Menu Close

Carmack: 360 Is The Best Console Ever, PS3 Is #2

Ben-Dutka 105 Comments

We have no comment. Just questions.

id Software's John Carmack isn't afraid to speak is mind, and after his QuakeCon keynote last week, it was clear to attendees that he was more a fan of the Xbox 360 than the PlayStation 3. This stands to reason, as he's primarily a PC developer and Microsoft's console is…well, you get where this is going. Of course PC devs like the 360 more; it's why games initially designed for PC are typically better on the 360 than on the PS3.

But he didn't want Sony fans to get too critical, so he told Ripten that he thinks the PS3 is the second-best console ever made. The 360 would be #1, of course. He says the development tools for the PS3 aren't as good, but the raw cell processing power makes his new game – RAGE – actually better on the PS3 in certain ways.

The "best system ever" debate is one that will never end, and there will never be a definitive correct answer. And remember, Carmack is speaking strictly from a developer's standpoint…I mean, he has to be. The most unreliable system of all time is #1? And in comparisons to other consoles over the years, in regards to exclusive content, available diversity concerning the libraries, etc…we're not sure where the 360 ranks, but we doubt many would put it at the top of the list.

Personally, I'd say the SNES and first two PlayStations are up there.  But I'd have extreme difficutly ranking all the systems.

Read more →

Report: PS3 Tops 360 In Global Active Console Race

Ben-Dutka 125 Comments

There are many ways to interpret sales figures, especially when it comes to worldwide products with a wide range of features.

According to new research released by Strategy Analytics' Connected Home Devices Service, the PlayStation 3 has surpassed the Xbox 360 "to become the number two TV console worldwide by the end of 2010." The report is entitled, "Global TV Games Console Forecast: Will New Sensor Technology Revive the Demand?" and it presents the numbers as follows: the active installed base of the PS3 reached 43.4 million, which just tops the Xbox 360's 42.9 million. Unsurprisingly, the Nintendo Wii remains in the top spot, with 75.5 million active devices. Said Strategy Analytics' Digital Consumer Practice Senior Analyst Jia Wu:

"While the Kinect peripheral has given a boost to Microsoft’s Xbox 360 strategy, the console’s performance outside of the US continues to disappoint. Global demand for Sony’s PS3 has exceeded that of the Xbox 360 in each of the past two years, and we expect that to continue over the coming years."

The report further makes a prediction for the current year, saying global sales of the 360 will increase to 13.7 million, while the PS3 will expand even further to 15.7 million. The expectation is that the Wii's decline will continue, with overall sales falling to 10 million. For the record, they also predict that Nintendo will launch a successor to the Wii before the start of 2013.

The console race is in an interesting position, isn't it? In terms of overall sales , the PS3 has also surpassed the 360 in Europe.

Read more →

Connected Consoles Rising In The US

John-Shepard 36 Comments

Video game consoles are about more than games, and the country is starting to take notice.

The number of US households that have broadband Internet access and an Internet-ready gaming machine is on the rise, and it's mostly thanks to the multimedia capabilities of the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. This is from a new report from research firm Park Associates ; the likes of Netflix has helped the number of connected consoles jump from only 25% in 2007 to 65% currently. Although the Nintendo Wii still leads in the hardware sales department, it just doesn't have the same amount of pull in the "connected" world. Said Pietro Macchiarella, Research Analyst:

"PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 have higher connectivity rates among the current generation of consoles, showing the power of multimedia offerings and popular game franchises in getting gamers online. Despite the Wii's wireless capabilities, it has been less successful in getting users online due to less compelling online games and multimedia content. However, with its large installed base, it still is a significant player.

Location and high penetration of game consoles make them ideal devices for distributing digital content. Our Digital Media Evolution II found 65% of U.S. broadband households with a game console have it in their living rooms, where they loathe adding another black box. Therefore, consoles are the perfect Trojan horses in the competition for content distribution."

The firm expects to see over 260 million consoles connected to the Internet worldwide by 2015, and the game industry continues to find a place in most any mainstream home. We all thought it was amazing that the PS2 was a DVD player, remember? And the Dreamcast going online was a phenomenon, too. But oh, how things have changed…

Read more →

Bulletstorm Dev Talks Xbox 360 Hardware Limitation

Ben-Dutka 116 Comments

Hey, we didn't say it. A lot of you have said it before, though, and maybe you've been waiting for a non-PlayStation-affiliated developer to admit it.

During an interview with Xbox Community Network , People Can Fly Creative Director for Bulletstorm Adrian Chmielarz spoke about the limitations of the aging Xbox 360 hardware. In truth, it does indeed affect what they can and can't do, although he says one can still manage to produce quality with that hardware. It's just a matter of ambition. When asked if the 360 was stopping them from doing what they'd like, the director's response was as follows:

"Yes, but any developer in the world will ALWAYS say that, no matter what. We could have 128 GB of RAM and it still won't be enough. Seriously, though, it feels pretty good making games on Xbox 360. As you can see with the exclusive titles like Halo and Gears or multiplatform titles like Bulletstorm, the quality is high enough not to feel any pressure for the next generation. People like the current gen, and I think we still have a lot of room for exploration."

The 360 has been blamed by PlayStation 3 fans for holding developers back and making multiplatform titles…well, less than they could've been. Numerous examples seem to back up that claim, but it's rare to see a developer say anything but, "the game will be identical on both platforms." Maybe it is time to admit it. PS3 exclusives sort of drive the point home.

Related Game(s): Bulletstorm

Read more →

THQ On New Consoles Too Soon: “Bad For Everybody”

John-Shepard 133 Comments

While we're already starting to hear whispers about the next generation of consoles, many publishers and developers are hoping it's a good ways off.

Take THQ, for example: core games boss Danny Bilson says quite frankly that the arrival of the PS4 and Xbox 720 within the next three years would be "horrible." During a Eurogamer interview , Bilson reacted strongly to the possibility of all new hardware within the next few years:

"It would be horrible. But I think they all know our model's broken anyway. It still costs us a fortune to make games on this platform. If they're going to up the scale, up the art, up the content, I don't know how to make that and sell it to anybody for under $100 a game.

Who wants to do that? It's bad for everybody."

Right now, he says they've finally gotten to the point where they "understand" the consoles, and now they need more time to get "creative with them." In other words, designers don't have to waste a lot of time going, "oh my God, how are we going to deal with that new technology?" They can focus on the artistic; the creative; in other words, their overall vision. Added Bilson:

"That's the trick. We're not going to get beat by another hardware upgrade like every five years like it was before. There will be little things. It's up to us to compete in graphics and creativity. Sometimes I hope good creativity and style will be able to be more important. It is more important.

As long as we're creatively satisfied as gamers by what we're getting, I'm really satisfied. I still see cooler stuff, better stuff. So much is in the software engineering and working with the technology. I look at games and I go, wow, how did they get such great characters?"

Well, we all know it takes developers a while to get comfortable with new hardware, especially when it comes to Sony and the PlayStation. For the time being, we're perfectly happy with waiting four or five more years before another console arrives…but we have a feeling the PS4 might drop a little before that. Remember, we're over 4 years into this generation already…

Read more →

Analyst: PS3 Will Surpass 360 “By The End Of 2012”

Ben-Dutka 96 Comments

Based on the latest sales tally , it really does seem inevitable.

Not long after we asked the question, Electronic Entertainment Design and Research analyst Jesse Divnich ventured to provide an answer . He says the Xbox 360's shrinking lead will evaporate entirely within the next two years and given the consumer reaction to the PS3 in the past couple of years, it's probably not a bad guess. Said Divnich:

"Worldwide, Sony will eventually take the lead from Microsoft, likely by the end of 2012. North America is a tougher challenge, and as we have seen lately, Microsoft's lead is widening," he continued. "I don't know if the PS3 will ever overtake the Xbox 360 in North America. Maybe 2014? 2016? We do know the PS3 has incredible long-term value as a Blu-ray player, much like the PlayStation 2 did as a DVD player. But with strong competition coming from the digital front, one has to wonder if the PS3 will receive long retail legs like its predecessor did."

North America has always been a safe haven for Microsoft and although Sony continues to push, Divnich is right in saying the PS3 may never surpass the 360 in this region. The one-year head-start, combined with an unbeatable marketing campaign (one Sony executive said in the past that they'd "probably never spend as much as Microsoft") has assured the 360's position. But given Blu-Ray, cutting-edge exclusive titles, the free Network, and great reliability, the PS3 has kept growing.

Next generation oughta be interesting.

Read more →