Network now...NEWS
Sony: Competitors "Continue Peddling Add-Ons"
As the new year begins, Sony Computer Entertainment America's public relations department has issued a newly-formulated feature run-down that favorably compares the PS3's value to that of Xbox 360 and Nintendo Wii, directly calling out competitors who have fewer included features.
In a Wednesday press release headlined "Keeping Gaming and Entertainment Simple," the company emphasized out-of-the-box PS3 features such as Blu-ray functionality, built-in Wi-Fi, "huge hard drives," free online gaming and "Ten years of value with a future-proof system via firmware updates that offer new services and features."
A price and feature breakdown by the lowest entry points for each console claimed that the standard 80GB $399 PS3 gets more entertainment bang for the buck than a souped-up Xbox 360 Arcade and a Nintendo Wii.
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Driving the point home, the statement read, "The Xbox 360 requires additional money, multiple upgrades and additional external devices, putting a burden on the wallet and adds clutter to the entertainment center.
"And the Wii’s lack of enhanced features comes at the expense of a comprehensive entertainment solution.
"So as PS3 continues to evolve without the need for additional parts or expenses, expect the competition to continue peddling add-ons in an effort to keep up with the Jones’." [Sony's emphasis.]
With the Consumer Electronics Show kicking off this week in Las Vegas, and both Sony and Microsoft presenting keynotes, the statement may be a precursor to some gaming news.
Asked about the reasoning and timing behind the e-mail blitz, an external SCEA rep from PR firm Porter Novelli told Edge over the phone, "We're entering CES, and gaming systems are certainly something that people take a hard look at there. That was the motivation. I'm sure you'll be seeing announcements from Sony and all of the gaming systems. We thought it would be a good time just to remind everyone of our strong offerings."
In the past, Microsoft has held fast to its decision not to include certain features with Xbox 360, saying the a la carte method gives consumers more choice. And with over 2 million Nintendo Wiis sold in the U.S. in November alone, it's fairly clear there is a certain large audience that doesn't care too much about the entertainment offerings of a PS3 or Xbox 360.
I like Sony's little comparison graph. And by like, I mean its RIDICULOUS! First off, most people buying an xbox 360 will go with the regular edition which costs $249 and includes a hard drive. I understand that they were doing a comparison between lowest entry price points, as opposed to a compatible model, but that seems to have been done to bolster Sony's side. If you compare PS3's online options (amount of games, people, downloads, etc) free is what you should expect to pay versus the 360's robust online world. I like how Sony has to note that "earlier models" of the 360 didn't have HDMI outputs. That's all well and good, but we're looking at today's models so why bring that up? Should we bring up the original $600 price tag of the PS3? Or touching back, why don't we say that their online play is "Limited" like the Wii's? Speaking of, Wii's downloadable content is QUITE robust, and online play for titles such as Mario Kart are what people are looking for in Nintendo Lastly, to try and stand out against Wii's lack of HDMI and limited online play, they should remember that the Wii wasn't created to compete with next gen graphics and online options, but rather innovation and pick up and play for everyone (which we can all agree was a successful strategy for Nintendo). For the record I own a 360 and Wii, and my roommate owns a PS3 (which has been collecting dust for some time now...). I will say, however, that Sony made the right move in adding a bluray player.
I have all three systems. The Wii is for the kids, the PS3 and 360 are for my wife and I. I use the xbox 360 for games much more often that the PS3. The PS3 gets used for watching movies and listening to music more than anything.
Who has better games is an easy argument. 9 times out of ten when you check the top ten games and the Xbox 360 has five titles, the Wii has three titles and the PS3 is lucky to have two titles.
I really like my PS3 and would not get rid of it but is not my game system of choice.
10 years of value; yeah right....nobody will still use their PS3 in 10 years. Personally I don't need wi-fi, a 120GB hard drive, or the BlueRay player. Bottom line; Xbox 360's online gaming experience is superior and I am happy to pay $50 a year for it. Suck it Sony!
They can do that because PlayStation kicks everything else to the curb, always has!
www.online-privacy.cz.tc
I dont understand all this no games crap PS3 exclusives alone cover all genres except RTS not to mention all the multiplatform titles I really think many of you need to do some homework b4 you spout the no good games crap since all PS3 exclusives have gotten significantly high scores the only genre Sony is lacking in is RTS which is soon to be remedied with the release of Stormrise and Red Alert 3.
Yea, Sony is going to announce a price cut at CES. Right, a price cut is the last thing they can afford right now.
I don't know why, but I enjoy reading these threads the best. It's like watching a great college basketball game live...the fans make the experience all the more sweet.
Anyhow, I wonder if the release of this comparison is an indication that Sony will NOT be announcing a price cut at CES. It would seem a bit odd to come out with a chart like this, right before you changed the price on the console.
Then again, it wouldn't be the first time that the different departments of a major manufacturer failed to communicate with one another.
well, if they thought they could convince people that the PS3 is great value as it is, then they'll have the opportunity to shout like crazy about how great it is after a price cut!
Though I agree, it's probably not going to happen just yet.
Im all for Sony and it is definitely a better bang for your buck hands down but did anyone notice that the Wii is a definite ripoff compared to the other 2 ?
Who really cares about BLURAY? I play my 360 on an HD tv with a 20 quid hdmi cable and it looks amazing, I think LIVE is well worth the money, the game demos, arcade game have some decent choices and now the Movie catalogue is getting decent there is always a decent film to download. Okay it has problems and yes the xbox makes a racket and I don't know anyone with a 360 who has not had to either replace it or send it off for repair, that said all of them do replace it, rather than buying a ps3.
Anyway, too many people harp on about graphics these days, it's about gameplay and the ps3 just does not have the games, this may change of course, but right now the ps3 could be 200 and I still would'nt buy the thing.
"I don't know anyone with a 360 who has not had to either replace it or send it off for repair, that said all of them do replace it, rather than buying a ps3"
I've never had a problem with my 360, and the 4 or 5 other people I know with a 360 have not had any problems with theirs either. sure, we don't play games 24/7 anymore, but they do still get the odd 8hr session.
I've always been a bit suspicious of people that have claimed to be on their 4th 360 - they must be doing something wrong if they continue to get 'faulty' units while I don't know anyone (in RL) that has had a problem. Not saying that there isn't a problem with 360s, but it seems that the problem can be dealt with, or is aggravated by how/where people position their console.
Mine packed in around 14 months after I bought it, and yes to be fair some of the guys I game with are never off the thing. Still you and your chums are lucky.
"the ps3 just does not have the games"
Then go educate yourself, Captain. There's so much to play on the Black Blu-Ray Player.
Maybe it's because I'm in the U.K. but I've yet to speak to anyone, at all, who gives a toss about blu ray. I was in a dvd and music store yesterday and there was one small stand "devoted" to the wonders of blue ray, and the film which was getting he most hype? Wall-E, awesome indeed.
And please enlighten me on all the amazing games on the ps3, maybe I'm missing them when I walk around games stores, maybe they hide them or you need a secret handshake to get access to them, either way, I'm still not spunking a weeks wage on a ps3 and a few games.
There is definitely a lot to play on the Black Blu-Ray player for sure, just not as much as on the White 360, I'm waiting for a price drop or God of War 3, what ever comes first so I can justify my investment. Don't get me wrong I bought the MGS4 collectors edition but decided to hold the PS3 till I get more games that I want to play, mean time the 360 gets me a little more exclusives and the multi-platform games I simply get them on the 360.
You need a new argument, the games argument is 2 years out of date. Also I care about blu-ray because I like to OWN my movies with full 1080p resolution.
The games argument might be 2 years old but so far still holds true, this year might finally change that but so far I am waiting till God of War 3 (and hopefully a price drop) to go out and buy me a PS3, as for movies I like you like to own them but if I can have them anywhere I got via download I can definitely wait till I get a PS3 to buy blu-ray movies, so far HD downloads and DVD scaling does it for me so I'm in no rush to buy blu-ray movies and by the time I buy a PS3 maybe the downloads services will be at a point where I can see my self going all the way digital. Who knows but so far its not as important to me as the PS2 and its DVD playback capabilities were.
There are a scant handful of PS3 games I want to play eventually (White Knight Story, Valkyria Chronicles) and if the PS3 were:
around $200
and
backwards compatible
I would happily replace my old PS2 under the TV with a PS3 this coming x-mas. Instead, I think I'll stick with my 360 and my aging PS2.
This type of bullshit comparison chart always smacks of desperation, it seems like some form of Sony self help group propaganda. It's games that will sell the PS3 and Sony have some heavy hitters for 2009 so perhaps they should have one last group hug and feel the love that actually having a good software library should give them.
Sony still doesn't get it. The beauty of 360's model is that it's modular. You have a low cost of entry and only buy the features you want. You're not forced to pay more for things you never need. This is particularly enticing during tough economic times as you can get it cheap and enjoy quality gaming and then buy the other stuff later as you can afford it. Also, Sony conveniently left out the cost of a BlueTooth headset and HDMI cable as others have noted.
Anyone serious about online gaming would never use WiFi, which is precisely why MS doesn't include it out of the box and charges so much for the adapter - WiFi diminishes the experiences for all users in a party, not just the user who doesn't know any better.
You can get 13 months of Live on Amazon for $38 quite often, but it's well worth $50. I would gladly pay Sony $50 per year if they could match the features, performance and community of Live. Of course, since Sony didn't bundle a headset with every system or have set guidelines since launch that is impossible now.
"The beauty of 360's model is that it's modular. You have a low cost of entry and only buy the features you want. You're not forced to pay more for things you never need."
"Anyone serious about online gaming would never use WiFi, which is precisely why MS doesn't include it out of the box and charges so much for the adapter - WiFi diminishes the experiences for all users in a party, not just the user who doesn't know any better."
Thank you PAID commenter, I've only seen that same mantra repeated by MS shills hundreds of times across the internet. You suck, please go away.
Does that make you a PAID Sony commenter, coop? Nope, I've just been a hard core gamer literally since the days of Pong and have seen enough brands come and go not to feel that I need to be an apologist for any of them. I've given all of them my money (I have a PS3, PS2, PSP and a Sony receiver) and call them like I see them.
Proofs in the pudding and obviously MS' approach worked better than Sony's strategy or the sales advantage would be 2:1 in the other direction this generation. That's reality, not spin.
Most online gamers in the US reside in high density population areas (because that's where broadband penetration is strongest in this country) where the weaknesses of WiFi are exacerbated (cannibalization, etc.). I also have my PS3 plugged in even though it supports WiFi, so part of the $600 I paid for the PS3 was wasted on a feature I will never use.
For a hardcore gamer you sure use a lot of marketing-speak. The kind of marketing language I've seen repeated nearly word for word many times before.
@coop - I don't know whether I should be insulted or flattered. :)
That's probably the case because I'm in sales/marketing - just not in the gaming industry (Electronic Manufacturing Services)!
Sorry coop, that's the truth, paid commentator or not. You might not like it, but its the truth. I'm in the Air Force, definitely not paid by MS to point out faults in other people's comments lacking foundation.
That is not why Microsoft didn't bundle an adapter with the console. I have no other option but to use Wifi and I have never had any issues at all playing online with my 360 or PS3. It would have been great if the 360 came with Wifi so I wouldn't have to search for my own alternative unlike the PS3 and Wii.
As for Live, the features are near parity but I also find it funny that many will complain about the performance of PSN but when other games on LIVE have the sames issues, there is no mention of it at all in podcasts, forums, etc., like there is if a PSN game has connectivity issues. I also think many people mistake what they are paying for in LIVE. I mean, what are you paying for to use? They are not taking that cash to ensure most of their large 1st party titles have dedicated servers. They are not doing away with ads for their gold members. I think I am alone, but I haven't really found a compelling reason to pay for Live on my 360. I think many are just conditioned to paying since the service went up in 2002, and are now justifying that it is worth it. Though I won't deny that they have improved immensely but not worth it for me to pay to play a game online.
This is what I was thinking last night as I was playing Gears2 and being continuously disconnected because the host left the game or had terrible lag. Why are we playing peer-to-peer AND paying for it?
WiFi having a higher ping is an urban myth. I measured it on my PC and my PS3, both with cable and wifi, to determine a difference, but in the end I got inconsistent differences of 2-3ms. The range of response time the remote connection give the user are usually bigger than that and might have been the source for my error. At my end there is NO difference, no matter what I use. HOWEVER, setting up a WiFi and running it has its pitfalls, sometime multiple WiFi devices will cannibalize each other. The number of open connections at one time is lower for WiFi, but as long as just gaming is involved, that should not impact WiFi.
And yet the 360 arcade model can still, out of the box play all the multiplatform games that you can get for ps3 and usually they are superior as well as more exclusive games.
I don't see value in the ps3. I see a a weak console with a weak games library.
Yeah right.. Anyhow lets see, you list the exclusives that we dont have.
I can list a few on top of my head that M$ will never own rights to.
MGS4, GT series, Ratchet, Uncharted and etc.... God of War alone.... Never forget that there are 120mil PlayStation fans out there, even if 1/3 went to M$ we still might have a chance. Once the PS3 goes into the 300 sub 200 dollar level, an I repeat again that there is no better deal with how much bang for the buck you get. All the features included, and 500GB drives now for 109. Heck @ 600 bones it was worth it. Anyhow lets see Ubuntu runs fine, sure it blows that you cant access the GPU but then again, u cant even do such thing on other consoles anyway.
The UI improved, the store improved, the best DVD scaling, NAT support, etc...
Here is a list you might want to check out http://www.edge-online.com/features/the-year-ahead-ps3-games?page=0%2C0
You see, that last half sentence is not just uninformed but it reveals a tired and lazy approach towards the ps3. It's your opinion, and as that, it deserves respect. However, you're wrong. ^^
However sad it is, this "newly-formulated feature run-down" is true. Of course it's biased, it's the same kind of cynicism MS talks with every breath (see their last soothsaying about the "inevitable" PS3 price drop "within months").
@ Nick and 4thVariety: you're right, they should count in the HD cables and the headset into their own price, and it's a shame. Still, those things won't change the picture. MS's gutting their customers while letting them "choose", which is a shame too.
I've just upgraded the HDD (from 40GB to 300) in the old PS3LOL the other day. It was absolutely painless and haven't lost anything -- trophies, profiles, everything's the same as before. That's a thing you couldn't do with a 360, among several others. The other thing is, I like the way Sony treats their DRM, and I fear MS won't allow the same freedom with Kodu or with the user created games on XBLA for example. Which is a shame as well, because I'd be interested in the former.
"MS's gutting their customers while letting them "choose", which is a shame too."
From a certain point of view. It's only gutting if you want those features. 4 bucks a month for live isn't gutting IMO. I've been hardwired from day 1 and will buy a BluRay player when it is $149. HDD, I'll give you that one though, they're def overpriced.
You know when you switch out the HDD in the PS3 you void its warranty? I guess the PS3 doesn't have more than a 90 day factory warranty (other countries than the US may have different warranty laws).
"You know when you switch out the HDD in the PS3 you void its warranty?"
No, you don't. It's completely legal, they show you in the manual how to do it, point by point.
"I guess the PS3 doesn't have more than a 90 day factory warranty (other countries than the US may have different warranty laws)."
In the EU (I live there) you have 2 years warranty out in the box for your PS3. I'm not sure about other regions, though.
Nickgamertag said "You know when you switch out the HDD in the PS3 you void its warranty? I guess the PS3 doesn't have more than a 90 day factory warranty (other countries than the US may have different warranty laws)."
Utter total BS there mate, the PS3 manual tells you how to do it and is clear that doing so doesn't invalidate your warranty, go sell crazy somewhere else- we're all stocked up here. I actually muffed up the screw head which holds the HDD in place (because the metal was very soft on it) and I wasn't able to get it unscrewed to replace the HDD and Sony actually sent me a brand new PS3 by courier the next day.
"I actually muffed up the screw head which holds the HDD in place..."
I nearly screwed the screw the other day for the same reason (no pun intended btw). It's a luck that my mate had this super cool screwdriver before I gave the whole thing up. Now I have 240GB to fill. ^^
@Gyak and Arron,
I stand corrected. I don't own a PS3 so I don't know personally. I've just read from a reliable source that it voids the warranty when you do so. That is actually good news, cause that was one area where I was bummed if I ever did pick up a PS3.
Thanks for the info
PS. Arron I wasn't trying to sell crazy, just was misinformed.
PS3 vs. 360, that's the head to head battle of the two most broken pieces of technology I ever had the misfortune of owning. Both just slam your head on the table each chance they get.
360 Bile:
* No HDMI at first -> washed out HDTV signal
* Too noisy.
* Monthly online fee no good for casual online players, only "cheap" for people who are too hardcore.
* RRoD and the fear of the day the warranty runs out = more costs for insuring the thing against technical defects.
* Disc scratching
* That's supposed to be a headset? It's a contraption not fitting on my head comfortably, on top of that some cables hang down to my controller. It's so annoying.
* No browser, or any other internet functionality. XBL is NOT the internet.
* No WiFi, thank god if you get your internet by cable.
* You have to come up with a rechargeable battery scheme. Not just buying them, but also manage loading the depleted ones while playing the charged ones.
* Worst HDD upgrade ability ever.
PS3 Bile:
* Have to buy a headset.
* Have to buy a decent rumble controller.
* Have to buy an HDMI cable..., and they blame Microsoft for peripherals?
* Appalling software update speeds. My line can take 20Mbit, Sony only sends at 1Mbit and only on days I am lucky.
* No preemptive updating of games in my library. Low update speed is fine if the games updated while the PS3 is idle. But no, it waits until the disc pops in. Auto update please!
* Media streaming menu is a mess of epic proportions. Can't you just access the file structure of my network share for crying out loud. Do you really have to mix it up like that.
* Ok, it has a browser, but only for appearances' sake. No surprise the store being its own program now.
* Why give the option of installing Linux when the first thing Sony does is to limit the Ram to 256MB and deny access to the GPU? This effectively kills any chance of running it properly.
* Can't wait for the day the rechargeable battery of the controller dies on me.
Bile on Both:
* RTS and FPS games do not support mouse + keyboard. That's ok if you don't know any better than the crowbar like controls on consoles, but you won't convert any PC gamers with that. If there is an argument, there should be an option!
* Demos for sale.
* Regional content restrictions in the age of WORLD wide web.
* You have to buy the remote to get decent (female compatible) ergonomics during DVD and BluRay playback. Can't they simply learn how to use one of these modern universal rocket science remotes?
* Childish and unacceptable behavior of marketing departments. Need proof? Read the wisecrack mathematics of this article.
* European pricing is clearly subsidizing price cuts of other territories.
* No "in box" community. PC necessary for sustaining current web lifestyle. (PS3 browser, please don't get me started)
In their entirety all those small flaws will add up and make you regret each console every day a tiny bit. It's like chinese water torture every time you turn them on. The saddest part is, that most if not all of these flaws could have easily been avoided or patched. Sony and Microsoft should be real happy that there is no third competitor for the market share they are covering with 360 and PS3.
For what it's worth, neither system supports preemptive game updates. You have to launch the games to acquire any updates associated with them. I'd like to see that in a future dash/XMB update though.
In addition, there are two things about the Sony DVD remote I don't care for: there's no backlight, which makes it impossible to find the correct button when watching in a dimly-lit/dark room, and it's not infrared, thereby making it incompatible with every universal remote out there (including my beloved Harmony series...)
Neither console is perfect, nor will they ever be "perfect" for everyone. At least both companies are constantly working on both hardware and software updates to correct these issues. The same can't really be said of Nintendo, which is still managing to break records with the lackluster Wii; my kids are the only ones who play it, as I'm not on either end of their demographic spectrum.
No no no
You are not allowed to express sensible and unbiased opinions...
ITS HAS BLURAY!!!!!
And once it hits a 299 price there will be no more catching up... It will overtake the X360 like PS2 overtook the Dreamcast. Then M$ will pull the plug on the X360 and introduce the 720 and every XBOT on the planet will attempt to justify their purchase, and pretend that their system is made out of gold... Yah Yah... Same S*it different day, anyhow, great little PR spin. Who cares really? Just enoy the games, i know I am! Uncharted 2 looks better than anything u can bring in your library, and guess what its PS3 only!
After replacing four dead 360's and dealing with their draconian DRM, I'm waiting out the next Microsoft console. Granted these issues were eventually resolved, mostly, they were resolved much later than they should have been. U.S. customer service, once it was moved from Canada to India, went straight down the toilet, and was even worse than Dell's and HP's.
The other upside of waiting is that the initial batch of games should be reduced in price by the time I decide to purchase the next 'box.
WHERE ARE MY SEDATIVES
Cring Worthy
Your all fanboys, that chat rubbish....... get a life
You're here reading it. Didn't you just post on here, too? And you're chatting rubbish about other people's rubbish. Don't you have something better to be doing right now, like partying or doing something obviously more "life" related? Oh, that's right; you're on this very site just like everyone else here.
I love it when people contradict themselves.
Oh, and it's you're, not your. You tell us get a life, I tell you get an education (or spell check ^^).
This just shows how desperate Sony is.
BTW if Sony does keep their PS3 on the market for another ten years they will surely go bankrupt.
Xbox Live: Claxton AGC
PSN: Claxton_AGC
So you are saying that the manufacturing costs that Sony has cut in half in two years time will NEVER be reduced again therefore NEVER providing profit to the hardware within a 10 year time frame? If so, are you also stating that software sales within this 10 year period will come to a crashing halt as to not provide an offset to the losses in hardware?
Sorry but the longer Sony keeps the PS3 in market the better chance they have at making a profit from it. Please also know that Gaming isn't the only business Sony is in.
The only reason they were able to slash the production costs was because they threw away most of the hardware (backwards compatibility for example). If they decided to cut even more things then what would be the point in buying a PS3.
Backward compatibility cost something like $20.
of course it's impossible that people buy a cheaper 360 because they don't actually want/need features that come with the more expensive models. They also seem to have forgotten the issue of backwards compatibility, its free on the wii, granted not great on the 360, but for a new ps3, if you want to play your ps2 games, you have to actually buy a ps2 (£80) and tape it to your ps3, not only costing more but what was it...ah yes adding 'clutter to the entertainment center'. Furthermore according to their statement the ps3 is continuing to evolve. As far as I can see that evolution has resulted in backwards compatability and some other features being thrown away, so it's a less versatile machine than before...inspired, the result being that the old 60gb models often fetch more on ebay than a new one...that's progress.
Still, I suppose you save money with a ps3 on games. cos I can think of 3 worth buying