“I believe we made the most beautiful thing in the world. Nobody would criticize a renowned architect’s blueprint that the position of a gate is wrong. It’s the same as that.” - Ken Kutaragi on PLAYSTATION 3 I don't really consider myself a fanboy of any company making video game consoles. It hasn't been like that since I was a youngun riding hard for Sega Master System for no other reason than it was the only console I owned, even though I loved Nintendo games and played them every chance I got. It's understandable why people gravitate towards choosing sides, it's a little like politics - a console war becomes more meaningful if you know where you stand, and you've a stake in who's winning. Once you invest your money into a gaming machine that will last you a few years you want to defend that purchase, even if it wasn't your hard earned money spent. And if that console treats you right of course you'll be ready to come back for more by the time the next generation rolls along. Plus the corporations themselves fan the flames by getting into their own adult pissing contests at every possible opportunity. None of it really matters, everyone knows that PC gaming wins over consoles any day ^.^ However during the past year and even a little before that, I've grown to really dislike Sony, so I guess by default that makes me a Sony "hater." At first I just felt like rooting for the underdog, even though I've fully enjoyed both my PlayStation and PS2. (That probably started after seeing the Dreamcast fail, but that's a whole nother blog entry right there). Now it's evolved to the point where I don't like what they're bringing to gaming and I've no real interest in owning a PLAYSTATION 3. I'd even go so far as to say that any fan of gaming has to at least be a little disappointed in some of Sony's recent steps, and are probably downright angry with what they've slowly become. It started with the PSP. The arrogance, that is. The system itself is gorgeous, and the handheld market could certainly support another offering especially considering the direction Nintendo was taking with the DS. But it was the way Sony carried themselves - like they were gods gift to gaming, dismissing me and countless other gamers as children because we settled for a "toy" like the Game Boy Advance. The UMD format was a classic Sony move - hey we're making this convergence device, let's find a way to sell all our movies to consumers again with it! What it came down to in the end was most people were just not that interested in paying $250 to play Lumines, and Nintendo built upon a sizeable lead in hardware sales (despite a lack of decent software for the first 12 months). Now that the PSP is finally coming into it's own I'll probably pick one up after the inevitable price drop/redesign, but their whole attitude went beyond marketing tactics and really rubbed me the wrong way. Now's a good point to mention something else - Ken Kutaragi seems like a real ass. I don't know the man personally, for all I know he's a loving family man who treats people kindly, but as far as his public persona is concerned he's an arrogant, out of touch dreamer that lies to the fans of his product because he likes the way it sounds. The stuff he said was so ridiculous people couldn't take him seriously anymore so they "promoted" him to a corner office. Disliking the face of the PlayStation brand went a long way towards disliking the PlayStation brand itself. Good riddance, Ken. They couldn't wait to scoff at the Revolution. Motion sensing controller? Crazy! There's some great quotes dismissing the direction Nintendo was taking at the time, while at the same time they were licking their wounds at public reaction to their own innovations to the interface (the ill-fated boomerang). And the 360? Not even on the radar technically. It's an Xbox 1.5, the next generation doesn't really start until PS3 comes out (in Spring 2006). It doesn't even have a Blu-Ray player. You know, Blu-Ray? The new disc format Sony's pushing? You'll know it eventually, because you're gonna own one if you want to play Final Fantasy XIII and MGS4. Then E3 happened, and things really started to go downhill for Sony. The new controller is now... the same thing you've been using since Crash Bandicoot. Without the rumble. But the ace up their sleeve, the big step forward, it senses motion! Ugh. Oh yeah, $600 dollars. It'll replace your PC, don't worry you just have to work hard and really earn it if you want to play some FFXIII and MGS4. If my heart was set on owning a PS3 then sure, I could save up some extra cash and pick one up. But what if you just kind of want one? Exaggerating delivery expectations, no Europe in '06, shortages, embarrassing advertising, loss of exclusives, underwhelming launch lineup, unfinished interface. We've seen it all before from Sega, Nintendo and Microsoft so I'm not going to hold it against Sony, though it was hardly surprising how they carried themselves throughout each bit of bad news that filtered out. All this stuff will probably be forgotten in a year or two anyway, and definitely by the time FFXIII and MGS4 finally come out stateside. It's a very interesting time for the industry right now as there's no sure thing, and the entire landscape could change drastically as these new consoles mature. Obviously I don't own a PS3 right now, and don't plan on a purchase in the foreseeable future. I'm sure it's plenty fun to play and of course, there's going to be some great games made for it just like every other system. Especially from Japan. We all know it comes down to the games in the end, whoever ends up with the most killer apps will sell the most consoles. Or is it the brand that really matters most? I suppose we'll find out soon enough. So I think negatively of Sony as a gaming company right now and I'm not ashamed to admit it for the sake of parity. I laid out my reasons for why I feel this way. It's an opinion that's subject to change of course, I won't hold any grudges if Tim Schafer's next opus is PS3 exclusive or we get an unexpected $200 price drop for the masses. In fact I'd welcome it - if each console (and handheld) sees continued success this generation it would mean that video games are growing both in popularity and importance as an entertainment medium. Until then, sorry Sony - you've done good in the past but I suppose I M just NOT RED E.