PlayStation 3 is not the sure-fire next-gen winner
Sony Computer Entertainment Ireland MD Niall O'Hanrahan has said the success of the PlayStation 3 is not a done deal.
Speaking to the Irish Times, O'Hanrahan has declared, somewhat contradicting what has already been said by Sony, that the next-gen console war is far from over, and Sony's success with the PlayStation 3 is not as certain as other Sony bigwigs would have you believe.
"We have a marketing challenge from now until launch. This is not a done deal. It will require a lot of effort from us," O'Hanrahan told the Irish Times. "We would never say we cannot fail."
O'Hanrahan isn't just concerned by the Xbox 360 and the Wii though, noting that "competition is now not limited to direct competition. We compete with MP3 players. We noticed at E3 that games for PCs are back."
PC games may have had a good E3, but the PlayStation 3's main rival is surely to remain the Xbox 360, with the Wii's low price ruling it out as a direct competitor.
User Comments
Texemosis
Texemosis
Fry Guy
None of that is true; Assasins creed has not been anounced for xbox 360 yet, the other two trailers contained confirmed in-game assets and were rendered in real time on PS3. (All games at e3 used prototype PS3 hardware; some of which was stored in pc boxes).
"Its the problem I have with Sony. They over hype the games and under deliver when you actually buy them and play them. Think about the life of the PS2. Name 10 games that were stand out titles that delivered on the hype. Xbox 360 and PS3 will have many of the same titles."
I find Sony has always delivered the best console experience of their generation.
10 games? Final Fantasy X, Ico, Shadow of the Colosus, Metal Gear Solid 2, MGS 3, Gran Tourismo 3, Tekken 5, God of War, Dragon Quest VIII. None of which are likely to have sequels on the Xbox 360. Think about it... PS3 owners will be justified in their purchase.
"But you have to give the nod to the 360 with the exclusives in this next Gen."
Nope, your wrong there. With such a large presence in the world wide scene (especially Japan) count on the lions share of new and innovative franchises to be born on PS3 just as happened with PS1 and PS2.
Socrates
It was also interesting to see that those who backed the 360 comments, not only lacked appreciation of either Sony or Nintendo, but were also lacking in a fair bit of grammar and general coherence? I mean come on, if youre backing the Microsoft 360 so much, surely you know that Microsoft Word has Spell Check?
But alas, thats not what this is all about is it? this is about two [maybe three] next generation gaming consoles that have created such a stir that youd think the price of petrol was now an insignificant issue sent to the back docks of the worlds need to fix list?
To be fair, 360 has such a head start on the next generation war that Microsoft has every reason to feel comfortable about their apparently demanding lead on this matter. In fact, Microsoft have every reason to flat-out cream what ever comes its way simply because they will have had their console out for over 12 months even before the next generation console-cab comes off the ranks. That is 12 months which has included the busiest shopping season, and from economic reports, a season which saw record consumer confidence in many developed countries.
The 360 will also have been out long enough for ALL OF US to have had at least one birthday pushing further the assumption that the window of opportunity for consumers to purchase the first serving of next generation consoles belonged solely to Microsoft!
So why then should they care what Sony and Nintendo have to offer? After all, 12 months is an extremely long time when one is talking about trends, fashions and consumer spending behaviors! or is it? well get back to that later.
How about that motion sensor control Sony stole off Nintendo? I mean the nerve of them right? to steal an idea that Nintendo had intended to launch at E3 as their break-through point of difference! but was it really THEIR break-through concept?
According to reports from the father of Microsoft himself, Bill Gates confirmed that Microsoft actually released a motion sensor controller for a PC game many, many years before E3 2006, but deemed that it was "too" motion sensitive and ended up being withdrawn from sale.
So yeah, you still think Sony stole the idea from Nintendo? I think the 360 aficionados out there will agree with me that the idea was actually stolen from Microsoft by Sony AND Nintendo? but then again, was a motion sensitive controller the ONLY thing that Nintendo had to brag about at E3 2006? because I cant remember too much else about the Wii other than that its cute little name?
So now, back to the question of whether Microsoft, and its loyal followers for that matter, should even care about the fact that Sony and Nintendo will soon join the next generation console war when theyve had the market pretty much to themselves for about 12 months?
Of course they care. Whilst its true that the 360 has been the ONLY next generation console on the market for almost a year, its also true that the prediction by Peter Moore's [Corporate Vice President, Interactive Entertainment Business, Entertainment and Devices Division] that Microsoft will sell 10 million units by 2007 will STILL leave Microsoft behind Sony and then? Playstation 3 will launch!
Like it or not, the fact remains that with a consumer base of over 100 million Playstation 2 owners, even if Sony managed to sell Playstation 3s to only 10% of this core base in its initial launch, thats still 10 million units already! and I think most will agree that as consumers, many of us tend to follow the tried and true, i.e. we tend to latch onto a brand and stick with them through thick and thin for a while at least so the 10% is probably a very understated figure youd probably be looking more at 25% - 30% of Playstation 2 owners who wont be too worried about paying more for the new version of their beloved console taking the figure by my calculations to about 25 30 million units! and then of course, as with each console, when the price does come down, what then?!
So yeah, Im not sure how some of our 360 gamers might be measuring the current console wars, but if its in relation to raw number of units sold, then there may not actually be a question to answer there? If its in regards to broken promises, then some of you need to check with your mom and dads, because Im sure there were a few along the way whilst you were growing up but if its all good now, then whats to say that Sonys ill-advised promises arent going to come to fruition in the end also?
If, perish the thought, you may be measuring it on system specs, then again, even the most hardened 360 gamer has to appreciate that whilst Microsoft have released an undoubtedly fantastic machine, the Chinese smorgasbord of but wait theres more type menu of add-ons attached to the 360 raises the question of, how much will it actually cost in the end anyway? maybe about US$600?
Like so many things on offer to consumers these days, the next generation of consoles comes with a choice! The choice for most of us being, whether you buy a console that has unprecedented graphics capabilities. One that also boasts unmatched storage capacities and one that truly looks to set new grounds for the future or, you buy an Xbox 360?! ... choice is yours!
YouWillSee
Do you really think that the leader in the console game market won't produce a high impact system? Do you really think it won't be on par with the 360? Alot of this is either Sony's hype to keep the PS3 in the news OR MS's hype to make the consumer loose confidence in the Sony brand.
All you loyalist are falling for it. Supporting a system as if it actually meant somthing.
Last Gen I owned an XBOX because I felt it was the better system. Now I am going to get both systems but I will get the PS3 first, why? I like the fact that Sony is selling me a complete system for $600, instead of piece by piece for $600. And because I really missed my quality RPG's when I had the xbox (the only one was Fable). I will get the 360 when the core version is like $200, maybe christmas 2007.
Listen I don't want to take anything away from the 360 I just prefer the games on the PS3. But I still want to play Halo 3, GOW, Fable 2, and Too Human just not at the expens of missing out on FFXIII and FF Versus XIII. And yes I would give up all of the 360 games for Final Fantasy alone, but to put things in perspective there are like 8 other games comming on the PS3 (not necessarily exclusives) at launch that I can't wait to play. AND I GET A BLURAY Drive with an HDMI input to complement my 45" Sharp Aquos.
On NOV 17th ... Consider it Done!
remeber my name!!!!
Anon
As for this next-gen console war, PS3 may be going over the top with this pricing thing. Sure diehard PS3 fans and people who like things that have "Sony" on it are gonna buy the PS3 at its premium price. What about the average middle class in the US? Sony's asking 600 bucks for a console and that is not easy to shell out at all for someone middle class that doesn't know much about video games.
Sure you're getting a really awesome console with the best hardware that can't be beat for a deal of 600 bucks, but is that what people really want now? Or rather, is it enough to persuade the average person to get the console?
If Sony's audience is the gamer-hardcore gamer type then their pitch'll probably do well, but if they're looking to get a wide variety of people into this, then they're gonna have some trouble pulling it off.
Also, I've heard that Sony's planning on releasing "upgraded" versions of the PS3 in the future (more RAM or a more tweaked processor, etc). I have to say personally that it is a very bad decision if they plan on doing that to the extent as I imagine it.
I think if Bluray shoots off well to the consumer, then the PS3 should go down in price significantly... so while it may be a rough start at first, I think as long as Bluray wins, then the PS3'll get more fuel for the fire.
And yea, it's about the games too... with support from Konami, Capcom, Namco, and especially Square-Enix, Sony's got solid 3rd party support, and quite frankly, it's Konami and Square-Enix support that make me want the PS3... as it did for the PS2.
Chris
TheImpaler
Also a lot of people were dissapointed at the games from E3, but ps3 is a very complicated machine and developers need time to learn how to utulize all its power. Just look at ps2 games right now, they look way better than the launch ps2 titles. It will be the same for ps3. 2-3 years down the road ps3's games will be graphically superior to the xbox 360's games.
Im not even talking about the wii because its going in a different direction, but im sure it will do at least as good as the ds.
ramunematt
sweb
blabla
mike_mgoblue
Lots of things are a matter of opinion, but how about this: At the 2005 E3, Sony said the PS3 would work with seven controllers at a time and have two HDMI ports, but at the 2006 E3 we found out that the PS3 will only work with four controllers at a time, and it will only be compatible with one HDMI port...unless you are evaluating the $499 version, which doesn't even have an HDMI port.
I am not trying to be a fanboy or sound like someone saying mean things about Sony or any Playstation product. I am simply stating the facts as they are. The fact of the matter is that Sony over promised at the 2005 E3, and then under delivered at the 2006 E3.
This type of over promising and under delivering is EXACTLY what Microsoft said would happen when they compared the Xbox 360 to the Playstation 3 in 2005 after Sony announced the specifications of the Playstation 3. Microsoft was willing to compare the Xbox 360 to the PS3 in a way that looked at Xbox 360's specifications conservatively, while looking at Sony's exaggerated specifications as if they were real. Sony clearly didn't live up to many of those specifications, but this comparison definitely shows that the Xbox 360 is superior in terms of things that apply to videogames. Here is the hyperlink to that website: http://xbox360.ign.com/articles/617/617951p1.html
When it comes to mathematical Floating Point calculations that determine where a rock will land when a nuclear weapon explodes, there is no doubt that the Playstation 3 is the most powerful system. However, that sort of processing is very rarely included in videogames. The Xbox 360 has approximately three times the General Processing Power of the Playstation 3, because the PS3 only has one processor running at 3.2 Ghz, whereas the Xbox 360 has three of them! This is the main reason why games like John Madden Football 2007, Sonic the Hedgehog, and The Darkness look and sound noticeably better on the Xbox 360.
The Cell CPU of the PS3 is based on Floating Point calculations, which limits the ability of a programmer to apply resources where they are needed. Programmers are not always able to apply Floating Point power to videogames, which means that there is always going to be a large percentage of PS3 power that is not being used. The three Xbox 360 Power PC CPUs offer General Processing Power that can be applied wherever programmers want it to, in any situation. This huge difference in General Processing Power is a major advantage for the Xbox 360.
Also, the Xbox 360 has better looking texture quality, superior sound, and significantly more advanced RAM. RAM is crucially important to videogame quality. The PS3 uses outdated RAM technology that is not unified, just like the Playstation 2, Playstation, Nintendo 64, and Sega Saturn. The Xbox 360 uses revolutionary new Unified RAM that is far more efficient. These are the main reasons why games released on both the Xbox 360 and the PS3 such as John Madden Football 2007, Sonic the Hedgehog, Fight Night Round 3, and the Darkness look and sound noticeably better on the Xbox 360.
Please take the time to look at this comparison between the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3. Every single thing that Microsoft said would happen in this article from 2005 has happened in 2006. Please take the time to look at this Xbox 360 vs Playstation 3 comparison: http://xbox360.ign.com/articles/617/617951p1.html
Honest Gamer
The one that has the better features will win this so called console war. Ps3 looks better on paper, but XB360 isn't giving them anything easily. I'tll be a very close competition.
Hard drive? Hard drive...Exclusives? Exclusives. It's all the same. Just wait, play all three, and then buy your favorites. And if you're really rollin' in 'da benjamins, buy two or all three.
I thought i was die hard nintendo. But I found advantages in sony. Now xbox is really catching my eye.
You're not going to get a million dollars becaue you bought a paticular brand of system every launch and called its competitiors crap. So why pick sides. Just call yourself a person looking for the best bargain.
Tyrant8RDFL
JayLong