A likely truth about the Playstation 3

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LordelX

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#1 LordelX
Member since 2004 • 1376 Posts

The very first shift in power within the video game console industry came in 1986, when it became clear that the Nintendo Entertainment System would become the leading choice for console gamers around the globe. Previous to that, it could be easily observerved that the market was dominated by Atari with their Atari 2600 console. According to history, that domination ended in 1983 with an industry wide crash, disappointment to consumers on a devastating level and a landfill full of unsold E.T. cartridges. Arrogance, mismanagement and poor assumptions on the needs of the consumer have all been cited as major catalysts for this event.

The next major shift in power came in 1996, when it became clear that Sony's Playstation console was a major contenter and not going the way of the 3DO, Jaguar and CD-i. Sony's dominance became an undisputable truth in mid-1997, when Nintendo's N64 console had failed to overcome many of the technical limitations along with a lack of quality software. Sony was the biggest player in town, with Nintendo and Sega quickly slipping into secondary positions. Like ten years previous, arrogance, mismanagement and poor assumptions on the needs of the consumer have been recorded in history as the reasons for why this happened.

Now in 2007, we come to the end of another 10 years cycle, for what seems to be another shift in power. Sony's Playstation 3 console is trailing far behind the Wii and Xbox360 in worldwide sales. Sony has taken alot of negative press in both the game specialized and mainstream media over the fact that the PS3 has been outsold by the Wii and Xbox360, and over the fact that the PS3 is too expensive for the average consumer. As Sony scrambles to make the machine more affordable for both itself and the consumer, they have taken alot of criticism as to the ways in which they have done so. As always, arrogance, mismanagement and poor assumptions on the needs of the consumer are being talked about in regards to Sony and their current situation. On this point of view, I couldn't disagree more.

At the risk of destroying the momentum of this writing, please allow me to interject my own opinion on the fact that Sony has been "arrogant" in the media as of late with regard to the Playstation 3. In this regard, Sony has certainly fallen victim to unfair and narrowminded commentary. While promoting their Playstation 3 product, Sony has been steadfast to reinforce that they believe their product to be the best and that consumers are clamoring for it. Whether they are correct in those statements or not is not really a relevant issue. What would Sony say publically otherwise? How would they be expected to win consumer confidence at the price they are asking if they did not appear to have confidence in their own product as well? Comments such as "we know we will sell out of PS3's whether we have games available for the system or not" should have been read as "upcoming software shortages will have very little impact on the consumer confidence regarding the quality of our Playstation 3 product". In my opinion, had these statements been issued by a competing company, the reaction would have been much more docile, if there was a reaction at all.

If we use the model of arrogance, mismanagement and poor assumptions on the needs of the consumer to explain Sony's current situation, the only one of these that may vaguely apply is the last one...poor assumptions on the needs of the consumer. While many would speculate that price would be the culprit, in the sense that Sony overlooked the consumer's need  for an affordable product, I assert an altogether different reason. Sony overlooked the consumer's need for differenciation. While Sony may have thought they knew what exactly that meant for them in order to be successful, one would be hard pressed, especially in their market position, to realize that we have come to the end of an era.

When I refer to "the end of an era", I am not refering to the end of Sony's market dominance....though that interpretation is almost logically applicable. The end of the era in which I speak of is the end of the era of dominance, not specifically for Sony, but for all three of the major companies in the console manufacturing business. We have arrived at a point now where there are so many different people who play games all over the world, that a thriving market has come into existance that transends the usual boundries of game player's taste graphics, gameplay, features, affordability, new and experimental concepts and lust for next generation hardware. The sales of the DS and Wii have shown us that new and casual players can still be lured in. Strong Xbox360 sales have shown us that the market for hardcore gamers desiring the "next generation" is alive and well. Strong sales of the Playstation 2 have shown us that the market for last generation hardware and software is far from over. These market trends should now show us that the video game market is not just one market, but has matured into a conglomeration of different markets.

Did Sony realize this when designing it's Playstation 3 console? I suspect that they did, but I also am of the opinion that they may have realized this far too late. Honestly though, with ten years of market dominance under their belt and record-breaking sales of their Playstation 2 console, could anyone have come to a different conclusion if they were in Sony's shoes? While the failure of the PSX in Japan and the defeat of the PSP at the hands of the DS worldwide could have been an indication, it's very hard to say for sure. Indeed, those products represent Sony's vulnerabilty as of late, but a console in the "numbered" Playstation line may carry enough consumer recognition and confidence to overlook the real reason these products failed*. The real reason these products failed is they were designed for a concept that no longer exists: market dominance.

(* Please note: When I refer to the failure of these products, I refer to their failure to dominate the mass market. In reality, the PSP has an extremely healthy installed base and should rightly be considered a commercial success in many ways)

The Playstation 3 was also designed much in the same way. While being unrivaled in graphics, sound and storage capacity, Sony had found a way to do so while using a custom processer and media format. From a business standpoint, this is a very profitable venture with little risk, considering the vast R&D devolopment resources and product strength that Sony is in a unique position to enjoy. Unarguably, the PS3 potentially can offer the best sound, visuals of this generation while never having to worry about storage capacity while doing so. Unfortunately, having the best visuals, sound and storage capacity doesn't mean as much as it used to. Most people either don't have the equipment or the knowledge to realize why Sony's product is the best on the market in terms of power. Sony's hardware advantage at present is invisible to the average consumer.

As far as the Playstation 3's other features are concerned, they lack the aforementioned differenciation. Unfortunately, these features were rushed or unfinished at the time of the Playstation 3's release, or altogether ill-concieved. Let's take a look at these features and allow me to explain why there is a lack differenciation:

Playstation's Online service is still not finished in regards to the standards Sony themselves have been talking about over the last few years. Obviously Sony's online service pails in comparison to Xbox Live, but it still doesn't encompass all the features Sony themselves desire. Seamless intergration between the PS3, PSP and PS2 platforms, an effective online business model for third parties and intuitive online player experience that goes beyond multiplayer are things that Sony has yet to achieve. The bottom line is, as far as online goes, the Xbox 360 does it better.

The Sixaxis controller is something that I can't decided whether it was a good decision or a bad one. On one hand, it brings a feature that will allow the PS3 to share in some of the Wii developed titles, such as driving games or any game where you pilot a vehicle. One the other hand, it is so severely limited, that one has to wonder whether Sony would have been better off releasing a peripheral that perfectly mimics the Wiimote's functionality at a later date. The Wiimote is a superior motion sensor controller to the Sixaxis controller in every way. The limitations of the Sixaxis won't incline Wii developers to release Playstaion 3 versions of thier software, rendering the feature almost useless from a competitive standpoint. The bottomline is, as far as motion sensing control goes, the Wii does it much better.

Downloadable games are a major part of this generation's strategy. Xbox Live Arcade has done an excellent job in providing exactly that...arcade games. Coupled with achievements and online modes, these arcade games have taken on new life. The Virtual Console has done an excellent job at offering a wide range of console games; even from former competitors. With the Xbox providing arcade games and the Wii providing console games, Sony has somewhat been left out in the cold. Sony has been scrambling for arcade leftovers such as Mortal Kombat II, or drawing from their PS1 library, in which the games are only playable on the PSP. The only chance Sony really has to be unique in this category is: if they make their original PS1 downloadable library playable on the PSP, or if the release original content. Neither of these options is particularly feasible, since PS1 games have a much longer download time than Xbox Live Arcade or Virtual console games and original content has a longer development cycle then upgrading existing software, making releases fewer and farther between. However Sony spins it, at this point they have nothing unique or compelling as far as downloadable content goes.

The "Cell" processor has made the Playstation 3’s power and architecture unique in this generation. All of the properties of the "Cell" processor should differentiate the Playstation 3 from the competition, in theory. The reality of it is though, is that the "Cell" processor by design has shackled the first generation of Playstation 3 software to be unspectacular when compared to the same software on the Xbox360. In many cases, the visuals of these ports are actually lesser than the Xbox360 equivalents, with too few exceptions. Developers are complaining about the Playstation 3’s difficult architecture, along with the cost of developing exclusive software titles. In order to guarantee profitable returns for their products, developers are forced to release software on multiple platforms, often electing to use the Xbox 360’s more familiar development tools and porting the software to the Playstation 3 afterwards. This has created a serious problem with the quality of Playstation 3 games in comparison to the Xbox 360’s games. It has also alienated developers from making exclusive software for the Playstation 3, causing a strange lack of exclusive third party support.

While it is constantly debated whether or not this particular feature has any long lasting importance, the recent announcement of Sony’s remodeling of the Playstation 3 without the "emotion engine" chip has had an extremely negative impact. Backwards Compatibility was one of the Playstation 2’s strong points, and it has been long expected that the Playstation 3 would continue that legacy without flaw. Even before the announcement of the removal of the "emotion engine", the backwards compatibility of the Playstation 3 was fundamentally flawed. Without the use of peripherals such as specialized controllers or memory cards, it had become clear that most serious gamers would have to keep their old Playstation 2 hooked up right beside their Playstation 3. It’s hard to say if this feature will become a deciding factor when gamers make the decision to buy the Playstation 3 or not, but at this point, it is clear that Sony has absolutely no advantage over the competition in this respect.

It is also worth mentioning that there is absolutely nothing intuitive about Playstation 3 to PSP connectivity so far, or in the foreseeable future. It painfully mimics the Gamecube to Gameboy Advance connectivity model, to the point where it comes off just as gimmicky. Whether or not Sony decides to truly make something interesting with the feature, it’s not worth buying both systems at this point, for this reason, if you didn’t have them both already.

All of these minor problems add up to one major problem for the PS3: a lack of differentiation. By desperately trying to provide everything, they really do in fact provide almost nothing. We have now entered a time where gamers are used to the fact that they will probably have to buy at least two consoles to enjoy all of the mainstream games of the generation. One of the ways in which gamers can justify these purchases to themselves is by the fact that one console provides unique features that another console cannot. Unfortunately for the Playstation 3, the unique features it boasts are not yet visible to anyone other than hardcore videophiles and the extremely wealthy. This will hamper the system for the first few years of its life. While all of us are waiting on the Playstation 3’s upcoming hit titles, one has to wonder: Will a few big games be able to sell a system that has no discerning features other than the games themselves? The answer is yes. Of course they will sell systems. Will they sell systems to the level of Sony’s past success with the Playstation 2? Very doubtful.

That’s the entire point of this blog though. The era in which one console will dominate the market is over. The market has grown and matured into so many different types of consumers, designing a console to dominate the market is simply obsolete. This is definitely good news for those of us who play games, since it means that the experience will not be shackled to the limitations of a single design, vision or interface. It is an exciting new era that it beginning now, and it is very difficult to predict where the console market will go, or what it will provide, as few as five years from now.

The Playstation 3 will be an important part of this market for years to come. As of this writing, Sony just announced their "home" internet service plan. While I am still a little skeptical about how this will integrate with playing games like the Xbox Live does, if it’s even half as fun as it is interesting, then Sony is in fine shape, and well on the road to success. Obviously, Sony’s problems regarding this shift in power is not the result of blatant arrogance, mismanagement and poor assumptions on the needs of the consumer, but growing pains in a vastly changing and maturing market. I wish Sony all the success with their new Playstation 3 console, and I also wish them their fair share: 33.3% of the market. Anything else would not be to the benefit of us, the people who play games.

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xxThyLordxx

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#2 xxThyLordxx
Member since 2007 • 3200 Posts
:lol: who is going to read that? I'm sure you did not even read that.
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#3 laez
Member since 2006 • 277 Posts

A likely truth about the Playstation 3

The very first shift in power within the video game console industry came in 1986, when it became clear that the Nintendo Entertainment System would become the leading choice for console gamers around the globe. Previous to that, it could be easily observed that the market was dominated by Atari with their Atari 2600 console. According to history, that domination ended in 1983 with an industry wide crash, disappointment to consumers on a devastating level and a landfill full of unsold E.T. cartridges. Arrogance, mismanagement and poor assumptions on the needs of the consumer have all been cited as major catalysts for this event.


The next major shift in power came in 1996, when it became clear that Sony's Playstation console was a major contender and not going the way of the 3DO, Jaguar and CD-i. Sony's dominance became an undisputable truth in mid-1997, when Nintendo's N64 console had failed to overcome many of the technical limitations along with a lack of quality software. Sony was the biggest player in town, with Nintendo and Sega quickly slipping into secondary positions. Like ten years previous, arrogance, mismanagement and poor assumptions on the needs of the consumer have been recorded in history as the reasons for why this happened.


Now in 2007, we come to the end of another 10 years cycle, for what seems to be another shift in power. Sony's Playstation 3 console is trailing far behind the Wii and Xbox360 in worldwide sales. Sony has taken alot of negative press in both the game specialized and mainstream media over the fact that the PS3 has been outsold by the Wii and Xbox360, and over the fact that the PS3 is too expensive for the average consumer. As Sony scrambles to make the machine more affordable for both it and the consumer, they have taken alot of criticism as to the ways in which they have done so. As always, arrogance, mismanagement and poor assumptions on the needs of the consumer are being talked about in regards to Sony and their current situation. On this point of view, I couldn't disagree more.


At the risk of destroying the momentum of this writing, please allow me to interject my own opinion on the fact that Sony has been "arrogant" in the media as of late with regard to the Playstation 3. In this regard, Sony has certainly fallen victim to unfair and narrow-minded commentary. While promoting their Playstation 3 product, Sony has been steadfast to reinforce that they believe their product to be the best and that consumers are clamoring for it. Whether they are correct in those statements or not is not really a relevant issue. What would Sony say publicly otherwise? How would they be expected to win consumer confidence at the price they are asking if they did not appear to have confidence in their own product as well? Comments such as "we know we will sell out of PS3's whether we have games available for the system or not" should have been read as "upcoming software shortages will have very little impact on the consumer confidence regarding the quality of our Playstation 3 product". In my opinion, had these statements been issued by a competing company, the reaction would have been much more docile, if there was a reaction at all.


If we use the model of arrogance, mismanagement and poor assumptions on the needs of the consumer to explain Sony's current situation, the only one of these that may vaguely apply is the last one...poor assumptions on the needs of the consumer. While many would speculate that price would be the culprit, in the sense that Sony overlooked the consumer's need for an affordable product, I assert an altogether different reason. Sony overlooked the consumer's need for differentiation. While Sony may have thought they knew what exactly that meant for them in order to be successful, one would be hard pressed, especially in their market position, to realize that we have come to the end of an era.


When I refer to "the end of an era", I am not referring to the end of Sony's market dominance....though that interpretation is almost logically applicable. The end of the era in which I speak of is the end of the era of dominance, not specifically for Sony, but for all three of the major companies in the console manufacturing business. We have arrived at a point now where there are so many different people who play games all over the world that a thriving market has come into existence that transcends the usual boundaries of game player's taste graphics, gameplay, features, affordability, new and experimental concepts and lust for next generation hardware. The sales of the DS and Wii have shown us that new and casual players can still be lured in. Strong Xbox360 sales have shown us that the market for hardcore gamers desiring the "next generation" is alive and well. Strong sales of the Playstation 2 have shown us that the market for last generation hardware and software is far from over. These market trends should now show us that the video game market is not just one market, but has matured into a conglomeration of different markets.


Did Sony realize this when designing its Playstation 3 console? I suspect that they did, but I also am of the opinion that they may have realized this far too late. Honestly though, with ten years of market dominance under their belt and record-breaking sales of their Playstation 2 console, could anyone have come to a different conclusion if they were in Sony's shoes? While the failure of the PSX in Japan and the defeat of the PSP at the hands of the DS worldwide could have been an indication, it's very hard to say for sure. Indeed, those products represent Sony's vulnerability as of late, but a console in the "numbered" Playstation line may carry enough consumer recognition and confidence to overlook the real reason these products failed*. The real reason these products failed is they were designed for a concept that no longer exists: market dominance.


(* Please note: When I refer to the failure of these products, I refer to their failure to dominate the mass market. In reality, the PSP has an extremely healthy installed base and should rightly be considered a commercial success in many ways)


The Playstation 3 was also designed much in the same way. While being unrivaled in graphics, sound and storage capacity, Sony had found a way to do so while using a custom processor and media format. From a business standpoint, this is a very profitable venture with little risk, considering the vast R&D development resources and product strength that Sony is in a unique position to enjoy. Unarguably, the PS3 potentially can offer the best sound, visuals of this generation while never having to worry about storage capacity while doing so. Unfortunately, having the best visuals, sound and storage capacity doesn't mean as much as it used to. Most people either don't have the equipment or the knowledge to realize why Sony's product is the best on the market in terms of power. Sony's hardware advantage at present is invisible to the average consumer.


As far as the Playstation 3's other features are concerned, they lack the aforementioned differentiation. Unfortunately, these features were rushed or unfinished at the time of the Playstation 3's release, or altogether ill-conceived. Let's take a look at these features and allow me to explain why there is a lack differentiation:


Playstation's Online service is still not finished in regards to the standards Sony themselves have been talking about over the last few years. Obviously Sony's online service pails in comparison to Xbox Live, but it still doesn't encompass all the features Sony themselves desire. Seamless integration between the PS3, PSP and PS2 platforms, an effective online business model for third parties and intuitive online player experience that goes beyond multiplayer are things that Sony has yet to achieve. The bottom line is, as far as online goes, the Xbox 360 does it better.


The Sixaxis controller is something that I can't yet decide whether it was a good decision or a bad one. On one hand, it brings a feature that will allow the PS3 to share in some of the Wii developed titles, such as driving games or any game where you pilot a vehicle. One the other hand, it is so severely limited, that one has to wonder whether Sony would have been better off releasing a peripheral that perfectly mimics the Wiimote's functionality at a later date. The Wiimote is a superior motion sensor controller to the Sixaxis controller in every way. The limitations of the Sixaxis won't incline Wii developers to release Playstation 3 versions of their software, rendering the feature almost useless from a competitive standpoint. The bottom-line is, as far as motion sensing control goes, the Wii does it much better.

Downloadable games are a major part of this generation's strategy. Xbox Live Arcade has done an excellent job in providing exactly that...arcade games. Coupled with achievements and online modes, these arcade games have taken on new life. The Virtual Console has done an excellent job at offering a wide range of console games; even from former competitors. With the Xbox providing arcade games and the Wii providing console games, Sony has somewhat been left out in the cold. Sony has been scrambling for arcade leftovers such as Mortal Kombat II, or drawing from their PS1 library, in which the games are only playable on the PSP. The only chance Sony really has to be unique in this category is: if they make their original PS1 downloadable library playable on the PSP, or if the release original content. Neither of these options is particularly feasible, since PS1 games have a much longer download time than Xbox Live Arcade or Virtual console games and original content has a longer development cycle then upgrading existing software, making releases fewer and farther between. However Sony spins it, at this point they have nothing unique or compelling as far as downloadable content goes.

The Cell processor has made the Playstation 3’s power and architecture unique in this generation. All of the properties of the Cell processor should differentiate the Playstation 3 from the competition, in theory. The reality of it is though, is that the Cell processor by design has shackled the first generation of Playstation 3 software to be unspectacular when compared to the same software on the Xbox360. In many cases, the visuals of these ports are actually lesser than the Xbox360 equivalents, with too few exceptions. Developers are complaining about the Playstation 3’s difficult architecture, along with the cost of developing exclusive software titles. In order to guarantee profitable returns for their products, developers are forced to release software on multiple platforms, often electing to use the Xbox 360’s more familiar development tools and porting the software to the Playstation 3 afterwards. This has created a serious problem with the quality of Playstation 3 games in comparison to the Xbox 360’s games. It has also alienated developers from making exclusive software for the Playstation 3, causing a strange lack of exclusive third party support.

While it is constantly debated whether or not this particular feature has any long lasting importance, the recent announcement of Sony’s remodeling of the Playstation 3 without the emotion engine chip has had an extremely negative impact. Backwards Compatibility was one of the Playstation 2’s strong points, and it has been long expected that the Playstation 3 would continue that legacy without flaw. Even before the announcement of the removal of the emotion engine, the backwards compatibility of the Playstation 3 was fundamentally flawed. Without the use of peripherals such as specialized controllers or memory cards, it had become clear that most serious gamers would have to keep their old Playstation 2 hooked up right beside their Playstation 3. It’s hard to say if this feature will become a deciding factor when gamers make the decision to buy the Playstation 3 or not, but at this point, it is clear that Sony has absolutely no advantage over the competition in this respect.

It is also worth mentioning that there is absolutely nothing intuitive about Playstation 3 to PSP connectivity so far, or in the foreseeable future. It painfully mimics the Gamecube to Gameboy Advance connectivity model, to the point where it comes off just as gimmicky. Whether or not Sony decides to truly make something interesting with the feature, it’s not worth buying both systems at this point, for this reason, if you didn’t have them both already.

All of these minor problems add up to one major problem: The PS3's lack of differentiation. By desperately trying to provide everything, they really do in fact provide almost nothing. We have now entered a time where gamers are used to the fact that they will probably have to buy at least two consoles to enjoy all of the mainstream games of the generation. One of the ways in which gamers can justify these purchases to themselves is by the fact that one console provides unique features that another console cannot. Unfortunately for the Playstation 3, the unique features it boasts are not yet visible to anyone other than hardcore videophiles and the extremely wealthy. This will hamper the system for the first few years of its life. While all of us are waiting on the Playstation 3’s upcoming hit titles, one has to wonder: Will a few big games be able to sell a system that has no discerning features other than the games themselves? The answer is yes. Of course they will sell systems. Will they sell systems to the level of Sony’s past success with the Playstation 2? Very doubtful.

That’s the entire point of this essay though. The era in which one console will dominate the market is over. The market has grown and matured into so many different types of consumers, designing a console to dominate the market is simply obsolete. This is definitely good news for those of us who play games, since it means that the experience will not be shackled to the limitations of a single design, vision or interface. It is an exciting new era that it beginning now, and it is very difficult to predict where the console market will go, or what it will provide, as few as five years from now.

The Playstation 3 will be an important part of this market for years to come. As of this writing, Sony just announced their home internet service plan. While I am still a little skeptical about how this will integrate with playing games like the Xbox Live does, if it’s even half as fun as it is interesting, then Sony is in fine shape, and well on the road to success.

Obviously, Sony’s problems regarding this shift in power is not the result of blatant arrogance, mismanagement and poor assumptions on the needs of the consumer, but growing pains in a vastly changing and maturing market. I wish Sony all the success with their new Playstation 3 console, and I also wish them their fair share: 33.3% of the market. Anything else would not be to the benefit of us, the people who play games.

Disclaimer: the contents of this article may offend you, since many of the facts stated are also followed by opinion. Read at your own risk.LordelX
Stopped when I saw the yellow underlined font...
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Red_Sniper

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#4 Red_Sniper
Member since 2007 • 234 Posts
I'm copy pasting this to notepad so I can actually read it. Wait a bit for another reply.
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xxThyLordxx

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#5 xxThyLordxx
Member since 2007 • 3200 Posts
I'm copy pasting this to notepad so I can actually read it. Wait a bit for another reply.Red_Sniper


you are going to read it? :shock:
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Citizen_Zero

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#6 Citizen_Zero
Member since 2006 • 1786 Posts
:lol: who is going to read that? I'm sure you did not even read that.xxThyLordxx


Your on a Forum but your not going to read, to bad this is not a picture thread aeh?
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yellowjell0

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#7 yellowjell0
Member since 2005 • 736 Posts
I skimmed it. The yellow underlined font was pretty obnoxious, though. Why was that necessary? Some of the points were interesting, and I agree there likely won't be one hugely dominant player this time around.
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ihatebugers

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#8 ihatebugers
Member since 2006 • 1541 Posts

Next time you write a wall of text, please don't write it in bright-ass yellow.

Anyways you bring up some good points, but some just fall short. The PS3 is hard to develop for? So was the PS2, and any new console. The PSN is lacking in downloadable games? XBLA didn't start right off the bat, but the PSN already has old-school titles as well as unique and exclusive titles like Tekken 5: DR and flOw.

That's all I remember from your blinding wall, I'll be damned if I go back and read it again.

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Danthegamingman

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#9 Danthegamingman
Member since 2003 • 19978 Posts
This is a huge wall of text that is better as a blog post than a forum thread discussion.
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Timstuff

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#10 Timstuff
Member since 2002 • 26840 Posts
 "Please tear down this wall of text!" I realised I didn't need to read all that when I saw the TC had a GAMECUBE avatar. So I'll sum it all up: "Sony was ontop for two generations, and it's against my rules for them to be for 3. Now it's Nintendo's turn to be #1, so there!"
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nickmag

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#11 nickmag
Member since 2006 • 6710 Posts
WALL OF TEXT! Although I own none of the next-gen consoles, one of the big reasons why the PS3 is lagging behind the 360 in sales is because it hasn't even been released in Europe yet.
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Weslii

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#12 Weslii
Member since 2007 • 2309 Posts
I read the first 4 boxes of text and I agree with it. I don't feel to read the rest.
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SyinnX

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#13 SyinnX
Member since 2005 • 839 Posts
IM BLIND!!!!! I have no idea what the heck it said in your rainbow text, but I agree with anything you said.
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KodiakGTS

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#14 KodiakGTS
Member since 2003 • 1262 Posts
Pretty solid post.  I do agree with you in that I believe there will be no dominant console this generation.  
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donalbane

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#15 donalbane
Member since 2003 • 16383 Posts
Colored font + miles of text = Chinese algebra
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#16 -Reggaeton-
Member since 2007 • 2392 Posts
Stopped reading at "ps3 far behind"
Come on! the ps3 has been on the market for how long? and hasent even launched in Eu.
fanboys are getting scared.
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#17 jwat4
Member since 2003 • 1934 Posts

Why waste your time typing something and then choose to make the text so bright that no one could possibly read it...

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Solid-CELL

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#18 Solid-CELL
Member since 2006 • 5910 Posts
got to admit that was a fine read
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Andrelll

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#19 Andrelll
Member since 2007 • 109 Posts
i truth cannot be likely it either is or it is'nt
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bustos86

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#20 bustos86
Member since 2005 • 772 Posts
Stopped reading at "ps3 far behind"
Come on! the ps3 has been on the market for how long? and hasent even launched in Eu.
fanboys are getting scared.
-Reggaeton-


Yeah i stoped after that and just skimmed thu it a bit. wait til they launch in Eu. and wait till Sony gets more games out in Japan, MS can't hang with Sony and Nintendo in Japan.
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rage8669

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#21 rage8669
Member since 2006 • 205 Posts
that had to be the best post that i have ever read in SW. you make a lot of very good points regarding sony's do-it-all approach that blew up in their face. thank you for the post.
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t2wave

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#22 t2wave
Member since 2005 • 3258 Posts
Whoa, that's a lot of reading. To top that off I can't believe I read the whole thing. From what I read the only part I didn't agree with was the N64 having "lack of quality software." To summerize, the age of console domination is over.
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Dilrod

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#23 Dilrod
Member since 2003 • 4264 Posts
Im betting the TC didnt write the post himself. 20 to 1 odds he copied and pasted.
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LordelX

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#24 LordelX
Member since 2004 • 1376 Posts

Im betting the TC didnt write the post himself. 20 to 1 odds he copied and pasted. Dilrod

My apologies to everyone about the rainbow colored font. That was a mistake, and for some reason, the site will not let me change it.

And you are right Dilrod. I did copy and paste this....from my own blog. This is actually the third part of an article I've been writing for some time. I wanted to get a little more feedback, so I decided to post it here. Feel free to check it out.

Please don't be so quick to accuse people of plagurism. Making false accusations publically are actually quite a serious crime, called "slander". You have a right to your doubts, but please do a little more research before throwing out an accusation like that.

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2largeadults

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#25 2largeadults
Member since 2007 • 1608 Posts
Please don't be so quick to accuse people of plagurism. Making false accusations publically are actually quite a serious crime, called "slander". LordelX
1) Plagiarism is not a serious crime. You can't do jail time for it. 2) Slander applies to famous people with a reputation to uphold. There are no slander cases circulating through the Supreme court based on Internet forum talk.
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lilrush

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#26 lilrush
Member since 2005 • 1695 Posts
Are you kidding me? Thats a novel!
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Danm_999

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#27 Danm_999
Member since 2003 • 13924 Posts
[QUOTE="LordelX"]All of these minor problems add up to one major problem: The PS3's lack of differentiation. By desperately trying to provide everything, they really do in fact provide almost nothing.



Reading through your excellent analysis of the console market (yes I did read it all), what I've quoted above seems to stand out to me as the heart of what you're saying, and the current woe of Sony.

Not only does this rule apply in a literal sense, in terms of online, media functionality, graphical power, but also in market focus. Sony does not try to appeal directly to casual and non-gamers like the Wii with it's low price point and unqiue control method, nor does it appeal as an absolute bastion of hardcore in raw power, features and games library like the PC.

Instead, Sony seems to vacialliate between all these positions, trying to bring little bits for everyone, but ultimately nothing substantial for anybody. As well, pursuing these goals simultaneously, much harm is done, for example, attempting to make the console a versatile media outlet raises price and harms the casual appeal goal.
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TSCombo

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#28 TSCombo
Member since 2006 • 2957 Posts
Great read.
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StarFoxCOM

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#29 StarFoxCOM
Member since 2006 • 5605 Posts

Ahhh it burns the wall of text

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HappyInvader101

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#30 HappyInvader101
Member since 2005 • 3791 Posts
So much text...and its teal! Can someone sum this up in one sentence?
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needlesmcgirk

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#31 needlesmcgirk
Member since 2006 • 627 Posts
You mention that Sony released a lot of things that were not completely finished, including the online store, etc.  Thnk about this for a minute.  Which company is most famous for releasing an unfinished / un perfected item to the public to be patched and updated later on?  Microsoft with their Windows product.  Look how that turned out, and they are still doing it today!

Anyway, that's a very long post and a lot of time spent just to inform people that you don't like the PS3.  How about just not buying the console next time and letting that be enough?  I don't like figs, but I'm not going to go on and on about how I don't like them.  I just choose not to consume.
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DKII

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#32 DKII
Member since 2004 • 353 Posts
Summary:  The PS3 tries to do everything and ends up doing nothing as well as its competitors do.  Factor in the price and you'll get better features for a similar price with a Wii/360 combo than from a PS3.  Thus the only reason to get a PS3 is if you happen to like the few games exclusive to it much more than the games exclusive to the other systems.
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menmau

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#33 menmau
Member since 2005 • 412 Posts
What a long post, but actually says the truth.
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BlackDianWei

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#34 BlackDianWei
Member since 2005 • 554 Posts

The day somebody writes a blog about a game system is the day another person gets caught up in gaming which is very bad. Look you may have negative feelings towards a game system (which you should not have any at all), but a game system is a game system PERIOD!!!!.

If you don't like the PS3, then please don't buy it or don't write a blog about it.

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jcwordlife

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#35 jcwordlife
Member since 2004 • 2686 Posts
While the PS3's BC got downgraded, I disagree with you. You can still play over 1000 PS2 games...:|
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LordelX

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#36 LordelX
Member since 2004 • 1376 Posts

I skimmed it. The yellow underlined font was pretty obnoxious, though. Why was that necessary? Some of the points were interesting, and I agree there likely won't be one hugely dominant player this time around. yellowjell0

Apologies. Font problem fixed.