Comments on: Why the Wii and Xbox are killing Sony's PS3

Sony needs to step up the PS3 if it doesn't want to lose out to the Wii and Xbox.

[SteveW928]

Dave, Dave... have you actually ever tried a PS3? No games? Warhawk, Resistance2, Burnout Paradise, Gran Turismo 4P. Heck, I've been playing Warhawk for quite some time now and can't stop... its just that good and addictive. Far better game than Halo. I use my PS3 as my media center and watch Blu-ray, DVDs (nicely upscaled to 1080p, btw), streaming video from my media recorder and computers, etc. It might be a bit more pricy, but is also way more advanced and does more. As for Home being compelling, but empty... do I care? I like to play games and watch movies. Other than some of the 'group meet-up' potential of Home (game launching), I don't think most people care much about it. Most of us like to play games, not bop around in a virtual shopping center... get a life Dave!

[MachDoctor]

People talk about and point to specifications of these units as if they will really mean anything in the end. Sony found this out the hard way when the BETA lost out to the VHS. The Cabbage Patch doll was not the best doll made at that time and neither were the Beanie Babies. It is not about being the best, it is about doing something that will mobilize the masses. Even politicians know that it is not enough to just have the well informed on your side. It is about getting those people that really don?t know what they want on your side as well. So the trick is to find that something that will spark the imagination of this massive group of people. If it was as easy as doing the things that everyone thinks their favorite company should do, then there would be no losers. Everyone would have the magic formula to push the crowd and mold the market to their will.
In the end the battle will be fought from the board rooms of these companies, won or lost in the marketplace by a majority of common people that don?t know anything about specification. What they know is what they can see and feel and what their friends tell them is the best. What is that SOMETHING that will turn that spark into a flame that will burn around the world? Everyone wants to find it. EVERYONE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I have to admit, it is entertaining to read all the arguments.

[j_boss_14]

As far as i know when one buys an xbox 360 there are a couple of things that one may need to buy to make it like the playstation 3. For example if you never got a headset with your xbox or you need to pay for the wireless. It ends up raising the price significantly, maybe not to the same price as the playstation but it is nice to have those things right out of the box. Also i know a lot of people have bluetooth headsets because it is a law in most places to take your phone out while driving it is $500.

I have a PS3 and i am very happy i made the switch. The only thing that i dont like is that Canada still hasn't gotten the downloadable movies. Like all the other regions have .

[Plutonium57]

Hard to argue with the current dire straits for the PS3, but the Blu-ray does indeed show signs of strength. HDTV's are spreading steadily and Blu-rays were available for $19.99, no, that's not a typo, at Wal-Mart in my town for Christmas shopping. I own all three DVDs of Lord of the Rings but they look like screen doors on our 57-inch Mitsubishi 1080p. They are garbage, and as a lifelong Tolkien fan, I plan on gradually reassembling the trilogy in Blu-ray. The difference is that clear. I agree that buying DVDs or Blu-rays is likely to become more selective, given downloading, but our Comcast high-def service is basically doggy-doo and for some films I'd definitely still invest in the disk, e.g., family films the kids will watch, or visually rich films like The Dark Knight.

[elm333]

If you
- are an old person,
- are scared by computers,
- are under the age of 8,
- or want a second gaming system to the PS3,
then PLEASE get a Wii or Xbox. That's who they're for.

The PS3 is not only a gaming system, it's a full-blown media server connecting to your PC and a Blu-Ray player. Blu-Ray is ridiculously clear and MUCH better than HD-DVD. The games are awsome (LittleBigPlanet is worth it all by itself. If you don't think this game is awesome, then you don't understand what it can do.) and the system performs better on cross-platform games (Tomb Raider for one). Even great PlayStation Network downloadable games are plentiful. Download Pixeljunk Monsters or HD Super Stardust for very little $$$ for hours of fun.

The Age Awards 2008 that lists top games by age group list the Wii tops in the Infant and Junior groups, but Students Adults prefer PS3 with Mirror's Edge and Motor Storm.

I haven't even mentioned the expanded capabilities with you pair it with a PSP--Remote Media Server Access, Remote Play...

The reason for PS3's financial weakness has nothing to do with their product, it's the result of the general laziness and dumbing down of a nation. Let's just hope the geniuses can stop throwing their controllers into the TV.

[OmeganOne]

st430,
If anyone needs to "go study" it's you. Your english is very poor so don't sling BS about education when most school children can out write you.
As for the DIGITAL Transition it has nothing to do with Blu-Ray. The US is mandating an end to ANALOG transmissions not forcing people to go out and buy HDTV. The TV transmission standard has nothing to do with the TV people have in their living room.
The PS3 is a very poor Blu-Ray player (white noise, "pops" in the audio, every time a BD starts up) and it's not much better in the games department either. Yes I own one. No I do not like it very much as the games cannot match up. If I could return the PS3, and get all my money back, I would. It does not suck, but it's not all that either. Later-

[tgibbs]

In fact, every review has found PS3 to be an excellent BluRay player, so if you are not getting a great picture, there is something wrong or you have it hooked up incorrectly. Moreover, it is internet upgradable.

The PS3 is also a topnotch upscaling player for standard DVDs, with picture and benchmarks comparable to players costing nearly as much as the PS3. I've done direct comparisons, and the XBox 360 is a substandard DVD player, with poor deinterlacing, about what you'll find in a low-end player.

But the greater success of the XBox 360 has nothing to do with "laziness and dumbing down." If all you want is a gaming system, the XBox 360 is more cost-effective. True, if you upgrade the 360 to be more nearly comparable to the PS3 by adding wifi, hard disk, rechargeable controller pack, and XBox Live Gold subscription, you'll end up paying about as much, but the price of initial entry is still lower

[blishdin]

Lack of Exclusives: Microsoft has hit the jackpot with two action-adventure game franchises, Halo and Gears of War, which are available only on the Xbox 360"

So I guess we should just over look the likes of Metal Gear Solid 4, Uncharted Drakes Fortune, Ratchet and Clank Future Tools, as well as Resistance one and two, and I won't even bother naming other games such as LBP. It's really sad to see such a ******** point, or if anything to these people, an excuse as to why the Playstation 3 is a poor choice compared to its other console competitors. If you're going to name facts, name em' right, don't spew ******** into the minds of the consumer.The PS3 is a great platform, and if you're too blind to see it, then I feel pity for you. Oh, and before mouthing off,

I own an Xbox 360, as well as a Wii.

[Byteblock]

There's no way to not sound like a fanboy in disputing this so I'll go whole hog. The whole article is riddled with shoddy writing and even worse reporting.

"Personally, I thought the social stuff was a little stupid until my nephew destroyed me in Wii bowling while playing 3,000 miles away. Now I get it."

***? Nintendo's asinine friend's codes make "the social stuff" work better than the PS3?

"The games themselves look and feel good, but the experience of launching a game and getting up and running takes way too long (I feel this way about most consoles), to the point where many users I spoke with get so annoyed that they curse the machine."

Is writing not this guy's primary profession? Not only are you stringing run-on sentences, you're also using moronic anecdotes to make a non-point out of a non-issue. If you feel this way about most consoles, then why is that a bullet point in an article detailing what the other guys are doing right? You can also file the point about Flash games under this same non-issue.

While you're at it, the only big exclusives coming out in 2009 are on the PS3, so you can remove that one too.

Then you're left with the price. I recommend you get a job better suited to your skills because I wouldn't pay you enough to afford a PS3 with the way you write either.

[millerssggt258253]

Correct me if I am wrong but I think that the xbox and PS3 are pretty evenly priced. The difference lies in accessories that come included inside the PS3 but must be purchased in addition to the console with the xbox. After all the accessories are added they are equal.

The xbox is $199 without a hard drive (useless)
For a 60gb Pro model it is $299
To add the wireless networking attachment adds $100

Total comes to $399 the same as the PS3 which comes with wireless.
I dont have an xbox or ps3 but I am looking and when I compare what the ps3 comes with, the price is good. The initial price is higher but you get more for your money. The xbox has a lower base price but when you add up the attachments the prices are the same but the PS3 give you a bigger hard drive and a blue ray player.

The xbox does have better games right now and exclusive titles. Don't think I am biased and putting down the xbox I think it is a great console. I also like the streaming netflicks over the PS3's version.

When it comes down to it I dont understand all the negativity towards the PS3. The Xbox has just done a better job marketing.

[tgibbs]

The XBox 360 is hardly useless without the HD it is a convenience, not a necessity. My nephew doesn't have one and doesn't miss it, although it does open up some great downloadable games. And in any case, you can defer the purchase of the HD until later when you can afford it, which makes it more attractive to entry-level buyers (although Microsoft's price for a HD is a rip-off; the PS3 will happily use off-the-shelf bare laptop drives).

Microsoft's wireless networking attachment is typically overpriced also, but you don't need that either. A wired connection is better, anyway, particularly if you want to stream Netflix movies (which the PS3 can't do, anyway). If the router is in another room, you can use one of those boxes that routes the signal through the house wiring.

[cbaisa]

the ps3's higher quality graphics is not worth the $400 price tag. i've had my Wii since day one and my 360 from 4 months before that. i knew that the Wii would make gamers out of seniors and cheerleaders, and i always knew that the sky high price tag of the ps3 would kill the PlayStation brand. I'm from a middle class family, and i could afford the ps3 if i wanted it. However, i'd rather use the $150 i'd save buying a 360 on controllers and games or food or clothes.

$400 for a system that's been out this long is a foolish purchase.

[rabo80]

Personally, I thought the social stuff was a little stupid until my nephew destroyed me in Wii bowling while playing 3,000 miles away. Now I get it.

I call BS, you cant play Wii bowling online, I seem to know more about the Wii than you. Suddenly I get it.

I love the Wii too, great for Kids and Grannies to all play together. But personally I prefer the PS3 for gaming and also love blueray movies and use it as a home media hub. Anyway dont make stuff up

[zimmerick]

Yeah the PS3 may be falling behind right now, but the Xbox is made cheap to sell cheap and the quality has suffered for it. Who wants to luck down 200 to 400 bucks on system whose average life span is starting to be a year, maybe two. Disposable electronic goods the wave of the future, I hope consumers won't stand for it.

When you spend money on an electronic device you want it last 3 to 5 years, minimum.

The new NXE Dashboard update has bricked thousands of DVD Drives and Audio Cards in these systems and Microsoft acknowledges that when you call to the report the issue to their CS department. You know what their answer is?

If you're under warranty, you're covered. If not, they tell you it's $99 for them to repair something they caused to break.

I say if the trend of Microsoft not owning up to their mistakes holds, then they will start losing users by the millions. I for one have been given the shaft from them. My 360 worked great for 2 years, up until the NXE update fried my DVD drive, and they tell me I have to pay for them to fix it. They know it's happening too.

Check the hardware forums at the official Xbox website, thousands of users Xbox's have started not working properly or at all since the NXE update. Their answer? You pay to fix our mistake.

If a company releases an update to a product that causes said product to experience errors or stop working all together, shouldn't they have to accept the responsibility to fix it or replace at no cost to the consumer?

Makes me wonder if the Zune errors or Xbox errors are on purpose to soak more money out of their customers.
The 360 may be cheaper, but you get what you pay for and no amount of quality games will save them once consumers catch onto the fact that their systems just don't last. No matter how cheap they have gotten.

[siamus]

I kinda doubt that they are trying to get more money out of their customers this way. My 360 was one of those that had the red ring of death about a year ago. That didn't cost anymore on my part...It cost THEM. it's funny that you said that you get what you pay for while saying that the xbox is less expensive...lol. I find it funny, because the PS3 is full of lack luster titles, what's their excuse? That they came out later? But it's so much more powerful! At least that's what they tell us. Better looking doesn't mean better even if it's true some games look better on that system. Look at how well the WII is doing...and the PS2 is still out selling the PS3. Fun games...that the key! Sony seems to have forgotten that.

[siamus]

My feelings on the PS3 are that Sony lied about it's over all power. I do agree that it's a little more powerful than the 360, but not as much as they were trying to tell us. They were trying to make it look like the thing was twice as powerful or more but...um...the games don't look it. they look on par with each other most of the time. And the majority of the games on the system are corny. I did used to want one, but I don't now. Why? Because they only have one game I'm interested in...MSG4. Perhaps I'll try to win one from some contest because, I'm definitely not buying it now. Paying 400 bucks just for one game that's another 60 on top of that? My name is Aaron..not stupid or crazy!

[pablouk1]

Only thing holding back the PS3 is what Sony do with all their toys, totaly over price it. £ 300.00 compared to £ 120.00.


Of course with not being able to play your old games on it as well doesn't help, unless you find a 60gig one.

[BlazeEagle]

Games need to come first & foremost in a GAMING console. All the extra malarkey just inflates the price, as the PS3 illustrates.

PS3 is too much like a mini computer for my liking. While nice, All it's extra features are unnecessary.

A console shouldn't cost $400, that price is absolutely ludicrous! $250 - maybe $300 for a consoles initial price is more reasonable.

Part of the wii's success is that it does something new & different that actually works instead of just being pointlessly gimmicky.

[snovelo]

st430
If you are poor...go study and get a better job than flipping burger.
gaming is not for you.
LMAO
Hey well I just wanted to comment on behalf ps3 owners
I own a ps3 and i bought it in april 2008 we were not in a sure thing recession>
So that being said now sales for anything that high will not be seen like a few months ago
so i think that since so many peole cant afford a ps3 they just get mad at it and keep playing their washed up 3 lights rings of death system with stride. and i understand on ebay i can purchase a xbox 360 for 160.00 with a 30 day warranty and it will include a 20gb hdd headset and wireless controller.
refurbished but its still a piece of shiiittt like vista.if i want to play microsoft game i will play them on my 2.4ghz Quad core 6gb ram 1gb gdd3 bdrom cpu that im currenty typing on now. so f u xbox 360 turns around to hell. I own a ps3 as stated and own nothing but 1080p hdtv sets and i love bluray and i have streamed hd content from my pc and from ps network and i compare this stuff (i wear glasses too)and it never ever compares to bluray disc.ever!!!! but i love the free network gameplay that ps3 offers who wants to really pay xbox live gold bs every month year whatever..i mean u already pay 4 high speed internet dont you?i think times are hard and people are broke.theirs a auto bailout going on wallstreet is in tears!no one is buyng this crap they need to buy a roth ira or something.lmao but i speak on behalf ps3 owners and absolutely must say when u really compare the big 3 systems ps3 outperforms them all.free network-bluetooth -built in wifi-controllers are wireless and have built in battery-bluray-look better-play the same or better-in my opinion they have a great line up of games and they just will bring more out asap.but if u dont own one or really have not compared the details then stick with xbox atari nintendo 64 or whatever and dont even think of getting a dtv converter box just stick ur self in the same old room watchig the same old vhs playing the same old super nintendo ...dwell on it.. i want hancock to turn himself in bank on it buddy lmaoby the way lets blay pong online with dave...

[IsoMedic]

I'm getting really tired of the "Not enough good exclusives" argument about the PS3. That was true maybe a year ago, but not anymore. For the record, I'm going to list all of the great PS3 exclusives.

Uncharted, Ratchet and Clank, MGS4, LittleBigPlanet, Resistance 1, Resistance 2, Folklore, Valkyria Chronicles, The Eye of Judgment, MotorStorm, Warhawk, Wipeout HD, PixelJunk Monsters, Pixeljunk Eden, flOw, Gran Turismo 5, Echochrome, SOCOM, Siren: Blood Curse, White Knight Chronicles, Calling All Cars, Super Stardust HD, Everyday Shooter.

Upcoming: Killzone 2, Uncharted 2, God of War 3, Heavy Rain, InFamous, Fat Princess, Flower, Trine, NobyNoby Boy.

I don't understand why this is "not enough good exclusives".

[snovelo]

yes they have great games and most titles that are on xbox 360 ps3 has now and they have some good stuff coming this year as well and i was just playing tomb raider underworld on it and its just amazing seriously i cant wait 4 the new dark knight and street fighter. i have mortal kombat dc universe and the gameply is excellent everyone does a fatality!im just confident with my ps3 very confident but they need to lower the price simply they must lower it at least to 329.00 4 an 80 gig and 429.00 for a 160gb or even 299 and 399 you know or 299 for a 40 gb and leave the rest the same price and see how many get sold then!

[snovelo]

well x box is losing money with the bootlegged games and i know a couple people selling there games and i could even get them online if i wanted to but i figured xbox was a waste of time. and i

[blusky08]

HERE'S THE DEAL (AT LEAST PART OF IT): THE PS3 IS A "JACK OF ALL TRADES AND MASTER OF FEW". IT LURES US WITH THE PROMISE OF BEING A MEDIA SERVER, INTERNET BROWSER, DOWNLOADING/STREAMING DEVICE---ALMOST A COMPUTER. BUT IT DOESN'T QUITE DELIVER ON ANY OF THESE.
----IT COULD BE A FANTASTIC STREAMING/DOWNLOADING DEVICE IF (IF!) SONY WOULD ALLOW IT. SONY MADE A DEAL WITH AMAZON TO USE THE BRAVIA INTERNET LINK FOR DOWNLOADS (WHICH FEW PEOPLE HAVE), BUT NOT THE PS3! GO FIGURE.

*PLUS, ITS GOT THE IDIOTIC BLUETOOTH REMOTE SYSTEM.