Sony's Future Analyzed - PSX, PSP, PS3? 19
Thanks to an anonymous reader for pointing to Gamesindustry.biz's analysis of Sony's game console brands, called 'Playstation: Evolve, Multiply, Conquer'. The article starts with the statement that "Sony clearly sees the games market as a stepping stone to dominance of the home entertainment sector", and goes on to look at the 'Playstation 2 Plus' PSX device unveiled this week, as well as the newly announced PSP portable. The piece concludes by looking at what the Playstation 3 might be, suggesting a family of complementary games consoles may be Sony's eventual goal - "..in an ideal world for Sony executives, the question asked when you go to buy a new piece of consumer electronics will not be whether you want a PlayStation, but which PlayStation you want."
finally some competition for the portable monopoly (Score:2, Funny)
Re:finally some competition for the portable monop (Score:2)
PS* (Score:2, Funny)
erm... (Score:5, Interesting)
+1 Troll
PSX - the Mass-Market PS2? (Score:4, Interesting)
Maybe I'm ignorant, but it feels like any move in relation to the mass-market living room is going to bring the PS farther away from it
Re:PSX - the Mass-Market PS2? (Score:5, Interesting)
The ability to play ps2 games is just an added-value component of the psx. It is not its main function, although it will do it exceptionally well. Don't discount the time frame, as well. Traditionally, technology for the mainstream living room tends to be introduced during the Olympics - remember the VCR, at least in Europe it was sold so that you can remember the unforgetable sporting moments. 2004 is going to be the year of dvd recorders in the living room - now, if people have a choice between a generic dvd recorder and one that acts as a multimedia hub and can play the biggest library of games there is, do you think people will mind spending a couple of hundred euros / dollars more to get the psx? I think not.
It is also an excellent way for a ps2 to pass the all-seeing wife. Don't underestimate the power of nagging!
Walkman (Score:5, Interesting)
Sony took the Walkman name (which was the portable stereo brand that stomped on all others in the 80s) and started putting it on ultra-low end equipment - in the end the name means nothing. Consumer trust gone. You can spend $25 on a walkman AM-FM tumer and find out it's no better than the $10 Radio Shack piece of crap. But the sony radio is good looking.
Keep dreaming... (Score:4, Informative)
That one over there that has the word "Nintendo" written on it. But that's just me, the die-hard fan. (I swear, after figuring out that it's my middle fingers that belong on the L & R triggers, the GameCube controller is even more comfortable than the N64 one!)
In any event, it would seem that Sony is dangerously close to seriously confusing the customer. "This PlayStation plays games and DVD movies. And this PlayStation plays DVD movies and doubles as a satellite TV tuner. And this $1500 model over here does all three. But this $2000 package over here does all three but includes expansion bays for future capabilities." They're aiming for market dominance, sure, but neither they nor their potential customers seem to know which market they're aiming for.
And even then I'm not sure how well all these boxen will sell as real audiophiles seem to rather have different components made by different companies than to rely on a one-size-fits-all solution. And I don't think the general market is interested in paying hundreds of dollars for features they don't intend to use (ignoring its first month or so in Japan for the moment, how many people bought a PlayStation 2 just as a DVD player?).
The article starts with mention of the death of the SNES CD concept without quite understanding why it died.
The SNES CD (Score:1)
Ah, good old synergy (Score:3, Insightful)
Here, I think the problem is that parents look for game systems for their kids, and they look at DVD players/recorders and TiVos for the family. Therefore, when a parent is shopping for a game system, the fact that it has a DVD player/recorder and is a TiVo will not matter to them (And the fact that the box is more expensive will). Likewise, when they're looking for a DVD Player/Recorder or a TiVo, the game system will not be seen as an important bonus to them. Especially because I can't imagine that anyone who would be tempted at this point to buy a DVD recorder wouldn't already have a PS2.
Long term, I think this strategy is suicide as well. The gamers are already buying Sony, and the non-gamers will look at the product and go "But the Playstation is for teenagers and video game players. I want a Toshiba."
Which is fine by me. I like the Gamecube. =)
This report is pathetic. (Score:4, Interesting)
"A lithium-ion battery rather than awkward AA batteries (like the GBA SP) "
They don't have a picture of the N-Gage next to the paragraph talking about the N-Gage, even though all previous paragraphs had the apropos Sony technology displayed...
Then they gloss over all the "detailS" about how multi-CPU consoles (Jaguar, Saturn) are hard to program in favour of saying, "MORE POWER!" and throwing in a quote about how Nintendo quakes in its boots when Sony clears its throat.
Read the last sentence where the first-mover advantage is lauded as being the reason Sony's "winning" the console war, yet in the same sentence the author says that probably would be a stumbling block for Xbox 2. Well, is first-mover advantage real or not? He can't decide.
The only people that win from console competition is the consumer. When Sony was enjoying its 2000 and 2001 years, there were no price cuts, and the games sucked (first-gen and second-gen were also on CDs, for crying out loud!). When GCN and Xbox came along, Sony started to have to actually do things. Like lower the price on their console, and put out more good exclusives.
Microsoft has the only good online strategy and with standard system-link support, Nintendo is the first company to push a peripheral that'll be supported (because it's the GBA) by a lot of developers. Sony's ditching the Firewire port on the PS2+, much to the chagrin of the 3 or so systim link games out there. Except for Half-Life, I can't find games that support USB keyboard and mouse on the PS2.
Who's innovating again? Not Sony.
Re:This report is pathetic. (Score:1)
Funny, I read that differently. I read it as "They use LiIon batteries, rather than AA's - just like the GBA does (uses LiIon batteries, that is.) But it was awkwardly phrased, to be sure.
Re:This report is pathetic. (Score:1)
Yes, which is what that sentence says, albeit with rather clunky phrasing. Sorry about that, got chewed up by a subeditor.
I'm also terribly sorry that you were upset by the lack of a picture of an N-Gage. Had you forgotten what they look like?
Regarding your ACTUAL criticisms of the article as opposed to your attempts to score schoolboy debating points...
I don't think I glossed over
I'm still not sold on the programibility. (Score:2)
Sony should've had a useable SDK for the game programmers from
wonderful (Score:2)
I wish the console wars were finished forever. Just let me add devices to my computer. Please.
Didn't MS try this? (Score:2, Insightful)