Sound a bit like admitting defeat to me. You know,
"We tried constructing one big product that does everything and that didn't work. So now we're gonna try intelligently deconstructing it by RPGing little pieces of it across lots of other products."
I like the PS3 Ahlan, and I love that they've been able to put a top grade Blu-ray player in people's homes for a good price - something I argued even at the £425 price point. But no matter how Sony slices it, the reason they can't win the console war is because they didn't make a games console.
Didn't they themselves say at the very beginning of all this that they didn't just want to create the a console but an entire entertainment hub that takes place at the centre of living rooms, that the PS3 was a luxurious looking product and would be priced accordingly? I mean they certainly achieved that to an extent with Blu-ray, but those sorts of 'hub' concepts are still not as popular as straight up consoles, something as pick-up-and-go-able as the Wii. (I should also add that I'm not one of the people that dinged the controller similarity with the Wii remote - I considered the built in movement detection a welcome bonus.)
The Wii seems unstoppable now, but I really do hope it can close the gap on the 360 as it's clearly got the better hardware grunt and aesthetic beauty, but just not the developer support. In all honesty, I think Sony sacrificed the console battle, to win the format war. I'm hoping it can bag a few more exclusives, because I still haven't seen a killer game for it yet, and it's superior processing power is just itching to show one off. It needs like a near-Crysis for consoles.
You may not agree with the way I articulated it but when I said they didn't make a games console, I was saying they didn't make something that has the primary focus of games but is an all encompassing media centre - games/films/networking/media albums, etc..
Also, you're misinterpreting my view a little. I didn't say PS3 had no exclusives I'm saying it needs ones that can consider it by the mass market as a must have machine, and I'd have to say that that killer app hasn't happened yet. Had GTA IV remained a PS3 exclusive that would have probably done it, but as you know it's an indicator from flagging confidence from developers, that that didn't work out.
And while I never indicated that I thought the PS3 was expensive for what it offered - I actually said it was good value for money given the premium capabilities - in the end the Wii and the 360 has proven people want their device to be a cheaper device that's a dedicated games console, with a large games library. The Wii offers the cheap user-friendliness, the 360 offers the huge library of titles, and the PS3 hasn't been able to come out top on any of those respects.
I believe it will get better as time goes on, and I think it's a great machine, especially with the lower price point. But it's now 2009 and the public's verdict seems to be final - that the PS3's unique selling point of better hardware, wasn't as strong as the Wii's USP of affordability and ease of use, or the 360's USP of accumulating over a year's worth more games.
I totally agree with you. I've got a 360 and love it. I'd love a PS3 too but for the price I just don't think it's worth it as a games machine. The majority of games are available for both and the PS3 exclusive's don't do it for me enough to shell out the extra cash. I will get one eventually but there's no compelling reason for me at the current price.
@Ahlan
The price comparison is a bit pointless. Yes once you add in the extra feature's the PS3 is better value but the point is that they're not required to play games. They're nice bonuses but that's it.
@GoldenGuy - come, join us, it's 2009 and Sony's doing very well thank you. It's topping the sales league on an almost monthly basis now in Japan, and is regularly in Europe, too (Not sure about the States).
You're right that it was never intended to be *just* a games machine, and it was certainly used to aid in the optical format war, but it IS, first and foremost, a games machine. The other various services - Video downloads in the States, and the music service coming to Europe in the summer (VidZone?) are extra, great services. Now more than ever in the PS3's past (now that there are cheaper Blu-Ray drives) people are buying the machine for it's gaming power.
@Ahlan - Spot on. And, wow, I didn't realise how many titles were on the 'Exclusives' list for the year, and that only includes one PSN title!
In the Gaming Quarter of the internet, the number of articles picking on the PS3 has dropped to near nil, and has been happily replaced by articles praising it's power and it's upcoming games and services.
I'm not saying the PS3 has "won the war!", there doesn't need to be a winner... Or a war for that matter... Any market thrives on choice and it will never grow without it!
For the record Cub, I do have one and I certainly don't regret it as I still believe I invested in the best product, but I did buy it primarily for its fantastic BD player - in that respect it's certainly the most stylish player on the market by a huge distance.
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