Editorial: Next-Gen Consoles to Go Pound For Pound Part 1
By now we know the path each next-generation console is aiming to take. The Wii is predicted to be a run away success with its clear innovation; the PS3 is being touted as some super powerful computer boasting PC and multimedia functionality and the 360 is a seemingly nicely priced and powerful gaming machine with some big hitting titles to go with it. There has been numerous polls online and comments from Official reps saying that consumers will go and outright purchase a Wii and perhaps a 360 to get their squeeze of traditional next-gen gaming, leaving the high priced PS3 standing out in the cold without any apparent followers. The PS3 has found itself victim to criticism left, right and centre due in part to its price and perceived lack of innovation, part one of this featured editorial (three parts) will seek to perhaps change a few perceptions and aims get you up to scratch on why things actually look pretty rosy for Sony than media in the industry would lead you to believe
The PS3 Its all In the Hardware
Manufacturer: Sony
Configurations: 20GB & 60 GB (Dont bother with 20GB, significantly less features)
Price: 499 and 599, £425 (60 GB only), $499 and $599 USD respectively
Launch: 11h November Japan, 17th November Rest of world
Official Website: Playstation.com/PS3
Just about every man and his dog has come to criticise the PS3.
The main criticisms are that the price is too high, there is no innovation present and that Sony are trying to lock in consumers and use the PS3 as bait to win the next-gen media format via encouraging adoption of their blu-ray format which is the main supported media in the PS3 console.
Were sensing a Little Tension
Sony appear to have made a number of media blunders with regards to the PS3, there can be no qualms that they did actually change their minds during the course of development on their controller. At first they displayed a weird looking controller dubbed the bananarang which come E3 turned into a standard looking PS2 controller without feedback capabilities and instead six-ways motion sensing functions.
They claimed that they had been developing this for some time, but from the lag present, the lies about Dual Shock and motion sensing not being able to work in tandem and the fact that some PS3 developers said they had only known about the controller maybe 2 weeks before E3 indicates a strong inclination of a reactive approach.
Warhawk PS3 Six Way Controller E3 2006
Despite its seemingly rushed design and adoption of technology which debuted in 1999, the controller could actually turn out to be a hit for Sony. It will be something you can easily use from your sofa, just twist and turn your controller in your hands to offer a new experience, there will be no gimmicks or gross motor body movements required just a number of set ways to bring a new experience to your gaming. The lack of a rumble feature is a huge blow, but if this six way motion sensing concept is utilized properly by developers in certain killer apps, then this could counteract the loss of such a feature which has become an industry standard. Overall the PS3 controller is sticking to its hugely popular design but its a whole lot lighter, has no vibration feedback and has some basic motion sensing capabilities.
Introducing the Blu-Ray Format
One of the main reasons Sonys PS3 is priced so high is because of the inclusion of a Blu-ray media player. Blu-Ray is a next-generation optical disc format which aims for high density storage of High Definition video and audio. A dual layer Blu-ray disc can hold a whopping 50GB of data, Sony say that this can be useful to make games multi-regional holding all the regionalized content on one disc as well as to avoid the Need for multiple discs for large games.
A stand alone Blu-ray player can cost in excess of $1,000, so based on this figure alone you can see the PS3 is at a real cut price but one must question if this is just a cunning move by Sony to encourage the adoption of the format and make it the mainstream standard, thus greatly benefiting them in the next-gen media format war. Sony have had many less than successful media formats in the past, such as the beta-max and minidisk, if you buy the PS3 thinking you are inline for a sure fire winner, there is a huge possibility that this technology could land flat back on its face depending on market adoption. The inclusion of a Blu-ray player with the PS3 is one which greatly contributes to the price of the console and in all likeliness the benefit of which will not be felt until some time if and ever the format really takes off.
Innovation Galore In the Hardware!
To say Sony rushed the PS3 to market and have just taken a passive approach to their next-gen console war would be a huge mistake. The architecture the PS3 uses is by the majority completely custom, were not looking at Sony merely bundling in a number of computer standard components and saying lets go!. The jewel in the crown is the Cell processor used in the PS3 jointly developed by Sony, Toshiba and IBM, to cut a long jargon filled story short, it is a very powerful processor ready to comfortably handle the demands of the next generation, whether it be breathtaking visuals or advanced media editing and playback capabilities, the cell can handle it and were sure it will show its worth further on into the life of the PS3.
Video of Cell rendering raytracing
Such powerful and custom architecture will force developers to create games which can truly take advantage of it; recently a developer from Square Enix said a port of a game from the PC to 360 could be done relatively quickly whereas for the PS3 it could take up to two years. This little murmuring alone shows that right from the beginning we might not be able to see the full potential for the PS3, but come one or two years into its life span we will hopefully see the power unleashed from the PS3s architecture.
Networking and Firmware Fusion of Consoles
The PS3s online service will closely mirror that of the much popular Xbox Live, the unified service is touted to be free and included multiplayer support with developers being able to charge fees should they wish however it must be noted that there is currently large amounts of confusion on the matter - either way you look at it, Sony will be placing an emphasis a community aspect on their gaming service. Yes, they basically copied Microsofts service but then again which console came first, the Playstation or the Xbox. If you have a PSP, the PS3s dashboard will be no major surprise to you.
PS3 OS
The look is virtually identical but of course boasts more advanced features for the console. One can cry where on earth is the innovation, a next generation console warrants a next-gen look right? Yes this wouldve been nice, but at the end of the day its the features and functionality that counts, the firmware on the PS3 doesnt seem to be lacking in these departments and as they saying goes if it aint broke, dont fix it.
Sony Will Be Dented In The Next-Gen, But By How Much ?
Ask your average gamer that isnt immersed in this industry what console they are planning to buy next, you will find the PS3 come out a run away winner. Mention the price tag to them, and you will see their mouths drop to the floor in shock, but this in reality means an extra month or so of saving, a few less nights out on the town, it does not necessarily mean that consumers who have had many a great year with the Playstation series will just jump ship, brand loyalty is a very difficult thing to over come and Sony have it in abundance.
The next instalments of hugely popular titles such as Tekken and Metal Gear Sold which defined a generation, will be heading to the PS3, while they are not truly innovative titles as such, they are certainly ones a lot of gamers are willing to wait for and associate with great quality. Early adopters will jump at the chance to own the latest technology regardless if it will be a run away success or not, younger gamers will still be kicking and screaming for the PS3 and it will just mean a few sacrifices here and there in terms of their spending their (guardians or parents) cash. From a pure gaming experience, the 360 can definitely match the experience offered from the PS3 and at a much lower price, however attach Sonys brand loyalty, famous development studios and perceived superiority through incorporated technology and the console suddenly looks like it more than back in the game.
Reasons for Success in the Next Gen
+ Custom architecture boasting powerful cell processor
+ Could double up as a high-end media centre
+ A blu-ray player alone costs $1000, one is included with PS3
+ Huge brand loyalty
+ Interaction with PSP
+ PS2 outsold the Xbox 360 in USA for the month of May 06
+ Move towards unified online service akin to Xbox Live
+ An array of tried and tested titles such as Tekken 6, Metal Gear etc
+ Linux compatibility, perhaps encouraging custom content creation ala homebrew
+ Simple six-way motion sensitive axis controller could be greatly adopted by mainstream
+ The high price could benefit Sony, instinctively we believe if something has a higher price than competition then it is the best in the field
Reasons for Market Share to Erode in Next Gen
- Very high price for what is competing in the home video games console market, regardless of what its marketed as
- Loss of rumble feature in controller and limited motion sensitivity
- Lack of innovation beyond hardware, everything seems very me too and changed multiple directions considerably over development
- Blu-ray may not take off, and the extra you paid to have such technology couldve been a waste in terms of value
- Confusion amongst consumers, Sony reps have said the PS3 is a PC, a media centre and everything but a video games console, perhaps the lack of a coherent market strategy could see the core market of gamers not fully captured by Sony
- Did we mention it had one of the highest ever prices for a video games console?
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