PS3 begins production in Taiwan
by Christopher Grant 
{ Jul 19th 2006 at 3:30PM }
According to Chinese-language outlets Apple Daily and Commercial Times, Taiwanese manufacturer Asustek Computer began shipping PlayStation 3 consoles in "small volume" in early July. The papers report Asustek recieved 200,000 component sets in June, inferring Asus could have produced as many as 200,000 consoles. As production ramps up, additional manufacturers (FoxConn) will be added to receive the more than one million component sets suppliers hope to deliver per month in September and October.Sony plans to deliver 2mln PS3 consoles during the "launch window," 4mln by the end of 2006, and 6mln by March '07. In comparison, Microsoft had hoped to sell 10mln Xbox 360 consoles within the first 12 to 16 months giving them a 2.5x larger install base by the beginning of next year. Sony's numbers are looking good if they can meet the torrent of demand this holiday.
[Thanks to everyone for the tips; via X-bit Labs]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Dux @ Jul 19th 2006 3:41PM
Looks good.
soco @ Jul 19th 2006 3:42PM
i assume that 360 estimate is by the end of MSs fiscal year in June of 2007 or whatever. just a guess though.
Rask @ Jul 19th 2006 3:42PM
Err... The article in that link is from 2005.
http://www.computerandvideogames.com/article.php?id=120815
So if by recent, you mean 13 months ago, then I guess you're spot on.
Loque @ Jul 19th 2006 3:46PM
aren't only 20% of all cell processors made right now functional? I saw a number like that somewhere...
Fenris @ Jul 19th 2006 3:50PM
Sony does have a lot of clout in the manufacturing industry and may be able to get a vast number of consoles to market. Given that the unit are apparently being produced they will have a chance a decent number of retail units for sale. If I remember right MS went into production in August of last year, if everything was equal that would potentially give Sony an additional 200,000 units to market.
The real question is supplier shortages. Which was MS's woes.
I wish them luck since the industry needs a shot in the arm.
Abbas @ Jul 19th 2006 3:51PM
Wish I was Tiawanese and my dad owned the foundry!
jc @ Jul 19th 2006 3:55PM
The real question comes down to Cell Processor production... a 10% - 20% yield could be a very real problem (supply and prices).
http://news.com.com/2061-10791_3-6094076.html
Christopher7xii @ Jul 19th 2006 3:58PM
Its funny how sales are an entirely different ball game when Japan is in your court...
Chris @ Jul 19th 2006 4:00PM
Good to see Asus doing good business, they make great products.
Sony will sell hit those numbers based on 2 thing.
1) Brand loyalty
2) Brand awareness
The thing that could change that is the price. Mircosoft have some amazing games due before Christmas and if you looking for a present it's got to be the 360 this year (+ a Wii)
KawF @ Jul 19th 2006 4:02PM
"Q: Your planned shipping schedule is 6 million units worldwide by the end of March, 2007.
Kutaragi: We are planning a monthly production rate of 1 million units. We have secured the parts required to reach this mark. This has been verified, so we should be set to go, barring any major oversights.
Q: Does that include the “Cell” semiconductors?
Kutaragi: No worries there. We began the manufacturing process last year (summer 2005), and now have plenty of them – enough to sell on the street, even. We’re hoping to provide servers using Cell’s on our side of the network in the very near future, so the more we have, the better. What was actually more troublesome was securing the generic parts required. As the economy is strong now, we had a hard time securing all the necessary parts to meet a 1 million unit / month quota – passive components, RAM, hard drives, circuit board materials, and even plating alloys."
- http://techon.nikkeibp.co.jp/english/NEWS_EN/20060608/117992/?P=2
Michael @ Jul 19th 2006 4:07PM
Taken directly from the article.
"From September to October, the suppliers estimate to ship more than one million sets to the game console manufacturer, the paper added."
Assuming it takes some time to travel from the suppliers to Sony to distributors and to retail shelves, I assume that this means only one million worldwide for the Christmas season.
Scott @ Jul 19th 2006 4:10PM
I saw this at digg and got modded down for asking this, so I'll ask again and hope I get an answer.
From what has been reported, Cell yield is low, there's a blue laser diode shortage, and the final dev. kit hasn't been sent out. How is it possible for them to be sending it to production facilities? I simply don't understand how this can be true unless all other stories were false. Insight?
jabbertrack @ Jul 19th 2006 4:12PM
if they have so many of them why haven't we seen any games running on a production unit?
dakinle @ Jul 19th 2006 4:12PM
"now have plenty of them – enough to sell on the street, even"
aaargh! so that guy in the subway really did have a cell semiconductor
too bad - I just bought the watch
apoc06 @ Jul 19th 2006 4:19PM
Just for clarification, in manufacturing you slowly press the first couple thousand chips. You test those and fix any major production flaws or defects before rolling into full production. Production starts with 200k and then will expand to 1 million units per month per site.
Geist @ Jul 19th 2006 4:27PM
@10 KawF
Why is it when I hear that quote by Kutaragi, I visualize him standing on a corner, in pauper's clothes, with a cardboard box full of unpurchased Cell processors that reads "Cells: $1 for two"
Jody Anthony @ Jul 19th 2006 4:27PM
from the article KawF linked:
"Kutaragi: It should be enough. 1 million units a month, 12 million units a year. We aren’t expecting the initial rush of sales in Japan to be that strong."
Anonymous Rep @ Jul 19th 2006 4:27PM
My two cents, and this is NOT from me personally, but from talking with way too many GameStop, EB, and other electronics sales people:
Sony traditionally launches in Japan, and then figures out what's wrong with the console before sending it on to the rest of the world. This is primarily because of the Japanese culture - if Sony apologizes for their mistakes, then all is forgiven IN JAPAN.
Sony management is going to lose face in a big way IF (and presumably WHEN) they have issues similar to or worse than the 360 did during launch. The 360 ended up with about a 3% initial defect rate, which is not only quite low, but considered quite acceptable in the industry. Yet all that could be heard were the screams of pain and anguish from those few (which, granted, did amount to over 10,000) users that had issues.
Now you're going to Sony attempt to have 1 million units available for a same-day worldwide launch. An industry standard 5% failure rate means 50,000 bad consoles. That's presuming that at some point they do actually manage to keep the thing from melting after 8 hours continuous use. I'm not making that up in the least - due to an NDA, I can't state or show my source, but as of late May, the jokes about the George Foreman PS3 had serious legitimacy. If you thought the 360 runs hot - wait until the PS3 burns down a couple of houses - which IF the production models come out now is going to happen.
In what does amount to an amusing note, every sales person that I've talked to that does want a PS3 is planning on getting a PS3 at launch - so they can re-sell it on eBay and then later, after the bugs are figured out, buy one. No one wants one at launch for their own use - they're afraid of it.
DeadMertz @ Jul 19th 2006 4:30PM
I agree with 12 and 13: at E3 most game devs associated with PS3 production were still operating on emulation software. Sorry if I'm just too ignorant to production cycles, but isnt producing consumer hardware before the devs have a chance to bang on it a little bit "cart before the horse?"
Maybe its just me, but I'm still suspicious as to whether Sony can get the PS3 out for this holiday season.
DBX00 @ Jul 19th 2006 4:33PM
Scott,
Don't believe everything you read on the internet. A lot of the stories going around stem from someone other than a knowledgable source. Until Sony starts releasing addition information closer to launch take everything said with a grain of salt. The blu ray and cell shortage could be a result of the Sony's PS3 demands; we just don't know at this point.
jabbertrack
Wasn't the last time this thing was in the wild back during E3? They probably didn't have production units at that point or didn't want to risk anything happening with units that were just completed. It's amazing that positive news is brushed off, but any negative rumors are taking as the truth. If this is true, they've started taking some good steps toward avoiding massive shortages, but lets be honest this thing is still going to be incredibly difficult to find even if they have 4 million available worldwide before the end of the year.
darryl @ Jul 19th 2006 4:42PM
"if they have so many of them why haven't we seen any games running on a production unit?"
...ahh, well maybe because they're JUST rolling off the assembly plant perhaps?
"I saw this at digg and got modded down for asking this, so I'll ask again and hope I get an answer."
Yes, you did get an answer, go back and read what has been written. Also in this thread, before you post, there is an explanation regarding Cell processor manufacturing (they've been building these since summer last year). Regarding the blue diodes, that "report" you read was about Pioneer not having enough, Sony has been hording them.
MosquitoControl @ Jul 19th 2006 4:48PM
"Regarding the blue diodes, that "report" you read was about Pioneer not having enough, Sony has been hording them."
It's not just Pioneer, it's everyone. And you're right, it's because Sony is stocking up on them. Which could seriously bite Sony in the ass. It will help for the PS3, but not for Blu-Ray, as serious Blu-Ray players will be both delayed and higher priced.
If people aren't using the PS3 as a Blu-Ray player, and this is noted by Hollywood, support will diminish.
So yes, it is very true that the PS3 could break Sony. As we all know they have serious financial concerns, but their future is 100% tied to Blu-Ray and to the PS3. Which they decided to tie together. All their eggs in one basket. Will it be a wise choice?
Robotic House Plant @ Jul 19th 2006 4:52PM
It's not like you produce 200,000 consoles and everything is just perfect. There's bound to be technical issues that'll have to be addressed before production goes full steam. You also have to have time to quality test. The final dev kits still aren't available?!
What I don't understand is all the recent articles about component shortages for Blu-Ray drives, and production yield problems with the Cell. Couple this with Sony's world wide launch, and I'm guessing the PS3 ends up being pretty scarce this Christmas.
Even though the world wide launch sounds great, I'd rather they have enough consoles available for sale in each area, instead of trying to sell everywhere at the same time, and not having enough consoles for sale.
Incidentially, when is the PS3 supposed to be released? If production starts now, they should be able to sell consoles in about 3 months.
darryl @ Jul 19th 2006 5:14PM
"...at E3 most game devs associated with PS3 production were still operating on emulation software."
Not true. These developers have had first generation dev kits (hardware, not emulation) long before E3. The second generation dev kits were shipping shortly before E3. Final dev kits will be sent out in August. All of these run complete PS3 hardware (Cell CPU/Nvidia GPU), the main difference is their size (huge) and the amount of RAM (more of it).
Staticneuron @ Jul 19th 2006 5:14PM
@ Scott
Sony has already stated that they only outsource after they hit thier internal limitation.They really didn't need to say that because that has been thier habit since the 80's. Them sending it out to other production facilities means they worked out the majority of the kinks. A blue diode shortage? Do you mean those same blue diodes that are in HD-DVD systems? I find it slightly difficult to believe that.
And many Final dev kits through the course of time has been released a little before a systems launch or sometime shortly after.
Jeff @ Jul 19th 2006 5:15PM
"I simply don't understand how this can be true unless all other stories were false."
Then all the other stories were false.
Or, to put it the sarcastic way, "it's on the internet, so it must be true!"
"So yes, it is very true that the PS3 could break Sony. As we all know they have serious financial concerns, but their future is 100% tied to Blu-Ray and to the PS3. Which they decided to tie together. All their eggs in one basket."
Yeah, because it's not like Sony makes computers, or televisions, or semiconductors, or regular DVD players, or home audio equipment, or pro video equipment, or movies, or music, or anything like that. This *one product* is going to break the entire company. "Stop all the other production lines, people! We've got one product and one product only from now on!"
Kinda like saying MS has bet its entire future on the Zune and the URGE music store. A little hyperbolic, don'tcha think?
Listen up, people. Every time a console comes out we get people who don't believe it's even going to launch at all. We get people who say the sky's about to fall on top of whatever company's launching it (regardless of who it is). We get people who say there's going to be another crash. That everybody's going out of business. That this is going to be the death of the industry. That the very future of the planet Earth is in grave peril!
Bottom line is it's just a game console. And if it fails, Sony goes on, just like Nintendo and MS will if their consoles fail. You regroup and figure out the next step. Not every product is a home run; that's just business.
And all this stuff about whether or not they're ready for launch is the same stuff we heard about the PS2 and the PS1 before it, the GameCube before that and pretty much every other Japanese system. This is pretty much par for the course, so get used to it.
darryl @ Jul 19th 2006 5:18PM
"Why is it when I hear that quote by Kutaragi, I visualize him..."
...probably because you're a troll?
darryl @ Jul 19th 2006 5:22PM
"No one wants one at launch for their own use - they're afraid of it."
Afaid of it? Or is it that they have no concept of extended warranties?
I buy an extended warranty for all my expensive electronics regardless if it's a new product or not. That's just common sense, yeah?
glitched @ Jul 19th 2006 5:25PM
If i could, I would give Jeff another star... Couldnt have said it any better!
ok now thats out of the way, i have a question... Asus is just assembling them right? as in they get all the parts from sony and asus builds the boards with the parts?
MosquitoControl @ Jul 19th 2006 5:29PM
"Yeah, because it's not like Sony makes computers, or televisions, or semiconductors, or regular DVD players, or home audio equipment, or pro video equipment, or movies, or music, or anything like that. This *one product* is going to break the entire company. "Stop all the other production lines, people! We've got one product and one product only from now on!""
You don't follow business, do you. You don't read any business magazines, like say Forbes or BusinessWeek, do you?
Sony has been deep, deep in the red the past few years. The Gaming division has been keeping them in the black, but every other division (save one) has been in the red. But the Gaming division has been deep enough in the black to keep the entire company in the black.
So what happens if the Gaming division starts losing money, you ask? The entire company is now in the red. And panic will begin.
Sony needs the PS3 to be a hit. And it needs Blu-Ray to be a hit. Sony is not a healthy company, despite what you may think. It's a bleeding company, badly bleeding. Why else do you think a Japanese company would have been so quick to put an Englishman as its CEO?
"We get people who say the sky's about to fall on top of whatever company's launching it (regardless of who it is). "
That's simply not true. We never got that for Microsoft. We've had it for Nintendo during the DS launch (and it was true then, if the DS had failed Nintendo would be in a world of hurt.) We had it for Sega, and look what happened when the DC failed.
"Bottom line is it's just a game console. And if it fails, Sony goes on, just like Nintendo and MS will if their consoles fail. You regroup and figure out the next step. Not every product is a home run; that's just business."
But it's not "just a game console." It's the golden egg for Sony. In 2002 the Gaming division brought in 60% of Sony's operating profits. 60%! It was down to 40% last year due to development costs for the PS3. But how can it be "just another game console" when it accounts for more than half of your company's profits?
Sony has invested itself extremely heavily in the PS3 and the Blu-Ray because they know that, if those techs succeed, they are set for the next decade. But if the two fail, you're going to see serious changes in Sony. Goodbye Welsh CEO. Goodbye Kutaragi (who is still better about being passed over.) Those consumer electronics divisions that aren't making money? Cut back or sold off.
You might want to read up on Sony's financial situation before you go around condemning others for making more informed posts than yours.
MosquitoControl @ Jul 19th 2006 5:33PM
Err, "bitter," not "better."
And those percentages come from BusinessWeek. Just go to their site and search Kutaragi, it'll bring up quite a few articles, although it seems the 2005 (or was it 2004?) cover piece on Sony's major troubles is no longer on the site. I'll see if I still have the issue at home, although I doubt it after this much time.
darryl @ Jul 19th 2006 5:37PM
"You might want to read up on Sony's financial situation before you go around condemning others for making more informed posts than yours."
You're posts are FUD, that's all. You pretend to be "informed" but really you're not any more informed than anyone else. Sony would most certainly be in worse shape if the PS3 were to utterly fail (impossible), but most certainly wouldn't collapse as a company. I don't care how many financial magazines you've read.
The most realistic worst-case scenario is that the PS3 comes in 3rd place, and my psychic abilities tell me that's not going to happen. You haven't read any psychic magazines, have you?
Robert Summa @ Jul 19th 2006 5:39PM
Raise your hand if you're gonna want a PS3 ASAP after it launches.
*raises hand*
MosquitoControl @ Jul 19th 2006 5:47PM
Here we go:
"A key silo issue is the role of Ken Kutaragi, the official Sony bad boy. Kutaragi created the PlayStation in 1994 and has run the game unit ever since. His gang delivered an astounding 68% of Sony's $650 million in operating profits last year. In the recent power shift, he was knocked off the board. With his brash manner, "Ken doesn't have a lot of friends in the home office," says one insider. But Stringer should rise above that and find a suitable cross-boundary role for one of Sony's most creative dynamos."
So, in 2004, the PS2 brought in 68% of Sony's operating profit.
http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/mar2005/tc20050310_3837_PG2_tc024.htm
So, what then, do you think would happen if the PS3 fails. I'm not saying the PS3 will fail, I'm asking you what will happen if the PS3 does fail?
Sony's stuck plummets even more, right?
Jobs are cut, right?
They might look to sell divisions, right?
They'd become ripe for a corporate takeover, right?
This isn't unheard of. Look at Nissan. Nissan was down the drain until Renault bought them, came in, took them over. Will it happen to Sony? If they can no longer count on the PS divisions profits it will.
"The most realistic worst-case scenario is that the PS3 comes in 3rd place, and my psychic abilities tell me that's not going to happen. "
Well, Ms. Cleo you're not. Lots of people disagree with you.
"You pretend to be "informed" but really you're not any more informed than anyone else. "
No, clearly I do. You're completely ignoring how vital the PS is to Sony.
Let me reiterate:
Those computers they make? Not making them money.
Those cell phones they make? Not making them money.
Those TVs they make? Weren't making them money, I don't know if the new line changed that.
Music and Movies? Were making them money, took a bit of a hit this year, and that EU anti-trust lawsuit? A disaster.
I'm not saying Sony will go bankrupt and fold. I'm just saying that the PS3 and Blu-Ray are their lifeblood. If one of those fails the other likely will, too. And Sony will face serious life-saving issues. Entirely new management will be brought in. Thousands of jobs will be lost. And there will be a very, very strong case for a takeover. Samsung has been doing very well lately, and has stolen a great deal of their market share in every area they compete in. Don't you think that, if Sony were in serious pain, maybe Samsung would try to capitalize with a merger?
KawF @ Jul 19th 2006 5:54PM
So, wait, if the gaming division accounts for 68% of their PROFITS, and that 68% is no longer there, it means that they do not have ANY profits any more?
What about those remaining 32% units left? Sony would still have PROFITS of $208 million.
Last I checked, that still wasn't bad. It's worse than $650 million in profits, but still a very nice profit.
MasterInsan0 @ Jul 19th 2006 5:59PM
From trends I've noticed in the past, it takes at least two console failures before a company bites the dust. And by "trends I've noticed," I mean Sega.
Sega was doing great with the Genesis/Megadrive. It took some hits with the 32X and Sega CD, but was still doing alright thanks to the success of the basic Genesis system. Of course, the failure of the 32X and Sega CD set people up to automatically dislike their next system, the Saturn.
So the Saturn flopped (in the US, anyway). Sega was damaged pretty bad, so it was time for them to take a desparation shot with the Dreamcast, which died because of the PS2 and a slight lack of good titles. And so that was the end of Sega's hardware business.
A comparable situation could happen to Sony, but with a few variations. I don't claim to be informed in any way, or have any super special opinion, I'm just using some simple analogy skills.
So let's say PS3 is Sony's Saturn. Consumers are disappointed with the price and hype and somewhat bad press the PS3 has received so far, so the PS3 flops, damaging Sony, but selling well enough to keep them from being in too bad of a situation. Then, when the next generation comes out, they release the PS4 or whatever. It could do great, and if it does, the cycle repeats. If it also flops, Sony decides it's time to cut their losses and sell their gaming division, or just shut it down completely.
Again, this is a completely hypothetical scenario, but it is the most likely method I see by which Sony's gaming division could fail. I highly doubt that just one failure would kill them, especially after the enormous success of the PS1 and 2. Even if PS3 and PS4 were to fail, Sony could probably justify a PS5 as a final attempt at the console industy.
Anyway, that's how I see it possibly happening, assuming the PS3 fails at all (which it probably won't).
hohoho @ Jul 19th 2006 6:06PM
the game division isn't the only division in the black. The digital camera business is doing pretty good, and so is their japanese financial arm. Their 'core' business in the consumer electronic sector is the one mainly in red for the past years. In japan, sony isn't only in the business visiable to the rest of the world. YOu can find hand cream with the SONY logo and whole lot of other crap. Furthermore, on top of that, there are massive costs in restructuring, easiest example would be selling off assets at a loss, severance packages for ppl laid off, etc.
I can't remember the exactly number, but I believe Sony has a cash reserve of about 7 bil, which is of course totally dwarfed by microsoft but certainly higher than nintendo and the then sega. On top of that, you need to look at the credit rating of the company as a "very rough" guide, etc, etc.
reading forbes/business week won't make you an expect in business. Those are filtered easy to read trade magazines. And I'm certainly not a business expect. hahaha!
josh @ Jul 19th 2006 6:07PM
"So, wait, if the gaming division accounts for 68% of their PROFITS, and that 68% is no longer there, it means that they do not have ANY profits any more?
What about those remaining 32% units left? Sony would still have PROFITS of $208 million."
You are forgetting about all the red from the other divisions that th egaming division offsets, and all the costs of the gaming division. If Blu-Ray/Ps3 totally failed, that remaining profit from the movie studio wouldn't go very far (and, once Spider-Man 3 is done with, the movie studio isn't a guaranteed profit center - no studio is). Sony would be in a LOT of trouble if the PS3 was a abject failure.
However, that is very unlikely. Even if Blu-Ray fails as a movie format (which could happen, and would be costly to Sony), the PS3 will still do fairly well... especially in Japan where the 360 is an also-ran. It's possible the 360 could win in the USA, though. I personally doubt it, but it's in the realm of possibility.
Worst case for Sony this generation? That they are no longer the market leader by such a huge margin.
Jeremy Wright @ Jul 19th 2006 6:16PM
MasterInsano: Yeah, cause the NeoGeo was the second console. And the nGage was the second console. And, and, and.
Let's be clear.
If Sony drops 70% of their profits (and, no, I don't think they will either) that means about half the people in the company could lose their jobs.
Once that happens, the stock price will dive by at least 80%. Which means when it's time to sell divisions they get way, way less for them than they were worth a year earlier.
While I don't think the PS3 / BluRay failing will bankrupt the company it would change the entire face of it.
But, really, I don't see PS3 / BluRay failing that hard. I mean they'll sell out of the first 5M consoles. Assuming an average first-sale price of around 1000$, that's still 5 BILLION dollars in income (yeah, yeah, not all of it is Sony's, some goes to developers - but it's still a massive amount of money).
Could it take a massive dive and become 3rd? Sure. But it'll still probably sell 10-20M units worldwide this gen, which is about 10B in income to the company. More than enough to keep it afloat. Maybe not enough to do another console, but more than enough to keep it afloat.
josh @ Jul 19th 2006 6:19PM
"I can't remember the exactly number, but I believe Sony has a cash reserve of about 7 bil, which is of course totally dwarfed by microsoft but certainly higher than nintendo and the then sega."
Nintendo's 2006 Annual Report (linked from here: http://www.nintendo.com/corp/annual_report.jsp) reveals that as of March 2006 (so this doesn't include all the DS Lites and Super Marios that have sold since then) says they had in cash reserve:
617.1 billion Japanese yen (5.27 billion U.S. dollars)
That is not THAT much less than the 7 billion you say Sony has that Nintendo should be worried.
hohoho @ Jul 19th 2006 6:47PM
josh,
I'm not too sure with financial terms, using the number you used is "cash equilvalents", i'm not entire sure if financially they mean the same thing.
Canadian Geese @ Jul 19th 2006 6:49PM
I just want to see the PS3.
I want to try it out.
I want to read multiplatform reviews and see how it stacks up.
I want to see the online service and it's price.
I want to see in-game clips from a non-dev kit.
I want to know how much games will cost.
I want to see which system becomes the main SKU.
I want to see what games Sony will come out with (cuz the lineup right now sucks).
I want to see if they have any shortages.
I want to see how well this controller works.
I want to see the percentage of them that break.
I want to see if people can really tell the difference between 720p and 1080p.
I want to see who wins the format wars.
I want to see if Sony will ever get rumble again.
I want to see if the hardware will quickly make upgrades, as Kutaragi has said.
I want to see if Sony makes good on all of these claims, such as plugging in any old hard drive.
I want to see what homebrew geeks do with it's Linux-based OS.
I want to see how many system resources are used up by the OS.
I want to see it's preference to the Wii in Japan.
I want to see if it really is worth the price.
I want to see if Sony will take security measures to prevent cheating online.
I want to see what will be available online.
I want to know how much they will charge for online content (downloads).
I want to see how if it has found a way to make browsing the internet, on your tv, practical.
...it's really hard to have a strong opinion for it when you know nothing about it...
Darth Pixel @ Jul 19th 2006 7:01PM
PS3 is going to sell like hot cakes and lines will form for miles in order to buy it.
Not because it's Sony or because it's PlayStation, but because it's the most advanced, innovative console this generation. It's also the best value, since it gives you a console that is more powerful than Xbox 360 at a price that is much less than any Blu-ray player.
Finally, developer support has never be stronger. Sony's new development tools are the best they ever produced.
:)
MosquitoControl @ Jul 19th 2006 7:30PM
I don't know if you meant it as a joke or not, but:
"PS3 is going to sell like hot cakes and lines will form for miles in order to buy it."
Probably. Even if they get a million into the US for Christmas it will be sold out. No doubt about it. It's what happens after that that may be open to debate.
"Not because it's Sony or because it's PlayStation, but because it's the most advanced, innovative console this generation. It's also the best value, since it gives you a console that is more powerful than Xbox 360 at a price that is much less than any Blu-ray player."
Wii is clearly the most innovative.
But the PS3 is definitely the most advanced, but only marginally more powerful than the 360 (probably, we'll have to wait and see on that one.)
And probably with shoddy Blu-Ray playback, like all console DVD playback is shoddy, but we'll have to see on that, too.
"Finally, developer support has never be stronger. Sony's new development tools are the best they ever produced."
See, now I know you're kidding.
Dev support is stronger than ever for the other two systems. Not sure where it stands with the PS3, but you'd have to assume more support for the other two means less for Sony. Not that it would make too much of a difference, it mostly dominated dev support last generation.
darryl @ Jul 19th 2006 8:49PM
"Wii is clearly the most innovative."
Really? How exactly? Seems to be a game cube with a new controller to me.
Innovate: To begin or introduce (something new) for or as if for the first time.
The Wii has a new controller.
The PS3 has a new controller, new CPU, and new optical storage system.
Doesn't seem so "clear" to me.
"Dev support is stronger than ever for the other two systems."
Again, really? Don't think so... In regards to Nintendo dev support, what was this Joystiq post all about anyway?
http://www.joystiq.com/2006/07/19/publishers-to-miss-boat-if-wii-sells-well-this-holiday/
Doesn't seem like that indicates strong support.
Philip Weber @ Jul 19th 2006 9:15PM
"Not because it's Sony or because it's PlayStation, but because it's the most advanced, innovative console this generation. It's also the best value, since it gives you a console that is more powerful than Xbox 360 at a price that is much less than any Blu-ray player."
Well, that didn't help the Xbox become the leader. The PS3 will be a success because of the name brand and brand loyalty, nothing else. It's been that way since the later PSX years and there really isn't a common sense reason why anything else would factor into it.
MosquitoControl @ Jul 19th 2006 9:41PM
""Wii is clearly the most innovative."
Really? How exactly? Seems to be a game cube with a new controller to me.
Innovate: To begin or introduce (something new) for or as if for the first time.
The Wii has a new controller.
The PS3 has a new controller, new CPU, and new optical storage system.
Doesn't seem so "clear" to me."
Yes, but which of those will change gameplay?
Will the new controller, which is still a glorified SNES controller, change gameplay? A tiny amount.
Will the new CPU? No. Bringing a new CPU to the next generation is not innovative.
Will a new optical media? No. Bringing new optical media to the next generation is not innovative. Especially if the games don't need it.
PS3 has NOTHING to change gameplay. It is in NO WAY next generation. Same with the 360.
The Wii is the ONLY system that will change gameplay. Maybe it will be a gimmick and fail, but they tried.
Look where innovation usually comes from:
NES to SNES - 8 more buttons. Changed gameplay.
SNES to PS/N64. 3D graphics and analog sticks. Changed gameplay.
PS/N64 to PS2/GC/Xbox. Dual analog sticks standard. Changed gameplay. Also added internet and hard drive. Didn't change gameplay much.
PS2/Xbox to PS3/360... ??? What is going to change gameplay. How will the CPU do anything that the old generation couldn't, aside from do it prettier? How will the optical media change anything?
There's no innovation in the next-gen, aside from the Wii controller, and it remains to be seen if that's innovation or dead-end.
DS @ Jul 19th 2006 10:01PM
>>>> MosquitoControl wrote: So, what then, do you think would happen if the PS3 fails. I'm not saying the PS3 will fail, I'm asking you what will happen if the PS3 does fail?>>>
Oh, my.
MosquitoControl, you're post are nothing but speculation and assumptions. "I'm not saying the PS3 will fail. But what IF it does?"
Come on...
Ok, what if you get hit by a meteor tomorrow? What then? Hey, it COULD happen. Great analysis, no?
Darth Pixel @ Jul 19th 2006 10:02PM
MosquitoControl,
Bringing about new gameplay can be done on any hardware. Hence, it has nothing to do with hardware.
When we talk about consoles, we talk about hardware and the technical features of hardware.
Wii is based on technologies of yesterday. It's why it's cheap to manufacture and cheap to buy.
Xbox 360 is based on technologies of today, mature and proven.
PS3 is clearly based on bleeding-edge technologies. A CPU architecture like no others in the last few decades.
A media format which is at the forefront of the "HD Era".
Innovation in gameplay can be achieved on all 3 platforms, but PS3 will offer the most fertile ground for it.
You know, adding a remote control that serves as a controller would not be difficult for Sony. They could do it in the blink of an eye, just as they put together their motion sensing controller in less than 6 months.
Conversely, once Wii is released, there is nothing Nintendo can do to upgrade it so that it matches the technical advances of PS3.
DS @ Jul 19th 2006 10:05PM
Geesh! Please cool it with the "change gameplay" argument. Enough.
You two are defining "gameplay" differently.
How about this. The PS3 will improve the game-play experience w/better graphics and better features. Good? Great...thanks for playing.