PS3 impressions thread (post them when you have them)

wco81 · Post by **wco81** » Thu Nov 23, 2006 8:20 am

Memory Stick does have Magic Gate DRM.

Badgun · Post by **Badgun** » Fri Nov 24, 2006 9:48 pm

After finally spending some time with my PS3, I think that it will clearly be the superior gaming machine in 6 months or at the latest this time next year. Right now, there's just not a lot to play on it...if you own a 360 that is.

But, after playing Resistance, Motorstorm, NBA 07, and the Formula One demos, I'm convinced that the next round of games for the PS3 are going to be phenomenal. Also, owning both a Blu-ray drive and an HD-DVD drive, the Blu-ray clearly looks to be the winner in my opinion. I was impressed with King Kong on the HD-DVD drive, but I was blown away by Talledega Nights and Ice Age 2 on Blu-ray.

I love my 360 and I'm still mad at Sony for dropping their "entitlements" or whatever their version of achievements was called, but achievements or not, I might be buying everything that comes out for both systems on the PS3 in the spring. Xbox Live is still the feather in Microsoft's cap, but if Sony ever gets their online act together (which I doubt they will), they can bury Microsoft.

All that being said, I am very impressed with my PS3 and look forward to the spring when some really good exclusives come out for it, namely MLB 07 The Show and Eye of Judgement

10spro · Post by **10spro** » Fri Nov 24, 2006 11:29 pm

Seven pages after, and the 1st impression comes thru via Badgun. So you decided to unwrap it. Good for you. Now I am curious. Why do you find the visuals on the Blu-ray better than HD-DVD for your movie. Do you have a large HDTV to notice the difference? Is it the colors?

I heard that you have to update the firmware right off the bat to play some games, how did you find the online service?

Badgun · Post by **Badgun** » Sat Nov 25, 2006 12:37 am

10spro wrote:Seven pages after, and the 1st impression comes thru via Badgun. So you decided to unwrap it. Good for you. Now I am curious. Why do you find the visuals on the Blu-ray better than HD-DVD for your movie. Do you have a large HDTV to notice the difference? Is it the colors?

I heard that you have to update the firmware right off the bat to play some games, how did you find the online service?

It was absolutely stunning...that's really all I can say. The water, the fur on the animals...everything just looked so vivid and sharp. Probably not a fair comparison between an animated movie and King Kong, but that is all I have to go on right now. I'm hoping to find a good animated movie to watch on my 360 hd-dvd drive, to get a more objective comparison, but I can say that Talladega Nights looked quite a bit better than King Kong did as well.

As for the firmware, yes there was an update waiting for it right away, but I have no idea what it did. The online service does the basics well, but as you well know, it is very primitive compared to Xbox Live. There is a basic gamer pic that you can select and you can have a bunch of profiles, which is better than Live in that respect. My entire family can have their own profile and play online if they choose.

I've added a couple of friends on my friend's list and it works like Live's does for the most part. I've downloaded 4 or 5 demos so far and they appear to download much faster than the ones from the MArketplace do.

I think their online model is lacking in lots of ways, but it's free so I guess we can't complain. For me, it serves its purpose. If I can have a friend's list and a place to go to look for opponents in a sports game, then that's all I really need out of an online service.

I really like the PS3 and my only gripes are the lack of a full blown multiplayer community like Live and the fact that they took out the achievements in the games for whatever reason. That's one thing Live has definitely got me hooked on.

Spooky · Post by **Spooky** » Sat Nov 25, 2006 1:54 am

Thanks for the impressions Mr. Gun!

Do you have a 1080p TV or are you just using 720p/1080i?

dbdynsty25 · Post by **dbdynsty25** » Sat Nov 25, 2006 5:02 am

Now, the only question is how NBA 07 can give anyone anything other than the sh*ts going forward. That is the biggest turd I have ever seen for a launch title.

Badgun · Post by **Badgun** » Sat Nov 25, 2006 9:37 am

Spooky wrote:Thanks for the impressions Mr. Gun!

Do you have a 1080p TV or are you just using 720p/1080i?

My tv won't do 1080p so I usually run everything in 720p except for HDTV which I run in 1080i.

Sport73 · Post by **Sport73** » Sat Nov 25, 2006 10:05 am

Badgun wrote:
Spooky wrote:Thanks for the impressions Mr. Gun!

Do you have a 1080p TV or are you just using 720p/1080i?
My tv won't do 1080p so I usually run everything in 720p except for HDTV which I run in 1080i.

So I hope you're running your PS3 in 720p? Since it's been confirmed that it won't scale 1080p to 1080i, but instead downgrades to 480p.

grtwhtsk · Post by **grtwhtsk** » Sat Nov 25, 2006 10:28 am

Sport73 wrote:
Badgun wrote:
Spooky wrote:Thanks for the impressions Mr. Gun!

Do you have a 1080p TV or are you just using 720p/1080i?
My tv won't do 1080p so I usually run everything in 720p except for HDTV which I run in 1080i.
So I hope you're running your PS3 in 720p? Since it's been confirmed that it won't scale 1080p to 1080i, but instead downgrades to 480p.

I believe it won't upscale to 720p to 1080i, but will downscale 1080p to 1080i. http://ps3.ign.com/articles/746/746282p1.html

SoMisss2000 · Post by **SoMisss2000** » Sat Nov 25, 2006 11:04 am

After finally spending some time with my PS3, I think that it will clearly be the superior gaming machine in 6 months or at the latest this time next year.

i'm curious, why? what really differentiates the PS3 from the 360 in terms of games, graphics, etc. Leaving blu-ray out of the equation as watching movies on either system does not interest me.

Teal · Post by **Teal** » Sat Nov 25, 2006 11:52 am

At 600 bucks, it won't be the superior anything but priced for awhile, until they decide to lose more money and drop the price. I understand the whole blu ray thing and price, but for Joe Consumer, it doesn't matter. 600 dollars for a game is alot to ask, when one that is equal at least in form and function, easier to program for, and has a far superior online setup that likely won't be surpassed, is available for half the cost.

And then there's the Wii, which doesn't have the horsepower, but apparently does have the fun, at less than that.

The PS3 may do alright, and that's fine, but I don't see it becoming the industry leader, although I'm sure Sony will do lots more crowing in an attempt to make it so.

The 360, even with it's flaws, is the most complete gaming machine I've ever seen. There's alot of 'me too' in the PS3 that comes from mimicking the 360 in the online front, but it's not as well done.

If they do what you say, Bad, then that's great. But I just don't see it happening...

anchester · Post by **anchester** » Sat Nov 25, 2006 12:37 pm

badgun, i am suprised you are so positive on the power of the ps3 right now b/c nothing is really that great. NBA07 is supposed to look terrible. Most port games look better on the 360. Resistance is good but not great (like Gow). I am sure it will be great on the sony made games that take their time and use all the power....

But in general the system is harder to program for, has slower load times, has less texture video memory and is only slightly more powerful in processor power.

DivotMaker · Post by **DivotMaker** » Sat Nov 25, 2006 12:55 pm

Badgun wrote:After finally spending some time with my PS3, I think that it will clearly be the superior gaming machine in 6 months or at the latest this time next year.

I guess I am just as baffled as others here regarding the above statement. On paper, the machines are very comparable in overal power and capabilities. One area that the Xenos and 360 shine is the fact that it is designed from the ground up as a pixel and vertex shading monster along with 10 MB of embedded DRAM for added capabilities in the antialiasing department. The very architecture of the chip and the rendering calls to it are very much forward thinking with Vista coming on the horizon, while the RSX of the PS3 is based strictly on DX9 features and capabilities.

You also have to keep in mind that many games that come out for both systems, were designed as 360 games first, then ported to the PS3 since the 360 came out first. I do believe that the development tools for the PS3 are not yet good enough to allow developers to harness the true potential of the machine, but I don't think that either machine will be able to say it is "clearly the superior gaming machine in 6 months or at the latest this time next year". I think this will be the closest "race" in terms of visual quality that there has ever been in console hardware with the edge going to the 360 as developers become more proficient and capable at coding pixel and vertex shader pipelines and features.

pk500 · Post by **pk500** » Sat Nov 25, 2006 1:56 pm

It's all about the software, damn it! Or as David Byrne sang in "Once in a Lifetime," "Same as it ever was ... same ... as ... it ... ever ... was."

Take care,
PK

Kazuya · Post by **Kazuya** » Sat Nov 25, 2006 1:59 pm

tealboy03 wrote: The PS3 may do alright, and that's fine, but I don't see it becoming the industry leader, although I'm sure Sony will do lots more crowing in an attempt to make it so.

The 360, even with it's flaws, is the most complete gaming machine I've ever seen. There's alot of 'me too' in the PS3 that comes from mimicking the 360 in the online front, but it's not as well done.

If they do what you say, Bad, then that's great. But I just don't see it happening...

LOL, you've got to be kidding. You think the PS3 is going to not be the industry leader against a machine that has no presence at all in Japan and a machine that really is targeting a different audience since it has no chance of competing technically. The egg nog is flowing early obviously. I guess the 360 is going to sell 100 million this time (despite the fact it's selling exactly at the same rate as the Xbox did), and the PS3 around 20...

I think it's obvious that Badgun is saying that it's the games that will drive Sony to the top, just like it was the last 10 years. For some reason, 360 owners can't get it through their heads that the vast majority of PS2 owners have no desire to get a 360 and they never did. How 360 games look compared to the PS3 games or how powerful it is is irrelevant if you never even give a second thought to buying one.

P.S. Your 360 won't stop working if the PS3 is successful.

Wilk5280 · Post by **Wilk5280** » Sat Nov 25, 2006 2:15 pm

I think it's obvious that Badgun is saying that it's the games that will drive Sony to the top, just like it was the last 10 years. For some reason, 360 owners can't get it through their heads that the vast majority of PS2 owners have no desire to get a 360 and they never did. How 360 games look compared to the PS3 games or how powerful it is is irrelevant if you never even give a second thought to buying one.

P.S. Your 360 won't stop working if the PS3 is successful.

Have to say I agree. It doesn't matter how GREAT the 360 is. Sony has to mess up big and basically drive people to the competition. They're not going to go there on their own.

General consumer doesn't do research, comparisons etc. 70 million + have PS2's and now they want the PS3. It really is THAT simple.

DivotMaker · Post by **DivotMaker** » Sat Nov 25, 2006 2:21 pm

Kazuya wrote:LOL, you've got to be kidding. You think the PS3 is going to not be the industry leader against a machine that has no presence at all in Japan and a machine that really is targeting a different audience since it has no chance of competing technically. The egg nog is flowing early obviously. I guess the 360 is going to sell 100 million this time (despite the fact it's selling exactly at the same rate as the Xbox did), and the PS3 around 20...

I am not going to speak for Teal, but I think what he is trying to say is that most of us (not all obviously) here at DSP could give a rats @ss if Sony wins in Japan. I don't care about Japan nor the kind of games that are developed and published in Japan. I DO care about how the US versions of the 360 and PS3 are doing. I also don't recall anyone making any such claims about the 360 selling 100 million. Those are the kinds of comments which some people here (myself included) find completely unnecessary.

Kazuya wrote:I think it's obvious that Badgun is saying that it's the games that will drive Sony to the top, just like it was the last 10 years. For some reason, 360 owners can't get it through their heads that the vast majority of PS2 owners have no desire to get a 360 and they never did. How 360 games look compared to the PS3 games or how powerful it is is irrelevant if you never even give a second thought to buying one.

How are "the games" going to drive Sony to the top? Especially when neither system have a stranglehold on exclusive releases coming up like Sony did with the PS2? The majority of A-list titles are being released for BOTH machines. How does THAT translate into "driving Sony to the top"?

And you might just want to check some of the recent sales numbers of the 360, especially around the launch of the Wii and PS3 to now. It seems that 360 sales are climbing through the roof due to the fact the people who can't find either of the newer machines are buying 360's. In many stores, users can see for themselves that there is littlke to no difference graphically between the 360 and PS3 at this particular time. Then the decision becomes one of cost, then availability, or vice cersa. This will likely continue until N and Sony can get their supply chains worked out. It also documents the fact that consumers wanting to get in on the next generation are taking what is available regardless of brand loyalty. And if the PS3 were NOTICEABLY better than the 360, I can assure you that people would NOT be buying them when there aren't any PS3's. You keep bringing up the past 10 years and I hate to tell you this but buyers have changed in those 10 years and the next generation market is NOTHING like it was during the PS2/XBox launches. In fact, they are almost totally reversed. So I could not disagree more with your paragraph above.

Kazuya wrote:P.S. Your 360 won't stop working if the PS3 is successful.

And you wonder why some people here give you a hard time....you want to be taken seriously and respected. Stop posting things like this. It is unnecessary and completely irrelevant.

DivotMaker · Post by **DivotMaker** » Sat Nov 25, 2006 2:29 pm

PRBoom wrote:70 million + have PS2's and now they want the PS3. It really is THAT simple.

I don't believe it is "that simple" at all. You are comparing a machine (PS2) that costs $129 and most games for it are $39.99 or LESS. This is what can still be called an "impulse purchase" today and has been for at least 2-3 years. The next-gen market is very different than it was back then.

The PS3 is $500 - $600 plus the games are $59.99. Or a 380% increase in cost (assumes one machine and one game). For the "general consumer", this is FAR from an impulse purchase that has helped fuel the previous generation's installed base.

The PS3 and 360 are going to take a few years to really see the kinds of numbers the previous generations enjoyed. It is WAY to early to be proclaiming either machine or the Wii as the "victor" in this generation....

Wilk5280 · Post by **Wilk5280** » Sat Nov 25, 2006 2:45 pm

Fair enough.

Just remember, the PS2 didn't sell 70 mill in the first year either. I'm just saying Sony has a huge loyal fan base. They may not run right out and get one as soon as they become readily available, but one day they'll get one. I see it being very much in the same vein as the PS2 (with maybe a little faster sell rate as it seems each year more and more games / hardware sell and the industry continues to grow in popularity).

I understand what you're saying about the PS2 being 129 etc. But remember the PS1 was too, and even cheaper. Not everyone is an early adapter.

I think the 360 will sell much more than the original xbox when all is said and done. I just think they'll still be a distant 2nd to Sony.

I don't care which one sells more. Have zero interest in that, personally. I just know that I totally enjoy my 360 and to me, that's all that matters.

JRod · Post by **JRod** » Sat Nov 25, 2006 2:53 pm

But 70 million aren't all PS3 lovers. They are consumers that bought the PS2 for whatever reason. Everyone that was loyal will buy the console in the next 6 months.

This isn't Japan and brand loyalty means nothing in this day and age. The 360 is doing everything right after a good first year. Sony has the price going against it along with the first year of the 360.

Remember this even thought the Xbox was clearly the superior machine we saw game after game get ported over because the multiplatform games were made for the PS2. Even if the PS3 has better potential it might be where multiplatform games are programmed to the lowest common denominator.

I don't think the PS3 will ever be taken serious as a gaming machine to the general population until its price compares with the 360.

Wilk5280 · Post by **Wilk5280** » Sat Nov 25, 2006 3:02 pm

How fast did the Sony loyalists take to the PS2?

Was the PS2 not more expensive than the Dreamcast? Granted Sega didn't have EA Sports, but it had games that looked every bit as good, and in few instances better, than the PS2.

Sega never had a chance. Granted they didn't have the money to put into it that MS does, but I think you're downplaying brand loyalty a little bit here.

Until the original playstation hit, gaming wasn't much above a niche hobby. Sure Nintendo had it big with Mario and SEGA had Sonic, but gaming really didn't hit mass market until the Playstation.

Sony is responsible for bringing gaming to the masses. It's when the industry just started to blow up. Everyone and they're brother had a playstation. Growing up it seemed only the "lucky kids" had an atari, genesis, nintendo etc.

Maybe I'm putting too much stock in brand loyalty, but I just think it's going to carry Sony farther than most people believe it will.

Do I think MS should fair better based on product? Sure I do. I see nothing that makes me want to go out and get a PS3. I'm sure I'll get one someday, but no time soon. I just know quite a few people whether it be from on the Internet or here in person, that don't care to even research about the 360. They don't want to hear it when I try to educate them on how good it really is. They're set on Playstation.

I do think that MS will gain some market share, but they won't come out on top. I just cannot see that happening.

DivotMaker · Post by **DivotMaker** » Sat Nov 25, 2006 3:07 pm

I think everyone knows that Sony did not sell 70 million the first year. I am not discounting the loyal Sony fanbase either, but when you consider that the PS2 enjoyed being out a year earlier, had numerous exclusive titles that MS could not touch and the XBox being an unknown quantity for a while when it was first launched gave Sony quite a lead in that generation, especially in Japan. MS is never going to sell in Japan uless they decide they want to like they have in the US.

I believe that the PS3 will do about what the PS2 did in Japan. In the US, I don't see the PS3 having near the lead in number of units sold that it enjoyed with the PS2 because quite frankly, the 360 is far more compelling and competitive than the XBox was. MS has a generation under their belt and they are learning quickly. Plus, it is being widely reported that they have now achieved a $76/unit profit on each 360, so MS is going to be feeling pretty good about competing with the PS3 next year and beyond.

I also don't really care which company sells more. However, I do care that they continue to make great games for these consoles and improving on their features as they go along. If I had a magic wand, I would like to see all 3 companies selling neck and neck so that publishers and developers keep the software pipeline full of new and innovative games and features. I have enjoyed the hell out of my 360 and I am sure if I had a PS3, I would enjoy the hell out of it and likely will when I eventually get one. At the end of the day, I cannot agree with anyone stating that either of these consoles will be the clear leader at this point in time. It is way too early to make any such predictions with any sort of accuracy because two of the systems have been on the market for a week and once the hysteria and launch excitement cools down, you will start to see a pattern evolve this time next year, not today. Anyone claiming that this generation will be just like the previous generation in terms of units sold is just wishful thinking and is really not based on anything other than the past which I feel is irrelevant for this generation.

pk500 · Post by **pk500** » Sat Nov 25, 2006 3:15 pm

DivotMaker wrote:And you might just want to check some of the recent sales numbers of the 360, especially around the launch of the Wii and PS3 to now. It seems that 360 sales are climbing through the roof due to the fact the people who can't find either of the newer machines are buying 360's.

True. But remember it's kind of hard to buy something that's out of stock.

Once the PS3 is well stocked, I'll be very surprised if it doesn't match the sales of the 360, both in the U.S. and worldwide. Stunned, even.

Plus a good chunk of the people buying 360s now in lieu of out-of-stock PS3's are parents whose little Janie and little Johnny want a videogame system for Christmas. Yeah, they want the PS3 because it's the new, hot thing, but Mommy and Daddy can rationalize the 360 to them on Christmas morning and save some money, to boot.

They're not buying the 360 because it's a 360: They're buying it because it's the only next-gen videogame system available on shelves right now.

I'll be eager to see what happens once the 360, PS3 and Wii are fully stocked at retail. It will be a much closer fight than the last generation, but Sony will prevail.

Sony will win because it can live off its PlayStation brand-name equity for another cycle because it had such a HUGE sales lead over the competition in the last generation.

Take care,
PK

Kazuya · Post by **Kazuya** » Sat Nov 25, 2006 3:53 pm

JRod wrote:But 70 million aren't all PS3 lovers. They are consumers that bought the PS2 for whatever reason. Everyone that was loyal will buy the console in the next 6 months.

Absolutely ridiculous. They are loyal if they buy the machine at all, regardless of when it's bought. There are many factors that contribute to when someone buys a product... the least of which is supply.

JRod wrote:This isn't Japan and brand loyalty means nothing in this day and age. The 360 is doing everything right after a good first year. Sony has the price going against it along with the first year of the 360.

Again, absolutely ridiculous since there are zillions of example where brand loyalty does mean everything. Playstation is synonymous with video games, no matter how much you don't want it to be. The 360 is not doing "everything" right. They've squandered their lead with sales beneath *their* expectations, are getting thumped by the PS2 every month, and are going down the same path as before as having way too many first person shooter and action games, and not enough kids games, RPGs, and others.

JRod wrote:Remember this even thought the Xbox was clearly the superior machine we saw game after game get ported over because the multiplatform games were made for the PS2. Even if the PS3 has better potential it might be where multiplatform games are programmed to the lowest common denominator.

I don't think the PS3 will ever be taken serious as a gaming machine to the general population until its price compares with the 360.

As soon as they ship enough units, it will be taken seriously. There's not going to be any problem selling them at whatever price for the foreseeable future. The 360 is irrelevant for people who want a PS3, just like people who loved the original Xbox never considered waiting for the PS3 and chose 360.

JRod · Post by **JRod** » Sat Nov 25, 2006 3:59 pm

Sony will win because it can live off its PlayStation brand-name equity for another cycle because it had such a HUGE sales lead over the competition in the last generation.

Brand loyalty means nothing when Sony has priced themselves out of the competitive market. The thing about the PS2 was that it was always priced competitively with the Xbox. It had a year to one-up the Xbox. This time around Sony doesn't have that luxury.

I still think the PS3 will fail because the PS3 only goal is not to make money for Sony but its to make blu-ray the dominate medium over HD-DVD. Sony with the PS3 has lost its focus. I think over the next two years the PS3 and Sony will start to unravel a bit.