Playstation 3

[johnson85]

Sony has announced that their high-end PS3 will cost $599US when it debuts in November. $599 is the launch price, and we don’t know when Sony will reduce it. So for now, it’s the price. I’ve read around the web and I see that most people don’t like it. After all, who likes spending a lot of money? Would you rather spend $399 or $599 on a new console? That’s a no-brainer. $399 of course, like the 360! And the PS2 came out at $299 after all, so why should we have to spend double that for the decent PS3? (I’m ignoring the low-end PS3 and low-end 360. Because really, who wants those?)

Well, the first thing I could ask is this: is the PS2 a PS3? Are they the same device? No. Is the PS3 an Xbox 360? Are they the same device? No. Then you can’t really complain the PS3 has a different price, can you?

But but but but! Of course you can. You do, after all. I’ve seen many of you complain. The PS3 is so expensive! It’s $600 for heaven’s sake. That’s, like, 10 to 12 games right there!

Okay sure. It’s a lot of money. But the important question to ask is this: what is the PS3 worth to you? What is the PS3’s value proposition? What value will the PS3 give me at $599? Let’s take a look. The obvious thing now really would be to look at what the competition has to offer. What’s the competition’s value proposition versus the PS3? The competition is of course the Xbox 360, priced at $399. The price difference then is $200. So let’s contrast and compare. The 360 has a 20GB HDD versus the PS3’s 60GB one. The PS3 has three times the HDD space. That’s a nice plus in the PS3 column. The PS3 has a BD drive. To me, that’s a very important addition. According to Sony’s research, 34% of PS2 owners have an HDTV. That’s a pretty large percentage, if you ask me. And that number will continue to climb quickly. So to all us PS2 owners with an HDTV, the BD drive is a win. To me personally, the PS3’s BD drive is alone worth the $200 price premium over the 360. So I guess I’m done! Actually, well, no I’m not. Because that BD drive may not be worth $200 to you. Remember though, that the BD drive will also give publishers the ability to ship their games worldwide a lot easier because they’ll be able to put all the languages for a game on one disc. Still not convinced? Well if you don’t care about BD, what do you care about? What about some WiFi? Free online gaming? That’s nice - really nice actually. No monthly or yearly fees for a Gold service of any kind. What else? An HDMI port. A CompactFlash/SD/MemoryStick reader. Bluetooth. 1080p support. PSP integration. Motion-sensitive controller.

That’s quite the list. So is 40 extra GB, BLUE RAY DISC Player (up to 200 GB of storage on 1 disc, yep 200GB no typo), WiFi (built in. not and accessory like the 360), HDMI, memory card reader, Bluetooth (up to 7 wireless controllers or other bluetooth devices), 1080p, PSP integration, free XBOX live type online gaming(Web Browser, Instant messenger, video blogs, my space type profile), and motion sensitivity worth an extra $200 to you?

Another plus is the PS3s interface. Which uses the same easy to use interface as the PSP in the XMB (cross media bar).

[Stripes]

No, but I won't buy the 360 either. I don't think either is nearly entertaining enough to justify the cost.

[ChadJohnson-85]

I voted YES but that dosent mean I think it's better then 360.

[johnson85]

Oh and the games. Check out the New Tiger Woods 07. Watch this video its awesome.

Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2007

Here is a link for the video and also an overview of sony press conference, some pretty cool stuff.

Sony Press Conference

And here is a demonstration of how the PS3 controller works. And no its not a copy of the revolution/Wii controller. Ps3 controller has gyroscopes and they said that the ps3 controller would have that feature last year at e3 before nintendo even told about their controller.

Controller Demo

[Stripes]

So is Nintendo going to release it's own console?

Or have they dropped out of the arms race?

[johnson85]

Yeah they will probably release after sony. There system is called the Nintendo Wii (as in Weeeeeeeeee)lol. But the graphics on the new nintendo are nothing close to the PS3 or 360. Its barely better than Gamecube, they are going more towards unique gameplay.

[johnson85]

Here is some other features I forgot.

1. Linux Operating System
   
2. Dual HDMI Outputs
   

Linux.

Sony refers to the PS3 as a computer not a gaming console, thats because it is going to have a OS.(Like windows or mac.) So you'll also be able to double the PS3 as you computer. And with the cell processor that makes an awesome computer. Cell has 9 SPUs (single processing units, basically 9 individual processors on 1 chip. all running at 3.2 ghz.) But the the Ps3 uses 8 saving 1 for like a backup if any of the other get slowed down that one compensates.

"The PS3 is an extremely powerful computer...for example, if you consider editing or transcoding High Definition Video into H.264 format, these tasks take extremely long on windows PCs even with a high spec. With the PS3's Cell Processor these tasks can be done quickly and efficiently. When you consider this type of application, 60-70 thousand yen is definately not expensive."

Here is a cool video of how Hospitals are going to be using Cell for Medical Imaging.

Cell Demonstration of how powerful this chip is

Here is what you could do with the dual HDMI outputs.

Here is another shot of the interface I just found.

[Stripes]

All this fancy stuff makes me sad.

I don't care how advanced it is, be it an Xbox 360, a Playstation 1245, etc...

Nothing beats a SuperNintendo.

My all time favorite video game, The 7th Saga...

With some of the coolest cheeseball graphics ever!

[skyline]

Apparently, Nintendo has decided to not try and compete in terms of graphics or features. They're just going to stick with affordable games that are fun, and not worry so much about the rest of it.

Anyway, I'm sorry, but there's no chance on earth I'm going to pay 600 dollars for a gaming console. I'll stick to my computer, thanks.

[GapControl]

Sony can make all the claims they want. The PS3 is not going to replace PCs. I am living in Japan and do you know what everyone is rushing out to buy? DS3. A gaming console from Nintendo. Basically a handheld version of Gamecube I suppose. The thing is, people don`t want a PC for advanced game play, they never have. PCs must be more robust than gaming platforms and for this reason you cannot replicate the gaming experience since their target goals are different. PS3 should focus on pure gaming experience. In my trials and tribulations, Sony gaming cannot match the realism of the Xbox. This is why for serious action and sports gamers, the Xbox is first choice. I have no idea why the DS3 is the weapon of arming choice in Japan, though.

[bengalboomer7]

Thre's waaaaay too much other s**t for me to spend my money on than $600 on a PS3. I don't care what it's got on it, that's bulls**t.

Funny thing is, it probably costs them 50 bucks to make it in Taiwan

[johnson85]

Funny thing is, it probably costs them 50 bucks to make it in Taiwan

Actually it costs sony $800 to make each PS3 so there losing $200 on each one.

Anyway, I'm sorry, but there's no chance on earth I'm going to pay 600 dollars for a gaming console. I'll stick to my computer, thanks

I guess its just me since I rather buy a PS3 than a new PC. Cause its going to be one of the fastest computers on the market, and have an OS, with built in wifi.

Sony can make all the claims they want. The PS3 is not going to replace PCs. I am living in Japan and do you know what everyone is rushing out to buy? DS3. A gaming console from Nintendo. Basically a handheld version of Gamecube I suppose. The thing is, people don`t want a PC for advanced game play, they never have. PCs must be more robust than gaming platforms and for this reason you cannot replicate the gaming experience since their target goals are different. PS3 should focus on pure gaming experience. In my trials and tribulations, Sony gaming cannot match the realism of the Xbox. This is why for serious action and sports gamers, the Xbox is first choice. I have no idea why the DS3 is the weapon of arming choice in Japan, though.

Sony isnt trying to replace PCs they are just turning the PS3 into one and not making it just a gaming console. So your living in Japan how well did Xbox sell there? Not very well last time I checked, MS had to try and relaunch the 360 to try and get people to buy it.

[Stripes]

Actually it costs sony $800 to make each PS3 so there losing $200 on each one.

I'm not calling you a liar, I'm sure you have reason to believe that.... But no. Sony is already losing ground in the economic world (outside of their video game ventures), and they wouldn't throw themselves even more into the dumpster with a video game system that would suck their funds dry considering the number of people that will buy that thing.

[johnson85]

Eurogamer: All three companies laid their cards on the table earlier this week - from your perspective, what do you make of the three conferences and the reaction to them so far?

Phil Harrison: Sadly, I haven't actually had a chance to watch the other two conferences, but I've heard enough reports. I think that if we think the industry or the future of the business is defined by this week of press conferences... Then, we're very much mistaken. I think it's going to be defined by what the consumer thinks and what the industry thinks, and what the game developers think. It's not just about the press conferences.

I think the pieces of the PlayStation 3 puzzle are now fully revealed. Obviously we did the hardware last year, this year it's confirming or re-asserting certain elements of it - obviously, people know about Blu-Ray, but confirming that every machine has a hard disc drive in it, I think, was an important step. Confirming that we've got a new controller strategy was an important step, and showing lots of games was an important step. So, those were the main take-outs, and I think that as far as that was concerned, we achieved our objectives.

Eurogamer: Your strategy and Microsoft's strategy are very divergent, in that Microsoft is offering consumers a choice - whether to have HD-DVD or not, whether to have a hard drive or not - while you're putting everything into a very expensive box and saying that they take all or nothing. Why that direction? Why not have a system where people who don't want to pay that premium for Blu-Ray don't have to?

Phil Harrison: Leaving aside the movie debate about Blu-Ray and HD-DVD, purely from a game design point of view and a game production point of view, we have to have Blu-Ray. DVD is just not big enough; DVD9 is nowhere near big enough for the kind of games, the richness that we're going to be putting in the games, the variety, the detail, you name it.

So, we had to adopt Blu-Ray primarily as a game format. The second benefit of it is that it becomes a video format as well. Putting it all in one box, as you say, is also down to the fact that a hard disc drive is necessary to create a totally integrated network platform. We want every consumer to be able to download and install content on their hard disc drive. If you want to put all your music on your hard disc drive, you'll probably go for the 60GB version. If you're a complete music fan and video fan, and you want to have huge amounts of digital content, then you can upgrade to whatever size of drive you like. You can put any in that you like - it is a computer, after all.

Eurogamer: So that hard drive is a standard PC drive?

Phil Harrison: ATA, bog standard, yeah.

Eurogamer: You're not going to be selling Sony drive upgrades?

Phil Harrison: We've got no plan to. We may offer something, but we have no plan to at the moment.

Eurogamer: Talking about software - how many titles do you actually have on the show floor this week? I think we counted a dozen...

Phil Harrison: I think it's fifteen playable games. At the conference, we had three titles from Japan - GT HD, Eye of Judgement and Genji 2, we had three from Europe - Singstar, Heavenly Sword and F1, and two from the US - Warhawk and Resistance. That was pretty evenly split.

Eurogamer: The controller. You showed off the boomerang, then said it was a prototype, and now you've come back and done the Dual Shock but with a twist - no pun intended. How long have you known that this was the plan?

Phil Harrison: [The motion sensing controller] has been thought about since about 1994, but in reality, you can't make some of the ideas that we have because the technology is not available in sufficient quantity or at a low enough price, and you kind of have to wait for certain things to converge. We had the concept of PlayStation Portable for many years before we could actually deliver it at a price and at a standard that was acceptable.

The controller is obviously a surprise to the industry. We've been thinking about it for a while, but it's a relatively recent addition to the format. We didn't show it last year, because we weren't ready to. The boomerang, as you call it, was very clearly designed as a design concept, and was never intended to be the final controller, despite what everybody said about it.

I think we certainly saw the strength of feeling that existed about the boomerang - even though nobody in the world ever held it in their hand. I thought that was very interesting, that people were criticising it for what it looked like, not how it felt.

Eurogamer: When you made the decision to put the tilt functions into the pad, how heavily influenced was that by the great response Nintendo has had to the same kind of technology in the Wii controller?

Phil Harrison: I think that some of the research that we've done, clearly other companies have been doing as well - so there's nothing completely surprising about that. But I know that the strategy was to take what was already a winning formula - to have a controller as well regarded as it, and kind of the de facto industry standard that this PlayStation shape controller has become. If you include the ones that are packed in, the secondary ones and the knock-offs that are the same shape, there are probably around 400 million of these things that have been sold on PSone and PS2.

So, we kind of took an "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" strategy - but by adding motion sensitivity to the controller... Well, we didn't start the wave, but we've kind of jumped onto that wave. I'm quite happy to admit that, but that will be one of the defining characteristics of next-generation gaming, the complexity and sophistication of input that you can get from a very simple device.

What I'm really keen to communicate is the fact that by sticking with the PlayStation controller, you have this very comfortable, two-handed approach that gamers are very familiar with - and it allows you to have two channels of input. You've got your primary input that may be normal buttons, normal sticks, nothing particularly revolutionary - no pun intended - but we can also add secondary motion, and we can detect the secondary movement of the pad in addition to the primary buttons.

When you play games, everybody does the same thing - they always move the controller around. Well, we can now start to add that secondary motion into the game design, and the way that the game reacts to the user.

Eurogamer: Is this also an attempt on your part to give a bit of a kick in the teeth to cross-platform development? Now all three next-gen consoles will have different control systems, it's going to make it much harder to port the same games between them while taking advantage of those systems.

Phil Harrison: I think you're right, but I don't think that was actually the plan. I think that that is the outcome - you want to make the games and the experiences that you offer on your platform as unique and as defendable as you possibly can, and obviously that innovation is one of them.

That said, I think that with some exceptions, first party will probably be the majority of the exclusives on PlayStation 3. It's just the reality of the world that we live in - and it was very kind of Microsoft to announce one of those [multi-platform titles] for us.

Eurogamer: Looking again at the software line-up, are you happy with where you are with development on the system at the moment?

Phil Harrison: Happy, but not satisfied. We can always do better, we can always have more - but I think we've shown enough breadth and we've shown enough quality, and we've shown a direction of where we're going to end up at launch. We're six months away from launch, remember, and there are some very polished games on our stand, which I don't think you've ever seen from another platform launch. That includes our own - PSone and PS2 - this far out from launch.

Eurogamer: Aren't you concerned though that in November, your launch titles - which have traditionally been pretty rocky - are going to be going head to head with second and even third wave games on the Xbox 360?

Phil Harrison: Am I concerned... Well, I wouldn't say concerned, but I'm certainly conscious of that. I think that we will have games that are really compelling and are really going to deliver on the promise, but I don't think it'll be an issue.

Eurogamer: On PlayStation 2, we didn't start to see really impressive stuff until a couple of years into the life of the console, because it took that long for developers to get up to speed. The guys at Microsoft make a lot of allusions to how easy their console is to develop to compared to yours; how do you respond to that? Is it true of PlayStation 3, as it was of PS2? Is there going to be a one or two year cycle where developers are still just getting to grips with this platform?

Phil Harrison: I think the PlayStation 2 was a difficult machine to write for, especially to really maximise what it was capable of on the vector units, VU0 and VU1, the proprietary SIMD engines, because they used fairly low-level programming techniques to program for them. However, that didn't stop us selling a hundred and something million, and having a billion plus software units sold for the machine, and global average of 77 per cent plus market share.

On PlayStation 3, however, the Cell SPUs are programmed with high-level programming languages, and that allows us to get great performance with general-purpose programming techniques. So, the short answer is, it's much, much easier to program for. Witness the fact that we've got so much software up and running, and playable, this far out from launch.

http://www.eurogamer.net/article.php?article_id=64667&page=2

I'll find you the article that has the production costs of everything thats in the PS3.

[johnson85]

Actually it costs sony $800 to make each PS3 so there losing $200 on each one.

I'm not calling you a liar, I'm sure you have reason to believe that.... But no. Sony is already losing ground in the economic world (outside of their video game ventures), and they wouldn't throw themselves even more into the dumpster with a video game system that would suck their funds dry considering the number of people that will buy that thing.

Here is the proof....check it out

http://www.engadget.com/2006/02/18/playsta...rrill-lynch-mob

[San Antonio Bengal]

Yeah they will probably release after sony. There system is called the Nintendo Wii (as in Weeeeeeeeee)lol. But the graphics on the new nintendo are nothing close to the PS3 or 360. Its barely better than Gamecube, they are going more towards unique gameplay.

Preview of Super Mario Galaxy:

http://media.revolution.ign.com/media/748/...id_1505107.html

[johnson85]

Yeah they will probably release after sony. There system is called the Nintendo Wii (as in Weeeeeeeeee)lol. But the graphics on the new nintendo are nothing close to the PS3 or 360. Its barely better than Gamecube, they are going more towards unique gameplay.

Preview of Super Mario Galaxy:

http://media.revolution.ign.com/media/748/...id_1505107.html

Yeah OK better than Gamecube, but its not a jump like from PS2 to PS3 or xbox to 360 is what I was tryin to say. Atleast that looks like a good Mario game. I didnt care for Super Mario Sunshine too much.

Here is a link that pretty much tells you everything about the PS3.

http://www.gamespot.com/features/6125429/index.html

[johnson85]

Here are some links to some awesome looking games.

Eight Days (Keep in mind this is real-time game footage)

http://www.gamespot.com/ps3/action/8days/i...?q=eight%20days

Resistance: Fall of Man

http://www.gamespot.com/ps3/action/insomni...ml?q=resistance

Eye of Judgment (Any kid that love yu gi oh would love this game, my little brother cant wait for this game)

http://www.gamespot.com/ps3/action/theeyeo...20of%20judgment

Metal Gear Solid 4

http://www.gamespot.com/ps3/adventure/meta...ear%20solid%204

MotorStorm

http://www.gamespot.com/ps3/driving/motors...ml?q=motorstorm

NBA Live 07

http://www.gamespot.com/ps3/sports/nbalive...ba%20live%20ps3

[bengalboomer7]

I still call bulls**t. Business 101 says you don't sell something for $200 cheaper than it costs you to make it, that's just insane

[ChadJohnson-85]

I'm staying with 360.

[johnson85]

I'm staying with 360.

Thats fine, Im just saying that the PS3 is worth the price it was given.

here is a video demonstration of the PS3 interface.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=Oyd041cYyzc

[ChadJohnson-85]

Im sure Ps3 will be a good system but I would never pay 600$ for a game system. I might buy it if it turn's out as good or better as 360.

[johnson85]

Yeah thats cool, I'll probably buy them both. 360 just to play halo 3 and the PS3 just because its more than a gaming system and It has a High Def Blue Ray player which will be the cheapest one for along time and the games just look fun to play.

This system is so much like the PSP but with better graphics, and all the stuff the PSP had and more.

[johnson85]

some new screens of the web browser

PS3 Web Browser Pictures

[buck3y3d]

If I wanted a computer I would buy one.

I have a 360 and have yet to fill up 500 Mb of memory. I don't think I will ever get to the 20 gigs. And frankly, as a person going to college, I don't have 600 dollars to spend.

The PS3 also froze at the E3 demo (according to CNN). I just thought it was funny.