TIME magazine rounds up the five "phenomena" on the year that captivated the media momentarily before ultimately going bust on the hype. The PS3 shares the not-so spotlight next to Bode Miller, Studio 60, Fox TV's canceled If I Did It program, and Snakes on a Plane as the year's biggest letdowns according to the magazine.From the article's sub-section entitled HOW TO BLOW A HUGE LEAD in video games: "The PS3 is hideously expensive--it goes for up to $600--and Sony manufactured only a piddling few hundred thousand for the U.S., fewer for Japan. Plus it's hard to write games for; the launch titles were lame. You know you're in trouble when you get beat by something called a Wii." Sony would have to try really hard to get anymore negative press for the PS3, not to mention other facets of the company's endeavors. Can an electronics brotha get a break? Maybe a slight one if we didn't run this story...
[Thanks, lk]













(Page 1) Reader Comments
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Even though TIME isn't a mag that "hip kids" read, it's should have quite an impact on those who would purchase a console for their kids.
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Blake? Blake Snow? Is that you?!
Man, I can't believe they put Studio 60 in with PS3...I like Studio 60.
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The PS3 did have a bad launch, but most people don't buy game systems on launch anyways. There is just more media hype this time. By next Christmas, we'll have a better idea of everything, and the launches will be completely forgotten.
And though not game related, Studio 60 is a great show, regardless of the ratings.
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Poor Sony. You deserve it.
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But to throw out predictions this early in the so called "WAR" is ridiculous.
The only thing that can be safely said about this article is that TIME doesn't WANT Sony to win (which I admit might not be a bad thing).
But in life what you WANT and what you GET are two different things. (Ask Microsoft in Japan if your confused in any way)
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Its almost as if sony has some sort of anti-hype surrounding them. Negativity so strong that it reproduces to make more negativity. Its going to take alot to turn it around. Or maybe they will get so buried underneath anti-hype that they acheive scrappy underdog status and become the darlings of the industry again. Either way, its hard to percieve things being worse.
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Did I make a typo somewhere? Did I mistakenly imply that someone other than people buy them? I don't think so. What's funny then?
The vast majority of console sales are after launch. That's just common sense. Launch totals are usually forgotten after a while, as they aren't really relevant once more games are out.
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Of course no one will remember their BS by then. I'm not saying that Sony isn't doing everything in their power to fumble the PS3 launch, I'm just saying that when your only other competitor is MS (No the Wii isn't competing with Sony or MS) then you can afford to take your time.
If a gamer isn't looking to recapture some kind of mythical magic that they feel gaming has lost (Casual or not) most of them are going to go with the PS3 no matter how long they have to wait for it. MS has to prove to the previous PS2 crowd that the Xbox 360 will provide the prestige and experiences they came to expect from the PS2 (even if the Xbox and gamecube were techinically better). I think there are a lot of people out there all over America who wouldn't even consider and Xbox or a Wii no matter how long they had to wait for the PS3.
Its as idiotic saying that the PS3 is doomed or whatever as it is to claim for the last 2 generations that PC gaming is dead.
I know that there are quite a few people extolling the virtues (cough) of the Wii, but the reason they are so loud is beacuse they don't want the Wii to end up like the Gamecube did last time. I'm afraid that its more likely Nintendo will fumble the Wii ultimately than an established and capable platform like the PS3 will lose the race. Nintendo only wants a platform they can deliver and sell their first party games on and no matter how they try to disguise it thats ultimately how the platform is going to end up.
Saying that the Wii is going to be on top this generation is rediculous, saying the MS is going to be on top is only slightly less rediculous.
The hardcore fans that come here make up such a small sampling of the gaming public that no matter how you agree with your comrades or fight against other fanboys its the Mindshare that will ultimately crown the winner. PS3 and XBOX will only get better, while the Wii will continue to get uglier and uglier every year, and once you get tired of the motion sensing gimick theres very little to keep it going.
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yes most launches aren't great, but the PS3 launch was directly compared to those of two other systems. the article is about disappointments, and of the three console launches, the PS3 is by far the biggest.
whatever you thought of their launch games, the wii and even 360 launch at least brought something NEW to the gaming scene. the only new thing the looong awaited PS3 brought with its launch is an expensive, and still questionable movie format.
,
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Not Entertaining Show about SNL-like Show = Studio 60
Half the number and ten times more entertaining.
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Ummmm Wii?
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Yeah - there's a word for those kind of people.
It's FANBOYS.
Only fanboys blindly support their "magical" system no matter what. Only fanboys will screw themselves over, pay ridiculously more, wait ridiculously longer, etc etc all in the name of blind faith their system is somehow magically better. Fanboys will put themselves out, all to support their beloved company.
However - fanboys make up a very tiny percentage of the consumer market... You really think little Johnny's parents look at the $599 price tag and have no thoughts of a $250 Wii or a $299/$399 Xbox 360???? Most kids do not get $599 TOTAL for Christmas, much less a console sans games... A Wii or Xbox 360 isn't out of the question for most, though....
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"Studio 60 blows hard ass. And this comes from a Sports Night and West Wing fan. The show within a show isn't funny, most of the characters are unlikable and stupid most of the time, and it's even more preachy than most of Sorkin's work (and that's saying something)."
I agree with you on each point, but I still want to like the show. it's gotten better with the addition of Mark McKinney, but that ain't gonna save it. definitely could do without most of the characters (even nate cordry has nothing to do) and you are right on about how preachy the show is. i'm about as liberal as it gets, but I can't stand it when one of the characters just starts ranting out of nowhere about gay marriage in massachusetts or something
sorkin has always been bad about hitting you over the head with political commentary, but this show takes that to new levels
oh, this is a gaming blog? uh.... playstation 3 is a waste of money. there we go
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Shagi we will see if your predicitions hold up or not. A lot was said about the DS, and don't try and say that it's not the same since it's not a console. The same principle plays. A gimmick vs a super high tech piece of equipment. That's where I'm going with this. I remember telling all my friends when the DS and PSP had there launch battles, how eventually the DS will win. Nobody wanted to believe the DS a less inferior graphical device could outshine the almighty PSP. So keep calling the Wii a gimmick and how it's going to die and how Nintendo will never bring out another console. I think it's all funny, which makes me also wonder how old you are. You probably wasn't around before 1985 so you probably aren't aware of anything about how the past has a way of repeating itself.
Holla at me when you get your Wii.
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Though I have to agree with JohnQAnonymous, naming "You" as the Person of Year kind of removes any credibility I ever gave Time in the first place.
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On the contrary, they've been garnering bad publicity since well before the launch of this console. At this point it almost seems to be coming easy to them.
I can't help but wonder what morale is like at SONY headquarters right now...
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Sony has made more money than any other movie studio in three of the last five years. Now they break their own record in raking in the most money ever at the U.S. and Canada box office in one year:
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601088&sid=a4w4L4fcKEAg&refer=muse
What does that mean for Blu-ray (as well as the PS3)? It further cements the fact that as far as next-gen movie playback formats go, Blu-ray has a brighter future than HD-DVD. All of these 2006 movies are Blu-ray exclusives in the future, meaning anyone wanting them in HD will HAVE to get a Blu-ray player (or a PS3). Consider these other facts (props to theforce8686 for finding some of this info):
- All movie studios except Universal are commited to Blu-Ray. A number of them are not making any HD-DVD versions at all, like box office leader Sony (Spiderman 3 in '07-woohoo!), Fox (Star Wars, Aliens, and Die Hard franchises), and Disney (including Pixar's awesome flicks and Pirates 1-3). Only Universal is exclusive to HD-DVD, and they have been averaging near the bottom half of all of the big movie studios in how well their pictures do over the past few years.
- Of the top 25 highest grossing films of all time (translated, the most popular films), 16 are by companies that are exclusive to Blu-ray, and 8 others are on both formats. Only 2 are exclusive to HD-DVD.
- Next year, there are currently more than four times as many Blu-ray movies listed for release than HD-DVD
- Average price of a Blu-ray movie (about $23 on Amazon.com) is less than the HD-DVD average price
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Maybe because xbots are morons for paying that mark-up?
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Sony said the same thing with Betamax.
Later with music and the mini disc.
Again with portable movies on UMD.
Whats your point, or are you seriously that retarded?
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Now, 360 has had an entire to reap the benefits of:
- only next gen system on market, meaning next exclusives like GRAW, PDZ, GoW, etc..
- improved production such that supply is no longer an issue
- an entire year of Sony bad press (exploding batteries and such)
- etc..
What do they have to show for it? They arent going to come close to their 10 million sold projection for end of 2006. They are non-existent in Japan. They have been outsold by the 6 year old PS2 for all but one month. All their top games are FPSs, etc, etc ... yea, the writing is on the wall indeed, whatever.
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Before you even say it I am going to catch you at it. Sony is a member of the RIAA and has MP3 players out, yet they put their artists on itunes after the MP3 players didn't take off as well as they had thought. So your future argument is again retarded.
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So maybe Time go a little payback.
Also Time magazine (Time Warner inc) is in direct competition with Sony in many types of media and in many markets.
So they have a financial incentive to not give the PS3 and glowing reviews.
I'm just saying....
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