Sony announced recently that it wants to concentrate on a Japanese and American launch for the Playstation 3 this year. This makes them look quite silly in light of the “we can do a worldwide launch better than Microsoft” comments it made at the Xbox 360 launch.
It doesn’t even sound like Sony Japan have kept their UK colleagues terribly well informed, given that UK boss Ray Maguire has stated he’s “extremely disappointed” that their new Uber console won’t arrive in PAL (Europe, Africa, Australia, Middle East and Far East) territories this year.
So where does this leave Sony? Well, besides the egg on the face for not being able to match the Xbox 360 launch, let alone bettering it – and remember that this was a launch that they have very publicly criticised – news of the delay will have alienated many of its supporters in the affected territories.
Many of the people who’ve been saving up all year for the long awaited and much needed replacement to the PS2 will now just go out and buy one of the other consoles at Christmas.
This will be a bonus for Microsoft, but the real winner, from my point of view, will be the Nintendo Wii.
Rumour has it that Nintendo already have their consoles built and ready. They have made the correct choice; opting for ingenuity over cutting edge. They have no Blu-Ray to worry about. They have no Cell processor to worry about.
Sony have made U-Turn after U-Turn with their console. The processor has taken several steps down in speed, and Sony are still struggling with the manufacturing yield on them. Blu-Ray has been a thorn in their side, being both expensive and difficult to manufacture, and the console has gone from being a nice looking device to a behemoth 'health grill/toasted sandwich maker'.
Nintendo, on the other hand, have gone for proven technologies with proven reliability. The clever parts of the Wii are the interface, which could be the best thing to happen to gaming in years.
Microsoft are also going to have a good Christmas. All the people that have been waiting for the PS3 to take up next gen gaming, will now look back on their decision and think seriously about picking up the only real next gen console out there.
![Xbox 360 Pro Console 20GB [Old Version]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41K2VDCPCNL._SL120_.jpg)
Article comments
— go to most recent comments1 - Andrew Ogier
"let's be honest, one game does not make a console."
You're absolutely right, One game doesn't....
Two do.
I believe that PS3's main assets will be Final Fantasy XIII and Metal Gear Solid 4, and the success of these two titles will determine whether PS3 sinks or swims.
Let's face it, those two are the only highly reknowned exclusives that the machine's got.
The delay in Europe will piss a LOT of people off, infact the news was so big that it even hit the BBC's 6 o'clock News yesterday. And effectively turning their backs on their native Japanese market with a pathetic token-like 100,000 units is a grave mistake.
Negativity towards Sony has never been so high as with the PS3, but in the end it won't really matter.
The problem is that the Sony and Playstation brand names have a loyal userbase (or fanboys as we like to call them), that will buy any old crap as long as it has their favourite sticker slapped on the front of it. Hell, you could paint a refridgerator blue, call it a "Sony Food Preservation Unit", put a $5000 price tag on the side of it, make a frankly ridiculous, pointless, and irrelevant Advertising campaign (Something like circles and air and people floating past office windows with a tagline of "This is Food") and people will buy it in droves.
No matter how badly they've screwed up with PS3, it'll still be a success. It might not be the number one console of choice this time around, but it'll sell in droves, especially in the beginning (before everyone realises how unimpressive the first wave of titles are).
Personally, I think this seemingly endless string of fuck ups from Sony is a good thing.
Sony got cocky and complacent when announcing PS3 at E305 ("The next generation doesn't start until we say it does".. so next gen starts in March for the UK eh? 15 months after 360 and 6 months after both the Wii and the US launch? "It'll be expensive, you'll just have to work harder to get one"... How cocky and arrogant can you possibly get??? And this is even without mentioning that to buy a PS3 you're paying for an obligatory Blu Ray drive that most of us neither want nor care about.), and it bit them in the ass when the crowds fell silent when demonstrating the system at E306, when everyone realised how much bullshit was being spouted.
They got lazy and ignorant...hopefully this negativity will make Sony LISTEN to their customers about what they actually want, rather TELLING their customers what Sony THINKS they want.
I hope PS3 doesn't hit the top spot this time, that way PS4 will be something original, special, and worth shouting about, rather than the up-and-coming Playstation "Our competition has a new feature? We'll put it in our machine and then bullshit to our consumers saying that we thought of it first and that our competition stole our idea" Three.
Wii-Sixty all the way for me.
2 - Ashleigh
Your points about Sony are right, they have made a colossal mess (both in design externally and internally). But the two games you mention will come out on the other platforms anyhow, 360 already has a FF game, and the MGS have always come out later on other platforms.
That said they will be exclusive to Sony for a period of time, however the two title's you mention are predominantly Japanese fan based, and they have already kicked that market in the ass anyhow.
Sony are going to struggle, I would not be surprised to find that they are taking 200-400 dollar hit on each console they sell, and Sony cannot afford that at the moment.
Plus Blue Ray movies, which I believe is where they will try re-coupe some of there loss are being launched at $50 a pop. Who will buy them when the DVDHD versions are close to their DVD equivalents. Even Sony have said they will release DVDHD titles now, backtracking again after saying they will not.
I really believe that a buy out of the electronics part of the company is on the cards, in the not too distant future.
3 - Dickson
Another thing that you didn't mention is that with the PS3, you will not get an HDMI cable with the console, which is another slap in the face to the condumer, as to get this cable in New Zealand or Australia, you would be looking at at least $150.00. Not to mention I've heard the price is going up for the PS3 and also the only PS3 arriving in New Zealand is the 60GB version, you also have a expected price tag of $1300-$1500 dollars, which people in new Zealand will not be willing to pay at all. XBOX 360 Premium was $730 over here, and Wii is expected to be $360-$390, but $1500 for a console where you then need to pay $150-$250 for a basic HDMI cable over here is beyond a joke.
4 - Ashleigh
Wow, you guys get battered for cables, there around the £20 mark over here for a decent one, that would be about 60NZD.
But it is a good point, you WILL HAVE to buy a HDMI cable to get anything out of the console. It stings when you think you have just paid the best part of a thousand pounds to play a console, that you will not be impressed with after the initial wow look at that factor has worn off anyhow. Plus if you have or have played the 360, it's only going to be the same as that!
Plus to get the absolute best out of it you need...
PS3 - £600
Cables etc including TosLink - £120
1080p TV - £4500 for the Sony LCD
Decent DTS Audio - £500
Controllers etc - £100
Online Subscription? - £40 (same as live?)
3xGames - £120
So just to get up and running will cost you £5485 to get the 'best' out of the console, and that does not include all the 'hidden' bits that will no doubt be needed.
I say if you want the thrills, for that sort of money, then go buy yourself a Kawasaki ZX10R and have a whole heap more 'real' fun.
5 - empath
I agree that Sony is in trouble with PS3, and I definitely think that that might not be a bad thing in the long run for the overall game market. However, a couple of things you've said are a little off. First off, GT4 is hardly going to be the only major exclusive game that will come for the PS3. That's just discounting Sony's prior history with no basis. They will come up with some serious exclusive content. Their hooks reach deep into the software development community and I'm confident we will see some exclusives sewn up for the system. They haven't been announced yet, but then again not much has been announced in general. Your comment that Final Fantasy will not be an exclusive for the system is just wrong, and it's a very big deal. Yes, the 360 has FFXI, but that means very little, since it isn't a standard FF game at all. The traditional FF rpg will be a PS3 exclusive (it has to be, given the 360's lack of popularity in Japan), and it will drive console sales, especially in Japan. Metal Gear will have enough exclusive lead time on PS3 so that it will drive tons of console sales, and there is no guarantee whatsoever that it will make it to other systems.
Also, your assesment of the cost of the system is not 100% fair, considering that a lot of the expenses you mention are just as bad for the other systems. You need an HDTV for ALL of the systems. 1080p? eh. Most people are not really going to go all out for that, and most people wont even be able to tell the difference between 1080i and 1080p anyway. The cables issue is going to be just as expensive for the other systems, especially since the 360 which is also about release an HDMI connection for the system. The sound system issue is a red herring as well, since the 360 needs it just as badly as the PS3.
I agree that the PS3 is in huge trouble. The system price itself is just ridiculous, the games that have been shown thus far (except for Metal Gear) have been lackluster or suspect (Killzone video, anyone?), and Blu-Ray might not be the big deal that Sony wants it to be. The shortage issue is going to hurt badly, as well, no doubt. All that being said I think it is foolish to discount the PS3 alltogether. We haven't seen enough info about specific games yet, and we don't know yet how much of an impact brand loyalty will have on this console war. Sony's lead in the current gen is so large that if a decent slice of that current gen base remains loyal then Microsoft and Nintendo are in trouble. As a 360 owner, I haven't been blown away with the games coming so far, so Sony still has a chance to win me over regardless of the lead time Microsoft has had. The Wii might be very exciting, but the truth is that the actual mechanism has yet to get into consumers hands so far and it remains unproven to a large degree. We shall see...
6 - empath
BTW, check out monoprice.com for HDMI cables. The $150 HDMI cable is a myth perpetuated by big electronics stores and brands like Monster Cable. A very high quality hdmi cable cab be sent anywhere in the world for around $20. Don't buy into the cable hype.
7 - Ashleigh
Agreed on most of your point's, yes the XBox does need the same audio, but Sony are saying '1080p is the true hi def and we are the only ones that have it in PS3', and to get a 1080p NATIVE tv is very expensive, I agree for a Progressive scan technology (Like Plasma or LCD) the difference between 1080i and 1080p is a none issue. However a native 1920x1080 screen is still outside most peoples budget.
Cables, yes to an extent the quality issue is an aside, however I have seen and heard the difference a good quality TosLink/Scart/HDMI cable set makes, and it is noticeable, Audio especially. But if you only have budget to mid range equipment then the difference is less noticable (a £500 DTS setup is close to the bottom of a mid range system, speakers alone on hi range systems can cost 4x that). Microsoft cannot be let off too lightly on the HDMI cable front either, they do not supply one either, and if/when they do release one then that will cost.
To set the field straight....
360/Wii - £270 / £170
Cables TosLink/Speaker - £60
HD TV - £800 for the Panny or Samsung LCD
Decent DTS Audio - £500
Controllers/WiFi etc - £120
Live Subscription? - £40
3xGames - £120
That makes the Total for the 360 to 1910 and the Wii 1810. Quite a difference in my opinion, for the in essence the same quality of gaming.
Sony do have a decent back catalogue of titles, however a lot of the developers that where in Sony's pocket, now are not, and lets be honest the Sony in-house titles really are not that exciting outside of Japan and the fan-bases they have got around the world, that includes Final Fantasy.
Most of the developers and Demos that have been shown are distinctly ho hum, seen it before on 360.
I really do believe that Sony have got a big duck on their hands.
But only time will tell.
8 - Anthony
3xGames = 150.00p
9 - Roberta
My kids haven't even asked about the PS3, the only system they are looking at now is the Wii. We have a ps2 and an xbox already, and we (like alot of people) can't run right out and shuck out $600 for the ps3.
10 - Ashleigh
Just to clear the price of games up, most places will have deals on that mark the games to around the 40 mark, same as the XBox 360 deals at launch.
11 - empath
I disagree that we know for sure at this point that there will be now qualitative difference between 360 and PS3 titles. I just don't think we have that info yet. Frankly, many of the games on the 360 still have irritating technical issues like slowdown, tearing and a lack of good anti-aliasing. If the PS3 can overcome these issues on a game where the 360 can't, it could make all the difference in determining which system you buy a non-exclusive title for.
I still think your price list is disingenuous. Just because Sony or Microsoft would want someone to buy everything top of the line, it doesn't mean they have to. 1080p is a feature, not a requirement. I agree that you do need an HDTV and a good 5.1 or greater surround setup (not specifically DTS, since none of the consoles use it) to get the most out of the system, but a lot of people buying these systems have been preparing to transition to HD anyway, and people like me have already done it. I mean, geez, if someone is buying one of these consoles to use Blu-Ray or HD-DVD, you can bet they are ready with the correct gear.
As a gamer, and a hardcore one at that, I have to keep an open mind. I just hope Sony can come up with the goods. It would bring me no joy to see one of the formerly great consumer electronics companies fall off because of a major PS3 failure.
12 - dazz
while your artical is mostly accurate in describing sony's mistakes and their general hubris, its obvious you are biased against them as well. you all know there are going to be "must have" games on this system that you can't get on others. and the comment about blu-ray being worthless is quite foolish. i'd say if any of the new dvd formats are going to win this HD war, it will be blu ray. hd-dvd has fewer and far less commited backers than blu ray, as well as being technically inferior. blu ray is one of the things the ps3 has that im still excited about.
13 - empath
I'm suspicious of Blu-Ray, mostly because it's a Sony format. They just don't have a good track record with their own formats, look at ATRAC, minidisc, betamax, UMD, and the million different versions of memory sticks. Plus, the first reviews of actual Blu-Ray and HD-DVD disks have leaned heavily in favor of HD-DVD at this point. That doesn't necessarily mean anything at this early stage, but it sure isn't the best news for Sony. It doesn't matter much to me, as a consumer, since as a 360 owner and a future PS3 owner, I'll probably have players of both formats in the house. I think the real issue with the high def. disk formats is not which one is going to win, I think the issue is whether or not the public is really ready at this point to abandon the old DVD tech and move on to something newer and much more expensive, with a debatable qualitative difference at this early stage.
There is a lot of bias out there for and against all the systems. Me, I'm just psyched to be getting all this very futuristic technology in my hands as quickly as possible. Successful or not, the PS3 looks like a pretty phenomenal machine, and I'm already loving the 360.
14 - Ashleigh
Blu-Ray : Theoretically it's technically better, however, at the moment it's just not good enough. They are struggling with multi layer, struggling with compression (H264), Struggling with standards over interactivity, struggling with protection standards (Sony themselves say the 'basic' version of the PS3 may be able to play disk's in Hi-Def). Remember as well, just because a format is technically better, it does not make it the standard at the end, if that was the case then VHS certainly would not have been the winner, both Beta and Philips formats where better that VHS. VHS won because it was cheap. And a DVD-HD drive is a good proportion cheaper than BR, and has very few disadvantages, and in some ways has some advantages that BR does not. As for supporters? yes in the movie house war, DVD-HD is loosing, but Microsoft and Apple support it, and they have a lot more possible devices out there than anyone else.
Saying all that, neither of the format's will win in the end, Solid state and HDD format's will offer better performance/price/ease of use, and to that end both will only be a stop gap of sorts. If any 'CD' format does win, it will be a hybrid of the both, possibly from a join up of the two players, or the playback devices themselves just supporting both formats, then it just does not matter. It's as simple as this, buy a gen 1 product and get stung, it was the same with CD and DVD after all.
Must have games, yes there will be some. I am GENIUNLY looking forward to GT4, and I am sure that they cannot get another MGS wrong, but that said, almost everything will make it multi-platform eventually, just because it's the only way that developers can re-coupe costs.
It's true, I am not a Sony, or Playstation fanboy; that said I don't dislike them either. I will own a PS3 at some point, without a doubt, just like I own a PS2, PS and PSP. I just doubt it will be at launch, unless I win the lottery (and I don't play it so that wont happen). I would like a PS3 so I did have a player for BOTH of the HD DVD formats, but I already have a 360, and will be in the queue for a Wii on launch day. Put hey I may think about picking a PS3 up when they bring them down, and have a game I want but cant get anywhere else.
As for HD DVD formats, all my preorders will be in DVD-HD, and I'm happy with that.
15 - Ashleigh
For those that would like to read a little more about both Blu-Ray and HD-DVD, please have a look at HighDef Digest
16 - Ken Edwards
Solid article all around, nice job!
I would like to point out, from one of the comments I have read, that if you use Composite on the PS3, you are not going to get inferior results. As it stands now, most of, if not all, are developing their titles for 720p, because it is a common denominator with the Xbox 360. I have read no reports of developers getting good frame rates at 1080p.
The only real reason to use HDMI on the 360 is for Blu-ray movies. Specifically, those movies that use HDCP (High-Bandwidth Digital Content Protection).
People here in the comments have also addressed the myth of expensive HDMI cables. These can be found for $10 to $20 without hassle.
I would agree with the FF and MGS series being the reason people will opt for a PS3. Until Virtua Fighter 5 is announced officially for the Xbox 360, I would add that as a third title that the PS3 has going for it.
17 - empath
This has been a fun discussion. it can be hard to find a place to talk about this stuff on the internet without it degenerating into fanboy rancor. Thanks.
18 - Ashleigh
I would like to echo Empath's comments. thanks to everyone for not going into fanboy mode.
The topic has proven a hit with readers as well, so it is obvious that Sony have hit a mark (the wrong one) with the delay announcement.
19 - gossett
i feel sorry for anybody who wastes all that money on a ps3. i for one have no desire to buy a ps3.i hope sony fails,maybe that will finally shut them up.have fun sony fanboys
20 - Andrew Ogier
Ken "that if you use Composite on the PS3, you are not going to get inferior results."
[anally retentive correction]
Sorry to nitpick, but with Composite, you'll get severely inferior results, Composite can only cope with 480i... COMPONENT, however, supports up to 1080i. :D
[/anally retentive correction]
Anyhow, as trivial as it seems, one of Sony's major selling points is everything will run in "true" 1080p, and not including the cable required to show off this resolution (which from my experience is barely differable from 1080i, and is only supported right now by Gran Turismo HD) is a bad move.
As for the VF5 comment, you know how much I'm drooling (quite possibly from both heads) while waiting for that game. Depending on the game's release date, I might just open the wallet, take out a small loan, and make the jump to buy the arcade cabinet I can't wait much longer for it, and I WILL buy a PS3 the second VF5 is launched in Japan for the console... BUT, it's still not a major player to the same extent that MGS4 and FF are, at least not outside of Japan. In the US and Europe, VF has a more hardcore following, but a following that numbers in the millions that it does in it's native land.
Let's face it, without FF and MGS (and possibly the 6 month exclusivity of GTA) the PS2 would've sunk without a trace after the second year. It's only those games that kept it afloat long enough for us to receive the calibur of games we're now finally getting 5 - 6 years after it's initial launch.
PS3 is most certainly facing an uphill struggle, with 360 breaking records and getting a HUGE install base, and the Wii coming out earlier, cheaper, and with over 20 retail titles PLUS 25 Virtual Console titles on launch day... Can their brand pull them through another console war in the top spot? I'd say chances are that it won't.
Not this time.
Too many mistakes have been made, too much has to be invested in titles being developed, and creators hate the asymmetrical and awkward hardware.
Plus it's common knowledge that NO manufacturer has EVER remained on top of the console tree for three generations, not even the great Nintendo back in their heyday. The odds are stacked in Microsoft's favour to pull off the upset.
21 - Ashleigh
Andrew, well said. And with the open griping from developers about how difficult the system is to develop for, I think it will put off some of the smaller developers that traditionaly spent all their dev budget on the PS2.
The PS3, will certainly struggle in the small developer arena, especially now that Microsoft have launched the XNA stuff.
Saying that, I think Nintendo have been a little greedy (in Europe especialy), £179 for a Wii? just save the extra 20 quid and get an XBox360, that's officialy £199 now (for the base box).
Not only is it HD (the Wii is not) but it plays DVD's as well (Wii does not).
I think that with the anouncment of the Zune, I would think it mad that MS don't give us a fuller mediacenter experience on the 360, if they did that, and launched a bigger HDD for the device (200Gb would be nice, but I will settle for 100), then allow the Zune to wirelessly sync to the 360 (as the first Zune will be a little short on space), they will certainly win, not only that they would increase the value in the market of not only the Zune (that will struggle against Apples new iPods, just on storage size alone) but the 360's value would increase greatly as well. I can't see it devaluing the Vista MCE either, as not many people have a pc capable of doing it justice.
Time will tell, but if MS allowed the playback of the Zune media via Wireless on the 360, and syncing both ways etc, then they have the Gen3 console war won.
22 - Im_Electric
I like how sony fans think they are as loyal as nintendo's. they fact that they are sony fans show in itself they are not loyal period. Nintendo has been around forever. yet they chose sony. I have probably bought 30 of the gameboy variations in my life and giving them to family members and freinds. And im not rich. Sony needs money now. More than ever. Show your loyalty buy buying there Crappy psp. Even if u dont like it. just buy it. DS Lite 70% market share. EAT THAT.
23 - Rick
And to Top it all off:
Toshiba to Recall Notebook Batteries
By Associated Press
Published September 18, 2006, 10:12 PM CDT
TOKYO -- Japanese electronics maker Toshiba Corp. plans to recall 340,000 notebook computer batteries, Dow Jones Newswires reported Tuesday. At least some of the batteries were manufactured by Sony Corp., the report said.
The move follows last month's battery recalls by Dell Inc. and Apple Computer Inc., which cited concerns that the batteries could overheat and catch fire. Dell asked customers to return 4.1 million faulty laptop batteries, while Apple recalled 1.8 million batteries worldwide.
In both those cases, the problematic lithium-ion batteries were made by Sony Energy Devices Corp., a Japan-based subsidiary of Sony Corp.
24 - Ashleigh
Let's hope the rechargable batteries in the PS3 controllers don't suffer the same issues.
Oh yeah, no rumble, so the batteries are not going to be taxed anyhow.
And to top that, they have put the price of the console down in Japan, as there scared they will not sell any because of the Nintendo launch. But only in Japan, not in the USA? Odd.....
25 - Me and you know what? ME
You guys are such dorks to be talking about this.
JOKING
THE WII IS AWESOME
I HAVE ONE