NY Times: The PS3 "isn't that great"
by Blake Snow 
{ Nov 20th 2006 at 2:25PM }
Seth Schiesel from the New York Times logged more than 30 hours with 13 games for the PS3 over the last week. His early verdict? Sony has failed to deliver on their promise and the new video game system "just isn't that great." He criticizes the lack of in-box HD cables, having to connect "wireless" controllers to the console for recognition purposes, and the difficulty playing custom playlists in games. He basically deems the 360 the better machine for now calling it a "powerful but intuitive system" likening the PS3 to a "brawny but somewhat recalcitrant specialized computer."From the article: "Measured in megaflops, gigabytes and other technical benchmarks, the PlayStation 3 is certainly the world's most powerful game console. It falls far short, however, of providing the world's most engaging overall entertainment experience. There is a big difference, and Sony seems to have confused one for the other."
The man does praise multi-player battles in Resistance: Fall of Man, but even Joystiq's own Chris Grant, quoted in the same article, believes the console "doesn't feel finished." Granted, all newly launched systems have hiccups. The real factor is how the manufacturer handles said hiccups moving forward.
[Thanks to all who sent this in]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
1up_clock @ Nov 20th 2006 2:31PM
The second paragraph sums it up rather nicely.
Spore @ Nov 20th 2006 2:33PM
It's like in the auto world: you can put a beefy V12 in an American muscle car and it'll go hella fast in a straight line. But the V8 in that German sports sedan is going to drive a thousand times better.
bobeotm @ Nov 20th 2006 2:35PM
Well, the PS3 is a console being compared to 360 (a console with a years worth of fixes behind it). Not to mention that launch titles are NEVER that great on any system. Anyone still talking about how much fun they had playing Perfect Dark Zero? I didn't think so. Without Zelda, what would the wii launch linup be? A catalogue of minigame compilations, and a few glorified tech demo's. Long story short, its a new system, they all have their issues, and with firmware updates most will be fixed.
> @ Nov 20th 2006 2:35PM
Waawaa.. bring on the haters.. just remember all the fanboi crying about 'Wii wont rock you' .. heres your turn to bring on the hate!
Steven @ Nov 20th 2006 3:14PM
bobeotm, you need to wake up. All the praises the author had to say, the 360 could do those on day one! I'm tired of hearing people rave about the PS3, when I can't see a reason to buy it besides Bluray (and it may not win). Games, at the current moment, certainly aren't the high point. I wish people would buy a console for what it offers as opposed to fanboyism.
1up_clock @ Nov 20th 2006 2:41PM
"Waawaa.. bring on the haters.. just remember all the fanboi crying about 'Wii wont rock you' .. heres your turn to bring on the hate!"
Could someone translate that into English, please? I think this poor thing was doing a horribly rushed job at trolling. Again.
minus_273 @ Nov 20th 2006 2:43PM
"Well, the PS3 is a console being compared to 360 (a console with a years worth of fixes behind it). Not to mention that launch titles are NEVER that great on any system. Anyone still talking about how much fun they had playing Perfect Dark Zero? I didn't think so. Without Zelda, what would the wii launch linup be? A catalogue of minigame compilations, and a few glorified tech demo's. Long story short, its a new system, they all have their issues, and with firmware updates most will be fixed."
Exactly. MS anticipated this. Its about right now and right now, the playstation after almost a year's delay is not better than the 360 in fact it is inferior. That does not mean it cant change in the future but right now that is the case.
As for nintendo's launch titles, it has zelda. You cant say that its launch titles suck and then ignore the one great title. By your logic, if you ignore the math, 1+1 could be 3, you just need to ignore the math..
therpham @ Nov 20th 2006 2:53PM
Recalcitrant? Looks like someone had a little too much fun with the thesaurus.
Lunaclown @ Nov 20th 2006 2:46PM
After playing a friends PS3 I've come away unimpressed. It's not a bad console by any means it just fails to deliver upon Sony's hype. The 360 , in my opinion, offers just as good an experience with much easier menus to navigate. The browser included in the PS3 is horrible and broken. The graphics are on par with the 360 when we had it hooked up to a HDTV but when it was hooked up to a SDTV the jaggies were horrible. I realize that with time the developers will come to find the true power of the PS3 but at the moment it just isn't a system that I'd buy. I'll stick happily with my 360 and wait till better games hit the market for the PS3.
Sony's system has landed and it's not all it's cracked up to be.
JJ @ Nov 20th 2006 2:46PM
Also lets not forget that at first 360 wasn't all that great either, took a few firmware updates and what not to ge tthe 360 to where it is today.
I was underwhelmed by the launch of the 360 so much that i didn't buy a game for the system until February/march when Fight night round 3 came out.
Of course compared to a system thats had a year to get its stuff together the first day in the PS3 will seem underwhelming but hey, thats what updates are for right?
if it worked for 360, it can work for Wii and Ps3.
So far though, i've enjoyed Resistance quite a bit, its a great launch title. Just wish i got a hold of a Wii too to see what thats like, but soon hopefully
Steve2 @ Nov 20th 2006 2:48PM
When he created his account last year in 12 minutes he forgot to mention he had to pull out his credit card.
And making an account on PS3 isn't that much tougher than on 360 anyway.
He has a lot of valid points.
"Inexplicably doesn't include HD cables" isn't one of them. Again, there are 4 major standards for HD connection. (component, D4, DVI, HDMI). MS dodged all this by using component only, which is hurting them now that they want to be a full 1080p system (including 1080p movie playback). Sony is full 1080p from the start and that means that including a component cable, which if used precludes most users from using 1080p (and all of them from 1080p movie playback) doesn't make sense.
I appreciate this article from a "I used it" perspective. But all the detailed info seems cribbed from other people (joystiq). You think he actually took controllers to a lot of friend's houses and had to relink them?
And if he expected an all-star launch, he forgot the 360 launch. Both have bad launch lineups.
droptop GP @ Nov 20th 2006 2:51PM
My uncle got one on launch.
He played resistance, finished it, now it just sits there.
He says there's only 2 good games and he has no blu-ray movies cuz he doesn't buy movies and no one rents them.
mywhitenoise @ Nov 20th 2006 2:51PM
All consoles suck at launch, you need to give it time. The PS3 has the most potential of them all, but the Wii offers the best gameplay at launch (thanks to Zelda). In a year Wii will have Wario Ware, Metroid, Mario Galaxy, and SSB. In a year PS3 will have MGS4, Tekken, GTA, Gran Turismo, and Resident Evil (hopefully), they both fair off pretty well.
MosquitoControl @ Nov 20th 2006 2:52PM
Background downloads are what, three months old? So that mention is a bit unfair.
However, it is mostly correct about the 360.
As for PD0, yes, I still talk about how much fun I had in it co-op. Rainbow Six and Gears might change that when I get time to play them later on this year. But, for now, PD0 was much, much better in co-op than any other console FPS. It just sucked in every other gaming form. Hell, it even managed to make Facility suck.
Jason B @ Nov 20th 2006 2:53PM
I know there are lots of 360 launch title haters out there who seem to point to PDZ as an example of an inferior title but lets be honest here, PDZ runs rings around the likes of Mobile Suit Gundam (absolutely hideous) and untold legends (marginally better than absolutely hideous). I don't remember any 360 launch games receiving such low scores...maybe I am wrong but I don't think so. Fact is, the PS3 (with the exception of R:FoM) sux as a gaming platform. Will it get better...Likely Yes. But for $600 I can't see how anyone (who isn't looking for a Blu-Ray player) can justify its current price.
Zell @ Nov 20th 2006 3:33PM
Duh of the day.
(I do enjoy that eggs commercial though)
Jeff @ Nov 20th 2006 2:54PM
"The 360 , in my opinion, offers just as good an experience with much easier menus to navigate."
Well, I'm sold. Because as we all know, it's the menus that make all the difference.
Javi @ Nov 20th 2006 2:54PM
I can see this guy's boss telling him "write something bad about the PS3 because is popular and we need all the attention we can get" Is like making a superhero look bad on the news and then he ends up saving the world, or when there is a tropical storm and the news guys say its gonna kill half the US.
The point is publicity like this believe it or not helps the PS3, is called Hype.
navstar @ Nov 20th 2006 2:55PM
Just FYI, Netflix rents Blu-Ray and HD-DVD flicks. And Gamefly rents PS3 and Wii games too! Rent!!
sracer @ Nov 20th 2006 2:55PM
JJ, what 360 firmware updates are you talking about that got the 360 to where it is today? The only updates that I know of are the semi-annual dashboard updates that added a little polish to the system. But the underlying system is essentially unchanged since launch.
You make it sound like the 360 was an ugly duckling at launch but the firmware updates turned it into a beautiful swan a year later. The difference between then and now is pretty minor, and certainly not enough to justify why the PS3 isn't head and shoulders above the 360.
ME @ Nov 20th 2006 2:55PM
Sorry #8, but I have to disagree. I've had my launch 360 since day one, and have been impressed since the beginning. Everyone always yammers on about PDZ not being so hot, and lord knows it wasn't, but Kameo, PGR3, and COD2 were, and are, great games.
Couple those three launch games with the 360's media capabilities (yes I had Windows Media Center before launch) and the machine, since day one, has been a fantastic investment.
Now admittedly I got lucky and have never had a single problem with the red ring of death, but even taking that mess into account, I think it's a mistake to compare the 360 launch with the PS3's current trainwreck status.
R
Dave @ Nov 20th 2006 3:25PM
The "360's been out for a year" thing doesn't hold water for me. The PS3 isn't competing with the 360 a year ago, it's competing now. In the year it takes for the PS3's menus to get up to snuff, the 360's will also evolve and become better.
That said, I'm sure I'll buy the first PS3 I see on shelves come tax rebate season.
kinshadow @ Nov 20th 2006 4:04PM
I bought a PS3 and I'll have to echo this article's synopsis. The console hardware is nice (very quiet!), but the software has much to be desire. The Store is very clunking, the game categories in the XMB (all demos get shove in the root games tab) make the interface cluttered, no background downloads, etc. make everything seem unfinished. Even the games (e.g. Resistance, which is only one I own) seem a little rushed. I know the system will get better with updates, but they could have at least not repeated EVERY ONE of 360's launch interface errors (plus some) that have since been fixed.
> @ Nov 20th 2006 2:57PM
"Could someone translate that into English, please? I think this poor thing was doing a horribly rushed job at trolling. Again."
Translation for morons: before you post yo' hate, remember that what goes around comes around.. like that 'Wii will not rock you' post/article.
http://www.joystiq.com/2006/11/18/five-reasons-why-wii-will-dissapoint/
Scott E @ Nov 20th 2006 3:35PM
The problem is that the console did not deliver on Sony's hype. In other words, you guys waited a year for a console that is $200 more and not as good. I'm sorry. Everyone said the next generation wouldn't start until the PS3 came to market.... its here and its underwhelming.
droptop GP @ Nov 20th 2006 2:57PM
navstar: Those are US only sites. We're not all Amerignorantcan. And who wants to wait 3 days for a movie rental??
JJ @ Nov 20th 2006 2:59PM
Yeah the whole controller connect thing seems a bit... much. You just quickly connect it with the mini USB provided and boom you're set.
No more difficult than having to hit the connect button on the 360 controllers and consoles and such.
That seems like just something to prop up his word count.
I would like to see his impressions of the 360 a year ago though i wonder if its the same type of rant against the system or not.
Because the 360 has had quite a substantial amount of change in a years time. Its almost an entirely different beast than it was a year ago. Whose to say the same cant be done on PS3 or the Wii.
Although i am awaiting the 360 web browser, i know its nothing special but i thought the browser on the PS3 was pretty neat and worked a lot better with a keyboard plugged in. If the Wii can do the same, then the 360 is gonna have to keep up with the pack in that respect.
Not like its a major selling point or nothing, i just think its neat. Heck i check joystiq from my PS3 now when i'm too lazy to get up from the couch heh.
The Realist @ Nov 20th 2006 3:09PM
Man, I am so freaking glad I didn't buy one of these.
Joker @ Nov 20th 2006 3:03PM
OMG Joystiq!!!! Ur obviously biased to M$ LOL U need to stop being h8trz
minus_273 @ Nov 20th 2006 3:04PM
" All consoles suck at launch, you need to give it time."
You havent played games for very long have you?
Donkey Kong, Super mario brothers, TETRIS, super mario world, mario64, Ridge Racer, Halo, Circle of the Moon, twilight princess(just came out!)
MaulerX @ Nov 20th 2006 3:03PM
#6 wrote: "Exactly. MS anticipated this. Its about right now and right now, the playstation after almost a year's delay is not better than the 360 in fact it is inferior. That does not mean it cant change in the future but right now that is the case."
Agreed. No matter how you slice it, SONY bragged that the PS3 is twice as powerful (2 teraflops vs. the 360's 1 teraflop) and so forth. And yet at this very point in time, the PS3 is getting pwned by the 360 in graphics. Yea, it's first generation games, but it's first generation games that had an extra 8 months in development. (People forget the PS3 was supposed to be out in spring). I mean, how would Resistance have looked if it were released in Spring when it was supposed to??
Read: http://www.hardcoreware.net/reviews/review-348-1.htm It's becoming a common concensus of opinion backed by developers.
vectorelement @ Nov 20th 2006 3:05PM
This is why people with common sense didn't subject themselves to getting shot, getting trampled, running into poles, or cold-ass temperatures (in some parts of the country). And yes, give Sony some time to work out the kinks and smooth out the edges, then we'll see the true potential of the PS3.
With the advent of update-able consoles, do you think the big 3 have been lax in finalizing all aspects of the system? "If it doesn't work now, we can always fix it later." My Gamecube, still to this day since 2001, occasionally makes clicking noises, I assume, while accessing or purging a large amount of memory, sometimes causing the game to crash. If this wasn't an isolated incident, say a firmware problem (buffer overflow?) for example, then I could just get a firmware update. However, since I can't simply download a firmware update for my GCN, I'd have to buy a new one. See where I'm going with this?
JJ @ Nov 20th 2006 3:05PM
I'm not saying the 360 was horrible or an ugly duckling, but the additonal polish the updates added, added quite a bit of polish and made things a lot better i feel.
I never said the system was bad at launch, it just wasn't great. no systems are at launch.
and ME, thats coolt he system was everything it was cracked upt o be when it launched for you, for me it wasn't, I hated Kameo, dont play racing games, and never liked the Call of Duty series (although 3 is nice, but not nice enough for me to purchase it).
So admittedly there wasn't a WHOLE bunch for me to play. But thats the beauty of a bunch of different games, it attracs a bunch of different people, so while the launch may not have been great to me, it was probably great to others. Much like the PS3 and Wii launch may be great to people too.
and as for the whole media connectivity, since i dont have a media center pc, it does and means very little to me, and i'm not about to go out and buy the Xp upgrade, just to be able to stream music and videos. but it is a cool feature to have though for those that can use it.
Brian @ Nov 20th 2006 3:05PM
"Sony is full 1080p from the start and that means that including a component cable"
Wasn't there just an article about how the PS3 downscales 1080p to 720p? And how no games so far are capable of being displayed in 1080p?
Joker @ Nov 20th 2006 3:06PM
OMG Joystiq!!!! Ur obviously biased to $ony LOL U need to stop being h8trz.
1up_clock @ Nov 20th 2006 3:07PM
"Translation for morons: before you post yo' hate, remember that what goes around comes around.. like that 'Wii will not rock you' post/article."
Riiiight. Just because I can't read something that's downright incomprehensible (just look at that sentence structure), the writer isn't the moron, I am. Sure, I'll roll with it.
As for your actual statement, I guess that means if everybody stops finding problems with the PS3, then you would implode. Sounds like a good plan to me.
jojo29 @ Nov 20th 2006 4:42PM
I for one dont like the xbox menu 'style'. I do like the XMB bar style better.
As for "the PS3 sucking at launch" hey it has the same launch lineup that the 360 when it came out. I dont see the big deal. What i do like to see is people comparing Resistance:FoM (1st generation title) with Gears of War (2nd generation title) i think thats awesome because although Resistance doesnt BEAT GoW graphics, just the fact that GoW is A BIT better is a great indication of what what 2nd generation PS3 games will look like:)
Also before you go and say "R:FoM had plenty of development time" thats BS and you know it, its still a LAUNCH title, and still a FIRST effort on a new gaming platform.
WiiStation 3 ftw!!!
Also if you guys think MS will pull ahead in Japan due to their two new rpgs, well thats silly and cute. The competition is here and MS, having really done nothing with their year head start, expect to pull ahead? They are were having problems being solo in the market and now their troubles have doubled themselve. again
WiiStation 3 ftw!
JJ @ Nov 20th 2006 3:08PM
But maulerx... the devs only got their kits a little over 6 or so months ago.
So thats not really extra development time, they had the same amount of DEV time as launch games on the 360 (and of course they say the 360 is easier to develop for too).
Personally i just look at it like back when the xbox came out over the PS2. a slight difference in graphical capability but not nearly enough to be awe inspiring. Anyone who thought that buys into hype way to much. Like gears of war is the best looking game ever and toy story graphics and all that nonsense.
jharr @ Nov 20th 2006 3:10PM
"and as for the whole media connectivity, since i dont have a media center pc, it does and means very little to me, and i'm not about to go out and buy the Xp upgrade, just to be able to stream music and videos. but it is a cool feature to have though for those that can use it."
With the fall update that they just released you no longer need a media center pc to stream music and video. All you need is Windows Media Player 11. As for the "XP upgrade" If you are referring to the update required for Windows Media Player 11 it is free. Streaming actually works great at least for music. Most of my videos in WMV aren't that great of quality in the first place.
mywhitenoise @ Nov 20th 2006 3:14PM
#25 "You havent played games for very long have you?
Donkey Kong, Super mario brothers, TETRIS, super mario world, mario64, Ridge Racer, Halo, Circle of the Moon, twilight princess(just came out!)"
I'm 21 years old, been playing ever since the NES. One good games at launch does not justify a console being good or bad. Everyone does that. Don't be a stupid ass, you'd be content if Wii ONLY had 1 great game it's entire life cycle? I even mentioned Zelda in my post, you douche.
JJ @ Nov 20th 2006 3:19PM
Still i dont get the hate for any console... its not like the console is the one that dictates if you enjoy the games or not
They're simply the device you play games on, in the end its the games that matter so i'm gladd i have a 360 and a PS3 and (Soon hopefully) a Wii. Because then i can enjoy all the games on all 3 systems while the fanboys cry and bicker.
I mean heck to be honest, even now, i still play My ps2 more than any of the next gen consoles i have right now ( Running through FFXII, Devil Summoner, BUlly and Yakuza at the moment) So who says you have to have a next gen system to enjoy gaming? A majority of mine is done on a 6 year old console!
Dre @ Nov 20th 2006 3:15PM
I think most of you are still forgeting something. The PS3 cost $200 more than the 360. For $600 I should have more than the WOW factor. It should be kicking behind every system out there whether at launch or after launch. No HDTV cables for a system who hypes Blueray and HDTVs at 1080p. What is up with that. It's not just the game developers, its Sony. They have their hands on some exclusive developers. Where are they?
I think people are starting to realize that they have been ripped off. Case in point the PSP vs. the DS.
JJ @ Nov 20th 2006 3:19PM
Well i did just recently download the extender, unfortunately a grand majority of my files dont stream. I dont have a whole lot of WMV files. and most of the music i listen too is already on my hard drive or Flash drive for ease of use.
lolx @ Nov 20th 2006 3:18PM
coming from NY Times, what do you expect?
i wonder what "Tokyo Times*" have to say.
(*if there's such thing)
Anthony D @ Nov 20th 2006 3:20PM
This is coming from a huge fan of the PS2/1. I think that Sony has put all of it egg's in one basket with the Blu Ray drive, and that is going to bite them in the ass in the end (no pun intended) What happen's if Blu Ray becomes the Betamax of old??
And I am not even going into the games.....nothing impressed me about the PS3....the menu is the older brother of the PSP (which by then way is a $300 paperowrk on my desk) the controller feels like I could break it with two fingers, and the Sixaxxis control sucks (play Moto Storm, ugh) not to mention the games just do not look as goos as on the 360. I didn't beleive it when I read this on the net, but it for the most part is true.
I would wait at least a year before I would tell anyone to pick up a PS3 myself.....Blu Ray may very well end up on the clearance rack down the road. At least the HD DVD drive is an option for the 360 and not the default drive.....Oh yeah, I saw an article today saying that the Blu Ray discs look like crap.....not good......
minus_273 @ Nov 20th 2006 3:20PM
"I'm 21 years old, been playing ever since the NES. One good games at launch does not justify a console being good or bad. Everyone does that. Don't be a stupid ass, you'd be content if Wii ONLY had 1 great game it's entire life cycle? I even mentioned Zelda in my post, you douche."
Oh, you are 21. I guess that means you remember the NES launch in 1986. I guess you must be a prodigy. Sorry about that. You said all "All consoles suck at launch". Let me reiterate the "all". I just showed you more than a few examples consoles that did not suck at launch. You need to take a basic logic class. Are you in college? If you are you're probably a Junior or Sophomore right? it's usually in the philosophy dept.
clo1_2000 @ Nov 20th 2006 3:30PM
"The point is publicity like this believe it or not helps the PS3, is called Hype."
Wow, what are you doing on these boards, with a spin factor like that, you should be working for Sony PR.
gok @ Nov 21st 2006 8:46AM
Man im telling you, PDZ was totally underrated. It had good graphics (not including char models), very sharp textures. Personally i liked the gameplay too. I'd give it about 80 points.
JJ @ Nov 20th 2006 3:23PM
minus while he may have been overgeneralizing, most if not all consoles are hardly contenders whent hey first launch. For the most part most launches are dotted by maybe 1 or 2 good games and then a whole lot of dreck.
I personally have yet to see a launch of ANY console where i've wanted any mroe than one or two games for it.
This current generation included.
suffah @ Nov 20th 2006 3:29PM
Why do Sony apologists keep saying this is only 1st gen stuff, etc? So we should be comparing PS3 2007 vs X360 2006 edition?
The writer should somehow predict the future and write about not how the consoles stack up TODAY, but how the FUTURE PS3 stacks up with TODAY'S X360. Right....
As it stands right now, PS2>>>>X360>>>>>>>>>>>PS3. Of course this will change dramatically over time, but you Sony apologists are incredible sometimes.
On another note, I see a lot of Ebay auctions now ending in the sub $1000 range:
Console after tax: $640
Ebay/Paypal Fees/Free overnight shipping: $50
Free game or controller incentive: $60
Total Cost: ~750
Auction End: ~900
Total profit for camping out 3 days: $150
Nice work, scalpers.