x42bn6
Retired Staff
Found this a fairly interesting read. The next-generation DVD format, exploding batteries and price seem to have fueled some rather interesting comments, and this one stood out for me.
Source: PlayStation 3: The suffering, playfuls.com, November 15, 2006
[edit] This video makes it only look nice... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sknTNbM8vTo
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PlayStation 3: The suffering
Don’t be fooled because this isn’t the story of a destructive game for Sony’s next-generation console – it’s the story of PlayStation 3 itself.
Sony’s console started out as a favorite in the battle of the consoles, but it’s been stumbling over this past year and it seems to have lost its way towards the number one spot. After Microsoft took advantage of Sony’s lack of zeal a year ago, becoming the first company to launch a next-generation console, everybody, starting with gamers and analysts, was expecting Sony to go head over heels and counter attack PlayStation 3 in March 2006.
Sony however had to find a solution to another conflict, the Blu-Ray versus HD-DVD dispute to be more specific. Because of problems the Blu-Ray format was raising, March 2006 came and instead of PS3, the Japanese company offered a new delay and a new promise: PlayStation 3 would make a grand entrance in November 2006, at an international level. Cynics were quick to see problems ahead and it would seem they were not mistaken as Sony has not been able to keep its promise.
Sony managed to complicate its life once again in September, this time because of the Blu-Ray unit. Instead of the promised worldwide launch, Sony announced it would limit itself to Japan and the US. The company also had to reduce the number of units it would deliver by the end of the year, changing the initial 2 million figure to 400,000 units for the US and 100,000 for Japan.
All these postponements and adjustments are nothing though compared to the problems Sony has been dealing with since its Japanese launch. The consoles hardly arrived in the welcoming hands of gamers when Sony was struck by another calamity. According to information announced by Japanese media, PlayStation2 titles are not entirely compatible with PlayStation3, although Sony had stated repeatedly that titles created for the former console will work perfectly on the next-generation one. Reality shows something else though: 200 titles don’t work on PlayStation 3 and what’s worse, it’s important games like Final Fantasy or Gran Turismo that are affected.
Even if PS3’s story is starting to resemble a succession of disasters and disappointments, the Japanese company has succeeded in selling approximately 88,000 consoles in just a few days, which is almost 90% of the Japanese market’s portion.
PlayStation 3 is nevertheless far from being a triumph for Sony and that is because of several reasons. First of all, the number of new games available during this launch period is not large and despite efforts, Sony has not managed to come up with more new titles. Secondly, it is still unclear whether Sony will be successful in reaching its objective of delivering 400,000 consoles in the US. Analysts seem to think that the American market will not receive more than 200,000 units.
Add to all this the huge price of $600 (Sony had to announce a 20% discount in Japan) and you will have a complete perspective of the complex situation PlayStation 3 is entangled in. If at least these internal difficulties were the sole problems… in a matter of days, Sony will face the attack of Nintendo Wii, the console that was given no chances whatsoever a year ago.
Nintendo Wii does have a couple of arguments though that could turn it into the iceberg that sinks the titanic PlayStation 3. It has the lowest price, $250, it brings a revolutionary controller that redefines a gamer’s interaction with games and, most importantly, it has no supply problems.
Nintendo announced today that it would only deliver its product to Japan, where the console will be launched on December 2nd; 400,000 units that add up to four times the quantity PlayStation 3 was able to bring. Nintendo has not revealed the number of consoles it would provide the American market with, but considering the fact that company officials have promised 4 million units by the end of the year, the math shouldn’t be that hard to do.
Even though, by straightforward comparison, PlayStation 3 is undeniably superior to Nintendo Wii, the small, lively console from Nintendo has an additional advantage: it’s for gamers of all types. Whether passionate or not, well-to-do or not, anyone can acquire a Wii. There are only four more days before the launch of Nintendo Wii in the US and that is when more problems will arise for Sony and its PlayStation3. Sony’s ambition to transform PlayStation 3 in Blu-Ray’s main promoter has been obvious all along, even to the point of thinking that Blu-Ray is the only thing that matters when referring to this console. Given the fact that a Blu-Ray stand-alone player costs $1000, while PS 3 costs $600, it is indeed a bargain.
In the end though, it’s all about the gaming, and in this area Sony might just be demolished by Nintendo. Merill Lynch’s analysts already deem Sony the one to lose the battle of the consoles. Analyst Yoshiyuki Kinoshita, who predicts, "The winner in the next-generation console battle is likely to be the Xbox 360, which is the leader in North America, the world’s biggest market."
Kinoshita forecasts the respective global market shares of Xbox 360 to reach 39%, PS3 at 34% and Wii at 27%, "...thus overturning Sony’s domination of the market with its PS2-based share of 69 percent, and doubling Microsoft and Nintendo’s respective market shares." Is this the beginning of the end for Sony PlayStation’s 3?
Don’t be fooled because this isn’t the story of a destructive game for Sony’s next-generation console – it’s the story of PlayStation 3 itself.
Sony’s console started out as a favorite in the battle of the consoles, but it’s been stumbling over this past year and it seems to have lost its way towards the number one spot. After Microsoft took advantage of Sony’s lack of zeal a year ago, becoming the first company to launch a next-generation console, everybody, starting with gamers and analysts, was expecting Sony to go head over heels and counter attack PlayStation 3 in March 2006.
Sony however had to find a solution to another conflict, the Blu-Ray versus HD-DVD dispute to be more specific. Because of problems the Blu-Ray format was raising, March 2006 came and instead of PS3, the Japanese company offered a new delay and a new promise: PlayStation 3 would make a grand entrance in November 2006, at an international level. Cynics were quick to see problems ahead and it would seem they were not mistaken as Sony has not been able to keep its promise.
Sony managed to complicate its life once again in September, this time because of the Blu-Ray unit. Instead of the promised worldwide launch, Sony announced it would limit itself to Japan and the US. The company also had to reduce the number of units it would deliver by the end of the year, changing the initial 2 million figure to 400,000 units for the US and 100,000 for Japan.
All these postponements and adjustments are nothing though compared to the problems Sony has been dealing with since its Japanese launch. The consoles hardly arrived in the welcoming hands of gamers when Sony was struck by another calamity. According to information announced by Japanese media, PlayStation2 titles are not entirely compatible with PlayStation3, although Sony had stated repeatedly that titles created for the former console will work perfectly on the next-generation one. Reality shows something else though: 200 titles don’t work on PlayStation 3 and what’s worse, it’s important games like Final Fantasy or Gran Turismo that are affected.
Even if PS3’s story is starting to resemble a succession of disasters and disappointments, the Japanese company has succeeded in selling approximately 88,000 consoles in just a few days, which is almost 90% of the Japanese market’s portion.
PlayStation 3 is nevertheless far from being a triumph for Sony and that is because of several reasons. First of all, the number of new games available during this launch period is not large and despite efforts, Sony has not managed to come up with more new titles. Secondly, it is still unclear whether Sony will be successful in reaching its objective of delivering 400,000 consoles in the US. Analysts seem to think that the American market will not receive more than 200,000 units.
Add to all this the huge price of $600 (Sony had to announce a 20% discount in Japan) and you will have a complete perspective of the complex situation PlayStation 3 is entangled in. If at least these internal difficulties were the sole problems… in a matter of days, Sony will face the attack of Nintendo Wii, the console that was given no chances whatsoever a year ago.
Nintendo Wii does have a couple of arguments though that could turn it into the iceberg that sinks the titanic PlayStation 3. It has the lowest price, $250, it brings a revolutionary controller that redefines a gamer’s interaction with games and, most importantly, it has no supply problems.
Nintendo announced today that it would only deliver its product to Japan, where the console will be launched on December 2nd; 400,000 units that add up to four times the quantity PlayStation 3 was able to bring. Nintendo has not revealed the number of consoles it would provide the American market with, but considering the fact that company officials have promised 4 million units by the end of the year, the math shouldn’t be that hard to do.
Even though, by straightforward comparison, PlayStation 3 is undeniably superior to Nintendo Wii, the small, lively console from Nintendo has an additional advantage: it’s for gamers of all types. Whether passionate or not, well-to-do or not, anyone can acquire a Wii. There are only four more days before the launch of Nintendo Wii in the US and that is when more problems will arise for Sony and its PlayStation3. Sony’s ambition to transform PlayStation 3 in Blu-Ray’s main promoter has been obvious all along, even to the point of thinking that Blu-Ray is the only thing that matters when referring to this console. Given the fact that a Blu-Ray stand-alone player costs $1000, while PS 3 costs $600, it is indeed a bargain.
In the end though, it’s all about the gaming, and in this area Sony might just be demolished by Nintendo. Merill Lynch’s analysts already deem Sony the one to lose the battle of the consoles. Analyst Yoshiyuki Kinoshita, who predicts, "The winner in the next-generation console battle is likely to be the Xbox 360, which is the leader in North America, the world’s biggest market."
Kinoshita forecasts the respective global market shares of Xbox 360 to reach 39%, PS3 at 34% and Wii at 27%, "...thus overturning Sony’s domination of the market with its PS2-based share of 69 percent, and doubling Microsoft and Nintendo’s respective market shares." Is this the beginning of the end for Sony PlayStation’s 3?
Source: PlayStation 3: The suffering, playfuls.com, November 15, 2006
[edit] This video makes it only look nice... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sknTNbM8vTo
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