Why Sony doesn’t deserve the PS3
Many years ago we had the Amiga, a computer that was way ahead of its time. Sadly, the Amiga was let down by poor management decisions by its maker Commodore, which eventually filed for bankruptcy. Not long after, production of the Amiga was discontinued. Sony may well be headed down the same road with the PS3, from production problems, a limited PAL version, poor management and poor pricing all of which mar a console that could otherwise aspire to greatness.
In fact, Ken Kutaragi is set to step down as Chairman and group executive of Sony Computer Entertainment by June 19, which did not stop him from mentioning plans for a PS4. With an ailing PS3, that might not have been the best idea.
The advanced technology in the PS3, due to its Cell processor make it a fine machine for crunching numbers and some are building cheap supercomputer clusters out of PS3s but this technology comes at a cost that some are just not willing to pay. The top end PS3 as you are all well aware runs $600 but includes a Blu-Ray drive, WiFi and a 60GB hard drive which might see an increase very soon to 80GB. Some of the production issues can be traced back to the Blu-Ray drive laser.
The management at Sony saw fit to remove PS2 compatibility from the PAL version of the PS3. I guess it just pays to live in the US, Canada, Japan or any other country that uses the NTSC standard. But the PAL version of the PS3 was late and more expensive than the US or Japanese versions, Sony can’t have saved that much by stripping PS2 functionality from the PAL PS3.
I think all of these problems point to poor management and the price point goes without saying, while the PS3 still makes a cheap Blu-Ray player, stand alone HD-DVD players have hit the $350 price range on Amazon. Price is going to be a decision maker for most people and Blu-Ray is not going to win that war. That is, if all you want is to watch movies and not play games. Of course, the XBOX 360 has an external HD-DVD drive available for $200.
Sony has also not been able to break past its traditional “gamer” market being predominately male in the 18 to 35 year old range. If their idea was to break that mold with the PS3 then something is really wrong up in the Sony tower.
Microsoft has seen fit to take a defense against the PS3 by offering the XBOX 360 Elite which includes an HDMI output and a 120GB hard drive but still no WiFi or HD-DVD drive and still they charge $480 for it. At that price you might consider the PS3 for only $120 more.
Then it comes down to the games, Sony continually loses exclusive titles to the XBOX 360 and from what I’ve heard the XBOX 360 is easier to develop for, if true it doesn’t surprise me. Sony doesn’t deserve the PS3, it has constantly let it down with the loss of exclusive titles and it can’t seem to be priced competitively while making a profit and all that points to a host of problems within Sony which is another post for another time.
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31 Responses to “Why Sony doesn’t deserve the PS3”
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May 2nd, 2007
What a total pillock you are…. “a limited PAL version” in what respect? Do you actually believe the crap you write?
“The management at Sony saw fit to remove PS2 compatibility from the PAL version of the PS3″ My PAL PS3 plays my entire PS2 and PS1 collection witout trouble…
How much did Microsoft pay you to write this shite?
May 2nd, 2007
You know nothing about nothing. The Market has changed that’s all, We cant be kings forever, Sony PS3 is having robust sales, sure they can make a shitty slightly better console every 2 years or so (Wii,XBOX) at a cheap price and sell like hotcakes but i admire sony , because they try hard! they mess up but i’ve never seen a company so inspired and focused on pushing technology, sure they’ve messed up but they’re not faltering they’re just not living up to your lofty expectations. You write extremely biased and rubbish articles please stop
May 2nd, 2007
This site is obviously Anti-Sony, every other article is spilling hate for the PS3. I have great confidence in the machine and so do a lot of people, and I fail to see any “huge mistakes” and I also fail to see this so called “limited PAL Version” when my PS3 plays 90% of my PS2 and PS1 games, its MUCH better than the Xbox 360’s BC, which only plays a few of my old Xbox 1 games.
May 2nd, 2007
“from what I’ve heard”
Excellent source based journalism, as ever, from this site.
May 2nd, 2007
Lans when you say ‘nothing about nothing’ that actual is a double negative. Therefore you are saying he knows everything
May 2nd, 2007
Luke you picked up on the double negative but it doesnt mean he knows everything only that he knows nothing about nothing. Anyway im certainly in protest to this article the author the ps3 seem a complete disaster and to that i must laugh….please no more.
May 2nd, 2007
‘author the ps3…’ author makes* the ps3…
May 2nd, 2007
The so called “Limited Pal version” is based on Sony saving costs by taking out the Emotion chip that powers the PS2 for U.K and Aus buyers, and yes we are getting ripped off (download patch?). But, with Blu-Ray expected to ramp up it’s laser production and dropping the price from $125 to $8 per laser thingy then we should see a price cut sometime before the end of the year.
In any case, I will only buy the PS3 once MGS4 comes out and that probably won’t be until 2008. Yes, I am a Sony fan but I really hate Microsoft so the Xbox follows suit. Remember, both Sony and Microsoft are LOSING millions if not BILLIONS on these machines. Dam it, I wish I had of bought shares in Nintendo around about the time the Gamecube reached its peak….
May 2nd, 2007
This is just the begining Sony fanboys..This sept the Elite will get the 65nm chip and a hefty price cut say 299 for the elite. The Games and XBL will really be the very best this gen has to offer. Remember that Sony big wig who said that the first 5 million bricks would sell even with no games.
Well thats you guys..This xmas will determine who the 3rd place donkey will be this gen..and have you seen the Halo 3 trailers it gave me chills and will break its own records. I suggest you guys run out and buy a huge clutch of PS3 games. lol support the home team. Its kina sad in a fuunny sort of way..
May 2nd, 2007
Both Sony and Microsoft are getting the smaller and cheaper 65-nanometer chips, Sony is also getting cheaper Blu Ray components. Given the same amount of time as the 360, we should see some really sweet games coming out soon soley for the PS3. Not mention the Cell processor and it’s online capabilities, I mean 40 folks on one map in RFOM and what does the 360 do? well Halo 3 will only support 16 max.
May 2nd, 2007
FYI…the XBox 360 HD-DVD drive is only $199.
The the Sony lovers are only pissed because they have just about every game that the 360 has enjoyed for a year, no exclusives to look forward to, and the only productive thing they can find to do with their $600 console is donate its CPU cycles to finding a cure for cancer (not that there’s anything wrong with that – but wouldn’t it just have been easier to send them $600 straight-up?).
Sad. But true…
May 2nd, 2007
How is this for evidence?
http://play.tm/story/10408
“Mistwalker game designer Hironobu Sakaguchi has said that the PlayStation 3 is too difficult to develop games for, US website 1UP.com reporting that the Final Fantasy creator will not develop a game for the platform at present. “The machine’s architecture is tricky, and I don’t like Ken Kutaragi,” he is quoted as affirming.”
May 2nd, 2007
Sorry about the price confusion on the HD-DVD drive, hit the “3″ instead of “2″ and kept missing it, thanks for the correction.
May 2nd, 2007
i like the ps1, 2, and 3. i was planning on buying one, you know when the should the trailer for killzone. but the story of ps, over promise and under deliver. i own a 360 and think they are very inovative with their concepts of live amongst other things, and yes it is 50 bucks, but live doesnt stall, or have limited content so i dont mind paying for it every year. the main reason for writting this is for the ps3 people to see that all the good ideas they have, they copied from the 360 and wii and spiderman font, ie: motion sensing, online service, movie download(sorry ps3 doesnt have that) trailers, acheivements, etc. i wish wii and 360 would have patened those ideas, but then what would sony have. oh yeah the CELL. dont get me wrong it is awesome, but at what price. i mean i would love the have a pioneer elite flat panel, it is truely the best, however, its $7k and up, so i guess ill just settle for my 40” samsung 1080p until i get hood rich or something. the point is, that we are all americans, why not support the home team, you know that sony has its fan base of japanese consumers and they are VERY LOYAL.
has anyone observed that 360 is concaved like its letting it all out. and the ps3 is convexed, like its breathing in and anticipating something really good but its just full of hot air.
May 2nd, 2007
I’ll buy Nintendo until the bitter end. It’s actually a game console. Everything else is just PC’s with a crippled OS.
May 2nd, 2007
Wii is a novelty that people are already getting bored of. I have lots of friends whom purchased, but only play for short spells. How long will it be before interest wanes and Wii owners start saying ‘meh’ when friends ask if the Wii is worth buying? As for the 360 v PS3 debate, I’ve been PS since the first console and have never been tempted to ‘defect’. I bought the PS3 on release date and play Oblivion, Motostorm and Call of Duty 3. When I’m not, the majority of my PS2 games work fine and seem smoother on the screen than before.
PS3 needs just one huge AAA game that shows the PS3 to be untouchable. You can bet that Sony are already working on it. Also, a Christmas price cut will make the PS3 the most sought after console at the end of the year.
‘Counting the days to LittleBigPlanet’
May 2nd, 2007
What do you mean the 360 and nintendo has better exlusives? Xbox 360 has like Halo 3 and Fable 2. Wii has Zelda and Mario. Ps3 Has Lair, Heavonly Sword, Ninja Gaiden, GT5, Killzone 2!!!, MGS4, Ratchet and Clank, Resistance Fall of Man, Motorstorm, Final Fantasy, God of War 3, etc… You guys are retarded
May 2nd, 2007
Good! You’ve finished my article…now fetch my coffee John!
May 2nd, 2007
If people think that this article is biased, I’d be more than happy to publish a rebuttal. In fact, I’d be happy to have a regular blogger putting up the case for the PS3. Just email me on john@blorge.com if you would like to write a rebuttal, or if you would like to try out as a regular blogger.
May 3rd, 2007
Xbox 360 also has Gears of War, Lost Planet, Mass Effect, Too Human, Bioshock, Forza and whatever they have up their sleeves….. like Banjo threeie =D
May 3rd, 2007
Sclafen means to sleep in German…this is excatly what this journalist is doing….what a load of old crap he is writing. The pAL introduction of the PS3 was the most sucessful ever and it has 87% backwards compatibility, 92% ona weighted basis. In addition, Singstar, Buzz and Eyetoy have totally revolutionized the PS2 profile in Europe. 27% of users now never bought a games machine inthe past!
What tosser, he wshould be fired!
May 3rd, 2007
I wonder when everybody will realise that XBox 360 is dead in Europe (although there are some slight death trembles still in the UK) , it is dead in Japn too. PS3 is a ‘SONY’ play, the cheapest Blu Ray player on the market. In 2 years it will acclaimed as the greatest suscess in games consoles ever. Somebody decsribed it to me as ‘the Road less travelled’
Once GT5 is out Mr Sclhaffer can go back to his XBox office (for he is obviously one of the many being paid for articles like this by Microsoft) and ruminate on all the inaccurate things he has written.
I am a Wii fan and will remain so, but fair debate not biased debate is what keeps these blogs alive. Tomoko (yes …a girl!)
May 3rd, 2007
The PS3 is way better then 360 why cuzz with got better games better graphics bigger hard drive elite is rip off plus free home soon. Also blue-ray rocks the ps3 unlike hd dvd thats dying, also we got games like ratchet and clank jak and daxter resistance: fall of man final fantasy gran turismo metal gear solid lair virtua fighter tekkensly cooper SOCOM grand theft auto just stf^ all u xbox wannabe be gamers. If u a true hardcore gamer who loves to have a millions of hot triple A games u need a PS3 the most powerful console in the world…
May 3rd, 2007
lol… the sony fanboys… such a loosers
May 3rd, 2007
360 is definitly the biggest pieces of crap i have ever seen. xbox fanboys are retarded for liking it.
May 3rd, 2007
seriously did u even know the new “elite” just got hdmi 1.2 and u will have to upgrade about a year when all recievers and shit got 1.3, sony’s ps3 was the first to support hdmi 1.3, it got blu-ray that u can get the best uncompressed sound from and just to add, ps3 offers more then 359 cause of its lack of “next-gen”, “our players” have the choice of either wanting next-gen or not, while ps3 offers full pack of next-gen sound and visuals.
and the 360 was out 1year before the ps3 last time i remember and if u ever want to write and this is all u can do, i suggest wiki or anyother place u can find worthy info.
if u were asked what mp3 player u get most for the money i bet u would say ipod at the first like those 100mill owners.
anyways please if ure gonna give any info that u believe is correct double check
May 6th, 2007
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May 6th, 2007
PS3 losing exclusive games? I don’t think the fans would worry. Grand theft auto is coming to both PS3 and XBox 360 at the same time, now Rockstar Games are saying the XBox 360 is limited in terms of putting content into GTA IV, with no hard drive in Core units and only a DVD player. What would rather buy for? I will be buying for PS3 and not the XBox 360.
May 27th, 2007
The ps3 needs some games badly. When the best games the system has to offer are via download you have issues. The 6axis is garbage. I don’t know who has hands that tiny but my hands hurt trying to force them to reach up to the buttons in games that also use the triggers.
Motorstorm – very average. I think Excite Truck on my Wii is at least as much fun.
Resistance – I have been playing better fps on the pc for years.
Virtua Fighter – had to get an arcade stick, good game once you have a stick, total crap with the 6axis. Came out to $200AU for 1 game in the end.
flow – neat
blast factor – neat
GT hi def – yawn…so..I drive around tracks, I played this game before years ago in higher res on my pc.
All my other games are on the 360 as well.
Blu-ray. So mixed on this. The planet earth documentry = amazing, standard def just couldn’t do the planet justice.
Casino Royal – yawn, whatever. Hi def or not it comes down to a good movie would be just as entertaining in standard Def.
Hi Def movies and TV = over rated and over priced, its just not a selling point for most people.
If I had paid full price for my ps3 I would be annoyed greatly. As it is a picked mine up in Japan for less than a 360 would have cost me at home and I am borderline happy with the purchase. I sure as heck wouldn’t recommend it to anyone till the price drops by 50%. If it played DivX and XVid I would bump up to happy. At the moment its just meh.
I don’t have a 360 but the ps3 so far makes me think it would have been the better purchase.
August 31st, 2007
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Sorry, it just sounds like a crazy idea for me
November 18th, 2007
@sjitzu
Whats the difference between 1.2 and 1.3 HDMI? Oh yeah Dolby “True” HD sound. If you have 7.1 surround sound I would be surprised considering not 50% of people have a HD TV. Remember we play games for FUN not the graphics or the sound. It is a bonus but who gives two shits really? There is a tiny amount of difference graphically when it comes down to the 360 and ps3. In the end its the devs who make the game look good and without software, hardware is pointless. Stop being such idiots arguing which system is better and start arguing about which games are better. People like what they like don’t come here and say “oMgzz da neww 36000 dontt evEn got 1.3 hDmI do it!!!11!!!” Don’t worry the new format that will win won’t be Blu-ray nor will it be HD-DVD. It will be internet streaming.