PlayStation 3 unmasked
In a glitzy event Monday at Sony's Los Angeles film studios, the company unveiled its PlayStation 3 and released eagerly anticipated details about the console. The device will reach store shelves in spring 2006, said the company, which hasn't yet released pricing information.
Credit: Sony
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I pray to God that Sony's Online support gets to be as good, or better than XBL. Right now it just SUCKS on the PS2.
So, here's hoping to a new Metal Gear!
Xbox was better system but Ps2 already had a year head start. Xbox's numbers were higher in past few quarters than ps2. 360 will have at least 6 months on PS3 therefor greater library of games 200 this year alone(pushing for 360). Xbox will be backward compatible on most games. 360 should be alot cheaper due to no Bluray out of box. MS might even be able to further slash price by the time PS3 hits shelves. it comes with free xbox live right away. Sony doesn't have anything to compare with live. By the time PS3 hits 360 developers will be ready to push its limits. 360 also has pulled alot of companies from Sony. ie.. Square Enix will have next FF on 360.
I hate slot loaders and prefer trays. Finally, the PS3 controller looks like a reject boomerang from Batman's utility belt.
here u have the "PS3 Vs Xbox 360"
CPU
PS3 - 7 SPE's @ 3.2Ghz each. 512kb L2 Cache.
Xbox 360 - 3 Cores @ 3.2Ghz each. 1MB L2 Cache.
Memory
PS3 - 256MB of XDR RAM (Main) & 256MB GDDR3 @ 700MHz (Video).
Xbox 360 - 512MB GDDR3 RAM @ 700 Mhz DDR (Shared).
Graphics
PS3 - Custom NVidia Card @ 550Mhz.
Xbox 360 - Custom ATI Card @ 500Mhz.
Storage
PS3 - Removable Hard-Drive (capacity TBA)
Xbox 360 - Rmovable Hard-Drive (20GB)
Display
PS3 - 1080p Standard.
Xbox 360 - 720p minimum. 1080i Optional.
Network
PS3 - 1000mbit Ethernet. Wi-Fi. Bluetooth 2.0
Xbox 360 - 100mbit Ethernet. Wi-Fi
Audio
PS3 - 5.1 Digital
Xbox 360 - 5.1 Digital
Disc Media
PS3 - CD-ROM, CD-R, CD-RW, DVD-ROM, DVD-Video, DVD-ROM, DVD-R, DVD-RW, DVD+R, DVD+RW, SACD, Blu-Ray
Xbox 360 - CD-ROM, CD-R, CD-RW, DVD-ROM, DVD-Video, DVD-ROM, DVD-R, DVD-RW, DVD+R, DVD+RW
Release Date
PS3 - Spring 2006
Xbox 360 - November/December 2005
So.. Maybe Xbox look better by the CPU and RAM numbers.. but while PS3 processes at 2,18 teraflops, Xbox only has half of it...
well it was enought for me just to watch the Killzone2 teaser to make up my mind: PS3 :]
I don't mind waiting another year if the console is as powerful and the games as high quality as some of the PS2 games were. As long as the PS3 launch titles are not as lacking as the original PS2 launch games were, then Sony should have a winner on their hands.
I for one think the new PS3 is much better looking than the XBox 360 which Microsoft obviously spent too much money on with very little return on their investment. They should consider hiring away Jonathan Ivey and his team from Apple to do their industrial design (especially on their forthcoming music player that they are having Samsung, etc. make for them that is due by November, aka the iPod challenger).
As it stands now, the PS3 has overwhelmed the new XBox in every spec possible which means that in order for the new XBox to compete, not only must they beat Sony's delivery date (which they are apparently supposed to do), they must also beat it's content, which have they have a track record of not being able to do. Moreover, the new XBox has to have bigger sales in Japan, which they are resoundingly infamous for not being able to do. When the XBox was selling 10 units a month, they were getting outsold by the cancelled Dreamcast!
If you do the math, it is plain to see that the original XBox did marginally well in the US only, got a lukewarm reception in Europe and was shunned in Japan (which they hope to resolve by getting Square/Enix as a licensee, who they are probably paying to make games for the XBox 360). On the other hand, the PS2 did well in *all* markets.
Anyhow, to quote the bard, in the end it's all about the quality of the games, not the power of the hardware.
What I do know is that that PS3 contoller is awful. If it vibrates like other systems, then it could double for a two pronged *****.
Gates is on the offensive for sure by releasing the console first and scheduling Halo3 release on the same day as the PS3. How would you like to work at Circuit City that day? Argue as much as you want about Halo's quality, but it is very popular.
What I don't know is: Is the GTA series for next gen consoles going to be on PS3 only? I've never played a GTA game, but I was considering getting the SanAndreas for xbox when the price dropped.
Forget Halo, I'm wanting ElderScrolls: Oblivion. What games should we expect for Sony that won't be on Xbox...and vice-versa.
I think they could have done a better design.
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Since it is most certain that I will be buying all of the next generation systems, I feel obligated to offer an unbiased viewpoint of how Sony's next console makes its first impression.
Much of what was good with the Xbox 360 is also good with Sony's new toy, the PlayStation 3. The PlayStation 2 was a very functional, almost industrial machine, with aesthetics taking a back seat to technology. With the PlayStation 3, we have a merge of the two in equal parts. As with the Xbox 360, the curves on this machine are gradual and stealthy. I have no criticisms about the appearances of either system. Sony's decision to include three different color choices is wise. To a gamer, this choice is more personal, but to a non-gamer, this makes the PS3 an easy addition to a home theater setup, given the versatility of the device.
Inclusion of wireless controllers is a good move for the next generation, and BlueTooth is as good a technology as any. Here again, included rechargeable batteries are a must. I'm not quite sure what purpose linking seven controllers to one game system is, but I'm keeping an open mind. The controller shape is very slick and very aggressive. The boomerang design choice will most likely be a controversial one, but I will have to hold it in my hands before I can make an adequate decision.
Backwards compatibility has been confirmed all the way to PlayStation 1 games. The importance of this inclusion is major. Backwards compatibility made the GameBoy the best-selling game machine on the planet and Sony is smart to take a page from Nintendo's book. For many people who still play PS1 games, not to mention those who aren't quite done with their PS2 games, I suspect this will be a major selling point. One concern worth bringing up, though, is that I do not see on any of the pictures where a memory card would insert, so that you could transfer your save games to the hard drive. I would suspect Sony would introduce a USB attachment to remedy this, but I have heard nothing to back this up.
I hate to say it, but high-definition and surround sound is now a moot point. All of the big players, thus far, have made it standard equipment (which means most of us have some upgrading to do).
Once again, I'm blown away by the power this system weilds. The Cell processor may very well be revolutionary, but it's important to keep in mind Sony's tendency to favor proprietary technologies that the industry is slow to adopt or entirely disinterested in. 2.8 teraflops is an impressive number and ought to allow developers the freedom to do pretty much whatever they want with the system, if used properly.
The power behind both of the next-generation systems introduced thus far is almost unbelievable, but we will have to see what they do with the power. The various tech demos I've seen for both systems are impressive, although there don't seem to be many differences. Could it be that we've actually hit a point where power is almost irrelevant? While I doubt that is or ever will be the case, I'm excited to see how developers harness all the power.
One fairly major concern I have, though, is the price of the PlayStation 3. With the launch of the PSP, Sony proved to the world that they could charge a premium for their products fairly easily and still move inventory. That's not to say that I don't love my PSP, but I'm concerned that Sony may be tempted to break the $300 barrier for the PS3. I haven't heard anything regarding the price, so I'm not holding my breath either way, but all that power and technology doesn't come cheap.
I haven't been this stoked about a next-generation console - or in this case, multiple consoles - release since the Dreamcast. The vast leaps of technology from the current generation to the next can only lead me to deduce that Microsoft, Sony, and possibly even Nintendo are in direct contact and/or collaboration with a multitude of alien governments. I think we're all in for a real treat.
So, besides the undeniable power differences, it seems to be "much of the same" between Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. The battles of the next-generation's war will be fought with the games, though, not the hardware. That much we can always count on.
It's worth noting, though, that the Dreamcast, Xbox, and GameCube all looked better than the PS2 across the board, yet PS2 won out on games.
Time will tell.
In this case I think that Sony is doing this less than Microsoft is. The PS3 directly supports OpenGL, Bluetooth, and USB, all open technologies. In the Sony PC, the guys from Epic said that, because of the PS3's open system, it took almost no learning time to entirely take advantage of the PS3 system.
As far as them being such pioneers, adopting Blueray, it is certainly benificial to the rest of the industry. Blueray is already destined to take over from DVD. The rest of the industry is simply not in a position to take it up so quickly.
The Cell processor is designed for grid computing.
Won't this give the PS3 platform a significant edge?
Imagine a gaming world in which a million PS3's are sharing CPU resources, (let's just hope the AI doesn't get angry).
I did think of a use for the 7 controllers. What about five on five basketball and other team type play?
Another thought I had was that depending on how quickly the new DVD standard is developed the XBOX 360 could become useless as a DVD player years before the console lifecycle is complete. Not to mention Sony's overall capacity advantage because of the blu ray disk.
Same story for the Genesis/Mega drive, SNES, Nintendo 64, Amiga CD32, Atari 2600, PS1/One....
I was an early adopter for the launch of ps2 and my only regrets are the first gen issues with the controller ports and the DVD functionality, both consoles have finally crossed the threshold from gaming box top media center. Sony's heavy consumer electronics presence and Microsoft's ubiquity in the PC world are different approaches from slightly different angles, but, in general they seem to be converging to the point of "set top box" rather than "gaming console."
Looks to be a good fight. Given the specs and support from 3rd party publishers, any way you slice it, we the gamers are the winners.
Games are going to look more real than reality on this thing.
1) Emulation isn't perfect for the 360 and we can only count on it to play a handful of Xbox games, or
2) Bill is just playing it safe by not claiming 100% compatibility, since that's highly unrealistic. Even the PS2 couldn't play some PS1 games.
Which is it? Nobody seems to know quite yet.