The PS3: Evaluating the System After One Year

Paul Munn of Aeropause looks at the Playstation 3 after one year on the market and points out its successes and its failures. Paul also points to the future and its chances of success as a console after the holiday season.

[scrillakiller]

the ps3 is fine.be afraid be very afraid

[ArduousAndy]

i work at the game stop here in miami florida. And today i got 3 ps3 that all had the same problem. They would turn on fine then just immediately turn off. Is this a common occurrence? I did notice the system was dusty.

[Mikey_Gee]

But I had two friends with PS3 issues. The issue you explained was one and the other issue with my other buds was the BR drive accepting the dics but then just makeing a weird noise like it wanted to read, then even spaced CLICKS.

It was very weird.

[Mycococo]

but for now i will be playing orange box, halo3, bioshock, and skate on my new halo3 edition xbox.
i bought the ps3 at launch and had 12 disc games. only rfm and motostorm were playable. sony keeps pushing things back to next year so i will repurchase when i see that sony has got its act together.
I WAS A TOTAL PS3 FANBOY BUT THERE IS A LIMIT TO HOW MANY FRUSTRATIONS I CAN TAKE BEFORE I JUST STOP CARING.
i wiped she sheeit out of my eyes that sony threw at me and sold the beautiful paperweight for a real gaming console.

[randomGuyOnline]

@Mikey_Gee That sound may be coming from the Hard drive.

[unrealgamer58]

the ps3 is awesome

[unrealgamer58]

the ps3 is awesome

[PirateThom]

While I'm sure Sony wish it had done better, for the most part I see nothing wrong with PS3 sales.

On par with the 360 which had no competition and supply issues and a lot more expensive with a lot of dry periods, I don't think it could realistically have done better than it has.

[BLlNK]

It is deffenetly on par with the first year of 360 sales. And as you said 360 had no competition. The way I see it is all the games that were on PS2 and made that console thrive (ie. Buzz, Singstar) which are extremely popular casual games, will settle a nice little competition with Wii in that department. And dont forget about the other hundreds of Hardvore games.

360 fanboys please dont disagree with me. I am pretty sure you guys were happy PS2 owners and should know what I am talking about. I too got a 360 at launch and love it. Then got Wii and PS3 at launch as well. I am a gamer. We just have to be logical on this.

And if you hated the PS2 then I don't understand you. It was an amazing console. And I love the PS360Wii.

[Zhuk]

Gamecube.

[ActionBastard]

The GC sold 1 million consoles less the Xbox 1. It wasn't as much a failure as people like to think. Well, at least not as full of fail as your comment. Keep trying though.

[Danja]

to add ur comment the Gamecube is currently still selling in parts of the world..can he say the same for the original xbox...

the only console that flopped last gen was the Dreamcast...

the PS3 sold well for a $600 console..I doubt the 360 would have survived had it launched at the same price.....

[Bubble Buddy]

and 350 didn't even have competition from wii or ps3. imagine it came out all at the same time...

[Maddens Raiders]

I've made. I would break down and buy a Wii or 360, but after playing them both for some time now, just don't see the need. I see where gaming is and for me it's on the PS3 and the future is definitely on that console. The other systems have good games, but they just don't look as sharp as the games on my PS3. I just want the competition around to promote inspiration and innovation. Anyone with a brain can see that the PS3 has come through the gauntlet proving its critics wrong time and time again [E3'07, upscaling, overheating, 4D, HDMI, "PS3's freeze up"], and proven that it is a very powerful system to be reckoned with. It'll be interesting to see how 2008 turns out.

[FirstknighT]

The ps3's first year was one of the worst in gaming history. It all started with the hype and lies of the ps3 being the most powerful console ever. Remember this..."Next gen doesn't start till the ps3 arrives?" Well it's first year was a complete disaster. It started with one of the worst gaming launches in gaming history. Add the fact that it lacked any big hits. The "BIG" exclusives- Heavenly Sword, Lair, Folklore, R&C, Eye of Judgement have sold like crap and failed to impress. It's unfortunate that the ps3 needs another price cutt to gain interest. Hopefully 2008 brings them back into the next gen game.

[the_bebop]

While I do agree that sony did talk smack, you are wrong that sony does not have any big hits that have failed to sell even if you include old franchise that have not yet to be released, Folklore is a good game, R&C is the fastest selling PS3 game yet in the US with a millinon copies sold and Eye of Judgement has sold like mad I even am still yet to be able to get a hold of it because they are still sold out.

[Mr_Kuwabara]

Dude chill, even the PS2 was hyped up by Sony. They said that it was going to have Toy Story graphics and whatnot, but it didn't have Toy Story didn't it huh? But yet it dominated the competition like if there wasn't any to begin with. Just chill.

Keep on jumping.

[Maddens Raiders]

completely eclipses the 360's in terms of quality of games, quality of console, and quality of features. Hands down, no debate. The 360 was valiant, but the PS3 is already catching up to it faster than it is (((pulling))) away - and I'm talking sales not tech, so we'll let history be the judge once again.

[FirstknighT]

But unless you were hiding under your Sony blanket, you should realize that the ps3 had a horrible first year compared to the 360's first year. The game reviews and the software sales easily favor the 360 over the ps3. Hands down, no debate.

[ash_divine]

Do you even remember the 360's first year? If not for Gears of War it would have been twice as bad as the Ps3's first year.

[Bubble Buddy]

let's start a debate, what 360 games that came out in their first year compared to ps3.

Ratchet and clank
Heavenly Sword
Resistance: Fall of Man
Motorstorm
Uncharted: Drake's Fortune

i never tried lair, but it does look repetitive

and what we have second year:
Killzone 2
MGS4
Grand Turismo 5 Prologue
Little Big Planet
FFX13
Infamous
Resistance 2?
Jak?

360 games i have sympathy for:
Dead Rising = The best for me
Gears Of War
Bioshock

never liked halo and mass effect doesn't appeal to me plus lost planet isn't that great even if its goin to ps3.

[amilimos]

we're waiting for ur reply FirstKnight ...

[FirstknighT]

Well since we're talking about the first year let's start with the launch period.

360:

Call of Duty 2: 90%
PGR3: 88%
Condemed: 83%
Perfect Dark Zero: 81%
Kameo: 81%

PS3:

Resistance: 87%
Genji: 58%
Untold Legends: 59%
NBA07: 65%
Gundam: 36%

It has already been discussed many times here that the ps3 had one of the worst launches in history while the 360 had one of the best. That is just plain fact. Plus monster hits that continued right after like Graw, Oblivion, Dead or Alive 4, Dead Rising, Fight Night Rd 3 (better on the 360) etc...

The 360 had about 8 games that have sold over a million by its first year while the ps3 only has 2. Heavenly Sword averaged 79% and has sold under 300k. That's a flop. The Eye of Judgement averaged 76% and so far has sold around 20k. That's a flop. Ratchet and Clank got great reviews at an average of 89% but it's a kids game and so far it has only sold less than 100k. Uncharted is the only one that looks pretty solid but we'll wait and see. It will definitely not be a 4 million seller like Gears of War is.

The fact is that developers are showing frustration and giving up on the ps3. Capcom's Monster Hunter 3 anyone????? The ps3's first year was filled with excuses, delays, frustrations, and anger by developers and ps3 owners.

The ps3 has a nice lineup for 2008 but dont just name no name games like Infamous. If you check Sony's track record, they're first party games aren't very impressive...Lair, Gengi, Dark Legends. The only 2 big guns is MGS and FF. But the 360 has more than enough to hang with games like Ninja Gaiden 2, Splinter Cell, Fable 2, etc...

I can see why Sony offered another price cutt for the ps3 to gain some interest because the games were not good enough. Sony is desperate. Oh btw, the 360's second year absolutely crushed the ps3's first year in terms of game quality and sales. FACT.

[god_o_war]

try these launch titles

resistance 87%
elder scrolls 93%
fightnight 3 83%
motorstorm 84%
call of duty 3 83%

[Bubble Buddy]

go list the second year of games then...
and dude i admit ps3's launch was a flop in the us.. in the uk it broke records... and god_o_war got my answer...

[DrDreadlox]

I think the PS3 has done quite well so far. I don't know why people keep measuring its success with that of the x360 or the wii.

I think xbox360 is doing very well because its targeted at hardcore gamers. That's why there has been vast early adoption and great software sales, hardcore gamers buys a lot of games and as soon as they come out. Wii is targeted at casual gamers and so has a lower software attach rate.

The PS3 is different, it appeals to both hardcore and casual gamers. But because of competition from xbox, early adoption has been slower, however this will change when big PS3 exclusives come out (hardcore gamers wont hesitate to buy every console if games are good)

As for casual gamers, because of the PS3's long expected lifetime, the price will drop dramatically and there will be lots of cheap games to choose from. So while the rate of which PS3 games are selling are not glorious, expect lifetime sales to be quite awsome.

[sajj316]

I think the PS3 had a mediocre first year. Yes, it did sell reasonably but it did not sell to expectations. The problem was that the right expectations were not placed before launch. It also launched at a very high price. No one can argue however over the quality of the machine and its feature set. It was short term risk for high long term returns. Will it pay off? I think it will.

FirstKnight, I attribute the high software attach rate of the 360 to achievement points. Gamers buy these games like crack to up their points. Very good idea from Microsoft that Sony should get in place. This is why Home being delayed is disappointing. AAA titles also play a role but this achievement system is one of the best innovations I've seen so far. Even crap games sell or are rented because of this.

2008 is the year of PS3. How is the 360 going to compete with the 08 Sony lineup? I just don't see it.

[BubblesDAVERAGE]

it means system sales cant keep up with system sales..but that ez to see wiht 360 dismal sales this year

[sajj316]

If software is selling but hardware is stagnant. Its not stagnant in the US. If the rate gets higher in 08 but the hardware sales flat lines, that's a bad thing.

[bluebrad1974]

I know that alot of might think thats a fanboy comment, but it's not. It's a consumers response to the sony corperations attitude and business practices.
I have never had a company call me cheap or stupid. But sony literally called americans cheap and all but used the word stupid when describing it's worldwide fanbase. Then there is blu-ray and the Cell processor. Blu-ray is a sony in-house movie format, put in the ps3 solely as a "trojan horse" to support sony's movie, hdtv, and home theatre divisions. Then the Cell processor, another sony in-house product, is anything but ideal for game development, but ironically is an excellent video decoder. I for one refuse to bow down to these pompous crooks. I love gaming, but that doesn't mean I'm willing to lose my dignity to a company that thinks I'm an idiot.

[Bubble Buddy]

seriously dude? id take any game console or electronics even if they insulted me. azn lol

[DJ]

It can decode 12 HD video streams at once, which is pretty hardcore. But it also rocks at decompression, polygon processing, lighting, sound, AI, and physics. Sony helped build it, but Toshiba and IBM were just as important (IBM being the daddy of them all).

Blu-ray was developed by multiple companies, and Sony's just one of 19 companies on the Board of Directors over at the Blu-ray Association. They do have a lot of power though simply because they have the PS3 in their hardware arsenal, and the other companies saw early on how important it is to Blu-ray's success. Had HD-DVD been a superior format, Sony would've joined that Association/Format instead, and HD-DVD would be kickin' Blu-ray to the ground.

[the_bebop]

That's crazy, talk I have a PS3 and even though I don't care much for the 360 if Microsoft were giving away 360's I would take it.

[the_bebop]

Why do we keep on seeing these article, the PS3 will do just fine like the 360 and even dare I say by the look of things nintendo's wii as well.

[feejo]

PS3 => comming soon. I will wait to see.

[ForROME]

This is crap, well all know what the story is

PS2 was GOD, so the PS3 being higher priced was its only real downfall, had it been adopted faster at a better price this conversation would be over.

We all know this, SONY is a stronger brand than MS.
We all know the first year is almost always rough for any console
We all know price has much to do with adoption rate
We all know the PS3 will take off in 2008
We all know the 360 is good, but not that good
We all know PS2 owners will most likely convert to PS3
We all know developers are just waiting for that base to grow to switch completely over to it being their main platform
We all know PS3 and the future belongs to SONY

Denial is wonderful to watch

Back story I was a 3 time 360 owner MS has their chance and screwed the pooch. I loved original XBOX and still do. However because of MS's non compliance after 2 years almost to rectify RROD problems they killed atleast 30% of their customer base they worked so hard to build. I was a SONY over Sega Lover, a XBOX over PS2 lover, and once again I have switched back and am now in the SONY camp, where I should have stayed all along.

[bluebrad1974]

Sounds like your the one that's neck deep in denial.

[Armyless]

your hypocrisy is laughable.

[wh0am1]

Quite an interesting article.
I think 2008 will be one heck of an exciting year for gaming as a whole.
Actually, we're already seeing a glimpse of that excitement during this holiday season.
One can only imagine what NEXT year's holiday season will be like when all three companies kick into high gear.
No console should be ruled out at this point just yet.
Damn! It's good to be a gamer!

[Bleucrunch]

The PS3 will no doubt take over and leave the wii and xbot in the dust. Then you will see a lot of apologies from fanboys....lol lol lol I cant wait for that day.

[solidt12]

I think that as of the last few months the PS3 is doing great. The games keep rolling in.

[DJ]

I barely got my PS3 in August, and I already have 6 games for it. Supposedly PS3 has the highest software attach rate, and I can see why. There's too many damn games to buy, even with MGS and Orange Box being delayed.

[MRMagoo123]

I just have one thing to ask to all the xbots what r u going to say when the ps3 is in front ppl are gonna remember all these stupid childish things u r saying and bring them up later on next year when the ps3 is in front.You really should jump on the ps3 band wagon now while u still have some dignity cos itll be too late when the middle on 2008 is here.On thread ide like to say i can imagine it would of been better for sony to have had more sales in the beginning but they are catching up now and im sure there happy with that.Ide like to know how sony would of done if they had come out a year before xbox with no competition from anyone ide say they would of sold alot more than 15,000,000 by now

[Salvadore]

I might consider a PS3 if core features like like in-game XMB, improved PSN Store and etc have added to the system before summer next year.