Why the PS3 Will Come Out on Top

This has been an issue of great controversy lately in the gaming industry between those who believe that the PS3 is doomed and those who believe that the PS3 will come out on top. I am here today, to explain why I believe it will come out on top.
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1. The Price Will Drop

The main reason why the PS3 is not selling well is because of the price. I know many people who would have a PS3 right now if it was 200 dollars cheaper. Well the point is that Sony will have to drop it eventually. Analysts are already predicting a price drop by the end of the year. Also, Howard Stringer has recently said that they are researching how much they can drop the price by.

For those of you who do not have a PS3, but are thinking about getting one, how many of you would get one if it was $400? I'm guessing most of you would. (Just a guess though)

They have to drop it sooner or later, and when they do, it will start selling.

2. Developing For It Will Get Easier

Many developers say developing for the PS3 is a pain in the ***. Well at this years GDC, Sony announced a tool for developers called Playstation Edge. This tool is meant to help developers take full advantage of the Cell Processor and the RSX graphics chip. This way, developers will be more fond of the PS3 and produce better games for it.

3. Home

Any way you put it, this is a very cool feature. Sure, something similair has been done before in the form of Second Life and Sims, but for this to be on a console, in this form, is really cool. To be able to go into other games with friends and have this whole thing linked to the games on the PS3 instead of just making a character and going around simulating real life is sort of different.

4. Superior Hardware

The PS3 has a slightly superior graphics chip and a far superior processor than that of the 360. If you need further proof of this go to my fourth source.

5. More "Heavy Hitters" in 2007

Here are the games that are expected to be "Heavy Hitters" in 2007. (I am not listing multiplatform games. I am, however, listing games that already came out in 2007.)

PS3: Motorstorm, Lair, Ninja Gaiden Sigma, Warhawk, Hot Shots Golf 5, Metal Gear Solid 4, Killzone 2, Haze , Time Crisis 4, Uncharted: Drakes Fortune, Ratchet and Clank 5, and Heavenly Sword.

Xbox 360: Forza 2, Command and Conquer 3, Mass Effect, Crackdown, Bioshock, Halo 3, and Fable 2.

Wii: Mario Party 8, Metroid Prime 3, Super Mario Galaxy, Super Smash Bros. Brawl, and Battalion Wars 2.

Total: PS3: 12
Xbox 360: 7
Wii: 5

I guess you could change that list around but I think I covered most of the main ones. This is another reason why the PS3 isn't selling. A lack of good games. That will all change by the end of this year.

Note: Although Haze has been confirmed for 360, it is likely to come out a couple months after the PS3 version. Therefore it will probably sell PS3's just like San Andreas did when it was a timed exclusive.

6. Free Online

Ok. Now before people start arguing that Live is better than what PSN currently has, let me first state that yes, Live is better....for now. With each firmware update that goes by for the PS3, more and more things that XBL has are being implemented into the PSN. For example: background downloading, voice chat, being able to send attachments etc. Things that the Playstation online service has that Live doesnt have are: Web Browsing and Folding@Home. (If you don't consider Folding@Home online, then you can ignore that part). In the next couple months, firmware updates will probably make more and more features of XBL available on the PSN. Also, when Home comes out, other things such as achievements will be implemented into PSN.

Eventually PSN will be identical to XBL except for one thing - it's free.

7. Blu-ray

Believe it or not, Blu-ray is winning. It is outselling HD DVD 65% to 35%. What does this mean? Well since the PS3 has a Blu-ray player in it, and since Blu-ray is showing a bigger and bigger chance of winning, it simply means the PS3's format is winning.

Also, with Blu-ray, developers have more and more room to work with. 50GB compared to 9 offered by DVDs. Developers are already starting to take advantage of this. Example? Resistance takes up 14GB, and that was one of the launch titles. Think what could be possible with Ratchet and Clank 5 or MGS4. Hideo Kojima has already asked Sony for 50GB disks because he cannot fit MGS4 on a 25GB disk.

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Well if you agree with me, or if you think I'm a crazed Playstation fanboy, everything I have put above that I say is a fact, is a fact. You can look at my sources below for further proof.
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Sources:
http://store.cmpgame.com/product.php?id=2113&cat=56
http://www.gizmocafe.com/blogs/post.aspx?app=gizmo_cafe_blog&y=2007&m=01&d=15&postid=104190
http://biz.gamedaily.com/industry/feature/?id=15103
http://www.gamespot.com/features/6125087/index.html?type=tech
http://www.n4g.com/ps3/News-32115.aspx
http://news.yahoo.com/s/cmp/20070307/tc_cmp/197800664

[Odion]

Xbox 360 games that are going to be heavy hitters the real list

Halo 3
Bioshock
Mass Effect
Too Human
Splinter Cell
Lost Od
B&K 3
Fable 2
Blue Dragon
Enteral Sonata
Ace Combat 6
PGR4
Alan Wake

ya you can shut uo now

[BaMYouRDeaD]

Halo 3 - I said that

Bioshock - I said that

Mass Effect - I said that

Fable 2 - I said that

Too Human - http://www.xbox.com/en-US/g... The release date is TBA. If you actually read my blog correctly, Señor Fanboy, You would have seen that I am listing 2007 titles only. Either you didn't read it, or you don't know the release dates for games on your own system.

Splinter Cell - Ok, that's one I missed.

Lost Odyssey - Fair enough, another I missed.

Blue Dragon - This is already out in Japan December 7th of last year.

PGR4 - http://www.xbox.com/en-US/g...
Again, the release date is TBA.

Enteral Sonata - I assume you meant "Eternal not Enteral".

The rest have not received enough hype to qualify as a system mover.

"ya you can shut uo now"

I see...I assume you meant "Yeah, you can shut up now." not "ya you can shut uo now" Correct your English before you correct my exclusive list.

Either way you put it, the PS3 has more "big" exclusives coming out this year. I could have named a lot more for each system, but I don't think Bomberman: Act Zero, Naruto: Rise of a Ninja, Genji, or Wing Island are system movers.

[s8anicslayer]

you know if sony had a line up like that most people would be laffing at them, the only proven hit on that list is halo all others are still unproven but somehow it's acceptable for ms.wtf

[HaKeRsCanRotINHEL]

work for me. :)

[Gran_Turismo]

Good job man, that was a great blog, keep it up. You even managed to get a 360 fanboy to get a little angry

[toughNAME]

yeah the list is lacking....common i think we can all agree 360 has 2007 locked up

I have no doubt the PS3 will come out on top...because of the mass cult following that comes with the Sony brand regardless of actual quality

it will come out on top probably by 2010....and after 5 yrs MS will have there next console out by then'

cant wait for screenshot comparisons of Gears of War 3 vs whatever crap the PS3 can muster up! :D:D

[DrPirate]

"I have no doubt the PS3 will come out on top...because of the mass cult following that comes with the Sony brand regardless of actual quality "

Regardless of quality? Coming from a 360 owner? Speak for yourself. I've never heard such irony before.

[Odion]

its a retarded list

All systems will get cheaper, the 360 is already easy to develop for, the PSN network will never surpass Xbox live and they said in the future they may charge

[BaMYouRDeaD]

"its a retarded list"

I could say the same about the list you gave me.

"All systems will get cheaper"

That's true, but that's not a primary problem for the 360 or the Wii. It is, however, for the PS3, and one of the 2 main reasons it is not selling well.

"the 360 is already easy to develop for"

That is because developers have had extra time to work with the 360, and because the PS3's architecture is more complicated than that of the 360. Also, if you're just gonna comment on the 360, then leave. This blog is about the PS3.

"PSN network will never surpass Xbox live"

Wanna bet? If, by the end of next summer, PSN does not have most of the important features of XBL, and has many features that XBL doesn't have, then I will never post one more thing on N4G again. Also, how can you be so sure of that? You are just spitting out your opinions, with no basis to them whatsoever. And most of the time, they are not making sense.

"and they said in the future they may charge"

Yes, but until they surpass or at least match XBL, they would be fools to charge for PSN. I can guarantee you that they will not.

"common i think we can all agree 360 has 2007 locked up"

No, if there's anyone who has 2007 locked up, it's the Wii.

[Odion]

Your a moron PGR4 was already stated as a 2007 release by the developers, same with Too Human. Blue Dragon hasn't come out in the US.

Killzone 2 is TBA, so is MGS4.

Also Time Crisis is niche, Hot Shots is a japan liked game not in NA, and NGS is not going to sell a million.

Your list is nothing but fanboyism

First off the release date of Killzone is TBA, or early 2008
http://www.gametrailers.com...
http://ps3.ign.com/objects/...

For Metal Gear Solid 4

http://www.joystiq.com/2007...
http://ps3.ign.com/objects/...

pretty much TBA as well so you need to take those off your list. Also your not stating facts your stating utter fanboyism to try to make the console in last place look better

Secondly.

Wanna stop talking like I don’t know my facts, PGR4 confirmed for 07
http://www.pro-g.co.uk/news...

For Too Human
http://xbox360.ign.com/obje...
http://xbox360.gamespy.com/...

I will update this when I find Denises reconfirm that this is a 2007 title

NA is pretty much the end all of Gaming it accounts for almost 50% of the market, and Blue Dragon is a major title for the US market.

No Go look at the total sales for Time Crisis and NG both have never had one game sell over a million units, and most game reporters would agree with my stance.

COMMENTS? Comments cannot gauge the popularity of a game. Hot Shots is big in Japan but its not a heavy hitter or system seller, your not going to see it get coverage this fall over other games.

Also How can a game be a heavy hitter if it doesn’t sell over a million copies? How is it going to change anything if it isn’t a top tier game.

Thanks for coming out though it was a nice try.

[BaMYouRDeaD]

Odion, my dear Odion.

"Killzone 2 is TBA, so is MGS4. "

Could you give me a source for your information? Because the last time we heard from Sony about the issue, it was 2007. Also, if you saw the MGS trailer, you would realize that it said 2007. Your information is baseless, and is probably not correct.

"Your a moron PGR4 was already stated as a 2007 release by the developers, same with Too Human. Blue Dragon hasn't come out in the US."

PGR4 is still TBA, please give me a source as to where you get your information. Just because you say it will come out in 2007, doesn't mean you are correct. You are just trying to prove me wrong, and are doing a very bad job at it. If you don't know what you are talking about, then don't talk. Same thing with Too Human. It is TBA. I, unlike you, give sources as to where I get my information, so it is no use trying to argue with me. Blue Dragon has not come out in the US, but it has in Japan. We are not the only market in the world. The fact is, that it was released already, US or not. Also, If you read the forum rules, you will see that it clearly states "Offensive language will not be tolerated and will result in temp or permanent ban. Personal attacks on other members will not be tolerated and will result in temp or permanent ban." Calling others morons because they are stating facts that go against your opinions is going against those guidlines.

"Also Time Crisis is niche, Hot Shots is a japan liked game not in NA, and NGS is not going to sell a million.

Your listed is fanboyism"

My "listed" is fanboyism? I wouldn't be calling others fanboys if I were you. If there is one fanboy here, it is you. Just look at what you said above. Time Crisis is niche? Your opinion. There has been A LOT of positive hype surrounding Time Crisis 4, and many people are very excited about that game. Hot Shots isn't popular in NA? Where the heck are you getting that from? Hot Shots is extremely popular in the US, contrary to what you might think. Just read the comments in this interview about Hot Shots: http://n4g.com/ps3/NewsCom-...

And finally, where in my blog, or in any of my comments, did I say NGS was gonna sell a million? That is completely off topic. I was simply saying that it is going to be a big game, especially after this drought of games for the PS3.

Just stop it Odion. You are only hurting yourself.

[toughNAME]

you know those blue things are links...right?
plenty of sources up there

and what i said earlier... i meant..
whne compared to the PS3..360 has 2007 locked up

[BaMYouRDeaD]

"you know those blue things are links...right?
plenty of sources up there"

He added those after I replied to him, buddy. His original comment did not have any sources.

"Your a moron PGR4 was already stated as a 2007 release by the developers, same with Too Human. Blue Dragon hasn't come out in the US.

Killzone 2 is TBA, so is MGS4.

Also Time Crisis is niche, Hot Shots is a japan liked game not in NA, and NGS is not going to sell a million.

Your list is nothing but fanboyism "

Anything under that part of his comment, he added after I posted my reply.

[TheExodus]

PS3's problem begins & ends with price. Yes, Sony is "working to refine" price, but they're already $200 in hock for each console shipped. How much debt can they backend the PS3 with?

The $499 SKU was canned due to poor sales which tells me that they will have to come down to at least $399 to compete with 360, but that would put them $400 in hock for each console shipped. With 360 sales at $399 plateauing around 10m is a $399 PS3 going to buy Sony anything other than another $4b of debt?

Sony might surprise us all with a price cut come Christmas, but if I was sitting in their shoes I'd leave the price alone & let the thing limp along simply because it eats less cash that way.

[real401killa]

we all know when it comes down to it ps3 owners are happy about the price...when you look at it .they pushed the 360 out fast just to get the head start...games ...fanboyism.....but they forgot to tell you is the system wasnt ready ....IT IS A PIECE OF TRASH ..i guess you get what you pay for ...$399$....which has a very high failure rate ..compared to the $600$ that still running strong ..and you never here anything about ps3s crapping out like 360s...we might lack games ..but your forgettn something ...that wont last forever ..when we end up with games ..all 360 and wii fanboys will look for someone with a ps3 to make friends with .stop smashn ps3 cause it will come back to bite you in the end...

[toughNAME]

Section 5 article 6 states that..

GET OFF THE SITE YOU STUPID LIL KID

[real401killa]

thats it ..damn nice comeback.....you killed it ......

[Why o why]

why, because he hit a few in this blog with some knowledge.

The 1 thing i thought you left out was the japaneffect

How many of the best games of your gaming lives have come from east asia. What consoles do most of these companies produce games for exclusively or not?. Why are they gunna stop? My point is japan is like milan. The fashion capital of the world. It dictates what happens around the world in terms of trends and styles. If it ant happening there it ant happening anywhere else.

The ps is not on fire in japan because theres not enough of a catalyst YET, Whatever sets the ps3 off in japan will set the rest of the world off even the US. Its a timebomb being set right under our noses. So dismiss its poor (according to some ????) sales in japan, the narrow mindedness of fanboys is phenomenal. The us wont decide this console battle neither will europe though both WILL have their say. A winner or the more successful console will be decided in around 3 to 5 years not yesterday or tomorrow. If the japaneffect kicks in before the end of the year coupled with some of BaMs points then I cant see why the ps3 wont come out on top like its predecessor did last time.

done

[Shaka2K6]

PS3 wins what a surprise.

[kingofps3]

Finally! A logical N4G gaming blog. Nice list man :)

[Thugbot187]

1. The Price Will Drop
There is no denying that the price for the PS3 will eventually drop but even if a price drops there are other factors to consider. Nintendo has shown us with the Wii that the main stream market price that people are willing to pay comes in at around 250 dollars. This is a price that most medium to casual gamers find an acceptable price that they can spend on a gaming system. Second we know that the current price of the Xbox 360 while a bit more favorable to the higher ranged hardcore and the higher end of the medium ranged gamers, it’s still not a low enough price to tap the level where the majority of the gamers reside. This doesn’t mean sales would pick up for Sony, because it’s quite certain they would but it wouldn’t be anywhere close to the numbers that the Wii or Post PS2 levels. Another than we cannot forget get is that Microsoft will also drop the price of the Xbox 360, which Sony really couldn’t sustain it’s self in a price war against Microsoft.

3. Home
This really isn’t a new idea. Currently there are several things that offer this type of thing. http://secondlife.com/ , crying out loud it’s almost like the SIMS or any other MMO for that matter. I do realize some people will take this as a prime time to hangout but for the most part it will honestly lose its appeal after a bit. WHY? Because what gamers really want is to play games. Another reason is there are too many other mediums in which compete with home http://myspace.com , facebook.com and all of the other various mediums, that actually attack girls…
4. Superior Hardware
I’ve honestly seen this argued both ways on who has the better hardware but for what it is worth I will say on paper Sony has the edge, if that true or not still remains to be seen. The biggest thing is Sony is going to have to produce a game that blows away anything that is available on any system, and it cannot be marginally it’s going to have to show leaps and bounds over anything the 360 has to actually use the superior hardware concept because many of us aren’t buying it. However none of this will really matter if Sony fails to sale system, they will also fail to get games which are the real story. Let’s not forget the Xbox killed the PS2 in hardware and it didn’t get Microsoft anywhere. It’s all about available software.
5. More "Heavy Hitters" in 2007
You missed quite a few heavy hitters on the XBOX360 and your count would be incorrect compared to the many polls taken about exclusive heavy hitters coming out of systems in 2007.
You forgot the following: Blue Dragon, Two Worlds to name a few but here’s the exclusives list http://www.psu.com/files/im...
6. FREE ONLINE
This one can be argued over and over and over again however I will just make one point here. Currently Sony doesn’t offer anything near what XBL offers to gamers and because of this Microsoft is able to charge for its service. The subscription base for XBL isn’t small but rather large and your story about free isn’t causing them to drop XBL and move over to the PSN network.
7. BLU-RAY
While there are some great feats that can be accomplished by BLU-RAY and its extra size and its ability to play movies I’m not seeing it as a victory card. Developers can still ship games on multiple DVD’s as they did in the past. Slight inconvenience for the gamer but it still gets the job done without losing the games quality. Like many I can care less about HD-DVD or BLU-RAY, my evidence for this is that most users do not have HD TV’s so they aren’t going to benefit from any HD PLAYER. Currently DVD’s are doing fine and this won’t change for some time, with HD TV only having a market estimated penetration of about 35% by sometime in 2008. At this rate it will be the next gaming console before having an HD movie player really matters.

[JTR1289]

I honestly think that the 360 has a chance of winning this console war. Now dont get me wrong...I was (and still am) a huge Playstation fan. I've bought every great game released for the PS2 (Resident Evil 4, Guitar Hero 1 & 2, GTA 3-SA, + more) and I also bought my PS3 at launch, along with Resistance and Motorstorm.
But I have to say...things are looking bad for PS3 right now.

Here are some reasons why I think they have the POSSIBILITY of ending up in third place this generation:

1. Theres really only 2 games worth owning on the PS3 (Resistance: Fall Of Man and Motorstorm...should also mention the awesome Oblivion)

2. The remaining games on PS3 such as F.E.A.R., Rainbow Six: Vegas, The Darkness, and pretty much every other sports title are just ports from the 360, with most of them looking and running better on the 360 (only because developers have had more than a year getting to grips with the 360 hardware)

3. Alot of games right now that would be considered 'system sellers' (such as the Devil May Cry series, the Resident Evil series, and of course the biggest one of all being the GTA series, which is now actually considered 'better' on the 360 because of downloadable content) and are all deciding to go mulit-platform with simultanious releases on both 360 and PS3

4. The price tag of course. Now the price in America was $600 (now cut down to $500), but in Australia it costs AUD $1000 for the 60GB version, with no signs of a price drop any time soon.
Now this is probably the biggest reason for the poor sales so far, because when given a choice which would you rather buy...the 360, which in Australia is about AUD$600, or the PS3 at AUD$1000, when the 360 is pretty much equally as good as the PS3 in terms of graphics and gameplay, and sometimes even better than the PS3 (Gears of War in particular)

5. The decision to include Blu-Ray in every PS3 I believe was a big mistake by Sony. The only reason they included Blu-Ray in the PS3 was so that they could get the advantage over the competing format HD-DVD, because it would not only be the 'movie buffs' buying into Blu-Ray, but also gamers.
I would have liked to have seen the Blu-Ray vs. HD-DVD war had it not been included in the PS3 (which I believe is the only reason Blu-Ray is destroying HD-DVD).

6. The fact that Blu-Ray isnt really necessary for gaming right now. I mean when I first read about the PS3 and how it was going to include Blu-Ray (50GB of storage for gaming etc.), I naturally thought things would be over for the 360 before it even began, as Microsoft decided to stay with the standard DVD9 discs. But now when you look at the games on the 360 such as Gears of War, Mass Effect, Fallout 3, Bioshock etc. I started to wonder how developers managed to even fit all that onto a single DVD, when Sony spent all that time boasting that Blu-ray was 'essential' to games as they would naturally get bigger in size (due to more animations, voice-overs, uncompressed audio, HD visuals etc.) and would therefore justify putting Blu-Ray into the PS3.
Like when you look at a game such as GTA 4, it makes you think whether Blu-Ray was really necessary in the first place as it seems to be fitting on a single DVD disc just fine (unless they're bringing it out on multiple discs?)

7. And lastly....the PS3's online service. In comparison to Xbox Live, the PS network is nowhere near as good. Xbox Live is so much more intergrated and user friendly when compared to what the PS3 offers.
Game invites, gamer scores, downloadable content and friend lists are one of the major advantages over the PS network (even though PS Network also offers these things, except gamerscores)
Also the fact that there are 3 seperate Playstation Stores (one for Japan, one for North America and one for Europe) is also a pain because every Store offers the same stuff but with the Japan stores and in some cases the NA stores getting content quicker than others

8. And the fact that Sony has focused more on winning the HD movie format war than they have on gaming so far

Now that we've talked about the negatives, here are my reasons why I want/think PS3 will once again win this generation:

1. Its future proof. When you compare the PS3 to the 360, the PS3 wins straight out in terms of life span and how much it has to offer in the future (Blu-Ray, which I'm 99% sure will become the standard for HD movies, the ability to acess everything on your PC, WiFi, tons of media options, accessing your PS3 through your PSP)

2. Games will not doubt be amazing in the future with all the power in the PS3. Whereas with the 360 I think the games right now, and coming out this year, have really only been more evolutionary than revolutionary and that the games on the 360, while they are still extremely good, will not get much better in terms of innovation (most of the 'anticipated' games are shooters, such as Halo 3, Bioshock, Gears of War, GRAW 2). Games on the PS3 sure as LittleBigPlanet, Lair, Heveanly Sword, and Uncharted all look awesome, and most of all innovative.

3. The 360 is aimed mainly towards the 'hardcore' gamers, which ties into what I said in the sentence above about most games being shooters etc. Whereas with the PS3, there are all different games that are aimed towards different groups, such as Heavenly Sword, Lair, Uncharted: Drakes Fortune, Metal Gear Solid 4, inFamous, Final Fantasy XIII, and the awesome looking LittleBigPlanet.

4. Backwards compatible with pretty much all the old PS2 and PS1 games. With the 360 though, theres really only the main games on Xbox 1 that work on the 360 (such as Halo)

5. Firmware updates are always bringing in something new to improve the PS3. Now the PS3 is able to upscale DVDs to HD, access everything on your PC, upscale old PS2 and PS1 games to HD, have your own pictures as backgrounds plus alot more.

6. Online. I talked about this earlier but I never mentioned the positives. One of the best things about the PS network is its pretty much lag-free from what I've seen so far (Resistance is a dedicated server and doesnt necessarily mean every online PS3 game will be this good). The Playstation Store is also starting to catch up to Live Marketplace in terms of content but still has a long way to go. Making the Playstation Network have one unified friends list and server like on 360 would do alot for Sony if they fix this.

7. Its quiet. Compared to the 360's disc drive, which sounds like a harrier jet taking off, the PS3 is whisper quiet.

8. And lastly, the failure rate of the PS3, which is what...1%? Compared to the 360's apparent 33% failure rate (and the apparent disc scratchings) which is unbelieveable, but hey, thats what you get when you try and rush the 360 to and try and beat Sony by releasing a whole year before of the PS3...hardware problems that weren't picked up on when the 360 was released. This I believe is one major advantage for Sony as people will think twice about buying a 360 because they pretty much have a one in three chance of their 360 getting the dreaded 'Red Ring of Death'.

I do believe that the PS3 has a high chance of winning this generation yet again, just not right now. Give it about another year and I think the PS3 will pull ahead of the 360 once all the big name games are released (MGS4, Final Fantasy XIII, Gran Turismo, and GTA 4 which is unfortunately muliplatform) and the price has dropped resonably across regions (not just America)

As for the Wii, I think they are doing the unexpected and staying with current gen (last gen really) technology and are pulling ahead because of the price, innovation, and the people they're targeting (younger children and people that dont usually play video games (mothers, fathers etc.)) but I havent really considered them to be part of this console war.

Well thats my opinion on the whole 'console war'...anyone here agree with what I've said lol???