Interesting, I wasn't aware of any actual, working PS2/Xbox emulators.
Are you sure it's not just about someone seeing creatively renamed trojans / porn on a file sharing network?
PS3 Price drop and 40GB SKU confirmed *
- Thread starter scooby_dooby
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Interesting, I wasn't aware of any actual, working PS2/Xbox emulators.
Are you sure it's not just about someone seeing creatively renamed trojans / porn on a file sharing network?
At least a good move from Sony!
Now I guess that MS will be in wait&see stance for some months.
They will evaluate how Halo III and theirs revamped SKU fare in regard to the new Sony offer.
I still think that if Sony starts regaining momentum in US and do to well in Europe Ms will react as soon as December.
Ms would be stupid to let its momentum fades and let Sony regain momentum.
Come on MS, if you manage to keep Sony away this fall again you will be mostly done with Sony as a dangerous encounter this gen!
I don't want to look like a fan-boy but, OK Ms spend 1billions $ due to RroD and they can be reluctant too extend their profitability plan but Sony did it.
Sony know that this they don't do well this christmas the game will be mostly over and they are likely to be in the third position for a while. Sony know it, acts aggressively, MS can't act as a coward ie if sony fares well they will have to react before the end of the year (my bet is early december as it will let them time to evaluate the impact of the new SKU and Ps3 sales figures).
Now I guess that MS will be in wait&see stance for some months.
They will evaluate how Halo III and theirs revamped SKU fare in regard to the new Sony offer.
I still think that if Sony starts regaining momentum in US and do to well in Europe Ms will react as soon as December.
Ms would be stupid to let its momentum fades and let Sony regain momentum.
Come on MS, if you manage to keep Sony away this fall again you will be mostly done with Sony as a dangerous encounter this gen!
I don't want to look like a fan-boy but, OK Ms spend 1billions $ due to RroD and they can be reluctant too extend their profitability plan but Sony did it.
Sony know that this they don't do well this christmas the game will be mostly over and they are likely to be in the third position for a while. Sony know it, acts aggressively, MS can't act as a coward ie if sony fares well they will have to react before the end of the year (my bet is early december as it will let them time to evaluate the impact of the new SKU and Ps3 sales figures).
I would have thought it was mainly a combination of technical and marketing reasons. First, full software emulation wasn't going to make it, and got axed some time ago (speculation!). Second, hardware integration of GS and RSX was not done (either incomplete, implying no 65nm RSX, or not contemplated). Third, marketing wanted more than the little deltas of harddrive space and USB port counts to differentiate the models -- there's got to be a hook for an upsell!
-Dave
If there are patents on the emulation of hardware Sony themselves own/designed then that is pretty ridiculous indictment on the patent system.
Only possibility is they have to pay something to Toshiba, who designed the GS...
I wonder how much GS costs? If it's only saving them <$100mn (NPV) over the lifetime then it's a pretty silly decision to eliminate it.
I don't think PS2 BC is gone completely. Wouldn't make sense, they would eliminate the revenue stream possible from selling PS2 games on PSN. Mainstream successful consoles (PS, PS2, Wii) have BC as an inherent feature, it is a huge selling point for families.
I think another price cut (retail initiated, not official) for the 40GB is likely due to the immense value inherent in the starter pack. When 60GB is out of stock and if SCEE stays single SKU then expect retail to come in with some great deals.
Only possibility is they have to pay something to Toshiba, who designed the GS...
I wonder how much GS costs? If it's only saving them <$100mn (NPV) over the lifetime then it's a pretty silly decision to eliminate it.
I don't think PS2 BC is gone completely. Wouldn't make sense, they would eliminate the revenue stream possible from selling PS2 games on PSN. Mainstream successful consoles (PS, PS2, Wii) have BC as an inherent feature, it is a huge selling point for families.
I think another price cut (retail initiated, not official) for the 40GB is likely due to the immense value inherent in the starter pack. When 60GB is out of stock and if SCEE stays single SKU then expect retail to come in with some great deals.
archangelmorph
Veteran
Also it doesn't really make much sense to disclude PSOne BC though..
http://www.eurogamer.net/article.php?article_id=84831
It's a matter of redirecting the costs of developing BC into developing new content, according to this Ray Maguire character. TBH I'm sceptical, as developing an emu isn't going to cost that much. There's only so many engineers you can through at such a software project.
I bet Kutaragi-san is sad this day. His promise of BC forever for all PlayStations has been struck down.
It's a matter of redirecting the costs of developing BC into developing new content, according to this Ray Maguire character. TBH I'm sceptical, as developing an emu isn't going to cost that much. There's only so many engineers you can through at such a software project.
I bet Kutaragi-san is sad this day. His promise of BC forever for all PlayStations has been struck down.
Gradthrawn
Veteran
Emulation, in that case, would be on a per title basis. No need for hardware BC.
Interesting, I wasn't aware of any actual, working PS2/Xbox emulators.
Are you sure it's not just about someone seeing creatively renamed trojans / porn on a file sharing network?
I have no idea. I have only heard of the one mentioned in a thread here PC2 or something or other.
If you really want BC, buy the 60GB and fast. Otherwise people got what they wanted, a cheaper PS3 (and with Wi-Fi). Over here in NA, it looks like we will have the 40GB for the low end and the 80GB for those who want BC. But I'd recommend finding a 60GB with full BC, it's the best machine out (most subsidized).
archangelmorph
Veteran
Our 60GBs don't have the EE AFAIK so it wouldn't be full BC anyway would it?
Having done some back of the envelope NPV calculations assuming conservative 8% discount rate based on comparable for Nikkei-225 Electronics from Datastream, assuming GS costs $10 (at 90nm) and Sony best case scenario manages to shift 65mn (yes let's imagine that!) consoles from this point onwards the NPV saving would be $370mn. Not something to scoff at.
50mn = NPV $290mn
40mn = NPV $230mn
Doubling discount rate won't effect this too greatly, +/- $50mn tops.
Wouldn't this induce extra cost, on a per-title basis that will be netted against the savings removing the GS?
50mn = NPV $290mn
40mn = NPV $230mn
Doubling discount rate won't effect this too greatly, +/- $50mn tops.
Wouldn't this induce extra cost, on a per-title basis that will be netted against the savings removing the GS?
The second part of my post was solely for NA, which do have full BC in the 60GB. The best choice in Euroland is still the 60GB with good BC (80%+?).
J_Saint, where'd you get that quote from?
Gradthrawn
Veteran
I would have to guess that that cost would be there regardless. Looking at how BC is currently handled, the PS3 seems to go into a special "PS2 mode." I doubt they would want that for a PSN downloaded title (due to the added inconvenience imposed on the user, and possible complications with future XMB functionality such as in-game XMB access). Which would mean the game would have to run on the PS3 natively, as every other PSN title does. So, emulation would have to be handled completely through software to allow for that.
If that's not the case, then yeah, it would add cost per title. But that all has to be balanced out not only against savings from removing the GS, but market expansion from a lower price point (the value of which can't easily be calculated in terms of market-share, retaining exclusives, etc).
This 40GB PS3 is the SKU they should have launched right from the start.
- 2 USB ports are more than enough for a game console, especially now with USB hubs and thumb drives so cheap (and Bluetooth wireless controllers).
- A 40GB hard drive is, again, enough. The X360 Premium survived very well on the market with a hard drive half that size for 2 years now.
- card reader -> largely irrelevant, with PC USB ones so easily available and likely compatible with the PS3, just like USB keyboards and mice.
- Much more competitive price point, especially considering the built-in WiFi and how easy it is to replace the 40GB part with a large capacity, perfectly compatible PC hard drive.
Add to this the (rumored) PS2 price-drop from $129 to $99 and the cheaper PSP-Slim, and they might have a great holiday season this year.
BC is a moot point, really. The original Playstation had none and yet it sold more than 100 million units.
- 2 USB ports are more than enough for a game console, especially now with USB hubs and thumb drives so cheap (and Bluetooth wireless controllers).
- A 40GB hard drive is, again, enough. The X360 Premium survived very well on the market with a hard drive half that size for 2 years now.
- card reader -> largely irrelevant, with PC USB ones so easily available and likely compatible with the PS3, just like USB keyboards and mice.
- Much more competitive price point, especially considering the built-in WiFi and how easy it is to replace the 40GB part with a large capacity, perfectly compatible PC hard drive.
Add to this the (rumored) PS2 price-drop from $129 to $99 and the cheaper PSP-Slim, and they might have a great holiday season this year.
BC is a moot point, really. The original Playstation had none and yet it sold more than 100 million units.
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