CNN Money: PS3's a "Sinking Ship"

i will add...the ps3 isnt just a blu ray player...its a very good blu ray player. not all of them are.

the Washington Post did a follow up counter punch to this article:

washingtonpost.com

Both sides have valid and stupid points. Neither side seems unbiased.

One of the arguments that keeps getting thrown about loosely is how the PS3 is a better value if you "consider all it's parts".

That means nothing in the history of consoles. The history of consoles has always shown that price points matter over everything else. Sure to the hardcore it matters about the extra features but the hardcore generally only makes up 10-15% maximum. The rest make up those that are price watchers and generally on a budget.

Think about when you were a kid. You really think your parents (unless your were born into good money in the first place) would have bought you a PS3 at it's price point? I know mine wouldn't have. Heck they balked at the original NES price point till it hit a price cut a couple years after release.

Say what you will about the arcade but it gives Microsoft the ability to crow about price and aim for at least a small share of those parents who'd pick up a Wii. Lets face it the only reason the PS3 hasn't flopped completely is because it's Sony living off it's brandname. If it was any other company that came out like this it woulda been long dead and buried already.

I do have a feeling that when history looks back it'll always be remembered as Sony's big mistake.

Finally sold mine off a couple months ago and I honestly don't miss it. It sat unused way too often.

"VanDolPhan wrote:

One of the arguments that keeps getting thrown about loosely is how the PS3 is a better value if you "consider all it's parts".

That means nothing in the history of consoles. The history of consoles has always shown that price points matter over everything else. Sure to the hardcore it matters about the extra features but the hardcore generally only makes up 10-15% maximum. The rest make up those that are price watchers and generally on a budget.

Think about when you were a kid. You really think your parents (unless your were born into good money in the first place) would have bought you a PS3 at it's price point? I know mine wouldn't have. Heck they balked at the original NES price point till it hit a price cut a couple years after release.

Say what you will about the arcade but it gives Microsoft the ability to crow about price and aim for at least a small share of those parents who'd pick up a Wii. Lets face it the only reason the PS3 hasn't flopped completely is because it's Sony living off it's brandname. If it was any other company that came out like this it woulda been long dead and buried already.

I do have a feeling that when history looks back it'll always be remembered as Sony's big mistake.

Finally sold mine off a couple months ago and I honestly don't miss it. It sat unused way too often.

I agree with you on all the price points but I would never sell my PS3...I love it. :yes:

"VanDolPhan wrote:

Finally sold mine off a couple months ago and I honestly don't miss it. It sat unused way too often.

Funny, I say the same thing about my Wii.

"Regan21286 wrote:

Funny, I say the same thing about my Wii.

Same here:up:

Im still using a PS2

:couch:

"FinSane wrote:

Im still using a PS2

:couch:

It's a great system with a lot of great games. Plus they are still making games for it.

"FinSane wrote:

Im still using a PS2

:couch:

I just upgraded to PS3 in the last week. And Blu-Ray is a big reason why.

"DrAstroZoom wrote:

I just upgraded to PS3 in the last week. And Blu-Ray is a big reason why.

Took you long enough. :tongue2:

And we just hooked up the HDTV today. Now, if only my HDMI cables would get in.

"Crappy Tipper wrote:

I have a PS3 and I'm thrilled with it. Most of the xbox games are crap for my tastes they may have more games but BFD if I don't like them. I love the blu-ray player I use it almost every day and I can in fact see a nice difference even on upconverting regular DVD's.

I think the only advantage to having blu-ray on PS3 is that in the future, games will be better because of the massive storage the blu-ray holds. When game programmers finally learn to maximize the benefits of the blu-ray storage space, the game will be off the hook. But until then the 360 is still my console of choice.

If your buying the PS3 just to get a blu-ray player your wasting your money IMO. Stand alone players can be bought for $200 now.

BTW, If you constantly watch movies on your game console(Xbox 360 or PS3), doesn't it wear the motor out faster? just food for thought.

"k-bayfinfan wrote:

I think the only advantage to having blu-ray on PS3 is that in the future, games will be better because of the massive storage the blu-ray holds. When game programmers finally learn to maximize the benefits of the blu-ray storage space, the game will be off the hook. But until then the 360 is still my console of choice.

Metal Gear Solid 4.

If your buying the PS3 just to get a blu-ray player your wasting your money IMO. Stand alone players can be bought for $200 now.

Unfortunately, those players only support Profile 1.0 or 1.1, not the newer (and far, far superior) Profile 2.0. They also have inferior video hardware compared to the PS3 and higher-priced Blu-Ray players, meaning both DVD upscaling quality and Blu-Ray movie quality isn't quite what one would hope for.

"DrAstroZoom wrote:

And we just hooked up the HDTV today. Now, if only my HDMI cables would get in.

Please tell me you used monoprice?

And what about the sound system? :shifty:

"Desides wrote:

Metal Gear Solid 4.

Facts?or opinion?

"Desides wrote:

Unfortunately, those players only support Profile 1.0 or 1.1, not the newer (and far, far superior) Profile 2.0. They also have inferior video hardware compared to the PS3 and higher-priced Blu-Ray players, meaning both DVD upscaling quality and Blu-Ray movie quality isn't quite what one would hope for.

OK bro that Profile 2.0 thing is really worth the extra $200....NOT!

Panasonic DMP-BD35K is the model I bought on Black Friday for $229. and guess what it supports BD-Live which is Profile 2.0.

"k-bayfinfan wrote:

Facts?or opinion?

OK bro that Profile 2.0 thing is really worth the extra $200....NOT!

Panasonic DMP-BD35K is the model I bought on Black Friday for $229. and guess what it supports BD-Live which is Profile 2.0.

To some people the 2.0 thing is worth $200. Also, black friday isn't exactly a regular price so you cannot use it in an argument of finding 2.0 players for $200. However, you don't need to spend even $300 on a regular day to get a 2.0 player.

The PS3 is worth the money, whether soccer moms buy more 360s and Wiis for their kids, I could give a ****. PS3 are selling, games are being made, and every movie is now released on blu-ray disc. I am a happy consumer and guess what? Whenever I need my PS3 it is there, not once have I had to ask Sony to send me a box to pack it in and wait 2 or 3 weeks for a new one. A quality product that brings me entertainment on a daily basis and is reliable, sounds great to me. Sinking ship my ***. Wait until God of War 3 comes out. And FF XIII could still push consoles if the 360 port ends up being inferior.

"Stitches wrote:

To some people the 2.0 thing is worth $200. Also, black friday isn't exactly a regular price so you cannot use it in an argument of finding 2.0 players for $200. However, you don't need to spend even $300 on a regular day to get a 2.0 player.

Agreed about Black Friday. I just assumed that if I found one @ that price in Hawaii anyone could've found one on the mainland for a comparable price if not less expensive.

"k-bayfinfan wrote:

Facts?or opinion?

Fact.

OK bro that Profile 2.0 thing is really worth the extra $200....NOT!

You apparently don't even know what it is. (Hope I'm wrong ont hat.) How can you sweepingly declare that there isn't a difference and that difference is not worth the price increase? Apparently there are plenty of people who disagree with you in this thread alone.

Panasonic DMP-BD35K is the model I bought on Black Friday for $229. and guess what it supports BD-Live which is Profile 2.0.

Congrats: you got a Black Friday special. Good deal. But it doesn't play PS1, PS2, and PS3 games. :up:

"Desides wrote:

Fact.

You apparently don't even know what it is. (Hope I'm wrong ont hat.) How can you sweepingly declare that there isn't a difference and that difference is not worth the price increase? Apparently there are plenty of people who disagree with you in this thread alone.

Congrats: you got a Black Friday special. Good deal. But it doesn't play PS1, PS2, and PS3 games. :up:

Well lets be honest PS3's don't play PS2 games anymore from this point forward. If you have an older version yes but from now on that isn't the case. Just being picky there but I agree with what you are saying. :yes:

"muscle979 wrote:

The PS3 is worth the money, whether soccer moms buy more 360s and Wiis for their kids, I could give a ****. PS3 are selling, games are being made, and every movie is now released on blu-ray disc. I am a happy consumer and guess what? Whenever I need my PS3 it is there, not once have I had to ask Sony to send me a box to pack it in and wait 2 or 3 weeks for a new one. A quality product that brings me entertainment on a daily basis and is reliable, sounds great to me. Sinking ship my ***. Wait until God of War 3 comes out. And FF XIII could still push consoles if the 360 port ends up being inferior.

Once again I agree with what you are saying but I must be picky. I seriously don't think any games will move enough PS3s to catch the 360 much less the Wii. Maybe you were just talking moving systems period and if so I agree but the only way Sony catches the 360 (which isn't likely anymore) is with a price cut and the Wii will never be caught. Once again not disagreeing just being picky.

"sking29 wrote:

Well lets be honest PS3's don't play PS2 games anymore from this point forward. If you have an older version yes but from now on that isn't the case. Just being picky there but I agree with what you are saying. :yes:

All PS3s have the ability to play at least PS1 games. So PS1 and PS3 games.

You apparently don't even know what it is. (Hope I'm wrong ont hat.) How can you sweepingly declare that there isn't a difference and that difference is not worth the price increase? Apparently there are plenty of people who disagree with you in this thread alone.

Profile 1.0 is the most primitive hardware requirements for blu-ray play back. Only 1st generation blu ray players have this. I believe manufacturers don't make profile 1.0 players anymore(?) although you can still find them in electronics stores. Absolutely no ethernet connection.

Profile 1.1 is a newer hardware requirement that basicly allows you to view the "bonus view" material or basically an interactive picture in picture viewer. The hardware has an extra video and audio encoder that allows the movie and a small picture to be played and heard simultaneouly. Some Profile 1.1 players do have an ethernet connection but it is strictly for firmware updates.

Profile 2.0 A.K.A. BD-Live is the latest profile requirement. Profile 1.1 was originally considered the "final standard" in hardware requirements. the only difference is that Profile 1.1 Ethernet connectivity is optional where as profile 2.0 ethernet connectivity is a must to fully benefit from downloadable content and automatic firmware updates. Most profile 2.0 players need memory for the downloadable content. some come inclusive with this added memory but most have a memory card slots or usb port for this purpose.

Profile 3.0yes there is also profile 3.0 already. But all of you who bought a new Blu-ray player need not worry. Profile 3.0 is for audio only blu-ray disks. It paves a way for manufacurers to produce audio only disks with no other video encoding requirement thus saving the manufacurer money

Congrats: you got a Black Friday special. Good deal. But it doesn't play PS1, PS2, and PS3 games. :up:

I know I got a good deal on it and it doesn't bother me that it doesn't play any PS games as long as my 360 plays GOW 2, COD4 i'm all good. Hey I can even stream movies from netflix right over my xbox 360!

Anyway bro I'm not trying to get into a pissing contest with you. Everything I've read about the PS3 as far as the Blu-ray player goes is nothing but good. (Heck, I'll probably have one by the end of 2009 if sony drops the price!)
It ranked as the best Blu-ray player available on the market, period. with that said I'm not dissing the PS3 at all. I'm just saying If all you want is a Blu-ray player there are less expensive options.:knucks:

"sking29 wrote:

Well lets be honest PS3's don't play PS2 games anymore from this point forward. If you have an older version yes but from now on that isn't the case. Just being picky there but I agree with what you are saying. :yes:

Sure they do. I bought the PS3/MGS4 bundle pack. (Not the gunmetal grey PS3, but the limited retail pack which has been supplanted by the Uncharted/PS3 pack.) It's fully backwards compatible. Other PS3s achieve compatibility either through hardware (early PS3 models) or software (newer PS3 models.)

There are only a few specific PS3 models without backwards compatibility, and those were the lower-tier price models.

"k-bayfinfan wrote:

It ranked as the best Blu-ray player available on the market, period. with that said I'm not dissing the PS3 at all. I'm just saying If all you want is a Blu-ray player there are less expensive options.:knucks:

Definitely. All I'm saying is that it's superior to the cheaper ones you're talking about, and it's simultaneously on par if not better than the more expensive ones. This fact alone makes it the best bang-for-the-buck Blu-Ray player out there. Add in its variety of other options and you have a great deal.

"Desides wrote:

Sure they do. I bought the PS3/MGS4 bundle pack. (Not the gunmetal grey PS3, but the limited retail pack which has been supplanted by the Uncharted/PS3 pack.) It's fully backwards compatible. Other PS3s achieve compatibility either through hardware (early PS3 models) or software (newer PS3 models.)

There are only a few specific PS3 models without backwards compatibility, and those were the lower-tier price models.

Definitely. All I'm saying is that it's superior to the cheaper ones you're talking about, and it's simultaneously on par if not better than the more expensive ones. This fact alone makes it the best bang-for-the-buck Blu-Ray player out there. Add in its variety of other options and you have a great deal.

It'll just suck if it breaks though because now your out a BD player and your game console!

"Get Up And Go wrote:

All PS3s have the ability to play at least PS1 games. So PS1 and PS3 games.

Very True I was just pointing out the PS2 problem.

"Desides wrote:

Sure they do. I bought the PS3/MGS4 bundle pack. (Not the gunmetal grey PS3, but the limited retail pack which has been supplanted by the Uncharted/PS3 pack.) It's fully backwards compatible. Other PS3s achieve compatibility either through hardware (early PS3 models) or software (newer PS3 models.)

There are only a few specific PS3 models without backwards compatibility, and those were the lower-tier price models.

Definitely. All I'm saying is that it's superior to the cheaper ones you're talking about, and it's simultaneously on par if not better than the more expensive ones. This fact alone makes it the best bang-for-the-buck Blu-Ray player out there. Add in its variety of other options and you have a great deal.

Sorry Desides but that is no longer the case. Yes the 60GB and 20GB played PS2 games via hardware and the MGS4 and Motorstorm 80GBs played PS2 games by software but that is no longer the case. The 40GB didn't play any PS2 games and neither do the new 80GB PS3s which are the only ones currently on the market (besides the limited edition 160GB Uncharted pack). So PS3s no longer support PS2 gaming. Glad I have the Motorstorm pack, without PS2 backwards compatibility I would have never bought the system.

Proof via Playstation's official site (very bottom of the page):
PlayStation.com

Complete list of backwards compatibility showing only 20GB, 60GB, and MGS4 and Motorstorm 80GBs are compatible with PS2 games:
Knowledge Center | Support | Playstation.com