VIDEO Blu Laser Cult: The Playstation 3 Discussion

If you've never had a PS2 before, then now is a good time to get one. The top-tier releases will probably fall away in the next 6 months or so (limited to ports and the like) but there are so many good games built up over the last 6 years that you'll have plenty to occupy yourself with anyway

 

A PS2 is well worth it. This coming from someone that grew up on Nintendo systems and branched out to Sony and Microsoft.

The PS2 has a ton of good games of all sorts of genres, plus it can play PS games, as well. Not all old PS games work on it, but enough that it's close to being like getting two systems in one. PS3 is waaaaaay too expensive for my blood...and nothing I've seen so far about it or the games that are for it have made me interested in it.

 

I don't know about now, but the PS2 was still outselling all other consoles (including the 360) even in the latter part of 2006. I really is a good deal; especially, if you use the component cable to sharpen the graphics a little bit, and the games are pretty darn inexpensive right now; including the newer titles.

 

I have a question.

Somebody I was speaking with the other day stated that he read somewhere that it looks like the PS3 is actually flopping. Is this true? Just curious. I know I've been surprised by the number of PS3's I've been able to find at my local Best Buy, Wal-Mart, Target, etc.

 

I think it's too early to tell. It hasn't even been launched in Europe yet. The PS3 won't outright win this console war, but I don't think it'll flop.

 

There's been a fair bit of interest at work in it. So I think it will do OK. But I doubt it will approach the PS2 level of success.

 

Thanks for all your responses. I picked up a PS2 and a couple of games this weekend. Liking it so far, though the Wii still gets more playtime.

 

That didn't take long

 

You guys see this yet?

Sony woos buyers with PS3 freebies By YURI KAGEYAMA, AP Business Writer
1 hour, 45 minutes ago



TOKYO - Sony is handing out freebies to buyers of its PlayStation 3 as its hefty price appears to be scaring away shoppers.


The latest giveaway will take place in Australia, where the gaming console launches March 23. The first 20,000 buyers will receive a copy of the James Bond movie "Casino Royale."

Free downloads of the PS3 game "Gran Turismo" ? out since December for U.S. and Japanese PS3 owners ? also will be offered in Australia.

A PlayStation 3 model with a 60-gigabyte hard drive costs 999.95 Australian dollars ($790). The console costs $600 in the U.S., where it's been on sale since November.

"They have to sweeten the deal a little bit," said Hiroshi Kamide, director of research and game expert at KBC Securities Japan in Tokyo. "The problem with the product so far is that no one has fully understood why it's so expensive."

In the U.S., Sony also offered the movie "Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby" as a freebie. (The movies are produced by Sony's movie studio, and they're given away as Blu-ray high-definition discs, which the game console can play.)

Although Sony officials say PlayStation 3 sales are on track, the machine is still a money-loser for the Japanese electronics and entertainment company.

Sony blamed losses in its video game operations for its faltering profits in the October-December quarter, when Sony profits slipped 5 percent to 160 billion yen ($1.3 billion), largely because of PS3 startup costs.

Sony said it shipped 1.84 million PS3 machines worldwide through Dec. 31, and is sticking to its earlier target of 6 million PS3 consoles by March 31.

Nintendo Co.'s $250 Wii, which launched about the same time as the PS3, is being snatched up and has been out of stock at some stores. Nintendo sold 3.19 million Wii machines worldwide by the end of the year.

The Kyoto-based maker of "Super Mario" and "Pokemon" games said earlier this year that it's well on its way to reaching its target of global shipment of 6 million Wii machines by March 31, the end of the current fiscal year.

Kamide, the gaming industry expert, said the PS3 needs a fuller lineup of new, attractive games to make the purchase seem worth the price.

"It's the least they can do," he said of the freebies. "If you're paying a head above everybody else for a similar product, a game machine, you want to be able to categorically say the reason why it's so expensive."

So they honestly believe that "Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby" (or if you're in Australia, "Casino Royale") offered as a freebie is supposed to off set the cost of a PS3? *chuckles* The free download of Gran Turismo for Australians doesn't really impress me much, either, since a lot of game systems in the past used to come with a free game (or games) standard.

 

The point of including movies with the system is so that every buyer knows that the system will play Blue Ray DVDs right out of the box. Sony isn't just including a DVD - they're including the ability to play high def movies, which Wii doesn't do at all and 360 does if you pay an extra $200.

 

And why would I be interested in getting a "free" movie (one that will probably be what?...$14 at Best Buy soon if it isn't already and that even if I had a hi-def system I wouldn't be getting 'Talladega Nights' of all movies to showcase such a feature) if I already have a perfectly good DVD player, have a collection of DVDs that the Blue Ray machines won't be able to play at all and feel utterly unmotivated to totally rebuy all those movies on a new format (assuming they ever re-release all those movies and fan-movies, and such), a new format that I would likely not see the difference since I have a non-HD TV and for all I know will be the Betamax of the supposed upcoming format war?

IF and when I'd get a PS3, it won't be because they're trying to push some sort of untried, overexpensive technology on me for simply viewing movies...a selection of movies that isn't anywhere worth investing in the technology currently. IF I ever get a PS3, it'll be because of the games...call me crazy, but unlike Sony executives, I see the system as a gaming machine...not a movie player. And for a gaming system without any games that are jumping out at me, begging me to play them, the price point's waaaaaaay too high. Even once they do get some good games, I'd still wait for them to drop the price.

And as my husband just pointed out, even with the Xbox 360's add-on being an extra $200, that's still potentially cheaper than getting a comprable PS3.



I understand Sony's intent and admire their attempt to "sweeten" the deal...but it's too little a bit late. While I realize they're loosing money on every system they sell, for the price they're asking for a gaming system that can't show a single one of my bunches and bunches of DVDs (assuming I was inclined to watch movies on my gaming machine), they'd have to throw in a lot more than just a single ex-SNL member comedy and even a game download (which I might not have been specifically interested in in the first place). For the price they're asking, that thing better help me walk on water...or at least prepare breakfast and clean the livingroom.


And if that didn't make sense...I'm tired and rambling.

 

So it's not your bag. Fine. Sony's marketing ploy has obviously failed on you. Then again, I don't think it mattered, because they seem to be aiming of the growing market of HDTV users.

And $400 + $200 = $600. Or if you choose to buy the cheaper versions of the systems, $300 + $200 = $500. I don't know how you did your math.

 

Doesn't the PS3 cost a minimum of $600...not including tax? Cheaper version of the PS3 comes at a minimum of $500...again, not including tax, right?

Not being interested in a new movie player that only plays one type of media, though, I'd probably rather eat the $50 difference and just get an Xbox 360 and a Wii for the price of a PS3. That way, I can get a bit of both worlds. Two systems where I KNOW there are games I'd want to play on them as opposed to one system that maybe technologically advanced but for my purposes (a near life-long gamer) seems blah at the moment. Pretty and expensive does not necessarily make for good game play. It can help...but only if the games have been developed and are there to play.



Maybe you should live by what you posted in the other thread.




And yes, this late at night, I like to edit a lot.

 

What, about buying cheap? Of course. That's why I don't own any "next-gen" consoles. That's why I built my PC rather than pay twice as much for someone else to do it.

Make no mistake: I see no reason at all why one would buy a PS3 at the present time. And you're right when you mention the games - something I see sorely lacking in the PS3.

I am not a PS3 fan. If I were I would've bought one. I just don't think there's any reason to attack them for including DVDs with their consoles.


EDIT: By the way, 360 runs about as good as PS3. However, if you buy the 360 with the HD DVD player, it costs the same as PS3. Factor in four years of XBox Live for $200 more, and you've got yourself a deal.

 

So we agree. Good.



And it wasn't so much an attack on them including movies. Note that I did say that I understood the reasoning behind it. Heck, all sorts of consoles in the past have been bundled up with various extras in the past to help move the systems. That isn't so much the issue.

The thing that gets me is that the deal sweetener included (at least for the American buyers) doesn't seem like they tried very hard...while I might be wanting to see that movie, it strikes me as one that could hit the bargain bin faster than "Casino Royale". Perhaps I'm not what Sony would consider it's target market in America (as you pointed out, they clearly missed the mark with me), but I would've much rather prefered getting "Casino Royale" as the freebee (seems like a movie more geared for high-end home theater systems...but I could be wrong since I still gotta see that one, too) than the other. And while I haven't seen the latest version of Grand Terismo, wouldn't it make more sense to bundle that download with the free racing movie?

And while getting a free Blue Ray movie with the system is nice (despite the limited to no choice of movie...again, can't be helped much), that seems more of a motivation if I'm getting the game system as a home theater technophile wanting to simply get my hands on a Blue Ray machine. One that has to have the newest gadgets and technology, no matter how much they cost.

As someone getting the system with a focus on gaming, getting a free game (one that actually comes with the system as opposed to making me hook the system up to the internet--and possibly register for whatever online service they have as their version of Microsoft's Live before being able to download and play it) would be more of a carrot for me. Of course, it would depend on the game or games included, but for the price they're asking that's the very least they could do.

But, more than once, I've seen where Sony execs have said that they don't consider the PS3 a gaming machine, but something else. So, as a gamer, that makes me feel that they're not so interested in my dollars...despite making their machine look and feel like a gaming console. To me, the PS3 is just them wanting to sell their new technology for movies by sneaking it into homes under the guise of a replacement for your kid's (or parent's) favorite PS2. I don't feel so confident that good games that I'd actually want to play would be developed for this system because of the way the company seems to be focused at times. That and what games that would come out for the PS3 that I'd be interested in would more likely than not be multiplatform.


Trust me, I miss the good ol' days were they used to bundle in automatically a free game with your brand new system. You'd have something to play straight out of the box. I hear the Wii is doing that with some generic, but decent, games. It's too bad Sony didn't decide to do something like this right from the start rather than pulling it out like a weak after-thought.

But we'll see. It's still early on and perhaps once they actually get into gear making games for the system, we'll start seeing some stuff to get excited about.


Edit: Oh, you don't have to sell me on the Xbox. I finally broke down and got myself one, mainly because I couldn't stand drooling over Oblivion anymore and then found out that they're in the works to release a major expansion for the game. Considering my history playing RPGs on other systems, it's amazing I held out this long...but at least I know I'll get plenty of game play out of this game.

 

Sony and Microsoft are both going for the same angle here. They're focused on the rapidly growing demographic of HDTV users. As time goes on, prices will drop not only on 360s and PS3s, but also on HDTVs, and as more people buy HDTVs, more will buy 360s and PS3s. HD and gaming go great together - that's why I'm a PC gamer. Don't tell anyone, but we've had HD for well over a decade. And it's wonderful.

Wii's coming from an entirely different angle. And it seems to be paying off, at least in the short term. Wii've yet to see if a device that's essentially last-gen can remain viable for the next five or so years.

 

PCs had 1920x1080 resolution before 1997?

Not calling you out or anything, just curious.

 

That's the high end of high def. The low end - 480p, we'll say - contains fewer pixels than SVGA did upon its release (though they use a different aspect ratio) sometime around 1990. By 1997, resolutions of that quality were pretty standard.

 

I think my biggest gripe with the PS3 is the fact that, unless you have a HD TV already (which I don't), then having a blu-ray player on a normal TV becomes more of an expensive DVD player then the next-gen tech it really is, resorting in spending another couple hundred (if not thousands) of dollars to get the most out of it. If the console itself was far more affordable then it is now, I'd certainly consider it. As it is, I'll wait and see how it goes over the next year and make my decision then. As it is, I have a 360 and Wii, so in terms of gaming, I'm more then comfortable.

 

Another strike against the PS3 now is Blu-Ray. Since almost every major company for a certain provocative industry has chosen HD-DVD as their new format, we are being reminded of what made VHS kill Sony's Betamax format in the 80's. More than likely, we can all say bye-bye to Blu-Ray.

Now, the question is this. . .

Since HD-DVD will probably win, will Sony be bitter and allow movies like the Spider-Man series, etc to be released on HD-DVD, or will we have to wait forever.

 

As long as they think their Blue Ray tech even has a spark of life in it, they'll probably continue to keep such movies released on that tech rather than bow out to HD.

Can't say I'd blame them, either. They've invested a lot in this new technology for it to just get flushed down the toilet because a bunch of porn distributors decided to back HD since Sony still doesn't have much luv for them. Still, considering how prevalent the porn industry is (even if most people don't admit to buying their wares), it's hard to see how Sony can win out if they're absolutely refusing to cater to that market while HD has no problem with it.

 

Playstation Home. Looks like Second Life meets Nintendo's Miis... without the dirty furries and lo-fi graphics, of course.

IMHO this is the best thing Sony's done this year, so long as it lives up to what the video says it can do.

 

Finally, after all this time, something on the PS3 that actually gains my interest. I knew something would come along eventually to combat the achievements and mii structure of the 360 and Wii respectively, and it looks as though Sony have raised the bar here, which certainly adds to the appeal of the console. Now add a few killer apps, and I might just be tempted ... but still not for another year or so at least, especially until a dramatic drop in price.

Or if I win lotto. Fat chance of that.