The new PS3 sales pitch: Better gaming, better technology, better value

[cthellis42]

Anecdotal evidence sucks, I know, but personally - PlayStation's been my preferred platform of choice for 10 years now, and what I've seen from Sony so far has both confused and angered me.

Just like that, I've made the decision that Xbox360 will be my primary next-gen game console for the foreseeable future.

I never care too much about console price, as I don't step into a generation for a few years anyway. (Unless you count the Jaguar... I was weak! There hadn't been an Atari PC to pick up in ages! ) FFVII made me finally pick up a PSX, I got a Cube when it hit $99 (and turned silver! ), picked up a PS2 about six months ago... Have plenty of after-market consoles as well that were hand-offs, like the Saturn (X-Men vs. Street Fighter!), Dreamcast (Soul Calibur!), 3D "might as well solder in that Star Control II cart" O, and an Xbox last month that I will likely hack to dickens. (It's got an ORIGINAL controller, too!)

Amusingly, the PS3 has more ability to be compelling for its price point simply from the hardware and extra software possibilities (should it deliver), but for me it's always and ONLY about who delivers the kind of console gaming I want. And since PC gaming sates most of my need, it's more about fighting games, puzzlers, party games (less so these days, tho), and some RPG's for dessert.

And, of course, due to my plethora of music peripherals and dance mats lying around... Whoever gives me the most Bemani!



I'll probably shift to "game rental" over "game ownership" at some point, though, and simply pick up everyone's hardware, Gamefly, miss out on nothing that I want to play, and buy the games I really like when they hit, say, $15 after a few years and I feel like playing them again.

 

[cthellis42]

You're way off the mark.
http://www.beyond3d.com/forum/showpost.php?p=763497&postcount=780

Answered in the other thread. (And for note in the future, it doesn't make too much sense to quote a single post in a continuing thread, as anyone linking over from this side can't see any replies unless they're duplicated.)

 

[mckmas8808]

Acert's complex breakdown is nice but very tedious for a consumer.In the end it should look more like a checklist"

"PS3 - $599
Media: Bluray (1080P video!) (included)
CPU: Cell (8 processors!)
Storage: 60 GB HDD included
Connectivity: Wifi - included
Gigabit Ethernet- included
Extras: 6 media slots, Bluetooth, motion sensing controllers (included)
PS Live: Free (included)


XB360 - $399
Media: Regular old DVD (720p) Add on HD-DVD $200 (1080p N/A)
CPU: 3 processors (compared to 8 in PS3!)
Storage: 20 GB HDD (U get 3x more in PS3)
Connectivity: Wifi - Extra ($100)
Ethernet 100 Mbit - (U get 10X faster in PS3)
Extras: 2 USB ports and....1 wired controller
Xbox Live: $60

Real price: $749 and still not equal to what you get in PS3!

Compare and save!"

In the end if only half the people who bout a Playstation in the past could afford an new 2006 PS3 (40 million) and Sony could have them available at launch they would in my opinion still have shortages...

And I'm an "Xbot"!

Perfect post coming from a self called "xbot" (didn't think you were one). And for this thread that pretty much wraps it up.

 

[El Leone]

I'm sure the X360 has 3 USB ports....2 on the front and one on the back. Dont you get 6 processors in the PS3? I mean one is a dud and the other is for the OS... Hell, isn't it a bit steep calling the SPEs/Cores processors?

Then again, what you said is probably what they would say.

 

[Titanio]

Dont you get 6 processors in the PS3? I mean one is a dud and the other is for the OS...

7 is fair, it's not like the OS isn't doing anything.

Hell, isn't it a bit steep calling the SPEs/Cores processors?

And we could into very deep discussions about the definitions of cores vs processors vs spes, etc. but no, I think it's perfectly correct to call them processors.

 

[Shifty Geezer]

7 is fair, it's not like the OS isn't doing anything.

I think comes from 6 SPE's and 1 PPE. It's certainly fair to call them processors, as they can fully do what a processor needs to. They're not just FPUs or other specialist units.

 

[blakjedi]

7 SPEs 1 PPE = 8 processors. The OS utilization of a full SPE is merely extravagance cause they have "processors to burn". Xbox 360 also has to run OS duties... in which case it would actually lessen the cores available so... everyone should probably stay away from the tit-for-tat math.

 

[Titanio]

7 SPEs 1 PPE = 8 processors.

Sorry, you're correct, hard to keep track occasionally

 

[NavNucST3]

7 SPEs 1 PPE = 8 processors. The OS utilization of a full SPE is merely extravagance cause they have "processors to burn". Xbox 360 also has to run OS duties... in which case it would actually lessen the cores available so... everyone should probably stay away from the tit-for-tat math.

Only thing wrong with your vs. was you put the wired controller in the $399 package, and you left out one whole USB port (unless thats where your wired controller was plugged) and Live is $50...other than that, I can foresee that marketing coming down the pipe.

EDIT: Since you included the wifi adapter, that would infact use one of your USB ports.

 

[Johnny Awesome]

I think it's pretty telling that there was a thread created to explain the PS3's price. Doesn't that indicate that there is a pretty big problem with Sony's marketing? The games should speak for the PS3, but they don't. Heavenly Sword and trailers for games coming out almost 2 years from now don't really cut it.

MS has the games for NA and EU, and the price to move systems with those games. Sony doesn't yet. It's a safe bet that Sony is planning to drop the system price by about $200 sometime in the first year after release. They have to IMO.

 

[Shifty Geezer]

Heavenly Sword and trailers for games coming out almost 2 years from now don't really cut it

You might want to substantiate that. Which games shown are expected in 2008?

 

[TheChefO]

I think it's pretty telling that there was a thread created to explain the PS3's price. Doesn't that indicate that there is a pretty big problem with Sony's marketing? The games should speak for the PS3, but they don't. Heavenly Sword and trailers for games coming out almost 2 years from now don't really cut it.

MS has the games for NA and EU, and the price to move systems with those games. Sony doesn't yet. It's a safe bet that Sony is planning to drop the system price by about $200 sometime in the first year after release. They have to IMO.

THIS IS EXACTLY WHAT I WAS THINKING! Surprisingly this never came up. I for one would be happy to lay $600 down for a vastly superior gaming experience (NEO GEO!) as long as the game prices were reasonable (NEO GEO!) The problem Sony has right now is that the games that have been showcased so far are not leaps and bounds above what weve seen coming for the 360. Not to say this won't change but its difficult to ask gamers to pay for things that may not interest them. If those other items are icing on the cake and the gaming experience itself is clearly superior then they have an easy sell to those gamers that can afford it. When you don't have that clear difference (even say mandatory 720 w/aa) it becomes a much tougher sell for Sony Corp.

 

[Johnny Awesome]

Final Fantasy XIII for one. MGS4 will be very late in 2007 IMO. Where was Killzone 2? The best two games at E3 were Bioshock and Assassin's Creed and both of them will be playable on X360 at a lower price point. That's Sony's dilema.

 

[TheChefO]

Final Fantasy XIII for one. MGS4 will be very late in 2007 IMO. Where was Killzone 2? The best two games at E3 were Bioshock and Assassin's Creed and both of them will be playable on X360 at a lower price point. That's Sony's dilema.

Yes but it will be the multitude of jrpg fans that will keep the other pieces of the Sony chain from braking. Microsoft needs to do a much better job of "convincing" the japanese developers to at least port their ps3 work. Otherwise it will be a very divided games market.

 

[Carl B]

Well, the system will do well at launch, probably well for sometime after that, then in 2007 some key titles will be coming out later in the year. After that, price drops will no doubt be necessary, but I can see the console gaining some momentum. I said it elsewhere but I'll say it here as well; the appeal of Sony's game library to me is not compromised due to Microsoft's strong lineup, because the primary titles simply don't cater to my tastes. And I'm not alone in my preferences of course, even though in the West I could see myself in the minority.

As long as PS3 remains the pre-eminent home of third-person action games and JRPGs, there's going to be a secure fanbase.

PS - I don't think Killzone 2's disappeared, more like being kept in reserve. No doubt not as awesome as the renders, I still expect it to re-emerge as a 'contender' at either TGS or next years E3. I think it will be positioned as an anti-Halo 3 weapon, however futile or not that may be.

@Chef-O: Why in the world would J-devs port their work for domestic release? I mean, unless it's funded via MS coffers, there's really little incentive to do so.

 

[swanlee]

"Well, the system will do well at launch, probably well for sometime after that,"

Why? the only thing the PS3 has going for it is the sony name. I honestly can't see a large portion of people paying that kind of price when the 360 looks as good and is 200$ cheaper sitting right next to it on the shelves.

Son'y can't even fully explain why we should spend the extra 200$ on their system.

 

[Carl B]

"Well, the system will do well at launch, probably well for sometime after that,"

Why? the only thing the PS3 has going for it is the sony name. I honestly can't see a large portion of people paying that kind of price when the 360 looks as good and is 200$ cheaper sitting right next to it on the shelves.

Son'y can't even fully explain why we should spend the extra 200$ on their system.

It doesn't have to be a large portion Swanlee, it just has to be like ~10 million globally, y'know? There are already several million in Japan (statistically) that have indicated they'll pay the price for it, and assuming there are a couple of million more scattered around the world, well yes, I think they'll do ok until the end of 2007 when the heavy-hitters kick in.

 

[TheChefO]

@Chef-O: unless it's funded via MS coffers.

There is a lot more tied to jrpgs than rpg players Ms must sway these developers to sway the players that like these types of games as well as many others. How they do this is irrelevant but to ignore this section of gamers only limits Ms ability to lead. With this last chain broken many more floodgates of opportunity will be opened.

 

[TheChefO]

It doesn't have to be a large portion Swanlee, it just has to be like ~10 million globally, y'know? There are already several million in Japan (statistically) that have indicated they'll pay the price for it, and assuming there are a couple of million more scattered around the world, well yes, I think they'll do ok until the end of 2007 when the heavy-hitters kick in.

They would have me too if they gave me a reason. Give gamers 2k5 e3 games in realtime and Sony will have a justified pricepoint to gamers.

 

[Carl B]

Well Chef-O, how they do it is quite relevent, because to tell you the truth unless you've got a great plan for them, I don't see how they can. When the majority of JRPGs are targeted first and formost at the domestic market, why in the world would these devs give 360 equal weighting when it commands such a small perentage of that market? MS funding will be the only means I can envision of bringing this about for quite some time.

EDIT: Ok and to your next post, well if you read the first two posts of this thread and disagree with them still, then Sony will probably not convince you any better. If the games that launch in 2007, 2008, whatever end up convincing you on their own though, then ironically Sony indeed does not have to convince you to begin with; it's just a matter of time for you.