The AbyssThe Abyss

Posted on Nov 18th 2008 at 05:33:09 AM by (TraderJake)
Posted under Modern Gaming, Sony, Playstation

Happy Birthday PS3! That's right, two years ago today the PLAYSTATION 3 was released here in the states, being the second region to get the behemoth known as the PLAYSTATION 3. At the time it was the BIGGEST, BADDEST, MOST POWERFUL console to date, and well, two out of the three of those descriptors still fit. Depending on how you look at it, those descriptors can have either a positive or negative connotation associated with them.

Let's look back shall we? Well, in 2006 Sony had far and beyond the largest ego of the three developers. A cocky arrogance, so to speak. The PlayStation 2 sold like hotcakes, so obviously the PS3 would sell like hotcakes as well, right? Never mind the price differential. I know inflation occurs, but damn, you paid a premium if you bought a PS3 at launch. So, looking back, is it that surprising that the PS3 hasn't sold so well? I wouldn't think so, but I certainly didn't expect it to be as piss poor as it's been. Maybe it was branding the PLAYSTATION 3 as PLAYSTATION 3. ALL CAPS IS GREAT!!!!L0Lz0r. Seriously, why? Was it arrogance? I don't know for sure, but I am certainly inclined to believe it was.

Grand Theft Auto IV was supposed to get people to buy a PS3. To a certain extent it did, but then it dropped off like your grandmother's fine china falls off the table when your two year old son gets a hold of it. Truth be told, the massive releases haven't really had the intended effect that Sony was hoping for. It's sort of sad, don't these companies learn from history? I remember some other company being an arrogant ass and in the process watched it's market share drop from first to third over two console generations. I guess these companies just don't like to read up on history.

Of course, perhaps the future will be better for Sony. I know that I really want LittleBigPlanet, and half of Japan really wants Final Fantasy XIII. Perhaps the PS3 will be a late bloomer. Time shall tell, but in the the past things haven't been so rosy for the poor PLAYSTATION 3. After all, The PLAYSTATION 3 is now referred to as the PlayStation 3. Did the marketers get tired of holding down shift or did Sony realize their arrogance? Who knows, but it does make you wonder.

So, 2 years down, how many more to follow? Clearly the 4 year cycle should be blown to nothingness, I hope. I honestly think the PlayStation 3 will have a rosier future. It really is a powerful, powerful system, and in time production costs will hit a sweet spot where the mass public can afford it. There are good games for the PlayStation 3, and someday maybe a lot of people will be fortunate enough to play them. Sony really, really needs to knock the socks off of the gaming public. Clearly non casual gamers feel at time disenfranchised with the current market leader, why not capitalize on that? Find a sweet spot to sell the console at. Promote the third party tie-in ratio. Push the value of the console. Stop running esoteric and crazy commercials. Sell and advertise what people want. I think Sony will be able to pull it off, and in the future you might just see Sony be somewhere rosier than they currently are. Time shall tell.

Two years down, more to follow. What's your take on the PlayStation 3? What has the past and future held for the console in your opinion? What must they do in the present? Are they doomed to third place? Have the mighty fallen again? Time shall certainly tell.


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Comments
 
Well for me I LOVED my MGS4 PS3 with backwards comp. 

UNTIL IT CRAPPED OUT!!!

Now I have the 80 gig that isn't backwards comp. with the ps2.  HUGE MISTAKE if you ask me.  Wasn't that part of what made the PS2 so great?

All in all, I like the PS3 and I love the Blu-Ray.  I don't know if they will be able to reclaim their spot on top. 
 
I can't believe it's been 2 years already, it's seems like just yesterday they were selling for thousands of dollars on eBay. I remember waiting outside GameStop in 10 degree weather the day after Thanksgiving at 2:00 AM trying to get a Wii, and when they ran out of Wii systems, the guy asked if anyone wanted a PS3, only one guy did after he told us he'd be selling it on eBay.

I don't really care about the PS3, it's the worst selling this generation and I don't think that will change. There are too many different versions of it out there and they're all too expensive.
Although, Little Big Planet does look like fun.
 
@cverz2: Game system companies seem to be like political parties. They sometimes sit back and take a small break while they look at how to improve things. Look at Nintendo - they sat back for 2 generations and then came from the dark horse position to lead the pack.
 
On the one hand, I've always despised Sony's arrogance.  Then again, MS and Ninty have had their share of stupid attitudes and ridiculous comments and stances as well. 

But in this generation, for me, the PS3 is simply the worst entertainment deal when it comes to video games.  I don't truly consider myself a fanboy, but if I only had one current gen system (I have all three) the library of 360 games is bar-none.  Wii is an awesome party system with a few gems of 1p games, but typical of Ninty since the n64 I would have terrible game droughts if it were my only system (unless I bought heavy into the Virtual Console, but one look at my collection here will show that I don't need to purchase much but WiiWare Wink and the PS3 has almost as few exclusives that I want.  Sure, LBP and Killzone 2 look great, and MSG4 is impressive, but my $500 seems poorly invested so far.  I couldn't even get into Resistance 2, much as I tried.    And even though I kind of divorce the Blu-Ray player argument from the game console debates, even that has left me feeling that the PS3 wasn't a good deal right now.  Sure, a few releases are in good resolution, but the large majority of BR releases are original transfers that are simply scaled up and look, IMO, terrible now that I can see all the artifacts, defects, poor effects, and grain in crystal clarity.  In several cases my original dvds look better in HD!  Not to mention most BR are two or three times as much as the dvd release, even though the majority of them offer no real improvements.  BR has actually been quite a letdown for me thus far.

Yes, RROD on 360 is almost unforgivable, I'm on my 3rd system, but hey, I haven't kept up with and enjoyed this many new releases since my glory days on the Super Nintendo.

I'll keep my Wii and PS3 as the occasional exclusives they offer make them excellent secondary systems, but for me thus far (and unlike the previous generation where my ps2 got the lion's share of game time) the PS3 gets the least time, even with its power and BR player.
 
Calling it the PLAYSTATION 3 was really a mistake in my opinion. It almost feels like it's "screaming" towards me, it gets on my nerves if I have to read entire words in Caps for multiple times in a text.

@slackur:I agree with your arguement about Blu-ray. It's not always "that" much better (although some are amazing) and besides the HD picture there isn't that much of a difference. Give it some time, though. Blu-ray was rushed to the market (together with HD-DVD) because the companies wanted to decide what the next standard would be like. In a few years time, I expect to see Blu-ray's that can do substantially more than DVD's and that's when it will make a difference.
 
For me, it's all about the games, and the PS3 just doesn't have that many exclusives, worthwhile ones anyways. I own both a PS3 and Xbox 360, and so far the only PS3 game I have played is Metal Gear Solid 4, which I loved. However, if a hot multi-platform game comes out, I always pick up the Xbox 360 version. Partially because of the universal achievement system, but mostly because (especially if a game is multiplayer) all my friends will have the 360 version as well.

Hopefully I'll be able to show my PS3 a little more love after Christmas, I've got a couple games on my wishlist, like LittleBigPlanet and Resistance 1 and 2.
 
Well I just bought one recently and honestly haven't played it much and don't see myself playing it much (360 ftw!) however it does get alot of use as a dvd/bluray player and I still need to get the resistance games. Played everything else though (not much) I think with time it will improve. Its an impressive machine though and I like having it Smiley



 
There's too much negativity regarding the PS3. I own all three systems this gen and the PS3 is the only one i play out of them anymore. I love it, there is room for improvement, like all systems, but all in all i think it's the cat's pajamas.
 
There are really no games right now that would get me to buy a PS3 (FFXIII was supposed to be an exclusive, but it is not; and even then, one game would not justify). On the other hand, it IS the coolest blu-ray player there is, and it is something that I am very interested at. Right now, I can't really allocate money for such a purchase.
360 is probably my favorite of gen7 consoles (even if it did RROD this summer). I do play the Wii occasionally, and it is fun, though when using a nice TV and going from Wii graphics to 360, it's like jumping a generation (graphics are definitely not everything, but COME ON!)
 
PS3 is a massive let down / dissapointment. Also feel like I've not got my money's worth (£425) - so far the only game I've played and loved on the PS3 has been Drake's Fortune which was excellent. Apart that there's been Everybody's Golf (excellent but hardly going to set the world on fire) and Motorstorm (not brilliant by any stretch).. All other exclusives have not been up to scratch (Lair anyone?).

Also, the Blu Ray thing was a nice add on but so far films are way too expensive. Other daft Sony decisions - removing backwards compatibility and Rumble - still not bought a rumble six axis. The other point I want to make is that 9 / 10 multiformat releases are better on the 360 (as in run smoother) and have better implemented online features. Xbox Live is £40 but it saves me so much time. Have to call people to arrange a sony game which is time consuming and expensive.

I loved my PS2 as it had a rich catalogue of games - some of them great and unusual (ICO / Rez) but PS3 has been full of lame exculisves and poor convertions. Where as 360 has been great - the machine is rough around the edges but list of exclusives is brilliant and XBL is unsurpassed.

To me it's all about the games - which is what Sony should have remembered when they were releasing the PS3. I will keep it but it's an also ran in my book.
 
@Lord Roke:What about MGS4 and LBP?
 
Sirgin - will add those to the list - that's 4 games in 2 years.. not a great hit ratio in my book.

Plus LBP might be amazing but I've not got the time to spend designing levels.. (not really got the time to sit through 2 hours of cut scenes either).
 
I have all three consoles.  Currently I'm renovating my living room.  All the systems are sitting in a closet not being played.  The only one I have a desire to play is the 360.  I can see Sony DADC from my office area across the street.  They also have taken over half of the building I'm in to increase production on Blu-ray.  There so top heavy with upper execs right now that there bumping into each other.  Everyone thinks they have the answer to there PS3/Blu-Ray problems.  They really need to reorganize there staff and trim the fat.
 
@Lord Roke:Now that I think of it: you also forgot Resistance (1 & 2) and Ratchet & Clank: Tools of Destruction.

Whether or not you think those games are the absolute best of the best isn't really an issue. They're definitely better than average and therefor worth mentioning. Wink


 
@Sirgin: He also forgot Folklore, Motorstorm: Pacific Rift and Warhawk. Not to mention the AMAZING download lineup.

Plus, I think the claim that 9/10 multiplatform games run better on the 360 is not necessarily true. Sure, there are several that do, but lately it's been getting much better. Titles like CoD4, Mirror's Edge, GTA 4, Burnout Paradise, and several others run just as good as or better than the 360 versions.
 
As has been my opinion from the start, the PS3 has been overpriced as a gaming console. If you're into Blu-Ray and do a lot of movie-watching AND gaming, then it's possible you're more likely to feel as if you're getting your money's worth out of it. For MY money, though, I don't use a gaming console as a DVD player. So, in my opinion it's just an overpriced console BECAUSE of the Blu-Ray player, and therefore I've been in no rush to purchase a PS3.

Also, as others have mentioned, I prefer the 360 library of games. The PS3 library is starting to improve (Drake's Fortune, LBP), but there's still no stellar titles that are inspiring enough for me to drop money on getting a system (and the MGS & Resistance franchises just have no appeal to me). They need God of War 3 to come out...SOON.

Further, the price has GOT to drop on this system. And frankly, I'm glad to wait as long as it takes for it to go below $199.99.

Sony has lost this generation. Looking at market share compared to the previous gen (over  70% PS2, with Xbox and Game Cube fighting for the rest) , and their pricing strategy this gen, they've really screwed themselves...and their consumer base. With Nintendo Wii having about 45% of the market share this time, and with the 360 at about 35%, PS3 would be lucky to get to 30% by the time the next generation of home consoles rolls around.




 
Chaps, thanks for reminding me about Rachet and Clank - this is definitely a game worth getting and one I intend to pick up. I have Resistance 1 and thought it wasn't great - adding nothing new to the FPS canon.


 
@Lord Roke: Don't forget about Quest for Booty, the downloadable followup to Tools of Destruction.
 
^Not to be confused with Age of Booty... Cool
 
@Tondog: Hi there, in nicest possible way I disagree that games there anything other than a tiny majority of games that run better on PS3. If they are equal then would rather have the 360 version (For XBL and out of the box Rumble, better controller). In all to many cases they are inferior with murky textures / lower framerates. Check out Eurogamer where they have done loads of comparrisons.

I thought Folklore was a second rate RPG - (based on low metacritic rating). I downloaded WH and thought it looked like a PS2 game. Also the comms were terrible, but a lot of my friends have this and rate it (although they are PS3 fans)

 
Man, I had no idea this had already been out for so long.

The thing about the exclusives is there are a lot from 3rd party companies and when they saw the ship was going to sink early on they had no obligation to keep their game an exclusive so went with the money. Some have been loyal but nothing is holding them to it. Just like Resident Evil 4 was meant to be a GameCube exclusive and what happened there?

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