What are your plans for making sure you get a PS3 friday?

DivotMaker · Post by **DivotMaker** » Tue Nov 14, 2006 11:37 am

jimd wrote: The reliability is what worries me about the 360. I game for about 4 hours a week--late night after kids and wife are asleep. I never want to worry about my machine not working when I get that hour or two to play--especially if I have spent $400 on said machine. I just want to fire it up and play--no worries.

These days, with Sony and MS trying to squeeze the very latest and greatest technology into very small form factors, the Extended Warranty is your friend. That being said, there is NO excuse for MS having so many failures with the initial batches of the 360. I am on my third one. If Sony manages to put out a PS3 that does not have similar problems, then they deserve a great deal of credit if they pull that off considering how much is under the hood of that machine.

pk500 · Post by **pk500** » Tue Nov 14, 2006 11:45 am

This might not be news, and it might not be a big deal, but backward compatibility issues with the PS3 already are being reported with about 200 titles:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15712585/

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/6146328.stm

Take care,
PK

Post by **ScoopBrady** » Tue Nov 14, 2006 11:48 am

For me, it comes down to the fact that Sony is shoving Bluray down my throat with the PS3. The extra $200 is for the Bluray player and I'm not ready to commit to one format over the other. I have the option of buying a HD-DVD drive for my 360 for $200 should that format win out but I need to shell out that extra $200 now for a feature I will never use.

It also comes down to the fact that Sony announced PS1 emulation on the PSP and now that it's becoming a reality this week I'm not happy. You see, you need to have a PS3 in order to do it at this time. Sure, there's plans where you won't need a PS3 to do it but when you announce a feature for the PSP don't tie it in with the PS3 exclusively right off the bat. How about supporting those of us who bought a PSP at launch instead of making us buy PS3's to use this feature?

Another reason is the fact that there's only been 2 games that made me want a PS3: Resistance and Assassin's Creed. Well, Assassin's Creed has since been announced for the 360 and there's no way I'm buying a system for 1 game.

I also had a chance to check out a PS3 kiosk and was not impressed in the slightest. It offers nothing over the 360 at this point and the 360 is really hitting its stride with 2nd/3rd generation games. Bottom line, Sony is late to the party but the 360 has been partying hard for the past 6 months.

GameSeven · Post by **GameSeven** » Tue Nov 14, 2006 11:55 am

pk500 wrote:Price here. No other reason. Then again, at $600, I don't think any other reason is necessary!

Kaz makes a good point about timing, too. The 360 has been very well-received other than its reliability woes.

The recent deluge of quality new releases for the 360 also has dampened enthusiasm for the PS3, further proving what's truly important in this hobby -- IT'S THE GAMES, DAMN IT!

There's one other aspect concerning the apathy over the PS3 around here that is being overlooked, I think. Equity.

We see posts and stories both here and around the Web about how Sony has the equity market locked up with the PlayStation brand name. Well, I think Microsoft is making good inroads with name equity.

The Xbox name has been around for five years, and I don't know anyone who had an original Xbox who disliked it or thought it wasn't a machine with some innovations and a SUPERB online gaming service, me included. People also are pretty loyal to and like their 360s, so I think there's a higher equity tide for MS than Sony would like to believe.

Sony still has the PlayStation name, but at least the name "Xbox" enters the equation prominently now in any serious discussion among loyal gamers. MS has proven that it's here to stay.

Take care,
PK

Well said, PK. While I wouldn't rule out getting a PS3 at some point, price is a considerable obstacle and I don't see a killer app that makes me really wish I'd have a PS3 on Friday. Haven't yet seen enough of Resistance to regard it as a step above Gears, CoD, Halo or the imminent R6:Vegas. And virtually every other noteworthy title for launch is already available on the 360. For me, the PS1 seller was Resident Evil. These days, there are far too many A-1 titles on 360 to make me feel like I'm left out of the party with PS3.

Also, I've yet to see any evidence that PS3's online service will rival Live.

-G7

wco81 · Post by **wco81** » Tue Nov 14, 2006 1:26 pm

Well in Japan, they sold 88k instead of the 80k (which they reduced from 100k, which was also a reduced number).

Best Buy advertises that they will have a minimum of 20 units of the $600 SKU and 6 units of the $500 SKU at each store.

We'll see if their pipeline can keep going. Making enough blue diodes is a big obstacle, as the yields are low on a new technology.

But last year, 360 had manufacturing problems of their own and what it managed to pump out had problems still.

No guarantees but people who've taken apart the PS3 say it's a quality, well-built and well-designed piece of equipment. Not only is the power supply integrated and the whole thing is quiet but the way the logic board is packaged and laid out is clean. Whether this more elegant engineering results in more reliable product remains to be seen.

But for instance, Blu-Ray movies load up in 10-15 seconds compared to over 3 minutes for some HD-DVD players.

DivotMaker · Post by **DivotMaker** » Tue Nov 14, 2006 1:38 pm

wco81 wrote: But for instance, Blu-Ray movies load up in 10-15 seconds compared to over 3 minutes for some HD-DVD players.

Which conflicts with many published reports that because of only 256 MB of system memory for the PS3, load times for the BR will be an issue as they try to cram more data on the disc. I am hearing the exact opposite of the 360 HD-DVD that it loads quite quickly.....

wco81 · Post by **wco81** » Tue Nov 14, 2006 1:53 pm

I'm talking about movie load times.

Data load times are slower because it's only a 2X drive. That is probably part of the reason Sony put a HD in every unit, to cache the loads better.
We'll see if streaming works.

I've seen Gears of War screenshots showing problems loading streamed textures, like cars which are flat-shaded with no textures at all yet, while the characters are fully textured.

But there are no games on HD-DVD discs anyways. At least not yet.

sd · Post by sd » Tue Nov 14, 2006 2:22 pm

I have the 360 HD-DVD drive and, while I haven't timed it with a stop watch, it starts playing content pretty much right away - it certainly doesn't take minutes.

As to the PS3, Dean Takahashi posted his thoughts on all three consoles here:

http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercuryn ... 000173.htm

In the past his columns have been pretty even-handed, but he had some pretty frank comments about the PS3:

"Sony has a lot to prove still. I can't recommend the PS3 for this season. If you aren't a heat-seeking technophile, the idea of paying a lot now for something you will exploit later is a risky use of your money. I don't really think you'll want to play this box for a decade. Consider, for instance, that Nvidia just launched a graphics chip for the PC that is already 50 percent more powerful than the Nvidia graphics chip in the PS3. The minute you buy the PS3, it will be obsolete. If an avalanche of games comes out that blow me away, I could change my mind. But the best thing to do with the PS3 for now is to wait."

Danimal · Post by **Danimal** » Tue Nov 14, 2006 7:07 pm

I spent some time with the PS3 this weekend and it is an impressive machine. Sony knows how to engineer a quiet / cool machine. The main reasons I am not getting one are:

1. Games - Exclusive games are slowly becoming a non factor. the few that remain are not anything that would make me buy a PS3. In the past I would buy a system just for the games. For example i bought a PS2 just for MGS and I bought an Xbox for the sports games / hard drive.

But today with a prices for both systems being so high, I need to ask myself do I want to spend $600 to play Motor Storm or MGS? The answer is no.

2. Difference - Is the PS3 that much different or technically better then a 360 that I would consider spending $600 for it. Again the answer is no. At this time I have no desire for Blu Ray, I wasn't a fan of the PSP interface and I'm still very unsure of their online network and how it will work.

If I didn't own a 360 at this point the choice would be a little tougher, but I would still go with the 360 because I know Live, I like it and it is a proven entity and again don't care about Blu Ray, nor do i have a TV that supports 1080p.

Actually I think being a 360 owner at this point puts me in the best position, I can enjoy next gen gaming and not have to go through another launch dry cycle of games. By the time the PS3 hits it's stride my hope is the price wars will have begun and I can benefit from that.

I will probably own a PS3 one day, and I sincerely hope everyone who gets one enjoys it. It's just not for me right now.

AJColossal · Post by **AJColossal** » Wed Nov 15, 2006 5:03 pm

There were at least 10 people camped out at the Best Buy I dropped in today earlier this afternoon.

It's only Wednesday.

DivotMaker · Post by **DivotMaker** » Wed Nov 15, 2006 5:26 pm

I was just at my local CompUSA and they are only letting you pre-order if you also bought a Sony LCD of at least 40". They will have none for sale at launch day and the manager was told that the next shipment would be a minimum of 6-8 weeks.....what a ridiculous launch, Sony.

pk500 · Post by **pk500** » Wed Nov 15, 2006 5:40 pm

AJColossal wrote:There were at least 10 people camped out at the Best Buy I dropped in today earlier this afternoon.

It's only Wednesday.

Geeks. Plain and simple.

Take care,
PK

Slumberland · Post by **Slumberland** » Wed Nov 15, 2006 5:44 pm

I thought I saw a line outside CompUSA in Union Square back on Monday night. Someone had a couch set up and everything.

Who are these people that have the money to blow on a PS3 but don't have to go to work? Are they doing it in shifts?

lexbur · Post by **lexbur** » Wed Nov 15, 2006 5:54 pm

If you just look at it from a financial standpoint, I say more power to 'em... buy it $600, sell it for $1,600... $1,000 profit for sitting on their a**es for 48 hours... there's harder ways to make $20 bucks an hour.

Heck, I won't make $1,000 between now and Friday morning, and I'll be working, not sitting in a lawn chair watching the world go by.

Slumberland · Post by **Slumberland** » Wed Nov 15, 2006 5:58 pm

Good point! I guess you just need a credit card and some time to come out ahead.

pk500 · Post by **pk500** » Wed Nov 15, 2006 6:26 pm

Slumberland wrote:Good point! I guess you just need a credit card and some time to come out ahead.

Agreed, but if you're waiting at one of those stores that only gets one or two or forces you to buy a Sony TV, you just pissed away hours of your life.

Take care,
PK

wco81 · Post by **wco81** » Wed Nov 15, 2006 6:51 pm

I think only CompUSA is trying to pull that stunt. They also reportedly are charging more for those Bravias than other stores. Unless they can deliver the PS3 while the auction prices are high, they're not going to get many takers.

I heard some Circuit City stores and the Manhattan Sony Style store is getting over 100 and there are lines with more than that many people already.

There is no reason they have to have people camp out. They could have taken people's names and do a lottery for the number of units they expect to get.

The camp outs will generate some publicity for the stores but what good does it do them? They won't have enough units to sell so even if they get more traffic from the publicity, they won't get more business necessarily.

There has to be some potential liability issues too, from letting people squat on store property for a couple of days.

Rodster · Post by **Rodster** » Wed Nov 15, 2006 8:13 pm

I'll be getting my preordered PS3 from EB at 8am Friday morning. I'm curious to see what they'll go for on ebay this Friday. Since i've never sold anything on ebay the last thing I want to happen is to get scammed.

I've heard too many horror stories about ebay.

Wilk5280 · Post by **Wilk5280** » Wed Nov 15, 2006 9:17 pm

When you're the seller it's hard to get scammed. Accept payment via paypal only and from a verified user. If you do that you're all set.

However, I think EBAY isn't allowing anyone under a rating of 50 (plus other prerequisites) to sell PS3's.

Not sure though.

tjung0831 · Post by **tjung0831** » Wed Nov 15, 2006 9:28 pm

At least 10 people camped out at my best buy and it's been pouring down rain all day and supposed to snow here after midnight. The 2nd guy in line was just sitting in a chair, soaking wet...just wearing a coat...no hat. The 7th guy in line pitched a tent. Was told by a best buy worker that the 1st person has been camping outside in line since monday afternoon.

Kazuya · Post by **Kazuya** » Wed Nov 15, 2006 9:41 pm

PRBoom wrote:When you're the seller it's hard to get scammed. Accept payment via paypal only and from a verified user. If you do that you're all set.

However, I think EBAY isn't allowing anyone under a rating of 50 (plus other prerequisites) to sell PS3's.

Not sure though.

I believe the feedback score and ratio requirements (50 and 98% respectively) were for pre-sales only; last year a lot of numbnuts were putting up pre-sales with the 360 and guaranteeing delivery, only to have their store's supply be slashed and come up with a big bag of nothing... frustrating a lot of buyers.

I think the only requirements if you have the item *in hand* is that you provide a picture of the unit along with some kind of representation of your eBay ID.

Diablo25 · Post by **Diablo25** » Wed Nov 15, 2006 11:56 pm

Kazuya wrote:
PRBoom wrote:When you're the seller it's hard to get scammed. Accept payment via paypal only and from a verified user. If you do that you're all set.

However, I think EBAY isn't allowing anyone under a rating of 50 (plus other prerequisites) to sell PS3's.

Not sure though.
I believe the feedback score and ratio requirements (50 and 98% respectively) were for pre-sales only; last year a lot of numbnuts were putting up pre-sales with the 360 and guaranteeing delivery, only to have their store's supply be slashed and come up with a big bag of nothing... frustrating a lot of buyers.

I think the only requirements if you have the item *in hand* is that you provide a picture of the unit along with some kind of representation of your eBay ID.

I think that is the deal. If you have the PS3 in hand how can they not let you sell it? I can understand with the preorder situation but once you actually have the PS3 you should be alright to sell. Anyone heard any different?

bdunn13 · Post by **bdunn13** » Thu Nov 16, 2006 12:28 am

As long as you have the ps3 in hand, its normal ebay rules.

dbdynsty25 · Post by **dbdynsty25** » Thu Nov 16, 2006 2:18 am

Just sell it on Craigslist...no stupid ebay fees on 2,000. I can't believe I watched three auctions and they all went for over 1800 bucks. Unfriggin real.

Darkbandit · Post by **Darkbandit** » Thu Nov 16, 2006 2:57 am

The electronics dept at the Walmart I work at started to get calls tonight about 8pm asking about the line for the PS3 launch. They were told that the line had already started and there were about 5 people that had been there since 6pm. That being said, the store at said that we were only getting 6 total systems....2 of the $600 versions and 4 of the $500 versions. Also management was giving everyone a piece of paper saying that some of the stores in our area wasn't going to get the advertised amounts of systems in, so they would be issuing rainchecks for the first 10 people.