Sony Drops The Ball

[Iain76er]

Also, of course there are few games for PS3 so far. Very similar to the usual pattern of games releases. Original X-Box hardly had the fastest line of game releases and neither did the N64 and both did okay. In fact if I remember rightly the PS2 was released with about half a dozen games!

[TheCrippler]

Also, of course there are few games for PS3 so far. Very similar to the usual pattern of games releases. Original X-Box hardly had the fastest line of game releases and neither did the N64 and both did okay. In fact if I remember rightly the PS2 was released with about half a dozen games!

To be fair, the 360 had Oblivion as a post-launch title, while the PS3 still has nothing.

[Gongsun Zan]

Also, of course there are few games for PS3 so far. Very similar to the usual pattern of games releases. Original X-Box hardly had the fastest line of game releases and neither did the N64 and both did okay. In fact if I remember rightly the PS2 was released with about half a dozen games!

To be fair, the 360 had Oblivion as a post-launch title, while the PS3 still has nothing.

European PS3 has like one of the best launch line ups ever.

Ridge Racer 7

Call of Duty 3

Tony Hawks Project 8

Fight Night Round 3

Gran Turismo HD (I'm not a big fan of the idea of dowloading a lot of stuff to be able to have a good game, but some might)

Tekken 5

Virtua Tennis 3

Oblivion

Rainbow Six Vegas

Splinter Cell: Double Agent

If you moan about PS3 launch games, then you need to smarten up. My main gripe is the price with it. If it was the same price as the 360 then I might consider buying one.

[TheCrippler]

To be fair, even as the best of a bad bunch, it still looks shitty and unoriginal.

And if FPS's are your thing, you really should be buying a 360 instead anyway.

[Gongsun Zan]

To be fair, even as the best of a bad bunch, it still looks shitty and unoriginal.

And if FPS's are your thing, you really should be buying a 360 instead anyway.

[TheCrippler]

To be fair, even as the best of a bad bunch, it still looks shitty and unoriginal.

And if FPS's are your thing, you really should be buying a 360 instead anyway.

True, but it's the one I've heard the most praise about.

[Plubby]

Call of Duty ANYTHING is the nuts.

[Gongsun Zan]

3 sucked, IMO.

It wasn't even a proper sequel, but was developed the same time as 2. Which explains the shittier graphics, gameplay, and just about everything else about it. Hell, even the guns sound all pussified.

[Gongsun Zan]

To be fair, even as the best of a bad bunch, it still looks shitty and unoriginal.

And if FPS's are your thing, you really should be buying a 360 instead anyway.

True, but it's the one I've heard the most praise about.

[Buford Ripley]

I played Resistance Fall Of Man the other day and it was pretty 'meh'. I did manage to play some Virtua Fighter 5 as well and that game is... pretty, very pretty, it's just a shame that I don't like Virtua Fighter all that much.

Out of those launch games that Iain listed I'd probably only be keen on getting Tekken 5 and Gran Turismo HD (which makes no wonder just how beautiful they can make the cars look). As for the other titles I don't really care for them or I could simply get them for my 360.

[Skummy]

I don't think we'll see any major shift as far as this "console war" goes...Microsoft screwed up with the X-Box 360 because they rushed it out too early, but they've caught up pretty nicely almost solely on the strength of the games. The Wii has the aforementioned supply problem, it's just a bastard to get hold of the things, but the party-game aspect, and the originality of the control system, is more than enough to sell it for now, not to mention the loyal Nintendo fanbase. Sony have fucked up again and again with the PS3, but people are still going to rush out and buy it in droves, because of the name. "Playstation" is pretty much synonymous with video games, even among non-gamers, I know plenty of people who've never touched a console who refer to any games console as a "Playstation". It's a big enough brand name that it'll sell, without a doubt.

I think what will be interesting is the next batch of consoles...I think that's when we'll see what kind of an effect all the fucking with PS3 had on the grand scheme of things, as a lot of people are going to be ticked off, and Sony will have to pull out something pretty special for the PS4. Whatever the follow-up to the 360 will be will probably be the next Dreamcast, in my opinion, if they repeat the same mistakes. If they don't, it'll hang on in there, especially if they can develop more of a solid brand identity. Nintendo, as always, will be the dark horse, but perhaps the ultimate winner in the whole thing, because they've had the same focus since day one: GAMES. They're not trying to be all mature and edgy, or trying to be a complete home entertainment system like the PS3, they've got a solid brand identity as the company that cares about games, and about having fun, and focusing all of its energy into that, rather than seeing what else they can make their gadget do, and that's a much better market philosophy in the long run.

Edited March 8, 2007 by Skummy Least Likely To

[Gongsun Zan]

Actually, we've already seen a major shift in the console war.

If people are going to buy it in droves, it would have happened already. So far, it hasn't happened.

IIRC, the PS3 has only moved about 1.5 million units, and the Wii is catching up fast with the 360 with 5 million, half of what the 360 has. I really doubt that Europe, and (I find this incredibly hilarious, because after years of ignoring us, Sony has declared an official launch in Singapore...SINGAPORE! LMAO!) is significant to give them the lead they want.

Even though it's a brand name, so is Microsoft, and the people who don't really know much about the industry are the same people who are going to be turned off by the price. Remember, these are the same people who used to refer to any console as 'Nintendos' and 'Segas'.

[zero]

Sony have fucked up again and again with the PS3, but people are still going to rush out and buy it in droves, because of the name. "Playstation" is pretty much synonymous with video games

But people aren't rushing out to buy it in droves. As has been mentioned in this thread, PS3s are just sitting around. You can go into any store and grab one right off the shelf. Sony of course denies this, but uh-ohs! Maybe they should have been a bit more careful with their words:

SCEA President offers $1200 if someone can find a PS3?

Whatever the follow-up to the 360 will be will probably be the next Dreamcast, in my opinion, if they repeat the same mistakes.

Doubtful. Microsoft has branded the system so well that the XBox is actually becoming the system synonymous with video games, like the Playstation before it and Nintendo before that. The 360 had a poor launch, no doubt about that, but Oblivion, Dead Rising and Gears of War were the triple threat of last Spring, Summer and Fall that got people into the system. Now, with Halo 3 and GTA4 on the way this year on top of a slew of brand new franchises? Microsoft is in damn good shape. It's why I bought the damn thing, they locked up the flagship titles on a system that's $200 cheaper. I don't see how major developers can stay away from that. Not to mention XBox Live and the Achievements system, which has changed how many people play games altogether.

Nintendo is just Nintendo and always will be just Nintendo. The Wii shocked everybody and I think they have a shot at actually pulling it off and going back to number one without even trying to be number one. However, I also do think there's a great chance that Wii hype will die down and it will become home to a bunch of licensed crap and there will be little innovation outside of first party titles. It always happens to Nintendo and it's a damn shame. But you're not going to see a game like Mass Effect on the Wii, you're not going to see GTA on the Wii, you're not going to see any flagship exclusives unless they're developed by Nintendo. Red Steel sure as hell ain't gonna do it.

Edited March 8, 2007 by Zero

[ChrisSteeleAteMyHamster]

I've decided I'd give big kudos to Nintendo if only they killed off that stupid fat plumber they have a serious hard-on for.

Mario Tennis, Mario Basketball, Mario Yoshi, Mario Kart (various versions on DS), Various Mario Land versions....Ugh.

[Skummy]

For starters, I'm looking at this from a difficult perspective due to my location, I'm fairly sure that the general zeitgeist here will be reflecting that of the UK, but it might not necessarily be the case.

IIRC, the PS3 has only moved about 1.5 million units, and the Wii is catching up fast with the 360 with 5 million, half of what the 360 has. I really doubt that Europe, and is significant to give them the lead they want.

But as far as Europe are concerned, the PS3 isn't out yet, and it will shift huge numbers on release across the board, if it doesn't, I'll be incredibly surprised. The Playstation and Playstation 2 have been the console for so long, the "console wars" never really happened here, the X-Box and the Gamecube were never nearly as big as the PS2, and never looked like they would be. The same goes for X-Box 360, and even the Wii, they might be the current big thing, but you go into any shop that sells video games, and PS2 still has pride of place, it still has the best display positions within the shop, and that's bound to carry over to the PS3.

Even though it's a brand name, so is Microsoft, and the people who don't really know much about the industry are the same people who are going to be turned off by the price. Remember, these are the same people who used to refer to any console as 'Nintendos' and 'Segas'.

But Microsoft isn't a brand name in the same way Playstation is. Playstation is a brand in its own right, seperate from Sony. No one calls it a "Sony Playstation", no one thinks of it as a Sony product, it's a console, and it's the coolest console out there, thanks largely to clever marketing. The X-Box or X-Box 360 doesn't really have that yet, it's got a lot of great games, but only that really appeal to hardcore gamers, whereas the Playstation and PS2 were able to appeal to markets that had never been touched before, they managed to shift the focus of the entire gaming industry from kids to young adults, and make it something cool, while X-Box 360 is selling on the back of first-person shooters for the most part, which aren't the kind of game that convert non-gamers to gamers, for the most part. Microsoft might be a household name, but X-Box isn't quite yet and, as I said, it has no real brand identity, beyond "the console that isn't the Wii, and isn't the PS3, but it's got a few games worth buying".

And not to be picky, but I've never heard anyone call a console a "Sega", and I only remember hearing "Nintendo" being applied to actual Nintendo consoles, whereas I've heard everything from a Mega Drive to a DS described as a "Playstation".

And I'm not saying that it's people who don't know much about the industry that will necessarily be rushing out and buying the PS3, but they are far more aware of it than of any other console. Someone who doesn't know very much about gaming is more likely to stop and notice a poster saying "Playstation 3 sold here" than "Wii sold here".

Sony have fucked up again and again with the PS3, but people are still going to rush out and buy it in droves, because of the name. "Playstation" is pretty much synonymous with video games

But people aren't rushing out to buy it in droves. As has been mentioned in this thread, PS3s are just sitting around. You can go into any store and grab one right off the shelf.

Again, I can't really comment until it's released over here, but just judging from the amount of pre-orders that I know HMV has received here, it looks like there's going to be an awful lot of release day sales, or close to it. Whether that picks up or not, we'll have to wait and see. And by Christmas I'm sure there'll be a rebranded, smaller, different coloured, whatever, variation available which will sell even better because of the time of the year, as the release date is one of the main factors that will hurt initial sales figures.

Whatever the follow-up to the 360 will be will probably be the next Dreamcast, in my opinion, if they repeat the same mistakes.

Doubtful. Microsoft has branded the system so well that the XBox is actually becoming the system synonymous with video games, like the Playstation before it and Nintendo before that. The 360 had a poor launch, no doubt about that, but Oblivion, Dead Rising and Gears of War were the triple threat of last Spring, Summer and Fall that got people into the system. Now, with Halo 3 and GTA4 on the way this year on top of a slew of brand new franchises? Microsoft is in damn good shape. It's why I bought the damn thing, they locked up the flagship titles on a system that's $200 cheaper. I don't see how major developers can stay away from that. Not to mention XBox Live and the Achievements system, which has changed how many people play games altogether.

Again, I'm looking from an entirely different perspective, but looking to the gamers that I know, X-Box Live hasn't changed a damn thing around here. I know a fair few people with X-Box or X-Box 360, and none of them use it. It never really took off here nearly as much as it did Stateside. And, as I said, the 360 seems to be a console that appeals to gamers, it's not going to win over any new converts. Which, admittedly, isn't necessarily a bad thing, obviously it's still a huge market, but with the exception of Dead Rising and Halo, I don't see anything that's going to push them to the top, and neither of those two games have managed it yet. I don't know anyone who's rushed out to buy a 360 so they can play Halo, it seems to be the game pimped by those who already own the console, more than anything. Personally, I think it's vastly over-rated, but that's neither here nor there.

Nintendo is just Nintendo and always will be just Nintendo. The Wii shocked everybody and I think they have a shot at actually pulling it off and going back to number one without even trying to be number one. However, I also do think there's a great chance that Wii hype will die down and it will become home to a bunch of licensed crap and there will be little innovation outside of first party titles. It always happens to Nintendo and it's a damn shame. But you're not going to see a game like Mass Effect on the Wii, you're not going to see GTA on the Wii, you're not going to see any flagship exclusives unless they're developed by Nintendo. Red Steel sure as hell ain't gonna do it.

I agree that the Wii is going to need to really work to save itself from becoming a cheap gimmick, but already it's managed to win over hundreds of gamers in need of something new and different, as well as appealing to women, children, and plenty of other markets, not to mention the party game aspect that's got people who in other situations would never have touched a console picking up and playing with ease, because of the control system, and you have to believe that a percentage of them will go out and buy the console, which I doubt would happen if they were handed a Playstation or X-Box controller and told at length what every button did, and then spent the next half hour struggling through a game of GTA, or Halo.

Like I said, PS3 will not fail, but it could have a tremendous impact on any future consoles Sony might release. X-Box needs a strong brand identity, and it needs a hook as anything better than "a decent console", and the Wii needs to keep standards high, and find ways to stop itself from becoming a gimmick. Is there a "standard" controller available for the Wii? Because if not, there should be, just to give it more leeway in supporting cross-platform games. Not to mention the Wii's game download service, which has been a major selling point to most people I know who've considered buying one.

As an aside, am I the only one surprised that it was Nintendo that launched the Wii's control system? Because I found the Gamecube controller to be adequate at best for 90% of games, and the N64 controller was just horrendous, I'm surprised they finally managed to get it right, and more right than anyone has ever done before, in my opinion.

[CKN]

I've decided I'd give big kudos to Nintendo if only they killed off that stupid fat plumber they have a serious hard-on for.

Mario Tennis, Mario Basketball, Mario Yoshi, Mario Kart (various versions on DS), Various Mario Land versions....Ugh.

[Buford Ripley]

That Home thing looks alright it seems like Second Life for a PS3 but with obviously better graphics and a different features. Still, I'd have to wait quite a while to hop onto something like that because, quite frankly, I can't afford it.

EDIT: I'd really like to get a PS3 on launch but that's never going to happen so I'm going to have to settle with popping round to my mate's to play on his PS3.

Edited March 8, 2007 by Kulex Machina

[ChrisSteeleAteMyHamster]

From just a single WEEK in a games shop, here's what I've noticed:

X-BOX: Games bought my uber-geeks and chavs

NINTENDO: Games bought by mothers for their kids

PLAYSTATION: Games bought by a wide cross section

Basically even if X-Box 360 IS the better machine, a wider class of people go Playstation. It's what bought gaming to the masses and the masses love the PS1 and PS2. More PS2 games are sold (new and used) in the Dudley Gamestation than all the other games added together (X-Box & 360, Nintendos etc). Even if people give a sharp intake of breath at the price, as Skummy says, it's synonimous in this country for a lot of people, with gaming, and not just "those in the know" who will be queuing up tomorrow for Ghost Recon 2 on the 360 when it's released. The PS3 will drag along that audience and add the "city boy" yuppies to the mix. It's seen as a lifestyle console too.

Also, in the same amount of time (last few weeks), pre-orders for the unavailable Wii taken in the shop total 16 while PS3 pre-orders are at 50.

Microsoft gets the computer gamers onto the X-Box, Nintendo are big in Japan cos they are the big "family" style business but in the UK it was always Nintendo vs Sega and I'd say that Sega at the time had the upper hand in sales across all different ranges of people. So while Nintendo fanboys are probably the biggest of all fanboys, Playstation took over from Sega as being the personification of gaming for the UK masses, whether your personal belief lies with them or not.

To sum up, let's see what's happening next January but one things for certain, Blu-Ray and HD-TV movies being sold at £25 each will NOT be the winner in this coming year.

[ChrisSteeleAteMyHamster]

Also, I don't recall us selling a single Wii game. Firstly cos there's not much choice, and secondly cos people get the console and go "Wow! Wii sports! Look how cool this is to play tennis, bowling and golf, it's like really playing the sports. That's great. Must remember to get it out when my friends are round....."

It's a good console but I fear some people will see it as a bit gimmicky and purely as a party game, meaning fewer software sales as Sports comes with the Wii.

[zero]

I really hope you don't consider your own personal experience to be an accurate description though. The PS2 has covers a broad spectrum of gamers because it has an insanely huge installed user base. You cannot break down what system a person plays because of their lifestyle, that's like saying "well you're wearing tight clothes, you must be gay... and play XBox."