With stories like that, it really makes me wonder how much actual demand for the PS3 there really is. It seems like the vast majority of people that are camping don't really want a PS3. Even the Japanese launch was similar with many people buying it just to resell it on an internet auction site. If there isn't much demand, then who is going to be buying all these systems up on ebay? I think the ebay scalping could backfire this time around.

In my honest (somewhat educated) opinion I think Sony is screwed. HD-DVD drive for Xbox 360 is selling well. 10 million xbox 360s by XMAS sold. 4 million Wiis sold. Only 1 million ps3 (and I doubt that). No upscaling of 720p for ps3. Backwards compatability issues for ps3. Gears of War looks better than anything on the market (and xbox 360 title). 50GB Blu-Ray discs still have not approached the quality of HD-DVD 30GB discs. No killer titles for ps3. High cost for at least the next year.

I always though that being first to market, Grand Theft Auto 3 exclusivity, and dvd playback were the real reason ps2 won the battle last generation. All 3 of those are GONE.

I sure wouldn't be buying Sony stock or be betting on them winning this war. A year ago I thought they would. But not now. Worst console launch in history for ps3 and never has it been more important. Remember, this is Sony's Trojan horse to win the HD movie war. It can't be a trojan horse if no one has one.

The people who want the system but weren't willing to wait.

I still say this is going to go EXACTLY like the 360 launch. I remember the 360 came out just before Black Friday. I didn't get one at launch, but was already planning on going out for BF and knew I could pick one up. I mean, Microsoft HAS to have them in stores on the biggest shopping day of the year, right?

NOPE. Nada. Zip. Didn't see one the entire day. NOBODY had them. But everyone in line was talking about them.

The want is out there for the PS3 - it's going to get crazy by Xmas time.

GTA3 was not exclusive. It was a timed exclusive. The Xbox also had dvd playback.

IMO, there are two reasons why PS2 beat Xbox:

First, the PS1 was hugely successful. It was the first console to bring video gaming into the mainstream. Sony actually knocked Nintendo from the top spot which many people never would have thought possible. Sony proved they were a force to be reckoned with, and most everyone knew the PS2 would continue the tradition. Meanwhile, Microsoft is a new contender in the video game market. Back then, there were thousands and thousands of anti-Microsoft people that hated MS no matter what they did. Also, there had never been a successful American-made console since the Atari 2600. MS had a long way to go to prove they could successfully enter the video game market. The Xbox did sell well and is considered a success, but the PS2 clearly beat it when comparing the total sales of both consoles.

Second, even though the Xbox sold well in the US and Europe, it completely bombed in Japan. If you want to be top dog, you HAVE to win the Japanese market. This will be the 360's biggest hurdle IMO; if they want to beat the PS3, MS will have to win Japan.

looks like the Sony store on 5th Ave in the snobby shopping district in NYC. That store is supposed to have 400 of them tonight

First there was nary such a thing as timed exclusive when GTA3 hit. It was exclusive. Period. It wasn't until after GTA:VC that MS snagged some support.

Second, I'm not too sure about that one. MS is trying to forge ahead without Japan by hitting markets that no gamemaker ever has in all parts of the world. Japan may count for a large number, but if MS can hit enough markets that Sony doesn't touch, it might tell a different story at the end of this gen.

Report: Sony losing hundreds on each PS3

iSuppli breakdown pegs cost of manufacturing $499 20GB console at $805, $599 60GB console at $840.
By Tor Thorsen, GameSpot
Posted Nov 16, 2006 4:52 pm PT

When the Xbox 360 went on sale last year, BusinessWeek commissioned tech researcher iSuppli to take apart the console and estimate how much it cost to manufacture. The firm concluded that, including all pack-in accessories (hard drive, controller, cables, and so on), each premium 360 set Microsoft back some $126. Before labor, just the parts it took to make the console cost $470--$71 more than the full-fledged system's $399 price tag.

This week, iSuppli conducted a similar cost-analysis study of the PlayStation 3--with even more shocking results. According to the study, the hardware for the 20-gigabyte PS3 costs $805.85 alone--$306.85 more than the stated list price of $499. The 60GB model hardware costs $840.35, $241.35 more than the $599 sticker price Sony announced at the Electronic Entertainment Expo earlier this year. (Note: Sony did not announce price points of $499.99 and $599.99 at E3, although some retailers list the consoles' prices as such.)

Neither of the iSuppli estimates includes the cost of the A/V cables, power cord, or Sixaxis controller that come bundled with both models of the PS3. The initial launch shipment will also come with a Blu-ray disc copy of the Will Ferrell comedy Talledega Nights. "The size of Sony's loss per unit is remarkable, even for the videogame console business," read the iSuppli report.

However, despite the steep price, iSuppli still thinks the PS3 delivers plenty of bang for a buyer's buck. "The reason why the PlayStation 3 is so costly to produce is because it has incredible processing power," said Andrew Rassweiler, teardown services manager and senior analyst for iSuppli. "If someone had shown me the PlayStation 3 motherboard from afar without telling me what it was, I would have assumed it was for a network switch or an enterprise server."

Though it had no breakdown of the Wii, this week's iSuppli study did comment on the cost of another next-gen console. Thanks to streamlined processes and ample component supplies, iSuppli estimates that Microsoft now makes $75.70 per Xbox 360 console.

I hope the PS3 tanks and bankrupts Sony.

the PS3 will be a huge success, it's a solid piece of hardware with a lot of next-gen features and some very good developers behind it.

Simple as that.

And I'd be the first to jump for joy if it took Sony down, but I just don't believe it will happen that way.

It's launch for both the Wii and the PS3, of course they're not going to sell 10 million units. The 360 only had 400-500k at launch last year.

Those problems will be fixed in the next firmware update. Sony has promised 100% backwards compatibility and they're working to make that happen which is much more than what MS has done with the 360.

Of course GoW looks better than anything out there. The 360 has been out a full year which has given Devs time to familiarize themselves with the hardware and know how to get the most out of it.

Blue Ray media still holds almost twice the amount of storage compared to a HD-DVD disc. And the quality thing is BS. Have you seen both in action side by side? I have at my local Best Buy. There is practically no difference in the quality of movies they had playing on both players - in fact, I would say there is none. So, to say Blue-Ray doesn't approach the quality of HD-DVD is a little ridiculous.

Yes, there aren't any "killer apps" for the PS3 -- maybe Resistance but tell me all the "killer apps" that were available at launch for the 360? Perfect Dark was one of the most over hyped, disappointing launch titles...ever. Aside from CoD, the 360 didn't get a "killer app" until Oblivion released in March, 5 months after release.

I've stated this before, 360 + HD-DVD addon = $600, 60GB PS3 = $600. Is high cost that big of an issue? Apparently not if MS has sold alot of 360's and the HD-DVD add-on is selling well.



I think you're forgetting a couple....Metal Gear Solid? Final Fantasy and JRPG's? Sony & Nintendo have much stronger software support in Japan than Microsoft. Right now, the 360 is selling like crap in Japan and if that continues you're not going to see the software support Sony and Nintendo are currently getting.

This is the "Official PS3" thread for a reason. What's with all the negative Sony, PS3 comments and ridiculous comparisons? I think this generation of consoles is going to be the best yet and who knows who will come out on top. I think this thread was created to talk about the PS3, the hardware, games, etc.. not to bash it or make unfair comparisons.

Thanks for the informative input!

The best thing for the market is competition. I do not get how people would want a company to go bankrupt. It's a toy.

I agree the price is issue is not that big of deal. I paid 100 dollars for the 360 wireless adapter so if I add the HD-DVD Drive my total is higher than the PS3.

Absolutely brutal review of NBA 07 by Gamespot. A 4.9 overall. No in-game announcers, WTF? Doesn't the PS2 version have them? they couldn't fit that on the disc?

While I realize EA probably didn't want to compete with two PS3 basketball games at launch, I bet they are kicking themselves for cancelling. Even the marginal NBA Live 07 could top that.

Interesting little bit on the graphics there:

1080p = Crisp, but frame rate problems
480i = Ugly, but rock solid 60 fps
720p = Sweet Spot.

But the screenshot says it all.

I don't know what you mean...haven't you seen 2 players merge on the court before???

PS3 fight causes Wal-mart to be shut down



9 months pregnant woman having contractions and will not leave PS3 line

man, how lucky can you get? giving birth in line is the luckiest thing ever. she can stuff 600.00 in her kids hands and the store can sell one to the baby so he/she can list it on ebay when he/she gets home from the hospital. just think of the headline:

"newborn baby only 3 minutes old says I want a PS3 for my birthday"

Sony would have a field day with that.

So that means ps3 will be way behind and has a lot of catching up to do.


MS said the EXACT same thing. 100% compatability, then then said "we will fix it." Hasn't happened. If Sony fixes the issues then good for them.


So then in a year the ps3 may put out titles as good? Stick a fork in them if that is true.


Go over to AVS forum and check them out. HD-DVD is beating Blu-Ray on quality. I have seen both and I have a 126 inch home theatre. They both look nice, but HD-DVD has been better. You may not agree but that is the consensus from the early adopters and home theatre users THUS FAR.


Ahh, but XBOX 360 was the only next generation system available at the time. Wii will have Zelda and that is big. Also, Oblivion is a great game, but calling it a killer app is ridiculous. Many games have sold better. Not even close.


Metal Gear Solid and Final Fantasy weren't even close to as important as Grand Theft Auto 3. They couldn't even make enough copies of a GAME to keep up with demand. GTA outsold those games by massive margins.


I would be out waiting tonight for a ps3 if I could get one. Not waiting for 2 days. I will still buy one and I don't hate Sony. But the bottom line is they are in trouble, they have a hill to climb, and the odds against them continue to grow.

Both PS3 displays at my local Wal-Mart were frozen, suspended in time.... Good thing is, no red lights

Is everyone just going to post their PS3 thoughts in this thread once they pick up their system, or is someone going to start a thread just for that?

I saw a woman nine months pregnant on the news earlier in line being interviewed. I wonder if it was the same one.

I just stopped by my local country Wal-Mart to see if by chance I might be able to pick one up since I hadn't seen any lines the past coupld of days. Well, come to find out, they actually had a whole area in the Lawn & Garden center, way off to the side where most people don't go, set up for people to wait. The manager had chairs, benches, and couches all set up along with a 50" tv and a PS2 to help everyone pass the time. He said they had 12 PS3's in the back, and that all 12 of them were already promised to the first 12 people that arrived (who had all been waiting since Wednesday). He said he decided to make things more comfortable by moving a some of the store's display items back there for everyone to use while they were waiting. I didn't expect to walk out with a PS3, which of course I didn't, but what I really didn't expect was to walk out with a good bit of respect for the customer service at my local Wal-Mart.

WTF???

The more I think about this the more I think it is a BS argument. The Xbox came out a year after the PS2. Halo looked better than anything on it out of the gates(same with Gotham, DOA & Munch's Odyssey) . No catch up time needed. People put the then PS2 titles up against it, so why the slack now for Sony? They have a more powerful system so the initial games should look almost as good as what is out now on the 360, not barely as good as year old launch titles. 75% PS3 titles are ports anyway, those should only need a fraction of the development time to add some sheen and bells & whistles.

Hell you could make the same case for the GC. Some of those launch titles, Waverace & Rogue Squadron looked better than current PS2 titles. People weren't comparing launch lineups to launch lineups last gen. It was the case of this is newer and had more time to be better so it should look better from day one.

So the more I see that flimsy argument the more it sounds like a bullshit double standard if I've ever seen one. I think it has to do more with Sony shoveling out quantity over quality(thier story from day one of the PS1). They've been the first out of the gates the last two gens so it didn't matter. It is different this time around, so new rules are written. I think this whole comparing new titles to year old releases is new to this gen.