The Ps3 Enigma

A year ago everyone had there doubts on Sony's newest Console. Now it looks like Sony means bussiness.

2007 was a year of getting used to the water for the Playstation 3. They were lacking AAA titles, PSNetwork depth, and much more features the other two consoles where already showing. Sony needed to turn the volume up to 11 on its new console and quickly turn things around. With many lost exclusives, and very little stolen exclusives 2007 was looking very grim for the PS3.

2008 has roled around and it looks as if Sony is operating like a well oiled machine. They kicked off the start of the year with some good multiplat titles, then it continued to grow from there. Recently tons of new stuff has appeared out of the blue which is sure to kick things into overdrive.

1. PSN Movie Downloads
2. Update 2.4
    a. In game Messeging
    b. In game Music
    c. Trophies
    d. Ect...
3. More AAA exclusives
4. Return of the lost RPGs
5. Home

I dont know if sony can continue to turn things around, and drive then further and further. I guess all anyone can do is sit, relax, and wait till the goods start to come. Ill see you on!

PSN: LuciferEx

[crunchie101]

Despite everything that's wrong with the Playstation Network, one has to admire how Sony are reacting to consumer's needs. When you think about it, what people are asking, nay demanding, is an online experience, free of charge, of the same calibre as Xbox Live, which has been a primary initiative for Microsoft since Xbox's inception, for Playstion, for which until now online has never been a primary focus.

Microsoft has had 5 years to perfect their service and they charge for it. Sony are catching up at a phenominal rate, keeping the PSN free and still they recieve flack.

Can't wait for 2.4, and can't wait for E3.

[Jack Meahoffer]

I totally disagree with this whole "MS had 5 years but poor Sony has only had 2 years" concept. SegaNet started online console gaming a LONG time ago. SegaNet dropped the gantlet so Sony, Nintendo and MS all got the same wake up call. Sony somehow didn't know console online gaming existed until XBL on the original Xbox? Come on thats total BS. They're catching flack because they deserve it. Same with Nintendo.

On top the 360 was out a year before the PS3. In the year of extra development they couldn't have implemented these features they're just now promising?

Like I said I've very happy these updates are coming and if the do in fact deliver XBL quality features for free then a lot of gamers including myself are really going to question why we're still paying $1 a week for XBL.

[crunchie101]

I see what you're saying, and I think Sony really dropped the ball for ignoring the importance of online gaming for so long, but what I'm saying is that since they have started to take it seriously i.e. since the huge backlash when the PS3 came out, that they've been doing very well.

Also we have to remember that Sega was quite radical as a Japanese company for being so forward-thinking as regards to online play for the Dreamcast - I believe Phil Harrison when he talked about the Japanese side of Sony being stubborn and not supporting the online initiative as much as it could have. But hey, no-one really knows what happens at these companies so all we can do is speculate.

[Jack Meahoffer]

Totally agree Sony has really been focused since the launch of PS3. They deserve kudos for that. I can't wait for all these new features to come out. Can't wait for E3! Great time to be a gamer.

On the behind the scenes at companies... Man it would be interesting to be a fly on the wall. Thinking about all the dirty back room details that shape the industry... What would it have been like to have been there when the whole Nintendo back stab thing happened with the SNES CD.

[59fifty8]

true true i admire your thinking. but the ps3 is a very new console different from the other 2 the programs are a long time in development. like home has been 3 years in development. xbox live has been polished very well since the first system. as a ps3 owner i hope 1 day the ps3 network surpasses the xbox. but truefully there is more than enough space in the industry for all 3. just asked nintendo.

[mattkelly1991]

I agree with all of you guys. I just was realising how they kinda stored all there ammo for this summer. I mean, EVERYTHING is being announced at E3 or 1 month before it. Im really excited to see Sony getting back in the game this year.

[Max Power]

that a lot of information has been release prior to E3, which means that they have other bigger annoucements (one would hope) that would be completely unexpected and needed. i'll hoping that Sony is looking into the Eye Toy has a possible controller function, i know there are companies which are doing that but they are far from ready to release it, and too have games to use it.

[JoelR]

Developmental Priorities for the PS3 have been a bit different from what the american audience has desired in the past as the firmware is developed in Japan and so the developers there have used Japanese development priorities. Online is really a nogo/slowgo in Japan so to see that the firmware is reflecting the US preference is actually a major fundamental change in thinking in SCEJ to that of SCEI. Ken started a realignment about online practices before he left and Kaz's continuance of this policy has helped immensely in the new direction of the firmware. Honestly Ken did not expect the outcry about lesser network services so when it hit they had to restart their developmental process on that.

Nintendo is also experiencing this realignment of developmental priorities so eventually expect them to start really picking up the networking slack.

[DX F3NIX]

2 more days for 2.4

[mattkelly1991]

Not to be a really big douche but its 3 days... I mean the video is 2 days(30th). But the actual update is 3. ANYWAY... ROCK THE HELL ON!!! WOOT WOOT WOOT WOOT WOOT WOOT. I CANT BE MORE EXCITED AT 1AM.

[DX F3NIX]

dude i live on the other side of the world its actually 2 more days for me.

[pardeepd]

Sony focussed on the hardware and got us a good one
MS focussed on software and got us a good one

Sony improving on the software front MS offering warranty on hardware front.

[JoelR]

actually Sony software has a lower bug/1000 % then microsoft software....
So Sony makes better quality software as well as better quality hardware.

[JoelR]

Disagree if you want but it is true - Sony software development has a much lower error rate per 1000 lines of code then Microsoft does. Care Counts - throwing out a feature because it is made does not mean it is ready for prime time.

[mattkelly1991]

I think what he meant by better hardware is the scope and detail of the programs, not the bug rate. Xbox360 interface is nice looking, PS3's is Simple looking. Xbox360 interface is alot less smooth, becuase of the niceness. Listen, before I start rambling. BOTH consoles have balance. For everything Sony has, Microsoft has something else.

[bootsielon]

The PS3 is almost perfect, and if you let me choose between waiting for a Reliable Machine with lots of hardware features that will make games better, or a rushed machine with some limits for developers, then I choose the former. Unfortunately it had its downsides like not having all its killer games on the first or second year, or not having all the software features, but as I said before, these are only temporary.

On the other hand, how the hell will Microsoft fix the massive quality issues? How will they be able to keep up with Sony once the PS3 gets Final Fantasy? IMO, MGS4 was only a rather small taste of what we'll see from now on on PS3, something that can't be done because Microsoft chose to ship with DVD and without HDD. If Microsoft had launched in 2006 with no quality issues, HD-DVD and HDD out of the box, even if pricier, Sony wouldn't have been able to claim much superiority on its PS3, since Xbox 360 would have come out with lots of more features.

However, I understand that for Microsoft to have been able to stand a chance against the PlayStation brand had to take lots of risks, like launching a rushed machine with not so many cutting edge technologies, because if they had made a better machine that launched alongside PS3, most of the lost PS3 exclusives would have remained exclusives, and nobody except Hardcore gamers and fanboys would have wanted to buy a $600 dollar Xbox, regardless of how much better it would have been, and regardless of having both Gears and Halo 3 Multiplayer at launch (assuming they aimed for that too).

If that had happened, PS3 owners would still be waiting even more time for all the features it has now, plus games like GTAIV, MGS4, FFXIII, DMC4, etcetera since developers would have taken even more time to polish those games specifically for PS3, especially since competition wouldn't be there.

As much as I hate the fact that 360 has quality issues, lacks a next-gen drive and HDD out of the box (a big one), it helped make the market more dynamic and competitive, which is good for us gamers.