Ben-DutkaThis is a new series we're starting that takes a look at how the PlayStation 3 is progressing, and how it currently stacks up against the competition. At the end, we'll issue a score on a 10-point scale, so as an example, the system would've scored a 2 or 3 – if only for potential and a few decent exclusives – during the early months of its existence.
We've all noticed how rapidly and significantly the PS3's position has changed over the past couple of years, so we believe it's time to step back and take both an objective and subjective look at the system's current market position (there's always a hint of subjectivity, regardless of the situation). As of now, let's take a look at the pluses and minuses:
Plus: Killzone 2 just launched : It's easily one of the best games of the generation, arguably the best FPS in history, and arguably the best PlayStation 3 exclusive to date. It's both intense and highly polished and is widely considered to be a must-play by most journalists and avid gamers. This should translate to the title being a legitimate system-seller, too, but we won't know that until we see an increase in hardware sales in the next stat report.
Plus: The PSN is on the seemingly permanent upswing : With more and more content flooding our way, we've seen great additions to great titles, a lot of cool content (like Qore and Pulse), and exclusive downloadable titles that have been well worth the price of admission. Most recently, we would point you in the direction of Flower , which remains one of the more impressive achievements we've laid eyes on.
Plus/Neutral: PlayStation Home : This is like a cross because while Home keeps garnering new members and the new Spaces certainly enhance the experience, it seems they're a ways from recognizing the application's true potential. The expectations remain super high, but they've got a lot of work to do.
Neutral: Blu-Ray is still a bonus…but leveling off : Standalone Blu-Ray player prices have fallen and in this economy, it may not be worth it to spring for the $400 PS3. Furthermore, with no massively huge releases since "The Dark Knight," Blu-Ray sales haven't done much of anything. However, the benefit to game developers becomes clearer with every passing day, and let's not forget about the Blu-Ray version of "Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children"…
Negative: Still a lack of marketing/advertising : Killzone 2 came and went, and while we did see a few commercials and there was plenty of promotion in print publications and online, I think we all agree it could've been much more visible. They've still got to work this out, and they had better push upcoming exclusives like Uncharted 2: Among Thieves and God of War III with more vigor.
Negative: Price : It's still the priciest console out there and the economy just makes everything worse.
In the end, the future outlook for the PS3 remains good. It appears as if it will thrive on the excellent exclusives on the way, and there should be a price cut some time later this year. So in looking at things right now, we will assign a current analysis score of-
7.5/10
I don't know how the ps3 will fare along with the competition in install base. It should pass the 360 sometime with the longer life span that is planned, but then it will be competing with the next xbox.
But I would have to say that anyone that owns a ps3 can not complain, and should be fairly happy with where it has come and where it yet is to go. The exclusives are phenomenol for the next year or so.
I am a very happy Launch PS3 owner. It was a great purchase then and it is still a great purchase now.
Yeah sony marketing is terrible, I guess they all on a vacation I guess damn.
i have to complain because my ps3's bluray drive is dead and it doesnt read any disk. Plus its a 60GB and its out of warranty so i have to pay $160 bucks. Thats BS.
i have to complain because my ps3's bluray drive is dead and it doesnt read any disk. Plus its a 60GB and its out of warranty so i have to pay $160 bucks. Thats BS.
this is gonna be an interesting series to read…
Sweet as hell man! Seriously, awesome job on this article! If anything you guys, spice the picture up a bit with tags or something. I honestly think this deserves its own catagory on this web since you are starting with episodes and what not. Definitely something to look forward to. I'd even suggest to change the name from PlayStation 3 to PlayStation [something like World, or Report, or Critic or something] and to bring in PlayStation 2 along the side with PS3. I dunno, I just think getting all 3 hardwares (PS2, PSP, PS3) together would rock somehow.
speaking of which…i own all 3 systems, i used to have a psp but i broke it =S…. but having all three (ps1, ps2, ps3) is pretty freakin awesome =D…
I agree with everything said on this article;
seriously, Sony needs to advertise more!
All of their great works are ignored due to insufficient advertising!
In my eyes II dont see the price of the ps3 as an issue its the marketing. Sony just needs to take a page out of microsoft's book.
PS3 isn't the most expensive. Try to geta PC with all the cell prcessors power and a nice GPU to give FULL HD 1080P resolutions. That'll be $6556456564
city96: Ben said the most expensive console. And he is right.
Last edited by NiteKrawler on 3/11/2009 6:59:18 PM
This is a good idea, I wonder what kind of nuts it might draw in?
The sad part about all of this is sony get so much pressure pull on them. When the psx came out everyone dogged it and said it can't compete against the sega saturn then look what happened.
Then it was the ps2 against dreamcast once again sony system is going to lose this war and look what happen in the end ps2 not only killed a system but also sold more than xbox dreamcast and gamecube combine and is still selling as we speak despite that there is a current war going on right now. My conclusion is ps3 is doing fine its not doing as good as the ps2 because the economy,but you have to look at it this way despite ps3 price its still got some good sales numbers even though it cost way more than its competition. I know for a fact if this recession was not here and the the ps3 drop its price it would be game over. Ps3 will win the war whether people like it or not remember this race is a marathon not a sprint.
Yeah Sony's advertising stinks… I didn't see one KZ2 commercial leading up to it's release. I've seen two or three commercials for Halo wars and that game isn't as good as KZ2. Sony needs to ramp up their marketing, we say this after every release of a big exclusive but nothing seems to change.
Ben, I think the score is a little low overall, considering how capable the machine is, and how versatile it is… Blu Ray Player, PSP connectivity etc etc; in my opinion I would have been a little more generous… probably an 8.2 …too generous maybe? Considering what is coming out for the machine I am sure that overall score will inch upwards slowly… Nice article though and interesting series 🙂
Q!
"i am home"
He had to leave a little room for all the massive growth 😀
i didnt see any kz2 commercials either and i wasnt to sure about the early hype since i didnt get the demo but gettin this game early for regular retail price was one of the best things ive done when it came to buyin games its just awesome and we can hope to expect the remainin ps3 exclusives to do just as well cuz cmon the developers behind sony exclusives are top notch we will see the ps3 beatin the 360 sooner or later give it maybe another year.. while ms is wonderin how to make a new xbox most likely us ps3 owners can rest assured that we wont have to bother gettin a new system unless ur just a system collector…..i cant wait to see wat types of crowds are brought to this topic
I think Sony should take some advertising lessons from Apple. Without the ads, KZ2 is selling well, but if it was advertised like Halo, then it would have been the best selling title no doubt.
The price is also a factor. The sales are good, but if PS3 cuts the price, the console will see like hot cakes cause there are many people are still on the edge to buy a PS3. They still are expecting a price cut.
Thanx PSX I will look out for this series.
Completely agree with PSN being a big plus. Some folks knock it which I really don't understand. Not only is it gorgeous and full of free content, it uses real dollars and cents when buying a game or dlc. I can't stand the 360/Wii points. There's barely a thing on the 360 that doesn't require some point expense. It's nuts! And what do you get for your money? Lost and the Damned … that's about it.
However, I wouldn't necessarily point to Flower as a big plus. Yeah, it's kinda cool, but no FPS crazed xboxer is going to give two hoots about it. They'd probably laugh in your face when you show it to them as the next big PSN launch title. Better off having KZ2 in your library and show them the online play over free PSN than that.
I think if you do the PS3 you should do the Xbox 360 as well to give something to measure against. A 7.5/10 just doesn't mean much to me. What is the Wii? What is the Xbox 360? I have no clue?
I totally agree
I would give it an 8. One deducted for price and one for lack of marketing .
Ben , you didn't mention the free network as a plus .
Sony's advertising problem is that they never really had to in the past. The PS1 and PS2 were such success stories that they sold themselves.
They have never had to play catch up. M$, on the other hand, had to advertise the hell out of the first Xbox in order to compete with the PS3. So they got their advertising act together then and just wiping the floor with Sony.
Sony really (AND WE ALL MEAN REALLY) need to get their act together with their advertising.
The PS1 and 2 might not have HAD to advertise all that much, but I recall some good campaigns for them, like the guy in the Bandicoot suit.
@VinTheDean,
<<<<<Sony's advertising problem is that they never really had to in the past. The PS1 and PS2 were such success stories that they sold themselves. They have never had to play catch up>>>
Er….WHAT??????
Wrong……."ADVERTIZING SELLS"
The PS1 & PS2 machines were great in their own right, but Sony also did the right thing to move them at a greater clip during that time by marketing the hell out of the PS1 & the PS2!
"ADVERTIZING SELLS"
I can remember tons of PS1 & PS2 TV commercials coming out Sony's wazoo during both of their perspective period's.
"ADVERTIZING SELLS"
What I will agree with you is this…
Sony "SERIOUSLY NEEDS" to get off their f*cking fat cushy as*es & FIX their almost non-existant advertizing back to the good ole days, like they did on their PS1 & PS2 commercials.
"ADVERTIZING SELLS"
Oh wait, just in case I forget to mention……
"ADVERTIZING SELLS"
has any one heard anything about M.A.G? i saw it on tv and never heard anything about it after that…
I have a question for you…are you a sniper in real life? I was thinking of joining the Marine Corps Sniper Division. Your name implies you know a bit about sniping.
im afraid not, but my uncle is, and im canadian so i know very little about the marines, but i got the name off my uncle, i heard coldbore and thought it would be a cool name…
but if you do want to be a sniper, you should know that sniping is more stealth and evation then actually shooting and whatnot, there is a lot more then to what you may think, a lot of math stuff too i believe (wind direction/speed, distance, etc.) but if its what u want to do i say go for it
Yeah I know, thats the main reason I want to be a sniper. The patience and brains as well as the powerful weapons you need to accomplish a mission is what I'm looking for. My great uncle was in the Marine Sniper division, and his ability to hit a target, coldbore mind you, was crazy to me.
Plus…This new feature article.
Negative…What do the other systems rank?
L7 356T
What about a PSP analysis series? Strangely, I like my PSP more than my PS3. I'd like for it to survive the winter.
It might also be interesting to put together a list of "what happened to…" features or add-ons for the PSP that were promised but never fulfilled in North America, and the potential for these things coming to fruition. GPS, keyboard attachment, camera, Home integration (even the virtual PSP was replaced by the PDA we have now, don't understand why, it's such a no-brainer to cross-advertise), etc.
If the PSP gets a version of Home, the keyboard has a shot, given that they shelled out for one on the PS3. Since the Europeans and Asians have NA map packs for their GPS's, it might happen here. But maybe this all depends on if they can convince people to buy games for it.
Everwhere I turn there are people exaggerating the price point. Mine cost me £300, my ill-fated 360 cost £300 and my PS2 – all them years ago cost me…wait for it…£300!
With the PS3's web browser, blu-ray movies, supreme quality in general and the best and biggest list of exclusive game developers behind it, I'd happily pay twice the price. But that's partly because I'm still angry about my experience with the M$ junker.
Ben on Killzone 2 "arguably the best PlayStation 3 exclusive to date"
u guys gave MGS4 a 10 on 10, and KZ2 a 9.7 on 10
then how does this to YOU become the best PS3 Exclusive to date?
The key word here being "arguably."
I would still say that blu-ray is a plus, considering the other option is NOT having blu-ray. From this standpoint, the only way blu-ray could be a neutral point would be if the competition also had blu-ray or something similar. So, even if it's not a major plus for someone who is strictly shopping for a blu-ray player, it remains a plus for someone shopping for a gaming console.
Here's a 360 lover who appears to be falling in love with the PS3. Basically saying what Ben's
been saying all along.
check it out.
http://www.gamezone.com/news/02_26_09_09_11AM.htm
I'm glad people like the idea. But just as a reminder, this is a look at the PS3's CURRENT position (as all Episodes will be).
And I'm willing to bet that when a price drop comes and Uncharted 2 releases (with GoWIII right around the corner), I'll be more than willing to toss up a 9 as a score. 😉
Last edited by Ben Dutka PSXE on 3/10/2009 11:14:18 AM
Thank God you added "arguably" with the "KZ2 best FPS in history" 🙂
It's nearly impossible to become a sharp shooter in the USMC. Anywayz, Sony is doing good enough right now. It's just a matter of time before Sony -slowly- rises to the top, with all the great exclusives coming out how couldn't they? There will be a price drop, or so I'm told, so that's really going to help quite a bit. I'm not too sure Sony will have to worry about competing with the new Xbox, it will more than likely have poor console design and a ridiculously massive failure rate. But then again why wouldn't they actually take the time to do everything right and prove they know how to make a console.
Yeah but I have the Genes to become a USMC Sniper. Been my dream since I was a kid. Its hard, but not impossible, which is perfect odds for me. I practice with me uncle every summer and I'm thinking about trying out for it when im 25-27 years old.
Ben I actually don't like this analysis thing
I just find that analysis are made up when they(mostly in the media) have nothing else to cover.
Meh, I'm kicking ass in SFIV, that's all I care 'bout.
I thought that this rundown was fantastic. I very much liked the un-biased approach. Blu-ray needs a major title release ( I think Quantum of Solace will do it), and PS Home is, in my opinion boring. And, the price has to come down. I think $350 would be ideal because that way it is cheaper than the elite, and can compete with its hardware.
well the price does suck. but if you want the xbox to actually do something you're still paying a crapload of cash. And even in it's full form, the Xbox doesn't Meet PS3 standards.
Price to me is perfect,adverstising Meh could careless plus Sony is not the only one backing out of advertising, M$ barely advertised Halo wars i think i saw an add for it but it was walmart saying new this week on global,advertising is extremely expensive and with all the cut backs from all gaming industries advertsing is the first to go, due to the internet does enough for them and word of mouth. Blue ray is slowly picking up, but it takes time i remember when dvd first came out until they stoped making movies on vhs dvd was very slow as well so until they stop producing regular dvds blue ray will be a slow moving for a bit. I agree with Alexmac77 the new bond will be great on blue-ray. Killzone to me at this point is a great game i think one of the best exclusives thus far.
http://kotaku.com/5167384/online-gaming-jumps-in-2009
according to NPD, PSN aint doing all that great. PS3 only holds 21% of online gaming (less than the Wii), and PSN DLs are slowing year over year.
I would also call Home a neutral/minus myself, based on anectdotal evidence.
I would give it a 5.5/10
No idea what they're talking about. There's no chance in hell that PSN DLs were "slower" in 2008 than in 2007.
If you want real stats from Sony themselves, you can check their recent press release info-
https://temp.psxextreme.com/ps3-news/4672.html
Joe: I wouldn't say Home is a minus in any way. As long as you walk around it as a guy avatar, you should have no problem lol. I'd say plus/neutral is a good assessment. Although right now I'm leaning more toward neutral, I'll definitely be visting the RE 5 space when it gets fleshed out.
Not that it is completely pertinent, but I remember a few months ago guaranteeing that GameInformer would give Killzone 2 less than a 9. And sure enough, the latest issue has the game sitting pretty with an 8.75. To be fair, the "Second Opinion" reviewer gave it a flat 9, but that doesn't count toward the Metacritic total…
Anyways, I just remember World asking me to keep him updated on this. Sorry so late, World.
-Arvis