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PS3 Slim Jolts The Sony Camp

Bwana — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 23:44:23 +0000

Who would have thought we’d ever be uttering the words “Sony is making a comeback”? 5 years ago, we would have been laughed at.

Hard.

But this is our current reality: Nintendo is still winning in overall sales, Microsoft is second, and Sony is in third. Sony’s position is actually better than most perceive, but the competitive nature in human beings tend to ignore some of the supporting facts. I digress.

Recently Sony pleased the gaming community by announcing a much anticipated $100 price drop and a brand new, “PS3 Slim” model. Some analysts believed this wouldn’t change a thing in their warped scope of the console race, but like always, I took a “let’s wait and see” approach.

It’s been a few days and some of the sales estimates have been released:

999% sales increase (Week over Week) in the UK
150,000 units sold in Japan (1500% increase week over week) – Launch number was 90,000

Judging by the large percentage increases, it’s easy to assume that sales were pitiful to begin with, or lots of people were waiting for a price drop on the PS3. Either way, Sony is in a better position than before.

It’s not just sales, but Sony has launched a very successful new marketing campaign. The slogan of “It Only Does Everything” is sticking with gamers whether they like it or not. The witty advertisements are not only making the Sony faithful sigh with relief, but they’re also attracting the “curious” gamer crowd. These guys are thinking, “I wonder how those PS3 exclusives are”, “I wonder if I’ll like Blu-ray”, “Will my friends get one if I get one?” (Yes, there are kids who ask that last question, believe it or not)

It’s amazing what proper marketing and successful sales figures does to the public perception: Yesterday, I streamed gameplay of a popular PS3 exclusive game called Killzone 2. As users came and watched, I saw a lot of statements like:

“Wow, I’d get a PS3 for this”
“How much does it cost?”
“What does that/this/that do?”
“This is better than CoD4 ever was” [Yes, that's an actual quote]

Before the price drop/new SKU, I would see this:

“PS3 Sucks”
“No one plays online on KZ2″
“It’s a dead game”
“PS3 Sucks, I feel sorry for you guys”

I could go on and on. I still get these kinds of negative comments, but much less than before.

Public perception definitely influences opinions of the PS3. People who bashed the Playstation 3 before, are now looking closer at upcoming exclusives like “Uncharted 2: Among Thieves” (My Game of the Year prediction), “MAG“, “Ratchet and Clank Future: A Crack In Time“, and “Heavy Rain“. Playstation Network exclusives like “Fat Princess” are also drawing a lot of attention (See my review here)

What does all this mean in the end? No one really knows. The fact is this: The PS3 is gaining incredible momentum and is shaping up to be the big shake-up story in the console war. I only wish my friends list weren’t full so I could play with all the new PS3 owners out there.

What Will The Playstation 3 Need To Survive?

Bwana — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 19:31:46 +0000

I have not made it a secret that I absolutely love my Sony Playstation 3 and that I actually use it more than my Xbox 360 and Nintendo Wii. This often confuses people why I seem to be “going against the grain” on this topic because it is the popular opinion to love the 360 or Wii over the PS3.

I believe the machine is the best hardware I have in the house easily, not only because of “Blu-Ray” technology but the whole experience in terms of entertainment. I also love the price of online play (being a PC gamer as well). Sony has been consistently falling short of expectations from the gaming community since they were #1 with their insanely successful Playstation 2. I asked Twitter what Sony needs to do to get their dollar:

SkiCat56: @Bwana There lot's of titles that are PS3 exclusive we would to play but we cannot fit another gaming console into our budget PS2,360 owner

about 5 hours ago

Mon Feb 09 13:50:37 +0000 2009

chokewho: @Bwana Cheaper price and probably some more original games.

about 7 hours ago

Mon Feb 09 11:49:18 +0000 2009

fochsenhirt: @Bwana drop the price under $200 for the hardware and $40 for the games. So basically, nothing. I already have a BD player.

about 7 hours ago

Mon Feb 09 11:34:42 +0000 2009

robraider78: @Bwana PS3 only good for blue ray. Not a good selection of games on PS3. No Halo. No Gears.

about 9 hours ago

Mon Feb 09 09:33:26 +0000 2009

TaoGao: @Bwana they are Amazing! Besides blue-ray compatible, it has great graphics

about 12 hours ago

Mon Feb 09 06:31:39 +0000 2009

powerspec: @Bwana I use mine only for Blu-ray, but i would use it more if it had some good games. I own 3 PS3 games and ~30 360 games.

about 12 hours ago

Mon Feb 09 06:15:35 +0000 2009

johnsensfan: @Bwana xbox360 vanishing of the face of the earth

about 12 hours ago

Mon Feb 09 06:06:37 +0000 2009

SWB: @Bwana They would have to make it better than the Nintendo DS, which we all know is impossible!

about 12 hours ago

Mon Feb 09 06:02:54 +0000 2009

murphysblues: @Bwana I don't have a PS3, and it would take a radical improvement of my hand/eye coordination before I would buy a PS3.

about 13 hours ago

Mon Feb 09 05:53:19 +0000 2009

dannyblaine: @Bwana a healthier economy?

about 13 hours ago

Mon Feb 09 05:49:14 +0000 2009

chrispirillo: @Bwana The PS3 is great for one thing: Blu-ray playback. Beyond that, it's not of much use to me. I don't have that many BDs yet, either.

about 13 hours ago

Mon Feb 09 05:48:23 +0000 2009

Leica1956: @Bwana a $150 or less base model would get me in.

about 13 hours ago

Mon Feb 09 05:47:19 +0000 2009

CannonGod: @Bwana Good games, ergonomic controller, the firing of all marketing staff involved with the PS3.

about 13 hours ago

Mon Feb 09 05:45:43 +0000 2009

mattbebich: @Bwana Halo, Left 4 Dead many others

about 13 hours ago

Mon Feb 09 05:40:25 +0000 2009

johnxkills: @Bwana the price alittle lower

about 13 hours ago

Mon Feb 09 05:32:29 +0000 2009

se7enjewels: @Bwana simple.price! price! price! The should have dropped the PS3 last christmas to $299. I would have been all over that.

about 13 hours ago

Mon Feb 09 05:32:01 +0000 2009

jercat: @Bwana… $249.99

about 13 hours ago

Mon Feb 09 05:31:25 +0000 2009

chrispugh: @Bwana lower price

about 13 hours ago

Mon Feb 09 05:31:18 +0000 2009

Without getting into a console war, I believe the price is often misunderstood when compared to the Xbox 360, since Microsoft has a done an excellent job with marketing. I have spent much less on my PS3 than I have on my Xbox 360, but the point is moot. The users want a price drop, but what then? Is price the only factor? Users also want *more* games, but if I’m not mistaken, a majority of new games are now cross platform. The handful of exclusives that are considered “must-haves” are dwindling in my opinion. (Case in point: Capcom just announced 360, PC and PS3 support for Dead Rising 2) I believe the games are there, but the mindset isn’t. The mantra of “PS3 has no games” will completely overwhelm the facts and user perception is all that will matter when it comes to a purchase.

What can Sony do about this? Well, in my opinion, they have to change the way they’re doing things now. What they’re doing right now is not working. In a tight market, where Nintendo is breaking records left and right (which I can’t understand honestly) Sony really is put in a tight situation since their hardware is truly next-gen, and a price-cut is a huge gamble. I have a suspicion that a majority of users who claim the price is the only issue, will back peddle if there is a price cut. I believe Sony realizes this every time they read user feedback regarding the price (Yes, Sony DOES read user feedback) I honestly don’t know what they can do win over the users, but they better come up with something quickly or the whole division will be a distant memory this time next year.

Agree, disagree? Let me know in the comments. You can also find me on the Playstation Network (PSN) under the handle, Nuvalo. Add me!

E3 2008 Roundup: Focus On The Positive!

Bwana — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 00:30:32 +0000

Ah yes, the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3). That conference that all console gamers look forward to. It has a history of providing us with insight into upcoming gaming titles, new features, and new hardware. Over time the conference has lost it’s glitter and mass appeal. Last year’s E3 had it’s moments, but overall, it wasn’t all that impressive. This year was no better.

I’m sad to say, E3 2008′s keynotes from Microsoft, Nintendo and Sony were worse than last year. I went on record to call them out in 2007 and seemingly, here I am again to basically do a repeat of last year. Rather than rant on all the poor presentations, I think I’m going to focus on the positive aspects of each keynote and stay there.

Microsoft

Dashboard redesign and Avatar System – I think Microsoft is taking a step in the right direction by improving the Xbox Live experience. The blade system, while not completely gone, was started to show its age compared to Sony’s Home and Nintendo’s Mii avatar system. The concept of “live party” parallels PS Home’s emphasis on gathering friends in a room in order to watch videos, view photos or play a game. It’s pretty clear that Microsoft borrowed some ideas from both Nintendo and Sony, but I can’t blame them for it since Sony and Nintendo have generally done the same.

Final Fantasy XIII comes to 360 - In my mind, this was Microsoft crown achievement of the event. Very few saw this coming and the way they announced it was fairly creative. Even though FFXIII will retain PS3 exclusiviity in Japan, you have to wonder how Sony will recover from such a huge blow. I mean, this is Final Fantasy!! This is a momentum victory for Microsoft which will widen the gap that Sony began to close in 2008. Well done, Microsoft.

Nintendo

Wii Motion Plus – I have mixed feelings about this new peripheral that Nintendo announced. I believe by increasing the accuracy in the existing Wii-mote, they have enabled the way for new types of games. Nintendo announced Wii Sports Resort, which is essentially Wii Sports 2. It shows off the new abilities of the Wii Motion Plus add-on with a sword fight and a “Wave Race” type game. My mixed feelings are derived from Nintendo’s “yet another peripheral” syndrome. How many more do we need? There’s the Nunchuk, the classic controller, the Wii Wheel, the Wii balance board, the Wii gun, and now the Wii Motion plus. Is every new game going to require a new peripheral? We’ll see.

Wii Music – I have mixed feelings about the newly announced Music game, Wii Music, as well. Imagine Rock Band, without the instruments. Wii Music employs the Wii-mote and the nunchuk to simulate movements used in playing instruments. Sound gimmicky? Well, it is. It does look like it’ll be fun for a couple of weeks and on holidays, but, I can see this title collecting dust next to Wii Sports. Nintendo made it a point that they are making it a goal to stay ahead of the game, but it seems like more of the same to me.

Sony

PSN Video Content – Starting tonight, Sony will be offering video content on demand on the Playstation Network. This is one of the few announcements which will come to fruition in the next coming days. While Sony is still playing catch-up in this area, I think they are making strides in the right direction. Why? By offering the ability to transfer downloads the PSP, they are presenting a value-add to owners of the Sony brand. This is standard and high definition video for sale and rental. Good show, Sony. (no pun intended)

Massive Action Game (MAG) – From the OMGWTFBBQ dept, Sony pulls out an unexpected title called Massive Action Game, or MAG. MAG is very early in development but promises a 256 player online experience with 8 man squads in each “world”. Wow? This seems too good to be true and a lot of folks are crying foul until they see it in action. Me? I’m hoping it also comes to PC since I ain’t too good at first person shooters on the PS3. Otherwise, this thing screams I gotta have it. I heard 5 people say right after the announcement, “I’m getting a PS3 for this.” I think this announcement was a must-have given the FFXIII situation. Sony had to restore faith in those who have invested in their brand, and I think announcing MAG was a good start.

As I stated earlier, there were so many things that I didn’t like this E3, and some of them even were stated in the positives. I want to keep the tone of this post positive so that gamers will know that competition between these three companies is constantly driving them to win your loyalty. Very few industries can demonstrate such dedication to delivering new and shiny every single year. I do hope, for the sake of the future E3 conferences, that Microsoft, Nintendo and Sony jazz up their presentations. Sony really impressed me by using LittleBigPlanet to demonstrate business numbers. Hello! Now that’s innovation. I hope Microsoft and Nintendo do something else next year. These presentations are painful to sit through.