PS3 Coming to Life?
Dave Price
Over at /., Zonk has notes from a conference:
PlayStation Home will be launching from Sony later this year. (video clip) There's just a new icon on the media bar, allowing access to the new content. Phil introduces Scott Walgerman, producer of the service to do a demo. The service begins with the words 'entering the online world'. When you enter the service, you are in the central lounge. Your avatar is customizable, and extremely detailed. These is *not* Miis, these are better than Second Life quality digital characters. A virtual PSP allows you to teleport around and customize your character. Clothes are added to your wardrobe by buying games. Heavenly Sword being played on the console means you have a Sword t-shirt in your bag.Keep in mind, a lot of this PS3 stuff is simply not do-able on other consoles, because of the PS3's huge hardware advantage. Despite the high cost, the Playstation 3 is a actually a bargain in terms of power, as it is sold at a huge loss.
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Phil then moves on to Singstar. Sold 7 million units on PS2, and they're now looking forward to taking it to the PlayStation Network. He demonstrates the online capabilities of the game, showing recent song additions and what your friends have been singing lately. The store is also very easy, adding songs to a cart with the push of a button. Songs download in the background, which Phil notes is a 'good feature'. If you want to, you can videotape your performance and share it with your friends. They can then be rated. That sounds ominous. May/June release in Europe for the game, with a release 'later' for the states.
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And another announcement. LittleBigPlanet. (video clip) It's the guys who did RagDoll KungFu.. Mark Healy and Alex Evans are brought out, and show off the title, which is all about 'creativity.' Alex beings by saying they'll show how easy it is to make stuff in the game world. With just a few controller elements, they make a block, add a gear, and then set it moving with physics. It looks exactly like the toolset from Second Life, only useable.
Besides, hardware means crap right now. What makes a console great is the games. Due to the high cost of producing a game it will -- 90% of the time -- be sold on both PS3 and X-Box 360 (and probably Wii, too). The developers are not going to but a hell of a lot of effort into exploiting that hardware advantage that the PS3 has.
Sony's playing severe catchup in the online aspect of consoles. Personally, I think they don't have the chops to overtake Microsoft in that area. Nothing they've done has indicated that they can.
I can't really say much about the Wii online, because I don't really have one, and others can comment on it much better. The thing I wonder is why you have to have some hard 16-digit or whatever code to identify others, instead of some other naming scheme.
Never underestimate developers' propensity to write titles that tax the limits of the best system without caring much how it's going to run on other systems.
Raw processing power is nice, but it can also be very deceeptive. Sony has a hell of an uphill battle here, Dave. I really think they've shot themselves in the foot. The cost of the PS3 is prohibitive for a lot of people, especially when you can get pretty much all of the same games with BETTER graphics (plus Halo 3 when it comes out) for a few hundred cheaper.
Yes, right now the XBox 360 has better graphics. This is because the developers have been working with it longer. I am sure the PS3 will catch up and might even (eventually) exceed the XBox 360 in some areas. But I really fear that by then it will be far too late.
I really had no opinion on the new systems until I learned that our Xbox 360 can let me watch any movie I have on another computer.
And the resolution is better than expected.
Dude, does your paycheck say "Microsoft" in the corner?
The PS3 has only been out for, what, 5 months? The typical console cycle is 5 years. It's way too early to calling the PS3 DOA in the online department. Already, with PlayStation Home, you're seeing Sony offer something Microsoft can't touch! And given the crazy popularity of Second Life I can't help but think Sony might be on to something.
I think Sony learned a hard lesson with Microsoft's X-Box Live and they're ready to play ball with the PS3. They also have the advantage of improving where Microsoft failed with their online component. And there are plenty of things to complain about with X-Box Live.
I'd give Sony 1-2 years before I'd say anything definitive about any aspect of the PS3. Sony didn't win the last two console cycles because they're dumb. They worked for it and I believe they're heady to compete with Microsoft in that arena. Could they lose? Sure. So could Microsoft.
But, as Jesse noted, it's all about the games. If the games aren't there any console would lose. X-Box Live ain't that great if there aren't a selection of games you'd want to play on it.
Sony has shown it can bring the games in the past. Online component or no. An online feature is just that - a feature. Speaking for myself I couldn't care less about online capabilities. I want games. If the X-Box had games I wanted I buy it. They don't. The Nintendo Wii does. The PS3 is going to have them eventually (I'm looking at you Metal Gear Solid 4).
PlayStation Home is an innovative first step into the online console world. They've piqued my interest with it. They've not sold me, not at all, but I like where their head is at. Let's see what else they've got.
Of course we all lose our tempers now and then. Dean freely admits to being imperfect in this regard, which is why regulars to this establishment will generally be cut more slack than people who we don't know very well.
Still: behave like an adult, or go find somewhere else to play. Thanks.