Another thing that would help the sales is if they had some that didn't require huge amounts of memory and beefy graphics cards. I love those things and would have them if I could afford them, but I can't. The only thing stopping me from being a WoW nerd is my specs.
Your PC can't play WoW? Can it at least play Starcraft?
Seriously. Factor 5 did a real good job with that, and at this point you could buy a Used Gamecube and Rogue Squadron II (It was a launch title) for $60.
What lag? You've been playing the game online?
Don't you mean a dropping frame rate? Since when is an unstable frame rate called lag?
I believe he means the lack of responsiveness (or lag) between the controller and the system. If there is a time delay between the controller and the game (so it executes your commands at a noticable delay) then the game would be lagging...
What exactly is less than fantastic about the sixaxis as a remote?
F) the triangle button brings up all those on-screen options to do other fancy setup stuff I've almost never done with a remote anyway.
Perhaps I should have clarified. The triangle is largely the issue. Rather than organize functions in a logical maner, under the viewable area of the movie (like the BluRay menus do) they throw it up on the screen and overlay over 25% of your viewable area.
If you only do the basic functions of pause, play, scene advance, you CAN get by just fine with the sixaxis, but the remote is still preferable.
They're both nice consoles, and I could afford both... but there's a definite Wife Acceptance Factor problem with getting more than one console in a year.
Funny thing though, I spend more time playing original xbox games (Jade Empire, Halo 2, Psychonauts) on my 360 than 360 titles.
I just went through that this summer! I went through a spell of old Xbox games, Both Max Paynes are good (and cheap) as is Panzer Dragoon Orta (all BC and under $10). Then a buddy loaned me Oblivion... That pretty much turned into a life hobby.:)
Use the Wii to make gaming a family activity, and get the kid and your wife to game with you. All the fun of "in-person" multiplayer, without needing to invite people over.
And even if the Wii gaming isn't your cup of tea... if your family likes it, the Wii may be the trojan horse that opens them up to the possibility of a 360 or PS3 for you... maybe even one for Christmas:)
The Cell processor definitely has a raw horsepower advantage over the rather standard PowerPC in the 360. 8 cores beats 2 any day.
Well, 7 active (useable) and 1 redundant core in the Cell vs. the 3 (Active) cores in the 360. Point understood about More cores being better. One of the issues I see is that the PS3 has half the system RAM (256 megs) of the 360 (512 megs) so a game like Gears of War that uses all that RAM wouldn't be playable in its current form on the PS3.
Don't discount the whole multiple-DVDs vs. 1 BlueRay, either. Or the fact that the PS3 comes standard with a hard drive, allowing game manufacturers to cache textures to disk before they are needed ("streaming textures"), making gameplay smoother, with richer visuals.
If they actually use that extra space appropriately I can see that. However much of the added space is IMHO wasted. For example in Heavenly Sword there was a reported "10 gigs of Audio alone" and the game is supposed to take 6-10 hours to beat. Contrast that with Oblivion that still fits on a DVD9 despite a HUGE quest with tons of voice acting. The notion just reaks of Lazyness, or improper use of Codecs.
Saddly we'll get lots of those before we see someone really use that space. Hell a DVD9 could hold 83 minutes of VC1 Codec 1080p video (Same used in HD DVD or BluRay) so at what point will we see something that really pushes the boundries and doesn't "just fill the disk to say they did" ?
Then there's the sixaxis controller, which gives some interesting gameplay possibilities. For instance, in the upcoming Ratchet & Clank game, one of the weapons produces a tornado, which you control with the sixaxis, while using the more traditional controls as per usual. You can't do that on a 360.
True. Possibilities are there...
So, I think a more interesting question is, what technically can't be done on a PS3 that you can do on a 360? ("Halo III" is not an appropriate answer here, since that's a marketing thing, not a technical thing. A good point, but not technical.)
The Halo thing is kinda the rub. The Xbox and the Gamecube were both more capable hardware than the PS2 (more ram, better GPU, more CPU, built in HDD and Ethernet in the X-Box)...
They could do everything as good or better than the PS2... Except sell... the way the PS2 did... curious...
Many reviews keep stating that the PS3 may still be the best Blu-Ray player on the market, and entry-level Blu-Ray players start at $500. Many people don't care about Blu-Ray right this second, but after seeing a movie in true 1080p, I'm ready to buy a new TV and a PS3. For $500 I'm getting a good Blu-Ray player, with the gaming console/media server/web appliance thrown in for free.
Make sure you buy the Sony Remote. You CAN control the movie playback with the 6 Axis, but the interface is Ass-tastic. Also "Planet Earth" is still the Best to show off your HD display... (sound not so much, but Visually, it's breath taking...)
Most gamers don't see it that way, and that's fine. But for me, it is actually quite a value.
I'm in the same boat. I'm playing God of War (which upscales nicely), and watching movies mostly.
If you act quick you might be able to get a 60 gig PS3 for $350 and would still be eligable for the 5 Free BluRay Movies.
The PS3 still won't hit the value sweet spot for enough people to dig out of the market share hole it's in. There just aren't any exclusive titles comparable to what MS and Nintendo have for the holidays, $500 is still a lot of money."
Agreed.
There's also no reason to go and get the 80GB right now, like there is for the 60GB with the EE chip.
I disagree on the latter. There is a reason to get the 60 gig now... They are no longer producing them. If you are someone who puts a lot of value in the EE chip, then now may be the time to buy rather than taking your chances later with emulation.
I'm not a Sony fanboi, I waited in line for my Wii and ignored the PS3 launch completely. I want my games to be fun, not just pretty. (Which probably explains the old Atari 2600 in my living room) But I see interesting things in the PS3's future that I don't think the 360 will be able to match.
Please, don't take this as a Bash, but I honestly would like to know what you feel the PS3 is capable of in the future that the 360 can't match.
Off hand I can only think of one instance (aside from Multiple DVD's vs. 1 BluRay) and that's the Stranglehold Collectors edition that has a BluRay movie on the same disk as an Extra. What did you have in mind?
For some, it's a case where we're assuming (maybe foolishly) that the PS3 will eventually have some interesting and unique games that are otherwise unavailable on any of the other platforms. Examples of this for the PS2 for me would be Ico, Shadow of the Colossus, Ratchet and Clank, etc.
It's akin to asking why anyone bothered buying an original XBox, when there were so many more titles for the PS2? If you were a Halo fan, the answer was obvious.
The difference is Th X-Box launched with Halo. What "System Seller" is on the shelf right now for the PS3? Why buy a system for "maybe" ? Buy it with the game you have to have...
or Even $450... The 60 gig version with the EE chip is simply a much better value at the same price, I can't see them selling many 80 gig units at such an inflated price. Also with a comparatively weak software line up (yes there are good games, just not as many of them) they need to get the price down below $400 ASAFP.
okay if "true analog" is so much better then why keep using WASD? Keyboards aren't analog.
Honestly I have no idea. My hope is that the Wiimote + Nunchuck combo will meet its' potential and be superior to the Keyboard + Mouse set up. Quite simply WASD is inferior to Analog control, however in FPS games precision aiming is the more important function which the mouse trumps an analog stick.
In a perfect world we'd have the precision aiming of the Wiimote to at least match mouse pointer control and we'd have a good analog stick controlling movement so you can Run/Walk/Sneak appropriately, based on how you use the stick.
So Far Metroid Prime 3 is the closest to achieving this, however I've read good things about the controls in Medal of Honor Heroes 2 as well.
Huh? Heavenly Sword isn't out for another two weeks, has someone reviewed it already? If so, what's so bad about it? The demo is absolutely amazing, it's hard to imagine the finished game being that bad.
Yes, A number of people reviewed it, to mixed results. The 10 minute Demo (ok it's not timed, but crazy short) does make it "Feel" like this is a setup to be "Goddess of War", but according to the reviews, the best part (button mashing combat) is only about half the game, and it's a seriously short (like 6 hour) game.
The demo did pique my interest though. I think it would warrant a rent anyway, but I don't expect this being worth the $60 to put on my shelf based on the early reviews.
Pick up Resident Evil 4 for the Wii. I didn't play it earlier on the GC or PS2, so it was completely fresh to me anyway, but I really think the Wiimote is flat out perfect for that series. I always thought the RE series was boring, but it's great on the Wii. I haven't played any of the other shooters for Wii (they're all rehashed and uninspiring to me), but the Wiimote sure does work well for the close quarters tense zombie combat of RE4. For what it is, it's nearly a perfect game really.
Agreed. RE4 was nearly a perfect game on the Gamecube, then they added more missions (from the later PS2 version) and offered real tight control with the Wiimote. It's one of (if not THE) best game on Wii (and yes, I love Zelda also). If you DO like RE4 however for the suspense look up "Eternal Darkness" . The game is very good, and well worth the price (+ a Wavebird, and memory card).
Frankly, though, I don't really believe you. I am more inclined to believe the developers who are doing exactly what they did with the DS: Experimenting a bit and getting serious about the system. All the "real" HD in the world won't make up for the fact that no one who's played Metroid Prime 3 can stand the tedium of aiming with an analog stick anymore.
Then I'll be sure to beat Bioshock before I pick up Metroid Prime 3. Thanks for the tip!
Wii games cost less because they don't make the game as big, as long, or as in depth as they would for another console. I'm absolutely sure that the difference in costs between HD graphic development and regular is far less than 50%.
I suppose that depends on where you put your money. You can have an HD presentation and some of the best facial animations ever seen in a game, and yet end up with a 6 hour game.
They're saving money because they're making simpler games designed for your grandmother or your 5 year old.
Hopefully both.:-) Over Memorial Day weekend 3 generations of my family were playing WiiSports together. This would not have happened with any other system to date.
Also, your company want might to pay more attention to the "building up" of user bases. The rate at which the PS3 and Xbox 360 are selling combined is less than that of the Wii. Beyond the costs of multi-platforming your "real" games, you'll still be targeting a smaller user base when your games come out in a few years.
Combine that with the costs of Development. THQ's president that said a Wii game cost between 25% - 50% of a 360 title...
So you can sell to a larger install base AND develop 2-4 games for the same investment? To combat this MS, and Sony need to get their install base much higher, and much quicker (or at least more profitable VIA microtransactions and such) than Nintendo, or the Wii will soon become the PS2 of this generation.
Brand loyalty amongst gamers is the dumbest thing ever conceived. You miss out on so much by being "loyal" and by not delving into other systems that it makes you very much like the all-show-no-go crowd that emerged after The Fast and the Furious...
Brand loyalty isn't so bad, I think you are lashing against the Rabbid Fanboyism though which is (I agree) quite dumb. Brand Loyalty however could get people to cross platforms and "blur the lines" of Fanboy-hood.
Let's say you really like Final Fantasy... Which system should you buy? Some would say the PS2 and others the DS.
The PS3 was nearly even in sales for one month (July) which also saw a "price cut" (really a closeout price). Xbox 360 saw a price cut this month (an actual price cut, not a phasing out of a version of the console), so we'll have to wait and see what the August numbers look like. The 360 also had several big games this month (Bioshock and Madden08 -- say what you will about people buying the same game year over year, but Madden is a huge system seller), and the Halo 3 madness is already gearing up which should drive sales at least through the holiday season. The PS3's increase in sales was a fluke, nothing more.
Obviously hardware is better than emulation, but the fact is that the emulation is quite good right now and will be god damn close to perfect in the future.
"A bird in hand is worth two in the bush." The issue with that is YES, it will get better in the future, but you can have nearly flawless now. In fact the PS3 with the EE chip is MORE compatible with PS2 games than the PS2 slimline since they added a patch for HDD games like Final Fantasy XI.
I do realize that the hardware PS3s upscale just as well as the software versions, but they are decidedly inferior in many respects, such as heat and noise.
Any links on that? I believe you as it makes sence the EE chip when used with the Cell and the HDD would generate more heat than the Cell and HDD by themselves (and thus run the fan more creating more noise), but I would hope that if primary processing is done on the EE chip, the Cell, and HDD would be practically dormant. If you have a link stating otherwise I would be interested in reading it.
Take the tennis game for example. Yes, you swing the Wiimote rather than pressing a button, but that's all you are doing in effect. It doesn't measure the angle you swing at or anything, it is just timing. You hit at the right time and you get the ball to go where you want. This is the same thing you did with an older, button pressing style game, just using a different action.
Timing is important,yes, but so is your angle and how you manipulate the remote. You can pinpoint where you want the ball to go through your swing (attributed to timing, yes) but also the way you "strike the ball" dictates whether there is spin on it, and how much.
What will sell me is when I see a good game that uses the controller to really enhance the experience. Something where I go "Nope, couldn't see this working well on a pad/mouse/keyboard/joystick/whatever." So far, I haven't seen that.
I found The Godfather, Tiger Woods, Madden, and RE4 improved by the WiiMote. Yes, you can play all these games with more traditional controls elsewhere if you like, but the experience is enhanced by the remote.
Slashdot Mirror
Your PC can't play WoW? Can it at least play Starcraft?
Holy shit, I never even considered this a possibility. Is there any video evidence of this? I'd love to see it if there is. Thanks!
Will this come with a "next gen" version of the ... ummmmm periferal ?
Seriously. Factor 5 did a real good job with that, and at this point you could buy a Used Gamecube and Rogue Squadron II (It was a launch title) for $60.
I believe he means the lack of responsiveness (or lag) between the controller and the system. If there is a time delay between the controller and the game (so it executes your commands at a noticable delay) then the game would be lagging...
F) the triangle button brings up all those on-screen options to do other fancy setup stuff I've almost never done with a remote anyway.
Perhaps I should have clarified. The triangle is largely the issue. Rather than organize functions in a logical maner, under the viewable area of the movie (like the BluRay menus do) they throw it up on the screen and overlay over 25% of your viewable area.
If you only do the basic functions of pause, play, scene advance, you CAN get by just fine with the sixaxis, but the remote is still preferable.
Is Warhawk worth buying if you have a PS3 (IE: A good game)? or is it Worth buying a PS3 and the game in 1 purchase? (IE: A system seller)
My impression is that it was the former, not the latter.
I just went through that this summer! I went through a spell of old Xbox games, Both Max Paynes are good (and cheap) as is Panzer Dragoon Orta (all BC and under $10). Then a buddy loaned me Oblivion... That pretty much turned into a life hobby. :)
And even if the Wii gaming isn't your cup of tea... if your family likes it, the Wii may be the trojan horse that opens them up to the possibility of a 360 or PS3 for you... maybe even one for Christmas :)
Well, 7 active (useable) and 1 redundant core in the Cell vs. the 3 (Active) cores in the 360. Point understood about More cores being better. One of the issues I see is that the PS3 has half the system RAM (256 megs) of the 360 (512 megs) so a game like Gears of War that uses all that RAM wouldn't be playable in its current form on the PS3.
If they actually use that extra space appropriately I can see that. However much of the added space is IMHO wasted. For example in Heavenly Sword there was a reported "10 gigs of Audio alone" and the game is supposed to take 6-10 hours to beat. Contrast that with Oblivion that still fits on a DVD9 despite a HUGE quest with tons of voice acting. The notion just reaks of Lazyness, or improper use of Codecs.
Saddly we'll get lots of those before we see someone really use that space. Hell a DVD9 could hold 83 minutes of VC1 Codec 1080p video (Same used in HD DVD or BluRay) so at what point will we see something that really pushes the boundries and doesn't "just fill the disk to say they did" ?
True. Possibilities are there...
The Halo thing is kinda the rub. The Xbox and the Gamecube were both more capable hardware than the PS2 (more ram, better GPU, more CPU, built in HDD and Ethernet in the X-Box)...
They could do everything as good or better than the PS2... Except sell... the way the PS2 did... curious...
Make sure you buy the Sony Remote. You CAN control the movie playback with the 6 Axis, but the interface is Ass-tastic. Also "Planet Earth" is still the Best to show off your HD display... (sound not so much, but Visually, it's breath taking...)
I'm in the same boat. I'm playing God of War (which upscales nicely), and watching movies mostly.If you act quick you might be able to get a 60 gig PS3 for $350 and would still be eligable for the 5 Free BluRay Movies.
Agreed.
I disagree on the latter. There is a reason to get the 60 gig now... They are no longer producing them. If you are someone who puts a lot of value in the EE chip, then now may be the time to buy rather than taking your chances later with emulation.
Please, don't take this as a Bash, but I honestly would like to know what you feel the PS3 is capable of in the future that the 360 can't match.
Off hand I can only think of one instance (aside from Multiple DVD's vs. 1 BluRay) and that's the Stranglehold Collectors edition that has a BluRay movie on the same disk as an Extra. What did you have in mind?
The difference is Th X-Box launched with Halo. What "System Seller" is on the shelf right now for the PS3? Why buy a system for "maybe" ? Buy it with the game you have to have...
or Even $450... The 60 gig version with the EE chip is simply a much better value at the same price, I can't see them selling many 80 gig units at such an inflated price. Also with a comparatively weak software line up (yes there are good games, just not as many of them) they need to get the price down below $400 ASAFP.
Honestly I have no idea. My hope is that the Wiimote + Nunchuck combo will meet its' potential and be superior to the Keyboard + Mouse set up. Quite simply WASD is inferior to Analog control, however in FPS games precision aiming is the more important function which the mouse trumps an analog stick.
In a perfect world we'd have the precision aiming of the Wiimote to at least match mouse pointer control and we'd have a good analog stick controlling movement so you can Run/Walk/Sneak appropriately, based on how you use the stick.
So Far Metroid Prime 3 is the closest to achieving this, however I've read good things about the controls in Medal of Honor Heroes 2 as well.
Yes, A number of people reviewed it, to mixed results. The 10 minute Demo (ok it's not timed, but crazy short) does make it "Feel" like this is a setup to be "Goddess of War", but according to the reviews, the best part (button mashing combat) is only about half the game, and it's a seriously short (like 6 hour) game.
The demo did pique my interest though. I think it would warrant a rent anyway, but I don't expect this being worth the $60 to put on my shelf based on the early reviews.
Agreed. RE4 was nearly a perfect game on the Gamecube, then they added more missions (from the later PS2 version) and offered real tight control with the Wiimote. It's one of (if not THE) best game on Wii (and yes, I love Zelda also). If you DO like RE4 however for the suspense look up "Eternal Darkness" . The game is very good, and well worth the price (+ a Wavebird, and memory card).
cheers.
Then I'll be sure to beat Bioshock before I pick up Metroid Prime 3. Thanks for the tip!
I suppose that depends on where you put your money. You can have an HD presentation and some of the best facial animations ever seen in a game, and yet end up with a 6 hour game.
Hopefully both. :-) Over Memorial Day weekend 3 generations of my family were playing WiiSports together. This would not have happened with any other system to date.
Combine that with the costs of Development. THQ's president that said a Wii game cost between 25% - 50% of a 360 title...
So you can sell to a larger install base AND develop 2-4 games for the same investment? To combat this MS, and Sony need to get their install base much higher, and much quicker (or at least more profitable VIA microtransactions and such) than Nintendo, or the Wii will soon become the PS2 of this generation.
Brand loyalty isn't so bad, I think you are lashing against the Rabbid Fanboyism though which is (I agree) quite dumb. Brand Loyalty however could get people to cross platforms and "blur the lines" of Fanboy-hood.
Let's say you really like Final Fantasy... Which system should you buy? Some would say the PS2 and others the DS.
August will likely show a PS3 spike and Here's why. This deal also can be combined though with the 5 Free BluRay movies offer.
The software charts however will paint a different picture as you stated. There are simply more (and better) games on the 360.
"A bird in hand is worth two in the bush." The issue with that is YES, it will get better in the future, but you can have nearly flawless now. In fact the PS3 with the EE chip is MORE compatible with PS2 games than the PS2 slimline since they added a patch for HDD games like Final Fantasy XI.
Any links on that? I believe you as it makes sence the EE chip when used with the Cell and the HDD would generate more heat than the Cell and HDD by themselves (and thus run the fan more creating more noise), but I would hope that if primary processing is done on the EE chip, the Cell, and HDD would be practically dormant. If you have a link stating otherwise I would be interested in reading it.
Thanks!
Timing is important,yes, but so is your angle and how you manipulate the remote. You can pinpoint where you want the ball to go through your swing (attributed to timing, yes) but also the way you "strike the ball" dictates whether there is spin on it, and how much.
I found The Godfather, Tiger Woods, Madden, and RE4 improved by the WiiMote. Yes, you can play all these games with more traditional controls elsewhere if you like, but the experience is enhanced by the remote.