The only thing Sony has going for it is it's history.

It's big, heavy, expensive, doesn't offer true HD support at it's core
price. They've ripped off Nintendo and Microsoft badly and seem happy
with it. They are in an extremely poor position all round, except for
their past history of games that should keep them afloat.

Sony has now put it's self in a position of playing catch up as they're
going to be seen as rip off artists by the gaming press. The vitriol
against the new controller and price has been pretty much universal and
quite vicious.

The overhype, inferior ripping off of other peoples ideas and the over
functionality just remind me of something like Gizmondo and those that
came before it. Sony are trying to do too many things at once and
failing. If this machine didn't have the PS brand attached to it nobody
would pay ANY sort of attention to it. It just seems like a machine that
can do 'sort of' what it promised and that isn't good.

blue wrote:
> It's big, heavy,

It's big, but that didn't stop me buying a XBOX, and the 360 is hardly
small.


>expensive,

This I concurr.

> doesn't offer true HD support at it's core
> price.

Indeed, and this has yet to sink in. Does it offer DVI though? If so
that may solve that one, but surely if it did, HDMI is barely a few
dollars more, so why remove it?


>They've ripped off Nintendo and Microsoft badly and seem happy
> with it.

TO be fair, neither of thoset wo are that inocent. MS ripped off Sony
with the dual analogue sticks, and Nintendo ripped of MS for the
downlaods of classic games...

>They are in an extremely poor position all round, except for
> their past history of games that should keep them afloat.

Brand sells. That's why iPods comand premiums over regular non-Apple
HDD Audio players.


>
> Sony has now put it's self in a position of playing catch up as they're
> going to be seen as rip off artists by the gaming press.

I doubt that. Already, though, they are ripping a new one for Sony over
the pricing of the console.
That won't be good.

> The vitriol
> against the new controller and price has been pretty much universal and
> quite vicious.

Really, most people won't care what shape the controler is. Most are
happy with the DS2, even if it's not the best. However, the price is
the biggest sore point. Especially as the lower-cost unit, although
still $500, lacks HDMI and thus true Blu-Ray features.

>
> The overhype,

Expectations are very high, but the reality is proving to be little
more than what one has come to expect of the 360.


>inferior ripping off of other peoples ideas and the over
> functionality just remind me of something like Gizmondo and those that
> came before it. Sony are trying to do too many things at once and
> failing.

It hasn't failed yet, but it i a huge gamble. Blu-Ray and content is
Sony's real goal - not dominance of the videogames arena.

I think the message is mixed witht he PS3, - is it a cheap
entertainment system or a high end videogames system?


> If this machine didn't have the PS brand attached to it nobody
> would pay ANY sort of attention to it.

Yes they would, it's still high end cutting edge - just not bleeding
edge. Look to the PC for that.

>It just seems like a machine that
> can do 'sort of' what it promised and that isn't good.

It's exactly as predicted by most reasonable observers back in may last
year. Sony have over-promised, and under-delivered. With the exception
of MGS4, there's nothing to get excited about over the 360 graphically,
and games wise, the two systems are evenly matched.

The big difference is that the 360 is out now, and considerably
cheaper, and has dozens of games already on the shelves.

Unlike PS3 fans, i can download and play demos of games on show at E3
NOW.