In point of fact, if you weren't aware of the pre-order situation at EB/Gamestop (same company, actually), you wouldn't have been able to place a pre-order because all the slots were filled within an hour of being open, and in some cases within minutes. There's a very active community out there getting the word out. I know of one person who called every EB within 50 miles only 30 minutes after pre-orders started. No dice. I can guarantee you that initial 400,000 shipment is 100% spoken for as of now. The second shipment, planned for the holiday season, will be only slightly less difficult to get.
yeah, this has been mentioned here before.
there was no doubt that the hardcore sony boys, and gamers were going to sell out the initial shipments.
the question is how will it sell to the average consumer? gamer?
how will it do after the holidays when the console is widely available?
I can guarantee you that initial 400,000 shipment is 100% spoken for as of now.
Nope.
There are stores that do not take pre-orders (Best Buy, Walmart, Toys'R'us, Frys). There will be lines outside the day before release to get a hold of one once the store opens the next day. I did this with the 360 (only to sell it on ebay...woot!) Got in line at a Best Buy at 3:00 PM, stayed overnight for the store opening at 9:00 am the next day. They had a shipment of 40, and the line got to that point by about 6:00 PM the night before. I know that Frys got 12, and Toys'R'us for 8. Walmart wouldn't say how many they had, and wouldn't let a line form. Dumb asses...I guess they wanted to see a brawl or something.
So they are not all spoken for by the consumer. If you want one, you can still get one. It just takes some commitment on your part. But if my immediate area had approximately 75 consoles (I currently live in Sacramento), I would wager that 100,000 to 150,000 of those 400,000 will be available on launch day (probably spoken for by people in lines, but that could be you!)
There are stores that do not take pre-orders (Best Buy, Walmart, Toys'R'us, Frys). There will be lines outside the day before release to get a hold of one once the store opens the next day. I did this with the 360 (only to sell it on ebay...woot!) Got in line at a Best Buy at 3:00 PM, stayed overnight for the store opening at 9:00 am the next day. They had a shipment of 40, and the line got to that point by about 6:00 PM the night before. I know that Frys got 12, and Toys'R'us for 8. Walmart wouldn't say how many they had, and wouldn't let a line form. Dumb asses...I guess they wanted to see a brawl or something.
So they are not all spoken for by the consumer. If you want one, you can still get one. It just takes some commitment on your part. But if my immediate area had approximately 75 consoles (I currently live in Sacramento), I would wager that 100,000 to 150,000 of those 400,000 will be available on launch day (probably spoken for by people in lines, but that could be you!)
i thought people were crazy when they did that for the 360.
its even more nutts to submit yourself to that kind of torture and then spend 660 dollars on a ps3
i thought people were crazy when they did that for the 360.
its even more nutts to submit yourself to that kind of torture and then spend 660 dollars on a ps3
Crazy? Maybe. But it was fun. I met a lot of cool people (some of whom I still talk with today). And I sold my $349 Xbox 360 (because I was number 2 in line, I got a $50 gift card to best buy which I just used on my 360) for $740. So not too bad.
Despite setbacks?a powerhouse brand, solid titles, and free online, among other things, will keep the gaming super-company on top
by James Brightman
Let's face it; Sony's seen better days. The company's turnaround plan hasn't been going quite as smoothly as they'd hoped, they've been forced to recall thousands of laptop batteries, they've significantly downsized their PlayStation 3 launch quantities and delayed the launch altogether in Europe, and their net profit forecast for the current fiscal year was recently slashed by almost 40 percent. In fact, in their most recent quarter, profits plunged 94 percent.
But you know what? Despite these setbacks and all the negative press the company has garnered over the last six or so months, when it's all said and done the PlayStation 3 will be No.1 worldwide, although not as dominant as the PS2 has been.
Here are five reasons why we believe Sony will stay on top in the console race.
The Brand
Go up to any random person on the street and ask them to name a video game system. Odds are that the vast majority of the time the individual will respond with "PlayStation" or "PlayStation 2." In the late '80s and early '90s Nintendo was king, but on today's market there is no brand more synonymous with the world of video games than PlayStation. It's true that Microsoft has made great strides in this area with the Xbox and now Xbox 360, but on a pure mindshare basis Xbox still can't compare.
Sony is well aware of the power of its brand and it will do everything it can to leverage the PlayStation name. Providing backwards compatibility with both the PS1 and PS2, as well as offering full PS1 titles for download through the PS3, can only help to reinforce that brand and remind gamers of the PlayStation games they hold so dear.
Selling over 100 million units, twice, has its advantages. In fact, there are a number of people who have probably owned nothing but PlayStation consoles, and those consumers are likely to stick with a brand they know and trust. Before they've even learned anything about Sony's new console, many consumers have already made up their minds that they want the next PlayStation no matter what. A strong brand should not be underestimated.
Microsoft (somewhat) Squandered its Lead
Prior to the 360's launch, all we heard about was how Microsoft didn't want to be beat to market. They wanted to get all the time they could to convince consumers to buy into their "HD Era" before Sony unleashed its PlayStation 3. Well, now it's almost a year later and is Microsoft really that far ahead? According to NPD data, Microsoft sold around 2.7 million units in the U.S through September. MS' figures indicate that the company sold 5 million units worldwide through June, and just yesterday they revealed that they had reached the 6 million units mark. That said, some analysts believe the 360 is tracking below market expectations. There's certainly no guarantee that MS will hit its goal of 10 million units sold by the end of 2006, even if Microsoft CFO Chris Liddell remains "confident."
The fact of the matter is that although there have been many truly solid 360 offerings (GRAW, PGR3, Call of Duty 2, to name a few) there have been basically no "killer apps," except for perhaps Bethesda's Oblivion. And guess what? That'll be a PS3 launch title--so much for that advantage. If Microsoft really wanted to run away with the lead they would have needed Halo 3 to be released within the first four to six months of launch, or at the very least a near-Halo category title like Gears of War.
When the PS2, a six-year-old console, outsells your next-gen hardware month after month--which has been the case in recent months--something is not right. And according to Deutsche Bank analyst Jeetil Patel, the Xbox 360 continues to underperform the original Xbox at the same stage of its life. Rather than bolting the door shut, Microsoft has left it slightly ajar, just waiting for Sony to slam it wide open.
Japan is Ripe for the Taking
Let's not forget that this is a global market. Sure, Microsoft can do just fine with North America and Europe, but in order to win on a worldwide basis, all three of the major territories become quite important. The original Xbox was an outright failure in Japan, and despite Microsoft's renewed efforts in the country the Xbox 360 is simply continuing the struggle. The company has tried to make itself more attractive to Japanese gamers by courting developers who can make games that appeal to Japanese tastes, but those games were needed much sooner in order to make some headway in a market dominated by Nintendo and Sony.
Early reports suggest that pre-orders for Blue Dragon and related bundles are selling out, but will that be enough to stand up against the introductions of both the Wii and the PlayStation 3 this year? Yes, there will only be 100,000 PS3 units available on day one in Japan, but recent consumer surveys indicate an increasing interest in Sony's next-gen console as its launch approaches. What it comes down to is that the PS3 will have the content Japanese gamers (and plenty of Western gamers) want--Metal Gear Solid 4, Final Fantasy XIII, Virtua Fighter 5, Devil May Cry 4, Gran Turismo, etc.
And if the incredible success of the Nintendo DS is any example, the Japanese seem ready to embrace alternate control methods and unique gameplay. The Wii's innovative controls, cheaper price, and valuable catalog of IP could potentially lead to sales on the level of the DS in the land of the rising sun. Ultimately, Japanese gamers are far more likely to flock to either the Wii or PS3 than some American-made system.
Blu-ray Will Matter
No, we're not talking about Blu-ray as a next-gen movie format. The worst case scenario for Sony is that Blu-ray will fail as a movie format, HD DVD will be crowned the successor to DVD, and Sony will be left with a proprietary game disc format. And while that would certainly hurt them as a company, it wouldn't take away the fact that Blu-ray provides PS3 developers with much more storage space. Microsoft can tout highly advanced compression techniques all they want, but the extra space on the Blu-ray discs affords developers the opportunity to make their games more expansive and more detailed without having to worry about whether it will fit. Of course, if the best case scenario occurs, and Blu-ray beats out HD DVD, then the PS3 will get the added boost of being the first viable hi-def movie player for many consumers, just as the PS2 introduced DVD to many for the first time.
Sure some of this is hype, and maybe we're falling for it, but certain PS3 launch games (e.g. Resistance: Fall of Man) already look as good as the best Xbox 360 has to offer. In one to two years, we think the combination of the Blu-ray medium and the Cell processor will lead to a noticeable difference between the visuals of the PS3 and the Xbox 360, as developers begin to really harness the technology in the PS3. And by that time the PS3 won't be retailing for $500 or $600 anymore. Nintendo may not care about hi-def graphics, but in the ultra-tech battle between Microsoft and Sony, it's beginning to look like Sony has the edge.
Free Online
In the next five years and beyond, online is going to take on much greater importance, not only in terms of online gameplay, but also as a way of downloading games, extra content, and episodic material. Judging by the company's recent Gamer's Day announcements, this appears to be one area that Sony is prepared to make great strides in. PS2 online, despite Sony's arguments to the contrary, hasn't been a great experience. Xbox Live, on the other hand, continues to be a fantastic experience. Microsoft's certainly got the online advantage for now, but the Redmond giant has a weakness that Sony can and will exploit--the company, as far as we know, has no plans to make its Xbox Live Gold service free of charge. Moreover, it now appears that free, Silver-level Xbox Live membership doesn't always entitle you to free content at the same time that Gold members can access it. Meanwhile, the PS3 will offer full online gaming and other online features completely free from day one.
Yes, the argument can be made that for the price of the PS3 gamers should be entitled to free online gaming, but we think this is a great move on Sony's part nevertheless. With the inclusion of free online play, publishers know that anybody in the PS3's install base can go online. Not only does that automatically encourage developers to make use of online functionality, but it also could have important ramifications with regards to in-game ads that are streamed online. All of a sudden the potential audience for these ads is that much bigger, while on the 360 publishers of online titles with streamed in-game ads will still be limited to the number of Xbox Live Gold subscribers. Ultimately, we think that Microsoft will have no choice but to go free as well (perhaps with some ad-supported scheme with the help of MS-owned Massive Inc.), even if it's not for another couple years.
Final Thoughts
New console launches are often some of the most exciting periods to witness in the video game industry and we can't wait to watch it all unfold. This industry is poised for some tremendous growth in the years ahead, but we still believe it'll be Sony that'll maintain a leadership position and will lead the charge forward.
We don't expect Sony to dominate the way it did with the PS2. Certainly the first six to twelve months could be rough going for the PS3 as Sony deals with ramping up its manufacturing, but at the end of the day Sony will have done the "impossible" by winning three console generations in a row.
Yeah, they're going to win the console war...and the High Def format war too.
They've also said Hong Kong is now getting the PS3 on November 17 though so you can take a pretty good guess where those 20 000 consoles have actually gone.
marz holds dear to any site of positive opinions from the media these days.
its cute.
And you hold on just as dearly to any negative news about Sony. Please tell me what the difference is. BTW, I notice that you're not mentioning that your ballyhooed Peter Jackson Halo movie has been shelved indefinitely.
And you hold on just as dearly to any negative news about Sony. Please tell me what the difference is. BTW, I notice that you're not mentioning that your ballyhooed Peter Jackson Halo movie has been shelved indefinitely.
difference is there is more negative news surrounding sony than positive, and there is no denying that is there?
and as for halo being postponed.... i'm pretty dissapointed about that.
Ultimately somebody that is just buying a PS2 now is likely to buy a PS3 when they are ready to switch to a next gen console, which will be a fair while away.
As an aside 5 of the top 10 selling PS2 games in PAL regions right now are items that Microsoft has no answer to. Things such as the Eye Toy, Singstar and Buzz or exclusives. The other 5 are all multiplatforms. If you look down the 360 list it reads very much like the old xbox, FPSs, driving and sports. Unfortunately outside the US those games don't drive sales as well.
Meanwhile Microsoft needs to ship 4 million consoles in 2 months or 67% of what they have done in the last year. Who actually thinks they are realistically going to hit sales goals without massively overstocking retailers?
What do you think M$ will do to push 4 million console units in 2 months?.... I think M$ will likely play a pricing game either on the PS3 launch date or in the month of December. $249 unit price seems alot more attractive..... I personally don't like M$ business tactics as much as Sony, but if they're out to get another, it would be entertaining to watch in the side lines At least, consumers will benefit in the short run...... Also, it's time to clean out the old xbox360 for new and improved HD-DVD read units.
BTW, XBOX 360 HD-DVD add on units are sold out from Amazon. How are we doing on the BD side? I still hear lots of short coming of promised PS3 units all over the world....
the PlayStation 3 consumes 380 watts, more than eight times as much power as the PlayStation 2 (45 watts), and more than twice as much power as the Xbox 360 (160 watts).
if sony can keep this console from having heat and noise issues i'll be impressed.
Next time, you might want to read the whole thing before gloating. Specifically, read DrXym's reply and see how the "power-hungry" PS3's power supply has a lower rating than the Xbox 360's power supply. A lot of the panic seems to have been set off by exactly one analyst talking through his hat. I think the people around AI know just how reliable analysts can be when it comes to technology.
It appears to me that HD-DVD is winning this war. 1) Through simple brand identity. 2) Being first out the gate. 3) Having more titles and more title sales. 4) Sony's woes at getting hardware to market. 4) PS3 delays.
It appears to me that HD-DVD is winning this war. 1) Through simple brand identity. 2) Being first out the gate. 3) Having more titles and more title sales. 4) Sony's woes at getting hardware to market. 4) PS3 delays.
not to mention how freaking long blu-ray is taking to load stuff. for gaming especially, this is going to be a pain in the butt for a lot of people
so much so developers are offering optional 5 GB HDD installation feature that's in place to speed up load times
imagine waiting 10 seconds to flip through a blu-ray movie chapter, or waiting 2x more than the ps2 to load a game.
Today marked the unveiling of LG's Blu-ray player -- the BD100. Sparing no expense, the guys at LG marked the rollout by inviting Olympic gold medal-winning sprinter Darren Campbell, who was only too happy to lend a hand.
The BD100 is a full 1080p model featuring an HDCP-compliant HDMI port, as well as component, composite and coaxial for good measure. You get 5.1 audio and digital optical S/PDIF as standard, plus video upscaling -- it'll morph 480i, 480p, 720i, 720p and 1080i to 1080p. Playback compatibility is fairly good, too -- it'll read Blu-ray discs, DVD+R and DVD-R discs, DVD-RAM, and MP3 and WMA audio CDs.
LG wouldn't tell us how much it cost, save to say the BD100 will be "competitively priced" when it's released in "early 2007". HD-lovers should also check for the LG 47LB2RF, a 47-inch 1080p HD Ready television that LG reckons will give a 200 per cent clearer picture than you're used to.
We asked Darren Campbell what he thought of LG's Blu-ray offering and he reckoned he was "astounded" by the image quality, although he replied in the negative when we asked if he'd swap a kidney for one. He also declined the offer of swapping his gold medal (and little finger) for LG's 71-inch MW-71PY10 plasma.
We'll have full reviews of the BD100 and its associated tellies as soon as we get them from LG. -RR.
Yet another Blu-ray player to add to Samsung's (Shipping), Panasonic's (Shipping), Philips' (Shipping), Sony's (Shipping Dec. 4th), and Pioneer's (Shipping Dec. 4th). We also have Sharp to look forward to as well, not to mention the PS3 in two more weeks.
Seeking to ride PlayStation 3 momentum, 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment is rush-releasing X-Men: The Last Stand to Blu-ray Disc on Nov. 14, three days before the next-generation video game console from Sony makes its eagerly awaited U.S. debut.
Executives from studios supporting the high-definition optical-disc format believe PS3 will be the ?Trojan Horse? that gives Blu-ray an unbeatable advantage over rival HD DVD. Both formats are vying to succeed standard DVD as consumers transition to HDTV.
PS3, which will hit stores at retail prices starting at $499, comes with a built-in Blu-ray Disc drive, while the other hot game console currently in the market, Microsoft?s Xbox 360, will have an add-on HD DVD drive available for about $200.
?The demographics between X-Men and PlayStation 3 are a near-perfect match,? said Steve Feldstein, SVP of marketing communications for 20th Century Fox. ?This is the biggest new release yet for Blu-ray, and we?re working closely with retailers and others to ensure that when people are buying their PS3s, they?re going to know they can get X-Men to play on it.
?PlayStation is by far the dominant game platform, and this should put questions about format wars to rest.?
The Blu-ray version of X-Men: The Last Stand, which lists for $39.98, includes both the film ? the year?s No. 3 movie with a domestic gross of $234.4 million ? and all bonus materials in high-definition. The film itself is authored in HDMV with AVC (MPEG-4 compression) and features 6.1 DTS ES HD Lossless Master Audio. Bonus features include two commentary tracks (one from director Brett Ratner with writers Zak Penn and Simon Kinberg; the other with producers Avi Avrad, Lauren Shuler Donner and Ralph Winter), 12 alternate or extended scenes, and a ?Marvel Trivia Track? consisting of color graphics that pop up throughout the film with inside information on characters and events in the Marvel universe.
The standard DVD of the third film in the ?X-Men? franchise was released Oct. 3 and has since sold more than 6 million units.
Fox?s other Blu-ray titles coming Nov. 14 include Behind Enemy Lines, Fantastic Four, Kingdom of Heaven, Kiss of the Dragon, The Omen, The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Speed and The Transporter.
That is a freakin sweet slate of movies on November 14th. It is nice to see they are incorporating H.264/MPEG4 on their releases as well. I'm definitely in line for...
Yet another Blu-ray player to add to Samsung's (Shipping), Panasonic's (Shipping), Philips' (Shipping), Sony's (Shipping Dec. 4th), and Pioneer's (Shipping Dec. 4th). We also have Sharp to look forward to as well, not to mention the PS3 in two more weeks.
So how come I can't find any of these available to buy right now?
Comments
In point of fact, if you weren't aware of the pre-order situation at EB/Gamestop (same company, actually), you wouldn't have been able to place a pre-order because all the slots were filled within an hour of being open, and in some cases within minutes. There's a very active community out there getting the word out. I know of one person who called every EB within 50 miles only 30 minutes after pre-orders started. No dice. I can guarantee you that initial 400,000 shipment is 100% spoken for as of now. The second shipment, planned for the holiday season, will be only slightly less difficult to get.
yeah, this has been mentioned here before.
there was no doubt that the hardcore sony boys, and gamers were going to sell out the initial shipments.
the question is how will it sell to the average consumer? gamer?
how will it do after the holidays when the console is widely available?
how will it do after the holidays when the console is widely available?
Given Sony's production rate I think it'll be quite some time before we need to worry about the attractiveness of the PS3 in wide availability
I can guarantee you that initial 400,000 shipment is 100% spoken for as of now.
Nope.
There are stores that do not take pre-orders (Best Buy, Walmart, Toys'R'us, Frys). There will be lines outside the day before release to get a hold of one once the store opens the next day. I did this with the 360 (only to sell it on ebay...woot!) Got in line at a Best Buy at 3:00 PM, stayed overnight for the store opening at 9:00 am the next day. They had a shipment of 40, and the line got to that point by about 6:00 PM the night before. I know that Frys got 12, and Toys'R'us for 8. Walmart wouldn't say how many they had, and wouldn't let a line form. Dumb asses...I guess they wanted to see a brawl or something.
So they are not all spoken for by the consumer. If you want one, you can still get one. It just takes some commitment on your part. But if my immediate area had approximately 75 consoles (I currently live in Sacramento), I would wager that 100,000 to 150,000 of those 400,000 will be available on launch day (probably spoken for by people in lines, but that could be you!)
Nope.
There are stores that do not take pre-orders (Best Buy, Walmart, Toys'R'us, Frys). There will be lines outside the day before release to get a hold of one once the store opens the next day. I did this with the 360 (only to sell it on ebay...woot!) Got in line at a Best Buy at 3:00 PM, stayed overnight for the store opening at 9:00 am the next day. They had a shipment of 40, and the line got to that point by about 6:00 PM the night before. I know that Frys got 12, and Toys'R'us for 8. Walmart wouldn't say how many they had, and wouldn't let a line form. Dumb asses...I guess they wanted to see a brawl or something.
So they are not all spoken for by the consumer. If you want one, you can still get one. It just takes some commitment on your part. But if my immediate area had approximately 75 consoles (I currently live in Sacramento), I would wager that 100,000 to 150,000 of those 400,000 will be available on launch day (probably spoken for by people in lines, but that could be you!)
i thought people were crazy when they did that for the 360.
its even more nutts to submit yourself to that kind of torture and then spend 660 dollars on a ps3
i thought people were crazy when they did that for the 360.
its even more nutts to submit yourself to that kind of torture and then spend 660 dollars on a ps3
Crazy? Maybe. But it was fun. I met a lot of cool people (some of whom I still talk with today). And I sold my $349 Xbox 360 (because I was number 2 in line, I got a $50 gift card to best buy which I just used on my 360) for $740. So not too bad.
i wonder if the U.S might be next for a cut
http://www.joystiq.com/2006/10/30/ja...part-problems/
http://www.businessweek.com/innovate...om_top+stories
Why Sony'll Win the Next Gen Console War
Despite setbacks?a powerhouse brand, solid titles, and free online, among other things, will keep the gaming super-company on top
by James Brightman
Let's face it; Sony's seen better days. The company's turnaround plan hasn't been going quite as smoothly as they'd hoped, they've been forced to recall thousands of laptop batteries, they've significantly downsized their PlayStation 3 launch quantities and delayed the launch altogether in Europe, and their net profit forecast for the current fiscal year was recently slashed by almost 40 percent. In fact, in their most recent quarter, profits plunged 94 percent.
But you know what? Despite these setbacks and all the negative press the company has garnered over the last six or so months, when it's all said and done the PlayStation 3 will be No.1 worldwide, although not as dominant as the PS2 has been.
Here are five reasons why we believe Sony will stay on top in the console race.
The Brand
Go up to any random person on the street and ask them to name a video game system. Odds are that the vast majority of the time the individual will respond with "PlayStation" or "PlayStation 2." In the late '80s and early '90s Nintendo was king, but on today's market there is no brand more synonymous with the world of video games than PlayStation. It's true that Microsoft has made great strides in this area with the Xbox and now Xbox 360, but on a pure mindshare basis Xbox still can't compare.
Sony is well aware of the power of its brand and it will do everything it can to leverage the PlayStation name. Providing backwards compatibility with both the PS1 and PS2, as well as offering full PS1 titles for download through the PS3, can only help to reinforce that brand and remind gamers of the PlayStation games they hold so dear.
Selling over 100 million units, twice, has its advantages. In fact, there are a number of people who have probably owned nothing but PlayStation consoles, and those consumers are likely to stick with a brand they know and trust. Before they've even learned anything about Sony's new console, many consumers have already made up their minds that they want the next PlayStation no matter what. A strong brand should not be underestimated.
Microsoft (somewhat) Squandered its Lead
Prior to the 360's launch, all we heard about was how Microsoft didn't want to be beat to market. They wanted to get all the time they could to convince consumers to buy into their "HD Era" before Sony unleashed its PlayStation 3. Well, now it's almost a year later and is Microsoft really that far ahead? According to NPD data, Microsoft sold around 2.7 million units in the U.S through September. MS' figures indicate that the company sold 5 million units worldwide through June, and just yesterday they revealed that they had reached the 6 million units mark. That said, some analysts believe the 360 is tracking below market expectations. There's certainly no guarantee that MS will hit its goal of 10 million units sold by the end of 2006, even if Microsoft CFO Chris Liddell remains "confident."
The fact of the matter is that although there have been many truly solid 360 offerings (GRAW, PGR3, Call of Duty 2, to name a few) there have been basically no "killer apps," except for perhaps Bethesda's Oblivion. And guess what? That'll be a PS3 launch title--so much for that advantage. If Microsoft really wanted to run away with the lead they would have needed Halo 3 to be released within the first four to six months of launch, or at the very least a near-Halo category title like Gears of War.
When the PS2, a six-year-old console, outsells your next-gen hardware month after month--which has been the case in recent months--something is not right. And according to Deutsche Bank analyst Jeetil Patel, the Xbox 360 continues to underperform the original Xbox at the same stage of its life. Rather than bolting the door shut, Microsoft has left it slightly ajar, just waiting for Sony to slam it wide open.
Japan is Ripe for the Taking
Let's not forget that this is a global market. Sure, Microsoft can do just fine with North America and Europe, but in order to win on a worldwide basis, all three of the major territories become quite important. The original Xbox was an outright failure in Japan, and despite Microsoft's renewed efforts in the country the Xbox 360 is simply continuing the struggle. The company has tried to make itself more attractive to Japanese gamers by courting developers who can make games that appeal to Japanese tastes, but those games were needed much sooner in order to make some headway in a market dominated by Nintendo and Sony.
Early reports suggest that pre-orders for Blue Dragon and related bundles are selling out, but will that be enough to stand up against the introductions of both the Wii and the PlayStation 3 this year? Yes, there will only be 100,000 PS3 units available on day one in Japan, but recent consumer surveys indicate an increasing interest in Sony's next-gen console as its launch approaches. What it comes down to is that the PS3 will have the content Japanese gamers (and plenty of Western gamers) want--Metal Gear Solid 4, Final Fantasy XIII, Virtua Fighter 5, Devil May Cry 4, Gran Turismo, etc.
And if the incredible success of the Nintendo DS is any example, the Japanese seem ready to embrace alternate control methods and unique gameplay. The Wii's innovative controls, cheaper price, and valuable catalog of IP could potentially lead to sales on the level of the DS in the land of the rising sun. Ultimately, Japanese gamers are far more likely to flock to either the Wii or PS3 than some American-made system.
Blu-ray Will Matter
No, we're not talking about Blu-ray as a next-gen movie format. The worst case scenario for Sony is that Blu-ray will fail as a movie format, HD DVD will be crowned the successor to DVD, and Sony will be left with a proprietary game disc format. And while that would certainly hurt them as a company, it wouldn't take away the fact that Blu-ray provides PS3 developers with much more storage space. Microsoft can tout highly advanced compression techniques all they want, but the extra space on the Blu-ray discs affords developers the opportunity to make their games more expansive and more detailed without having to worry about whether it will fit. Of course, if the best case scenario occurs, and Blu-ray beats out HD DVD, then the PS3 will get the added boost of being the first viable hi-def movie player for many consumers, just as the PS2 introduced DVD to many for the first time.
Sure some of this is hype, and maybe we're falling for it, but certain PS3 launch games (e.g. Resistance: Fall of Man) already look as good as the best Xbox 360 has to offer. In one to two years, we think the combination of the Blu-ray medium and the Cell processor will lead to a noticeable difference between the visuals of the PS3 and the Xbox 360, as developers begin to really harness the technology in the PS3. And by that time the PS3 won't be retailing for $500 or $600 anymore. Nintendo may not care about hi-def graphics, but in the ultra-tech battle between Microsoft and Sony, it's beginning to look like Sony has the edge.
Free Online
In the next five years and beyond, online is going to take on much greater importance, not only in terms of online gameplay, but also as a way of downloading games, extra content, and episodic material. Judging by the company's recent Gamer's Day announcements, this appears to be one area that Sony is prepared to make great strides in. PS2 online, despite Sony's arguments to the contrary, hasn't been a great experience. Xbox Live, on the other hand, continues to be a fantastic experience. Microsoft's certainly got the online advantage for now, but the Redmond giant has a weakness that Sony can and will exploit--the company, as far as we know, has no plans to make its Xbox Live Gold service free of charge. Moreover, it now appears that free, Silver-level Xbox Live membership doesn't always entitle you to free content at the same time that Gold members can access it. Meanwhile, the PS3 will offer full online gaming and other online features completely free from day one.
Yes, the argument can be made that for the price of the PS3 gamers should be entitled to free online gaming, but we think this is a great move on Sony's part nevertheless. With the inclusion of free online play, publishers know that anybody in the PS3's install base can go online. Not only does that automatically encourage developers to make use of online functionality, but it also could have important ramifications with regards to in-game ads that are streamed online. All of a sudden the potential audience for these ads is that much bigger, while on the 360 publishers of online titles with streamed in-game ads will still be limited to the number of Xbox Live Gold subscribers. Ultimately, we think that Microsoft will have no choice but to go free as well (perhaps with some ad-supported scheme with the help of MS-owned Massive Inc.), even if it's not for another couple years.
Final Thoughts
New console launches are often some of the most exciting periods to witness in the video game industry and we can't wait to watch it all unfold. This industry is poised for some tremendous growth in the years ahead, but we still believe it'll be Sony that'll maintain a leadership position and will lead the charge forward.
We don't expect Sony to dominate the way it did with the PS2. Certainly the first six to twelve months could be rough going for the PS3 as Sony deals with ramping up its manufacturing, but at the end of the day Sony will have done the "impossible" by winning three console generations in a row.
Yeah, they're going to win the console war...and the High Def format war too.
its cute.
Sony cuts PS3 japan launch shipment from 100k to 80k
i wonder if the U.S might be next for a cut
http://www.joystiq.com/2006/10/30/ja...part-problems/
They've also said Hong Kong is now getting the PS3 on November 17 though so you can take a pretty good guess where those 20 000 consoles have actually gone.
marz holds dear to any site of positive opinions from the media these days.
its cute.
And you hold on just as dearly to any negative news about Sony. Please tell me what the difference is. BTW, I notice that you're not mentioning that your ballyhooed Peter Jackson Halo movie has been shelved indefinitely.
And you hold on just as dearly to any negative news about Sony. Please tell me what the difference is. BTW, I notice that you're not mentioning that your ballyhooed Peter Jackson Halo movie has been shelved indefinitely.
difference is there is more negative news surrounding sony than positive, and there is no denying that is there?
and as for halo being postponed.... i'm pretty dissapointed about that.
Ultimately somebody that is just buying a PS2 now is likely to buy a PS3 when they are ready to switch to a next gen console, which will be a fair while away.
As an aside 5 of the top 10 selling PS2 games in PAL regions right now are items that Microsoft has no answer to. Things such as the Eye Toy, Singstar and Buzz or exclusives. The other 5 are all multiplatforms. If you look down the 360 list it reads very much like the old xbox, FPSs, driving and sports. Unfortunately outside the US those games don't drive sales as well.
Meanwhile Microsoft needs to ship 4 million consoles in 2 months or 67% of what they have done in the last year. Who actually thinks they are realistically going to hit sales goals without massively overstocking retailers?
What do you think M$ will do to push 4 million console units in 2 months?.... I think M$ will likely play a pricing game either on the PS3 launch date or in the month of December. $249 unit price seems alot more attractive..... I personally don't like M$ business tactics as much as Sony, but if they're out to get another, it would be entertaining to watch in the side lines At least, consumers will benefit in the short run...... Also, it's time to clean out the old xbox360 for new and improved HD-DVD read units.
BTW, XBOX 360 HD-DVD add on units are sold out from Amazon. How are we doing on the BD side? I still hear lots of short coming of promised PS3 units all over the world....
the PlayStation 3 consumes 380 watts, more than eight times as much power as the PlayStation 2 (45 watts), and more than twice as much power as the Xbox 360 (160 watts).
if sony can keep this console from having heat and noise issues i'll be impressed.
the 360 is a loud and hot mother f**ker
It appears to me that HD-DVD is winning this war. 1) Through simple brand identity. 2) Being first out the gate. 3) Having more titles and more title sales. 4) Sony's woes at getting hardware to market. 4) PS3 delays.
not to mention how freaking long blu-ray is taking to load stuff. for gaming especially, this is going to be a pain in the butt for a lot of people
so much so developers are offering optional 5 GB HDD installation feature that's in place to speed up load times
imagine waiting 10 seconds to flip through a blu-ray movie chapter, or waiting 2x more than the ps2 to load a game.
http://crave.cnet.co.uk/dvdpvr/0,390...9284932,00.htm
Today marked the unveiling of LG's Blu-ray player -- the BD100. Sparing no expense, the guys at LG marked the rollout by inviting Olympic gold medal-winning sprinter Darren Campbell, who was only too happy to lend a hand.
The BD100 is a full 1080p model featuring an HDCP-compliant HDMI port, as well as component, composite and coaxial for good measure. You get 5.1 audio and digital optical S/PDIF as standard, plus video upscaling -- it'll morph 480i, 480p, 720i, 720p and 1080i to 1080p. Playback compatibility is fairly good, too -- it'll read Blu-ray discs, DVD+R and DVD-R discs, DVD-RAM, and MP3 and WMA audio CDs.
LG wouldn't tell us how much it cost, save to say the BD100 will be "competitively priced" when it's released in "early 2007". HD-lovers should also check for the LG 47LB2RF, a 47-inch 1080p HD Ready television that LG reckons will give a 200 per cent clearer picture than you're used to.
We asked Darren Campbell what he thought of LG's Blu-ray offering and he reckoned he was "astounded" by the image quality, although he replied in the negative when we asked if he'd swap a kidney for one. He also declined the offer of swapping his gold medal (and little finger) for LG's 71-inch MW-71PY10 plasma.
We'll have full reviews of the BD100 and its associated tellies as soon as we get them from LG. -RR.
Yet another Blu-ray player to add to Samsung's (Shipping), Panasonic's (Shipping), Philips' (Shipping), Sony's (Shipping Dec. 4th), and Pioneer's (Shipping Dec. 4th). We also have Sharp to look forward to as well, not to mention the PS3 in two more weeks.
http://videostoremag.com/news/html/b...rticle_id=9883
Seeking to ride PlayStation 3 momentum, 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment is rush-releasing X-Men: The Last Stand to Blu-ray Disc on Nov. 14, three days before the next-generation video game console from Sony makes its eagerly awaited U.S. debut.
Executives from studios supporting the high-definition optical-disc format believe PS3 will be the ?Trojan Horse? that gives Blu-ray an unbeatable advantage over rival HD DVD. Both formats are vying to succeed standard DVD as consumers transition to HDTV.
PS3, which will hit stores at retail prices starting at $499, comes with a built-in Blu-ray Disc drive, while the other hot game console currently in the market, Microsoft?s Xbox 360, will have an add-on HD DVD drive available for about $200.
?The demographics between X-Men and PlayStation 3 are a near-perfect match,? said Steve Feldstein, SVP of marketing communications for 20th Century Fox. ?This is the biggest new release yet for Blu-ray, and we?re working closely with retailers and others to ensure that when people are buying their PS3s, they?re going to know they can get X-Men to play on it.
?PlayStation is by far the dominant game platform, and this should put questions about format wars to rest.?
The Blu-ray version of X-Men: The Last Stand, which lists for $39.98, includes both the film ? the year?s No. 3 movie with a domestic gross of $234.4 million ? and all bonus materials in high-definition. The film itself is authored in HDMV with AVC (MPEG-4 compression) and features 6.1 DTS ES HD Lossless Master Audio. Bonus features include two commentary tracks (one from director Brett Ratner with writers Zak Penn and Simon Kinberg; the other with producers Avi Avrad, Lauren Shuler Donner and Ralph Winter), 12 alternate or extended scenes, and a ?Marvel Trivia Track? consisting of color graphics that pop up throughout the film with inside information on characters and events in the Marvel universe.
The standard DVD of the third film in the ?X-Men? franchise was released Oct. 3 and has since sold more than 6 million units.
Fox?s other Blu-ray titles coming Nov. 14 include Behind Enemy Lines, Fantastic Four, Kingdom of Heaven, Kiss of the Dragon, The Omen, The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Speed and The Transporter.
That is a freakin sweet slate of movies on November 14th. It is nice to see they are incorporating H.264/MPEG4 on their releases as well. I'm definitely in line for...
X-Men III
Behind Enemy Lines
Fantastic Four
Kingdom of Heaven
Speed
Transporter
Ohhhh, November is going to be sweet indeed.
LG BD100: Darren Campbell unveils LG's Blu-ray player
http://crave.cnet.co.uk/dvdpvr/0,390...9284932,00.htm
Yet another Blu-ray player to add to Samsung's (Shipping), Panasonic's (Shipping), Philips' (Shipping), Sony's (Shipping Dec. 4th), and Pioneer's (Shipping Dec. 4th). We also have Sharp to look forward to as well, not to mention the PS3 in two more weeks.
So how come I can't find any of these available to buy right now?