Sony Announces PS3 Slim, Price Cut, Improvements To Home 427
Sony's press conference today at the Gamescom convention was full of announcements. They officially revealed the PS3 Slim, which will be 36% lighter and 33% smaller than the normal PS3. It will come with a 120 GB hard drive and list for $299 when it hits retail stores in early September. Normal PS3s will drop to that price as well starting tomorrow. (Unfortunately for Sony, their unveiling was spoiled a bit by several retailers jumping the gun on new advertisements, not to mention the rumors that had been swirling for weeks ahead of time.) Sony also announced a PS3 firmware update as well as new features and customization options for Home. In addition to that, the PS3 and PSP will be getting a digital reader service. At launch it will bring access to Marvel comic books, and will expand from there. They didn't talk much about their upcoming motion control scheme, but promised more details next month at the Tokyo Game Show.
It would be really nice... (Score:5, Insightful)
..... If Sony restored backward compatibility with PS2 games. That and not the price nor the size of the console is why I haven't bought one yet.
Re:It would be really nice... (Score:5, Informative)
Considering that PS2s are still selling (strangely) well and getting new game releases, it's unlikely Sony will restore BC (even if only software emulation) to the PS3 platform. We'll probably see it return around the time they EOL the PS2 platform completely (once the PS3's successor is out.)
Although I'm not sure that holds water, at least if they're still selling the PSOne, which I think they are...
Re:It would be really nice... (Score:4, Insightful)
I doubt it. I'd love to be able to play my PS2 games on the PS3, but I know it'll never happen. Not when they can "sell" the same games through the PS Store and get another $10-$20 out of people who have already bought the games.
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Er...you can't buy PS2 games for non-compatible PS3s through the PS Store because the lack of PS2 compatibility means you can't play them. You can buy PSX games through the PS Store, but you can also play PSX games right from the disc (if you still have your old copy) on *any* PS3. The real gyp is that you can't play old PSX games on your PSP, because the PSP has no way to read the discs. For that, you really do have to buy them again from the PS Store.
Re:It would be really nice... (Score:4, Informative)
There is a way to run a PS1 disc in your PS3 and stream it to your PSP over LAN/Internet.. .Location free player is the util, I believe. It does have (especially over the internet) some major latency issues though.
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For you in America and Europe yes they did that but not in Australia where it was done in software.
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Not enough to justify getting games up to 18 months after their release date, or paying $120 for a new game when the US$ price is about $60 and the exchange rate is up at roughly 80c. At least TV and movie producers have wised up. There was an article here a few years back saying how much of global piracy happened just in Australia, just because we got TV series and movies so late.
Re:It would be really nice... (Score:5, Informative)
No, the original PS3 actually had all the hardware of a PS2 built into it to provide compatibility; no software emulation. Then they removed most of the hardware and did software emulation, and then the current models removed the rest of the hardware and provide no compatibility at all. Europe was the most out of luck here; no hardware-compatible PS3 was ever released in PAL format, although they did get a software emulation model.
Re:It would be really nice... (Score:5, Interesting)
It only seems strange that the PS2 is still selling so well, until you realize that the PS3 really isn't "standard def. TV friendly".... I know quite a few people who play games on their PS2, and bought replacements when their old unit broke/wore out, but have no real interest in a PS3, simply because they're still using a large-ish tube type standard-def TV as their main television set. (If you have cable or satellite, you really have no need to replace it, after all.)
My experience with using a PS3 in standard def resolution was eye-strain inducing, trying to read many of the text fonts the games would display.
There's a pretty big ratio of PS3 owners who coupled the purchase with a new plasma or LCD TV .... partially because they wanted a Blu-Ray player for that fancy new set, but realistically, it's practically a requirement to enjoy many of the game titles too.
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Re:It would be really nice... (Score:5, Informative)
This was precisely my experience before I bought a HD capable monitor. Next gen games are quite simply unplayable on anything less than 720p.
However, the big problem here is that Last gen games are unplayable at anything above 576p! OK slight exaggeration, but old games do look awful on a HD TV. Aliasing everywhere. And therein lies the biggest reason that Sony and Microsoft need to keep up backwards compatibility. I can tell you that PS2 games played on a PS3 instead of a PS2 look a hell of a lot better. It's like night and day. Add to this the convienicen factor, and I'm pretty irritated with Sony for dropping this feature and refusing to reimplement it. There are still loads of fantastic PS2 titles I haven't played, and more are still coming out!
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So keep an old CRT around. They're cheap, and you need one to play Duck Hunt anyway.
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Amen. I had the same problem with the 360 and a tube television. The text in some games was unreadable. Dead Rising I'm looking at you.
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The problem exists with XBox 360 as well, Dead Rising was a PITA to read text on.
However this is indeed an issue. I couldn't read most test for GTA4, my minimap in Dynasty Warriors 6 was fuzzy and practically useless. I had to pause to look at the largest battlefield map to get an idea of what was going on. A lot of things became a lot cleared when I went to a HDTV.
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I use a ps3 on a 5 yr old reasonably-sized SDTV and you couldn't be more correct. It is a HUGE pain to try to play any games with small print. PixelJunk Monsters [gamespot.com] is almost not playable because your character is too small to see, and you can forget trying to read any subtitles or instructions. I keep looking f
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Well, I use one to play video games.
Comment removed (Score:5, Insightful)
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Also, LCD and plasma look like hell. That's the reason I haven't replaced my CRT. At least that's the case on every single one I've ever seen, no matter what feed it's using.
Blue-Ray feed with HDMI cables on a 240Hz LCD still has ghosting and jitter.
Plasma is like watching a slideshow.
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Considering that PS2s are still selling (strangely) well and getting new game releases, it's unlikely Sony will restore BC (even if only software emulation) to the PS3 platform.
That still doesn't make business sense. Wouldn't they want people to migrate to the PS3? A PS3 sale is worth a lot more to Sony than a PS2 sale - what with the extra profits from the Playstation Store, higher-priced games, and royalties from Blu-Ray movie sales. Besides, if that was the logic, why did the original PS3 have PS2 compatibility at launch?
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Re:It would be really nice... (Score:5, Informative)
Just seems like they are shooting themselves in the foot by not offering backwards compatibility with the PS2. The PS2 has a huge library and dominated the console market for its generation.
They did on the early models. They yanked it out of a later revision (a month before I was going to buy one, amusingly enough).
Re:It would be really nice... (Score:5, Informative)
Find a used CECHA01 (that's the serial number that has hardware backward compatibility).
Yes, I now own two PS3's. The CECHA01 runs a little hotter and slightly noisier, but I mostly fixed that by changing the thermal paste on it - heck, the warranty was void anyway.
ZOMG NERD ALERT!!
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I've got one of the ones with hardware back-compat.
Unfortunately I bought it in the far east and live in Europe.
So it won't play any of *my* old games library. Damn them.
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Ya, I bought mine when live.com offered 25% cash back on 'buy it now' ebay purchases. Win!
BTW - The PS2 card reader for PS3 doesn't work on 16MB cards. You need to transfer saved games to an 8MB card on a PS2, if you intend on using old saves.
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I can confirm this. The card reader won't read any card larger than 8MB at all... I've seen 16,32, and 64MB in stores.
Re:It would be really nice... (Score:5, Funny)
Sony will however sell you a PS2 compatibility kit to go with your PS3. It's 100% compatible with all PS2 games and even comes with an original PS2 controller.
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Obviously you're joking, but having two separate consoles would be easier if they (1) took one power plug(*), (2) took one input on the TV/receiver.
Personally, the lack of backward compatibility is the major reason I haven't even thought of buying a PS3.. though admittedly, I don't get *tons* of games for my PS2, and even then, they're basically always $20 games. (Though I do tend to buy as many as I can new, and not on ebay.) Even software backward compatibility, with a list of games they KNOW have majo
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Well, I think the backwards compatible PS3s will actually keep value because of that feature.
I thought you needed an adapter to use the PS2s memory cards (which are WAY cheaper from third parties, btw) on a PS3 anyway.. Will it then use the PS3's memory after first importing the data?
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Good, but not perfect (Score:2)
Sony will however sell you a PS2 compatibility kit to go with your PS3. It's 100% compatible with all PS2 games and even comes with an original PS2 controller.
I made this same point in a recent article, but somebody pointed out the following reasons why just buying a PlayStation 2 console is not perfect:
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Backward compatibility costs Sony significant development resources for a feature that only impacts a small number of people. The real diehards all bought the early PS3 models that had support for PS2 games. While vocal, the people who are still left waiting backward compatibility but not willing to pay for it in the past are a tiny number, and I can't imagine any scenario where Sony starts caring about you. Like those of us who wanted a PS3 when they played SACDs, a feature cut in the same period as bac
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First off, there is still plenty of coding involved to support PS2 titles even when one has the Emotion Engine chip present only on earlier PS3s. The chip doesn't just work on its own without associated driver software that needs to be maintained, and there's specific features like the PS2 upscaling [joystiq.com] involved too.
And product development resources aren't just coding. The work that was going into the PS2 Support List [playstation.com] wasn't trivial either, and in a real product every feature you advertise needs its own dedic
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I do, however, really dig the idea that the XBox 360 can be used to play Netflix instant play movies on the TV (although it requires an XBox Live account). If PS3 had that as well, I'd buy the PS3 over the 360 in a heartbeat now that they're basically price compatible. As it is, though, I'm
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Penny Arcade covered this. PlayOn will give you Hulu and Netflix access on your PS3. You have to pay a one-time charge for PlayOn, but that is cheaper than 4 months of XBox Live.
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The BC was sketchy at best and several games suffered performance issues or didnt run at all. Because the PS2 proccessor was actually incorporated into the PCB it caused some performace issues for PS3 games as well. software emulation would be nice but personally i think the PS3 would need more RAM to effectively due this without any noticeable performance issues. i actually waited until the BC was removed to buy mine for this reason. you can pick up a used PS2 from Game Stop for $60.
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They had backwards compatibility (Score:3, Interesting)
Sony is retarded for removing backwards compatibility. It's the only one of the 3 consoles where the developer got the bright idea to remove features.
I bought a PS3 last year since I wanted to play Metal Gear, but I also wanted to get rid of my PS2 (DDR is still played on occasion).
You can still find them on Craiglist/etc. Be sure to look for the 60 GB one as it's the only one that has it in hardware.
(But it's not as good as Nintendo's. You have to buy a memory card converter to actually get save games
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To be honest, I don't know the time frame of when or what versions had PS2/PS1 compatability. I've heard a lot of things like the 40GB versions didn't have it while the 60 and 80GB versions did. All I know is that I bought an 80GB PS3 in a Metal Gear Solid 4 bundle and I haven't run into any problems playing PS2 or PS1 games on the PS3, aside from the graphics on PS1 games being terrible. I actually think FFXII looks better from the PS3 compared to the PS2....
No Linux Support? (Score:4, Informative)
"Removal of 'Install Other OS' feature
The new PS3 system will focus on delivering games and other entertainment content, and users will not be able to install other Operating Systems to the new PS3 system."
http://www.scee.presscentre.com/Content/Detail.asp?ReleaseID=4842&NewsAreaID=2 [presscentre.com]
Sony abandoning Linux on new skus means they are effectively doing the same for the old ones.
Epic failure.
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Explain.
To me it says "we used slightly different controllers and peripherals, and don't feel like investing the time to port the drivers and such to a new linux kit".
I didn't see the bit where they said they were making it stop working on my existing device.
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It will continue to work, but now that it's officially a dead product there is little point in investing in it.
Re:No Linux Support? (Score:4, Insightful)
They'll make it stop working on your existing device by simply removing the option to install when the update comes down the pipe. I doubt there's any real technical reason for dropping it, other than some beancounter deciding that the loss of respect from technical users was less costly than the upkeep for the hypervisor (assuming they remove it.)
Assuming they don't, you'll be able to keep what you have on there, but not reinstall or do a new install. Which is a huge amount of ass considering how much work was done by the open source community to port things to the PS3 including kernel patches and various GCC ports and additions for the SPUs. All of that is now wasted, even on older consoles unless you never, ever let them contact PSN.
Re:No Linux Support? (Score:4, Informative)
No doubt they *can* make it stop working on my existing PS3 if I choose to install their update. But it doesn't say anywhere that they are planning to remove it. I highly doubt they are, since the cost of maintenance on leaving it there is zero.
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Um, no. It never updates the firmware without you knowing about it.
Though some new games do require that you update the firmware.
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Couldn't you have waited for someone to say "but does it run Linux?" before posting? ;)
Seriously, though, that's rather annoying. I wonder why.
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This morning as I started to see news feeds coming in that the price was being dropped to $300, a reasonable price for somethign that primarily would be used a blu-ray player. I was willing to purchase since there were some other areas I could explore in the system, including installing outside operating systems. The fact that this was something I could do with the system and now the fact that Sony can retroactively remove it, is not worth my time or my money.
The 'old' PS3 is $299, too (Score:3, Informative)
I've got Linux on mine, but I haven't had a chance to use it much. The annoying thing is that there's no real equivalent to a bootloader. If you set it to boot Linux, it will always boot to Linux un
Discontinued soon? (Score:2)
The 'fat' PS3's price is being cut to $299 and it retains the "OtherOS" feature.
But how long will the 'fat' PS3 continued to be manufactured?
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The install other OS option was utterly useless, only one cell was supported and you had no access to any of the advanced hardware. No reason for Sony to continue to support a feature that was used by only a very tiny fraction of PS3 owners.
People who pick this above all others as a reason not to buy a PS3 are just being petulant.
Re:No Linux Support? (Score:4, Informative)
1. There is only one Cell in a PS3
2. You had access to the main cores and all but on of it's vector processing units
3. The GFX chip is what was cut out.
Re:No Linux Support? (Score:5, Insightful)
I would assume that the loss of Linux support is likely due to not bothering to accommodate for the large changes in hardware under the hood. If their research shows that not enough people are using a feature make it worth developing and supporting, why should they waste resources on that feature? Of course, by that logic, then Home should have dies a long time ago too...
At any rate, it shouldn't take too long for unofficial workarounds to show up.
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If their research shows that not enough people are using a feature make it worth developing and supporting, why should they waste resources on that feature?
They would do it for the Slashdot. Wouldn't you?
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It's a shame though, as I only started playing around with cell programming on an older spare PS/3. The power core + multiple SPU approach is interesting. The only hardware alternative for cell is the super expensive QS22 blades from IBM which cuts out most educational and hobby use. You would think that IBM and Sony would want to maintain interest and training on this architecture to help justify further development. A cheap $299 box is a good way to do this. Maybe they will add the Other OS feature back i
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The internal design architecture of the new PS3 system, from the main semiconductors and power supply unit to the cooling mechanism, has been completely redesigned, achieving a much slimmer and lighter body. Compared to the very first PS3 model with 60GB HDD, the internal volume as well as its thickness and weight are trimmed down to approximately two-thirds. Furthermore, power consumption is also cut to two-thirds, helping to reduce fan noise.
So: Still has internal PSU (my major worry), but isn't as great a size reducation as say the shrink from the PS2 to the PS2 Slim. Sounds like more chips are 45nm than before. Obviously there was a circuit board redesign. One major fail is not having a USB port on the back for PlayTV.
Even quieter fan noise will be a nice feature for movie watchers, not that it is a major issue now.
And the price is very competitive with the 360. Price drop here coming soon I presume! Otherwise there's even less reason to get
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According to Wikipedia, the Slim model has an external power supply [wikipedia.org].
Here's a photo of the rear of the unit [playstation.com], where you can see the unusual power connector (lower right) that seems indicative of an external brick.
Re:No Linux Support? (Score:4, Insightful)
That's a standard "figure 8" connector typically associated with AC transmission. You see them on everything, but the place a Slashdot reader is most likely to have seen them is on the cord that goes between the AC wall outlet and a laptop's power supply. Dell uses them a lot.
I see nothing that would indicate an external power supply, and in fact the presence of that connector would imply the opposite.
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Gah! No one else mentioned this yet... major bummer. Now if I could just get real data on the new power draw of the slim.
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Not really surprising... they used the same pattern with the PS2. Announce during the pre-release hype that there will be Linux, and you get a bunch of pundits and gullible geeks talking about how it's going to be taking over from the Real Computer. The actual possibilities with the Linux kit end up limited and forgotten, little more than a technical curiosity.
When the hardware gets updated later on, the Linux kit doesn't as it was only part of the pre-release marketing process. Expect the same thing wit
Re:No Linux Support? (Score:5, Funny)
Re:No Linux Support? (Score:4, Interesting)
My prediction:
- The PS3 slim will be hacked. Now that there is no Other OS support, there is the same incentive as there has been for running homebrew on every other console.
- Said hacks will be used for warez, probably by people other than those who developed the hacks.
Linux hackers tend to be much more successful at system reverse engineering and exploitation than the kids who want warez. This is why Other OS is a Good Thing for Sony: it removes the incentive to bypass their security for a lot of people. By removing this option, they're setting themselves to have their security broken. And we all know how long it takes for "other" people to use these hacks for less than legal purposes (I learned this the hard way).
I firmly believe Other OS is one of the main reasons why there is no PS3 software piracy so far. Check out this table [marcansoft.com] from our 25C3 presentation.
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Ah, but there's a difference. With Other OS, people still want to hack out the GPU access restrictions (as has been done once or twice). With the facility removed entirely, people will attack the Native OS. Piracy shows up when you start messing with a console's native facilities, not a linux-specific mode that games can'
Still overpriced in the UK (Score:2)
According to the BBC [bbc.co.uk] the UK price is amazingly £250 or about US$413. Which is a ripoff. At this price there is no way that I would consider buying one.
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Yeah, that's a big deal to me, especially as I only paid £229.99 for my Xbox 360 back in August 2006. I want a PS3 because I'm dying to play Killzone more than anything, but I just can't justify paying more for a console of the same generation now, than I did 3 years ago. This late in the generation consoles needs to be sub-£200 IMO.
To be fair on Sony, that's what the price point is in North America - £180, which is the same as the Wii at £179.99 whilst the 360 for the premium model
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Remember the UK has a ridiculous electronics import duty too.
Glad to hear (Score:2)
There have been one or two games I'd like to play that are on the PS3 only, but they are some coming that I'd really like to play (God of War 3, possibly FF XIII, I know there are others). I didn't want to spend $400 for a game or two. Having the price down to $300 helps.
Of course I'm not going to jump at it yet. I'll wait for the inevitable God of War III bundle.
Are we still expected to pay $0.30 for Home shoes? (Score:5, Informative)
So, new changes coming to Home. More customization options. More places. Neat, I guess.
Except for the part where they apparently think people are willing to pay $0.29 for a pair of shoes that no one is going to see. Likewise the $5 to buy a new "personal apartment" that basically no one except yourself is ever going to see. (Sure, you can invite friends over to your virtual apartment but, really, how much is it worth to have your virtual self live in the Ghostbusters station?)
Not to mention the charges on logo-ed shirts. I can't remember prices, but I think those were in the $0.50-$1 range. So I'm expected to pay money to be a walking virtual advertisement. Sure...
If the Home avatars had any use outside of Home (like the Miis and the Xbox Live Avatars) I could almost see the more pathetic fanboys paying money to dress them up in a T-shirt with a Ghostbuster logo on it. But $0.50 for a virtual shirt that can only be seen in a single virtual space in which there is essentially nothing to do? Please!
Last time I checked (which was a month ago, so not terribly long ago) PlayStation Home was still just like this Penny Arcade cartoon [penny-arcade.com]. The only difference I found from the beta last year is that the stores now actually sell something rather than being completely empty.
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Don't like it? Don't buy it. What's the problem?
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It's not a problem, so much, as it is a question of whether the new Home content is actually going to be worth anything or if it's all going to be worthless options locked behind a pay wall.
The article says that Home will be getting "new character customization options" - are we expected to pay for these? Since they're currently charging money for the current "character customization options" in the forms of virtual clothing, it seems quite likely that these new options may simply be more paid clothing.
Like
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Well, if Sony wanted to entice people to actually participate in Home they'd make that sort of thing free.
And secondly, it's the principle of the thing. Companies only take advantage because people allow them to do so. If consumers formed a united front and took at stand against this sort of nonsense a lot more DLC would be free. It's one think when they're offering a substantial add-on to a game and another thing altogether when it's some costume piece.
I also don't understand how anyone could tolerate payi
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Who said there was a [problem? what is it with you people who pull out this bullshit when people are just discussing what they don't like about a game?
Ironic, considering your sig.
Re:Are we still expected to pay $0.30 for Home sho (Score:5, Insightful)
Hell, people pay 20-30 bucks (and more) all the time to be walking real-life advertisements.
Re:Are we still expected to pay $0.30 for Home sho (Score:4, Interesting)
I agree. What I think they should do is offer those items as accomplishments for in game goals, and have a place to shoe them off. Use the peple desire to collect and show off stuff to sell games.
Shocking, I know.
Firmware 3.0 (Score:5, Interesting)
New Features:
Things People Actually Want:
Thanks a bunch, Sony.
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Whenever they update their Divx support the MKV support should be included (since the new Divx uses MKV files).
As for the rest, agreed. The web browser should just use some custom build of Firefox, and the PS2 backwards compatibility would help bring in the people who want to keep playing their existing PS2 games.
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The What's New screen has always been there.
I'm not sure what you mean by this as I haven't read anything about it, but the Store is already exceedingly easy to access.
Themes have always been for sale as well although there are a decent number which are free. In my opinion, however, at least 95% of them are amateurish garbage. I'm not sure how the c
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Who says it won't return in some form? But if it means that much to you, go buy a PS3 second hand containing it. Or just keep your PS2.
* Better video support, especially MKV files. (Yes, you can convert MKV files to be playable. No, I don't think that's good enough.)
The PS3 already plays MPEG2, ASP, AVC and VC-1 media from a variety of containers, from local storage and remote. It probably has the best multimedia support of any console. Yes MKV would
Sony Electronic Reader (Score:3, Interesting)
I want to be able to do more than read Comic Books with a reader program. I want to be able to read PDF, ODF, RTF, HTML, CHM, and other formats that eBooks come in.
If I buy a PSP or Slim PS3, I want an educational value for it as well as a gaming one. I want more than a Language Tutor program or BrainAge, I want to be able to read eBooks as well.
I am sticking to a PS2 because the PS3 price is too high and they took away backwards compatibility with PS2 games on most PS3 models. I might as well buy a Wii because it runs GameCube games, or an XBox 360 with a hard drive that can run XBox games. Sony really needs to learn a lesson here to run legacy software like the others, or risk losing these console wars.
No more Rootkits either, ok? Sony we are sick of them.
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I want to be able to do more than read Comic Books with a reader program. I want to be able to read PDF, ODF, RTF, HTML, CHM, and other formats that eBooks come in.
If I buy a PSP or Slim PS3, I want an educational value for it as well as a gaming one. I want more than a Language Tutor program or BrainAge, I want to be able to read eBooks as well.
I am sticking to a PS2...
last i checked the PS2 has none of those features. if you're serious about using a gaming console for education i actually think the PS3 is about as close as you'll get. in addition to the obvious of being able to teach somebody the basics of running linux from the command line, since its the only console with a blu ray you can get the blue planet series on BD its an incredible documentary that is full of education.
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"Worlds greatest gaming system"
Based on what? certianly not sales.
PSP Digital Reader Service (Score:3, Informative)
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Agreed, best electronics purchase I've made in a long while (got mine back in Dec. 2008).
The price cut is nice, but mine was only $350 CDN back then, so $299 US doesn't seem that much different (around $20 or so).
Re:Sweet (Score:5, Insightful)
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Though your case study of two units is hardly statistically meaningful, I do share your sentiment. I wonder what the percentage of failure is for these units within one year?
And compare that to the 360.
And compare that to the PC.
I doubt the PS3 is much worse, but it seems like it sometimes.
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Though your case study of two units is hardly statistically meaningful, I do share your sentiment.
Agreed. I would have preferred to know the failure rate before buying them. Are those data even publicly known?
I would have had to buy the PS3 anyway, since I needed to do some research involving the Cell processor. But I sure regret looking like a jerk to the random Craigslist guy.
Re:An even better model (Score:5, Interesting)
The failure rates were published on joystiq a couple of days ago: http://www.joystiq.com/2009/08/17/game-informer-xbox-360-at-54-2-percent-failure-rate/ [joystiq.com].
xbox: 54.2%
ps3 10.3%
wii 6.8%
Too bad Greenpeace didn't consider those when they named Nintendo such a non-green company.
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Too bad Greenpeace didn't consider those when they named Nintendo such a non-green company.
For what it's worth, many RROD's 360's can be repaired by Microsoft or even through hardhack methods. I don't know Greenpeace's method of calculation, but I suppose even if they can fix them, shipping all these broken 360's back and forth doesn't help.
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That statistic of over 50% is so high that I find it hard to believe. Half of all units fail? What is even more shocking is that so many people remain loyal to the Xbox. I'm guessing it's that people feel they don't have a choice given they've already invested in the system owning several games, controllers and whatnot.
Actually, I was one of the 10.3% of PS3 owners with a failed unit. Having not touched the console for a few days I turn it on, the fan starts up, the LED flashes yellow, the console beeps a f
Re:An even better model (Score:5, Insightful)
How about they release "PS3 Reliable edition"?
Of the two PS3 owners that I know (a friend and myself), both have had the Blue-ray drive fail. And mine failed just after I sold the console on Craigslist, making me look like a fraud.
The plural of 'anecdote' is not 'evidence'.
Re:Whoa! (Score:5, Insightful)
* 120 gig HDD.
* Built in wifi-fi.
* Streams all my media content from my computer.
* Top-notch BluRay player.
* Built in web browser
* Oh, and plays games.
I think it is a great value actually, But to each their own.
Re: (Score:2)
What limitations are there on playing content from your computer?
Re: (Score:2)
Just certain codecs, but it is a pretty liberal list.
If you're not fixated on playing at the TV set... (Score:2)
...you get a decent midrange gaming PC for $500 these days, with dual core, 4 GB RAM and one of the better 128 bit GPUs. The PS3 still has more CPU power, but I think the PC wins in all other things.
While this is a bit of an apples to oranges comparison, it shows the PS3 is not THAT much cheaper than a PC with decent gaming performance. Which is also useful for your home office. So I tend to agree about "too little too late for Sony".
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
Yeah, unfortunately they didn't. My PS3 is almost exclusively used for Blu-Ray movies (most games I purchase for my Xbox360 - if Sony would allow developers to use the machine to the fullest rather than parcel out power over the years...)
However, there are options.
If you own a Harmony remote,
Re: (Score:3, Interesting)
Just a satisfied customer.