December 22, 2006 10:55 am
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I, of course am talking about myself. You didn't actually think that any other PlayStation fanboy would admit that, did you? That's like trying to get an Apple fanboy to admit the iPod is lame. It's just not going to happen. They have their loyalties and will stick by them no matter what. Even if it means their loyalties belong to a mental hick from Texas that somehow got elected President of the USA (twice) and is now running the country (and various other parts of the world) into the ground (hate mail starts.....now).
But I'm not like those people. I'll admit when I'm wrong. In most cases I'll suck up my pride an move on with my life. And that's what I'm doing right now with PlayStation or more importantly the PlayStation 3 (PS3). I was wrong about the PS3. It has failed, and I'll be the first PlayStation fanboy to admit that.
I've always been a fan of the PlayStation series. I bought the original PlayStation when it came out and loved it. It was the first console that I played that used discs. That alone was amazing to me. The controller was also top notch. Finally, all the amazing games that came out for it completely blew anything the Nintendo 64 had. I did own an N64 prior to the PlayStation, but the games on the N64 were too pricey and not as fun as on the PlayStation. So I traded in my N64 for a PlayStation.
Moving on, next was the PlayStation 2. I was hyped for it and got it the day it came out. Loved it and played the shit out of it. The graphics alone were just amazing. The Dual Shock 2 controllers had some new features, but kept the same design so transitioning from a PlayStation controller to the PS2 controller was seamless. And again Sony and the developers delivered some great games including the Gran Turismo series, Metal Gear series, and Grand Theft Auto series.
But somewhere between the PS2 release and PS3 release I stopped playing console games. I never got into Xbox mainly because I was too enthralled with the PS2. And when I got bored with that I moved back to my faithful first love, PC gaming. So yes, a couple years did go by where the only video games I played included me using a mouse and keyboard.
So when Sony's new console, the PS3 was announced, I got all excited again. I went on the Internet and dug up all the new PS3 info I could find, watched every video or presentation that was out there, and eventually started my own PS3 fan site. The hype machine was running again and I was right there, next to all the other PlayStation fanboys.
Then things started to change. I don't know if it was because I was getting older and more mature (probably not) or if I was getting older and wiser (definitely not!). But as time moved on the PS3 just looked less and less appealing to me. It was probably a combination of things. Including the delays, last second controller redesign, Blu-ray issues, and finally the price tag.
First, the delays. Microsoft's Xbox 360 was released a year before the PS3. So while the PS3 was facing development and cost issues, the Xbox 360 was out on the market and getting better and better. Second, the Blu-ray issues. Thanks to Blu-ray's development issues and costs, the PS3 dev kits took forever to ship to game developers, and these kits were in short supply. Then the PS3 gets delayed several times again for Blu-ray issuse. I really don't like the idea of Sony forcing their High Def format on consumers. And finally the price tag (something we can blame on Blu-ray again). I'm sorry, but $600 for the PS3 is insane. Why would consumers spend that, when they can get an equal console (Xbox 360) for much less? Because they're PlayStation fanboys, that's why.
In the end, the PS3 release date came and went and I don't have a PS3. Don't get me wrong, I wouldn't mind having one but I don't want to spend $600 on it. Through out this whole process Sony just looked like an amateur company, fumbling their way through a console release. And now that the PS3 is released, the professional reviews are starting to come in. What are these reviews saying? A lot of them don't like the PS3. Time Magazine deemed the PS3 a bust, while PC World calls the PS3 a top tech mistake of 2006.
I was a PlayStation fanboy and I'll be the first to admit that I believe the PS3 has failed. I do want to get back into console gaming someday and everyday I find myself wanting an Xbox 360 more and more.
Getting the PC ready for 2007
Get an Xbox 360, I'll add you to my friends list and we can play some Gears of War, and Forza Motorsport 2 when it comes out early next year.
Best of all, your Gamertag and all that stuff will hook up to your Vista PC in the next year when Live Anywhere gets rolled out.
Hell, you can even use your 360 as a Media Center Extender and stream all your PC stuff to your TV.
Personally I think PS3 is a bust because they rolled out hardware that noone will take advantage of. No game studio in their right mind will even attempt coding an 8-core system.
But yeah, there's not much to like about the PS3.
have you actually bought the ps3? because i thaught you were goping to say some stuff about the gameplay, interface, etc...but anyway, Join the revolution lol, and get a 360, after all "everybodies doing it"
Welcome to the dark side Nick.
It's very much so in jest that with the launch party alone Sony flared up that they managed to anger just about every Sony fan under the sun, what with fans setting their gaze on killing one another for a console, no less. A $600 console in question that a $200 less Xbox 360 (not to mention a year earlier) is anyplace close to in a terms of graphics (if not on tantamount footing nonwithstanding), with, in my eyes, infinitely better games (and an amount that the games of the PS3 are currently a long stride from). To me, that equals lamentable advertising off in my view. Really. To no end.
Another good subject of discussion on said matter is development. The developers have relapsed into their tangents (which I wouldn't term as twaddle in this subject of circumstance) on the matter on many an occasion - the 3.2 GHz (8-10 sequence) Cell CPU, no matter the 218 gigaflops in full or the 256KBs per SPEs is rather toilsome to code for, especially by comparison to the 360. In a terms of the graphical power, perhaps the PS3 is a tad better (though I severely doubt anything of the such).
Having said all this, (plus an infinitely more expensive Blu-ray format), I'm quite sated with my 360 (though, not to sound self-indulgent or anything that would seem rather base on that sense) and PC, and I couldn't clamor for more than Gears of War as of right now.
Not to sound like a pensive Microsoft fanboy in nature (or in character). Anyway, outside of that.... very good blog post nontheless. On a less lengthy note, I'm in agreeance with you.
360 - great system for the hard core gamer, amazing library available for it, awesome integration of Xbox Live and the dashboard makes it easy to manage friends, downloads, etc and achievements push me to complete a game with finesse
PS3 - visuals are similar to 360 (so far), sony exclusives aren't killer apps (yet) and sony's own PSP-style dashboard is very rough around the edges (ie. it will only pop up like 360's when you're doing certain tasks like viewing photos off your memory stick but it won't show up when you're playing a game). the only reason why i'd suggest a ps3 is if you're a big media buff. after hooking up my ps3 to my HD TV via HDMI and getting a taste of blu-ray on 1080i, i can't go back to watching normal dvd's. also once i'm in front of the tv, i'm in veg mode and i love the fact i can surf the internet off my ps3 as well (youtube is fun on a 40" tv)
so there you have it. hardcore gamer? get a 360. movie buff? go with a ps3..
Yeah, that's the way Sony has always tried to sell the PS3. "It's not just a gaming console, it's a whole entertainment system/computer."
The thing is, I already have a entertainment system. It's called my computer. And what like Paul said, I can connect the PC to the Xbox 360 and bring my videos, music, etc, into the living room.
I know Microsoft just released the HD-DVD attachment for the 360. That should give the PS3 a run for their money, in terms of high-def media.
I understand your points and I've heard them many times from my pro-360 friends. Personally, I think BR is going to win the format war which is why I'm investing on the PS3 oppose to the 360 HD-DVD add-on.
Regarding the 360 Media Center Extender only works if you're using Windows. My home computer is a mac and the Windows laptop I'm typing this on is being sold shortly to pay for a new Macbook Pro. Also since Apple is on the board of directors for the Blu-Ray Disc Association, I'm really looking forward to some possible support between the PS3 and OS X, similar to the 360 and Windows Media Center.