PS3 Price Drop

[Harrison]

I've been discussing the Xbox 360 vs the PS3 with Blue Jedi via PM for the past few days, and I have to say that I'm with the rest of you. There are hardly any exclusive games due for release on the 360. Most are also being released on either the PC, PS3 or both.

He did send me a list of "exclusive" titles, but when I looked at them only 5 were actual Xbox 360 exclusives, and only one of those has actually been released so far.

At this stage it is hard to say what might happen in the next couple of years, but I personally think the PS3 will end up being more popular and come out on top as it did with the past two generations.

Why? First the brand. There are a lot of people who love the PS1 and PS2. Why haven't they already bought into the PS3? Easy. The price of the system still needs to come down so that the average person finds it affordable. Also HDTVs are still not common place in most homes. I expect this to dramatically change within the next couple of years, and once this happens they will be looking for an HD film format to buy into. Knowing the Playstation brand and the PS3 being able to play Blu-Ray discs out of the box means it's a win win situation. In contrast the Xbox 360 needs an additional HD-DVD external drive so you can run the HD-DVD discs, and most consumers will not buy into a product that you are then required to buy more hardware for, just to do the same task the PS3 can do as it is.

As I've mentioned in the PMs to Blue Jedi, the PS3 is still gaining momentum. It's less than a year old and so the first wave of software titles are still in development. The Xbox 360 in contrast has been out a lot longer, but it doesn't really have the killer line-up of titles you might expect after such a long lead time over the other next gen systems.

There is something else. Next to no exposure. Ask any average person in the street about the PS3 and they will have heard of it, and might even be able to tell you something about it. Ask them about the Xbox 360 and many will give you a blank expression. They don't know what it is, and on the whole don't care. I know people who are not gamers and when the Xbox 360 adverts were played in the cinema they didn't understand what was being advertised. Therefore those adverts failed. They are aimed at existing gamers. Sony know their market better. Just look at the Playstation sales of the past. It will win this generation, or Sony will die trying.

The Xbox 360 won't fail, but it will continue along the same path as the original Xbox. And it is American. For this reason it will never sell well in Japan compared to the Wii and PS3, and being American it will sell better in the USA than any other region and end up getting titles released that only appeal to the limited teen American demographic.

As for the Wii I think that will end up as all Nintendo systems have since the N64. A first party platform seeing great Nintendo created games that utilise the control system well, but that will be it. A gaming platform as Nintendo platforms have always been. Fun and generating enough money to keep Nintendo happy, but not something Sony need worry about.

[v85rawdeal]

The ONLY problem I have had so far, albeit a very serious problem (imho) is that every time I eat ice cream, the controller keeps falling off my lap, because there is no cord for me to tuck between my legs...

Now as unimportant as this may sound, I am worried about the damage that could be done to my controller if this happened whilst sitting on a hotel balcony!!!

And if so, who would I sue???

[Harrison]

Well... Nintendo had to provide stronger straps for their controller to protect themselves against law suits. Could Sony be taken to court for not providing a means to tether your control whilst stuffing your face?

[Sharingan]

The PS3 is gaining momentum, and good ol' Sharingan is helping it along!

Just grabbed me a PS3, the starter pack that includes Motorstorm, Resistance: Fall of Man and an extra Sixaxis controller. Couldn't resist. If you subtract the price of the games and controller from the 600-buck price tag, the console itself only cost me a mere 435 quid. For a next-gen console that also plays Blu-ray discs, DVDs and old PS2/PSX games, that's a steal. I challenge anyone to find a Blu-ray player for that kind of money.

First impressions:

Great build quality. Unlike the Wii and 360, the console looks and feels very robust, AND has a slick look to it as well. The sucker is HEAVY, though. If I was the PS3 designer, I probably would've opted for an external power supply - not only could they have made the console smaller, they would also have made it easier to cool the thing. All in all, a good first impression.

Upon turning on the machine, the first thing I noticed was how QUIET it was. It was whisper-silent. I thought that the fans would kick in after playing games for a while, but it didn't do that either. At first, I was afraid the PS3 would be a jet-engine on steroids like the Xbox 360, but I was pleasantly surprised here. Chalk up another one for Sony's console.

The controllers look just like the old Dualshocks, albeit much lighter. They do look a bit dingy and cheap, but if you liked the DS controller, you'll like this one just the same. The shoulder buttons (R2 and L1) are slightly different this time 'round - they actually feel like analog buttons now.

Now, let's move onto the games:

Resistance: Fall of Man: The much acclaimed FPS from Insomniac Games. I was eager to try it out after reading the good reviews, and I wasn't disappointed. It might not be immediately mind-blowing when it comes to the visuals, but what's there is very polished and consistent in quality. The framerate never stutters either, no matter how much is going on on-screen. The gameplay is what you would expect from any other shooter really: tight controls, challenging AI and an immersive storyline all help to make R: FOM a good, fun experience. Being only a first-generation game, I'm expecting BIG things to happen in future FPS titles on the PS3.

Motorstorm: Let's get this out of the way first: the load times are retarded. I'm not sure if I can copy game data over to the HD to alleviate this, but playing from the game disc only, the loading times made me cringe. The game itself however, is oodles of fun. It looks, sounds and feels great, with the realistic physics model being the crowning highlight. I've only played one track so far, but already it looks like a game I can sink my teeth into for a while.

Notice that the above two mini-reviews were based on impressions from playing on a standard definition TV, since I have no HDTV yet. Even so, I was mightily impressed - I truely can't wait 'til I can witness the sickeningly good visuals in a proper resolution. A SD-TV does not do the PS3 any justice. At all.

So there you have it. I've jumped on board the next-gen train, and I'm definitely going to enjoy it. Now, I'll just have to save up for a meaty HDTV, and I'm set for the next couple of years!

The next games I'm going to fetch? Probably Ninja Gaiden Sigma and Virtua Fighter 5.

[Sharingan]

As planned, I'll be fetching Ninja Gaiden and Virtua Fighter 5 after I get off work. I'll be posting some impressions soon.

I read somewhere that it's possible to connect the PS3 to a standard LCD monitor via a HDMI-to-DVI converter cable. Might be a nice stop-gap solution until I can afford a real HDTV!

I'm really needing that next paycheck now

[Demon Cleaner]

So you like beat'em ups? I would never buy any, as I don't like them (besides IK+), I only play them for 2-3 combats, then they're placed in my map folder. Then again, I don't buy any games at all, but if I had a PS3 now, I'd be forced to buy some, as there's no other solution.

[Harrison]

Virtua Fighter V is rumoured to and play very nicely. I've like the series since the third game on the Dreamcast, although I'm more of a Tekken fan myself.

[StuKeith]

I should have my Xbox360 in a couple of weeks. I got it free when upgrading my phone contract!

I could of gone for a free PS3 but the phone was crap and it was a £75 a month tariff!

[Harrison]

So with a £75 a month contract you would not really have been getting a free PS3 then. I suppose with the Xbox 360 they have to give them away free so M$ can still claim they are selling well.