I find this a bit scary. Hope it's not the norm by any means.

Fucking Sweet!

1) Sony practically invented the Memory Card business. That little baby made a lot of money for Sony when they were losing money on the console. The same strategy was being used for the Memory Stick line - make devices which used the media so people were forced to buy it at high profits to Sony. What they did was combine the two similar ideas and made the PS3 a part of the Sony family (as they did with the PSP). This is a smart way to increase revenue for the hurting electronics devision.

2) PS2 USB connectors will be made - and made easily. This is a non-issue.

3) More memory in the PS3 would be a huge bomb on 360. One of the main complaints about the 360 is the lack of memory between the 3 cores. Increasing the memory in the PS3 means it will receive more complex games that will be noticably dumbed down for their 360 versions (if they are ever able to port them over). Strong move by Sony if this is true.

4) So far, MS has said the HDD is NOT needed to play games, meaning no caching or add-on storage. I don't see this as an issue if MS isn't going to allow developers to take full advantage of the HDD like they did with the Xbox.

5) Remote access by the PSP is sweet. I'll have to wait and see what can actually be done before I drool over it, but the possibilities sound interesting.

6) It will probably be cheaper to buy a TiVo then convert a PS3 to a TiVo.

7) I like 1080p much more, but 720p will be fine for now. I see this progressing as 1080p saturates the market.

8) This is killer. Giving power to the user is key.

Ugh. Good God, almost all of that makes me want a PS3 even LESS than I already do. The one thing that stands out in using a memory stick for the PS1 and PS2 games, which is one part really awesome and one part kick in the nuts. The PS2 seems like it could be designed the handle varying sizes and types of memory (though seeing as the HDD can only be used for storage and not for real saving/loading I'm not too sure) but the PS1 is pretty strict on the 15 block card format. My best assumption is that you'll be able to create various "virtual" PS1 memory cards on the memory stick via the browser system. I just hope there is some easy way to transfer old saves to memory sticks, once that's cleared up I'll be 100% on the loss of the old memory card formats.

The rest of the stuff is just ancillary non-gaming garbage. Sigh.
The part about changing resolutions for extra speed is flat out fucking creepy.

Doesn't that already happen on the xbox, though? I mean, there aren't many games that support high def (I think dragon's lair did, right?) but I have to assume that those playing it at 720p or 1080i will get different performance than those playing at 480i.

It's possible and certainly makes sense but I don't think it was ever touted as some kind of ground breaking feature nor have I heard of any game running better in standard resolution vs. HD. Performance tweaking should NOT be anywhere near a home console game in my opinion. The furthest I think this should go would be maybe a 60 vs. 30 FPS difference based on resolution.. but seeing as the PS3 can render Spiderman 2 in real-time I can't fathom what kind of game would push this God-like hardware to its limit.

:lol:

I agree. A frame here or there is forgivable, but if this is truly a reality, it could end up where the game is tweaked out for 480i and choppy as hell in 720p. Forget about 1080p, let's focus on keeping 720p as smooth as 480i fer chrissakes.

I think everyone needs to consider what is being said before they start criticizing the idea. Allowing developers to make games in a lower standard only increases the library of games for the system. Is Metal Gear Solid or Final Fantasy or GT ever going to aim for the lower standards? Hell no! But will Barbie's Magical Pony Vacation use it? Maybe - if that means saving money. The only games that would use the lower standard would be budget games - you aren't going to see the next big game using it because of the risk of loser customers.

And Pixy, you need to look more closely. More system memory means easier system development (which means more time to add creative features rather than optimizing code). And using the PSP as a remote access tool means you could potentially use your PSP to check in on your character in a MMO game or see how your Clan is doing while out. There is potential for some real creative connectivity between the PSP and PS3.

Some Warhawk rumors:

2000 Enemies on screen at once
Air combat similar to Crimson Skies
Ground combat similar to Halo
Expected release of Winter 2006

http://ps3.ign.com/articles/638/638298p1.html

http://www.gamesindustry.biz/content_page.php?aid=10531

PlayStation 3 Blu-ray drive may run faster than expected
Corey Brotherson 11:47 03/08/2005
Double-speed drives will be available prior to machine's launch

Sony's PlayStation 3 may be equipped with faster than expected Blu-ray drives at launch, as it has emerged that a speedier format will be available before the next generation machine is ready for retail.

The PlayStation 3 was originally mooted to launch with a single (1X, 36Mbit per second) speed drive to run its optical media. But with the arrival of 2X (72Mbps) drives this autumn, it's hoped that by the time PS3 launches in Japan in spring 2006, faster formats will be readily available, with potential for the multimedia machine to run up to 4X, costs permitting.

Sony has yet to confirm the speed of the drive used for PS3, and its specification is open to change over the next few months - but given that some first generation Blu-ray drives are 2X, it's quite possible that will be the minimum Sony will aim for.

For its part, Microsoft has elected to stick with the existing DVD standard in Xbox 360 - although comments from Bill Gates back at the end of June suggested that the company might be considering a move to HD-DVD, a Toshiba-backed rival format to Blu-Ray, at some point in the lifespan of the console.


Chris

Here is a more complete explanation of that.

It certainly does make sense for Sony to launch latter under the right conditions. If they do proceed with launch in early 2006 many people will be shocked and disappointed with what they get compared to what has been demonstrated at this point.

I'm really hoping the PS3 has further PS1 enhancements from what the PS2 had (which were mostly useless). I think being able to up the resolution would be great, I've played a few of my games on an emulator and while the models aren't any better, putting them at a higher resolution makes it SO much easier on the eyes (example: Zelda: OoT N64 vs. Cube port). Of course, since the focus on the PS3 is "multimedia" and not games I'm not sure this is a high priority on Sony's list of things to consider.

That's good news to me. The PS2 (the supposed "weak" system) still has insanely amazing looking games coming out for it and we're at the development point in the system's life where solid games are the focus of development, not the "new & shiny" extreme graphics the first couple of years a new system brings.

I couldn't agree more. I really feel we don't need to make the jump to a next generation right now. There are so many high quality games scheduled to come out. And they look great!

Whenever a new system launches it feels like we take a few steps back in terms of gameplay. Sure we get our Halos and such, but I find the majority of launch games to be rather disappointing and more eyecandy than gameplay.

I wouldn't mind Sony or Nintendo holding out a bit longer.

IMHO, there's no way they can afford to hold out and miss the all-important Christmas season. Even if there's a shortage, that will create more demand. If they miss the Christmas season and launch in the middle of summer or something, they'll find something akin to the PSP launch, which by all accounts disappointed some retailers who were expecting huge sell-outs. Not to mention a delay like that will cause some who were content to wait, to buy Xbox 360s right away.

I doubt the buyers who would be enticed by a cheaper PS2 are the ones who were going to go out and buy a next-gen system anyway...

Why is anyone taking what some random analyst said seriously? Does anyone really think that the 360 will fail? PS3 will be released in 2006 as planned.

So you are saying you believe that a Spring 2006 launch is a go?

No, I'm saying that all signs point to a Spring 2006 launch and this 2007 launch speculation is garbage.

I'd be shocked if the PS3 slipped to 2007. As I've said before, sony has a lead in the console war like Nintendo had in the 8 bit and 16 bit eras and will have to do something stupid to lose it.

Waiting until 2007 could be that stupid thing. They can't afford to give MS that much of a head start. The 360 won't tank, and the longer it's the only next gen machine available the better it will do.

You say "no", therefore you believe that the PS3 will not be launched in Spring 2006? When do you believe it will launch?

I'm guessing Fall of 2006. Just a guess.

My guess: Fall 2006 with the single greatest launch line-up of all time. Like I said, Sony is on schedule to ship for Spring 2006, but that would only be for Japan. I predict that 360 will not be selling that much better than PS2, and Sony will delay launch until the fall and built up units to do the worldwide launch they wanted with PSP. That fall, they will launch in Japan, US, and Europe with tons of games available at launch.

Very optimistic on my part, but something that could happen if the cards all fall right.

My money is on Fall 2006 for the PS3 and the revolution in the US.

I'd love to see that, Tekken 3 looks amazing at 1024x768. Of course it's inconvenient to get the pc organised, the plugins configured, and 2 controllers hooked up.

Also even some of the old 2d games look great scaled up with some of the filters available although I know some people are purists with wanting their games to look pixel exact to the originals.

I think by the time xmas '06 comes round the ps2 hardware will be looking very tired and most will be ready for the switch. By that stage there should at least be a couple of innovative 360 games putting the hardware to good effect.

Some news:

TDK is already producing 20,000 Blu-Ray discs per month, with producion ramping up to 500,000 per month by the end of 2006. This presumably means that all issues with Blu-Ray discs have been solved.

Sony announced that the Cell would be capable of supporting Linux and Tiger operating systems. An optional hard drive would be sold with the operating systems to act as a computer replacement.

:lol: Shill it baby, shill it! :lol:

I don't think 2D looks good at all up-converted and that's not really being a "purist." To me at least, the various filters are very distracting and most of them just make the image look too soft/blurry.. I much prefer a sharp image when I've got a quality monitor. But up-converted 3D can look great in comparison but there always seems to be problems with it (broken models, etc.).

How does making 20,000 units a month mean everything is good to go? You realize that number is NOTHING don't you? At the Sony disc plant in Indiana they produce 100,00 discs of a movie or game as a test batch before full production.

Props to Sony for allowing Linux and OS. It appears IBM's influence has been well received in Sony dev. labs.

Surely they are not referring to normal consumers, as that would make no sense, with taking a loss on each console. Same as MS doesn't want to sell xboxes to people who are just using it as a cheap linux box.

OSX, not a chance in a hell I would have thought. Also I think the Sony powerpc is different enough compared to the IBM mac g-series that it wouldn't work out of the box anyway.

Strange, I think it looks a ton better. The purist bit refers to people who want to see each pixel as it was originally created and I have seen that said by others. Obviously if you think it looks poor then thats that. I actually think the older games tend to look worse on higher quality monitors when compared to tvs as it brings out the pixellated look more. The filters add a bit of that tv blur to it.

PS1 is a bit hit and miss yeah. It annoys me that people are working on writing ps2 emulators that can run the menus of say 5 games (well last time I looked) when there is still a lot of work to be done perfecting ps1 emulation (and n64 and saturn for that matter). epsxe and all it's plugins are a mess and some games like chrono cross just refuse to run properly no matter how much tweaking I do.

Hey, that is just my guess, and is overly optimistic (as I state). I could point to some Nintendo stuff you said which is much more optimitic.

They aren't going to be producing that many discs that weren't finalized as far as their physical structure.

A Fall release would also screw up Microsoft's Halo 3 "counter-release" plans, wouldn't it?

Also, I'm sure SOMEONE will make a Memory Card Reader for PS3.

Bungie's games are always late. The later the PS3 launches the better the chance they'll have it ready for a counter release.

Current TGS PS3 Games:

Ni-Oh (Koei)
Metal Gear Solid 4 (Konami)

MGS4 and Halo3 are both system sellers but I'd put MGS a peg higher since more people know about it and it caters to those who don't like FPS type games.

On a side note, checkout the vids for this new indie game called Project Offset. Looks impressive:

http://ps3.ign.com/articles/640/640232p1.html

Even if you have done this before, follow these simple steps (you wont regret it)

1) Go to IGN and see their new remastered PS3 game trailers.
2) Download and watch the Killzone preview in widescreen (warhawk looks cool too)
3) Crap your pants and go take a shower (and buy new undies)

Have a nice day.

Well looky what's for pre-order at Amazon!
 

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg...X0DER&v=glance

Sony PlayStation3
Other products by Sony Computer Entertainment

Platform: PlayStation 3

Price: $299.99

This item is currently not available. Customers also shopped for these similar items.

System requirements


Features:

Built-in Wi-Fi access for easy connection to gaming services and the Internet

Sony PlayStation 3 is slated for release in Spring 2006

Games will use Blu-Ray discs as media format

Features a powerful Cell processor and a dynamic RSX graphics chip

Completely backward compatible, all the way to the original Sony PlayStation

Amazon.com Sales Rank: None
Shipping: Shipping rates and policies
ASIN: B0009VXAM0
Date first available at Amazon: July 12, 2005
Average Customer Review: Based on 13 reviews. Write a review.



Chris

Product Description
Amazon.com Product Description
The Sony PlayStation 3 console is described by Sony Computer Entertainment, Inc. (SCEI) President and CEO, Ken Kutaragi as a "supercomputer for computer entertainment." This next-generation Sony video game console is rumored to be available in Spring 2006 and promises to deliver state-of-the-art technology with new, powerful digital media and high storage capacity.



A sleek new look.


White, silver, or black? Pick your poison.


A comfy-looking new controller.
One of the key questions about the PS3 was what kind of media it would use. Sony has announced that the PS3 will use Blu-Ray discs as its media format, which can hold six times as much data as current DVDs. The PS3 will also support CR-ROM, CD-RW, DVD, DVD-ROM, DVD-R, DVD+R formats. Sony has confirmed that the machine will be backward compatible all the way to the original PlayStation -- you'll be able to play all your favorite games without keeping all the old systems. The console will have slots for Memory Stick Duo, an SD slot and a compact flash memory slot. It will also sport a slot for a detachable 2.5-inch hard disc drive, somewhat similar to the Xbox 360's. Whether or not this drive will come standard still remains a mystery.



Playstation 3: Tower of power.
The PS3 will feature IBM's new "Cell" processor, which will run at 3.2 GHz and give the system two teraflops of overall performance. In fact, the PS3 is said to be 35x more powerful than its predecessor. This processor vaults the PS3 to the top of the list for most powerful, next-gen consoles -- rumor has it that the PS3 is two times more powerful than the Xbox 360 and 15 times more powerful than the Nintendo Revolution.

The PS3's dedicated graphics chip is no slouch, either. Dubbed the the RSX "Reality Synthesizer" and based on Nvidia technology, it will deliver fresh, realistic imagery and bombastic visual expression. The chip will be capable of 128-bit pixel precision and 1080p resolution for a full HD experience.

Some hefty multi-media features are built into the new console, as well, such as video chat, Internet access, digital photo viewing, and digital audio and video. Out of the box, the PS3 will have the capability to support seven Bluetooth controllers. Each controller can be used for nearly 24 hours before requiring charging. The controllers feature PlayStation's signature square-circle-triangle-X buttons, but they sport a never-before-seen, boomerang-like design. Also, as rumored, the PS3 will have Wi-Fi connectivity to the PSP, which can be used as a remote screen and controller.

A whole host of game publishers are already backing the PS3 and several have even confirmed games for the console. At the 2005 E3 (Electronic Entertainment Expo) Konami introduced Metal Gear Solid 4, Capcom showed off Devil May Cry 4 and Namco unveiled Tekken 6. Also look for the fifth Gran Turismo title from Polyphony Digital, as well as the next Killzone from SCEE, and a new Western title from Rockstar Games.

Sony has also stated that the PS3 will have similar online connectivity and services as the next generation of Xbox Live. Calling it "an always on, always connected device," SCEI's chief technical officer Masa Chatani said the PS3 would be constantly in touch with a "PlayStation World" network "fundamentally based on community, communication commerce, and content."

Sony has confirmed a lot of information about its newest system, but until the PS3 is out on the market, the rumor mill will continue to churn with gossip -- both unconfirmed facts and bogus news. Nevertheless, with a powerful processor, an outstanding graphics chip, and an impressive list of new games, one thing is for certain: This console has firmly placed Sony on the cutting-edge of video game entertainment and technology.


http://images.amazon.com/images/G/01...e/PS3-1-lg.jpg

http://images.amazon.com/images/G/01...e/PS3-2-lg.jpg

http://images.amazon.com/images/G/01...e/PS3-4-lg.jpg

http://images.amazon.com/images/G/01...e/PS3-3-lg.jpg

Chris