In defense of the Playstation 3

Published on December 21st, 2008

Posted by SN in General

Most pundits are calling Sony’s Playstation 3 dead in the water. The argument makes sense, in a superficial sort of way. The Wii costs only $250 and the Xbox 360 Arcade costs “only” $200. So people are buying both of those platforms in massive quantities. But it’s the quotes around the Arcade’s 200 dollars where the logic of the argument falls apart.

Sure, Microsoft’s Arcade can be found for $199.99 nearly everywhere. But it lacks a hard drive and a Live account. A 60gb drive with a 3 month Live starter kits costs about $100. Of course you’ll need more than three months of Live, so that’s an additional $36 per year.

So in reality, that “$199″ Arcade is really about $336. For one year and three months, then you’ll pay another $36 again. But let’s stick with the $336 price for now.

I know what you’re thinking, that still makes the Arcade about $84 less than the $400 Playstation 3. So the Arcade is still a great value, right?

It all depends on how much you love movies and your favorite shows in true 1080p High Definition. You probably know that the Playstation 3 includes a Blu-ray player, but did you know that it’s considered the best Blu-ray player on the market. It is the standard against which all other Blu-ray players are judged.

Did you also know that the Playstation 3 can run Linux so you can fully surf the web right from your big screen TV?

Did you also know the Playstation 3 automatically upconverts regular DVDs to a near HD experience?

And you can buy all of that for only an additional $84 bucks.

I know there are some Xbox fanboys that are going to argue in the comments that the “Xbox Rulez” and that there are great games exclusive to the Xbox 360. But you know what, those types of fanboys will not be buying the Arcade version. Those guys (and gals) will be buying a higher end version. So this posting has nothing to do with fanboys. Heck, even the Playstation 3 fanboys will not be buying the $400 version.

So this posting is not about what platform is the “best.” That’s completely subjective and is something you’ll have to determine yourself. This posting is for people who want value for their living room experience. And between the Playstation 3 and the Arcade, I think Sony wins this round.

69 users responded in " In defense of the Playstation 3 "

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# 1 pedro said, on December 21st, 2008 at 6:45 am

I’ll have the brunette from the first two pictures, please.

# 2 jporter182 said, on December 21st, 2008 at 6:53 am

Netflix? PS3 doesn’t have the online experience like Live does. Answer? get both I guess.

# 3 joaoPT said, on December 21st, 2008 at 6:54 am

If they come with the PS3, I’ll buy one…

# 4 Jimbo said, on December 21st, 2008 at 7:02 am

Isn’t it all about how many get sold, building a sustainable market and the like?

# 5 Named said, on December 21st, 2008 at 7:04 am

Not yet. But it’s a coming!

http://www.google.ca/search?q=ps3+movie+downloads&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a

And there is a PS3 PVR in Europe now.

http://www.google.ca/search?q=ps3+pvr&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a

# 6 vonchiz said, on December 21st, 2008 at 7:22 am

I don’t buy it. When I first got out of college and had a nice paycheck, I bought everything Sony. Sony laptop, PDA, camera, DVD player, video recorder, MP3 player – everything! They were all prematurely replaced/retired because every stinking one was either a lemon, a money sink, or just a POS. Call me a hater, but I am very suspicious of Sony and only have a PSP (which I do like). I’ll stick with DVD and direct download services, thank you very much — after Sony’s dragging the public through ANOTHER format war (what is that, 3 now with Betamax and Memory Sticks). Blu Ray can eat crow as far as I’m concerned. I’ll reluctantly submit and buy a PS3 as a blu ray player maybe when it becomes ubiquitous if direct download services haven’t caught up.

# 7 chuck said, on December 21st, 2008 at 7:33 am

You didn’t mention that 20% of XBOX owners will get a Read-ring of Death within the first year, requiring a complete replacement of the machine.

So $199 may be cheap, but it’s costing Microsoft a fortune to keep them running.

I can buy a cheap Blu-Ray player for $199, but I can buy a Blu-Ray player with a built-in PS3 for $399.

# 8 amodedoma said, on December 21st, 2008 at 7:38 am

Sony, will hold out all they can. When they want to dominate the market all they have to do is secretly release the information necessary to backup games, preferibly to external USB hard drives. Piracy is what makes a or breaks a game console, anything else is just wishful thinking.

# 9 Hoamie said, on December 21st, 2008 at 7:42 am

I completely agree. The PS3 is a top flight media center, and i actually use it more that way than just a gaming machine. Because it can play avi, DivX and other web-friendly video codecs, you can view just about any movie downloaded from the net AS SOON AS it downloads, thanks to its terrific streaming abilities.

PSN is free. Enough said about that.

As for Netflix, if you buy a $30 lifetime sub to PlayOn, you CAN watch Netflix downloaded movies on the ps3.

There is no argument regarding reliability- its pretty clear when MS admitted to over a billion dollars in RROD losses that Sony has far more reliable hardware.

Anyone with a HDTV should own a PS3, if for its blu ray player alone. Man, does it look (and sound, if you have DD) incredible. I have people come over to the house to watch movies- ANY movies- they dont care because they look and sound so good.

Well done, SN, on your math and objective logic.

I’ll close with this: in 3 years, i will be perfectly happy with my forward-looking ps3. I’m not sure sure those with Xbox’s will be able to say the same.

# 10 Cap'nKangaro said, on December 21st, 2008 at 7:55 am

The part of the arguement that it has a built in Blu-Ray player is valid only as long as the potential customer has the HD screen to display the HD content on. Nielson estimates 25% of households own an HDTV, as of Dec ‘08.

# 11 asperante said, on December 21st, 2008 at 8:01 am

why does this read as a bought and payed for SONY add: using porn to get attention to boot?

I call BS – if your gonna run adds, run ADDS, don’t mask them as blog posts….

# 12 TheRedMonkey said, on December 21st, 2008 at 8:16 am

The XBox 360 upconverts DVDs and plays a lot nicer with your PC for content streaming. Adding in the cost of a live account is bogus since you can play without one. The experience on Live is far better than what Sony offers. There are far more people on Live than PSN just for the sake of a 12 million install bast of the XBox 360.

The PS3 is a great Blu-Ray player but they are about 199 for a good one now. SO get an Xbox and a Blu-Ray player for that price.

# 13 doug said, on December 21st, 2008 at 8:25 am

I bought a PS3 last year, pretty much solely as a blu-ray player. And in that it is truly top notch. disk load times are quick (as you could expect with all that processing power) and the picture is excellent. and the upscaling is very good, although I have dedicated DVD player that I mostly use for that.

two beefs:

(1) it runs hot, so unless your AV rack is ventilated, forget about it. mine is essentially a wood and glass box under the plasma, and I have to keep the door open when I am watching blu-ray disks. that is kind of an irritant; and

(2) the PS3 does not have an IR remote – it is bluetooth, so forget about using your universal remote with it. I have a Harmony that works everything else but the PS3. I think it was short-sighted of Sony to position this thing as a way to get blu-ray into homes in a big way, but then short it as a disk player by not including an IR pickup.

I’m not a gamer, so I don’t have a fanboy thing for the XB360 v. PS3 fight, but if you are doing comparative pricing with the XB360, don’t forget that the PS3 comes with wi-fi built in, but with the x-box you have to buy an adapter.

# 14 B. Dog said, on December 21st, 2008 at 8:41 am

Criterion’s reference Blu-ray player is a PS3.

# 15 chris said, on December 21st, 2008 at 9:05 am

Okay here’s the storyline: Sony releases product with superior technology. Sony fails to drive down costs aggressively enough and can’t create large enough library thanks to cost of producing media. Less able, but much cheaper, technology surpasses Sony in sales. Because of cost efficiencies in cheaper competitors any price drop initiated by Sony can be more than matched by competitors.

PS3 = BluRay ~= BetaMax
(xbox360 + wii) + (video distro via inet + durability of demand for DVDS) ~= vhs

therefore

rest > sony

# 16 Andrew said, on December 21st, 2008 at 9:26 am

I recently sold my XBox360 Elite and purchased a PS3. I did so for these reasons:

1. That 360 Elite was my 4th; 3 had RROD’d.
2. I wanted a Blu-Ray Player.
3. The majority of the games I play are cross-platform.
4. Wi-fi is built in and easy to set-up. Also, surfing the Internet straight from my PS3 using a wireless keyboard and mouse is a plus.
5. Netflix on XBM SUCKS. If you’re looking to stream the movies, avoid this like the plague. The selection is terrible and very few of the big-budget films that were recently released are available in HD.

# 17 Carcarius said, on December 21st, 2008 at 9:54 am

I like the PS3. Once they improve the online experience it could be a viable home entertainment system. I guess for the average consumer it is an overpriced console, but it has the potential to be a powerful home entertainment center.

As a softcore gamer, I see a lot of potential for game manufacturers changing how they sell their games (downloads) and how they can build on popular titles (episode downloads).

This could improve the development of games because they wouldn’t have to complete the whole project at once to meet deadlines for physical distribution. Instead they can build a “pilot” episode of the game and allow the players to download new episodes as they come out. Content can be added on the fly.

This works best for certain adventure games, but I think it could work for other genre’s as well.

Maybe the majority of this is already in the pipeline, but I don’t see much of it on the PS3 yet. I refuse to buy an Xbox… simply because I am not a fan of M$.

# 18 Carcarius said, on December 21st, 2008 at 9:59 am

Nice pics by the way… rawrrrr!

# 19 GregA said, on December 21st, 2008 at 10:11 am

Yeah, I don’t see why the Sony fans are so upset at the Microsoft and Xbox. The xbox has its users, and they have managed to grow that a little bit… But not much…

Sony got pwned my nintendo this generation, and that is where all your users went.

# 20 amodedoma said, on December 21st, 2008 at 10:12 am

People, please, let’s just stop helping Microsoft limit our choices in the future. Buying Microsoft, has caused the collapse of one industry already. If you like the prospect of being an M$ consumer for life, then continue to buy from them, but let’s not forget what they’ve done, and are continuing to do, to the software industry. Should they monopolize the game console industry, get ready to pay through the nose for buggy poorly written and programmed games. The health of any industry is based on competition, monopolies are dangerous and damaging. Our forefathers were aware of this and made laws to prevent it, even if those laws are now circumvented by a political and judicial system that always favours those with the deepest pockets. Nintendo, M$, Sony, I hope the future is bright for all three, lord knows there’s always room for a fantastic new product regardless of who makes it.

# 21 GregA said, on December 21st, 2008 at 10:14 am

#17,

Not in the pipline, but already available on the xbox. But thats ok, I can tell you wouldn’t care just because it has the name Microsoft on it.

# 22 RTaylor said, on December 21st, 2008 at 10:26 am

I own a PS3, and don’t own a single game. It is a great media player. Even for non-gamers you can buy some, “old folks games”, online for about $10. I haven’t mentioned the good web browser and pairing with a bluetooth keyboard.

# 23 GregA said, on December 21st, 2008 at 10:30 am

#20,

You have a bad case of Stalmanism there. Are you seeking treatment for that?

You are completely ignoring that Nintendo is by large margins the Monopoly (using your definition of Monopoly not mine) of video games. Microsoft and Sony combined dont come close to Nintendos dominance. Yet somehow, your infectious stalminism blinds you to that reality.

Oh, and Nintendo is already doing exactly as you say and have been for several year. Oh I see the problem, Nintendo lacks the word Microsoft in their name.

Yeah, you are a Microsoft haters, and you have long since forgoten why. That whole hater thing is taking over your life isnt it?

# 24 Tallon said, on December 21st, 2008 at 10:36 am

The PS3 is a great Blu-ray player, yes, but that’s all I use it for. The X-box 360 offers the superior gaming experience.

# 25 Turing Machine said, on December 21st, 2008 at 10:39 am

Rubbish, the ps3 that is

the xbox can play mpeg 4 dvix xvid h.264 wmv. most of the popular codecs. So it just as much a media centre.

Of most cross platform games the xbox pwns the ps3. People have woke up to the rubbish of ps3.

Untapped potential, my arse.

The ps3 had chance to better, but with it crippled eib bus taking quite a number cycles to communicate to each other. Other than that you must remember that cell is only good for some type calculations (mostly graphical). The cell looks like it was built to take up the slack of the rsx gpu. It well documented that the Xenos beats the rsx hands down. The cell is what is, mostly like dsp rather than cpu.

I think the main problem with the ps3 it silly hardware. Why bother learning a new system architecture when you write on well documented and tested hardware that’s been around for years.

You might like to know that most ps3 games barely reach 720p hardly none are 1080p. Some xbox games have 40% more pixles than the ps3.

I think sony has had its day. You know there desperate when they appear on cheepo uk shopping channel.

Dvorak was right.

Good rid ans to bad rubbish.

Sony rubbish like no other.

# 26 Carcarius said, on December 21st, 2008 at 10:40 am

#21 – that’s right… again, not a M$ fan. I have a Wii as well. Two out of three isn’t bad.

# 27 Tooki said, on December 21st, 2008 at 10:59 am

Aren’t you ignoring the most important thing about a gaming system to most gamers: the games. Sony’s biggest weakness and the thing holding it back more than anything else is its utter lack of good exclusive titles.

# 28 GregA said, on December 21st, 2008 at 11:09 am

#27,

Please explain the success of the wii then…

# 29 B. Dog said, on December 21st, 2008 at 11:33 am

Sonystyle has a promo for $249 for a PS3 if you get a credit card from them. Order by Monday for Xmas delivery.

# 30 Tooki said, on December 21st, 2008 at 11:35 am

#28

I would argue that the Wii surpasses Sony in this area. Only recently has Sony really put forward any exclusive games that one might consider “must owns.” In addition, the Wii has (at least until recently) been much cheaper and it has the multiplayer party appeal, which Sony still lacks.

Let me put it to you this way, if you want to play Metroid, Mario, Zelda, or Super Smash Brothers, you can only play them on the Wii. If you want to play the vast majority of Sony’s lineup, you could just as easily play those games on the 360 which has far more good exclusive titles and continues to take exclusives away from the PS3.

# 31 dusanmal said, on December 21st, 2008 at 11:39 am

@27,28: I Agree with Tooki. Main failure of PS3 is lack of good games.

As for Wii, they properly took the market share Xbox and PS3 left behind – casual gamers. People who are not much into gaming. Than they made perfect games for those particular people. Trivial for hard core gamers but perfect for that segment of population, which have turned out to be large. So, Wii has plenty of titles for people who want Wii. However, people impressed with PS3 technology want impressive games which have failed to realize.

# 32 Named said, on December 21st, 2008 at 11:43 am

27,

What’s odd about that statement is that I have yet to find and XBox exclusive that is NOT available for the PC. Or will be in short order.

# 33 orbital21 said, on December 21st, 2008 at 11:43 am

One thing that comes to mind during all of the PS3 vs. Xbox 360 vs. Wii debates is what happened to Sega back during the Saturn vs. PS1.

The Sega Saturn was the superior system in terms of hardware, however, much like the PS3 it lacked a large market of games to help move the system off the shelves. The PS1 had a huge amount of games and the PS2 continued to have market dominance due largely to the fact that it had many exclusive games, and continued to have a very large library. Sega soon lost out in the console wars after the release of the Dreamcast and could never regain the market share they owned when they battled Nintendo during the 8-bit and 16-bit wars of the past.

Right now, I would say that Sony resembles Sega much more than any other console manufacturer and needs to make sure that their next console regrows their exclusivity with titles and provides more reasons for consumers to purchase it than it just being a system with better hardware.

# 34 User7 said, on December 21st, 2008 at 11:52 am

If you don’t have your xbox near an internet connection, you will have to fork out an extra $99 for a wifi adapter. The PS3 has built in wifi.

# 35 Tooki said, on December 21st, 2008 at 11:56 am

#32

I know, and I am primarily a PC gamer myself, but the average console gamer does not usually factor the PC into his/her decision to buy one console rather than the other. Therefore, I didn’t think this fact would be relevant to the argument.

# 36 Zybch said, on December 21st, 2008 at 12:18 pm

I have a 360 and I sure as hell didn’t have to pay to use xbox live for multiplayer stuff.
The free live silver works for me just fine, so don’t spout his bullshit about costing an additional $36/year to use the thing online.
Its just as functional online, in fact moreso as Xbox live handles all multiplayer stuff for free where as you have to subscribe/pay to whatever the PS3 game publisher makes you pay as sony don’t provide the service being the cheapass bastards they are.

# 37 shizzaq said, on December 21st, 2008 at 12:32 pm

Here are a couple of anecdotes about PS3. All of my friends who have gaming machines all have PS3. I have both PS3 and xbox360. I use the PS3 more than the xbox because I use it for movies quite a bit. Its DVD upscaling looks way better than the really expensive toshiba unit I bought a couple of years ago that was supposed to be really great. I had a xmas party at my house last night and my mother who had just got back from hawaii brought her camera to show all of us her photos on the little camera screen. I took the sd card out of her camera and stuck it in the ps3 and within 30 seconds we were viewing them in HD on my 47 inch screen. Several people at my party who don’t even game said wow thats the PS3, those play blu ray too right? I might get one of those. A guy I work with who has never owned a gaming machine bought a PS3 used from craigslist to use as a blu-ray player. He bought a couple games to just check out and now hes hooked. He is playing Fallout 3 and GTA 4 and is loving the experience. If the PS3 didnt have blu-ray he would have never got it and would have never realized he liked playing “hardcore games” like fallout 3. I am just saying that maybe the PS3 is a gateway drug to gaming. Maybe we should think of it like an iphone. Its a device that people buy for all of the cool things it does and it just also happens to play some pretty cool games as well.

# 38 amodedoma said, on December 21st, 2008 at 12:57 pm

#23

I haven’t forgotten why I’m an M$ hater, and while I consider their products to be of inferior quality, that’s not why I hate them. I’ve been an IT professional since 1979. I’ve watched and participated as microsoft grew. From MSDOS to every version of windows up to xp I’ve done it all. I’ve built and maintained BBS’s and later ISP’s on netware, windows, linux, and solaris, I’ve done design and programming on IBM mainframe, mini computer, micro computer, Mac, Amiga, and PC. What I’m getting at is I’ve had the priveledge to use a lot of software from a lot of different companies. Most of them have fallen to the business accumen of M$ and not to their technical superiority. Add to that the influence they’ve had over the hardware industry. Plus the cute way they try to get patents on technologies they didn’t invent, or establish standards unilaterally. I hate them for the way they’ve stagnated the entire industry.

You ain’t dealing with some ignorant fanboy!
OK?!

# 39 Wretched Gnu said, on December 21st, 2008 at 1:19 pm

There’s something about these pictures that fits perfectly with the childish subject matter of the post. The only person who would post those pictures is an early teen boy — or somebody with the equivalent sexual experience — because he’s still at the stage where he’s under the impression that such pictures demonstrate his manly sexual desire — a demonstration that normal, sexually active men wouldn’t conceive of having to make.

It’s sad, but a little bit funny too.

# 40 Brian said, on December 21st, 2008 at 1:20 pm

Pathetic attempt by a PS3 fanboy to justify his ridiculously overpriced hardware.

Look, not everyone wants a hard drive or live account, so the $200 price point is just that: $200. Not everyone wants a blu ray player, and not everyone wants to pay ridiculously high prices for blu ray movies.

The PS3 (and blu ray in general) is in a death spiral. Anyone suggesting otherwise is in denial. Calling anyone who supports a different format a ‘fanboy’ in what’s supposed to be an objective article automatically loses any credibility they might have had.

Look, the PS3 is and has always been overpriced. Sony force feeding blu ray on consumers when they didn’t want it in the first place was why they’ve lost. A vast majority of people are more than happy with the looks of their standard def DVD players on their HD TVs. They surely don’t want to pay extra money for their movies, even more so now in this terrible economy.

It’s funny that the author fails to mention that sony isn’t charging for their online experience not because they are generous, but because it sucks so bad that NOBODY would pay for it. If it were anywhere near ready for prime time you can sure as shit bet Sony would be charging you for it.

SN, you’re a fucking sony SHILL, a total and complete douchebag.

# 41 Brian said, on December 21st, 2008 at 1:21 pm

Oh, one more thing, how fucking pathetic are you, SN, that you have to pepper your ‘article’ with scantily clad women so people will pay attention?

Get a fucking life, twit.

# 42 skunkman62 said, on December 21st, 2008 at 1:50 pm

#41 “…you have to pepper your ‘article’ with scantily clad women so people will pay attention” – Brian

was there an article? the center pic is HOT!!

# 43 BryanP said, on December 21st, 2008 at 1:55 pm

I’m not a console gamer, but I can speak to the rest of it. I bought a used PS3 purely to use as part of my entertainment center. In addition to being a top notch upconverting DVD player and Blu Ray player it does a great job of wireless streaming files from my PC to the LCD in the living room.

# 44 Cephus said, on December 21st, 2008 at 2:38 pm

Nope, sorry. The one thing that both Sony and Microsoft don’t understand is that this is a GAME SYSTEM! They insist on stuffing everything but the kitchen sink into their systems, charging a mint for them (and they’re still loss leaders) and hoping against hope that someone actually buys some games so that it’s worth the loss. Unfortunately, everyone is buying the PS3 as a cheap Blu-ray player and not buying any games for it, which means that for every unit sold, Sony is just losing money.

Somehow, I don’t think that’s an intelligent business strategy.

# 45 Grandpa said, on December 21st, 2008 at 4:30 pm

Does the Playstation come with a free rootkit? Can I type the word “Playstation” without getting sued?

I’m sticking with the PC (homemade) as long as I can.

# 46 Named said, on December 21st, 2008 at 4:55 pm

35,

Possibly. I myself am a PC gamer and have been since my Apple IIe. I do have a PS2 because I wanted to play GTA. I never liked the PC ports. They lacked the proper polish and immersion. Plus God of War. God, I loved that game. And MSG. And SSX.

And that’s why I’m getting a PS3. There is no exclusivity to XBox for me.

40, 41.

Wow! Take your meds dude. SN posted his decision and his supporting arguments. He didn’t say you’re mother is a whore.

# 47 Named said, on December 21st, 2008 at 4:56 pm

42,

Don’t know if it matters to you but Kate (obviously not her real name) from Kates Playground is a native of BC Canada. And she has one foot and one hoof. And I’m NOT joking.

The rest of her is pretty slamming though. Foot fetishists beware.

# 48 NS said, on December 21st, 2008 at 5:04 pm

Where’s the scantly dressed men?

# 49 Named said, on December 21st, 2008 at 5:27 pm

Why? Are there real women on the interwebitubes?

# 50 fw said, on December 21st, 2008 at 5:37 pm

If you do not have a big hd tv don’t bother.
And why bother if you are not going to get blue ray movies, as stated by others here, the blue ray disks/movies are overpriced too.

I am waiting for a new slim version, perhaps a bit more streamlined.

I am happy with plain old dvd on my old tv.
If i was going to get a big hd tv, i might consider it, but even then i probably would not bother getting it.

They lost allot of the market with the bugs with the backwards compatibility of the games there at the start.
I do like that they upgrades the software in it, but they have to or else it would age even faster then it will.

It will sell more as more people get new HDTV’s, but will it have enough lead when the next Microsoft unit appears?

We see right now some things that will probably be in the coming systems.
Flash hard drives for one, or something like it.
The download market are here to stay, and not having enough memory to store the content is a big nono.
More sensors, we have all seen what the wherry simple system can do in the wii, but we have also an idea on what can come in the near future without much trouble.
Costs must be taken into account, if you want parents to get their kids the system.
It also counts allot with the soft core gamer, and the casual gamer, why pay out your ass for something not much used.

# 51 Brian said, on December 21st, 2008 at 5:55 pm

Why buy a gaming system and use ‘it plays movies!’ as an excuse for its cost being so high?

Why would anyone spend $30 for a blu ray disc for a movie you’ll watch once? Don’t tell me you’re sitting there watching batman or iron man over and over and over again. They’re a one time watch.

Better idea is to buy a system that streams HD movies online like Vudu.

Sony is struggling to get their ‘Home’ portal up and running, so of course it’s free you clowns.

# 52 doug said, on December 21st, 2008 at 7:01 pm

#40, #50, #51. you may find this hard to believe but LOTS of people buy DVDs and (some, but fewer) buy blu-rays and watch them over and over again. I never presume that the way I use media is the same way everyone does.

(plus, obviously you can rent blu-ray disks on NetFlix, BTW, or rent them the old fashioned way at your local Blockbuster. so it doesn’t have to be $30 a pop.)

# 53 pedro said, on December 21st, 2008 at 7:03 pm

Hey! Who took off the first pic. SN?!?!?!?!

# 54 Cephus said, on December 21st, 2008 at 7:48 pm

Oh yes, lots of people buy lots of DVDs, my own collection, looking at my most recently updated database, is 1843 DVDs. And not one of them has ever been played on a PS3, or a PS2 for that matter, even though I own 2 of them.

# 55 Tom said, on December 21st, 2008 at 10:53 pm

It’s all about what parents will be buying for their kids. They’ll buy a wii or a 360 becuase they’re cheap, worry about the hard drive later.

No parents parents will give a crap about linux, bluray, or upconverting.

BTW, wtf do you mean by a “superficial sort of way”? The article points to the SALES. Not a bunch a geeky BS that fanboys argue about.

# 56 tenpoundhammer said, on December 21st, 2008 at 11:13 pm

I wrote a similar blog post, not long ago. I think you made some points I didn’t and vice verse . Check it out if you want.
http://tenpoundhammer.wordpress.com/2008/11/18/ps3-picking-up-steam/

# 57 Someone said, on December 21st, 2008 at 11:17 pm

I’m sorry, was there text between those pictures?

# 58 Lerch said, on December 22nd, 2008 at 6:29 am

What’s with the cheesecake, John? Especially the bare-breasted lady pressing against the wall. I’m no prude but don’t understand how that is appropriate or relevant here, just seems goofy.

# 59 Bob West said, on December 22nd, 2008 at 6:43 am

I bought a refurb Xbox for $150 with 20gb HD, I like it. All the games I’ve bought are used. Top price $10. The biggest shock for me about the Xbox is the fan noise, slightly less then a vacuum cleaner. Can’t imagine anyone using it to watch a DVD. Luckily game sound drowns out the fan noise. I wish Sony made a Blu-Ray DVD player that works as well PS3.

# 60 B. Dog said, on December 22nd, 2008 at 7:47 am

Thanks for this topic SN! I was going to begin shopping for an upconverting DVD player, and my search ended yesterday with buying a $249 PS3 that does that and a whole lot more.

# 61 chocolim said, on December 22nd, 2008 at 7:55 am

I cant read the article, my eyes just can look the photos

# 62 Jason75 said, on December 22nd, 2008 at 8:06 am

#59 – I’m not sure what you got there, but the 360 I have works perfectly quiet when I play a DVD in it.

I consider myself somewhat of an expert on consoles. I will reserve my credentials due possible disclosure agreements, but suffice to say I have the ability to provide expert analysis on gaming consoles.

The PS3 is an amazing machine. It has the capabilities, but lacks the advertising and sales drives to move enough consoles to make it competitive. We can argue all day about MS, but in the end we still have to agree that they have sold more units than Sony. (I’m only speaking of the 360 vs. PS3 comparison.) No matter how you slice it, the problems that Sony has with the PS3 is not a good indicator for their internal business plans.

Perhaps the worst thing that can happen to the gaming industry is to lose a serious competitor such as Sony. We should all hope that Sony has the ability to keep up with the competition for the good of the gaming industry.

# 63 The0ne said, on December 22nd, 2008 at 10:00 am

If you are indeed looking for a BD player then the PS3 would make a nice choice. However, with recent price drops (still not enough yet) there are other players that are cheaper. But…

1. BD player and media are still EXPENSIVE
2. BD movie selection are STILL limited
3. BD isn’t progressing as quickly as most had thought. Mfg cost is still high, obviously.

I’m waiting for the burners to come down in price as well as the media’s.

# 64 HD DVD said, on December 22nd, 2008 at 11:57 am

HD DVD is where its at. you will rue the day when it makes its awesome comeback!

# 65 The0ne said, on December 22nd, 2008 at 12:04 pm

I don’t know about those that buy DVD’s for a one-time watch. I specifically pick movies I like so that when I’m in the mood I will watch them over and over again. Actually, this one time watch statement doesn’t even make sense. Do you mean you watch a show/movie one time and NEVER watch it again even if it’s on TV or shared by friends?

# 66 The Monster's Lawyer said, on December 22nd, 2008 at 12:46 pm

Nice pictures……Now…..What we’re we talking about?

# 67 deowll said, on December 22nd, 2008 at 12:47 pm

What I’d like is DVD’s in that high def formate somebody posted the article about some weeks back that were being passed off as blue ray and would even run on them.

They eye candy was eye catching. If I were only 20 years younger.

# 68 mark shah said, on December 22nd, 2008 at 9:59 pm

I wonder if the ps3 is even going to be around in a year? Email my poll at mshah2@iupui.edu

# 69 Jason Miller said, on December 24th, 2008 at 10:52 am

Yep, either Sony paid for an ad on this site, or someone who paid over $600 on launch day to get a PS3 is trying to justify their purchase.

Have kids, only like to game now and then get a Wii.

Like gaming 5+ hours a week. Want to play with friends online. Get a 360.

Like to have all the latest gadgets, but don’t really like to game. Get a PS3.

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