Wow.
I’m not going to lie. Catching up on all of Sony’s new tidbits of information regarding the Playstation 3 certainly has been…interesting. Let’s go through some of these things point by point.
The Controller
I’m not going to lie. The PS3 controller was unremarkable and unsurprising. After Sony shelved the Batarang controller, I figured that they would return to what worked. I mean, the XBox 360 hardly deviated from the XBox S Controller, and nobody really cared. If it isn’t broken, don’t fix it.
So, Sony returned to the DualShock controller design. Although, Sony is still subject to a court ruling - which is currently being appealed - that forbids use of DualShock technology. So, they cleverly removed the Rumble Pack and replaced it with a watered-down Revolutionary feature - a tilt sensor. As a result, the PS3 DualShake controller can be twisted, shook and tilted to reportedly enhance gameplay.
Despite this, it is clear that the Playstation 3 is leagues away from achieving the same amount of sensitivity as the Wiimote. Moreover, it seems to be a clever ploy to entice Revolutionaries to the Sony cause.
I’m not going to call this vile or deceitful as others have. However, I will say that I’m disappointed (although not entirely surprised) at Sony’s blatant underhanded dealings. Nintendo makes, Sony takes. I guess the old proverb is true.
However, despite the controllers various shortcomings, I think that the USB port on the top of the controller that allows for quick attachment and charging is a brilliant idea. It just seems so convenient, I wonder why it wasn’t adopted by Nintendo or something.
The System
It seems that the system has deviated from earlier schematics and has been dumbed down significantly. They have reportedly removed the dual-HDMI output on the system entirely.
But more than that is the confusion about the two different system bundles scheduled for release. There is the 20GB pack and the 60GB pack. For whatever reason, the 20GB has been completely stripped of features. No HDMI. No Wi Fi. No Memory Stick, Compact Flash or SD memory card slots. Nothing. The 20GB PS3 is being released as the 60GB PS3’s retarded cousin, who no one really wants to hang out with but they might pity it and purchase it anyway.
Unlike the Core Pack for the XBox 360, the 20GB pack cannot be upgraded. So, unlike Microsoft (which had a full system and an starter system), Sony has opted for essentially two entirely different and distinct PS3s. It doesn’t seem like a very wise move, because consumers who opt for the lower end model may become enraged at the lack of certain features.
The Launch
$499 and $599
November 17, 2006
After tax, here in Canada, we’re going to be paying $750+ for the 60GB bundle. All in all, Sony is asking for quite a lot of money in exchange for an unproven console. I mean, it does not appear to excel over the XBox 360 at this point in time, so Sony is really going to have to justify this purchase before their mid-November launch period, if they want people to fork over a hefty sum of money. I mean, do people really care about Blu-ray enough to purchase this expensive system (with games that will also be in the 60-70 dollar arena).
Watching Sony’s progress during the launch will be interesting. And being so close to Nintendo’s anticipated launch, it will be cool to see if this plays out like the DS/PSP, or if Sony’s new system (and ultimately, their new disk format) will crash and burn.