Sony's Solution: Sell A Cripple Version Of The PlayStation 3?

With Sony currently stuck in third place in the console wars, it seems like everyone and their mothers are coming with ideas on how the company can sell more PlayStation 3 consoles. The latest wacky idea comes from GigaOm's Wagner James Au. In order to raise the installed base of the PS3, Au believes that Sony should make a cheaper, Internet-driven device that does not have a Blu-ray player.

[PirateThom]

Yeah, then it couldn't play games.

Great solution!

[jadenkorri]

i love the intelligence of a 360 fanboy...take out the blu ray player, thats right i say do it, cause then every 360 fanboy can come our and say, the ps3 HAS NO GAMES, and be absolutly right....dumbass failure...

[morganfell]

Thankfully it isn't Sony's solution but rather the solution of someone that has no business attempting to formulate a solution for a non-existent issue.

[SaiyanFury]

Agreed, a triumph of ideas. An internet driven connection, basically meaning digital downloading. Again, it comes back to the simple fact that very few people have connection speed that's fast enough. If I want to play Metal Gear Solid 4 on a Blu-ray disc, I can play it now. If I had to get it though DD I'd be waiting about 3 weeks. My best connection speed is 1.5mbps and it takes me at least that long to download 50GB. On top of not being able to access games at your will, many ISPs throttle bandwidth and would be fast to either cut back your connection speed, or you're going to be paying heavy overage charges for downloading beyond your cap. The idea of an internet-driven console isn't a bad one, but unfortunately infrastructure as of right now, doesn't allow for it. I'll stick with Blu-ray for now thanks, even if it ups the price a tad.

[Genesis5]

OK. Now these stories are just getting retarded.

[BrianC6234]

I thought people want Sony to drop the price to $299 and bring back PS2 compatibility. And now even throw in their official Bluetooth headset. Did I miss anything? Oh, yeah, and include an HDMI cable.

[CobraKai]

I'm pretty sure multiplatform games built for the Xbox 360's dvd drive would play fine. As long as you don't wanna play PS3 exclusives, your good to go.

[Mozilla89]

You totally defeated yourself by looking up and writing down all of morganfell's recent posting history. Don't be a creeper man.

[hay]

I rotfl'ed :D

I think Sony would reduce their loss selling the PS3 without Cell. Still rotfling.

[Ju]

ROFL. I almost fell off my chair here. "Then it wouldn't play games". How true, how true.

While I am amazed how far positive reinforcement has come, I think not every monkey should learn to type.

I have even a better suggestion. To not produce any costs, just don't produce anything. How about that ?

[Kratos Spartan]

1.5 mbps? I go through Comcast and I've got a 6 mbps internet, and their fastest is 8 mbps. Where are you from? Anyone else?

[Enigma_2099]

... that was the whole point of that backhanded suggestion... if it can't play any PS3 games, then no one will buy PS3s anymore, and we can finally convince them that they should only buy 360s...

kinda retarded, actually.

[SonyOwnsNextYear]

who let out all the rabid 360 fans from their respective cages? It has been nothing but an abundance of antips3 stories and its all due to them and their hatred towards sony, bluray and how worried they are of KILLZONE2.

i expected this onslaught form them, what else are they gonna do while the 360 is in the rrod refurnace shop....*refurbished*.lol

bublles to all.

[UnSelf]

GREAT!! Then i can finally play crippled ps3 games such as:

Charted: Drakes Allowance (instead of Uncharted)
Extra Medium Continent (instead of LBP)
Injured Area 2 (instead of K2)
Screwdriver and Thonk: Tools of Minor Inconviences (instead of RAC:TOD
FairyTale (instead of Folklore)
Stardirt SD (instead of Stardust HD)
Whisperchrome (instead of ehochrome)
Unallowed: Fall of a couple people (instead of Resistance:FOM)
Unallowed 2 (instead of r2)
Plastic Gear Liquid: Rise of the Republicans (instead of MGS4)
Light Drizzle (instead of Heavy Rain) or
Unimportant (instead of Infamous)

(end sarcasm and faceplams)

[Danja]

PS3 with no Blu Ray..? lol

but to be honest...guys atleast we could still download full games can the 360 do that..? lol

[phosphor112]

N4G would lose 95% of its articles and users.

[kwicksandz]

They already crippled it by introducing the gimped 40gbs. They need to go about reducing production costs while re introducing the features the original 60gbs had.

[EastCoastSB]

Bubbles to you, that was funny.

[GIJeff]

I too have comcast. But don't be fooled by comcast's download speeds. I'd rather game on dedicated DSL any day. My pings are not only slower than my old DSL connection, but it's really unstable too. My DSL was 3mbs, where my comcast is 8 with "speed burst" which essentially steals local bandwidth from neighbors momentarily to download large files. Only problem is, they steal mine too. Dedicated for the win.

[ultimolu]

...*headdesks repeatedly*
They can't be serious...

creeping judas: How many times must we hear the doom and gloom articles...and people acting as if they know what Sony should do? Let Sony run Sony and stop with this sh*t already!

[creeping judas]

"...*headdesks repeatedly* "

is that something new??

Utimolu, I was only refering to you remark of "headdesks repeatedly" I think you meant to say something different?

And yes I agree.

[jadenkorri]

its very hard to think and understand one, so don't bother...

[Mozilla89]

The author of the article says its a stupid idea himself. He's just writing about some other hater's article.

[MONOLITHICIDE]

didnt want to read the article but from looking at the headline there already is a crippled version of the PS3 and thats the Xbox 360 people are so dumb

[Nathan Drake]

That's a fantastic idea!And in order to play the games,all he'll need to do is buy a Ps3 that has a BluRay drive!

http://i39.tinypic.com/b4tj...

[GIJeff]

is Au the source of all knowledge?

[GWAVE]

So, they should imitate Microsoft's "brilliant" Arcade unit concept? Great for naive middle-schoolers who aspire to nothing higher than to play Halo 3 online and use "bad words" against their opponents. Lame for quality-conscious consumers who buy the PS3 knowing they're getting a top-grade product.

[soxfan2005]

Pretty ignorant comment. The Xbox 360 Arcade plays EVERY 360 game right out of the box. A hard drive is not required to play 360 games. It is simply not backwards compatible due to lack of a hard drive (which can be bought for $30 anyways). The 360 Arcade is positioned as a perfect upgrade for current PS2 players. PS2 players do not care about a hard drive, nor do they care about wireless online because PS2 has neither. They just want to play games, and have enough memory to save games. Hardcore gamers who want the full experience of either system have already upgraded by now. Casual players who still primarily play PS2 and want to upgrade inexpensively, while still enjoying the full selection of new games, are the target of the 360 Arcade.

[GWAVE]

No true gamer would buy an Arcade, and that's my point. An Arcade unit is great for a kid who doesn't know much about video games, but for gamers searching for quality, the Arcade is a rip-off.

And since the Arcade dropped in price, sales reports have shown that the Pro is still the top-selling bundle, not the Arcade. You can preach it all you want, but Microsoft has a long way to go before they cut into the PS2 crowd.

[soxfan2005]

So, a system that plays EVERY game is only for someone who knows nothing about games, and is not for a "true" gamer? Who decides who is a true gamer - you? I guess the millions of people still buying and playing PS2's are not true games since they don't have a hard drive either.

[Anon1974]

Sure the 360 Arcade is somewhat limited - but it still plays every single 360 game out there and it's priced to move. I think the PS3 is the best bang for your buck in terms of being the complete package and will be the longterm best choice currently but you can't go wrong with a 360 arcade if all you want is games....period. No Arcade titles, no DLC, just games. For the gamer on a budget, assuming that the new units have solved rrod, the 360 Arcade is hands down the best choice.
That's what a "true" gamer would do if his funds were limited. Either that or pick up a PS2 and take advantage of the thousands of titles available for it. Hell, one of the best games of 2007 was God of War II, and it put a lot of the "next gen" games to shame graphically.

[Darkseider]

PALM

[thor]

They've already crippled it.

It's a REAL shame that they took out backwards compatibility. I swear that's a major thing that's caused hate for Sony.

They've taken out USB ports (which really are needed), and the various ports for cards which I have used to show off my photos on my model.

And none of this lowers the price.

They should never have put the cell or a blu-ray player in the PS3 if they wanted the price to be lower. Because you can't get rid of those things, and they cost the most.

[ultimolu]

They were trying to reduce the costs of the system. What did you want them to do then? If they didn't drop that stuff, the PS3 would still be at $599.99.

Something had to give. I do hope they bring back BC through emulation though.

[GWAVE]

It works both ways. People want the price lowered and they mock Sony for attempting to cram their formats down the consumer's throat (like Blu Ray and the various memory cards), yet they complain when features are removed to alleviate those complaints.

I wouldn't say the PS3 is crippled. It still performs all of the core functions of the system without needing any add-ons or expansions. You don't need to buy a hard drive. You don't need to buy a wi-fi antenna. You just plug it in and play.

[Cajun Chicken]

Agree with top two points. Don't think its been crippled, but taking out BC has been a major mistake; saying that, its saved Sony a lot of money, but people get annoyed when I announce that not all PS3s are BC when we play PS2 games on it.
On the other hand, the BC on 360 is horrible, Halo plays like s**t, sometimes worse than that of the halfassed PC version and Armed and Dangerous has TERRIBLE frame rate issues, Serious Sam is probably the only game with positives as the rendering and lighting is improved slightly.

What I say is, smaller sized HDDs in models and bring in the same PS2 emulation like in 60gb EU PS3s, that'll make everyone happy.
Removing one of the 'Playstations' in the PS3 was a controversial descision as the PS3 is only two Playstations, and the PSN has a serious lack of PSOne titles anyway.

[Skerj]

If BC was so important to those who keep whining for it (seeing as no one who has the original units care that it's gone) then they'd have purchased a PS3 that was BC compatible. They're still on the market and you can get one from eBay or Craigslist. Informed shopping people, spending hundreds of dollars on a machine and not knowing what it can and can't do is stupid.

[Marceles]

Yeah I swear I wanted to throw a stapler at some people at N4G when the "no more BC articles" started coming out.

"Well I WAS gonna buy a PS3, but now..."

No you weren't gonna buy anything, you would've bought it earlier if thats the case.

[ultimolu]

Marceles, nobody has ever heard of saving money these days. It's always...'I must have it now or the universe will implode'. It took me a month before I finally decided which console I really wanted for next-gen gaming.

[Ju]

What do you think is the bigger cost factor? The hard drive or the BD drive? BC could come back at a point when they'll get a 100% SW solution running stable. I suspect this is even in the works (with low priority, though, I would guess).

Anyhow, the BD drive costs will be down on DVD costs at some point (maybe the are already). This is just a matter of time. Removing the drive gives nothing.

However, I'd suggest removing the harddisk all together, but keep some sort of 4-16G flash disk (for game installs or such) could reduce the price, add an external eSATA connector to allow people to go out an buy a 300G+ HDD to their liking. Now, these 4-16G "drives" should be cheap because this is a standard component used in every cell phone or mp3 player now a days. This combined with a 45nm process (CELL/RSX) and some reduction of components could push the price below the magical $200 range eventually, and manifest a viable production to target at least the $299.

[Sarick]

Yes, they removed BC to save cost. They didn't have to if they kept models. One high end BC compatible and one non-BC model.

I paid extra for a BC model, and if one was still in production I'd still have paid extra. It's like that mounds commercial. Sometimes you feel like a nut sometimes you don't.

Some people are willing to invest in the BC while others are willing to except the gimped versions to save money. Removing that model from production restricts people who could've paid extra for it.

[philmac2007]

ha ha man that was the funniest thing ive heard all week...this guy must plain out be retarded.. (blu-ray 4 life)

[LittleBigKillzone]

Wait wait wait a second. Please tell me you guys are joking, i didnt read the article but it does it really say to release a PS3 without a blu ray drive?! Please tell me this article just didnt say that. Or if it did say that please tell me the guy who wrote this article is being sarcastic

[PirateThom]

Their idea is, basically:

1. Release a PS3 with no optical drive, but preload it with a selection of Sony games, allow users to connect to the internet to download more games, offer Blu-ray drive as optional add on
2. ???
3. Profit

[Marceles]

Their idea is, basically:

Retarded.

Cool for the future when digital distribution will be standard, but for now..

Retarded.

[brycespitler]

lmao
never thought the underpants gnomes would be referenced for games
bubbles

[LittleBigKillzone]

Backwards compatiblity is really overrated in the long run.. I mean lets get real, how long did people keep playing PSone games after the PS2 came out, 2 years max. and besides, you can get a PS2 on ebay now for $50.00. think about it like this, when the PS3 gets to $299.99 you can buy the PS3 for $299.99 and a used PS2 for $50.00 and you will have a 80gb PS3 and a complete PS2 system for all the backwards compatiblity you could ever dream of for a total cost of $350.00.

Backwards compatiblity is overrated if you ask me. not only that but we all know sony will start releasing ps2 titles on the PSN

[kewlkat007]

Oh we have known a lot of things since Nov 2006, just haven't a lot of it.

Some whined about MS and BC early on, then Sony goes ahead and completely takes it out it's cheapest affordable model...

A PS3 without BR would be straight Death. We all know the PS3's install-base is already skewed with hardcore Video/Movie afficiatos.

[Cajun Chicken]

In order to release PS2 games on PSN, Sony need BC, see thats the problem.
I love the ability to play PS2 games on the PS3, its the 'Playstation 3', thats 3 Playstations its capable of being, all in one, also its a media centre (I love the XMB playing video thumbnails), the recent models, unfortunatly aren't a 'true' Playstation Three and some people are missing out!
Having Virtual memory cards on PS3 are cool as hell, in my opinion.

If you were buying two old favourite consoles and a next gen one with free internet, Hi-Def video player wouldn't you find that value for money?
I say this because of my friends at Uni, they WANT a PS3, but not having a PS3 with the capabilities of mine puts them off and its great to pack the PS2 away for a bit. (unless I want to play a Ratchet game). If the BC was back in, somehow, that would be a LARGE temptation for them to get a PS3, other than that, its a price cut.

[Ju]

I think SW BC is possible at some point. It just makes a lot of sense, especially for PS2 titles on PSN. A SW only emulation also adds the chance of enhancing PS2 titles to higher render resolutions (and added effects, like added filters or AA, not texture resolution, though). The current (HW)BC does already enhance the output if scaled to 1080, btw. (thru an additional filter). But I also think Sony is in no hurry to get this done - as long as the PS2 sells and makes some money.

[Raoh]

hmmm a crippled console. interesting. it worked for microsoft.

seriously people stop with these silly articles. i'm ashamed to even call them articles

[cliffbo]

it's just yet another article suggesting Blu-ray is not needed...

[creeping judas]

Ok we all know that the general public that buys game consoles arent as knowledgeable as the citizens of N4G are. So here's a scenario played out at the walmarts of the world.

kid - "Mommie, I want a playstation"
mommie - "ok son"

meanwhile at the walmart Mom approached the sales clerk

mom - "I would like to buy a playstation for my son"
sales clerk - "there they are"
mom - "wow, one's expensive and the other isn't? what's the difference?"
sales clerk - "i don't really know, I only work here"
mom - "oh ok then, I'll take the cheaper one then"

ok so maybe a little far fetched, but the point I'm trying to make is that the PS2 has to be killed in order for the PS3 to be allowed to grow. The only problem with my scenario is that PS2 makes money for Sony at the moment.

[cereal_killa]

Creeping

Lets just say you were that mother and your son specifically asked you for a PS3 all his friends had them and he would like one for his Bday or Christmas you go to the store and ask them where the PS3s are and give you the same I dont know about anything advice but you see the Wii or 360 being cheaper and buy it do you think your child will be happy you got him a 360 when all his friends have PS3 only because it was cheaper? think about it how would you feel if someone got you something else and not what you asked for would you play it no most likly you would take it back and replace it for what you wanted amiright?

[creeping judas]

I'd cry!!!

[Agent VX]

Sony needs to do something to crawl out of the basement of sales. Being first place last generation to last place this generation really hurts a company like Sony. And with sales sinking faster then the Titanic, they really have to move and do something, they don't have much time left.

They should cut more out of the PS3 like WiFi and focus on getting their online service at least bearable. Sony is hurting, and crippling the PS3 yet further might be their only choice.

[Harry190]

Wow, guess what, try to get more info before you post your usual bs. The original 20gb models had no wi-fi and were not selling at all.

Once you get your facts straight, perhaps then people wll start taking you seriously. It's called value added. How can you remove wi-fi and then concentrate on internet. Your comment makes no sense. Why would you go back to wired connection solutions? I guess you are accustomed to backwards thinking and obsolete tech.

[Blademask]

You are so blind its sad.

When in console history, since you know OH so much has anyone called it quits, after selling 17 million with the nearest competitor shipping 23? And the furthest competitor selling double that of both losing consoles combined.

Do you realize how retarded you sound? I know you are sad that the PS2 did so well, and that the dreamcast exploded in the atmosphere, but it really has nothing to do with the PS3/Wii/360's relationship.

The sooner you realize how moronic it sounds to keep pretending that Sony is doing terribly after selling 17+million units in two years faster than Microsoft, the sooner you will realize that the 3 consoles are going to be around for a while.

Until sony drops the price. Sony already has the higher rated games, that are million+sellers, 08s AAA lineup looks to be extending into 2009. Sony has the better hardware, and the better games, and is selling fine. As a gamer, I'm happy. As a 360 fan though whom sony killed my dog without any games in 08 or 09, yeah. I see where you are coming from.

in 365 days, the only games i would have been looking forward to in 08 is Gears2, which sold as much as a game demo for Gran Turismo.

[PirateThom]

The Wi-Fi in the PS3 costs about $10.

[Marceles]

They had non-Wi-Fi models at launch..the 20gb.

edit: never mind, harry answered lol...misinformed fanboys I swear...

[ultimolu]

Whenever you talk...a pile of FUD tumbles out.
Just letting you know.

How misinformed could you possibly be?

[Agent VX]

Wow, an amature gamer is giving me pointers.... ROTFLOL!!!

Hey sport, any true gamer knows that you always, and I mean "Always" use an ethernet cord when gaming online. Gosh!!! Any idiot can tell you that. Only Noobs and casuals would use WiFi for online gaming. Sorry, drops, interference and lag is not a common occurance for ethernet cords, but Wifi is plagued with it.

But I guess I can do what I like cause I own my own house, I do understand that your parents might not want you to pony up $20 bucks for a 25ft ethernet cord and run it along the wall. Don't want to make Mummy or Daddy mad, do we now???

And nobody bought the 20gb version cause they gimped a whole bunch of features, not just WiFi you uninformed casual. Gee, get your story right.

Again, this is obviously for more hardcore gamers, they need to ditch some feature like WiFi to cut cost on the PS3 to sell more hardware, or it is over for them.

[Harry190]

'amateur' punk. And also, be more creative. Call me whatever you want, casual,professional,whatever you want. You're just here for comedy. Everytime you post, it's BS. You're not a BS amateur, that's for sure.

Your counter-argument is also one of the most ridiculous I've ever seen on this site, and I've seen tons of crazy stuff around those parts. If you do not understand the part about convenience and ease of access, you're even more dumb than I thought you were. Seriously, that was an extremely lame answer.

I hope you send me an angry PM too. That would be very wise.

[Agent VX]

Point one: Why use old figures, the 360 has sold around 26.5 million while the PS3 hasn't even reached 19 million. And with the 360 regularly doubling sales of the PS3 now, the lead is growing by HUGE margins in the 360 favor.

Point two: I don't sound retarded, that is impossible due to the fact that I wrote this, and written words don't make a sound. Thus, if you are reading my comments and it sounds retarded, sorry sport, your the one sounding retarded, not me since I never actually spoke it.

Point three: Now I am sounding moronic, man, calling me names doesn't actually further your cause, it just make you sound immature. And yet, the PS3 over the last few months have been getting massacred in sales, they went down over last holiday while the 360 increased in sales. The 360 is doubling sales of the PS3 worldwide right now.

Point four: Sony doesn't have the higher rated games.... are you for real??? Sorry sport, the 360 has the biggest selection of AAA games, PERIOD!!! I will agree with the fact that the PS3 is better made, but definitely doesn't have the better selection of games. Seems like your having a few delusions, meds help! Don't understand the "Until sony drops the price".... what are you trying to say here???

Point five: How does your preference of games do anything to make the PS3 priced more reasonable??? Nobody cares for what "You" want or prefer in games. You could be abducted by aliens right now and nobody would miss you besides your family and friends. Your conclusion was easily the worst part of your rant, get your mummy to proof read next time.

[Ju]

@VX, don't talk about things you don't know. I got 2 PS3s, one wired through a GB Ethernet N Wireless router (hey, did I just say GB Ethernet ? Oh, forget my PS3 got an GB Ethernet port) and the other one through wire less (G). No lag, no nothing on either of my machines. Running 2 connections at the same time. Sop that FUD. Seriously.

[ekoshyun]

but I'll do it again, just for you.

*FACEPALM*

[Arsenal4Ever]

Another 10 360 zealots have approved yet another anti-ps3 article. Look at the 1st page people, where is the 360 news. oh right nothing to look foward to until E3 where one game gets announced?

I'm normally not as rude as I was ^^ here but these articles shouldn't be getting published.

[DiabloRising]

But but but... this is a "Ps3 fanboy site" full of "Ps3 fanboys" and they need to be shown "what for" because they aren't allowed to enjoy their system of choice "becuz of teh sales" and need to be shown that "day r dumbz" because they don't want a 360! And if that means posting the same FUD, drivel, and pathetic crap over and over again and talking more about sales than actual game quality like Gears of War 2's glitchfest of an online, dammit it's gonna be done!

Yup. Nothing but pro-PS3 news on THIS site, right guys? Right?

This is just getting pathetic.Change the website name to Blogs4Fanboys already and be done with it.

[djroberts]

I refuse to even read the article. Dumb idea to say the least.

[beavis4play]

i've played 2 ps2 games.... GOW2 and HS golf fore.
and, i could have easily played them on my ps2 if i wanted to. BC is very over-rated.

i don't see the problem with ps3. if they want to sell more, they need to bring price down to "wii levels". that's what MS has done with 360. i think that the ps3 will sell bettter than the wii or 360 if it were priced at 199-249. of course, that doesn't look like it's going to happen for a while..........but this isn't an issue for me. i have a ps3 and am very happy with it! with next years exclusives, it's hard for me to imagine any gamer (who doesn't have a ps3) not buying one.

[DiabloRising]

Digital Downloads for all games.

*giggles*

Yes, because EVERYONE has Broadband too...

[IzKyD1331]

This past week has been the home of some of the stupidest articles I've ever seen on N4G, this is easily in the Top 5 lol

[REPLOID24]

i don't know,what else could you take out besides bc?

[Piece Of Spooge 3]

so keep selling the same models?

Zing!!

[Knightofelemia]

Is it just me or is this guy describing either a paper weight or a usless computer?

[DragonWarrior46534]

All they have to do is take out the wifi and make it a 40 gig. That should lower the cost by 50 bucks. Then if you wanna further, take out the optical out and blu tooth capabilities. That should drop it by 100 bucks.

[Lumbo]

I would be surprised if the wifi chip would cost more than $5 at wholesale. And the problem with 40GB 2.5" sata drives is .. nobody is producing them anymore hence a 40GB unit would cost only cents less than the bigger 80GB unit that is currently the standard unit for mass production laptops. So you wouldn't gain more than $10 by taking out wifi AND scaling down the HDD.

That is the problem with fud .. only cause Microsoft tells people that a wifi usb stick is worth $100 and that a 20GB HDD is worth $100 does not mean that these two parts cost that amount. Actually both parts are extremely cheap at wholesale level of several million pieces.

And when they reduce the hdd to 40gb AND take out the BD drive where would you put the 25gb+ games you wanted to play again?

Exactly, your post is pure gibberish.

[slave2Dcontroller]

and Thank God that Wagner James wasnt cut out mentally to run a MAJOR electronics corporation.

Father, we thank you for waking us this beautiful day, we thank you for our Families, Friends and Loved Ones and for our shiny PS3's and its incredible current library and its brilliant 2009 line up. Blessing us with KZ2, GOW3, Uncharted2, FF13 on one disc and if its your will Father, YES. The new Team Ico IP. We thank for the Men and Women from SCEA all the way to SCEJ and every where b3tw33n and B3YOND and all of their affiliates that they will continue to see the success of the most expensive console on the market continue to thrive in the most trying of financial times.

Father there is ALOT of hate toward the PS3 but the PS3 is good and it is fun so I ask that you show the haters the light, for the light is the truth. Amen.

[Darkseider]

priceless! Bubbles for a well thought out and funny post. Not to mention a very well worded prayer!

[slave2Dcontroller]

Thanx. lolz

[kosovo]

the poster and all those who are believing this stupid and worthless article and thinking or hoping that Sony should give it some consideration is a RETARD and obviously DUMB beyond any reasonable doubt!
what a waste!

[devilhunterx]

See kids? Alcohol and drugs are bad for you

[Boty]

N4G needs to clean up all these anti-Ps3 articles.

TO ALL: The PS3 is not going no where but to the top. Did anyone pay any attention to the PS2 at first? The only reason there are a lot of anti-PS3 articles is because fanboys have nothing to do but rant and complain about the other console.

Be a gamer not a complainer.

Now Back to LBP

[LinuxGuru]

FUD

[dirtrider]

we can clearly already see the 360 again is the SUPERIOR game console!!!fvcking sony blows this gen people get over it!!! microsoft has won the HD game console war. ps3rd loses. i like my games not to be blurry and sh1t therefore i game only on 360, droids blow me....im hard already

[ngg12345]

Why not take out the gpu?

[darthv72]

The 20gb was a decent sku. It offered the basics for any ps3 users and/or movie watcher. Granted the size of the hdd was sure skimpy by today's standards. The base design did not have the media card reader and wifi. I would say sony could do that again but take it one step further to reduce costs.

It is obvious you can't remove the blu drive as the games use the format (not to the capacity) as well as movies. They could refine the OS so it would work w/o the hdd attached. That could lead them to release an "arcade/core" ps3. It would give the basic playback of games w/o installs (as most say they are optional anyway) and movies.

I will get some flame for that last part but think about it. Most who know will buy a bigger hdd and do it themselves anyway. It may not be the keen choice for those who know nothing but at least it is still a choice for those that do. So you take out the wifi and card reader and (possibly) hdd and you can shave the unit down a few cm and end up saving some $$$.

Actually...can the ps3 even function without the hdd installed?

[Lumbo]

no, the new models keep part of the firmware stored on the hdd, a PS3 without a HDD is not a possibility as of now.

also, where would you put the savegames with your idea? No cardreader, no hdd = nothing to put the save on ...

[Panthers]

People are retards. I love reading things that say "sell PS3 with no Blu-ray"

ALL THE GAMES ARE ON BLU-RAY! Wow. People are dumb. Unless you only want to play downloadable games.

[Lumbo]

I nominate this "article" for the price of most ridicules nonsense of 2008.

[Socomer 1979]

hey, I got a better idea. Anybody want to help balance my check book?

I mean since your all finacial advisors & all.

Better yet, how about you all pay down your own debt?
with all this great analysis, maybe one day you can afford a ps3
for once.

Fckn losers.

[chitownzown]

That's a great idea! Now only if these losers listened. bubblez

[Vagrant_1]

this article fails, taking out the blu ray player is the stupidest thing i've heard yet dealing with these anti ps3 articles

[poeo]

oh.. my... god.

i came to this thinking of commenting something like "you guys remember the article that claimed Sony should drop blu-ray from the ps3?"

and this is another one!? LMFAO.

[Marty8370]

This has got to be the dumbest idea yet.

1. Take blu-ray drive out and PS3 can't play disc games.

2. Not everybody has internet,or can get internet.

I would rather see Sony add some form of built in memory solution as storage(few GB would be enuff). Then remove hard drive, have option's to upgrade too hard drive.

[resistance100]

i've heard of bad idea's, but seriously? I really hope this is a joke article.

[Xiru]

The solution:

PS3 Slim... $299

I would love backwards compatibility but I think Sony has given up on this idea. Have at least a 60gb hard drive in it. Blu-Ray is what the games are recorded on. It would be just plain stupid to take Blu-Ray out of the PS3. Do people even think when they write articles anymore? It wouldn't even be able to play games...

[TheInCrediBleSulk]

and maybe, we can sell 360s without dvd drives, Wiis without cases, and Pcs without motherboards to cut costs too. Wow this guy just caused a revelation in cost cutting */end super-sarcasm

[Cajun Chicken]

Yes. That way the 360 could sound less like Heathrow Airport and more silent due to the lack of a DVD-Drive.

[KingItachi]

A PS3 without Blu-Ray is like a fish without water:), Sony would never gimp the PS3; come on people theses articles need to stop getting approved.

[Xlll]

Only crippled console this gen is the one with the ring of red lights.

[silverchode]

and the disk tray, scratches games and has no built in wifi :(

[TomMcBaum]

...which are then downloaded to your hard drive, the way Burnout Paradise or Gran Turismo 5 Prologue are today, and the idea doesn't seem so far-fetched. From the begining, Sony has positioned PSN games as more robust than the Xbox 360's downloadable games -- this just reinforces that. (Really, how many games fill up the majority of an entire Blu-Ray disc, anyway? MGS4, LBP and very few others -- and practically no cross-platform titles exceed the Xbox's DVD capacity.) Want to play Blu-Ray movies (many people don't) -- then buy the optional Blu-Ray external drive. Want to watch movies? Rent or buy them from the Sony Store (and hopefully elsewhere). Want to expand your hard drive? No problem. I really don't see what's so far-fetched about Sony making some hard tradeoffs to develop a Playstation 3N model that's $100 cheaper. People who already have games or movies on Blu-Ray aren't the target audience here. Sony, like Microsoft, might be betting that digital distribution will become more popular in the next few years. To the mass market (see: Walmart), the price-point's the thing that matters most, not the built-in feature set. And, sure, there will still be those of us who would gladly pay more for the full-featured models. But the Mac or BMW markets are smaller, aren't they? You may scoff at the idea of an optional Blu-Ray player, but if people end up buying one after the initial "PS3N" purchase -- after discovering that it expands their options -- then it's a double win for Sony.

[Ju]

No, makes sense. Remove the $25 BD drive, but add a $100 200G HDD, because you want to store all that content. Great idea, really. /sarcasm.

[OGharryjoysticks]

Honestly I don't want to fool myself into thinking I have a great idea.

[pcz]

it should come with no box. just a carrier bag.

it should be in pieces, you follow instructions written on your receipt that tell you how to assemble your ps3.

it should have a 10gb hard drive.

no controllers included.

that should cut costs.

[CheesePie]

LOL then how are they gonna play disk based games! Some people are so stupid. LOL!

[zimain]

TomMcBaum has it spot on, the point of all these so called "anti-PS3" (please note this name is given by blind PS3 fan boys) articles are that the PS3 sales are low, they have a loss on each sale, fine they have reduced the costs by 35% but that wont be seen for a few months at least. The articles are not slating the console itself, possibly pointing out that the once considered "gem" of the system may infact hold it back.

Ju - Before you comment on removing a component from a system and saying that its "only" $25 think about the other costs (btw its a higher than that) there are others costs that accompany a manufactured product. Components price and licence, transport, packaging etc... so before you shoot ya mouth off about the crown jewel of the ps3 (which btw blu ray isn't, if you think it is then god your more blind that I thought) take a step back and look at the problem these articles keep throwing at you, sales are low. The golden question is "what could possbily help sales?" to increase profit as if there's no profit there's no console.

The point that most fan boys miss is that there needs to be something to revive the PS3 it may only be out a year and a half but there is currently a lack of system sellers that I can think of right now at this moment, LBP not really a system seller, MGS4 def, GT nah. So what can we consider then? A price cut to entice the none elitist that only sees what is on the label at local supermarket/game store, bearing in mind that stores get sponsored by manufacturer's to push their product more than the competitor, marketing is far more than the tv ads or back of a magazine (what do you think you've been slagging off for the last x months). The 360 was considered down and out about 6 months after the PS3 launch but with a price cut done with impeccable timing and a very hefty marketing campaign they have turned the tables and from their article's title you can see the PS3 is now in danger.

Content is only half the battle here, the PS3 has exclusives next year? Great I'll buy it when they aren't due for release but released so don't bang one about what you ain't got ok? Also I like the idea of controlling what I purchase a new system that works out the box but is able to be kitted out later, so in the case of MS the pro out selling the arcade (is that really an argument to use against "stripping" the ps3) so I can get a smaller or no HDD and a wireless adapter or the PS3 great 20gb diff in hdd size, ooo choices.

CheesePie think and read your comments before you type them.

PS

I like the PS3 but I don't have one, lack of choice and too expensive, I have a 360 on its 6th RRoD but the thing gets a hammered every day and I love it and the games I have.

Competition between manufacturers is good, each pushes the other to be better so don't moan about the other one fools without MS we'd still be waiting for the PS3 and without the PS3, Xbox 360 would never have been pushed through so quickly.

[Ju]

WTF are you talking about. Without BD I would have never bought the PS3! Get over it. PS3 has a next gen HD optical drive and it is here to stay. Come up with your "wana be" wishlist whatever you want. BD was the best reason to get a PS3. Damn, you really think I still want to watch crappy DVDs on my LCDs ? Grow up. You guys don't get it, do you?

If you cannot deliver a game through an exchangeable medium, how the hell do you get your content to play ? Ah? ah ? ahhh ... let me help you: Downloads (no ? other ideas ?). And magically, this gets stored where ???? On a damn hard drive! So, good, so far. But we got 50GB games. Ok (yeah, yeah, we actually want a 360, so we are happy with 6GB games - not!). Say, we average it out @ 20Gigs. Good 5 games = 100G. Great, so now, good job. We have just exchanged a cheap optical drive against a energy sucking temperature hogging hard drive, which costs twice as much as a BD drive. Very well. Great job. Great proposal. Super decision! Man, you guys just crack me up. w/e. And lets just ignore, that downloading 20G is just not feasible, not to mention not even available for many. And 100G is just not enough to store the games. Bu...bu...but you could download it again when you want to play it! Yeah, sure, you do that. /rant

<shakes head and walks away>

Oh, what I forgot. I like the PS3 and have two of them.

[chitownzown]

but GT is def a system seller, it's one of the, if not the most selling franchise out to date. And you talk about fanboys when you could be looked at as one for continuing to play a system that has failed you repeatedly. I'm not saying you are but....

[Itrguy001]

GREAT FCKING IDEA lets see how many ppl will go over to the Wii or 360

[man0fsteel]

with the broadband cap that we have here in the US, the PS3 net would be a splendid idea....RIIIIIGHT

Thank god this guy is not running a games division of any company...

[Stereojet]

N4G: Sony PS3 BOMBS

N4G: Sony Blu Ray spells doom for the PS3.

N4G: Will the PS3 last this gen?

N4G: PS3: HOME isn't all it's cracked up to be.

N4G: PS3 needs a price drop NOW!

They should call this site NFAF News from American fanboys.

[bobdog626]

Make it Slimmer could be done.Laptops have BluRay drives in them that are very slim.Put all ps2 games on PS HOME .People would buy it from there.Add more Ram .Keep BluRay.Add Head phone.I think it would sell then.hummmmmmmmm

[omodis420]

I have to get some of whatever the xbots have been smoking this month.
That must be some dank.

[Ju]

LOL. That must be some good sh!t, man.

[ironmonkey]

ps3 will take over and you know it games get better and better... so go pick one up

[smurfie4]

And the award for dumbest idea of the year goes to....

[BardockS30Z]

I wonder how much they could drop the price if they dropped the built in wireless internet. Maybe even make the hard disk a little smaller? Regress back to 40 or 60 gig? or even the 20 gig? People would end up buying bigger hard drives neway because people do that such a thing to their 60's and 80's (I need to.) And then sony could release their own version of msfts 99.99 wireless network adapter. I have a wireless gaming adapter i use for my PC and if i get a 360 ill jus get a hub and use my adapter. I could give it S*** about plugging it into the back of the 360.

[Tru2U]

I will be seeking other sites for the "Gaming News" that used to be offered at this site. Every blog discussing games and every negative article that can be found on the ps3 is posted here. The negative 360 crap is getting old to. What ever happen to the News 4 Gamers? Discussions about games???

Any suggestions for alternate sites? I'm done here.

[lokiroo420]

Who the hell would buy anything described as crippled, oh sorry xbots dont take it personally.

[McDaygo]

I bet this guy puts credit cards in his Wii too.

[minusman26]

I think Sony should bring back the smaller hard disk...Maybe 20gb....

[rmedtx888]

lol. The games are in Blu-ray format how can you sell systems without it. Just downloading from the PSN. That's not gonna happen.

[OSIRUSSS]

There is already a crippled version of the PS3 on the market. Its called the 360.

[Jones Miller]

All threads on N4G are fanboy threads (just check comment above lol), so I just picked one in order to dish out my Happy New Year wishes to all the fanboys on N4G, that brought me so much laughter throughout 2008.

HAPPY NEW YEAR´s all ye Fanboys of N4G!!!

[Re-versed]

Sony is the company who run the previous gens!!They know their own good as they are veterans in consoles market!

All this anti-ps3 staff comes from America,for America...
The things isnt that way for ps3!There are alot of things,(many good ps3 selling points generally) that this crappy journalism didnt mention at all!

Dont forget Sony has spoken clearly about a 'ten years plan'(lets talk about 8 for the distrustful) for ps3.As far as i know,this excact same plan/strategy is responsible keeping the ps2 alive even now,not some kind of miracle!The ps2 also had a 'complex Hardware' as Ps3 has now...The result was that ps2 boosted to the max, in those past-recent years (Black,God of war ect...)

You are here today,talking about the ps3's doomed future,judge from its second full year in market(in Europe not yet), make fault conclusions that it will be DEAD,a console that has at least 6 years left...Right?? Will the 360 exist in 2013 for example? 360 cant catch this future proof hardware in the long run...Thats my point!but i cant see an article that talks about that...

From 2006 to 2008 ps3 shows significant difference and improvements in everything and we all know that in 2009, ps3 experience will be extended even more!It has sold WW more than last year,but these crappy journalism articles talk only about November and of course only about America!This is really a joke...

Even more? It has sold by now,significantly better than 360 in its second year...But still noone said nothing about it!

[Jones Miller]

Fact is, that your post was a waste of energy as is mine lol. N4G are for losers. No one in their right mind would discuss anything with one console owners lol. You guys are all friggin´ losers. Someone please ban me! This site is ridiculous. So everyone on N4G suck my motherfuking dik and toss my salad loooooooooool N4G is 4 N00bs!

[Parappa The Rappa]

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA HAHAHAHPPHAHAhahahahhahahahahaH AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHApe nisHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA HAHAHAHAHAvaginaHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH AAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA HAAHAHAnsatchAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHA HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHApoopHAHAHAH AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAAH

i love you jones miller.

YOU WON BEST COMMENT OF THE YEAR(just in time too lol)

[zimain]

Re-versed - If you cannot judge a products success in its 2nd year then when can you judge it? Just because you plan a 7 year + life cycle doesn't mean the world will work with you on that. Where are you getting the numbers from that the PS3 sold more? Its a fact its 3rd in the list, behind a "crippled" system that has "ancient" technology, people compared the 360 to dreamcast, but I think it is lurking here in the PS3 also

Do you think if the infacstructure for content to be downloaded was in place we'd be arguing about a cd? The whole point is that Sony isn't selling to the masses, like they hoped. These are people who don't care about 1080p quality and hi def cinema, people who kids want a ps3 for games not films, at the moment, not many games use blu ray, prob 1 at most. These kids prob don't have a hd ready tv or if they do its not 1080p. So all this bs about you only reason you wanted the ps3 was for the blu ray player are you realy so blind that you confirm the point of these articles? If they were to have multiple versions of the console with and without the BD player and other items inc and exc from the package, I'm sure the numbers would be the other way. With that in mind stop slagging off an idea that has merit in the real world. It may attract the casual gamer / parent to buy that version the console.

Sony makes a loss on each unit, and for a global corp just throwing money away at a great idea don't happen if it does, its not for long.

Have any of you also seen the economic crisis? Any loss at this point is a major one so its it doubly critical that something be done.

No one is faulting the console for pete's sake but the fact that the system seller aspects aren't the only parts required to selling a system....

[derek]

Not sure what is behind this obsession over what Sony should or should not be doing with the PS3. Is there some natural order of things that has been upset simply because the PS3 has a smaller install base than its competitors? Who cares what happened last generation, things change, harping on past successes doesnt determine what will happen in the future.I personally think Sony is in a strong position with the PS3. Blu ray is well established now having defeated its rival, which was always Sony primary goal. Now Sony can focus in on cutting cost and gradually reducing the price of the PS3 while their catalog of games continues to grow. They may or maynot pass the 360 ths generation but so what. There is no law that demands the playstation must sells more units than its competitors or face oblivion.

[pippoppow]

Sure, confuse consumers even more with another sku which is totally different. Besides digital downloads isn't viable for most people. Many simply can't afford to squeeze another bill into their budget. Also, there are download speed and cap issues. Another thing is some people around the world do not have high speed internet in their area.
I'm sure people watch dvd movies in the 360 and I would like to not only watch dvd but also blu-ray discs as well. As for games, well the space is there for developers to make larger games. Let's say GTA or similar game in the near future that takes up at least 25g. That would mean multiple discs which wouldnt work very well in a sanbox type game.
The PS3 is fine and so is blu-ray for now and the future. Besides I want a physical copy to do with as I wish, thank you.

[Parappa The Rappa]

...the elephant! HE's got the elephant! But we're not thru yet.... hang on to your turban, kid. We're gonna make you a Star!

[MmaFanQc]

wtf with all these stupid anti ps3 "news"

cripple the ps3 from the bluray reader so it cant play games?

[bobdog626]

Still like my XBOX 360 .Both are Great System's but i think Sony should have Put BluRay in as a Option.One System with BluRay one without. get rid of Ps2.Put all ps2 games on PSN and sell them on line.The System with out the BluRay would be the New Ps2 then on PSN you could down load All the Games on the ps2 for 1.99ea or more?That where Sony went Wrong!

[Elven6]

The site doesn't even load up in Internet Explorer, judging by the comments I guess that's a good thing!!!

[travelguy2k]

With a couple changes though.

If i could go to Gamestop, BlockBuster ect.. and go to the counter purchase a game which they download to a USB stick i have brought with me to take home and put into my PS3/4. Then i just log onto PSN to activate my purchased game.

Thats the only way i see DD really working in the next 5-10 years. After that, internet conections may be fast enough in most places for it to work in its traditional fashion. But in less developed areas/nations this alternet method would work. This would also kill resale of games but would allow you to take it to friends house to use just logging in with your oun psn account.

[Daves]

However, what a dumb idea... the strength of the PS3 is that the platform is uniform from a dev point of view... all have HD, all have Blueray. You know what you are developing for.

Unlike the 360 (not bashing it here) but devs can't presume it has HD and therefore have to go with lowest common denominator.

EDIT: just want to add that I got my first blueray movies at Christmas... I was very pleased with teh extra detail, "The Island" looks beautiful. Very glad my PS3 has a BD.

[skyfire2261]

I have to disagree with you Sir. Not every game takes up a full 50gb.My internet connection is about the same as yours actually and it takes less time for me to download (Burnout Paradise for example only took me 20min) then it does for me to go buy it from the store.

Personally I find all this talk about download speeds and caps a bunch of crap and nonsense. I just don't buy it. Maybe because i live in canada things are different here I don't know but I just don't get all the hate towards DD.

Perhaps the problem lies with how ISP's charge. You say connections are slow? fair enough. But why should a ISP continue to upgrade there networks when you are willing to fork out $$ for slow connections? I say we should switch over to a pay/GB model that way ISP's have no choice but to give us the fastest connections possible and to continue to upgrade.

That way I'm not paying for someone else to download illegal content and I only pay for what i use plus I get a nice fast connection. Only ones who disagree on this are the ones downloading games/movies/music illegally.

but on topic It wouldn't make sense to take out the Blu-ray drive now, Sony has already some this far. But I can definitely see Sony going with a Flash medium Next gen. Very cheap and far superior to optical. No loading times and capacities are equal to or greater then optical. Costs of producing these high capacity chips would be offset by the volume so it's a no brainer next gen.

[raerae28]

No more to say...just plain wrong.

[fossilfern]

This artical is just for people to find an excuse for buying the joke of a machine that is the Xbox 360 if they had just waited an extra couple of months they would of had one of the most advanced machines ever made :)

The Playstation 3

[MmaFanQc]

its possible to own both.....

peoples who have anti ps3 "arguments" are clearly mono console owners.

[importfighter]

"Who the hell would buy anything described as crippled, oh sorry xbots dont take it personally."

hahahahahahaha

[pippoppow]

I'd rather buy a game than download it. I buy it so I can do whatever I want to it. It has it's uses but like the music industry many want a hard copy.