Playstation Meeting later tonight/early tomorrow (PS3 info almost guaranteed)

I believe the article was late february, just over two weeks ago.

HDTVs are expensive, the article mentioned that 3 million people had HDTVs without HDMI input. They would be punished for supporting HDTVs in the first place. I know if I bought a HDTV a year or two ago and now I gotta upgrade to another one because the Studios can't figure out a better way to make hundreds of billions of dollars, I'd be pretty ticked off.

EDIT: HDMI only helps the studios, the consumer doesn't gain anything by spedning more money.

 

Why are you so quick to defend the big companies? It just puzzles me as to why it seems like you're always on the defensive everytime someone criticizes Sony, or anything affiliated with Sony.

It's not that simple, the protection issue goes to the hardware itself. The new players won't work without HDMI input. This goes to all High Def DVDs. If you dont have HDMI input, you cant use the players itself.

 

forget it, you don't see a problem with consumers who are at the complete mercy of the companies. There's no point in talking with you on this. Consumers should just shut up and not complain when they get shafted, because the corporations will always know whats good for the consumer.

 

rc cola is a sony customer service rep

 

Haha. They're trying to find anything that'll stick with the PSP. Only thing left is to lower the price, then we can say they've tried everything.

Well, other than getting the publishers to push out more games, that is.

 

That would be awesome, but I'll believe it when I see it. Worldwide launches...not sure how I feel about that. But thinking that Sony can push a million PS3s a month - when so much isn't finalized and when MS couldn't even do it with hardware that's available - doesn't seem very realistic.

 

Starting November, no one will ever see me again.

 

So RC, are you posting the happy Sony guy pic or the sad Sony guy pic?

 

Seems like most of the rumored stuff that was on the 1up radio show was correct. November worlwide launch, a free X-Box Live service, Backward Compatibility, and Hard Drive. I think that EB and Gamestop should have pre-orders starting very soon, so I would start pestering those stores now. I am not going to be PS3 hunting like I was for the 360.

 

Microsoft going with HD-DVD wasn't simply because of their format and software inclusion. Microsoft's would much rather keep Blu-Ray's partners happy (think Dell) then to support a rival technology but when Sony wanted to "one up" them in the console race by including Blu-Ray they forced Microsoft's hand. Microsoft took a busines stance on the issue and sees that Sony may be making a big mistake (yet again) by speeding up the development and release of Blu-Ray rather then holding out and they are putting their money on HD-DVD.

I strongly disagree with this and so do most market analysts. HD-DVD has a player coming out at only $499 while the Blu-Ray is well above $1000 bucks. Like it or not but that doesn't paint a good potrait for the future of Blu-Ray. Nothing you say to me here is going to convince me that they are going to be equally priced anytime in the next few years... HD-DVD is an improvement on existing technology while Blu-Ray is all new, even the studio execs are complaining about the cost of Blu-Ray... HD-DVD prices will fall much faster then Blu-Ray's simply because the cost of development and production is and will stay much higher.

I agree that the support jumped on the bandwagon for Blu-Ray after they announced it for the PS3, but that doesn't mean it was the right decision. By them rushing it out they have drawn a line in the sand and revived a nearly dead technology in HD-DVD. As I said before if they would have played it safe and taken the development and release of Blu-Ray cautiously they wouldn't have the competition they now have in HD-DVD and the XBox 360. If they would have put out a PS3 to compete directly with the 360 and slowly gained complete backing for Blu-Ray they wouldn't be having the problems they are now.

You are strongly underestimating the power of Microsoft. This is the company that has over a 90% share in the PC market, not some fly boys along for the ride. Sony brought this format war upon themselves, not the other way around. Sony rushed Blu-Ray and forced people's hands, not Microsoft...

Yeah, you didnt' take that out of context at all So I guess you know more on this issue then me? Don't kid yourself man, neither one of us know anything, all we know is what we are told and read on the internet... so don't act like you are some all-knowing being, you're just a kid with a high speed connection... check the ego at the door.

You can see it costing $500-600 to make? Are you drunk? The 360 premium costs more then that and it doesn't have a completely new technology slowing it down and raising the cost. Blu-Ray players alone will cost that so you must really be living in a dream world. There has been no official release on the HUB or what it may or may not contain, it is all rumor... while Microsoft has a proven cash cow in XBox Live and the Marketplace.

I didn't say the name would make HD-DVD the winner, but I did say don't ever underestimate the idiocy of the average consumer. I have helped thousands of technologically inept users in my lifetime so I may know a thing or two. In all actuality the biggest threat to Blu-Ray losing the format war isn't the name, it may just be Sony themselves.

 

I have to admit that I do have a bias towards Microsoft, but my reasons are good... they have kept me employed for the past 8 years and they are going to keep me employed for many years to come. With that said I'm far from a "Microsoft Fanboy" and I have no problem bashing them when they deserve it. They made a mistake by rushing both Media Center PCs and Tablet PCs (about 3-5 years too soon). Microsoft is far from perfect, but Bill Gates and company are some of the most business savy people in the world. As UTweezer pointed out this isn't a Sony vs. Microsoft debate, this is a Sony vs. Itself. I will own and enjoy a PS3, there is no doubt... however Sony has awakend a sleeping giant in Microsoft and given them a head-start in two races that they really had no chance of winning on their own.

I think you are exactly right... even a gadget w**** like myself isn't going to rush out and get an HD-DVD or Blu-Ray player right off the bat because I'll only have a couple of movies to use it with anyway. Sony rushed it and in doing so put people that would have eventually backed their technology in the opposite corner.

Nothing you say is going to change his mind... he thinks Blu-Ray is the most amazing thing since sliced bread. The study execs and CEOs are trying to strong-arm the consumer into new technologies that are not needed and highly over-priced... and in a battle like that I'll choose the consumers to win hands down. I think HD-DVD and Blu-Ray both have a great chance of failing hugely because as BMoney noted most people aren't going to rush out and get a player and replace all of the DVDs in their collection. Hell, the concept of HD-TV is nearly 30 years old and it is just now catching on... so why Sony feels they need to rush Blu-Ray out the door is beyond me.

 

Well. here's the story from the NY Times, for those who want a synopsis of this stuff:



March 15, 2006

Sony Delays Launch of PlayStation3 Until November

By MARTIN FACKLER

TOKYO, March 15 — Sony said today it would postpone release of its next-generation PlayStation video game console until November, a potentially costly move that the company portrayed as a marketing decision but that analysts said may reflect difficulty in containing high component prices.

The delay of the new console, PlayStation 3, is an apparent setback for Sony's turnaround efforts at a time when the struggling electronics giant badly needs a new hit product. The once high-flying electronics maker has fallen on hard times as cheap competition from China has eroded earnings of bread-and-butter consumer electronics products like televisions.

Ken Kutaragi, president of Sony's game unit, apologized repeatedly during a hastily called meeting of game software developers, analysts and reporters for failing to have the console ready this spring, as originally promised. He said the delay was mostly the result of a strategic decision to give developers time to write game software, and to make a splash ahead of the pre-Christmas shopping rush.

"Instead of rushing, we want to have a solid launch," Mr. Kutaragi said. "We wanted to have time to make the big sales season that starts with Thanksgiving."

Mr. Kutaragi said Sony will be ready to produce 1 million consoles per month by November, and plans to make 6 million machines by March 2007.

But analysts said the delay will be costly for Sony. It means PlayStation 3 will not reach the market until nearly a full year after rival Microsoft released its competing machine, xBox 360. Sony has also been counting on PlayStation 3 to serve as a showcase for two new technologies upon which the company is betting its future: the Blu-ray DVD format and the powerful Cell processing chip, developed with IBM and Toshiba.

In particular, Sony had hoped the new PlayStation would give a boost to the Blu-ray format, which is currently locked in a separate battle with a competing technology from Toshiba to become the global standard for next-generation DVDs. Sony has hoped that installing Blu-ray drives into PlayStation 3 machines would help popularize the format, potentially giving it the upper hand in a fight over billions of dollars in sales and royalty payments.

Sony is also counting on these new technologies to make PlayStation 3 a success. With Blu-ray offering five times more capacity than current DVDs, and Cell boasting processing speeds dozens of times faster than its predecessor, PlayStation 3 promises a leap in graphics and realism that Sony hopes will dazzle consumers.

On Wednesday, Mr. Kutaragi cited delays in developing copyright protection technology for Blu-ray as a factor in the holdup. But he said that this and other technical problems will be resolved by June, and that Sony could have launched PlayStation 3 earlier had it chosen to do so.

"We were discussing selling it in September, and some even said put it out in July," Mr. Kutaragi said.

Some analysts were immediately skeptical of this explanation, saying Sony needed to get the console out as soon as possible to combat Microsoft's head start, and the expected release this year of Nintendo's next game console, Revolution.

They said Sony may be trying to buy time to bring down the production cost of key components, particularly untested technologies like Blu-ray and Cell. While Mr. Kutaragi did not reveal a price on Wednesday, analysts say Sony will likely try to sell PlayStation 3 for about $500. While that is far higher than the $299 roll out price of its predecessor, PlayStation 2, analysts said that will likely be significantly below the new console's actual building cost.

Mr. Kutaragi only compounded such fears on Wednesday by announcing that PlayStation 3 will also include a 60 gigabyte hard-disc drive, Linux operating software and the ability to handle broadband Internet connections. These additional features will allow the game console to double as a home server, further driving up production costs.

"Sony faces the prospect of swallowing several hundred dollars in losses per machine until production volumes get high enough to drive down costs," said John Yang, an electronics analyst in Tokyo for Standard & Poor's rating agency. "It may take years to bring those costs down."

One point on which Mr. Kutaragi and analysts seemed to agree was the need to ensure a kink-free rollout for PlayStation 3. Loading the consoles with so many new technologies increases the chances of a potentially costly and embarrassing recall if something goes wrong, analysts warned.

Sony needs a successful launch to help replicate the smashing success of PlayStation 2, which sold more than 100 million units over six years. Game consoles and related software have been Sony's most profitable products, contributing up to two-thirds of operating income in recent years.

"It has to get PS3 right," said Mr. Yang. "Sony wants to avoid a misstep at all costs."

Analysts also said Sony was unlikely to delay PlayStation 3 unless it absolutely had to because of the console's prominent role in the DVD format war.

Blu-ray backers have continually emphasized how PlayStation 3 consoles were going to aid their cause by doubling as low-priced Blu-ray players. Toshiba has already announced it will sell players this year using its standard, HD-DVD, at around $500. With most Blu-ray players expected to cost $1,000 or more, PlayStation had appeared the only hope for matching Toshiba's price.

Sony has had a bad couple of weeks in its quest to ensconce Blu-ray as the next standard. In a sign of growing frustration with delays in the Blu-Ray format, LG Electronics of South Korea said it may make machines capable of handling both formats instead of the Blu-ray-only players originally planned.

Ken Belson contributed reporting for this article from New York.

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/03/15/b...&en=8dd00c1e7d94b41d&ei=5094&partner=homepage



From the Blade Runner:

Reads like a blow to Sony, on many levels. As has been pointed out, they leave a clear field for XBox 360 and MS for many months, which is going to cause a lot of people waiting on the PS3 to say, "**** it! I'll see how the 360 is." They give MS and 360 developers far more time to come out with new games and pimp their online service. The more homes with the 360 already parked in the living room are that many more wondering if getting the PS3 for Blu-Ray (and the games) is worth the bucks. (those who depend on parents to help them with these purchases are going to be over a barrel... if a 360 is already in the living room, are parents really going to grab a PS3 for Blu-Ray? )

The worst thing may be that it does to Sony what has happened to Nintendo too often... a day late and a dollar short with their launch. Heck, this may give Nintendo a real leg up if they get Revolution out ahead of PS3.

Just my 2 cents. I think many of you look at these purchases from a game playing perspective, and as someone who can fork over the bread themselves. I look at it (being a PC game player) as more of a purchase for my kids. I may very well get a 360 long before a PS3 comes out, for my kids, and won't be thinking of adding a PS3 any time soon, if I do. When my son, who wanted a 360, but decided to wait for a PS3 (partly because the 360 was hard to find, and partly for the games, of course... he's 14, almost 15. Remember when you were 15, RC? ). hears about this, and I'm about to tell him, I can imagine the response. "Can I get a 360 for my birthday? Please??" (it's in May)

A major blow for Sony, and I love Sony products. I buy their TVs, and have for decades. I have a Sony XBR still working great after 16 years. I buy their DVD players. I think they build very high quality stuff. I'm a Sony customer, but I probably am looking at getting a damn MS product. Bummer!