Search Results for: sony

PS3Blog.net had a great idea, as they compared two machines that have some similarities: the Mac Mini and the PS3, and in the end comes up with a great marketing campaign for both Apple and Sony.

Basically, it looks like the PS3 is a fully capable home computer, similar to a Mac mini in form factory and specs. Hmmm. What could Sony and Apple do with that?

I’m thinking that Sony and Apple should work together to put OS X and Front Row on the PS3. Now I know that a long time ago, there was a rumour that OS X would be available for the PS3, and we all know that it was just wild conjecture. But I think the idea has merit. Apple could sell hard disc drives (HDDs) for the PS3 that come with OS X preinstalled. Then your PS3 becomes a fully functional general purpose computer with media center capabilities. Awesome hardware and awesome software combined for a totally killer package.

As everyone already knows, the next generation consoles are basically computers, and as such, the better or more rare the equipment, the higher the price. Well, Joystiq has a little report up saying the Xbox, because of its nearly 100% off the shelf parts could drop the price of their machine by as much as 50% of whatever the cost of the PlayStation 3 is by christmas of 2006, only around half a year after the PS3 is due to launch.

…towards the end of next year, Microsoft could easily sell their console for half the price of the PlayStation 3.

The biggest reasons, according to their breakdown, concerns the CPU and the Optical Media Drive. At launch, they estimate Sony’s system costing $495 to manufacture, compared to the $340 for each Xbox 360. Sony is paying $75 more than Microsoft for its use of a Blu-Ray drive, and $60 for its Cell processor.

Everyone is just guessing right now, but it looks like the Playstation 3 might debut at around $400 in Japan. This makes sense to me as the Playstation 3 should be on even footing to fight against the Xbox 360 and its $399 price point.

1Up with the story:

In the past months, the Japanese blog CoolGamer has been a dependable source of early information regarding the Japanese game market. Not once has their news turned out to be a false lead, so that’s why it was pretty important today when the site updated with a small notice saying “PS3 price set below 40000 Yen,” which is about $400 at current exchange rates.

In the update, the blogger writes, “In the latest Famitsu, a very important person mentioned that the PS3 price would not be over 40000yen”. This information correlates to a previous comment from a Sony rep a few months back, who mentioned the same price.

Eventhough the PS3 is still doing well in polls, they really have their work cut out for them, as one of the biggest reasons that people don’t want to buy the PlayStation 3 is the controller.

PS3Blog with the details:

According to Famitsu, 23.9% of Japanese gamers are interested in aquiring an Xbox 360. The number one reason for getting the Xbox 360? The controller. And you know, I have to agree with them. Unless Sony enhances their controller for the next gen, Microsoft’s controller will be the one to beat. Hey Sony! Are you listening???

That compares to 63.2% of gamers who are interested in buying a PS3. Number one reason? The features. Kind of nebulous, I know, but there are a lot of them to choose from. And the number three reason not to buy the PS3 was… the controller. Surprise surprise.

Funny stuff. I think Microsoft might be looking at too broad a market with their 360 release this fall. An article in the International Herald Tribune talks about the view of Microsoft’s marketing:

Note to hard-core video game players: Microsoft says it is aiming for your mothers and wives.

In the coming weeks, Microsoft plans to introduce a marketing campaign to expand the appeal of the new game console Xbox 360 beyond the young men who are its biggest fans.

Microsoft hopes to win a bigger share of the market from PlayStation 2, the top-selling console, made by Sony, by promoting a more family-friendly image for the new Xbox, which is scheduled to arrive in stores on Nov. 22.

Funny stuff…My mom can’t even plug a USB thumb drive into a USB port on a computer. I doubt the Xbox 360 will really interest her.

I am always in the wrong place. It looks like Tokyo is going to get a PS3 festival.

According to The Magic Box, Sony has announced a PlayStation 3 entertainment festival for October 22-30 of this year in Tokyo, Japan.

The Akihabara Enta Matsuri (presumably held in Akihabara, that mecca of Japanese gaming goods) will provide a showcase for “all the new PlayStation 3 software and hardware,” though “it is uncertain whether the software will be playable or in video form only.”

Hopefully the games will be playable, and thus grab some media attention, as all I have been hearing lately is Xbox 360.

source: Joystiq

Joystiq with something interesting for Playstation 3 fans:

The Bay Area chapter of the International Game Developer’s Assoc. held their latest meeting at the Sony Metreon in San Francisco last week. The subject: Dragons! Designer and technical art director Matthias Worch was on hand to discuss both the digital and physical modeling techniques his team at Factor 5 is using for Lair, a next-gen exclusive for PS3. Using a combination of 3D rendering and maquette modeling (with help from Dragonheart modeler Peter Konig), Worch hopes to build the perfect beast – and provide gamers with dragons who sport 5 million triangles and more than ten textures of fire-breathing power!

I think the games for Playstion 3 are going to have some real feeling depth of design and characters. I can’t wait to see what a dragon looks like on the PS3.

The title is more funny than the idea really is. It looks like with an updated EyeToy, the PS3 could have the power to do some great things, including making your whole body an even better controller than it was with the PS2.

Playstation 3 News has the details:

We all remember Sony’s liberal use of the term “Emotion Engine,” which was supposed to describe the PS2’s graphics chip. This latest Cell demonstration suggests that the PS3 chip has the potential to actually live up to that expectation. Imagine if the Cell, coupled with an upgraded EyeToy, could read our facial expressions, and use them to influence the direction of a game—or at the least, track our physical movements, so that our hands (or even entire bodies) became the controllers. Sure, the EyeToy already works like this, but with the Cell’s increased processing power, the PS3 could be giving Nintendo’s revolutionary concept a run for its money.

It looks like those in Australia don’t have to worry when they modify their consoles, hopefully other countries will follow suit.

The Sydney Morning Herald

The High Court ruled today that it was legal to “mod-chip” Sony PlayStation game consoles so as to play games sold outside Australia.

Mod-chips are electronic devices that can be connected to consoles such as the PlayStation, allowing the use of games with non-Australian regional codes.

The consumer watchdog has argued in the Federal Court that the games industry unfairly uses regional coding to set different prices in different parts of the world.

Sydney businessman Eddy Stevens had fought a four-year legal battle against Sony, which claimed mod-chipping breached its copyright and circumvented technology within the PlayStation console to prevent the use of what it called unauthorised games.

While there are many rumours going around on the final PS3 price, it seems that a firm final price has not been put in place as of yet. No doubt it will be close to the Xbox 360 in price to compete in the market.

Gamespot with some interesting details:

With Microsoft announcing its worldwide pricing scheme for the Xbox 360, the onus is now on Sony Computer Entertainment to decide how much its PlayStation 3 will cost consumers.

However, SCE also needs to assure third-party publishers that its next-gen console will be affordable for a wide enough audience to ensure PS3 games will be profitable to make. Recently, Koei CEO Keiko Erikawa commented that her company would consider shifting to another platform if PS3 development proves too expensive. This is despite the fact the company is currently a big supporter of the PS3, announcing two new games at the 2005 Tokyo Game Show alone.