Hi folks, Cooper Hawkes here with what will probably amount to an editorial so bear with me on this:
We are now at T-minus 4 days and counting till the release of the Xbox 360, and so far everything has been quiet on the PS3 front. Well I wouldn’t say quiet; more like nothing earth shattering, nothing amazing, and certainly nothing that would make a gamer wait for the PS3 before buying an Xbox 360.
Does this mean my Grand Theft Auto article is inaccurate? Not at all. The announcement could be set for later today, early Monday, or with reports of Xbox 360 shortages, even just before the holidays to keep the meat and potatoes buyers, the "Casual Gamers" from asking for an Xbox 360.
I stand by my article, I stand by my source. However, if we hear NOTHING from either camp (Sony or Rockstar) by January, I’ll issue a retraction on the FRONT page offer my forgiveness curse my "source" and hope I can regain a tiny shred of credibility with you all.
Now you're wondering, does this mean that the non-Live-like PlayStation online news confirmed? Since it was previously reported that PlayStation's online would be used as an Xbox 360 spoiler. I'm afraid so.
With the recent announcements of the new incredibly robust Xbox Live, Sony would be hard pressed to create an online service that compares or surpasses that in the timeframe allotted towards launch in spring of 2006. One developer is already saying that the online service is same as it ever was.
If there is no announcement by Sony either today or Monday, then it means one of two things:
1) Sony either has nothing concrete to announce.
Or
2) Sony is feeling super confident in their dominance in the Next Generation of console gaming.
My money is on the later. It would appear to me that Sony is almost going to let Microsoft have their day in the sun, sell what they can, then attempt to crush them once the Holiday Season is over.
Save for a new Dragon Quest, there are no major releases coming for the PS2 this winter that have people up in arms. Nothing exclusive at least. So there goes Ken’s assertion that Xbox 360 will compete with the PlayStation 2. The PSP now has Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City, which so far has been the best reviewed game for the PSP. And while sales of the PSP have been steady, they have not taken off as many had predicted would happen.
So where does that leave Sony?
To quote Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto: "I fear that we have awakened a sleeping giant and filled him with a terrible resolve."
Cries of Xbox 1.5 will not stop the upcoming onslaught. Things are looking mighty good for Microsoft right now.
However: Do not underestimate Sony by any stretch. The PlayStation 3 will still be an incredible gaming machine with many functional extras thrown in for good measure. There is more to the PlayStation 3 than just its specs; we all know that, we just don’t know what it is.
I’m not sure if we can expect any announcements prior to Xbox 360’s launch day. But I can assure you that there will be announcements soon.
Sony is also a sleeping dragon., we will find that out very soon.
Nice read Hawkes. Personally, I haven't been a fan of the PS2 since the Xbox came along. That said, I definitely DO NOT want Sony to fail. I'd like to see an even split among all 3 consoles. Why would I make a crazy assertion like that? Competition is a good thing. Competition keeps hardware affordable, innovative and fresh. If there was no MS, would Sony incorporate even 1/2 of the technology into the PS3 that is has? If there was no Sony, would MS even attempt a worlwide launch of new hardware this early? I don't have the answers, but history has shown us that monopolies (in general) are never particularly good for the consumer. They often lead to higher prices, less innovation and outdated infrastructure. In short, I'd be very happy to see all three consoles do well in the next round.
You should read the editorial I wrote about this in July!
http://www.gamerandy.com/archives/2005/07/the_power_of_th.shtml
Pretty much feel the same way!
The Xbox 360's available at launch will be sold out no matter what Sony does. I think it would be better for Sony to try to counter Xbox 360 momentum once it becomes readily available. Now they'd just be wasting their bullets.
Nice Blog BTW Henning!
I thought I had read a quote from a Sony exec, stating that they didn't want the PS3 to be perceived as a gaming machine, that it was much more. I do think Sony is going to be way behind the curve in the online arena, especially if it is just a continuation of their current online strategy, and they leave it up to developers to put in the online functionality to the games. The best I could expect from Sony online is something that would be equivalent to the online functionality of LIVE on the original Xbox. I think MS is for sure going to win the online war.
I'm a big Xbox fan, but I wouldn't rule out owning a PS3, but it is going to have to offer me something the Xbox 360 does not, an exclusive kick ass game, or the graphics on PS3 will have to make the Xbox 360 look like Xbox 1.5. (I don't see that happening) And it is looking like PS3 won't offer me anything in the online arena that won't pale in comparison to the 360 or the original Xbox for that matter.
I do agree that competition is good, but Sony's stranglehold on owning a majority of the marketplace will end this next gen round. I think Microsoft will equal them or surpass Sony, I do hope they all do well for competition sake. I do think Ken will have to eat some of his words though.
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