Ben-DutkaQuick note: This is in lieu of my normal Week in Review, in case any regular readers are wondering.
For the most part, we're not into mud-slinging, and we're not about to start here by targeting certain sites and casting aspersions on their efforts. But as I peruse the Internet every day for work purposes, I've seen most every PlayStation-related news and media resource online, and while I also don't really believe in shameless self-promotion, I believe we are unique in a variety of ways. Shouldn't that be worthy of attention?
Look, here's the deal- we will not bombard you with ads, no matter where you go on our site. And because we don't jam seven million animations onto the front page, we also have one of the fastest-responding sites anywhere. This is a testament to the guys behind the scenes, of course. We recently overhauled the site – updating from the older look – and I think the community has responded very well to the change. At least one PSXE member is working on something 7 days a week, most every day of the year, and that's saying a lot because we have a small staff. We update all our media (videos and screenshots) on a weekly basis, and we pride ourselves on keeping any and all PlayStation news-seekers completely up-to-date. Check back over the week's updates to check for yourself; did we miss anything even remotely significant? I don't think we did. If it's PS2, PSP or PS3-related, we typically have it covered. Fast.
When you wake up in the morning on any day of the week, we've got at least a few updates for you already, and we add more as the day goes on. We may not get every single review up immediately – like I said, it's an admittedly small staff – but when they do go up, I dare you to find deeper or more informative reviews. We keep our previews updated as well, and here's something else everyone needs to realize: we are not biased towards Sony just because the site is limited to PlayStation content. We reported the same doom and gloom regarding the PS3 as everyone else, and if we have opinions, we express them in editorials and don't blast you over the head with them in news articles. We also write all news updates correctly and professionally, citing appropriate sources and giving you the information you need. We do this 'cuz we love to do it, and because we're positive our readers appreciate it.
John and I have an extensive background in entertainment journalism outside of gaming, and Arnold is the veteran who will equal any other journalist's overall industry knowledge. Val and Dan do an awesome job behind the scenes. Thing is, when you see a news article, preview, or review, it was written by a professional, and I'm sorry to say, you can't be guaranteed of that at other sites. But here's another guarantee from us- we are almost always accessible. I have responded to every e-mail I've seen for over two years, and our loyal readers will attest to that. Ask us questions! We'll answer them. It's a damn shock, isn't it? Go to GameSpot or IGN and try that. We keep our Comment section as civil and intelligent as possible, and again, I challenge anyone to find a feedback section for articles on another site that's better. We go out of our way to eliminate problematic posters, and that includes both trolls (LAMLAMLAM, Sony sucks) and the Sony fanboys who bash on other systems. We don't tolerate that kind of thing and never will.
See, that's probably our best feature. Our community is great . We have to thank all those readers who have dropped well over 100 comments per day on all our content, and didn't trash the new Comment system with a bunch of inane responses. You guys have impressed us with your knowledge and general good mood, which is exactly what we want. This is supposed to be a fun hobby; we want people to be in a good mood and have fun when they're here. We'd like more activity in the forums, but that's going up slowly but surely, and the more quality members we get, the better off we'll be. In short, here's the breakdown of what PSXE gives you-
Sure, you could find one or two of those features at other sites, but it's tough to find them all in one place. PSX Extreme has worked to become your #1 PlayStation resource, and we'll continue to work to convince the unbelievers. Try us out; sign up to get the newsletter, check to see what our weekly Best of the Best poll is, chat with the guys in the forum or contribute to the comments, or just wander on over every day to take a quick peek. If you own a Sony platform – especially the PS3 these days – you will not find a better resource. We promise. 🙂
Keep up the great work, guys. I probably speak for a lot of visitors, here, when I say this: but I come here, first. And over time, I've stopped going to a lot of other sites.
I am truly glad I found this site before some other crappy gaming site. Thank you all for your commitment.
This is my Homepage XD…
Which is exactly why I love this site. I really do. I love the community feel. Talking to the employees of the site is impossible anywhere else.
Another BIG reason Psx extreme is the best, the editorials. I love Ben's editorials, they are always very intelligent and professional. And while they are not always about games, they are what gamers think about.
I really, really enjoy the site, and would like to thank you guys for always doing such a kickass job.
there's nothing wrong with bragging when it's the truth.
Last edited by Jed on 10/5/2008 12:54:30 AM
That is something which really gets to me(in a good way)
The fact that you can converse with the staff of the site and they even have opinions on things, SURPRISE!
Most other sites it feels like they write stuff and then go behind a black curtain(where they collect the mone *cough* Gamespot *cough*)
lol anyway one of the reasons too is that there was a magazine called PSXEXTREME back in the ps1 days…I loved that magazine and when I found out there was a site with the same logo I just had to check back often.
To my surprise the posters here are pretty amazing. We won't always agree on things, but for the most part we're all very civil and thoughtful when making comments and discussing news.
But the VERY reason I started posting was 'cause of Ben's editorials. Those speak for themselves, really good stuff.
Ben, the efforts put into PSX Extreme are worthy and very appreciated by myself, all the guys here. A responsive site, that includes excellent well balanced reviews, with humour, intellect and a decent group of fans… It is home away from home…
A couple of suggestions;
1] In Playstation HOME, would the PSX Extreme team and yourself set up a PSX apartment so that members of the community can pop in virtually and chat in real time to one another or launch into a game
2] Could you record/podcast your written reviews, so if an apartment existed, I could simply pop in and stream a "read" version of the preview/review
3] You could decorate the apartment walls appropriately with some media… maybe a game of the week theme, or if a game gets a perfect 10 score, the apartment decor reflects that
4] Some of your advertisers could have a sequence playing on the apartment flat screen. Maybe this screen is clickable. Click on it and the advertisers information pops up in the in-built browser similar to Playstation Life
5] You can setup vitual gatherings, or extend forum invites if it becomes popular…
Some ideas… maybe not enough time… involve the community to some extent, especially the people who have the time to contribute… you can always give something back to the community by holding regulat competition or giving away some hardware like a few PSP's during the year etc…
Keep it up!
Q!
"aLL RoAds LeAd To PsX ExtreMe"
…I had to this time 🙂
I like that idea. We should have HOME presence…why an apartment though? Let's do a mansion 🙂
Home certainly offers all kinds of opportunities, and those are great ideas. If we had more people I'd say it'd be more feasible, but at the very least, we'll always be accessible. Maybe we can do some of that outside of Home, too, if we can find the time, and we do look forward to meeting a lot of you when Home releases.
As is, I'm sure I'll see some of you in the R2 beta, and of course, I'd certainly prefer hangin' with PSXE readers than with just any ol' players. 😉
Off topic, an important post I wanted people to read regarding "Linger In The Shadows"…
Having played about for years on machines like the ZX Spectrum, the Commodore 64 and the famed Amiga (which, by the way, is still supported and has just had its OS updated to OS4.1) I have been waiting long and hard for the "demo" scene to break out on the PS3…
The issue with this is that alot of the younger players have no clue what "demo" productions are. I was part of a "demo" group, I used to compose music and art for the group "Vapour". We produced a music disc called "DJ Thunder"… in otherwords we produced a "trackmo".
Put simply, a demo crew are a bunch of guys who want to push the targeted hardware platform to the "limits". The Coders bang the hardware directly and produce stunning effects and sequences that the original engineers of the machine (like the Commodore 64 or Amiga) never though possible. Squeeze every possible clock cylce from the hardware effectively. It is a great hobby.
There are many demo parties that are held every year in Europe. Productions are entered into competitions and the greatest production in its category is voted on and a winner chosen depending on its production value/score etc.
It is great to see your work on the big screen so to speak. Whilst Linger will be a great experiment, the problem I have with it is that demos are coded/made by the community, they are made to be "free", not to be commercialised…
Let us hope Sony opens up the hardware and permits coders to push the machine, to show off what the hardware can do under specific conditions… I hope they don't commercialise this open free creativity… it is not meant to be commercialised and should never be…
Q!
"aLL RoAds LeAd ToO HoMe"
Last edited by Qubex on 10/5/2008 1:20:51 AM
All the points highlighted is exactly what makes me check on this site every so often. Keep up the good work guys..
Nice article… I enjoy it, after reading this entire article i had to become a member. I always come here especially for the 5 news link always on the left LoL. <(-_-)>PlayStation 4 LiFe<(-_-)> This is my first post on this entire site.
Welcome
First site I visit for my Playstation news.
Just a few months ago nobody was posting comments, myself and a couple of others started, and soon more people began signing up. (I'm pretty sure there are thousands out there who don't post but are regulars) What I like, is that most of the members who post here are easy to recognize. I go to another site *cough*psu*cough* and there are just so many members, only about 3-4 really have faces on there. I'm pretty familiar with 90% of the posters here.
I like the size and the way the PSX community works. Keep up the good work guys.
Thanks for all the hard work and dedication that everybody puts in to make this site so great. The larger gaming sites can take a lesson or two from you guys. Especially with the interaction between editors and members of the site. Most of the editors on the larger gaming sites post a story and that's it their finished. Those larger gaming sites might as well be ran by BOTS. That is why I keep coming back here.
Last edited by BigT_1980 on 10/5/2008 3:12:22 AM
Nice work guys, i look at this site every day and there's always more than 3 update and thats why i favour this site ova any other and the fact that its just great!
Maz
I WISH SUCCESS upon you guys!!! I know sponsors are necessary, but you don't have too much traffic. I like that…a lot. I know you guys slave over this site. Its always current and of high quality.
Your unbiased, real journalism gets my attention. Your editorials with a human edge gets my loyalty. Thank you Ben and thank you Arnold and everyone that makes PSX possible. I want you to read this so Ill end with: amidst the blur of the partially (biased) inclined internet we have you…a sony flagship of fairness and yet we still get news WE want to know. P.S. thank you for your proficient writing style…
I dunno. I've sent 3 e-mails and have had no response. I've even tipped you off a few times and have had no thanks. Sometimes you guys predict too much (which is good, but you take it to the next level by saying something extraudinary). I know companies talk shit, but I think you shouldn't guess so much. It's not fun thinking something will come when it doesn't because you guys told us it will.
Other than that, I check in everyday. I find the site amazing and really good to go to for news. Thanks, and good luck. Just remember, this is only constructive critisim. You don't want everyone to suck up your ass.
If you sent any tips and didn't receive any reply, that's weird. I simply never saw them; I will always respond, even if I don't plan to use the tip. Are you sure you're using the correct e-mail? bd****@te**.com?
I sent it to webmaster. I'll remember to use your other email instead now.
Indeed,keep up the great work guys!
I agree with everything. Heck, I even check this site before checking my e-mail. And that's saying a lot.
Me Too…this site is the first thing I check on my computer in the morning and I check back several times a day. Great Gaming website!!!
So do I… 🙂
Q!
"aLL RoAds LeAd ToO HoMe"
I check this gaming site before any others. And most of the time, updates here aren't anywhere else. Definitely up to date. Keep it up.
PSXE is a very reliable site, most of the time the info is updated and accurate, is very user friendly and the community is kind of cool.
And I thinks it awesome that you guys take the time to read all the comments and post about them.
Thanks for the good work and keep it up
I check up on this site everyday, and i love your editorials etc.
two ideas for you:
1] Game release dates on this site.
2] try to do as much of Qubex' plan as possible, i love it!
Here's looking at you kid! 🙂
Q!
"aLL RoAds LeAd ToO HoMe"
Haha I have never clicked on an ad by accident on this site before until just before this post, and I thought " DAMMIT BEN YOU LIED!" lol but Im honestly just kidding, and this is by far the best site for PS news I've ever seen, and it's the first site I visit every time i go on my computer, and I check back requently. You do a great job Ben, and the rest of the staff too. I agree with every word said in this aritcle.
PS. I checked out the demo for eternal sonata last night, and it's actually much better then I expected.
I don't need to go on other sites for my daily information on the platform I choose.
Keep it up and bring me the good and bad news.
I agree. This is a great site and my number one spot for playstation news. You guys are my homepage on my computer's web browser and my ps3's web browser. That's how good you guys are. Bravo.
Spot on. And I can attest to everything
I go on this site because its more upto date with news than other sites, We also can discuss about articles which saves me joining up on to 20 forums each about a specific game. Its also easy to navigate & doesnt have all these plug-ins & crap that IGN & Gamespot have, so it loads up quickly on my PS3 web browser.
brap brap keep up the good work guys, i am a daily reader although i don't comment much, this is the #1 playstation resource site for me. thank you
woah how did that get double posted….sry, and yeah i too like Qubex's suggestions their awesome=D
This is my first comment, on the first day of this member account's creation (I should've created it months ago), and I must say that I couldn't have chosen a better article to post it in. Your website has given me news on things that I couldn't find anywhere, and then some. Also, I like your articles that are on a more personal note rather than just gaming news. It's like the perfect place where Playstation fans like me can come for the best in just about every gaming-related thing that someone could ask for. This site is definitely my #1 for the Playstation scene, and I'm sure that things will keep getting better here. Thanks for your hard work. GO PSXEXTREME!
Thumbs up!
this is why i come here
rightous, guys.
Keep it up. I dont wanna have to go out and find a different homepage now that if found a good one…
i love this site,
and congrats again for being in opm:uk for best news site
I wasn't aware…is there any way you can send us evidence of that? I don't think I can get my hands on a OPM UK here.
yeah what issue? I'll photograph that!
I honestly don't remember how I came across this site last year but I am so glad I did!
Since I got my PS3, when the old 80gig came out, I have always been reading your articles. Like many others have said, it's now an addiction for me. I've set PSXE to my homepage so everytime I load up the internet I read a couple articles until I go to the site I need to go to, altho sometimes it's bad because I tend to forget what I was supposed to do after I finished reading, haha.
All of your articles are very interesting, well stated, and straight to the point. I could go on and on, but one more thing lol…
This is really the only site I have ever come back to so much in my life. It's the most mature site I have ever visited. None of that "first comment, WOOT!" crap or a small "game sucks" comment here and there. Plus you guys take real good care of such comments and even reply with you own opinions. I just can't get enough, honestly! So keep up the good work! You guys really are the best!
Last edited by Daedusian on 10/5/2008 2:11:47 PM
When I signed up for the news letter a few months, ago, I didn't realise how much I was missing out on until I came to the site daily! I'm glad I started.
Your approachability, professionalism, and constantly updated and accurate stories have no match anywhere that I have found. Thank You
After reading this I decided its finaly time to make an account. Im probably one of many people that visit this site often, but don't have an account nor post comments.
PSX truly is great, and like many people here, its the first site I come to for playstation news. Its imformative, and it just seems to have everything Im looking for. One of the reasons that make it great is because of the balance and non-biased aspects. Its good how PSX doesn't bash the other consoles, infact- you even phrase them sometimes, kudos to that.
Im a proud 80gb Ps3 owner, and I can't ask for more from PSX.
xD It's alright, you aren't alone in becoming a member at the sight of this article! Kudos to everyone that makes this site so great!
i have this site on my favorites. and i check it every morning and before i sleep at night 😀 keep up the good work guys =)
I agree and do the same thing as eLLeJuss. I have this site in my favorites and check it in morning and then night before bed. In my incredibly busy life, it's nice to have a site I can goto to read about PS gaming news and respectable reviews/opinions on a hobby I love.
Thank you and keep up the good work!
i'll try,
it's on a section were it says all the gaming sites,news,funny,corporate etc.and this site is one of them.
also:they give pictures for each site,you got the ever lovable rachet from RandC
Last edited by tramp on 10/5/2008 5:32:50 PM
i'll tell you what ,send me your address and i'll post iy to you.okay??