[PS3] PlayStation 3 Discussion Thread

Well, only four and a half more months until this bad boy is released. I don't doubt it will be at least slightly more powerful hardware-wise than the Xbox 360, but what about the games? So far, I don't see anything stunning that sells the system for me. Sure, MGS is comin' like what, but I've seen better. I'll probably just pick a couple up to resell for a couple thousand greens.

wow you happen to make this thread the same time I did

Can we get some clarification on the pricing? I've heard some rumors that it will cost less than the original $500 and other rumors have estimated costs closer to $900.

Anybody with enough links could start some decent discussion by explaining where Sony's official stance on this is.

Well, it's just rumors vs. rumors so "clarification" isn't exactly possible.

I doubt they're stupid enough (yes Sony's stupid, but not THAT stupid) to release it at $900. 500 would be a much more accurate esitmate, since they're trying to compete with Microsoft here. The already huge marketshare and userbase they have with PS2 will probably be enough to give them an easy victory regardless of how good the console actually is, but it's not enough to sell consoles at almost a grand.

I read somewhere they'll probably take a hit on the price just to keep it in a comparable bracket with the other consoles.

The idea of $900 for a console seems way too steep though, imo. Most I could see them going is $500. But then again, I have no idea what all they're exactly putting in this thing.

Cool, so PS3 will be launched in Europe in 2012 or so, hehe

No seriously, I think even Sony doesn't know anything about when to launch and for how much money.

You've got a point, seeing as how the 360 made the $400 price point work, Sony could easily grow a big pair and ask for $500 or drop a bomb with a $300 machine. Sony simply said "Coming Spring 2006" and the media went berserk with all sorts of speculation since that's where most of the PS3 hype is coming from, rather than Sony.

Eh, as long as I get my Devil May Cry 4 and Motorstorm, I'm all good.

Here is a Hands On PS3 article a few members might be interested in.:eyebrow:

Gotta love Sony with their vague "Spring 2006."

They could mean Spring 2006 on MARS for all we know.

Originally Posted by T1249NTSCJ

Here is a Hands On PS3 article a few members might be interested in.:eyebrow:

You have no idea how much that article has gone through on GAF or even PSINext's forums. His description of his current dev-kit talks about it being a tower, while the final kits are in server blade form. Also, his mention of no Blu-Ray drive present conflicts with quite a few devs over on B3D who have the latest kit and are actively streaming things off the discs to see what can and cna't be done (DeanoC for one).

My bet? He works for a small third party dev.

Originally Posted by Metal Sphere

You've got a point, seeing as how the 360 made the $400 price point work, Sony could easily grow a big pair and ask for $500 or drop a bomb with a $300 machine.

Well either way they're financially fucked as far as the PS3 hardware is concerned. Odds are the production costs for one PS3 are about 800~900 bucks, so a price below 500 bucks would seriously surprise me.

I wouldn't be at all surprised if the price was way out of alot of people's reach. When the PS2 was released here, it amounted to exactly $1000 NZD. That's roughly $668 USD(thank you, currency conversion) and still way overpriced. Mind you, the currency difference over the period of 2001 through to 2006 has changed, so it isn't entirely accurate. Still, it's alot for a console, a console which is a first version and there's bound to be issues come up.

Myself, I'm waiting until everything's cleared up and there's a revision or a MASSIVE price drop, whichever comes first. There's the simple problem of knowing that it's going to set your wallet on fire, and then there's the simply problem of not knowing what errors you might encounter.

There might be some major PS3 news tonight.

http://gamesarefun.com/news.php?newsid=6083

We'll find out soon enough.

And then there's this crazy news.

http://ps3.qj.net/PS3-launch-this-month-/pg/49/aid/5360

Wonder if it could be a sign that the system will be coming within spring after all. I see no point bidding on the system unless there are some games to purchase within the release, but I still want one. Badly.

Originally Posted by TubeRacer

Well, it's just rumors vs. rumors so "clarification" isn't exactly possible.

I doubt they're stupid enough (yes Sony's stupid, but not THAT stupid) to release it at $900. 500 would be a much more accurate esitmate, since they're trying to compete with Microsoft here. The already huge marketshare and userbase they have with PS2 will probably be enough to give them an easy victory regardless of how good the console actually is, but it's not enough to sell consoles at almost a grand.

$900 is enough to build a decent PC, no one in their right mind would pay that money for a game console (unless they're one of the geniuses who paid over $2000 for an XBox 360). That would be like spending $7 on a brand of enhanced milk, sure it's better, but over 2x better than regular milk?

I wouldn't worry about the PS3 costing an arm and a leg. Console makers never make any profit off thier consoles anyways, right? Why would they price it insanely high to cover costs. Price it lower, sell alot, make up the money from software. =/

I know I wont be getting a PS3 anytime soon though. I'm more worried about getting a HD capable TV first. I dont really want to hook a PS3 to my dinky 20 year old TV.

Originally Posted by www.sega.co.jp

$900 is enough to build a decent PC, no one in their right mind would pay that money for a game console (unless they're one of the geniuses who paid over $2000 for an XBox 360). That would be like spending $7 on a brand of enhanced milk, sure it's better, but over 2x better than regular milk?

Soy milk isn't so bad but it's clearly overrated. I'll take a substitute anyday.

Hmm, looks like there may not be any PS3 related events until E3, essentially proving what Phil Harrison said at E3 2005. What he basically said was that the machine was "going underground until E3" and since he's the head of SCEWWS I wouldn't be surprised if this is the case.

Here's the article:

Quote:

PS3 a no-show at Destination PlayStation?

Source: A growing number of sites, ranging from US tech-site Joystiq to UK game-destination Spong.

The official story: See below.

What we heard: With the PlayStation 3's official "spring" launch window fast approaching, one would expect Sony to start pulling out all the stops in promoting the next-gen console any minute now. However, the company has instead been eerily silent on the PS3 front, rebuffing inquiries about the next-gen console with the blanket line that it hasn't made any official PS3 announcements since E3 2005.

So when invitations went out for this year's Destination PlayStation (DPS) event in Florida, many thought Sony would use the closed-door event to unveil the PS3 to retailers and industry insiders. Apparently that hasn't happened. An increasing number of leaks from attendees, all of which had to sign nondisclosure agreements to get in the door, claim that the next-gen console was nowhere to be found at the confab.

It now appears that Sony is holding off showing off the PS3 until the 2006 Electronic Entertainment Expo--aka E3--in May. A source familiar with Sony's strategy confirmed the move on condition of anonymity. "Retailers talk too much," the source said. "They decided to keep it under wraps until E3." That bit of information casts some doubt over exactly what will be shown during Sony Computer Entertainment executive Phil Harrison's keynote address at GDC 2006, which is titled "PlayStation 3: Beyond the Box."

For its part, Sony is saying that, contrary to popular perception, they never intended to show the PS3 at DPS. "DPS is actually over and we have made no new announcements concerning PS3," a rep told GameSpot. "We never indicated that DPS was to be used as a forum to disclose new information or demonstrate PS3 content. DPS is designed as a forum to bring our retail and publishing partners together for new-year planning and this is the sixth conference we have hosted to do so."

Playstation 3 is the next Advent Children.

Let me tell you all a little bit about PS3.

1. The graphics will look no better than the 360, possibly even worse due to the complexity of developing for CELL.

2. The unit will be rushed in any scenario, leading to hardware problems that will eclipse the PS2's.

3. There is no way that Sony could afford to lose all that money by putting a BR drive in every PS3, so there has been talk of dual SKUs. This doesn't make sense though, since the media will be used for games as well. So we can only conclude that the stock Blu-ray drive that comes in all PS3s will be a cheap, awful piece of crap, kind of like the PS2 DVD player.

4. Here is what Sony's PS3 unveiling at E3 will consist of: Fake CG, fake CG, and fake CG.

5. Sony may just announce that PS3 games will use standard DVD9, so they can sell a high-priced version of the PS3 for $900.

Gotta get the AA guns ready for this one.

Originally Posted by Megalith

Let me tell you all a little bit about PS3.

1. The graphics will look no better than the 360, possibly even worse due to the complexity of developing for CELL.

The sentiment, for the most part, is that the PS3's strength will be in it's physics capabilties (thanks to the SPEs) while it may edge out the 360, graphically, in the end.

2. The unit will be rushed in any scenario, leading to hardware problems that will eclipse the PS2's.

What hardware problems? Sony recently reported that CELL yields were very good and the RSX finished taping out a few weeks ago. These are easily the most important parts of the machine, and neither looks to be problematic on the hardware front. The only that's left is the BRD, and the only reason that's being held up is because the AACS features haven't been agreed upon yet.

3. There is no way that Sony could afford to lose all that money by putting a BR drive in every PS3, so there has been talk of dual SKUs. This doesn't make sense though, since the media will be used for games as well. So we can only conclude that the stock Blu-ray drive that comes in all PS3s will be a cheap, awful piece of crap, kind of like the PS2 DVD player.

The original PS1 was supposed to be $900, the PS2 $700 and the PSP, $500. Folks only started applying the dual SKU idea after Microsoft tried it, just like people bumped their expectations for the PS3's price up to $500 after the 360 launched.

Third time's the charm, eh?

4. Here is what Sony's PS3 unveiling at E3 will consist of: Fake CG, fake CG, and fake CG.

What do you get when you give developers an entire year without leaking a single thing to the media while refining their games?

5. Sony may just announce that PS3 games will use standard DVD9, so they can sell a high-priced version of the PS3 for $900.

Quite a few early PS2 games were on CD-ROMs, so why would it surprise you to see them on DVDs at first?