It is, as they say, sad but true.
Because a normal failure isn’t epic enough by itself. Sony, with the Playstation 3, dedicated to the art of fiasco, obliterated the competition by having no less than five huge mistakes, probably more, that kicked them from the head of the pack to barely limping behind in today’s console war.
#1: Grrr… Look at our big hardware!
Arguably, the Playstation 2 was at the top of the previous generation console war. The Xbox was just getting into the swing of things, barely sustained by the various Halos. Microsoft’s mammoth did, however, sport some slightly more impressive hardware.
Sony must have taken this personally, because they spent all manner of time and finance on the PS3, loading it with the absolute most ritzy meats and cheeses providing a massively powerful system, well ahead of the competition.
The only problem it hasn’t been utilized. Games on the PS3 look pretty much same as games on the other systems because, especially in the case of multiple platforms, the developers aren’t going to put in an extra thousand hours to make the game look worlds better on just one system.
It’s possible in here that developers will start using the impressive pieces of hardware for some really amazing things, but by then there’s a good chance that the next generation of consoles will already be out.
#2: Lets have a big fancy home entertainment system.
The Playstation 3, the system you can watch all of your Blu-Ray movies, play all of your video games. Surf the internet, listen to music, play video files of every shape and size. You can even link it to your PSP for more of the same purposes. It’s the ultimate in household entertainment.
Great idea, in theory. The only problem is that games still haven’t really crashed mainstream media yet; most people don’t think of systems as being able to do anything else besides play games, so they aren’t going to buy something they personally won’t use. Also because they view them primarily for children, most doting parents will purchase the cheapest product for their kids (Wii?).
Sony took a risk, but the market still isn’t ready right now to see video games and thus consoles as a form of entertainment accessible by anyone save children, so even the system itself is very likely only going to be utilized by the one who owns it.
#3: Lets make games into interactive films.
Many of the launch and subsequent exclusive titles have this really weird tendency to be very cinematic in presentation. Uncharted, the martial arts drama Heavenly Sword (massively underrated), and whatever-the-crap-it-is game Lair.(not so underrated). Generally speaking, they look and feel like big budget Hollywood films, complete with bevity.
Maybe it has to do with their home entertainment vision, but it just doesn’t really work with regular gamers (despite their attempts, that remains their audience). They’re expecting something that they’re used to, and aren’t thrilled by the result.
#4: Lets fight the wrong war.
Again, probably because of their home entertainment obsession, they spent a whole lot of time and resources fighting the war with HD-DVD, promoting their own Blu-Ray system. They won, in the end and kudos to them for it. Only problem they didn’t keep an eye on those sneaky Microsoft devils, who snuck into base camp and stole all of their guns and ammunition. Which directly leads into:
#5: Exclusives? We don’t need no stinkin’ exclusives!
All of this misplaced focus made Sony lose developers. Game creators all walked off right into Microsoft’s soft, warm, huggy arms and massive budget. Sony sat there, oblivious, praying that their super-powerful home entertainment monolith succeeded, eyes shut, covering their ears while their empire crumbled.
There’s a lot of overlap in games between systems, so the only particular reason to own one over the other is the exclusive titles. Playstation 3 has a few good ones, and they’re definitely showing signs of a comeback (especially overseas), but they’re nothing if not incredibly lucky that they didn’t lose it all together. Only the slightly unsatisfying gimmicky nature of the Wii and the crippling hardware problems of the 360 kept the PS3 afloat.
Pretty much all Sony needs to do to come out of this is to remember that the Playstation has always had success as a gaming system. If they follow that formula, then there shouldn’t be any problems.
Maybe Home will be as epic as they’re hoping, and maybe they’ll actually get a lot more exclusive games to sweeten the deal. Or maybe lightening will strike and people will start to buy into the total home entertainment package. Even if, Sony’s got a long haul in front of them if they want to catch up.
Oh, and for those of you who love to spew negativity, which seems to be many: I try to give attention everywhere. Check the timestamp.
Comments
I have the PS3 and the 360. I will always buy a game for the 360 over the PS3 for a few reasons.
1) The 360 came out first and I got it right away, and immediately began earning achievement points. It's fun to keep the ongoing tally.
2) Every time I play a new game on PS3 or download a game I have to agree to some stupidly long legal contract. Not to mention I have to wait every time I play a new disk game for an update to be loaded. At which point I am again prompted to agree to a four page legal document that I have no intention of reading. Nor do I have any intention of letting the money I just spent on the game go to waste by not agreeing to it either.
3) I also find the 360 marketplace better and the whole experience just feels friendlier and easy to use.
Sorry Sony. You had me the last time around.
#6
Resolution on PS3 games (720p) as opposed to (1080p) on XBOX. 99%.
I do buy the title that has the highest resolution which is why i bought a 1080 p TV which is about all they sell now a days..
#7 NO quality control! Letting games get released like Socom, Orange Box, Fallout 3, when they simply dont work , full of bugs and crashes..
Sony, by doing this your simply telling me go"Go buy it on another system". By default The PS3 port now ar3e viewed as inferior.....
1. The exclusives show what the PS3 is really capable of, but some companies that produce multi-platform games can and will take extra time with the PS3 to make it the best that it can be(eg Burnout Paradise.) Who is to say that the PS3 can't stay in the game for much longer and compete with the next line of consoles? I mean, Look at the PS2!
2. So Sony should have made a cheap, mediocre system that is focused primarily on children? The playstation brand has always represented something new and innovative with each console, from cd playback, to dvd, now bluray. It is never been just about gaming, and at my age I can appreciate everything it has to offer after growing up with playstation. The market isn't ready for the more adult PS3, yet is ready for the Xbox 360 and Halo 3 and all the other overrated titles Microsoft brags about.
3. I haven't heard anyone express unhappiness with Uncharted or Heavenly Sword (I own both and they rock) and Lair's issues are primarily with the controls, which were fixed in a patch update anyway. At least Sony is bringing some fresh exclusives to their console, rather than regurgitating the same old games like Microsoft (Halo 3) and Nintendo (pretty much all their games).
4. Say what you will, but the bluray victory was a big win for Sony and has kept the PS3 afloat despite people thinking it is a sinking ship. The economic climate has been horrible, so naturally bluray sales will be lower but it doesn't mean its just going to disappear entirely in favor of digital distribution, which won't really take off until internet speeds are much faster in the US and other areas of the world. Microsoft is spouting out garbage about how that is where everything is going, because they're sour about hd-dvd falling out, but just watch and wait for the bluray drive in their next console.
5. You can say Sony dropped the ball by not dishing out hundreds of thousands of dollars to secure exclusive games, but they are a multifaceted company and their budget isn't intended strictly for the PS3. Microsoft on the other hand, has dumped tons of money into the Xbox and has a long way to go before even matching what the playstation brand has achieved in the last fourteen years.
#7 NO quality control! Letting games get released like Socom, Orange Box, Fallout 3, when they simply dont work , full of bugs and crashes..
Sony, by doing this your simply telling me go"Go buy it on another system". By default The PS3 port now ar3e viewed as inferior.....
Sony has had over 300 titles dropped and Xbox has less than 20?
Its a problematic system.
While I agree, Sony should be concerned at it's position at this point in time. I have to disagree with Sony 'losing' developers. They didn't lose anyone, they were bought out by MS. Sony stated they aren't paying for exclusive content. Good for them. The only reason I own a Sony machine, is because none of Sony's 1st and 2nd party titles will EVER show up on PC. Whereas on Xbox, I can download every single one of those games for free to my PC, or for my friends mod'd 360 ;). I win all around.
360/Wii may be popular to the common masses. But, I want to play Gran Turismo 5 (You know, the ONLY racing game in full 1080p @ 60fps, Sorry, Forza isn't 1080p, it's upscaled).
Morne
Sony forgot that most people that bought the PS2 aren't necessarily tech savvy. Their ultimate mistake was making a system that's a lil too complicated for both its users and programmers. Perfect example, they sell different flavors of their system with various hard drive sizes. While most tech savvy gamers know the hard drive can be swapped with a cheaper store bought one. I would like to know how many ps3 users actually get online with their system. Also, the few individuals I know that own a ps3 don't even have it connected to a hdtv. I have a 360 hooked up to a toshiba hdtv with a pioneer surround sound system. Sweet!
sony has plenty of exclusives dumb ass
uncharted, mgs4, motorstorm 1&2, resistance1&2, littlebigplanet, warhawk, valkyria chronicles, killzone 2, god of war 3, etc.
it had more sales in the year 2007 worldwide than x box 360.
this year as of right now the ps3 also sold more units world wide in 2008.
so exactly how is sony failing when their beating 360 right now for the last 2 years with a higher price?
think before u post ignorant trash
hehe , tepy huj
Such hypocrites. Despite the PS3 being an 'epic fail', it has sold 4 million more consoles in 2 years than Microsoft did. Did you call the 360 an 'epic fail.' No, you didn't because you are short sighted and ignoran.
You're an idiot. Your comments are full of FUD and major BS. How the heck did Sony back up the wrong format when it was part of the reason bluray won the format war?
A console selling 17 million in TWO years is a failure.
Enough is enough already. Do you childish pricks get paid by Microsoft to spread this crap?
No wonder Microsoft gets these consumers to buy their consoles. They don't do the research and it's people like you who spread false things about the PS3!
Oh yes Sony faught the wrong war, they backed Blu Ray when clearly they sould have backed HD-DVD, like Microsoft did(!)
You are a total moron.
I agree with you with the #1, #2, #4 but #3 and #5 are completely ridiculous statements...
#5} Some PS3 exclusive just went multi-plat, is not like they loosed the games. And MS loosed some exclusives too like: Eternal Sonata and Bioshock so, you know.... While MS were dropping money to get the games(not exclusives), Sony was crafting real exclusives like: MGS4, Uncharted, Heavenly Sword, Resistance, Resistance 2, Little Big Planet, Valkyria Chronicles, Warhawk, Folklore, Motorstorm, Motorstorm2, Ratchet & Clank, Socom, Time Crisis 4.
The only problem is that Sony don't do much advertisements and people tend to forget about their games and only focus on what they see on tv and other media. You Mr. Justin Kemppainen are the living proof of this...
What about 2009? FFXIII versus(not to be confused with FFXIII), God of War III, Heavy Rain, Uncharted 2, M.A.G., White knight Chronicles, Gran Turismo 5, Demon Soul, Quantum Theory, Yakuza 3, Killzone 2, inFamous... How's MicroSoft going to top that for 2009? I don't know...
-And about #3.... Sir Justin Kemppainen it seems you don't now much about games. Heck you're seeing the cinematic experiences as a bad thing when almost every game in existence is like a cinematic experience... Are you a Wii mini-games with waggle fest addict or something? under what rock you been living, Sir? The problem here (repeating myself again) is that Sony doesn't advertise their games too well...
This is the most biased/fanboy thread ive ever seen
you fail
How much did Microsoft pay you to write this EPIC FAIL of a piece of trash? It must have been a lot. It seems like Microsoft must be real busy going around getting everyone to attack the PS3.
LMAO look at all the crying bitches.
This Robert moron is spreading FUD for Microsoft. He talks about Sony and their quality control. Hey idiot, ever hear of RROD? I thought so. Have fun sitting around for months while Micro$oft pretends to fix your 360.
BTW:
Watch the Spike VGA (December 18) to see the God of War III and Uncharted 2 trailers! These two games are going to be so amazing...
This Robert moron is spreading FUD for Microsoft. He talks about Sony and their quality control. Hey idiot, ever hear of RROD? I thought so. Have fun sitting around for months while Micro$oft pretends to fix your 360.
OK i got all 3 system and they serve different purposes:
XBOX 360: Best gaming so far
PS3:Best movies player so far
Wii: This gimmick i use to get females to loosen up
HOME is Ghay!(seriously)
XBOX has sony flat on her back this gen.
Sony fanboys wont like to hear it but it is what it is so deal with it!
360 sucks because it is the single reason the ps3's power hasn't been tapped into. if 360 disappears tonight, the developers will have no choice but to make great games for ps3. What people don't realize is developers are makeing games for the 360 and simply porting them to the ps3. I would like to see a comparison of the percentage of total computing power used by each system running the same game. I can't be certain, but I'd bet ps3 uses far less than 360. GAMERS QUIT HOLDING BACK THE GAMEING INDUSTRY AND GET A SYSTEM WITH SOME REAL POWER, GET A PS3!!!
Home is pretty gay, but it is still a beta
Totally right in every way. And I own a PS3. I've had enough of waiting, Sony = fail.
hi,
WWII i think that heavenly sword was suck a failure
i mean it's realy not that good as they say
and the only exclusives that i realy like on the ps3 are metal gear 4,uncharted, resistance 2 and of caurse the amazimg god of war
anything other than that just sucks
and believe me i played nearly all exclusives on both consoles except rbgs because they are realy boring
and the best game i played so far is gears of war and ninja gaiden 1(i sayed 1 not 2)
I know some fanboys who'll start crying as soon as Sony drops the PS3 price to $299 and will sell massive numbers while the 360 will crash and burn.
Let's not forget FF XIII (exclu in Japan and demo exclu PS3) and versus (this one still totally exclusive), as well as God of War III or GT5 among others (Heavy Rain too) coming in 09. Did I mention that Uncharted 2 looks amazing ? :)
360: Halo / Halo / Alan Wake. That's for 2009. What an amazing program -lol-
lol i bet some xbox fan boy wrote this look becase the xbox is a ef dont mean taht the ps3 cuz the ps3 pwns the 360 anyday
also the 360 has been out so much longer then ps3 so devlpoers used them first but when 360 crashes and burns big times, then more devlpers will come back to sony also some reports been going round that tehre going to use the ps3 as there main 3rd party engine cuz of the epic power
so inn other words fu ****rot fan
wow written by a true fanboy... didnt have to read everything, just the sub-topics spoke enough
point 1: opinion based on? please show proof that the next generation will start before developers utilize the ps3 hardware, and if so why will that matter?
point 2: opinion based on? please show proof that games aren't mainstream media, and that consumers will purposely not purchase the ps3 because it has extra features.
point 3: opinion based on? please show proof that sony's exclusive games are interactive movies. the 3 examples cited exclude mgs4, which maybe would back up your point. also show evidence that gamers are responding negatively to your supposed point.
point 4: is this even a point? what does this mean? microsoft snuck in and stole guns & ammo? please clarify what you mean by this, personally i think it's just more biased opinions with little or no fact.
point 5: opinion based on? please show proof that the rrod and the gimmick of the wii has kept the ps3 afloat. also show proof that game devs walked away from sony to exclusively develop for ms.
if sony hadn't included blu ray and made the ps3 a media hub, the fanboys, analysts, and yellow journalists like you would all be claiming the lack of such features as the downfall of the ps3. the inclusion of blu ray, wifi, hard drive, sixaxis, web browser, bluetooth, cell, free psn, home, and many others are exactly why people are buying the ps3.
the only failure of sony and the ps3 is that it didn't sell 140 million consoles in its first year. oh well, maybe the ps4 can do it......
ya i agree ps3 hasnt been perfect this generation. But 2008 made me forgive it seeing as it had the best game(youd have to be blind to think otherwise... or you just have bad taste) and ps3 saw the most significant improvements. Hello NXE is a piece of crap. No one i know likes it and they all consider it more of a downgrade. PS3 on the other hand got 2.4 and 2.5 along with home which can be boring but its a hell lot better than avatars
ya i agree ps3 hasnt been perfect this generation. But 2008 made me forgive it seeing as it had the best game(youd have to be blind to think otherwise... or you just have bad taste) and ps3 saw the most significant improvements. Hello NXE is a piece of crap. No one i know likes it and they all consider it more of a downgrade. PS3 on the other hand got 2.4 and 2.5 along with home which can be boring but its a hell lot better than avatars
#1. Making the PS3 the most powerful console was a mistake because developers aren't fully using the power? This sounds to me to be more of a problem with developers. Just because they're being lazy and would prefer not to utilize something to it's full potential is not Sony's fault. If every game on the PS3 blew away 360, PS3 games would sell like crazy, so putting in the extra time would probably = more sales, thus = more money.
#2. Sony is obviously trying to give their consumers a good product. I don't see the PS3 as the "trendy" device to buy. It's something that people who truely enjoy technology can enjoy. I love my PS3 as an entertainment hub.
#3. Are you serious? I've never played a game on the PS3 where I thought "Is this a movie or a game?" Those games have no more cut scenes than any other game...this point was just brought because someone couldn't actually come up with 5 issues.
#4. Does this one actually say "Sony screwed up by winning with Bluray"? Once again, someone couldn't actually come up with 5 issues.
#5. Ok, this excuse used to fly 2 years ago, but there is NO basis...NO BASIS for this BS excuse that the PS3 has no exclusive games. At this point, when was the last original exclusive IP Microsoft put out? I mean, Halo and Gears are all they really have. Keep milking ppl those with sequels.
#1. Making the PS3 the most powerful console was a mistake because developers aren't fully using the power? This sounds to me to be more of a problem with developers. Just because they're being lazy and would prefer not to utilize something to it's full potential is not Sony's fault. If every game on the PS3 blew away 360, PS3 games would sell like crazy, so putting in the extra time would probably = more sales, thus = more money.
#2. Sony is obviously trying to give their consumers a good product. I don't see the PS3 as the "trendy" device to buy. It's something that people who truely enjoy technology can enjoy. I love my PS3 as an entertainment hub.
#3. Are you serious? I've never played a game on the PS3 where I thought "Is this a movie or a game?" Those games have no more cut scenes than any other game...this point was just brought because someone couldn't actually come up with 5 issues.
#4. Does this one actually say "Sony screwed up by winning with Bluray"? Once again, someone couldn't actually come up with 5 issues.
#5. Ok, this excuse used to fly 2 years ago, but there is NO basis...NO BASIS for this BS excuse that the PS3 has no exclusive games. At this point, when was the last original exclusive IP Microsoft put out? I mean, Halo and Gears are all they really have. Keep milking ppl those with sequels.
I just saw that little tag at the end of the article. "Despite everything, the PS3 has still been worth owning; hopefully it'll continue to improve."
So a product that has still been worth owning, this is classified as an epic failure to you? So...let me get this right...you know what, nevermind. Retard
"Exclusives? We don’t need no stinkin’ exclusives!"
Riiiiiight.
360: halo 3, gears of war 1, gears of war 2...crackdown...vivapinata maybe? ps3: uncharted, little big planet, mgs4, resistance 1, (resistance 2, ratchet and clank tod, haze , socom confrontation.
I just freaking hate fanboys! Jesus Christ! I hope you fricking kill yourself!
fail... instead of listing the real downfalls of the ps3, you decide to make really bad points. ,muahahah my plan is working.
The PS3 is fine. Everyone needs to chill out and quit the bashing.
"Teh failurez!!!"
Hey retard Chris!! How many games has SONY developed?? Exactly, now shut up.
At least Nintendo creates controllers and develops its own games. And M$ is an online pioneer.
I really want to buy a PS3, but everytime I get money, I always find cooler sht to buy for my Wii and 360.
@Sammy - How many games has MS developed? Sony's first party games run all over MS's. Just look at each of their 2009 line ups.
Hey retard Chris!! How many games has SONY developed?? Exactly, now shut up.
At least Nintendo creates controllers and develops its own games. And M$ is an online pioneer.
I really want to buy a PS3, but everytime I get money, I always find cooler sht to buy for my Wii and 360.
The PS3 is fine, if you divide the number of sales by the number of years of existence, the PS3 has a higher year by year sales ratio, all the PS3 needs is a price cut
I own all current Gen systems and right now I play the 360 the most, then the ps3, and lastly the wii. 360 in my opinion is dying for me because there are no good exclusives for 2009, ps3 on the other hand has tons of exclusives next year all with enhanced(crazily enhanced) graphics and gameplay and budget. God Of War III, Final Fantasy versus XIII, the Agency, white knight chronicles and not to mention Killzone 2. Next year marks the end of the 360, and the true launch of the ps3. The wii also has some good line up for 2009 such as madworld. Nevermind, the wii only has 1 line up. PS3 will get more playtime as soon as killzone 2 comes out because i'm honestly bored of playing repettive games(gears of war 2 gets boring fast) and halo 3 was released in 2007. If you're in the market, buy the ps3 because the 360's life is over, it's starting to have all the major developers games come out, and the wii won't satisfy anyones thirst for games for more than a week.
Everything that Sony has done was for longevity. Microsoft will kill the 360 after its five year run. Sony has created a long term money making machine and the purpose of putting in Blu-ray is to win the HD war. now money rolls in on every disc sold.
Cinematic games are big overseas, The console FPS trend will fade as gamers get into more Japanese games. Just like the fighters of the 90's failed.
yes third party companies moved to microsoft and found themselves overcharged. The biggest companies have came out on record and said they make more money on the PS3 then on the 360. 360 games sells at higher numbers then the PS3 but still makes more money on the PS3.
you know what? so what, did you see what microsoft did to the old xbox? it was the cool stuff, then as soon as 360 came out, microsoft simply pulled the cord on it, and ( correct me if im wrong) not even selling the old xbox anymore. so no sales from that, while sony on the other hand, is still keeping the PS2 alive, theres still advertisement, still great games, and still a competer in the next gen war, thats how great the ps2 is. so i totally agree with Don, that microsoft will cut off 360, i know it.
@Sammy: By the way, just to make a little fact here, Microsoft barely makes games, and if you find the microsoft symbol on your little game cover, its because they published it, just like EA published Crysis, so get your sh.it straight k? and come back when you actually have done the research.
So, Justin, " the market still isn’t ready right now to see video games and thus consoles as a form of entertainment accessible by anyone save children"? Is this why the PS2 sold 140 million and counting consoles? the best selling home console of all time? So game consoles are only for kids? So why don't you GROW UP and stop writing about a childish pastime and act more like an adult?
It will be a while till the PS3 is viable and by then Wii 2 and XBOX 720 will be out so it won't matter. No offense Sony Fanboys. Sony pulled a Nintendo. (referring to SNES to N64 transition)
As games become more online, the different consoles will spread out. Microsoft will overcome in the online race because of the accessibility and broad range of features that XBL has. SOny isn't exactly in the best position because how many MLG/competitive online games are there for PS3. Microsoft has Gears of War (2), Halo 3, Call of Duty 4 (even though PS3 has it, it did better on XB360) Nintendo is only kept afloat by console sales and family titles...Online is virtually inexistant. And How many great games have there been geared toward adults. Manhunt 2(crappy game all-around)? A big blocky peice of s**t, and RE4 was better on GCN.
Im not a biased person, i think that this childish "my system can beat up ur system" pride crap is turning casual people off to the industry
I don't get the hostility. Why do people keep thinking it's one or the other? I have a PS3 and I have a 360. both have their uses. Online, I go 360. Movies, PS3 exclusives, I use the PS. Do you people eat just one kind of cereal? Do you only listen to one style of music? Get both! Duh!
Oh yeah, kick them while they're down. Here's a preview of what's going to happen real soon: hxxp://www.product-reviews.net/2008/12/06/new-xbox-360-game-needs-3-dvds-ps3s-blu-ray-would-do-in-one/
ok... u got ur hits. now u r rich n famous. finally, u've put examiner in the map. i pity ur 'journalism', though.
btw, ur PSN id please. how abt we play warhawk, eh? heard of that? or how abt R2? u be among the 30 players in one side while i'll be on the other side. oh darn, how will u even know, i forgot. u live under the rock. its ok, sun is not our enemy, u can come out n play. loser!
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