

      --
      A deep unwavering belief is a sure sign you're missing something...
    15. Re:Average Scores by KDR_11k · · Score: 1

      Actually the Wii didn't sell 2M consoles at launch, it's only at 700k for now (official numbers for America, the only territory it's available in). And Gamerankings now lists Zelda TP higher than Soul Calibur.

      --
      Justice is the sheep getting arrested while an impartial judge declares the vote void.
  6. One obvious fact from this... by Nevyn · · Score: 4, Insightful

    One obvious fact from this list is that it bears zero correlation to anything useful. Also, I thought the main complaint with the PS3 is that almost all the games are available elsewhere (resistance being the exception) ... not that they are bad.

    And Soul Caliber beating Zelda TP, is probably mainly due to gamespot not wanting "another" Zelda ... and it's upto 96.4 anyway (higher than the above article).

    If anyone wants the sure fire way to know which of the current "next-gen" consoles is going to win ... wait 12 months, maybe 18-24 to be sure.

    --
    ustr: Managed string API with ave. 44% overhead over strdup(), for 0-20B
    1. Re:One obvious fact from this... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      In 2 years time the 360 will be 60-75% through its lifespan... I only buy obsolete consoles myself, but it's pretty clear based on people's purchasing habits that waiting that long isn't preferable for the majority.

      Not wanting another Zelda is fair criticism, isn't it? Lots of games get marked down for that: Ridge Racer 7, Call of Duty 3, Monkey Ball Wii, Soul Calibur 2/3...

    2. Re:One obvious fact from this... by Pope · · Score: 3, Funny

      Zelda Toilet Paper? Awesome!

      --
      It doesn't mean much now, it's built for the future.
    3. Re:One obvious fact from this... by Garse+Janacek · · Score: 1

      Soul Caliber beating Zelda TP, is probably mainly due to gamespot not wanting "another" Zelda

      No, Soul Calibur beating Zelda is mainly due to the artificial use of a single absolute numerical scale to rank two games that have nothing in common except that they are, in fact, games. A multi-player fast-twitch non-story-based fighting game taking place in small, functionally identical arenas, versus a single-player story-based RPG taking place in a huge interactive world. Both are a lot of fun, and great launch titles, but... 96.4? What?

      This whole approach to the subject is silly. These things are subjective. It's natural to want to quantify things, but this is just too much, and the article is basically a worthless way to measure "success."

      --

      I am the man with no sig!

    4. Re:One obvious fact from this... by c_forq · · Score: 1

      Not wanting another Zelda is fair criticism, isn't it?,/i>

      I don't think that is a fair criticism. That would be like rating a racing game, basketball game, or RPG down just because you didn't want another one. Maybe if you have originality included in your scale I may accept it, but I think you should only grade a game based on gameplay, controls, fun, graphics/style, and sound. Now the review should most definitely state something along the lines of "This is another Zelda game like the past few, if you don't like the past few you probably won't like this one".

      --
      Computers allow humans to make mistakes at the fastest speeds known, with the possible exception of tequila and handguns
    5. Re:One obvious fact from this... by steveo777 · · Score: 4, Funny

      Something tells me that wiping your ass with the Master Sword may not be the best idea you've had today.

      --
      This sig isn't original enough, it's time to come up with something witty...
    6. Re:One obvious fact from this... by MBCook · · Score: 1

      Zelda does have two glaring flaws in my opinion. I've been playing it and it's a great game. I've got about 9 hours into it so far. But there are the graphics, which look perfectly Game Cube (not even top end Game Cube, some other games looked better) and the Wiimote (which except for aiming arrows/the slingshot often feels tacked on). If I were to give it a score for a gaming magazine I'd drag it down for that.

      If it came out on the 'cube, it's scores would be near perfect. I'm talking 99% range.

      --
      Comment forecast: Bits of genius surrounded by a sea of mediocrity.
    7. Re:One obvious fact from this... by prator · · Score: 1

      It is awesome. After every wipe, you get the treasure chest opening music.

    8. Re:One obvious fact from this... by Firehed · · Score: 1

      What about the Nunchuck?

      --
      How are sites slashdotted when nobody reads TFAs?
    9. Re:One obvious fact from this... by Rallion · · Score: 1

      ...It IS coming out on the 'cube. In a few weeks.

    10. Re:One obvious fact from this... by Akaihiryuu · · Score: 1

      2 weeks and one day, to be exact. Dec 12.

    11. Re:One obvious fact from this... by fbjon · · Score: 1

      Why did I just think of goatse?

      --
      True confidence comes not from realising you are as good as your peers, but that your peers are as bad as you are.
  7. Misleading title by spyrochaete · · Score: 2

    TFA reviews console launches, not consoles. The title should be "Sony Console Launch the Worst Ever".

    1. Re:Misleading title by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Worst ever?

      last time I checked.. they were sold out.

      same with the wii.. sold out.

      If selling 100% of what you made is bad.. what's good?

      I thought mondays was hate MS day.. wednesdays being hate sony day.

    2. Re:Misleading title by spyrochaete · · Score: 1

      RTFA. It's about the average scores of launch titles.

    3. Re:Misleading title by Daetrin · · Score: 1
      TFA reviews console launches, not consoles. The title should be "Sony Console Launch the Worst Ever".

      What exactly is the semantic difference between "Sony Console the Worst Launch Ever" and "Sony Console Launch the Worst Ever"?

      --
      This Space Intentionally Left Blank
    4. Re:Misleading title by C0rinthian · · Score: 1

      Company A makes 50 units of their product and sells all of them.
      Company B makes 500 units of their competing product and sells all of them.

      Which company would you rather be?

      Now add in this:
      Company A sells 1 accessory per unit of product sold.
      Company B sells 3 accessories per unit of product sold.

      Again, which company would you want to be?

      We could also get into the profit per unit sold, but thats just getting silly. We all know who wins that fight...

    5. Re:Misleading title by Firehed · · Score: 1

      The latter implies that it's of all console launches, whereas the former doesn't. I'm inclined to think that The Challenger would be better suited to get the title of Worst Launch Ever, which obviously wouldn't apply when you're only talking about consoles.

      --
      How are sites slashdotted when nobody reads TFAs?
  8. Average over lifetime by Joker1980 · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Just out of amusement i would like to know what the average scores were for games over the entire life of the last gen (PS2/GC/Xbox). While i know that its hardly a fair comparision what with the PS2 having many more titles than it competitors combined i think it would still be interesting from a quality over quantity stand. for an anecdotel example nearly all the gamecube games i have i think are really good, i have twice as many (at least) PS2 games but i would say that only a 1/4 of them are in the excellent range.

    --
    Well, Bart, your uncle Arthur used to have a saying: "Shoot 'em all and let God sort 'em out."
    1. Re:Average over lifetime by oc255 · · Score: 2, Informative

      Fine. I'll do the legwork. :)

      Using IGN I got the PS2 launch list. Using metacritic, I got the aggregate scores of today. So two things to consider:
      - TFA uses a single source where metacritic would churn that into a greater aggregation.
      - Present-day scores over a longer period of time for the PS2 VS present-day scores over a short period of time on the PS3.
      - There's no accounting for taste, ok three things. :P


      OMG PS2 Launch List
      -------------------
      Armored Core 2 - 78
      DOA2: Hardcore - 91
      Dynasty Warriors 2 - 75
      ESPN International Track and Field - 72
      ESPN X-Games Snowboarding - 73
      Eternal Ring - 62
      Evergrace - 59
      FantaVision - 72
      Gun Griffon Blaze - 73
      Kessen - 75
      Madden NFL 2001 - 91
      Midnight Club - 78
      Moto GP - 77
      NHL 2001 - 85
      Orphen - 54
      Q-Ball Billiards Master - 65
      Ready 2 Rumble Boxing: Round 2 - 75
      Ridge Racer V - 78
      Silent Scope - 63
      Smuggler's Run - 79
      SSX - 93
      Street Fighter EX3 - 64
      Summoner - 74
      Swing Away - 78
      Tekken Tag Tournament - 85
      TimeSplitters - 81
      Unreal Tournament - 77
      Wild Wild Racing - 64
      X-Squad - 64


      PS2 Launch List Average Score: 74.31 (and change)

    2. Re:Average over lifetime by grumbel · · Score: 1

      I havn't looked at the big consoles, but I recently did a little statistic of the NintendoDS and the PSP based on the review scores from Metacritic, you can find the resulting graph here. Some additional information, the average score is 65% for NintendoDS and 70% PSP. NintendoDS has 163 games available while the PSP has 195 games.

      Short summary: The PSP has more games and better gamse, yet still loses on the market against the NintendoDS, most likly due to far to much PS2 recycling on the PSP.

    3. Re:Average over lifetime by MisaDaBinksX4evah · · Score: 1

      Short summary: The PSP has more games and better gamse, yet still loses on the market against the NintendoDS, most likly due to far to much PS2 recycling on the PSP.

      Uhh, how about: "likely due to the fact that the PSP costs twice as much as the DS."

      --
      Misa no botha with yousa.
    4. Re:Average over lifetime by superiority · · Score: 1

      Just a note: TFA uses scores from Gamerankings, which, like Metacritic, aggregates scores from various reviews.

    5. Re:Average over lifetime by justchris · · Score: 1
      No, that's not why DS games are outselling PSP games. Stop being silly, and remember this one fact: review scores are not a good indicator of sales.

      To prove, the best rated title on PSP is Lumines at 89 on metacritic. The top selling game on DS is Brain Training 2, which doesn't appear to have a metacritic rating, but Brain Age (which is Brain Training 1) has a rating of 76. They are 2 completely different types of games, and understandably have very different ratings. It doesn't suprise me that Brain Age would be rated lower as it is more brain puzzles than what would normally be considered a game. Yet it easily outstrips Lumines in sales.

      So to conclude, just because something is good, doesn't mean it's what people want.

      --
      just some guy
    6. Re:Average over lifetime by oc255 · · Score: 1

      Oops, major error. Well in that case, it's a better comparison! Thanks.

  9. Interesting but. by LWATCDR · · Score: 4, Insightful

    How many titles does the PS3 have for launch?
    Just wondering if the greater number of titles for the Wii is dragging down the average?
    Of course the real question is how many PS3 where bought by people that are going to play them?
    From what I have seen on like Sony is selling only 1.2 games per PS3 sold while Nintendo is around 3 games per Wii.
    If they are not counting Wii sports I would say that more people are buying the Wii to play than the PS3.

    --
    See my blog http://ilovecookes.blogspot.com/ for light hearted technical information.
    1. Re:Interesting but. by AKAImBatman · · Score: 4, Informative
      How many titles does the PS3 have for launch?

      16. The Wii had 21.

      Just wondering if the greater number of titles for the Wii is dragging down the average?

      Indeedy, do. Although, the problem is more that the Wii has a lot of so-so multi-system titles like Happy Feet, Open Season, SpongeBob SquarePants: Creature from the Krusty Krab, Cars, Barnyard, and Avatar: The Last Airbender. Not only do these games smack of little more than attempts to cash in on major franchises, but their cross-platform nature means that they aren't very well tuned for the Wii's new motion sensing abilities.

      Of course the real question is how many PS3 where bought by people that are going to play them?

      Very few. But in its defense, the systems *are* getting in the hands of players in the end. So the PS3 game sales are just a bit delayed.
    2. Re:Interesting but. by gt_mattex · · Score: 1

      If they are not counting Wii sports I would say that more people are buying the Wii to play than the PS3.

      Of course people are playing with their Wii. Not only is it great exercise but now in my fantasies my girlfriend is much stronger than usual.

      --
      "No doubt one may quote history to support any cause, as the devil quotes scripture." - Learned Hand
    3. Re:Interesting but. by LWATCDR · · Score: 3, Insightful

      So take the 16 top games from the Wii and compare them to the 16 top for the PS3?
      That way the bigger library is an advantage "which I think it is" instead of a disadvantage.
      Let's be fair. Someone will like SpongeBob.

      --
      See my blog http://ilovecookes.blogspot.com/ for light hearted technical information.
    4. Re:Interesting but. by Khabok · · Score: 1
      Of course the real question is how many PS3 where bought by people that are going to play them? [...] Sony is selling only 1.2 games per PS3 sold while Nintendo is around 3 games per Wii.

      That's the question to us, yes, but the question to Sony is "What does this mean to our net profit?" That 1.2 versus 3.0 value looks clear to us, but it isn't. Who's to say what the final profit margin is? The PS3 costs a metric fuckton more than the Wii, but we still can't guess the net.

      You'll also notice how many people don't care about the average, as long as there are good games. Well, people of different mindsets buy different games and consoles. Maybe your average PS3 buyer is more content to play the snot outta the best launch title before buying the next game? If I bought any of these "next-gen" timesinks, the PS3 would be my pony of choice, and I've always been an obsess-over-one-game-until-its-played-out person.
  10. lots of ways or rating a launch by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Funny

    I for one would like to see a console launch rated by the number of people that were mugged for a given console on launch day

    1. Re:lots of ways or rating a launch by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Easily answered, Sony wins this one hands down - remember the PS 2 launch? Rumours were flying about Saddam Hussein buying them all up to use the GPU's as missile guidance computers. Then the US government was apparently snatching them up to keep them out of the hands of Saddam. My friend bought a PS 2 on launch, he went to the story with a posse for fear of being mugged (myself included).

      Then look at the PS 3, I know people who bought as many as they could on launch to resell them online for 2-3 times the price, if anyone was going to get mugged over a console, it would be over the $600 PS 3. Hell if I saw a guy with a PS 3 in a dark alley right now, I'd be taking it from him.

  11. Unscientific survey by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Several of the students at our school were willing to wait as long as 18 hours for the Nintendo. None that I know of were thinking about buying the Sony. Money is an issue. The Nintendo controller got a lot of comment. Nobody particularly wants a Blu-Ray player.

    Googling for 'sony nintendo console launch' got quite a few more Nintendo hits than Sony hits.

    It sounds like a win for Nintendo. So, there's another reason it wasn't a good launch for Sony.

  12. Sony: the End of an Empire by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Insightful
    During the last 2 decades of the 20th century, 2 brands became synonymous with top-notch quality at a price that the common folks can afford. Those brands were Sony and Honda. When people wanted to buy top-notch quality that could rival what the rich snobs bought, the former would buy Sony and Honda. A Honda was just as good as a Mercedes or a BMW at a much lower price.

    By the start of the 21st century, Honda continued to be synonymous with affordable top-notch quality.

    However, Sony's star began to fade as Sony slapped a price premium on all its products. The quality is still quite good, but is it worth the price premium? Increasingly, people say, "No way, you arrogant SOB!"

    The sun has set on the Sony empire. The customer has stopped worshipping at the altar of the Sony ripoff artist.

    A new champion has arisen. It is Matsushita, which includes the Panasonic brand. This past week, I perused some old issues of "Consumer Reports". Interestingly, according to various customer surveys, Panasonic's quality is almost identical to Sony's quality. Yet, Panasonic's prices are typically 20% lower than Sony's prices.

    Here's the rub. The Panasonic product is typically (but not always) "Made in Japan", but the Sony product is typically (but not always) "Made in a Nation of Desperate Slave Labor". Why is the Sony product so expensive when its labor costs are so low?

  13. How about average of top 100 by Nazmun · · Score: 2, Insightful

    I think Sony will do much better then others if you changed average of all games to average of the top 100 or top 50 games per console. That is more representative of what most gamers will experience. As few people buy more then 25 games let alone 50 or 100. Who cares if the psx, ps2, or ps3 has 400 mediocre games as long as they have 100 decent ones.

    --
    Hmmm... Pie...
    1. Re:How about average of top 100 by Carbonite · · Score: 1

      This is an important point. If dozens of awful games were suddenly were released for the PS2 (or any other current gen system), would this somehow diminish the great games that were released for that console? Of course not.

      --
      ich muß mehr Kuhglocke haben
    2. Re:How about average of top 100 by Joker1980 · · Score: 1

      While I agree with you entirely by changing the metric to a top ten of first party games im sure nintendo would win. in fact im sure we could get the xbox to come out on top if we again changed the metric to suit. My point wasent to attack one console and praise another, im no fanboi i have all 3 and a pc and all have their pro's and cons. i was just wondering if we would see any similarity in the percentage of good games across the systems regardless of the number of titles available.

      --
      Well, Bart, your uncle Arthur used to have a saying: "Shoot 'em all and let God sort 'em out."
    3. Re:How about average of top 100 by cowscows · · Score: 1

      More useful would be to break it down by game types, then a person can make a more informed decision based on their particular gaming interests.

      If you're into Final Fantasy type games, you're likely to do well with a Playstation. If realistic sports games are your thing, you might want to avoid nintendo. If, on the other hand, you prefer to play with a bunch of drunk people at parties and such, Nintendo definitely has you covered.

      Who was the best selection of racing games? Where can I find the best collection of shooter-type games. I really like puzzle games, which systems have a bunch of good ones?

      That's a useful way to classify and rank things. It doesn't assume that all gamers are interested in all things, and it provides fairly specific information, instead of just grand generalizations.

      --

      One time I threw a brick at a duck.

  14. Why average over all games? by shimage · · Score: 1

    They didn't even provide the important parameters. Like the standard deviation. Who cares what the average is when 80% of the titles are crap that no one wants. Why not rate the top 5 (or 25%) of the launch titles and average those? You know, the games that people might actually want. Either way, you want to know what the spread is; if they're all within 1 sigma, then it doesn't matter what the "ranking" is.

    1. Re:Why average over all games? by Guuge · · Score: 1

      I think a rating system should obey these principles:

      1. Garbage games shouldn't hurt. Assume the gamers will do their homework and avoid the truly bad ones. (Well, make exceptions for flagship products and bundled games.)
      2. Decent games should help. If it's worth playing, it's an asset to the console.
      3. Improving the rating of a game should never decrease the overall rating of the console launch.

      A rating system based on average scores violates 1 and 2. Using standard deviations further violates 3. (If the average score is 50, a high deviation is good. Raising the lowest score lowers the deviation.) Only considering the top few games violates 2. Only considering a top percentage violates 1 and 2.

      I recommend subtracting 75% from each score, clamping at zero, and summing.

  15. Warning: NPOV by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

    This article has been nominated to be checked for its neutrality.

    Discussion of this nomination can be found on the talk page.

    1. Re:Warning: NPOV by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Editing of this article by unregistered or newly registered users is currently disabled.
      Such users may discuss changes, request unprotection, or create an account.

  16. Really? Worse than Jaguar? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Sounds implausible.

    1. Re:Really? Worse than Jaguar? by c_forq · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Yeah, I think the 3DO and the NeoGeo are also missing.

      --
      Computers allow humans to make mistakes at the fastest speeds known, with the possible exception of tequila and handguns
    2. Re:Really? Worse than Jaguar? by RyuuzakiTetsuya · · Score: 1

      what was wrong with launching with Magician Lord, Baseball Stars and Nam-1975?!

      Philistines.

      --
      Non impediti ratione cogitationus.
    3. Re:Really? Worse than Jaguar? by Bipoha · · Score: 1
      what was wrong with launching with Magician Lord, Baseball Stars and Nam-1975?!

      Personally, I loved Magician Lord and especially the Neo Geo system, but I think the $650 system and $200 games were the real killer of the Neo Geo. When I was in Babbage's, (The store) I saw Neo Geo Games that were the same price as a Super Nintendo system. It was unfortunately a no-brainer for most consumers.

    4. Re:Really? Worse than Jaguar? by RyuuzakiTetsuya · · Score: 1

      Yeah but the NeoGeo survived until 2004. The last release was Samurai Showdown 5 Special.

      --
      Non impediti ratione cogitationus.
  17. Bottom line... by not+already+in+use · · Score: 1

    Regardless the average rating of the games (which is arbitrary in the first place, since it's one sources opinion), at least the Wii games are being played outside Best Buy kiosks and video game editor offices.

    --
    Similes are like metaphors
  18. Re:Sony: the End of an Empire by Maxwell · · Score: 1

    agreed, but wrong target.

    c/panasonic/samsung and you've got it.

    JON

  19. This means absolutely...dick by jizziknight · · Score: 1

    So we're measuring the launch lineup of a console based on an average of average scores for the titles? That make a whole lot of sense. Especially since the scores for the games don't exactly mean a whole lot; they're very subjective, prone to bias, and mostly meaningless (games get rated low because of what they're not, instead of what they are).

    It'd be far more meaningful to correlate the number of consoles available, the number of consoles sold, and the number of games sold per console. Hell, we could even factor in the number of consoles that are up for auction on eBay.

    Let's also not forget that you really can't measure much of anything until a few MONTHS after the launch, not a week or two.

    --
    Everything I say is a lie. Except that... and that... and that, and that, and that, and that... and that.
  20. Re:Brilliant Profile by ProppaT · · Score: 1

    They'll come at you like a whirling dervish, all fists and elbows.

    I appreciate your input, Wilfred Brimley, but what the heck does this have to do with the article?

    --
    Wise men say, "Forgiveness is divine, but never pay full price for late pizza."
  21. This makes no sense... by 7Prime · · Score: 0, Flamebait

    I'd venture to call Zelda: Twilight Princess the best launch title ever released. When you think about launches, they don't always have the greatest games. Any Zelda at release would have a good chance of getting this honor... but TP is far-and-away the best Zelda made (sorry Ocarina, TP makes you look like a joke), kicking down FF12 and Okami for game of the year, IMHO. So, if you're into this type of game (Adventure / Action / RPG), you're probably going to have a lot better luck with the Wii launch then any other. And yet the PS3 somehow pulls out ahead... with what? Ultimate Alliance? Tony Hawk? Seriosly, wtf does the PS3 have to offer?

    No shit Happy Feet is going to blow, it's a game based on a movie, and we all know how AMAZING those are. I'm with the guy who suggests taking a standard deviation: pit Twilight Princess, Excite Truck, Rayman Raving Rabbits, Monkey Ball, and Red Steel, against the PS3s best, and see what you come up with.

    --
    Multiplayer Gaming (defined): Sitting around, discussing single-player games with my friends, at the bar.
    1. Re:This makes no sense... by keyrat+rafa · · Score: 1

      I think a lot of the Sony haters are underestimating Resistance. I'd go as far as to say it's the best console online multiplayer to date. 20 on 20 has never been done, and it's the first game for PS3. It's smooth as butter too.

    2. Re:This makes no sense... by kc32 · · Score: 1

      Link to the Past was the best Zelda ever made. I have several friends who would kill you for saying differently.

    3. Re:This makes no sense... by buffer-overflowed · · Score: 1

      Twilight Princess may very well be better than Link to the Past, and I prefer LttP to Ocarina.

      If you could throw/shoot your sword at full health, and the twilight world was a bigger part of the endgame(which would've necessitated another couple temples, and two more zones), I'd hands down call it for Twilight Princess.

      --
      The key to the enjoyment of pop music is to replace any instance of "love" with "C.H.U.D."
    4. Re:This makes no sense... by danpsmith · · Score: 1
      No shit Happy Feet is going to blow, it's a game based on a movie, and we all know how AMAZING those are.

      Yeah, because there's never been a good video game based on a movie. Goldeneye for the 64 was just...terrible, right?

      --
      Judges and senates have been bought for gold; Esteem and love were never to be sold.
    5. Re:This makes no sense... by ShadowsHawk · · Score: 1

      I think it's a pretty safe bet that there has been a 20 on 20 somewhere in PC history. Battefield 2 comes to mind, but I can't verify it.

  22. Funny because the wii actually has the best. by kinglink · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Putting aside bias for a minute I've played all next gen launches. The Xbox 360s launch was moderate. It did have some high points (COD2) but overall there was few break out games. Though it does have a lot of what the system would become known for.

    ON the other hand the Ps3 has the worse. Nothing feels innovative, there's only three or four games that isn't on the 360 in some form already. And the ones that used motion control were poor (ridge racer and tony hawk both felt laggy in their responsiveness). That being said their "break out hit" Resistance, felt like a FPS, and only a FPS. Seeing as insomniacs record that was a low.

    The Wii on the other hand had a truely unique controller so even ported hits couldn't be played the same way, yet the control has such tight controls that games which would be problematic with lag feel tight. What drags down the launch however is Ubisoft's titles, Red steel which was supposed to be the second best game at launch turns out to be a pretty big dud. The two racing games they released are budget titles at best. And the systems graphics are constantly dinged by Gamespot mostly.

    Overall though the Wii has a great variety, improved by their unique controls. However the proper way to find out how good a launch is, isn't through scores, at least not averaging all the scores of the system. It's better to look at the uniqueness of the launch (AKA port city from the 360 and PS3), the variety available, and the quality of the top games. If there's 5 good games that come out, why should we care there's 10 crap games. We don't blame the Ps2 for having 50 good games and 200 crap games do we? Why does the N64 get high marks? EASY! they have 3 games at launch! That doesn't make it a great launch either.

    Of course on the other hand 1up is about as worthwhile as a gaming source as crap is a painting source. They arn't biased, but they have awful reviews and complain about minor things while ignoring the best part of games. They post biased top 10s and such, or they'll back up their facts with flawed or weak math (aka let's take the average of all games launched). If you read the worst games at launch you'll probably notice you don't know many of them. So why are we averaging them in?

    1. Re:Funny because the wii actually has the best. by Jarlsberg · · Score: 1
      Overall though the Wii has a great variety, improved by their unique controls.
      Well, a variety in mediocrity is not that big of a feat. Personally, I'm getting a Wii sometimes in december (I'm in Europe) and I'm only getting one game for it, and that's Zelda. The rest seem pretty bad overall. I'm waiting for the next Mario game after that.

      Recently, I've picked up several games for the 360, a few which were rather good (NFS:Carbon, though I think Most Wanted is a better game overall, the canyons notwithstanding, Dead Rising, Just Cause, Hitman, Condemned), a couple are outstanding (Oblivion & Gears of War) and quite a few duds (Far Cry being one of the prime examples, Saint's Row I quite fancied for the first 10 hours, but I actually prefer GTA: Liberty City Stories on the PS2 over that one).

      I noticed the blurb said "modern" gaming console. That's the only reason they could have picked out PS1 as a bad console launch. If you want an example of a truly botched console launch, look no further than the Amiga CD32. I love the Amiga, but the CD32 produced one stinker after another.

    2. Re:Funny because the wii actually has the best. by kinglink · · Score: 1

      I don't know about the Amiga, but the Jaguar was pretty poor as well. Saturn probably had a great launch but it seemed to slam into a brick wall right after that point, not to meantion stuff like 32x or sega CD which... well you know the story.

      If you look at the games for the wii they arn't "mediocrity" in the least, they arn't scored as highly though and most of the problem is "graphics" and the control is taking time to get used to (not to say the fault is in the gamer. Some companies.... (UBI!) just screwed up the wii's control systems.) Trauma center, and Excite trucks are both great lasting games.

      However if you're comparing the Wii to those games you've meantioned, with the exception of Condemned and Far Cry none of those are even near launch. Launch usually refers to the day of the console's launch, though it can be expanded to launch window, which becomes the first three monthes of a game.

    3. Re:Funny because the wii actually has the best. by Jarlsberg · · Score: 1
      You're right that most of the 360 titles I mentioned weren't launch titles. For the 360 launch I got NFS: Most Wanted, King Kong, PDZ, Kameo, Far Cry and Condemned. Of those, NFS and Condemned were the real highlights (though King Kong as Kong was rather fun), but Zelda is in another league entirely.

      And yeah, that period with the Jaguar, the CD32, the Saturn et al, it just made me lose interest in gaming entirely. That, and the downfall of Sierra & Lucasarts. It wasn't until Max Payne came along that I really felt the old urge to sit down and play a game again.

  23. Re:Brilliant Profile by oc255 · · Score: 0

    If you take whirling apart, you get hrlng wii. And we all know how that pertains to current events . :)

  24. A better metric by dlthomas · · Score: 2, Interesting

    No one cares how bad the worst game is for each system - even if purchased, it's not going to get much playtime if it falls below a certain threshold. How many bad games there are only matters if you're making uninformed decisions about what to play. What is interesting is whether there are enough good games to keep my schedule full, and the quality of those games. A much better metric would be the average of the best N games, where N is the number I'm likely to purchase. Now, this clearly differs from player to player, so it's more difficult to come up with a single number to represent it, but it would be a more informative comparison. I propose a triplet of averages for different values of N. The question is, what should those be? Might as well ask the question here... How many games do you buy in a year for a given console, and what type of gamer do you consider yourself?

  25. PS3s on eBay by norminator · · Score: 1

    I agree that average games sold per console sold would be a better metric. However, that's partially clouded by what the early buyers are getting the console for. It seems that a larger percentage of PS3 buyers are reselling them. So that metric is quite likely tainted against PS3.

    But those PS3's were still bought and (eventually) used by someone. Whoever would have bought a PS3 for $1800 on eBay would most likely have preordered some games or bought some games on launch day or soon after, so even the PS3's sold on eBay should already have games accounted to them. I guess that's assuming it takes less than 10 days to sell a PS3 on eBay and ship it. In any case, if those games haven't already been accounted for, they will be soon.

    1. Re:PS3s on eBay by chaoticgeek · · Score: 1

      I was reading an article, I think on joystiq.com or 1up.com, that many of the PS3s were not selling. Plus people should take into account that many of the PS3s were sold on ebay, or at least attempted to be sold. While many of the Wii's were being played rather than being sold on ebay.

      --
      hello
    2. Re:PS3s on eBay by Mark+Maughan · · Score: 1

      True, but it will still add a delay to the game purchase.

  26. All I know is the NY Times and Wash Post by WillAffleckUW · · Score: 1

    both have online reviews where they say that people did side by side game comparisons - one TV with a Wii, a similar size HDTV with a PS3 - and found that even though people thought the graphics were nice on the HDTV, they all clustered around the Wii and had more fun with it.

    With all the games.

    I haven't found any Wii game turkeys yet, personally, and I bought three - and I've talked to a lot of other dads and they all bought or are buying Wii consoles for their kids - ages from 3 (yeah) to 19.

    In the end, only the market matters. And right now the market says Sony got a zero on lauch buzz.

    --
    -- Tigger warning: This post may contain tiggers! --
    1. Re:All I know is the NY Times and Wash Post by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Question,

      Did you and AKAImBatman (assuming you're actually different people) get some sort of nintendork implant that causes you to auto-reply to any story that mentions video game consoles with comments about how much "fun" everything with the Wii is?

      Do you think that people who play other systems aren't having any fun? That they are just mindlessly trudging through them for the graphics, and that you really need some arm-waving powerglove 2.0 gimmick controller and a game with blow-your-eyes out bright colors about saving twinkie princesses or something?

  27. The parent isn't a troll by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Insightful

    I'm not the AC who posted the parent. "a troll is a person who enters an established community such as an online discussion forum and intentionally tries to cause disruption, most often in the form of posting inflammatory, off-topic, insulting, or otherwise inappropriate messages." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet_troll

    The reason that I post this at all is that I agree with the parent. I've used Sony's professional equipment and it was first rate. Over the years I have bought their consumer grade stuff and ALWAYS been disappointed. If I were thinking of buying their game console, I would get someone to kick me in the the pants to remind me not to do so.

    I suspect that lots of people are in the same boat with me and the parent. Sony's deteriorating reputation can only hurt the sales of their console.

    1. Re:The parent isn't a troll by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Yep, their reputation was so bad they only sold 100 million PS2s and still made profits.

  28. Re:Sony: the End of an Empire by VGPowerlord · · Score: 1

    Oh, and don't forget the Sega Saturn, which launched 6 months earlier than developers expected it to.

    --
    GLaDOS for President 2016! "Well here we are again. It's always such a pleasure." -- GLaDOS, 2011
  29. Why do people INSIST that one console is better? by Pojut · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Let's face it folks. Call them what you want, someone who says "this console is better than another" this generation is a Grade A Nimrod (thank you calvin & hobbes)

    Come on. This is like a movie critic trying to compare Dumb and Dumber with A Fistfull of Dollars...they are entirely different movies, just like each of the three new consoles have entirely different purposes.

    The Wii is for those that want something new, something fresh. It is the perfect example that graphics don't always make the game...and frankly, while comparitavely the graphics are so-so, they are still quite nice. They have a deliberate 'Nintendo signature' feel to them, which personally I am very happy was not abandoned. If there is one thing to be said about any of Nintendo's previous consoles, it is that they were entirely unique on their own, and you KNOW when you are looking at something on a Nintendo System. Modern day technology meets retro gaming demand: fun above all else.

    The PS3 is for those that want to be on the cutting edge. With it's ability to display 1080p, a next-gen optical disc format, and its configurability (read: simple Linux support), it just begs people to tinker with it. Sony's price is not just because the components are expensive, it is used as a method to bring in the drooling techies: if it is shiny, black, and expensive, it HAS to be cool. I for one am very excited to see certain next-gen entries in some series on the PS3...or have you all not thought about God of War 3?

    The Xbox 360 is for those that want a sleek, integrated system. Because of Microsoft's hold on the general public in the form of operating systems, it makes it EXTREMELY easy for them to design the 360 in such a way that allows it to integrate seamlessly with your system. Streaming media, accessing files over the network without even needing to check out the instruction manual, slick shape, comfortable controller...the 360 screams 'chic geek'. While it lacks first-party supported Linux now, I can assure you with Microsoft's recent aquisition in the Linux market, it is only a matter of time before Linux on the 360 becomes a reality. And given the way the 360 can already integrate itself into your home network, imagine the fun that could be had...the infinite application availability for Windows with the customization capabilities and rock-solid operation of Linux. It will truly be a thing of beauty.

    So this generation, I think all consoles win. They each are attempting to break into a different part of the market, and they all have succeeded tremendously.

    All I ask of my fellow gamers is that they stop comparing Dumb and Dumber with A Fistfull of Dollars.

  30. Re:Why do people INSIST that one console is better by Buddy_DoQ · · Score: 1

    But how else does one, who can only afford one console, confirm their purchase decision as the right one?

    Like it or not, the world needs a winner, and we all want to be on that team.

    That said, if I had mod points you'd get +insightful or +interesting.

    --
    -Buddy of DoQ
  31. Sony sucking people in... again. by georgep77 · · Score: 1, Insightful

    Yup, Sony is going to suck people in with it's PS3 the same way it sucked people in with it's PS2. 100,000,000 people got suckered into buying the worst/stupidest/most evil/not nintendo console! It's going to happen again. It amazes me that this is now a religious issue for some. Get over yourself people. My choice of console (or even to NOT get a console) has NOTHING TO DO WITH YOU.

    Every console maker is trying to make money, end of story. This is a great thing in that it leads to innovation and advancement. You have to love capitalism. The only thing better than capitalism to spur on new development is warfare. I prefer capitalism.

    Cheers,
        _GP_

    1. Re:Sony sucking people in... again. by xoyoyo · · Score: 1

      Under the TV we have...

      One PS2, one 360 and one GameCube. I've also owned the earlier consoles from Nintendo and Sony (though I skipped the Xbox 1.0) and various Segas. I'm in the UK so we've yet to see Wiis and we don't get PS3s until next year.

      The Xbox is (currently) the best at online, and Halo 3 is on its way. The PS2 has Gran Turismo and used to have an exclusive lock on the Tony Hawk franchise. The GameCube has Miyamoto genius.

      It's not worth getting religious about it. The games are the important thing; I'd rather we were having the fanboy debate over whether Bungie are better than Polyphony and so on. The consoles are subsidised hardware, media platforms: pretty exotic hardware (except for the 360) and worthy of interst, but less important than gameplay.

      If Polyphony announced Gran Turismo 5 for the Cray Y-MP or the Oric Dragon I'd be saving up for one of those.

  32. Re:Why do people INSIST that one console is better by Pojut · · Score: 1

    I appreciate the phantom mod points;-)

    To answer your question, if you can only afford one...buy the one that fits your needs or wants.

    Do you want something that is simply a gaming system, something to just have fun with? Buy a Wii.

    Do you want something that can play next-gen optical discs and has the capability of simple Linux operation without much trouble? Buy a PS3.

    Do you want something that is a fantastic alternative to a Streaming PC Workhorse, while providing a rich online experience? Buy a 360.

    Don't rely on someone elses assertion. My needs and wants are potentially VASTLY different from another person, just as yours are potentially vastly different from mine.

  33. Re:Why do people INSIST that one console is better by Xolom · · Score: 1

    I'm sorry to say this, but the huge majortiy of game people buying a game console don't care if you can hack it and put Linux on it. No, this isn't a troll, this is a fact. People want to play games an d have fun with their consoles.

  34. Re:Why do people INSIST that one console is better by Xolom · · Score: 1

    another reason to use the preview button. yes, i screwed up the words "majority" and "and."

  35. Re:Why do people INSIST that one console is better by Pojut · · Score: 1

    Hack it to put linux on it? That's exactly my point...the PS3 has first-party Linux support, no hacking neccessary. That, combined with the Blu-Ray player, the 1080p, the larger hard drive...are you honestly telling me that you think these things would NOT entice a techie to buy a PS3?

    Beyond that, if all people wanted to do was play games on their consoles, console makers would not be putting in the kind of functionality that they are...TV shows available online, streaming capabilities, DVR capabilities...they would make something used strictly for gaming. Like an N64 or PS1 or Dreamcast...notice how the market changes.

    See, consoles USED to be for nothing but games...then, Microsoft said "Hey, lets see what happens when we enable them to mess around with it and use it as a DVR and to stream shit" So, with the Xbox, they tried a little experiment...and guess what? A VERY VERY large number of people modified the Black and Green box to put linux on it (or a homebrew OS). MANY people. Granted, not nearly half of the owners did, but a large chunk did indeed do this.

    So, Microsoft (and Sony) got smart...hey, why should these hackers get all the credit? Let's make it so that they can do all these things out of the box...that should help reduce piracy as well as fraudulent warranty requests due to people messing up their systems because they didn't know what to do...and while we are at it, let's create a market place where they can go to BUY stuff for their console.

    Nintendo realized that not everyone would want or need this stuff, and so they said to themselves hey, let's do what we do best. Let's make a gaming system. Sure, just to keep up we will put in some stuff...but what? I GOT IT! Let's allow people to buy games from a long time ago! You know, things that will be really nostalgic for people...older games, back when fun was king!

    See how much economic sense that makes? If all you want is to play games, buy a Wii. I mean after all, if you don't need all that extra functionality that you are paying for but will never use, what is the point of buying any other system this generation?

    Unless of course you are sucked into the psuedo-political stance of being an *ahem* "fanboi"

  36. Re:Why do people INSIST that one console is better by Nevyn · · Score: 1
    So this generation, I think all consoles win. They each are attempting to break into a different part of the market, and they all have succeeded tremendously.

    I doubt that, the PS3 and Xbox 360 look like they are going after basically the same market to me ... and most everyone else I've read. Also, much like previous generations, the market just isn't going to support all three well (network effect). So the average person needs to know which is better ... because the other two are worth much less, in the long run.

    Saying that, Nintendo again have a minor second chance ... due to their making money and being a great first party publisher (but it'll be pretty bad for them long term if they fail to be a major player again this generation, IMO).

    --
    ustr: Managed string API with ave. 44% overhead over strdup(), for 0-20B
  37. Re:Why do people INSIST that one console is better by Pojut · · Score: 1

    you are very slightly mistaken...Microsoft and Sony are MARKETING to the same market...

    An example.

    There is this fantastic Apple Pie. It is delicious and sweet in every way an apple pie should be. Both Microsoft and Sony want it. Nintendo looks at it and says "Thanks guys, but we are going to try this Pumpkin Chiffon pie. Enjoy that apple though!"

    So now you have Sony and Microsoft sitting there, one with a fork and one with a spoon, eating from the same apple pie, staring at nintendo trying out that chiffon. They start wondering to themselves "wow...I wonder what kind of tasty pie we could make for ourselves"

    I know the things I outlined in an earlier post don't reflect the way Microsoft and Sony are MARKETING, but the mere fact they have included what they have in their respective consoles is showing that they are indeed beginning to notice there is more than just one type of pie. Sure, from the gaming perspective they are going after the same market.

    From a functionality perspective though? One is eyeing Lemon Merangue, while the other is admiring a Banana Cream.

  38. Re:Why do people INSIST that one console is better by Vexorian · · Score: 1
    .they are entirely different movies, just like each of the three new consoles have entirely different purposes.
    Not buying it. Sure they have different features but the purposes are all the same. Seriously.
    --

    Copyright infringement is "piracy" in the same way DRM is "consumer rape"
  39. Re:Why do people INSIST that one console is better by Pojut · · Score: 1

    read my above pie analogy...I do infact explain that very point (mainly because I worded it badly)

  40. Re:Brilliant Profile by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I think this post deserves the elusive "+-0, Lay Off the Crack" mod

  41. Re:Why do people INSIST that one console is better by Anthony+Boyd · · Score: 3, Insightful
    So this generation, I think all consoles win. They each are attempting to break into a different part of the market, and they all have succeeded tremendously.

    I hate this kind of thinking. It ignores reality. It attempts to be politically correct and magnanimous over electronic devices. As if a PS3 can have a hurt ego.

    Look, if there is anything we've learned from recent gaming history, it's that there are losers. The Dreamcast should have had a bigger chunk of market share. In my opinion, it didn't deserve an early death. And the GameCube should have had more games. However good Nintendo's first-party games may be, they didn't have a Guitar Hero or EyeToy equivalent. People wanting that stuff had to look elsewhere.

    The bottom line is, some consoles falter, and when they do, sometimes developers kick 'em while they're down. And when that happens, customers get the shaft. So it is not only legitimate for customers to try to figure out the least shafty deal, but it's realistic, too. Right now, Sony is down. What's more, some customers (or ex-customers) want to kick Sony while they're down. It would be stupid to pretend that such thinking has no effect. Similarly, the Wii does have weaker graphics. It may be foolish to ignore that, especially if you consider what the console landscape may look like 2 or 3 years from now -- lots of very good looking and fun games on the PS3 and XBox 360. The Wii isn't going to corner the market on fun. So the question may be, do you want fun & good looks, or just fun? Are you willing to pay through the teeth?

    The second we start to engage our critical faculties, we can see that there are already some clear indications of who is headed for loserville. And when you're about to put down $500 or so, you may want to be sure you're not investing in the losing team. If you do make that mistake, you may end up having to invest another $500 in a year or two. I'm not suggesting that the PS3 will die like the DreamCast, as Sony is too big and egotistical to let that happen. But we can already see a dearth of games for that system, and many of the games that do exist are already available (with better multiplayer) on the XBox 360. A year from now, will PS3 fanboys be asking Santa for an XBox 360, just to get a better selection of fun games? Why not avoid that mess, and pick intelligently from the start?

    As for me, I've picked the Wii, because I believe three things. First, graphics have reached "good enough" level for enough people that sales won't be hurt. Second, the Wii controller isn't a gimmick, and will ensure good gaming for quite some time. Third, Nintendo has patched up relationships with third parties, and will see more games than the PS3 will. I could be wrong on all counts. But I want to put my money down on a system that will last me 4+ years, and so I did my best to determine who the losers would be, and steered clear.

  42. "LOL" by smash · · Score: 1
    Thats about all i have to say for people attempting to rate consoles based on their launch titles :D

    Or who even care/remember such things :D

    Game ratings are generally bullshit anyway, i've got no idea how many games rated "80%" that i've played for 5 minutes and thought "this is crap"...

    --
    I run: Windows, OS X, Linux, FreeBSD. Just because you have a hammer, doesn't mean everything is a nail.
  43. Good company then? by SuperKendall · · Score: 1

    The story summary was a bit weird, since it seems to imply having a terrible launch is actually a sign of success - I think few people would argue the Playstation had a bad run. So it would seem to mean good things for the PS3, or that Sony is much better at managing the long-term life of a console than other companies.

    --
    "There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
  44. Re:Why do people INSIST that one console is better by H0NGK0NGPH00EY · · Score: 1

    Summary:

    Microsoft: Cool
    Sony: Powerful
    Nintendo: Fun

    --
    Do not read this sig.
  45. Re:Why do people INSIST that one console is better by Pojut · · Score: 1

    And your decision fits EXACTLY into what I described.

    You wanted the best GAMING experience. Hence, you bought the system most geared towards gaming.

    If you wanted the best streaming box experience, you wouldn't have bought only a Wii no matter how fun it may be.

    If you wanted the best future-proofing, you wouldn't have bought only a Wii no matter how revolutionary it's controller may be.

    Thank you for proving my point.

  46. 360 is not at all integrated. it's clunky & no by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Xbox 360 is a cheap Dreamcast.

  47. Lies, Damn Lies, ... by ICA · · Score: 1

    I think the Neo Geo with 945 gibberish points is much worse than the Turbo Grafix 16 that had only 214 gibberish points.

    Man, I hate worthless numbers that are not defined in a summary.

  48. It should be noted by Tarlus · · Score: 1

    It should be noted that Zelda for the Wii might not sell right off as highly as Soul Calibur for the Dreamcast because Zelda will also be available for the GameCube, and so many people (Wii skeptics, budgeters, Zelda-control-purists, etc) will be holding out for the GameCube version of Zelda instead.

    --
    /* No Comment */
    1. Re:It should be noted by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Zelda will also be available for the GameCube...

      AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAhahahahahah... *GASP* HAHAHAhahaha....

      Oh, Wow. *sniff* Hah... Let me guess, you're a new Nintendo customer?

    2. Re:It should be noted by Tarlus · · Score: 1

      I have no clue what you mean by that.

      No, I am not a new Nintendo customer.

      Yes, Twilight Princess will be available for the GameCube in December, making it the first Zelda game to be available for more than one Nintendo console. It was originally developed for the GameCube, and not the Wii, anyway. The main differences, obviously, will be the control scheme, with the GCN version taking the more classic approach. Then there are small graphical differences (in favor of the Wii) as well as the whole game being a mirror image between the two versions (to do with right-left handed issues).

      So would you mind explaining your sarcastic laugh to me? Or will you just remain as an "Anonymous Coward?"

      --
      /* No Comment */
  49. title by gevil · · Score: 1

    Well, so it seems that your post has some flaws: First, it isn't Sony the worst console, and Playstation (1) was the worst console before Wii. The less misleading post should be like: Wii had the worst launch, and Playstation (One) is second. This is my humble opinion, just thoght was an important remark for all those people who only read the thread topics in RSS.

  50. Headline: Baseball fans usurped by gamers... by Infonaut · · Score: 1

    ... as group most obsessed with statistics.

    83.2% of gamers said they were at least 75% certain that they were likely to buy a console based on a statistical analysis of available game titles and their relative worth. Of those who said they would likelly buy a console based on a statistical analysis, 38.3% indicated that they were also running their own independent analyses in order to verify the accuracy of the initial analysis.

    --
    Read the EFF's Fair Use FAQ
  51. Re:Why do people INSIST that one console is better by Anthony+Boyd · · Score: 1

    No, I wanted just what I said. I wanted the system that would give me 4+ years of fun. I wanted the system that wouldn't go under or be abandoned a year or two in. In my opinion, that's not the PS3. They are NOT all 3 winners. They will not all 3 be successes in my opinion. Good job deliberately misreading in the hopes that you could defend your silly "all consoles are fine" sentiment.

  52. Cue Homer Simpson by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Mmmmm... arbitrary metrics...

  53. Re:Sony: the End of an Empire by atomicstrawberry · · Score: 1

    I don't know about where you live, but Honda has never been synonymous with quality here.

    Additionally, Matsushita have this incredibly annoying trend recently of releasing Laptop DVD drives which do extra CSS and Region Checking in hardware, and even libdvdcss-based software like VLC can't play DVDs region-free with them. The firmware is difficult to get hold of and very difficult to hack, but the drives are being used everywhere in laptops because they're so cheap.

    Actually, I guess your 'just like Sony' comment is right on the mark.

  54. I feel so ripped off... by TheVelvetFlamebait · · Score: 1
    Averages are just that, though, and don't tell you much about the best games that accompanied the launches.
    Aren't we meant to be the ones to point these things out, and to complain that this isn't news?
    --
    You know, there is a difference between trolling and pointing out the flaws in your reasoning. Just saying.
  55. Re:Why do people INSIST that one console is better by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Besides, "future-proofing"? Please.

    No one believes that tripe except the marketroids and the zombies that listen to them. The PS3 is no more "future-proof" than the nVidia GeForce 8800.

    Future-proof == overpriced.

    D.

  56. Re:Why do people INSIST that one console is better by zeroduck · · Score: 1

    Yep, I bought my 360 for the streaming media features.

    That makes no sense.

    The 360 is a gaming device first and foremost. If you disagree with this, you have never used one for more than a few minutes--or have never played games on it.

    Aside from the larger storage device, I fail to see how the PS3 is "future proof." This is console gaming, not PC gaming. There wont be Wii, 360, or PS3 games released in the future that cannot be played on their respective console. Do you really believe that the PS3 is that much more powerful than the other consoles that it's life will be longer than the others? I don't.

  57. Re:Sony: the End of an Empire by GizmoToy · · Score: 1

    It probably depends on your definition of quality. Reliable cars at affordable prices? Only Toyota can compete there. If your definition of quality is a luxury-type automobile, then Honda is not the place to start.

    Honda does pretty well in the US. They're consistently #1 in resale value, and always within the top 5-10 marques worldwide in both initial quality and long-term quality. I'm not sure where you're from, but ask someone from the US who makes a quality car and I'd bet the majority will give you one of two answers: Toyota or Honda.

  58. Re:Sony: the End of an Empire by Mark+Maughan · · Score: 1

    In terms of reliability, Honda is number two after Toyota according to statistics taken from car owners.

    Do you know a better, objective measure of quality than your car not breaking down?

  59. Re:Why do people INSIST that one console is better by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    When all of the consoles are a year or two old, and the developers are starting to wring all the performance out of them that they can, you'll see what the grandparent poster was talking about.

    Look at what happened with the last generation of consoles. In the beginning, cross-platform titles were pretty much the same on all of them. As time went by, they got more and more impressive but the Gamecube started having problems handling some of the games, framerate issues, lower res textures, some titles having to be on multiple discs. Shortly after, the PS2 started seeing the same issues. The XBox, being the most powerful of the three, had become the primary development platform for anything that appeared on all 3 systems, and it showed.

    Like it or not, there's a LOT of multi-platform games and you'd be foolish to ignore that fact when it comes to choosing a system and looking at the future impact of your choice.

  60. Worst launch on PCs by that+this+is+not+und · · Score: 1

    In a parallel market, the PC Gaming market, there have been some pretty terrible launches. There are no games at all in PC-DOS 1.0, and the several games on the PC-DOS 1.1 diskette (games in the form of .BAS files) are pretty weak offerings. Of course, IBM distributed 'Adventure in Serenia', 'Strategy Games', and 'Microsoft Adventure' (it's just the regular classic text adventure game, but proudly rebranded 'Microsoft Adventure' on the IBM slipcover and the diskette) very early, if not at launch of the IBM PC, but those are somewhat underwhelming, too.

    This is topped (bottomed) by the Atari 600, of course, where Atari put out the main system (keyboard with integrated CPU, plug into your TV set) but produced NO peripherals and NO software for it before orphaning the system. I had one of those (real cheap at surplus stores at the time,) and you could stare at the BASIC prompt, type in your game program to play, etc, but not store it, so you'd type it in each time you wanted to play it)

  61. The truth of the matter by johnsmit90210 · · Score: 1

    I hope somebody reads this. When I first glanced at this Slash heading I was hoping to see some reality regarding the release of this console. As per the geek factor (gaming waste life's--yes I used to be one) you get the usual percentages on most coveted or most played game(s). And as per the usual IT bulls$*t; The coffee talk about numbers of some mega lo corporation! It's so annoying these days... It's like technology and industry have truly binded and the result is a bunch of geeks talking about how much money Sony made this quarter or what market blunders they've committed. WHO CARES! Here's the REAL reason why this console was the worst in history. People like you and me were beaten, stabbed and SHOT at because people are so enamored by trying to either firstly acquire -a- gaming console for play or resell it for big profits. It is absolute insane that nobody has given it anymore attention other than "lol, dude got busted up waiting inline for a ps3>what a n00b" Wake up man, WAKE UP.

  62. GOD DAMMIT ZONK SHUT THE FUCK UP! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    You have to be the most goddamn irritating sonofabitch editor EVER. Stop with the fucking biased stories already, or go work for fucking FOX NEWS .

  63. I have to take this with a grain of salt.... by SwiftWind · · Score: 1

    I'm not saying this is why, but it is something to consider. Keep in mind that 1UP's affiliate Computer Gaming World, a 25 year old magazine, changed its name to Games for Windows with a big windows logo on the front cover. Its hard to consider 1up.com objective under such circumstances. I don't know, does that make sense?

  64. But why is that??? by Bashar+Abdullah · · Score: 1

    I think there should be a logical explanation for that. XBox 360 launched last year as the only next Gen console, and while they performed much below PS3 in the E3 2005, still they were the only, and they managed to get a good line up of games for the launch. For PS3 and Wii, despite the competition and launching the two at the same time, they only got slightly below the XBox 360, so its not actually very bad for PS3 at least. With the high prices of the consoles right now, you can't expect too many will buy PS3 and Nintendo Wii.

  65. Re:Why do people INSIST that one console is better by Pojut · · Score: 1

    First to start, I have owned nearly every console from the commodore 64 days up until last generation...Ironically, despite your assumptions, the only current-gen console I have is in fact a 360.

    The PS3 is future proof in the sense that it includes a POTENTIAL (note the emphasis) future optical disc format (which you mentioned) as well as a first party process to get Linux on it...meaning if the PS3 ends up becoming a dud, you now have one hell of a Linux box that also plays Blu-Ray AND the games that you enjoyed. And if you have no interest in making it a Linux box? OK no big deal...you still have the experience and memories of all the time you spent playing what games you DID enjoy on it...any true gamer will tell you that gaming is rewarding in and of itself. I'm not saying that bad games don't exist, but I am saying that are overly critical in the sense of what is and is not a good game. Whether that gaming time was worth the money is entirely subjective, and only you can decide that. Then again, you can't decide that if you don't own it, can you?

    As far as why you bought a 360, I never once said that the PS3 and the 360 were not gaming machines as well. What I was getting at is each respective console has it's additional uses beyond simple gaming. Frankly, if you ONLY look at the gaming capabilities of a machine, then you are ignoring half of the console and are short changing yourself. You want to ensure that you have a console that won't be a dud in a couple years...and this is where the additional features come into play.

    See, when something like the Dreamcast died, it had no other use. However, I can ASSURE you that there will be thousands of people that continue to use their Xbox as a Linux machine/emulator platform...the console itself will still have practical use even when games are no longer developed for it. Just as if the PS3 dies, and Blu-Ray lives, now they have a Blu-Ray player in addition to something that plays what few games they deemed fun. The same thing goes for the 360, if the software ends up sucking, guess what? Now you have a preconfigured box that can be used to stream things at a fraction of the cost of a decent PC. Not to mention, again, it does still have the ability to play the games that you enjoyed. Simply trying to choose "the best" console will ALWAYS result in you losing because it will cause you to miss out on the many things that are on only one system...and I'm not talking about big blockbuster games, either. If the past few years have proven ANYTHING, it is that the small developers are making a comeback, and many of the best games in the past...say 5 years came out of small development houses (or at least development houses that were small back then)

    If you cannot afford more than one console, fine. But if you purposely keep yourself confined to a single console, you miss out on alot of the stuff that is only on those respective systems. Granted, time will tell how many exclusives each system obtains, but still...you get my point. When I think of all the games that I have played only available on a specific platform, it makes me realize how happy I am to always try to think of each console as good.

    Why is it OK to like only one console but NOT ok to equally like all of them?

  66. Re:Sony: the End of an Empire by m_maximus · · Score: 1

    I would say that the image of Honda being more of a luxury car than Toyota comes from their history in motorsport. Honda tends to be a racing company that happens to make cars for the road, whereas Toyota primarily make road cars, and occasionally go racing. Hence Honda will be seen as more sporty, which in some people's eyes makes it more of a luxury car.

    --
    I have a solution but you're not going to like it. (Something I say far too forten to my boss)
  67. Re:Why do people INSIST that one console is better by Pojut · · Score: 1

    Then tell people to not care about which one will or will not be a dud.

    Because if they truly didn't care, they would base their purchase decision on the fun they can have this year or next year, not the fun they can have in three years or four years or six years or ten years from now.

  68. just plain wrong by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    This is so wrong I don't know where to begin. Battle Arena Toshinden and Ridge Racer are 2 of the best console games I've ever played. They both spawned a long list of sequels that have yet to equal the original in terms of gameplay.

  69. Re:Why do people INSIST that one console is better by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    >However good Nintendo's first-party games may be, they didn't have a Guitar Hero or EyeToy equivalent.

    Donkey Konga? :P

  70. how are the headlines misleading... by LKM · · Score: 1

    ...if they're true?

  71. Is it THAT good? by meringuoid · · Score: 1
    I'd venture to call Zelda: Twilight Princess the best launch title ever released.

    Better even than Super Mario World?

    --
    Real Daleks don't climb stairs - they level the building.
    1. Re:Is it THAT good? by 7Prime · · Score: 1

      Without Question... and yes, Super Mario World was a great game.

      --
      Multiplayer Gaming (defined): Sitting around, discussing single-player games with my friends, at the bar.
  72. Re:Sony: the End of an Empire by danpsmith · · Score: 1
    c/panasonic/samsung and you've got it.

    Eh? Not so much. I've had samsung phones, mp3 players and other electronics all of which were poorly designed and failed in one way or another. I avoid the samsung brand altogether as they are very much not in line as far as quality per price point (a phone shouldn't just have the monochrome LCD die within a year of use and an MP3 player shouldn't just shut off randomly after 3 months of use and have the cheapest battery door ever due to bad design). I advise people all the time to steer clear of samsung products, and I've noticed that panasonic products usually beat samsung in reviews. So I believe the parent isn't offtarget.

    --
    Judges and senates have been bought for gold; Esteem and love were never to be sold.
  73. Re:Why do people INSIST that one console is better by shewasmadeofchimps · · Score: 1

    exactly! picked it up with 2 sets of bongos for a total of 35 in my local gamestop. clearance as they haven't had a gamecube display in about two years. back for good alone is worth it.

  74. Re:Why do people INSIST that one console is better by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    That's a Taiko Drum Master equivalent, not an EyeToy/Guitar Hero equivalent.

  75. Re:Why do people INSIST that one console is better by shewasmadeofchimps · · Score: 1

    it's a rhythm action game with a peripheral which you use to play music. an FPS is still an FPS even if it has a different selection of weapons.

  76. Re:Why do people INSIST that one console is better by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    You make no sense.

  77. Re:Why do people INSIST that one console is better by Anthony+Boyd · · Score: 1

    You lose.