Sony to Add TV Tuner, DVR to PS3

pjhenley writes "Sony has announced that they will add digital TV and DVR capabilities to the PS3 in Europe. TV can also be watched on a PSP using 'remote play' over WiFi or via downloaded recordings. 'The new box will feature two 1080p tuners, which utilize the European Digital Video Broadcasting system (DVB-T) -- which should dash any US hopes for the time being. The system will allow you to store recorded broadcasts on your PS3 drive, and also transcode and transfer the saved files to your PSP.'"

Comments

Before anyone starts to complain

[MemoryDragon]

We europeans pay around 700-900 USD for the PS3

Re:Before anyone starts to complain

[Anonymous Coward]

i dont know about the US, but in europe the VAT isnt 50% (comparing the $599 and up to $900 prices). the $700 would be closer, since VAT here (holland) is 19%, which would be close to the 17% the $700 price represents

but as for US VATs, what are normal VAT rates? wikipedia suggest between 0-9.75%, typically 8.5%

which still ends up being less then half the VAT of what we pay here, so we still get screwed

Re:Before anyone starts to complain

[hansg]

And that's just weird to me as a European (if there is such a thing, I'm Swedish, never really think of myself as European).

Including the VAT in the list price makes more sense to me, at least for consumer goods.
Then I know what I have to pay. /Hans

Re:Before anyone starts to complain

[meringuoid]

Fair point, but I think you are forgetting something - you are comparing the prices based on if you are an American trying to buy a product in the UK, in which case the exchange rate would be against you.

The exchange rate that ought to be of interest here is that against the yen, Sony being a Japanese firm. If the dollar is unusually strong against the yen at a time while the pound is weak, then we should expect Americans to get a good deal and Britons to get a poor one. But the contrary is true: at present the dollar is weak and the pound is very strong. If anything, the PS3 should be substantially cheaper in Britain.

The truth is that Sony will charge whatever the market will pay, and the market in Britain is well-known for its tolerance for blatant rip-offs.

I gotta say

[Pojut]

I love the PS3 for all of it's capabilities (especially since I also have a PSP) I think it's a very well built, very well designed machine that has a lot of potential. It's non-gaming feature list is extensive and USEFUL.

So why do I still very much prefer my 360 over my PS3?

Games. The fucking games.

Come on Sony. We all know that it's a powerful beast of a machine, we know it can do a lot of cool shit...but how about investing in some more quality GAMES? My 360 gets FAR more playtime than my PS3...why?

BECAUSE THERE IS NOTHING TO PLAY, SONY.

Re:I gotta say

[Pojut]

See, that's just the thing though....look at what is coming to 360 or 360/PC in the next year (I'm including BioShock in that which, by the way, is one of the best games ever made)

Now look at what is coming to the PS3 in the next year.

I gotta say, just looking at what is on the schedule to be released in the next year, unless something unannounced comes out, it appears my 360 will continue to be putting in overtime while my PS3 takes vacations for months at a time...

Re:I gotta say

[*weasel]

Saying things might change in the future just doesn't matter. If it -does- turn around, it can be re-evaluated whenever that -actually- happens.

And odds are by the PS3 makes sense, it'll be cheaper to have bought a 360 or wii today and a PS3 then, rather than buy a PS3 today and twiddle your thumbs in the interim. Gamers like games. They don't gain anything by denying themselves games in some odd form of platform loyalty.

That whole 'fan' thing is just silly.
It used to be XBox fans defending claims that their console has a worse selection of games with lines like:
'but it's more powerful!'
'b-b-but A/V quality'
'its doing better than the PS2 did at the same point in its release!'
and
'just wait until A and B killer titles release'

And now it's almost perfectly reversed.
Proving once again that people who talk about platforms and potential rather than games are only useful as comic relief.

Re:I gotta say

[MBraynard]

There are two flaws with your evaluation. I can't believe you got modded 5.

First, you don't buy games based on the percentage of all games that are over 80, you buy games that are over 80 (assuming that means good). So 360 has the most games over 80 - 3 times as many as PS3.

As a more complicated evaluation, you should not necessarily include cross platform in evaluating 360/PS3 unless there is a substantial difference in the games. This is what is bringing the 360 down - the cross platforms average higher than 80 - so if you remove them, PS3 will have even less games over 80 and possibly a lower percentage over 80.

The crux of this is the number matters, not the percentage. There was a massive amount of shovelware for the PS1/PS2 - remember? But that didn't detract from GTA, etc.

Re:The reasoning

[Highroller]

It's an awesome Blu-ray player and looks amazing on a HD television. Do yourself a favor a check one out at the store before you pass judgement.

Re:US doesn't have real standard yet?

[dan the person]

Why is it that the US, which is one country, apparently has so much more trouble to deploy some decent standards than Europe, which is a pretty loosely held together bunch of countries which couldn't be more different from each other?

Because the EU isn't afraid to regulate when the market fails its citizens?