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Post by ringsyde on Feb 7, 2006 0:00:35 GMT -5
Here are a few news items to get people hella-excited about the upcoming PS3 launch:
-Unless there are massive shipping or distribution problems, the PS3 will launch with a minimum of 20 titles (there may be as many as 35).
-EGM recently reported that Madden and Live for the PS# would be XBOX 360 ports. What they did not say is that both games would be ports of the 2007 versions of the game (good news considering Madden '06 is average and Live '06 sucks to high heaven on the 360).
-THQ, Yukes and Jakks are taking the next big step with the Legends line, and they are banking on the PS3's Blu-Ray technology to expand the license. Put bluntly, it looks very much like an upcoming version of RAW (possibly even the first PS3 installment) will have a roster of 60 (SIXTY!!!!!!!) legends. When I originally heard this, I assumed THQ was looking into a separate game exclusively dedicated to wrestling legends. This does not appear to be the case. We may see a PS3 Smackdown with a FirePro sized roster of new and legendary talents.
-This isn't news to anyone who's followed the progression of the series, but for those who have not, Metal Gear PS3 is clearly going to do for Sony what Goldenyeye did for the 64 and GTA did for the PS2. Everything down to the scatter effects of bullet shrapnel is being figured into the game, and little details like dust affecting the performance of weapons and gadgets are being incorporated as well.
-$500 looks to buy a PS3, a controller, high-def / power cords and a demo disc. There wont be a hard drive, but memory cards will range from small (barely a gig) to insane (the biggest I've heard is 10 gig), and developers are programming games accordingly.
I'm still digging for news on everything, so what I find, I'll try to report.
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Post by offspring515 on Feb 7, 2006 3:12:18 GMT -5
Wow....fill us in on whatever else you find man. This is sounding great. Now I just have to find 500 dollars...plus money for games....
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Post by Chris Ingersoll on Feb 7, 2006 9:27:31 GMT -5
-Unless there are massive shipping or distribution problems, the PS3 will launch with a minimum of 20 titles (there may be as many as 35). But how many will be worth it?   Five. Hundred. Dollars? It's like Sony wants to fail. I'm sorry, but that's outrageous. |
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Post by GalactiKing on Feb 7, 2006 10:03:26 GMT -5
Definitely won't be getting a PS3 anytime soon(I have a hard time justifying 200 much less 500)
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Post by ringsyde on Feb 7, 2006 18:38:21 GMT -5
Five bills is one helluva lot of money, but the suits believe it's still in the target price range. I personally think they are biting off way more than they can chew, but I also think that's why they are scrambling to put out such a big library of titles at launch.
I've been on the retail side of things for eight years now, so I tend to assume that if a system launches with 12 or fewer games, two will be worth buying. For every 10 games added, you can add one more to the "possible purchase" list.
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Post by thefamoustommyz on Feb 7, 2006 19:04:10 GMT -5
I would rather see better story modes than 60 WWE Legends, myself...being able to play Snuka v Carlito just does nothing for me.
Having a reason to play story mode more than once...or even better, multiplayer story mode? That would sell me in a heartbeat.
PS3 still sounds utterly passable.
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Post by Chris Ingersoll on Feb 8, 2006 10:35:59 GMT -5
I've been on the retail side of things for eight years now, so I tend to assume that if a system launches with 12 or fewer games, two will be worth buying. For every 10 games added, you can add one more to the "possible purchase" list. Sounds about right. Launches are usually cross-platform sport ports, glorified tech demos, maybe some miscellaneous shovelware, and a game that, ten or fifteen years ago, would have come bundled with the hardware in the first place because it's such a system-moving/demonstrating experience. |
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Post by nelson on Feb 8, 2006 10:52:28 GMT -5
i'm waiting for just one game and that comes out soon.(i hope)
neil
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Post by pikemojo on Feb 9, 2006 20:45:41 GMT -5
Holy Crap!!! I am rejoicing.
If it is 500 then I will probably wait a bit. I will still probably shell out the 500 but it will make me wait a bit.
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Post by ringsyde on Feb 15, 2006 7:11:22 GMT -5
Neil, what game are you waiting on?
Tommy, I get the feeling that we're getting more legends because nothing else will improve or evolve in the game. I loved SD vs. RAW '06, so that wont entirely disappoint me, but I do agree that multi-player and multi-tiered story modes are long overdue.
I've shared my impressions of the PS3 and the price on several other threads, but my job and my longstanding infatuation with all things videogame will compel me to buy the PS3. I'm not so sure that I'll be buying it at launch, but I'll definitely be getting one.
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Post by nelson on Feb 15, 2006 13:08:30 GMT -5
will ps3 be a improvement over ps2?.  neil |
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Post by pikemojo on Feb 15, 2006 17:04:52 GMT -5
Are you kidding?
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Post by nelson on Feb 15, 2006 17:25:09 GMT -5
no i'm not !!! i'm not screwing around bud.
neil
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Post by ringsyde on Feb 20, 2006 9:01:44 GMT -5
Two BIG pieces of news!!
#1) A prominant member of the Sony development community (and the key player in the PS3 system development team) has released a report that slams Sony for creating " . . . an impossible, complcated and expensive monster that may well sink this company." The report is pretty scathing, and its author goes as far as praising Microsoft for creating a better product that makes more sense and will cost less money in the short and long term. Clearly, Sony is not happy about this turn of events, and the developer has been removed from the PS3 project. This has led to some big problems, however, due to the fact that the individual's absence has ground the production / development of the system to a near halt.
#2) Speaking of that halt, CNN just this morning reported that Sony of Japan is saying that the Japanese release of the PS3 is now slated for the July-October window, and the American release will likely not happen until March of next year. They gave no specific reason for the delay. They also said that the system is costing Sony $900.00 per-unit to produce, and such an astronomical price tag means fewer systems will be created for launch, and customers will likely suffer from lack of systems or final price tag woes.
I posted in another thread (months ago) that Sony is in financial trouble. Other than their gaming department, the company hasn't made any money for years. There are just so many better options for consumers than Sony tv's, DVD players and other electronics, and the entire electronic industry has felt the crush of Apple's iPod on their portable cd/music player sales. If Sony handles the PS3 launch poorly, they may very well be scrambling to survive.
What I've read and heard over the last 24 hours has me wondering if that 5-year reign at the top of videogaming rule is legit (Atari, Nintendo, and Sega each held a 5-year reign atop the gaming industry before imploding or being booted by the new system in town). The respondents on this board -admitted die-hard gamers, many of you - are having a tough time swallowing a $500.00 system. Imagine your disgust with a more expensive, less equipped system that may not be available to you for months after you've paid (in full) for it?
Sony has its work cut out, and they have no room for error.
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Post by Chris Ingersoll on Feb 20, 2006 15:25:57 GMT -5
What I've read and heard over the last 24 hours has me wondering if that 5-year reign at the top of videogaming rule is legit (Atari, Nintendo, and Sega each held a 5-year reign atop the gaming industry before imploding or being booted by the new system in town) An interesting situation and observation. Let's say, for the sake of argument, that Microsoft is the regining champ if Sony falls (debateable, but probably true, especially if we consider handhelds a separte issue). Who picks up the title after MS falls? Do we get our first repeat champion in Nintendo? Or does some new company show up, kick butt, and take names? |
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Post by sickman on Feb 20, 2006 16:10:04 GMT -5
Well; EA could always get into the console making department ;D
This is a huge blow to Sony though. And I am one of those die hard PS guys. But I have been playing on my friends X-Box lately and I do like it. Still can't get used to that controller though.
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Post by ringsyde on Feb 20, 2006 16:23:02 GMT -5
First thing first; the aforementioned Sony employee and big wheel is Josh Robbins. For his "unbiased perspective on the coming console war (in which he hailed the X-Box 360 as the king of the hill)" Robbins was fired by Sony. You can read the whole story at ps3week.com.
Chris, I think there are two distinct possibilities regarding the future reigning champion.
Possibility number one is that Microsoft manages to put a deadlock on gaming; something they've done to near completion on the PC side of the equation (sorry, Mac, Linux and other OS fans, Windows is still king) and hope to do in the console gaming world. Microsoft makes no bones about this. For more proof, consider that Peter Moore and Bill Gates recently (finally) let it slip that the "X-BOY" isn't some internet-started rumor; it's a legitimate concept currently being explored by MS. The machine looks to combine the best of the iPod with the best of the Gameboy/PSP to create a portable Microsoft do-everything box. Far fetched, of course, but the fact that it's being considered at all further supports the theory that Microsoft will use it's money and muscle to lay claim to the larger market share.
People have laughed off my idea for possibility #2, but it holds merit. When the Dreamcast failed and Sega went "Soft ware development only", people assumed they were done with hardware altogether. Well, welcome to the first day of UgotSuckered-U. By creating software only, Sega has now been given development kits for EVERY console and handheld device since 2001, and this will continue until they are ready to make their move, or the development community wises up. You see, Sega has never completely stopped exploring concept models for new hardware, and by getting early dev kits for MS, Nintendo and Sony systems, they get to freely explore existing and new technology without restriction. I personally think the large sums of money they've acrued through software and licensing sales and the fact that they have continued to position people to explore a return to hardware development has put Sega in position to secretly pace the way to a dynamic return.
Consider this: only Sega has been more consumer-freindly than Nintendo (their products, price points, franchises, out-of-the-box concepts, and support were always the highest rated and most respected amongst the gaming / gaming press community). Also, they have established financial partenrships with companies that could help bolster them right back into the console fray. Sega had some input on Microsoft's two machines, and they have recently been tapped to help Sony and Nintendo expand their respective online support. There's enough on the plate to suggest the little game-maker that failed horribly with the Dreamcast (that actually made them money in the long term) may be plotting and planning for a return to the top, and the other hardware developers are helping them along the way.
There is a third possibility, and this one is pretty valid. With the many increases in controller, handheld and cellular functionality, it's possible that consoles may soon be a thing of the past. The same technology Nintendo is incorproating into the Revolution to download oldschool (and new) games can easily be programmed into cel phones and handhelds such as the PSP.
Further, digital and satellite cable box developers/distributors may soon find new partners in Sony, Nintendo and Microsoft. Each of these companies is already exploring ways to access gaming content through cable and digital service, and it's not a hugely inaccurate assumption that each company will try to find a way to offer subscription services - and eventually game purchases - straight through the digital box.
Time will tell. For now, things don't look so good for Sony, but it's stilll very early, and we still know so little. As a man who's on his second X-Box 360 (yep, the first one froze up and was "irepairrable"), I think there's still time and a lot of room for Sony to get things together enough to maintain their spot. It wont take much work, considering the most thorough polls still show the majority of Sony-loyal gamers refusing to even look at other systems. Nintendo will always be around, but even they have clearly stated that they're out to maintain (the loyal) fanbase and serve as an alternative to another (as opposed to wanting to dominate the market again). Fro m where I sit, the field is wide open, but Sony's flying with a broken wing, Microsoft is challenging customer loyalty, and Nintendo is happy to keep the fanbase it's got.
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Post by pikemojo on Feb 20, 2006 18:43:55 GMT -5
You make some very valid points.
Sega coming back to consoles would excite me.
I don't see portable gaming taking over completely. I will never really be interested in it and I know there are many others who feel the same way. It just isn't the same to play on such a small screen.
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