PS3: Some Thoughts From a UK Gamer
Taken from: threespeech.com
"May 9, 2006. I’d say that was the day. The day the internet turned. But firstly, some history - a look back to when Sony entered the videogame industry…
It didn’t take long for the majority to fall for the PlayStation. Sony seemed to do everything right. They aimed it at ‘cool’ people in the UK. They showed it off at the Ministry Of Sound. They secured big arcade titles such as Ridge Racer and Tekken. WipEout made people realise they could play videogames without feeling embarrassed! And lastly, it was priced on a par with the competition, if not lower. This led to 102m in worldwide sales over the 11 years of its lifespan, as well as the PlayStation brand securing a huge fan base; something that meant the PlayStation 2 was always going to be tipped for success.
Again, with the PlayStation 2, Sony seemed to be doing everything right. Opting for DVD meant it appealed to an even wider audience and many initial sales in Japan were put down to DVD playback. Although the launch line-up wasn’t strong the success of the PlayStation meant Sony had plenty of publishers behind them. This led to some great games released shortly after launch. One notable title being Grand Theft Auto 3, which is arguably the game that sealed the success of the PlayStation 2, thanks to its long exclusivity. Like the original PlayStation, it was priced level with the competition. Even six years after launch it’s still selling strong - over 110m in worldwide sales and counting.
Sony could do no wrong. Its Computer Entertainment division was suddenly Sony’s saving grace and with its nearest competitor, Microsoft’s Xbox, trailing with worldwide sales of around 29m, it seemed the next-generation war was theirs for the taking.
May 9, 2006. E3. PlayStation’s top brass enter the stage. $600 for the 60gb console. A controller that arguably rips off the Wiimote (and lacks rumble), an online service that has yet to convince anyone it can compete with Xbox Live and a release date in November 2006. Let’s not forget the console was meant to launch back in Spring 2006. Yet after all this, the top brass had such an air of arrogance about them, people started to not want the PlayStation 3 to succeed.
And so the backlash started…
Negative threads flood gaming forums all over the internet. Mass hysteria at the price causes many people to just stop taking interest. Rarely a day goes by without there being a negative PlayStation 3 story linked to on the Digg front page. RIIIDGE RACER! Time Magazine say it’s not worth the hype. GIANT ENEMY CRABS! Shipment problems, analysts everywhere predicting it’s doom, more production problems related to the blue diodes, Gabe Newell calls it a disaster, Ken Kutaragi gets moved upstairs. I could go on, but I won’t. I won’t go on because even I’m tired of all the negativity.
2007 is a new year for all of us. A new year for Sony and the first year for the PlayStation 3. There are a few reasons all the negative press surrounding the PlayStation 3 doesn’t bother me. In fact, there are a couple of big reasons at the moment. And these, unlike the majority of the criticisms, are very important - Resistance: Fall of Man and MotorStorm. If these two games are a sign of what’s to come for the PlayStation 3 then Sony need not worry. It’s the games that make the console, nothing else. Believe me, these are two games worth owning a PlayStation 3 for. And this is just the beginning."
"May 9, 2006. I’d say that was the day. The day the internet turned. But firstly, some history - a look back to when Sony entered the videogame industry…
It didn’t take long for the majority to fall for the PlayStation. Sony seemed to do everything right. They aimed it at ‘cool’ people in the UK. They showed it off at the Ministry Of Sound. They secured big arcade titles such as Ridge Racer and Tekken. WipEout made people realise they could play videogames without feeling embarrassed! And lastly, it was priced on a par with the competition, if not lower. This led to 102m in worldwide sales over the 11 years of its lifespan, as well as the PlayStation brand securing a huge fan base; something that meant the PlayStation 2 was always going to be tipped for success.
Again, with the PlayStation 2, Sony seemed to be doing everything right. Opting for DVD meant it appealed to an even wider audience and many initial sales in Japan were put down to DVD playback. Although the launch line-up wasn’t strong the success of the PlayStation meant Sony had plenty of publishers behind them. This led to some great games released shortly after launch. One notable title being Grand Theft Auto 3, which is arguably the game that sealed the success of the PlayStation 2, thanks to its long exclusivity. Like the original PlayStation, it was priced level with the competition. Even six years after launch it’s still selling strong - over 110m in worldwide sales and counting.
Sony could do no wrong. Its Computer Entertainment division was suddenly Sony’s saving grace and with its nearest competitor, Microsoft’s Xbox, trailing with worldwide sales of around 29m, it seemed the next-generation war was theirs for the taking.
May 9, 2006. E3. PlayStation’s top brass enter the stage. $600 for the 60gb console. A controller that arguably rips off the Wiimote (and lacks rumble), an online service that has yet to convince anyone it can compete with Xbox Live and a release date in November 2006. Let’s not forget the console was meant to launch back in Spring 2006. Yet after all this, the top brass had such an air of arrogance about them, people started to not want the PlayStation 3 to succeed.
And so the backlash started…
Negative threads flood gaming forums all over the internet. Mass hysteria at the price causes many people to just stop taking interest. Rarely a day goes by without there being a negative PlayStation 3 story linked to on the Digg front page. RIIIDGE RACER! Time Magazine say it’s not worth the hype. GIANT ENEMY CRABS! Shipment problems, analysts everywhere predicting it’s doom, more production problems related to the blue diodes, Gabe Newell calls it a disaster, Ken Kutaragi gets moved upstairs. I could go on, but I won’t. I won’t go on because even I’m tired of all the negativity.
2007 is a new year for all of us. A new year for Sony and the first year for the PlayStation 3. There are a few reasons all the negative press surrounding the PlayStation 3 doesn’t bother me. In fact, there are a couple of big reasons at the moment. And these, unlike the majority of the criticisms, are very important - Resistance: Fall of Man and MotorStorm. If these two games are a sign of what’s to come for the PlayStation 3 then Sony need not worry. It’s the games that make the console, nothing else. Believe me, these are two games worth owning a PlayStation 3 for. And this is just the beginning."
posted by Frosty @ 2:48 PM
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