mrpayroll

http://msnbc-cnet.com.com/2100-1043_...&subj=cnetnews

Last modified: September 16, 2003, 2:58 PM PDT
By David Becker
Staff Writer, CNET News.com


Sony announced Tuesday that it will begin selling an add-on hard drive for its PlayStation 2 video game console next March in North America.

The 40GB attachment will plug into the back of the gamer console in connection with the network adapter Sony released last year to enable online play.

The hard drive will enable game players to save game settings, download content such as new levels and characters and store music tracks and photos. The first game to use the hard drive will be Square's "Final Fantasy XI," the new online update in the popular series of role-playing games. "Final Fantasy XI" will come preloaded on the hard drive, which will go on sale in March priced at $99. "Final Fantasy XI" and the hard drive have been available in Japan for several months.

The hard drive is part of Sony's effort to keep up with gradually increasing demand for online gaming in the living room. Sony executives said Tuesday they've shipped 880,000 network adapters to date. Microsoft has signed up more than 500,000 customers for Xbox Live, the subscription-based online gaming service for its Xbox console, which includes a built-in hard drive.

While the initial focus for the hard drive will be on game content, it could also be used to store movies, music and other media content. But exploitation of such multimedia capabilities will partly depend on coming up with a workable approach to securing such content, said Andrew House, executive vice president for Sony Computer Entertainment America. That is a particular concern for Sony given its substantial interests in the movie and music industries.

"With any of the content we'd work with, digital rights management is a very key concern," House said. "We're in a unique position as a company with businesses on both sides of the issue, as far as being a hardware provider and a major content company."


Chris

ClarkKentKY

3 years too late. Pass. Bring on the PS3.

jw2299

I don't think this makes any since right now for Sony. I mean, $100? And certainly a new sony machine in only a couple years away anyway. I love the PS2, but I think this is too little, too late.

cheapskate

Exactly. I can't imagine many existing users shelling out for something like this so far after the fact. They should have included a hard drive in the first place... PS3 can't be that far off, I think everyone will wait...

You could buy a brand new X-box with games and X-box live for another hundred dollars on top of what you'd pay for the Sony HD! I know which one I'd pick!

We all know what happened to the Sega 32x CD... (or whatever it was called, see? I can't even remember... and I almost bought one... phew!)

Ralph Wiggum

IMO, the size and the price are excessive. I can't imagine that 40 gigs is anywhere near necessary for function. I also don't believe that there will be a significant number of games to use the feature at all, much less seriously integrate its function into gameplay.

I've barely scratched the surface on my Xbox HD...

Galanthas

Technically it's really only 50 since it's coming with Final Fantasy pre-installed. With that said, it will still bomb over here heh.

cheapskate

Assuming you actually want Final Fantasy XI

Galanthas

I don't see anyone buying this that doesn't want it for FFXI. Maybe some tech heads that just *need* everything. The cost outweighs the small benefits for it, if your not buying for FFXI.

cheapskate

They're implying that other games will be coming out that will use the hard drive add-on... I wonder if these games will also be packaged WITH a hard drive? I doubt it, since people who buy the hard drive for one game are not going to buy it AGAIN for another... so they end up releasing the hard drive compatible games seperately? Then you still have to buy the HD with FFXI included. It reminds me of the whole Guncon/Time Crisis thing... where they ended up releasing only a handful of games that actually used it.

So then, if you don't want to use it for anything but FFXI... doesn't that make FFXI a pretty expensive game?

Galanthas

Heh, true.

It's all about perceived value though.

Jtnguyen12

So, You still can Play FFXI online & off line w/out using the Hardrive right ?? I thought the Hard drive only good for Download New Level & Extra.

tommy28

I found this quote odd!!!

""The hard drive is part of Sony's effort to keep up with Microsoft`s Xbox and increasing demand for online gaming in the living room. Sony executives said Tuesday they've shipped 880,000 network adapters to date. Microsoft has signed up more than 500,000 customers for Xbox Live, the subscription-based online gaming service for its Xbox console, which includes a built-in hard drive""

Galanthas

What do you find odd? That Sony's adapter is selling more than Xbox Live subscriptions?

Captain Harlock

I think he means the part about "Sony's effort to keep up" with the XBox Live service, eventhough the Network Adaptor has outsold the number of XBox Live sign ups.

I'm not really that interested in the hard drive. I don't have a Network Adaptor and I really don't forsee myself buying one in the near future. Online gaming right now isn't that big a priority for me.

Ralph Wiggum

I would assume that "Sony's effort to keep up" is tied to the fact that Xbox has a dramatically higher rate of penetration for its online services than does PS2.

Galanthas

Hrm, I assumed it meant keep up with increasing demand for online gaming. I have a feeling the numbers for adapters sold and Live subscriptions is much closer than what is quoted though. I could have sworn reading 500,000 subs for Live a few months back.

Gizmo

About Xbox live and PS2 Online..

Xbox has sold, what 11 Mill units in North America? Sony has sold... 43 Mill (are my numbers way off)? Even if Sony has 300,000 more Subscribers, the general amount of people that own PS2 don't go online vs. Xbox which has a higher percentage. Going by those numbers Xbox has more people online vs. Sony...

Commenting on the PS2 HD...

$100? Isn't that a little too much for only one game so far? The only way I can see this paying off is if you have a TON of PS2 games and you trade in all your memory cards towards the purchase of this unit. Otherwise, WAY to late.

Captain Harlock

Good point Giz, but you also have to remember that online gaming isn't really the PS2's "strength". I imagine alot of people bought the PS2 without any intention of playing it online. Personally when I bought my PS2 I didn't intend to play it online. Heck I didn't even play PC games online either.

Now back to the hard drive. If it were priced more around $40 maybe I'd consider getting one. But $100? I think I'll take a pass for now.

Decker

I agree with almost everything posted here. I don't think this is a good strategy and I don't think it'll sell well at all. MMORPG's are such a niche market anyway and EQ didn't sell well on the PS2 without a HD requirement. If I could say one thing, though : Everyone was saying the same things about the online NA when it came out last year, all the Sega CD references and the like, that add-ons never sell. And then one game came out (SOCOM) and it moved a ton of NA's. Very little has one wrong for Sony so far with the PS2 (well, outside of Gizmo's store, anyway), so I'm not so quick to write them off. Still, it's hard to imagine this one doing well.

ClarkKentKY

Another Point:

What's a 40Gig Harddrive going for these days? I managed to get a 120 Gig for about 35 bucks from staples. So 100$ (or $50 if you count FFXI) is a little pricey. And it'll probably be a subpar harddrive. (5400rpm 2mb)

Not that i was buying one anyway.

Gizmo

Decker, you seem to think the PS2 is just my store... ask anyone that actually works in a videogame store (zero for one). Rather then listening to someone like Josh who has never actually worked in one and delt with customers.

Decker

Nah, I'm just giving you a hard time. Someone's got to defend the little black monolith. I just think your expierence is probably a little unique when you describe such a high failure rate compared to the other system (or at least the Xbox; the GC really does seem to be less failure-prone). I've had one problem in three years and that was repaired by Sony for free. Most of the people here posting problems seem to be with dying Xboxes lately. Maybe you're right, but I think more may break as a result of more sales total and more to "Joe Sixpack" who might be rougher with the system, than strictly due to product failure due to shoddy manufacturing. But your point is well taken; I really should talk to some game store owners and see what their expierence has been.

Maybe there is some basic design flaw in the PS2, like the fan and vent placement that allows for increased dust build-up in the system -- that may be. But overall, I've been very impressed with all my Sony electronics and don't think they've become so successful in the game market by putting out crap. Just MHO.

CreatureX

The numbers for North America look like this:

Cumulative Installed Base

PS2: 18,805,000
GBA: 15,499,000
Xbox: 5,830,000
GCN: 4,530,000

Source: CSFB estimates based on NPD Funworld data

Gideon68

Sony has "shipped" 880,000 net adapters, this is not the same as 880,000 people buying or playing on-line with their PS2. Somewhat deceptive.

Gizmo

Not to be an Xbox fanboy or anything, but everytime we get Xbox Live in, we sell it. The PS2 Network adapters just hang there. Maybe its because some people bought the online PS2, who knows...