Were hardly in overtime, but with 106 million PS2s out on the field, all-time champ Sony shouldnt be in the same league as Microsoft and Nintendo. Yet much like me playing Madden, Sonys next-gen Playstation 3 has been plagued by fumbles. Originally due last spring, the cutting-edge console was pushed to mid-November, saw launch numbers drop from two million to 500,000 for Japan and North America and delayed Europe until March. In October, Sony revealed profits were down 94 percent (compared to Nintendos DS-fuelled rise of 72 percent) but it wasnt all bad news the aging PS2 was actually selling more than the Xbox 360. But that still-stellar success doesnt guarantee a win for the PS3 especially with Sonys biggest exclusives, Final Fantasy XII and next years God of War II, skipping the new console altogether. Plus, there was that pre-launch bombshell about some backwards compatibility problems (though its still better than the 360s limited current-gen compatibility).
"A bad news story is more interesting to people than a good news story, dismisses Sony spokesperson Matt Levitan. "Weve had pretty much an uncontested run for the past ten years. The original Playstation took the leadership position and we havent looked back.
Of course, the first two Playstations werent this pricey. At $549 for the 20GB PS3 and $659 for the 60GB, its the most expensive of the new consoles. However, it does offer free online gaming (versus Xbox Lives annual subscription) and is the cheapest Blu-Ray player on the market Sonys actually losing $300 per unit because of its expensive insides. Blu-Ray is Sonys proprietary hi-def DVD; it offers ten times the storage and is in a format war with HD-DVD (offered as a 360 add-on drive, but for movies only). Sonys hoping PS3 sales will help Blu-Ray avoid the failure of Betamax and spur sales of hi-def televisions.
At launch, North Americans lined up outside retailers days in advance, but shortages meant this publicity coup was marred by eBay profiteers, brawls, stampedes, robberies and even a shooting.
So whats the big deal? The PS3s "Cell super-processor, 1080 progressive scan graphics, web browsing and impressive multimedia capabilities make it unquestionably a kick-ass machine, but unlike PCs, outdated by their first boot-up, consoles must plan ahead. It was months before 360 games made good on the hardware hype. The PS3 is even more technologically advanced, so itll be a while before developers squeeze out its extra juice for titles like Heavenly Sword, Metal Gear Solid 4, Assassin's Creed, L.A. Noire and Final Fantasy XIII.
Sony calls it "future-proofed and while a fair assessment, that limits the PS3s present-tense impressiveness. Without a hi-def TV and surround sound, the purchase is pointless and they launched with only one surefire system-seller, Resistance: Fall of Man, a photorealistic first-person shooter set in an alien-plagued alternate WWII. Its graphically astounding and should be great in multiplayer mode, but doesnt innovate. The samurai hack-and-slasher Genji: Days of the Blade also looks and fights fantastically, but its frustratingly immoveable camera could be a deal-breaker. Their sports titles NBA 07, Madden, Tiger Woods, Tony Hawk's Project 8 up the audio/visual ante, but only limited use of the new motion-sensitive (but rumble-free) controller doesnt make game play much different yet.
Of course, when Sony entered the gaming arena, nobody couldve predicted its eventual dominance. Not only is this a two-machine war the relatively inexpensive and revolutionary Wii should be everyones second console but the real battles wont be waged for a few years yet.
"Our strategy is more long-term than short-term, Levitan says. "The system updates allows us to increasingly add functionality. Its an evolution of the product what its doing right now versus what itll do in a year or five years will be very different. In other words: game on!
"A bad news story is more interesting to people than a good news story, dismisses Sony spokesperson Matt Levitan. "Weve had pretty much an uncontested run for the past ten years. The original Playstation took the leadership position and we havent looked back.
Of course, the first two Playstations werent this pricey. At $549 for the 20GB PS3 and $659 for the 60GB, its the most expensive of the new consoles. However, it does offer free online gaming (versus Xbox Lives annual subscription) and is the cheapest Blu-Ray player on the market Sonys actually losing $300 per unit because of its expensive insides. Blu-Ray is Sonys proprietary hi-def DVD; it offers ten times the storage and is in a format war with HD-DVD (offered as a 360 add-on drive, but for movies only). Sonys hoping PS3 sales will help Blu-Ray avoid the failure of Betamax and spur sales of hi-def televisions.
At launch, North Americans lined up outside retailers days in advance, but shortages meant this publicity coup was marred by eBay profiteers, brawls, stampedes, robberies and even a shooting.
So whats the big deal? The PS3s "Cell super-processor, 1080 progressive scan graphics, web browsing and impressive multimedia capabilities make it unquestionably a kick-ass machine, but unlike PCs, outdated by their first boot-up, consoles must plan ahead. It was months before 360 games made good on the hardware hype. The PS3 is even more technologically advanced, so itll be a while before developers squeeze out its extra juice for titles like Heavenly Sword, Metal Gear Solid 4, Assassin's Creed, L.A. Noire and Final Fantasy XIII.
Sony calls it "future-proofed and while a fair assessment, that limits the PS3s present-tense impressiveness. Without a hi-def TV and surround sound, the purchase is pointless and they launched with only one surefire system-seller, Resistance: Fall of Man, a photorealistic first-person shooter set in an alien-plagued alternate WWII. Its graphically astounding and should be great in multiplayer mode, but doesnt innovate. The samurai hack-and-slasher Genji: Days of the Blade also looks and fights fantastically, but its frustratingly immoveable camera could be a deal-breaker. Their sports titles NBA 07, Madden, Tiger Woods, Tony Hawk's Project 8 up the audio/visual ante, but only limited use of the new motion-sensitive (but rumble-free) controller doesnt make game play much different yet.
Of course, when Sony entered the gaming arena, nobody couldve predicted its eventual dominance. Not only is this a two-machine war the relatively inexpensive and revolutionary Wii should be everyones second console but the real battles wont be waged for a few years yet.
"Our strategy is more long-term than short-term, Levitan says. "The system updates allows us to increasingly add functionality. Its an evolution of the product what its doing right now versus what itll do in a year or five years will be very different. In other words: game on!