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PlayStation Blog Entries Define Sony Battle Plan

Posted by Zonk on from the taking-the-fight-to-the-front dept.

Two new posts have appeared on Sony's PlayStation blog, and they mark a significant step forward for the company's efforts to bridge the gap between players and the company. Even their competitors are lauding the decision to join the discussion online. Maybe Nintendo will be next? 1up, in the meantime, offers links to both stories and culls the best content from both entries. From a post by SCEA president and CEO Jack Tretton: "We fully realize that past success is no guarantee of future success, but it does give you some perspective. We have to bring the games to market that will showcase what the PS3 can do and ultimately entertain you like no other games have. We need to provide proof of what the PS3 can do for you and work tirelessly to improve the value and justify your investment. At the end of the day, it's always been about the games. To push the boundaries of gaming beyond where they currently lie takes a great deal of risk. I think all the hardware manufacturers are doing that in some way."

63 comments

  1. Sex sells by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Seeing as how Sony is from Japan (land of the hentai), all they have to do is come up with an incredibly good-looking 3D real-time hentai game of some sort. Kinda like what Dead or Alive Xtreme does, but without the volleyball and go all the way with the girls. Just rate the damn game/simulation/whatever you want to call it "M", only adults can afford their system anyway.

    Sex sells.

    1. Re:Sex sells by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Seeing as how Sony is from Japan (land of the hentai), all they have to do is come up with an incredibly good-looking 3D real-time hentai game of some sort. Kinda like what Dead or Alive Xtreme does, but without the volleyball and go all the way with the girls. Just rate the damn game/simulation/whatever you want to call it "M", only adults can afford their system anyway. Given the subject matter, I'm putting the AC bag over my head before opining. :) I'm surprised that this hasn't already been done. They certainly have a huge number of cheesy sex games out there to begin with, and the license holders are more than willing to let their property be used in such fashion. Gainax of Evangelion fame produces their own EVA-themed pr0n. Since the audience is already sexually fetishizing over cartoon and CGI characters, the characters already look the part. And since CGI meshes for characters tend to include full-body skins, there you go. Of course, the Japanese are into a lot of really, really sick shit so we'd likely see these games go into areas that would result in murder charges if done with real actors.

      I don't really see any of this as a good thing, nor am I advocating it, there's just a sad little thrill in predicting just how low a society will sink before it gets there.
    2. Re:Sex sells by Zantetsuken · · Score: 2, Informative
      They already do - in fact its the biggest type of game over there. Except that most tend to be really only slide shows with some crappy story and make a decision (Do A or Do B? Say Y or X?). And the few 3d ones that do exist are based on some shitty action game-play more than sex. Oh, and did I mention that the majority of these (at least if you want h-scenes) tend to be on PC only?

      Even if they did make a few with really good graphic textures in 3d - I think there's too much difference in the cultures.
      1. Walmart doesn't sell porn games with the rest
        1. The mainstream porn buying American/Euro guy would probably find getting off on h-anime and ero-games just too damned weird.
        2. Theres a good chance that the anime loving college otaku would be too ashamed to go buy it
      3. The biggest reason is that Sony would be too worried about their image to allow the making/selling of large amounts of such "Dating Sim" games. The gaming industry already gives Jack-ass Thompson enough fodder for his arguments to the courts and general public with violence in games - right now this is like him having a .308 deer hunting rifle against the industry. Making large amounts of games to be sold in the US where the central focus is sex would be like giving him a 30mm chain-gun...
    3. Re:Sex sells by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I think such games would only re-inforce the "don't sell adult games to minor" idea, which could actually help production and sales of M-rated games.

      The fact that the girls in DOAX2 look so damn good but not being able to "do anything" with them seems like a pure tease to me. Go all the way and rate the game M instead.

    4. Re:Sex sells by Applekid · · Score: 2, Interesting

      The fact that the girls in DOAX2 look so damn good but not being able to "do anything" with them seems like a pure tease to me.

      Congratulations! You've learned what some men with strip club addictions have yet to learn.

      I think the issue of sex in games in general is going to find it's way into the mainstream eventually. Maybe even within the next 25 years or so. Look at porn. Now just about every company's got at least part of it invested in providing either adult movies in hotel rooms to distribution of adult material to downright promotion. Adult actresses are making the jump over into mainstream films: the stigma is gone.

      Then again, the motion picture has been around for, what, 100 years? Video games have only been made viable for the past 40?

      --
      More Twoson than Cupertino
    5. Re:Sex sells by Dogtanian · · Score: 1

      Seeing as how Sony is from Japan (land of the hentai), all they have to do is come up with an incredibly good-looking 3D real-time hentai game of some sort. Yes, the Japanese *can* come up with Hentai games, but hopefully you didn't have one in mind like "Rapelay", then. Not its graphics are "incredibly good-looking" anyway.

      (Above link is almost certainly NSFW, BTW.)
      --
      "Slashdot - News and Chat Sites Deviant". (Click "homepage" link above for details).
    6. Re:Sex sells by SparkyFlooner · · Score: 2, Insightful

      "(Above link is almost certainly NSFW, BTW.)"

      This should read:

      "(Below link is almost certainly NSFW, BTW.)"

      and appear ABOVE the link. ...I'm just looking out for all the people who click links as they find them while reading from the top down.

    7. Re:Sex sells by FiloEleven · · Score: 1

      Right, because those who will click the link before reading the entirety of gp's comment will certainly read YOUR nested comment before clicking the link. ;)

      --
      Your brain is not a computer.
    8. Re:Sex sells by Carnildo · · Score: 1

      Anyone who clicks on a link from a Slashdot post without exercising due diligence deserves the goatse they've got coming to them.

      --
      "They redundantly repeated themselves over and over again incessantly without end ad infinitum" -- ibid.
    9. Re:Sex sells by DrEldarion · · Score: 1

      Anyone who clicks a link called "rapeplay" and think it'll be fine for work needs an introduction to reality.

    10. Re:Sex sells by Yosho · · Score: 1

      in fact its the biggest type of game over there

      Uh, no it's not. It's a small, niche genre that gets a lot of publicity in America just because it's so completely unlike anything here. In reality, go look at any top-ten game chart -- you will almost never see a hentai game or dating sim on the chart. Occasionally the absolute most popular ones (Tokimeki Memorial, for example) will make a mark, but most of them just fade away into oblivion. The charts are typically dominated by the (comparatively) squeaky-clean games produced by the likes of Square-Enix and Nintendo.

      --
      Karma: Terrifying (mostly affected by atrocities you've committed)
  2. So, they learned Common Sense 101? by VE3OGG · · Score: 2, Insightful

    "We fully realize that past success is no guarantee of future success, but it does give you some perspective. We have to bring the games to market that will showcase what the PS3 can do and ultimately entertain you like no other games have. We need to provide proof of what the PS3 can do for you and work tirelessly to improve the value and justify your investment. At the end of the day, it's always been about the games. To push the boundaries of gaming beyond where they currently lie takes a great deal of risk. I think all the hardware manufacturers are doing that in some way." Seriously, this has got to be one of the most obvious business 101 comments I have ever heard from a multi-national, multi-billion dollar-a-year, multimedia-electronics mega supercorp.

    Now, what I can't decide is this: did they actually just figure this out (doubtful...) or did marketing decide to restate the doesn't-deserve-to-be-restated obvious in hopes of getting a bunch of people to nod their heads and say: "yep, Sony is definitely now a contender in this race (I'm willing to put money on it...).

    *Sigh*
    1. Re:So, they learned Common Sense 101? by twistedsymphony · · Score: 0, Flamebait

      ...or did marketing decide to restate the doesn't-deserve-to-be-restated obvious in hopes of getting a bunch of people to nod their heads and say: "yep, Sony is definitely now a contender in this race (I'm willing to put money on it...).
      Sony's been all talk and no action this generation and I think most people have woken up to that fact, and I think for most that's a much larger factor then just Sony "losing touch" with the market. I honestly don't think a blog is really what they need right now nor do I think it's really going to change anyone's mind.
      --
      Collector's Edition
    2. Re:So, they learned Common Sense 101? by cbreaker · · Score: 1

      I don't see this as a bad idea. I don't know why you think it is. You know, a company can do more then one thing at a time.

      I don't give any credence to all this "generation" crap.

      --
      - It's not the Macs I hate. It's Digg users. -
    3. Re:So, they learned Common Sense 101? by powerlord · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Now, what I can't decide is this: did they actually just figure this out (doubtful...) or did marketing decide to restate the doesn't-deserve-to-be-restated obvious in hopes of getting a bunch of people to nod their heads and say: "yep, Sony is definitely now a contender in this race (I'm willing to put money on it...).


      Actually, while of course the statement is obvious business 101, it is a fair reaction to a lot of the media's criticism of "Sony's arrogance."

      If you get bashed for saying "we've won in the past and we'll win again", and get bashed for saying "we've won in the past, but we realize that means we still have to fight", what exactly do you EXPECT them to say?
      --
      This space for rent. All reasonable inquiries will be entertained at proprietors discretion.
    4. Re:So, they learned Common Sense 101? by Proud+like+a+god · · Score: 1

      Maybe some expect them not to flip flop and cater to the moment, but maybe show a considered plan and stick to it? But then maybe they'll just never please everyone anyway, let alone all at the same time, or one after another.

    5. Re:So, they learned Common Sense 101? by twistedsymphony · · Score: 1

      It's not that I think it's a bad idea I just think it's effort spent that could have been better spent elsewhere.

      I have no problem with a blog, and keeping your customers informed about what is on your mind is always a good thing to do IMO... my point isn't that it's a bad thing, it's that Sony has promised a lot this generation, and so far they've only delivered a very small fraction of what they've promised. I guess I just see the blog as another place for them to talk about how great their console will be at some uncertain point in time down the road. Meanwhile there are customers using their PS3s as nothing more then Protein folders while they wait for something... anything.

      If they were using this blog as a vehicle to talk straight and start showing off the few titles that are available now and maybe worth owning a PS3 for. But reading through the posts on the blog so far all I see is the same PR and corporate jargon that I've been listening to since they announced the PS3.

      I WANT to like the PS3... I WANT them to deliver the best damn games in the world... and I WANT them to give me games that encourage me to march to the store and hand over $600+ of hard earned cash... A blog isn't going to do that for me, I could care less what some corporate suit says about potential and their market position compared to last generation. Give me something tangible, or at very least something beyond just words to whet my appetite.

      --
      Collector's Edition
    6. Re:So, they learned Common Sense 101? by brkello · · Score: 0, Troll

      Not maybe. You can't please everyone...period. Particularly people who are pre-wired to hate Sony and tear apart anything they do or say. Like, for example, many of the vocal people on Slashdot.

      --
      Support a great indie game: http://www.abaddon360.com
    7. Re:So, they learned Common Sense 101? by Tol+Dantom · · Score: 1

      Seriously. They pretty much said, "We've decided that people buy systems to play games, so we are going to make games that people want to buy so they will buy systems and games." As to your question, we already know about Sony's attitude towards blogs and their audience.

    8. Re:So, they learned Common Sense 101? by feedmetrolls · · Score: 0

      In Soviet Russia, Sony hates you!

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      You are reading a sig. Cancel or allow?
    9. Re:So, they learned Common Sense 101? by dukieduke · · Score: 1

      "If you get bashed for saying "we've won in the past and we'll win again", and get bashed for saying "we've won in the past, but we realize that means we still have to fight", what exactly do you EXPECT them to say?"

      Uncle.

  3. Meh. by WarlockD · · Score: 1, Interesting
    Less talk, more games.

    The fact of the matter is they need some GOOD exclusive to bring this system from near death. Sure its a Blue-Ray movie player, cheaper than normal players even, but its supposed to be a game system first. As it stands now, most games I want to play have cross platform with the 360 or the PC, so why bother with the PS3 in the US?

    Jack goes on to remind readers there are 15 PS3 games coming from internal studios by the end of the year and over 100 total (including third=party).
    ...and how many of them are cross platform? Meh. PS3 is doing well in other countries only because Microsoft never localizes well.
    1. Re:Meh. by nomadic · · Score: 1

      The fact of the matter is they need some GOOD exclusive to bring this system from near death. Sure its a Blue-Ray movie player, cheaper than normal players even, but its supposed to be a game system first.

      Eh, I'm buying one, and I think gaming comes in last (BD first, linux box/media center for my HDTV second, games third).

    2. Re:Meh. by moderatorrater · · Score: 1

      I know that the Playstation 3 isn't selling as well as Sony would hope, but "dying" seems a bit premature when their last console cycle was 7 years. The Xbox 360 waited over a year for Gears of War, which many consider to be the first game that pushed the hardware (and it didn't push it that well). The PS3, by that standard, has until early next year to come out with something on the PS3 that looks like it couldn't be done on another console.

      In other words, it's sick, but saying that it's dying is premature IMHO.

    3. Re:Meh. by crabbz · · Score: 3, Informative

      Here is a list of known exclusive titles. But of course many don't have release dates yet. http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=85 8296

    4. Re:Meh. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      7 years? Depends how you look at it. The xbox 1 was only out in Europe for 3.5 years before being discontinued and obsoleted. And whilst the cycle might have been 7 years for Sony it was only 2 years for Sega...

      Yeah, claims of death are premature, but I'm just pointing out that there's a pretty high death rate among consoles...

  4. Technically... by MeanderingMind · · Score: 1

    ...The Super Smash Bros: Brawl website is a blog of sorts.

    It's not a blog in the sense of "This is the random thoughts of Brawl's director uncensored by Nintendo", but it has a modified blog format.

    In any case, the most important part of communication between a company and its customers isn't the medium, it's the message. I don't mean the literal meaning of the message, but every aspect of that message. Is it respectful? Does it make sense? Is it what the customer wants? I could care less if Sony uses blogs or direct2mind messaging systems. If their message is "chickens eat potatoes" the medium isn't going to matter.

    --
    Thunderclone: ONE MAN ENTERS! TWO MEN LEAVE! ONE MAN ENTERS! TWO MEN LEAVE!
  5. At least they admit it by Bagggy · · Score: 3, Interesting

    I recently went from being a big sony fan to losing all faith (well maybe not so recent, when PS3's pricetag showed up I lost it). While not saying it directly, they basically said that maybe they took PS3's extra capabilities too far and lost focus. And they're saying they want to refocus on games. Well, that sounds good to me. Hopefully its not just talk and they'll start pulling themselves out of this mess. A small part of me still wants to like them.

    1. Re:At least they admit it by cbreaker · · Score: 3, Insightful

      The PS3 is an amazing little machine. In the days of new video cards costing nearly as much as a PS3, I don't really buy the whole price tag thing. Not too many people complain about the Xbox 360 price and it was only $100 cheaper. Factor in that you don't have to pay for a monthly subscription to do online things on the PS3, and the fact that it's a really cool machine with more capabilities, it evens out quickly.

      But if you want to just focus in on the bullet point, that's your decision.

      --
      - It's not the Macs I hate. It's Digg users. -
    2. Re:At least they admit it by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I agree. Why would anyone buy a PS3 just to play games? Of all the bullet points the PS3 has that seems to be the least important. Thank you for putting everything back in perspective for us.

    3. Re:At least they admit it by SparkyFlooner · · Score: 1

      The 360 is $200 cheaper. (I dare you to find me a PS3 20GB).

      Also, you don't have to pay a monthly fee for online pay. $50 for a year (which is 4 bucks a month)

      Also, being a 'cool machine with more capabilities' means squat when all the cool games are on the other system.

      Also, most people don't get the $600 top of the line ultimate video card. They get the cheaper cousin that does just about the same thing.

      I'm sure all the PS3 owners are still waiting for it to even out. quickly.

    4. Re:At least they admit it by Super_Z · · Score: 1

      The 360 is $200 cheaper. (I dare you to find me a PS3 20GB). Also, you don't have to pay a monthly fee for online pay. $50 for a year (which is 4 bucks a month) [..] I'm sure all the PS3 owners are still waiting for it to even out. quickly.
      Which it actually will in around ($200/$50) 4 years time..
    5. Re:At least they admit it by buzzzz · · Score: 1

      I agree with you. Especially with the buzzzz Apple gets with a 500$ iPhone. If millions of people can buy a 500$ phone, I am sure the PS3 is worth the 600$.

      It's just bad press combined with the fact that most games are in the "coming soon" category. That looks like it's going to change come holiday season.

    6. Re:At least they admit it by Dan+Ost · · Score: 1

      The 360 is $200 cheaper. (I dare you to find me a PS3 20GB).

      Also, you don't have to pay a monthly fee for online pay. $50 for a year (which is 4 bucks a month)

      Do you plan on playing your 360 online for the next 4 years? If so, then you've paid as much (more, if you factor in the inflation that will occur over the next 4 years) as you would have if you had bought a ps3.

      And this is why console price is a stupid thing to debate. In the long run, the price of the console becomes trivial compared to what is spent on games (purchased or rented) and online fees.

      Just food for thought.

      --

      *sigh* back to work...
    7. Re:At least they admit it by aafiske · · Score: 1

      "And this is why console price is a stupid thing to debate"

      I'm not sure about that. It is stupid to say one console is better than another because of price. But price does factor into the potential popularity and success of a console. And the PS3 is on the wrong side.

      It is simply too expensive right now. Because right now, I get a $600 brick, because none of the purchased or rented games and online fees I would have payed exist yet. Looking back in 5 years, it might have been a smart buy. In advance, not knowing what will come out for it that won't be out for the PC or Xbox360, it may not be such a wise purchase. And if everyone thinks like me, no one buys it, it gets no games, and our fear is fulfilled. That's why the price does matter.

    8. Re:At least they admit it by SparkyFlooner · · Score: 1

      You're both right, but this argument is about the current value of a PS3 vs a 360. What do I get when I leave the store with it today. When I got my 360, I got Dead Rising, Gears of War, and Dead or Alive 4 in the same week. (I also got my 360 Premium for 200 bucks, so yay me!) I didn't find myself waiting around for a good 360 game to come out.

      If I got a PS3 today, I'd find myself thinking "Why did I pay 600 bucks for this?" Potential isn't worth 600 bucks, IMO. Further on down the line, if the PS3 proves itself and has cool games and all that, I'm sure I'll get one. But right now, the 360 is a much better deal than a PS3.

    9. Re:At least they admit it by Jeff+DeMaagd · · Score: 1

      People willing to pay $500-$600 for a game system are probably not the same market segment as those willing to spend the same on a phone. There is probably some overlap between the two markets, but you would need to suggest that the two products target the same market, but that's probably not true.

      I really don't think the fact that $600 video cards exist mean anything about whether a console at that price will be viable. Historically, consoles at that price generally did not succeed.

      BTW: I am considering a PS3 but I haven't made the decision just yet.

    10. Re:At least they admit it by buffer-overflowed · · Score: 2, Insightful

      A new video card only costs as much as a PS3 if you're going bleeding edge, like an 8800 GTX. The RSX in the PS3 is more comparable to a Nvidia 7800(a 7800GS w/256MB of RAM is about $170). A 320MB 8800 GTS, which you can get for $300, will spank it, much less a $600+ video card like an 8800 Ultra. The 7800 upper-end series cards still go for a ton of money for some reason, even though they're not state of the art anymore. You also have the option with all of those cards of plugging in another one and using SLI at a latter date. The G80 series will also push resolutions that make 1080p look like a joke.

      ATI has equivalents(and Crossfire SLI equivalent), and a price war is expected to begin by the end of the year.

      That's just the GPU. Now, how much for 256MB of DDR2 RAM? No idea, can't seem to find any. A 512MB stick of high quality DDR2 800 RAM is only $36 though. So, let's say $36 to get twice what the PS3 has.

      Only problem is the CPU. A core 2 extreme(quad) is overkill for a PS3 comparable machine, and something like a core 2 duo E6600 is stronger(for instance it has a ton more L2 and L1 cache) in some areas, but weaker in others. We'll assume an E6600 clocked to 3.2 GHz with a stock cooler is better for general computing tasks like Linux because well, it is. That's $220, and another $200 for a decent mainboard.

      Toss in a case+power supply for let's say $100 so we can get a nice one, a DVD-ROM for $5, and a 60GB PATA HDD for $50 and we have a PS3 minus the BDROM(unless you want a burner? $400). We're at $780(Only $180 over the price of the PS3s you can actually buy). But hey, in the right line of work(or a student), and with the right usage pattern, you can deduct the price(well depreciation I believe, over 5 years) of the machine over time, within reason(check with your accountant, which you have if you're not a child and don't consider $600 for a console too much money).

      This is how things stand now. BD burners and BD-ROMs will certainly drop in price, drastically, over time. RAM and other components get cheaper as time goes on as well. There is an expected price war between AMD and Intel, and NVidia and ATI within their mid->upper tier product spaces beginning this summer. The PS3 is not *that* much of a deal, especially as a general purpose computer. You can't upgrade it piecemeal over time, and it's not even that great of a value for that *right now*. And by the end of the year, PCs should pull well and truly ahead again.

      --
      The key to the enjoyment of pop music is to replace any instance of "love" with "C.H.U.D."
    11. Re:At least they admit it by Bagggy · · Score: 1

      I'll agree that including fees over time, a 360 may not really be any cheaper than a PS3, but unfortunately over time doesn't apply to my wallet. I don't own a 360 either because I can't lay down 400+ bucks on the table for just entertainment. If I were investing in a console it might matter, but there Then again, I'm a college student. But isn't that a large portion of the game industry's audience? Once again, my greatest wishes that PS3 will get its shit together, but until that day i'm out of the console business. My PC can play what it needs to, my PS2 is still kickin, and my room mate has a wii. That'll do for now.

    12. Re:At least they admit it by buzzzz · · Score: 1

      You ought to. Even without the games it's a complete media center and an amazing piece of hardware. If you can afford it, it will easily beat any expectation that you have from it. I just wish there were more games available NOW rather than later but I bought it knowing that I'll have to wait. :)

    13. Re:At least they admit it by Chris+Burke · · Score: 2, Informative

      In the days of new video cards costing nearly as much as a PS3, I don't really buy the whole price tag thing.

      Yeah, you'll notice that the graphics cards that cost that much are a niche product. The mainstream mass-market products are much cheaper. Whoa, just like the current console generation. Weird.

      Nobody who balks at the price of a PS3 is buying a $600 video card either.

      --

      The enemies of Democracy are
    14. Re:At least they admit it by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Longer, actually. Due to the wonder that is compound interest, paying $200 over 4 years can save you about $20 over paying up-front if you get a good interest rate. So really, you can up that to almost 4.5 years.

    15. Re:At least they admit it by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      No; what they're saying is they want to use games to "show you what the PS3 can do" -- they're still putting the bells and whistles ahead of the consumer, but now they're spinning it as a matter of games.

      Didn't Nintendo debut the Wii and say something pretty much exactly like "it's all about the games"?

    16. Re:At least they admit it by ShadowsHawk · · Score: 1

      Wow, so many things that are completely wrong here.

      1. Very few people buy $600 video cards. Stating anything else shows your ignorance as a console gamer. The most I personally have spent is $200 on a X1950 Radeon. As a result, I probably will not purchase any more upgrades. I'll wait 3 years or so and purchase an entirely new mid grade system.

      2. The PS3 is $200 more. They've already cut production on the low end model. $600-$400 = $200.

      3. Most PC gamers scoff at the idea of paying a monthly fee for online gaming. MMORPGs are the exception.

      No one denies that the PS3 is an impressive piece of machinery. However, like myself, many do not see it as a good RoI.

    17. Re:At least they admit it by xtracto · · Score: 1

      . In the days of new video cards costing nearly as much as a PS3, I don't really buy the whole price tag thing. Not too many people complain about the Xbox 360 price and it was only $100 cheaper.

      Lolz... I just yesterday went into a Virgin store, there you had, PS3 - £425, Xbox360 £275 Wii - £250. They were bundles, but of course the PS3 bundle was the machine + 1 game (of a 2 game list hehe), while the Xbox360 was the system + 2 games and the Wii was the system + 2 games + extra controller, etc etc.

      Besides that, what you could see in the PS3 stand were the PS3 boxes and just 3 or 4 different titles, on the Wii, it was the Wii boxes, some controllers, memory cards, and lets say 10 different titles... while on the Xbox360 you could see the console boxes, more than 25 titles (including the Guitar Hero biiig attention grabbing box) and plenty of other accessories... if I wasn't a Nintendo "fan" (because I am no hardcore player and I bought the Wii for the casual 1 hour playing I do some weekends) I would deffinitely spend £275 in the Xbox and the rest in several of the games for it... instead of spending £425 and pwning nothing but a good debt...

      --
      Ubuntu is an African word meaning 'I can't configure Debian'
    18. Re:At least they admit it by cbreaker · · Score: 1

      There's some really great games for the PS3.

      The only reason I can think of that someone would say that, would be pure fanboyism.

      --
      - It's not the Macs I hate. It's Digg users. -
    19. Re:At least they admit it by cbreaker · · Score: 1

      I value my entertainment, and the PS3 has been a fun system to own. Especially since they've done a lot to give it more features in terms of media playing over the network, etc.

      It plays PS2 games just fine, and they recently added the ability to upscale them so they look a little better on HDTV's. They also added a DVD upscaler option, which really does a good job of making your ordinary DVD's look better.

      The games look fantastic. Fight Night 3 looks great, sounds great. Medal of Honor is fantastic. And I like all the little games you can buy for a few bucks on the playstation store thing.

      My friend got a 360 a while back and I remember saying to myself "well, it looks better then an Xbox, at least..." I haven't said that about the PS3 yet. The games look a LOT better, they sound awesome on a surround system..

      I actually think the PS3 target audience is 20 somethings that have money to burn. I fall into that category so I guess it worked for me.

      --
      - It's not the Macs I hate. It's Digg users. -
    20. Re:At least they admit it by cbreaker · · Score: 2, Informative

      All those technical things don't matter, though. The PS3 is cutting edge for a game system. I exaggerated on the price a bit to make a point, but the fact that you can easily spend a grand on a medium-spec game machine, I don't see the big deal about the $599 for the PS3. You have to put it into perspective with the rest of the things that people buy right now. iPods that cost $300, HDTV's that cost $3200.. shit's expensive now.

      Yea, it would have been good if they priced the PS3 at $500. I believe they will soon enough, and that will remove the big "reason XBOX RULEZ" bullet point at the top of the list. But really, it doesn't matter. I like my PS3 and I'm glad I got it. It's a fun machine to own.

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      - It's not the Macs I hate. It's Digg users. -
    21. Re:At least they admit it by SparkyFlooner · · Score: 1

      Well, nothing that interests me. At least not until FF13 comes out. And since mine is the only opinion that matters to me on what makes a great game, I respectfully disagree with you. There's nothing on the PS3 I really care to play right now.

    22. Re:At least they admit it by cbreaker · · Score: 1

      1. ) Don't call me ignorant, you twit. I've been playing games on PC's before you were out of grade school. I was making a point, and you validated it: $200 for one single component in an entire PC is supposed to dispel it? If you want to get into an argument about who's more old school, why don't you tell me what a fossil driver is, or what KALI was, how many VL Bus video cards you owned.. or shit, what GLide was...

      2. ) $100, $200. Doesn't really matter. Buy a few games, controllers, and it washes out quickly.

      3. ) Most people in general, not only PC gamers, hate the idea of monthly fees just to use something. If I don't use my PS3 for two months, I don't pay for two months. And do you think Microsoft will leave Xbox live as cheap as it is if they manage to dominate the console market? Look what they did with Windows and Office.. $$$

      If you've never actually used a PS3, you might think it's not worth the extra few initial dollars. It's expensive, sure. I'd like to have paid $100 for it, yup. But it's a fun machine, you should play one some day.

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      - It's not the Macs I hate. It's Digg users. -
    23. Re:At least they admit it by cbreaker · · Score: 1

      lolz rofl lmao!!!!!111111111

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      - It's not the Macs I hate. It's Digg users. -
    24. Re:At least they admit it by cbreaker · · Score: 1

      Okay fanboy.

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      - It's not the Macs I hate. It's Digg users. -
    25. Re:At least they admit it by SparkyFlooner · · Score: 1

      Dude, it's real simple.

      None of the games on the PS3 right now appeal to me. When God of War 3, FF13, and MGS come out, I'll own a PS3. But in the meantime, paying 600 bucks for a system that has no games I want to play just to WAIT for the games I DO want to play is stupid.

      I may as well wait until I will actually PLAY the thing to PAY for the thing.

  6. Production Costs by HowDoIDesu · · Score: 2, Insightful

    What they need to figure out how to do is to cut the production cost for the system so it can be sold for a lower price which will encourage sales. Once more units are sold, there'll be more incentive for developers to develop games. As for cutting production costs, I've not a clue how they'd go about it.

    1. Re:Production Costs by DrXym · · Score: 0
      What they need to figure out how to do is to cut the production cost for the system so it can be sold for a lower price which will encourage sales. Once more units are sold, there'll be more incentive for developers to develop games. As for cutting production costs, I've not a clue how they'd go about it.

      I believe they're already doing that. Some people think that the PS3 costs what iSuppli said 9 months ago. This is clearly cannot be the case by a long shot. Sony are selling blue laser diodes (for example) for $7-8 wholesale. Whatever issues existed back then do not exist any more. It seems likely that an entire BD player isn't going to cost anywhere near the $125 iSuppli had down and probably $50 or less seems more plausible with the price dropping further. Same for components like RSX & Cell where if the yield goes up, the price can drop significantly. Further cuts can be made by dropping the PS2 hardware for emulation (as seen in the PAL PS3). And they're going to 65nm which could increase yields further and open up other savings (e.g. smaller PSU, heatsink and maybe even a smaller form factor).

      It wouldn't surprise me if they're at or past break even. That said I have no idea when they'll drop the price and take some red to get more sales. My naive guess would be the end of 3rd quarter in time for Christmas, with a fairly decent catalogue of games to support it. If they can knock $100 or $150 off the price they will see a lot more sales. Though I expect that Microsoft will respond with their own price drop if it happens.

      I don't think that $600 is actually bad value considering what the system can do, but it does look expensive compared to other consoles.

    2. Re:Production Costs by Xest · · Score: 1

      A good start would be reading what they themselves wrote - that it's all about the games, that is, remove the Bluray drive and drop the price by £100 - £150. Personally I really don't care about it, when HD movies really matter to me I'll buy a player, or in fact, more likely, I'll just stream them/download them from some video download service (kinda like MS' XBox live video marketplace if they ever expand it outside the US).

    3. Re:Production Costs by Nazmun · · Score: 1

      At this point removing the drive at most will save $60 off the production cost (specific drive related components--was $125 during the shortage and launch of ps3). Everything else required for the player is redundant in the system. The cell is a powerful processor that can handle any codecs without any extra specialized decoding chips. The video output hardware (any digital to analog converters as well) are also redundant.

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      Hmmm... Pie...
    4. Re:Production Costs by tepples · · Score: 1

      The cell is a powerful processor that can handle any codecs without any extra specialized decoding chips. At how many kilojoules or watt-hours per movie?
  7. Better controller by jkro · · Score: 0

    Apart of winning back alienated gamers, PS3 needs a better controller as well, at least with the PS2 features. Unfortunately, it might be too late for that.

  8. Lessons of History by SkyFalling · · Score: 1

    Don't they know that no plan of battle survives contact with the blogosphere?

  9. Sex doesn't sell in Japan... by patio11 · · Score: 2, Informative

    ... not on the scale that Sony needs. Look at how squeaky-freaking-clean Nintendo, full of such racy fare as Nintendogs and Brain Training, is dominating the sales charts. My friend looked at the Famitsu Top 30 a few weeks (?) ago -- 4 games, FOUR, were on a non-Nintendo system. Where are the hentai games? Answer: sitting in some store in Akihabara serving a very niche audience, the very existence of which embarasses people and which is not enough to sustain a multi-national like Sony. Take a look at Microsoft, with She Kicks High and their other various "We're edgy and sexy but not porn" marketing moves, for how that is likely to play out in America: sell well to hormone-fueled teenagers (if you marry it to a good game), the core gaming market already, but not move a blue ocean like Nintendo is doing.

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    Help poke pirates in the eyepatch, arr.
  10. Subject by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Sony, your words mean nothing. You lost our trust on that long ago. Now act. Put your money where your mouth is, and do it yesterday, or don't come knocking again.