CES: Sony keynote avoids the next-gen

by James Ransom-Wiley { Jan 6th 2006 at 1:30AM }

In case you missed the news, there wasn't any. Engadget's live coverage of Thursday's keynote sums up Sony's current stance on the PlayStation 3:

"Kaz Hirai (prez Sony America) comes out and does LOONNNNG boilerplate clearly designed to give us time to clear the memory stick on our camera for ... yes, a PlayStation 3 demo trailer!" (The same trailer shown at E3 2005)

Hirai forgot to add: see you in 2007, suckas!

[Note: image is from E3 2005]

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

Einhanderkiller @ Jan 6th 2006 1:44AM

Aww dammit. I was hoping for some PS3 news.

firerock @ Jan 6th 2006 1:58AM

How can they expect developers and gamers ready for their machine if PS3 is still on track for Spring '06 release? We have not heard any major news on PS3 for the longest time; I'm guessing that either Sony has something up their sleeve that they will shock the world, or that's all they got for now. We'll see about that...but I'm still very eager to see the actual PS3 game footage other than the CGI E3 footage and MGS.

kizza @ Jan 6th 2006 4:06AM

They are not a dumb company. Don't stress. Enjoy your PS2's for the time being as there are a shlew of great back titles & current titles worth out time on the PS2.

I say this, wanting a PS3 desperately. But I half expect what Sony are doing, as they are a very business smart comapany. The longer they hold off, the more it will lower there production costs, the more it lowers the production costs, the more chance we have of getting it at a competitive price to the 360's & the more quality launch titles we'll get.

I hope they give us some news real soon though, & I hope that news entails the boomerang controller & a revised version that is more like the DS2 (but wireless of course).

As for all the ninbendo & xpox fanboys, "Sony sats when the next gen. starts", as cocky as it sounds, it's true. Everyone is waiting anxiously for anything PS3 related & with 360 sales & reviews not blowing anyone away, focus will be staying on Sony, until there next move. Why would Sony release there machine too soon, like the PS2 & 360, knowing shortage supplies will affect initial hardcore gamers sales & with 360 not doing unbelievably, why rush out a console & stuff up sales for current existing sony products, as well as shortchanging it's customers with a short console lifespan.

I mean if it was out tommorow, I'd get it, but I live in australia, so we'll get it last. So I have to wait, & thats not such a bad thing with games like Shadow of Collossus, Socom 3, battlefield & all the other current gen gems available.

Sony has the next gen. sewn up, I believe, Its after that, that they will have a huge fight on there hands. Although they just seem to come up with the package, marketing, hype, great games & all the rest at critical times for the opposition. Anyone with half a brain knows they stole E3 from all competitors with sheer hype & unrivalled marketing strategies.

Zsavior @ Jan 6th 2006 5:38AM

I find this funny, Sony has taken the George Lucas approach. If anybody remembers Star Wars Episode one, they asked George Lucas why there wasn't any commercials promoting the movie. His response was it is star wars it doesn't need promotion, of course after the wave of this movie is a pile-o-crap came splashing down the commercials came rocketing out the gate. Basically Sony isn't going to show anything because they don't have to the Xbox 360 stubbled because of that buffonish idea to create a shortage(real brillant gates, Moore and the gang), and Nintendo and sony don't come close to competing for the same customers. This system isn't coming out spring 2006 because it doesn't have to, sony doesn't care about its fans it cares about perception which maintains its marketing hype machine. If MS and xbox 360 people had any common sense they would Sam Fisher sony right now. While they are busy patroling their fans slide down and snap their necks right quick with something big, but I doubt that will happen to. It is the battle of arrogant business models. The one who blinks first loses I guess.

Gianni Gotti @ Jan 6th 2006 6:46AM

Very disappointing. Either they are keeping their cards close to the vest or they are willing to screw the hardcore gamers to make a few more dollars on the PS2.

M$ft is so desperate to win this thing that they announced the Sega CD/HD-DVD extension. That just KILLED them in Japan. I have been following the Japanese press and they see it as an admission that the original offering is crap, how can you launch a Next Gen system and need to release hardware extensions in the first 6 months.

Sheesh, don't even get the satisfaction of saying "I am going to run out and buy an Xlop", cause I ain't, for those of us with a high end PC it ain't all that.

Ph[i]l @ Jan 6th 2006 7:44AM

why am i having trouble posting on some topics - there is no option to add you comment after the current posts (at the bottom of the page) - is anyone else having this problem as well; i think i seen someone else post about this problem as well on another topic.

kizza @ Jan 6th 2006 9:32AM

Yeh, I had the same problem before.

I also think Sony will announce something at the very end of ces. I believe it ends on the 9th. This sounds like a smart option to me, as if they show there hand last, Nintendo & Sony will have to wait till the next show, thus Sony will steal all the thunder of the show. They'd only have to show a couple more demo's & 1 or 2 playable early stage titles, then announce a release date & the shows there's really. MS have showed pretty much all they've got & from all reports its hasn't been much.

I would think if the states does not get the PS3 in march with Japan, I would say May-June could be a realistic option, then uk & us poor australians, anywhere from sept-nov.

I'd love to see a world wide release, but its highly unlikely, & Sony hasn't ever done it before.

Jon @ Jan 6th 2006 9:35AM

Ha...you Sony fans are in denial. How can you not be frustrated that it will be a year before you ever get to play next gen games?

Remember the only real in game footage for the PS3, Fight Night Round 3...yes that game that Sony touted as showing the power of the PS3, is now a Demo on the 360 and will release next month. My point is that the 360 is delivering on the Promise of Next Gen gaming NOW! The PS3 has not shown any playable games, or anything but hype yet. In the meantime there are an amazing round of Next Gen games already on the 360 and more coming to the 360...Oblivion, Ghost Recon, Top Spin, The Godfather, Fight Night Round 3, Full Auto, Frame City Killer...to name a few.

You will not be able to purchase a PS3 for $299 and the fate of Blu-Ray is now in question with the latest happenings. A $499 HD-DVD player was shown off at CES this week...compared to the $999 Blu-Ray players. That should tell you something about the difference in cost right off the bat between the two formats.

The Hype of the PS3 is just not holding up to the facts. Developers are enjoying the ease of the 360 platform and Xbox Live is unmatched anywhere.

jl2l @ Jan 6th 2006 10:51AM

Yea What is sony going to do when there much touted Blue-Ray player goes up agianst a $99~$199 HD-DVD external drive for the Xbox 360 which MS will sell at a lost just to kill blue ray, so i have to pay $1000 for a sony blue ray player, or $500 for a PS3 blue ray, or pay $499 for a stand alone HD-DVD player? no i pay $200 or less for a add on to a system i already absorbed the cost for.

becasue by the time sony comes to market i much rather buy a $200 or less add on then a whole new $500-$1000 component,

I honest dont even see HD/Blue Ray even taking off i know so many people that have hundreds of DVDs and there not happy to know that now they have to buy them all over agian at inflated cost.

no not happy at all.

sony fanboys border on relgious fanatism i mean they dont need logic to make statements

ps3 can output every game at 1080p at 60 fps

yea go take a electronics engineering course and see what kind of hardware you need to do it.

*cough *cough a $7000 dell XPS is what you need.

No thanks dell.

Mike @ Jan 6th 2006 11:43AM

I agree with #8. I still don't understand what the PS3 is going to offer in terms of real meat and potatoes benefits over the 360. I mean, how many people have 1080p TVs? Also, Beta-Ray may not even catch on. Oh, and can a PS3 be networked right out of the box? What about lack of online multiplayer support? Can I eventually upgrade a PS3 external hard drive to eventually download movies and TV shows directly onto my console? Wait, what the hell is an external hard drive?

darryl @ Jan 6th 2006 12:33PM

Regarding the total lack of news about PS3, is it only me who remembers Sony specifically saying they were not going to say anything until some future date. They were going "underground", remember? They're doing exactly what they told us a short while after E3. Why is everyone shocked that they're doing what they said? They have PS3 at CES, just no new news... That's fine, there is a better time and place for new material, which isn't far away.

"I agree with #8. I still don't understand what the PS3 is going to offer in terms of real meat and potatoes benefits over the 360."

True next generation games with next generation graphics and sound... bluray media, builtin wifi, sans online subscription fees, no Windows Media crap, simply a much better product for the money spent.

"I mean, how many people have 1080p TVs?"

I do.

"Also, Beta-Ray may not even catch on."

Oh, it will... it already has. I'm no psychic but to me it's quite obvious. I'll bet you a 1080p TV on it.

"Oh, and can a PS3 be networked right out of the box? What about lack of online multiplayer support?"

Lack of multiplayer support? What the hell are you smoking? Oh, wait, right... you mean with PS3 you don't have to pay to play online so that must mean it lacks multiplayer support. Right... Got it.

"Can I eventually upgrade a PS3 external hard drive to eventually download movies and TV shows directly onto my console? Wait, what the hell is an external hard drive?"

Ah, it's a hard drive, which is external, you can hold it in your hand... that you can buy in different sizes most likely... and attach it to the console. Have you not seen the external hard drive for the 360? Pretty neat eh?

Draco @ Jan 6th 2006 2:00PM

@ #5

[quote]M$ft is so desperate to win this thing that they announced the Sega CD/HD-DVD extension. That just KILLED them in Japan. I have been following the Japanese press and they see it as an admission that the original offering is crap, how can you launch a Next Gen system and need to release hardware extensions in the first 6 months.[/quote]

whats this sega thing you are talking about?? I havent heard anything about it past or present. can you elaborate?

hazmat @ Jan 6th 2006 3:38PM

Wow, no new info on the ps3. Imagine that. I guess thats better than blowing smoke up everyone's butts.

Mike @ Jan 6th 2006 4:02PM

""I mean, how many people have 1080p TVs?"

I do."

Sweet, can I come over?!?!

""Also, Beta-Ray may not even catch on."

Oh, it will... it already has. I'm no psychic but to me it's quite obvious. I'll bet you a 1080p TV on it."

I still don't buy it. I mean I love my Mini-Disc player and my memory sticks come in very useful when listening to my ATRAC files, but I don't think this particular Sony property will take off life the aforementioned successful and ubiquitous products.

""Oh, and can a PS3 be networked right out of the box? What about lack of online multiplayer support?"

Lack of multiplayer support? What the hell are you smoking? Oh, wait, right... you mean with PS3 you don't have to pay to play online so that must mean it lacks multiplayer support. Right... Got it."

OK, you got me there. Let me rephrase: "lacks guaranteed support for online multiplayer and/or connectivity."

""Can I eventually upgrade a PS3 external hard drive to eventually download movies and TV shows directly onto my console? Wait, what the hell is an external hard drive?"

Ah, it's a hard drive, which is external, you can hold it in your hand... that you can buy in different sizes most likely... and attach it to the console. Have you not seen the external hard drive for the 360? Pretty neat eh?"

Dude, turn up the irony indicator. I was speaking as a potential PS3 owner not understanding the concept because it's not an option. But then again, maybe there will be support for an external USB hard drive?

Anyway...

kizza @ Jan 7th 2006 4:13AM

Hard drives from a business standpoint, are not the greatest option. Sony have been smart in that, where they make you buy a M/card to save. You can hold that against them if your a fool, but console launches lose money, they make up for lost profits on games & peripherals.

Quote:

Yea What is sony going to do when there much touted Blue-Ray player goes up agianst a $99~$199 HD-DVD external drive for the Xbox 360 which MS will sell at a lost just to kill blue ray, so i have to pay $1000 for a sony blue ray player, or $500 for a PS3 blue ray, or pay $499 for a stand alone HD-DVD player? no i pay $200 or less for a add on to a system i already absorbed the cost for

End Quote:

Are you serious, 1st you have to buy the xpox 360 (prefably premium) $399, then the add on disk drive for $100 at best. Now what does that add up to genius. Around $500 I worked out. So with the 360 for $500 you get a machine for games with a seperate add on, (buy later because we wanted to charge you more for it) hd disk player, I'd presume it also has to have a seperate remote control.

For $500, Sony gives you a game machine & blu ray HD dvd player all built into one. Now what sounds like better value.

Quote:

I honest dont even see HD/Blue Ray even taking off i know so many people that have hundreds of DVDs and there not happy to know that now they have to buy them all over agian at inflated cost.

End Quote:

Argh, that makes sense seeing Sony never proclaimed the PS3 would not play normal standard DVD's, they actually have said the opposite, maybe you & your friends should read the full story before shooting off facts you don't know. And it would be hard to get terminator, aliens, etc, etc in high def considering they were'nt filmed in HD, as it wasn't around when they were made. All it means is, that all future releases will give you the option to buy the blu ray HD version, they will also be able to put the whole Lord of the Rings trilogy on one disk, because of its 50gig storage capacity. So you do the math.

All you nintendo & MS fanboys that are logging onto a PS3 topic, just ask yourself one question, who is the bigger fanboy if there coming onto a PS3 related topic, to take try hard potshots at the PS3. Play your supposed superior consoles instead of going on like the biggest fanboys of all. I even hate using that word, as I find those that use it are the biggest fanboys of all, plus it's just an overused, g@y, nerd, word.

As I tried to say before, the best console is the one you have the most fun on, and if your here typing & critising the company that really revolutionised this industry. Well your obviously just not having fun on your xbox, 360 or cube.

I recommend you give up games, or buy a PS2, so you actually get some fun out of your machine, before Sony decides when the next gen is. hahahahahahahahahha

I love that statement as it was soley designed to p!ss off MS (I'm sure it worked), & even better, it really p!ssed off nerd fanboys from all three sides (Sony, MS & nintendo). Problem for them is that its true. I haven' come across anyone that is really excited about the 360, & every show is dominated by hopes, dreams & expectations of PS3 news.

So tell me who is running the show?

Can't wait to get my PS3, although I wish I could take off the faceplate & put a new one on that reads PS3 FANBOY 4 LIFE, like you can with the 360. hahahahahah...why play your next gen games when you can switch faceplates & stare at it for hours, wondering how it would look with a flame faceplate, hahahahhahaahahah.

maylon meek @ Jan 7th 2006 1:15PM

Here is the reason I hate Sony: cross platform. The developers have catered to the lowest common denominator (ps2) for too many years now, and frankly I believe Sony has done more to stifle the industry than move it forward. This is a fact.

kizza @ Jan 7th 2006 5:56PM

Yeh your right, we should all still be playing mario & sonic sequels on catridge based machines. What are you talking about fruitloop, Nintendo & Sega had large portions of cross platform games, some of which stemmed from the arcade & pc first & were converted badly to consoles. Make your point more concise, are you saying that after the PS bad games sprouted up, because I had a genesis (megadrive) & Snes & they both had plenty more stinkers than hits (including movie tie ins & comic based games).

Sony only done the inevitable, if they didn't do it, someone elso would have. They still make great games, all consoles still get some awesome exclusives, & sony are the only console maker around that offered things like backwards compatability with games & peripherals. Comon, just because your a ninty/sega fanboy, don't be angry that Sony came in & gave the industry a shakeup that it long needed. If ninty & sega hadn't been resting on there laurels for so long with mario & sonic sequels & there royalties based catridge system, they would still be at the top. But Ninty especially were greedy & were p!ssing off mostly all developers, thats why they all jumped at the chance to go to PS when Sony busted onto the scene.

And thanks to nintendo being so greedy, they passed up the opportunity to be partners with sony when the PS1 was planned as a add on cd drive for the snes. They wanted the whole sha-bang & they ended up screwing sony. So basically they asked for this. I do feel for sega though, & don't think it was sony's intention to kill them off.