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Demo PS3 Units freeze on Purpose
AbsoluteZero writes "A Sony rep has claimed to Destructoid that demo PS3 units in kiosks across the country were built to freeze up on purpose. From the article: "We do that so that people won't play it all day long," he explained. "Specifically during Motorstorm, we made it freeze up a lot.""
No, no I infact won't. Changed my mind.
That's what the short 5 minute demos are for. Actually making the console freeze up is just stupid, it screams unstable. This sounds more like backpedaling to cover up design flaws.
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Connection too slow for X forwarding? Try "ssh -CX user@host"
"It's not a bug, it's a feature!" Where have I heard that before
Guy asked me for a quarter for a cup of coffee. So I bit him.
Couldn't they just uh, like make a popup that says it is the person-behind-you's tutrn to play?
Sony's batting 1000 this year. Going for MVP it looks like.
Sure, just like Microsoft made Windows crash so we would be able to take a break from using the PC...
Not that anybody will use it...
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http://www.destructoid.com/playstation-3-kiosks-f
It's a rep that visits game stores. Bottom of the food chain. One rep saying something stupid in the heat of christmas shopping with a shopper pestering him for conversation while he's trying to set up a demo kiosk isn't really that big a deal.
20 minutes of Playstation 3 should be enough for anybody!
Oh! Eureka!
As a comparison: Windows crashes on us all the time as to not let us be too productive! I get it now! What the hell do I need a *nix clone for!
</sarcasm>
Natch. Sounds more like a save-my-ass excuse. Way to go Sony!
I asked a Best Buy sales rep how he like the PS3. He said "well I wouldn't buy one just yet, the demo unit freezes up all the time..." Needless to say he didn't sell me a unit that day. Maybe Sony should send a memo to their retailers explaining this "feature" if they want to sell it
"I don't doubt that they might be speaking the truth, but they could've just put in a five minute reset timer or something. having the unit freeze up is just tacky."
You don't doubt that they might be speaking the truth? Are you serious?
What in heavens name has Sony done to instill such deep trust in you?
There's exactly NO chance that they made their demo product unstable and prone to crashing to keep people from playing it for too long.
it could be that the booth is a PS3 in a nearly airtight clear plastic box...
I assumed it was a case of overheat
Also this weekend, I brought my Wii to my brother's place to show it off, only to discover he'd just scored a PS3
After a couple of hours of side by side comparison, his wife asked him why he didn't get a Wii instead.
Ouch.
(I also regret not having videotaped our gaming session, as my bro's wife lost her balance and dove headfirst during a bowling throw, almost going through the widescreen tv)
As anyone who went to Toys R Us back in the "World of Nintendo" NES/SNES days knows, that's why they make displays that simply reset themselves every so often, via a timer switch on the power outlet. My friends and I used to hang out in the store, annoy the staff, play the demo consoles, and base Tetris/Sonic/Mario/whatever battles on how far one could get before the automatic reset. Why would they suddenly build specially-crippled consoles now? It doesn't really make much sense fom any standpoint I can see.
Slashdot Burying Stories About Slashdot Media Owned
... as it might elicit some sympathy every time your box does a BSOD
This is my opinion. To make sure you don't steal it, it's covered by the DMCA.
I distinctly recall demo SNES and N64 units having the same behavior "back in the day" --you'd play for about five-ten minutes and the thing would reset on you.
I had always figured that there was an extra mechanism built into the demo console for just that purpose: keeping someone from monopolizing the thing. Doesn't seem like THAT much of a stretch that the PS3s would perhaps do the same?
If you can't see the value in jet powered ants you should turn in your nerd card. - Dunbal (464142)
What a load of crap.
It's a matter of time before there is a tech note, and a kiosk upgrade kit designed to ventilate the kiosk.
One of the Best Buys in town has not had their PS3 kiosk (According to a friend that works at that location) freeze at all, and he was told the other location froze randomly from 6 to 12 times a day. That isn't a designed in effect. A designed in effect occurs every x minutes, and does not require employee intervention.
A positive attitude may not solve all your problems, but it will annoy enough people to make it worth the effort.
Considering how small the space is in the demo units enclosures (using bestbuy as an example) I'm pretty sure it's because of overheating. The first thing my friend said about the PS3 was the heat it created when it was on (significantly hotter than my xbox360).. So yea, purposely freezing demos? That's complete bullshit, and if it's true that's a terribly bad practice and doesn't make the customer feel as though they're buying a quality product.
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My PS3 froze during the system setup phase (kinda scared the shit out of me). But it hasn't froze since (even with yellow dog linux 5.0 on it)
MrJynx
Maybe the ps3 costs more than the rest of the consoles, and maybe Sony has sold less than its competitors, and maybe alot of game developers aren't producing games for the system... But just because the demo model ps3's are crashing doesn't mean that this isn't part of Sony's long term strategy. When they say "next generation" console. They really mean it.
One rep tells one lie to two people and two different times. The two people converse to confirm. The lie has "validity".
If an officer ever threatens to taze you, say you have a pacemaker.
I asked this question on Digg and I am the one with the -22 Diggs. That's Digg for you. Well, here's my question:
Who is the guy that wrote this piece? Is it even true? The story just sounds made up.
Or is it just that people want to justify their hate for the PS3 so much that facts and logic goes out the window?
Seriously, who is Mr. Nick Brutal?
This idea isn't new. Trojan designed a condom in the 90's that broke on purpose so people wouldn't have sex all day.
HRESULT WinAPIGetSystemProcessThreadMetricsMenu...
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I'm glimpsing into the future and seeing Sony finally collapsing under the weight of hubris and abysmal business decisions, probably before the price ever gets down to the $200 mark and I become moderately interested.
From TFA: ...and in the middle of it all I spotted a Sony PlayStation retail rep frantically cleaning off the very same kiosk...
You think that a Sony Representative is going to go to your local EB store and vacuum your local kiosk? Don't make me laugh!
This is rabid fanboyism, and a further proof of Slashdot's slant.
News for nerds? BS too. This is news reporting on par with Fox's.
I was caught up in the hype and would have bought a PS3 at launch if I could have. Then I played one at Target for about 10 minutes and it reset twice so I figured it was unstable and if was going to get one I should wait a good long while. Then the lack of games for the PS3 struck me, then I went home and watched a DVD and realized that it looks good enough so why am I excited about BluRay? I fell out of love with the PS3 really fast. I think Sony is going to cause a lot of people to buy Wiis.
I used to be on the Sony Bandwagon. I loved my PS2. I liked what they where saying about the PS3 with free multiplayer etc. Then this whole rootkit crap happened. Sony refused to respond to consumers and only caved once the lawsuits flooded in. Then Sony pushed back the PS3 launch and pushed up the price. Then Sony pushed a company out of business just because they sold games and hardware out of region. What a racket that is anyways. Now Sony has reliability problems and they just lie some more to cover themselves. All of this pushed me to buy an XBox 360. I really didn't want to but I'm glad I did. So what if I have to pay to play online? At least my console works. At least it was hundreds of dollars less expensive. I'm tired of Sony's crap. Even if it means I have to buy MS crap; I'm never buying Sony crap again. Death to Sony!
...to play clown music in my mind. It all makes sense then.
I think Microsoft already patented that technique. They'll be hearing from MS lawyers.
[alk]
Look... when you're at a store-even if you're at a Sony Playstation Store-and a clerk tells you some technical detail that sounds absurd? Ignore it.
This is a story about a dumb retail clerk spouting off garbage to sound smart. If I had a nickel for every time this happened to me, I'd be wearing an italian-designed suit made of Euros anddriving a SUV made from US dollars.
The PS3 has some manufacturing defects. Holy crap, shock, and fear. New hardware has defects. This has happened before, it has happened again. If you're concerned about the PS3's future stability, look to updated and replaced Xbox 360s, which are now quite stable.
One thing I have noticed though. Lots of people tell me their PS3 "locks up a lot". But examining the physical location of their unit, it's in an entertainment center with no airflow. Both the PS3 manual and the Xbox 360 manual clearly said you needed some space around the machines and to make sure there is airflow. The machine heats up, it breaks. Same as any other computer. Once they move it out, they generally experience fewer problems. I'm 3/3 on this. Not that it's an excuse or something you can generally extrapolate from, but it's something to consider.
Slashdot. It's Not For Common Sense
As a law student, I'll certify to the limits of my knowledge of the issues that wikipedia is a good source for getting "a sense" of the law. Here's a good example. The shopkeeper's privlege is NOT statutory, it is part of the common-law tradition which is used in almost the entire United States (I believe Louisiana is on purely statutory system, but I'm not stopping to check, so don't quote me on that).
From the Article:
A store owner holds the common law shopkeeper's privilege, under which he is allowed to detain a suspected shoplifter on store property for a reasonable period of time, with cause to believe that the person detained in fact committed, or attempted to commit theft of store property. The shopkeeper's privilege, although recognized in most jurisdictions, is not as broad a privilege as that of a police officer's, and therefore one must pay special attention to the temporal element -- that is, the shopkeep may only detain the suspected criminal for a relatively short period of time. So, to sumarize - most store owners and employees granted the task (ie managers and security guards) can require that you stop and allow them to examine your person for goods when there is a reason to do so. This has been upheld even in cases involving "general" suspicion, where a guard checks every person or random persons on their way out.Since the guard would have the legal right to retain your presence under reasonable circumstances (can't gang tackle you on your way out) if you respond by threatening violence, you are subject to a suit for: (dun dun duh dun!) Common Assault.
A quick guide to tortious assualt can be found - Here
As a note to the officer above, these are both tortious acts, not criminal - hence no requirement for a statute. They can be governed by common law which is more permissive and allows (broad brush stroke here) only cash damages.
-GiH
The previous statements are nuance deprived - see your lawyer for details.
i get it... it's a joke...wiiiiiiiii right?!?!?!
my site of misleading and incorrect information!
While I agree that content trumps loading times, significant load times can substantially mar an otherwise exceptional gaming experience. If the game's goal is immersion (which is most games), significant loading can jolt you out of the experience. Suikoden V could have competed in the "game of the year" catagory, but its load times significantly altered the gameplay experience: you didn't feel the desire to walk around and explore quite so much, all you wanted to do was get to the next place and get the loading times over with. Now, I know this is an extreme (10 second load times every 5 seconds, in spots), but to a lesser degree, it effects quite a few games.
I hate it when people talk about entertainment products, as if the companies are doing as little as humanly possible. Behind those games are designers with a sense of personal pride, and intrigue. The first and foremost audience for their work is themselves. Even if you're put on a shitty project like making a blockbuster movie spinoff, the designers are trying to make the best thing they can with the resources they have. Usually there's one guy at the top directing the project, like in the film industry, and his sensabilities will be the most prevolent in the game's design. He doesn't want to see ungodly load times as much as Spike Lee doesn't want to see bad acting. What I'm trying to say is that they're not doing JUST the bear minimum of what people will allow.
In the film industry, we've been able to partially bypass the notion of corporate-created-material, by putting names and faces to directors and producers, and saying "this is their movie"... and to a large extent, we're correct in doing so. Thankfully, we're starting to see that more and more in the game industry, with directors and design teams being at the foremost attention of gamers: Kojima, Will Wright, Miyamodo, Clover Studios. I'm thrilled to see this transition, as credit for games is given to individuals and design teams.
Multiplayer Gaming (defined): Sitting around, discussing single-player games with my friends, at the bar.