Should SONY buy games and content for their PS3?

    
    So, we heard it, "Final Fantasy 13 for PS3, AND XBOX 360." We all know how they got it. They got their check out, and added a whole bunch of zeros. It is a big loss for SONY. Sony has stated they, "don't bribe games". But, after this has happended, should they? Microsoft was also known for buying out other games like Mass Effect, Gears of War 1 and 2, GTA4 DLC, and many other games and contect. As you could think of it, Microsoft are like the Yankees, the Yankees buy their players, which is the reason why many people don't like them.  

[LeSouteneur]

;)

[Decastis]

YEAH!!! JUST wait or tomorrow!!! Dont go to any conclusions...By the way: How is your RED RING OF DEATH doing? How many Metal Gear Games u have? How good is YOUR(lol) BLU-RAY player??????

[thisguywithhair]

Did you even read the blog? This guy is saying that it is a bad thing that MS buys games. He says that Sony should also start doing it because it may the only way to stop MS from doing this.

BTW: This also seems to be the only way for MS to actually get good games for the system.

[Gam71]

Hows your YLoD, constant freezing, firmware bricking, failing blu-ray drives, code of death.
Played MGS3, never again.
Blu-Ray maybe when it's finished... and at a reasonable price.

Point is if you want a stable system get a Wii or shut up and play your games. You some now.

[Sevir04]

i measn it sucks to see this from a fan of the playstation coming from PS1,2 psp-to PS3 but really, do they need to, it would be good but they have over 20 exclusive first party titles coming and a few third party games making the cut from Namco and sega and still as of right now. FFXIII is still exclusive to the PS3 untill a year after it's release.

development of the 360 version wont start until Localizing of and shipping of both the US and EU versions have been cleared.

as Lesouteneur stated Sony's Conference is next in the evening. let them do what they need to and wait to see

The FFXIII announcement was big but just like GTa4 and DMC4 it will die down especailly afetr you read on SE live blog that the game wont go multi untill all 3 regions gets the PS3 versiopn first.

[Gam71]

Development begins now on the 360 version and they said
"“As we announced at the Microsoft presentation, as of today we are ready to start developing the title for Xbox 360. First, we will complete the PS3 in Japan. Then after that we will start localization of ‘FFXIII’ for PS3 for US and Europe. Then at the same time, we will start Xbox 360 the version development."

also they said
"According to Hashimoto, development has yet to begin in earnest for Microsoft's console. "We're ready to start developing FFXIII for 360," he said. "First, we will complete the game for PS3 in Japan, then begin localization for America and Europe while developing the 360 version simultaneously. The PS3 and 360 versions will be released at the same time outside of Japan ? although, due to language and other conditions, the game may not be released simultaneously across territories."

They are trying to release both at the same time so i don't know where you got "development of the 360 version wont start until Localizing of and shipping of both the US and EU versions have been cleared. " from.

[MonaKyshu]

Sony's Conference Isn't Over Yet...

[iiraymoii]

I really want SONY to kick ass like they always do. I will buy an XBOX again eventually (a year or two) but, Ive always felt like SONY had and still do offer the best experience. Developers have a lot of freedom with the PS3 and I wish a lot more would take advantage of it instead of being lazy to learn optimal code for it.

Anyway lets see what happens...this sh!t is getting good!

[LittleDozer]

If Microsoft didn't buy games their sales would be split in half. They prob just realized that Sony is going to outsell them soon and got scared. What do they do now??? 'Oh no! We only know how to make run and gun games! Hey, let's just use money to solve our problems! We don't need talent!'
In general, Sony has their heads screwed on right...not so sure about microsoft...

[sleepbox]

It's all for $, no company is "holier" than the other...some companies learn from mistakes and are smarter than they others.

[Gam71]

And learn from other companies as well.
Or are M$ the first company to buy exclusives.
Learn from your competitor.

[UN1Tx]

Just because Microsoft has money doesn't exactly mean that they are the villains. I mean seriously, if I had money to blow I would probably buy an Astin Martin when I ethically should by a Prius or something of that nature. Plus, PS3 is way behind when it comes to online gaming so it only seems reasonable for most game developers who want extensive online content to take their product to the online juggernaut that is Xbox 360. The cash doesn't hurt either...

[thisguywithhair]

Your argumant makes no sense. you are saying that it is unethical for you to take money that you have legally (hopefully :P) made and spend it on something that you want. This is different than what MS is doing. What they are doing is akin to pirating. They are going to be making money off of something that they had no part in developing just because they have the money to buy it.

I don't even know what you are talking about when it comes to online content. For GTA IV, MS BOUGHT the rights to not only getting the online content but also PAID to make sure that sony will not get it until much much later. That obviously has nothing to do with the abilities of either systems online capabilities. MS is just paying people to make sure that nothing else happens that they don't want to happen.

[kwicksandz]

Your arguement has more holes in it then swiss cheese.

[Alexander Roy]

A quick look at the sales of FFXII (twelve, you know, the offline MMORPG) shows something interesting.

The game sold the most copies in Japan.
Less in the US.
Less than half the Japanese number in Europe.
We are talking about 6 to 7 million copies sold all together here (if somebody got the real lifetime sales, please share them with me).

Am I pissed that Sony dropped the ball on this one? You bet your ass I am. Final Fantasy is a prestige title. I'm not talking about differences between the two versions here (there will be I bet, but none that matter) - the game exists as of yet only on the PC (designed via the Crytsal Tools, then ported to consoles).
Do I think the PS3 is doomed to fail? No. The biggest market for FF games is Japan, that's a fact. Who has the game exclusively in Japan? Sony.

Now, what I want to see however, is how many discs they will need on the 360. I won't go the fanboy route and say "O U WILL HAVE 24769287340198 DVDS, XBOTS!!1!".
But: SE said they will push the limits of the PS3. One of these limits right now is 50GB BR discs. If they use these to the fullest, this means:

50GB BR (probably only 45GB or something, du to the wrong calculation of space [i.e. 1.000 Byte are 1 MByte])
8GB DVD-9 (due to the copyprotection, roughly 8 GB are available)

Simple math says that 7x8GB=56GB -> enough. Nope.
Take in consideration that you need the common data on every single disc (models, sounds, the engine, textures). Let's be generous and assume the common data is worth 1GB.
((((Why 1GB? Take a look at most demos today - roughly 1GB to 1,5GB. That is usually the common data plus the demo level.)))

8GB - 1GB = 7GB available per disc

50GB / 7GB = 7,14something -> 8 discs

But the compression! - If they compress it (and inevitably reduce quality), they will most likely do it on both consoles, so no advantage for the 360. Having 50GB doesn't mean you don't compress stuff.
But we can install the common data on our HDD! - Yeah, you mabe can. What do the people without the HDD do? SE has to sell the game in a way that every SKU can play it.
I hope SE doesn't need 8 discs. Because A) swapping sucks, always, on any console, B) the production costs rise, C) if one disc breaks, you buy a new one - if discs number 4 and 7 break, you are F'ed and D) this would be one behemoth of a DVD case.

As a fan of FF, I'm glad the audience is bigger.
As somebody who has a PS3, I'm glad Sony has the exclusive where it sells most.

[outlawlife]

just some theoretical counter points, not an argument

one thing to consider on BD the read speed of the ps3 drive isn't exactly lightning fast so unless there is a large install then you will have multiple instances of the same data scatter throughout the disc so the drive can take the quickest path to the data which will reduce that maximum capacity significantly

BDs are still more expensive to produce than DVDs, so production costs aren't going to rise that much for multiple dvds

another thing to consider is the 360 will also support installs by that point where you could in theory have a pc style install where you install the data from 1 or 2 discs and having a play disc in the tray...no swaps needed

when it comes to data compression the technology today is pretty much lossless depending on how the data is handled

another thing is to look at games like blue dragon and lost odyssey they had several discs and it wasn't an issue, the cases weren't monstrous and the games played fine

just from a tech stand point these things really don't matter to the people who want the game, it just seems to be a grab point for fanatics

there are pc games that come on 2-3-4 discs but a dvd version is available with 1 disc yet the world isn't screaming for the heads of devs, or the death of the cd-rom

my bottom line point is:
the same content will be arriving in 2 different formats on the same day...people will buy a lot on both formats whether you love it or hate it

i'm sure people will still try to make it a competition to which version is "better", but people are going to buy for whichever system they have...or whichever they play the most, to base your purchase of a product or some consumer electronic badge of honor that you may parade on an internet forum is silly but yet from day to day it happens and for some reason will continue

[Alexander Roy]

Counter-counter points :P Besides, bubble for you since you actually state things and not just flame like some other individuals here.

The PS3 drive reads at a constant speed, that is slower than the 360's on the outside of the disc, but faster on the inside. If you don't believe me, go read the Wikipedia articles on both drive types. So, both have good and bad points there.

I didn't exactly mean the production of a DVD, sorry I didn't go into detail there. For PS3, it will most likely be one BR, one case. For the 360, you need the (8 in my theory) discs and then just as much cases plus one of these slipcases, since I bet my left ass cheek they won't just sell you the cases naked. Yeah, the BR might still be more expensive, but the costs for the 360 version go up the more discs they need.

The installing/swapping... yeah, you are right there. That is, if you have a HDD. As MSFT stated, they won't let a game happen that forces you to have a HDD. So while that might work (and I bet they will offer something like that for those who have the HDD), it won't for the Core and Arcade owners. It alienates them, which as we all can agree on I think, is not the best move.

Compression... yeah, it's almost lossless. Or at least we (well, most of us) won't recognize (like MP3). The thing is, decompressing takes CPU cycles, which in return can't be used on the game. I'm not familiar with the matter, but I know from home use that everything you do at once slows your PC down. So SE has to make sure the decompressing doesn't bite them back in the end - but I am sure they will figure something out.

Multidisk break thingy... well, anybody remember ShenMue? I got it from my parents back in the day and started playing. Funny thing, the third disc was broken (nothing you could see, it just wouldn't start). That's where I came from with my point. 99% of the games will be fine, but for that one percent, it will suck.

For the rest, I wholeheartedly agree. I can only sit in my armchair and wait and laugh at the upcoming comparisons and everybody tearing away at something they might not even see.
Lets all just hope that SE can deliver a top quality game, for BOTH consoles.

[Mr402]

Sony needs to step up right now and quit being stubborn. They are slowly losing t legacy of software which they built up with the Ps1 and Ps2. I for one have all three consoles. So I can safely say that the Ps3 while leading in my mind in over all quality has a long way to go to catch up software wise to the 360. This comes from Sony not being a software company but a hardware company. Microsoft knows how to please there userbase. They have consistently worked towards getting the types of games the users want. Rrod or not the reason why it didn't kill MS is because there software is so sound and user friendly. Home is not the answer for Sony. Games are.... Today is Sony's conference let's hope they have some things up there sleeve to show us that our purchase is warranted. Cause right now a lot of folks are thinking that it wasn't.

[Truplaya]

isnt this Angelistos guy the same guy who wne tonto every E3 thread relating to the 360 and wrote

"Poor Xbots
Poor Xbots

Poor Xbots, it comes to PS3 anyway.

Poor Xbots"

How did this blog get approved?

Just look at this guys comments!
Its the FF guy from Youtube and he's written a blog!

[LittleDozer]

You should listen to what he has to say because it's true. Everyone here took my post and made it like I said it's unethical to spend money you have. No. I said it's really cheap and sad for them to do that. Seriously, if they had good game ideas(like Sony) they wouldn't have to do it.

[thisguywithhair]

I was actually talking to guy above me who said that MS is made out to be the bad guy just because they have money. Sorry for any confusion.

[jmecase]

I am still trying to figure out why this is such a terrible thing for us "the gamers". I have both consoles, I will get it on the PS3, cause I have been playing FF with the PS controller since FFVII, and using the XBox controller would feel foreign. And that is my only reason. As dumb or petty as that may seem, its the truth.

But for those who only have an XBox, good for them that they will be able to play this game.

Sony and MS are both gonna be just fine. Neither is gonna close their doors anytime soon. And ESPECIALLY over one game. And Sony didn't even lose the game, you can still buy a PS3 version. It just lost the exclusive. Argue all you want on how many PS3's wont be purchased now because of it. And I would agree, there probably will be some that are lost, but when we are talking about millions upon millions of consoles that have/will be sold of each console, I doubt the number lost will hurt Sony that much. They will bundle it, just like they did MGS4, and still sell a ton of consoles.

[KobeT24]

SONY doesnt play like that and its worked out pretty well so far.

[LittleDozer]

I agree. Cheaters never win as my mom always said lol jk

[Gunnet]

No, becuase it will rise prices for us. think people. you want a monthly fee? you want movies for purchase over 14.99 ?

[BlackCountryBob]

If Sony have $50m to throw about on games then I would rather they invest that money in making 2 or 3 new and unique IP's than offering it to a third party to only release a sequal on the PS3.

It should not escape peoples notice that in almost every franchise there comes a point in which the sales drop off and every following game sells less and less; I like that Sony is putting their money into creating the big franchises of tomorrow rather than buying the sequels to the franchises of yesterday.

If in 4 or 5 years all I was playing was a tarted up PS2 game then what was the point? This generation of consoles offer capabilities which allow for new and unique experiences like how the PS2 once did but they must be taken advantage of rather than ignored to allow developers to take the easy route.

[Angelitos]

I'm going straight to the point about the FF13 multiplatform case:

It ruined the SONY relationship

It disappointed many fans

SONY depended on them to make a great game, to help improve the sales and reptutation of the PS3

Exclusives that tend to go Multi looses interests

Ruined the Playstation exclusive trademark

Becoming like Capcom(no need for further explanation)

Gave one less reason to own a PS3, which it was the PS2 and PS1 that gave Square Enix where they are now.

Showed they cared more about money than loyalty

Slowing down the FF13 Verses development

May question themselves about the storage space and specs they are using when developing FF13

They are looking to seem to betraying another company(like when they ditched Nintendo)

Gave something the Xbox fanboys to cheer and make fun of to the Sony fanboys

Making themselves look foolish when they made statements like, "We are arent looking forward for Final Fantasy games on different platforms". " The PS3 suits Final Fantasy 13".

Made another foolish statement saying it was to reduce the fanboyism, and yet, Last Remnant is a 360 timed exclusive, Infinite Discovery and Star Ocean are 360 exclusives.

And other foolish statement when they said FF13 multi was becuase of the install base, but then why is FF13 verses a PS3 exclusive? hmmmmm