@ eab

I disagree, IMO the handheld gaming market was ripe for some healthy competition. As for Nintendo's alledged exclusivity on innovation I disagree as well. Both PSP and PS3 are very different products compared to Nintendo handhelds and the Wii, I applaud consumer choice.

Sad to have to counter in support of Nintendo's competitors, as I really like Nintendo and their gaming history, completely unlike Microsoft.

I am very happy with the discussion in this thread. I am only a Playstation and I don't see that changing any time soon. The reason I started this thread was to try and prove a point. Fanboy's do use their brains, we are not praising our favorite console, and we understand the mistakes that the companies have made. Even with all the mistakes Sony has made in the last 4 years I have stil continued to support them. I think it is the same reason Nintendo fans have supported Nintendo through all their down years. We all know that Sony and Nintendo are capable of great things in the video game industry, and we support them through the good and the bad, so that one day they can be back on top. I had a great time as a kid playing NES, SNES, and N64, but the Playstation brand is my home.

@ Hus and Mitsuhide

I do think the PS3 has the best Video game software you can find. I mean it would be pretty bad if the 3rd largest development house in the world could not make amazing games when they all work together, and have the most insides to how the console works. Sony's first party games are on a level that Nintendo and Microsoft just can not reach. The software problem dose not lay with the games, it lays with the other things the PS3 can do. Thier is no reason for it to not have a first class music and video download service, and the same goes with the PSP. Both of these systems are worth every pennie and people would be willing to put up that kind of cash if they could getfull use of it.

The good thing is it is supposed to be coming. I am very exited about Home as I have mentioned many times, and from it I think we will see a great download service spawn. If Sony can do this in a reasonable amount of time, I still see a lot of hope for the PS3, and a chance that the PSP could start to eat into the DS market a little bit. If we are sitting here in 2009 and their is no download service for the PS3, then Sony will be in trouble.

>> The PS2 came flying out of the gate with claims, claims, and more claims.

The PS2 had great third-party games, that's what ultimately sold the system. Nintendo had the first-party games, but didn't stress third party games enough, and it also made a key marketing mistake: the Gamecube was a bulky box difficult to squeeze into a home stereo setup. Microsoft had good hardware, but didn't have the software lineup of its competitors. This time around, the Wii has great titles and a slim design, so it will do fine, and the PS3 is going to ride its huge title base plus Blu-Ray all the way to the bank. Microsoft does finally have decent games, but it shot itself in the foot, by (1) not including built-in HDDVD or BluRay and (2) massive hardware breakage.

>> I mean come on Sony the PSP is an online enabled piece of hardware. Why can I not download, music, movie, tv, and games straight to it.

Not necessarily Sony's fault, because Sony isn't a network provider like ATT or DoCoMo, and that's where affordable online services have to come from. They could do more, sure, but the services have to be rolled out by other companies.

>> The single analog stick on the PSP. WTF is that about?

Handheld gaming is basically one-thumb gaming. Has to be that way - otherwise, you've got to physically put the console on something, to be able to reach around for the other buttons. You can design games to center the camera behind the player, though.

That said, I would like to see the next generation of PSPs use touchscreen controls, in conjunction with a DS-style stylus. It's not imitation, it's flattery!

"Sony's first party games ARE "....er...at best you could say " Sony's first party games WILL BE" and even in this case we already know that a lot of (promising) games are going to be released for PS3...maybe one (or more) of these will be a Killer App...or maybe not...who knows?

The only FACT is that till now Sony has yet to deliver something that really proves PS3 (claimed ) superiority: that's the main problem that millions of Ps2 owners have with Sony and that's the main problem that's preventing millions of PS2 owners from getting a PS3.

"Sony's first party games are on a level that Nintendo and Microsoft just can not reach."

Okay, we'll just wait until one of Sony's first party games sells above 19 million. And let's just wait until one Sony games stops the entire industry from failing. Nintendo has far better first party. Let's just wait until ratchet is as big as a game of Mario.

Sony's biggest mistake was thinking the Playstation line sold so well simply because of the brand, when it was a combination of Sony's hard work and luck in the other guy's screwing up.

The PS1 was selling well due to Sony making the system work so well, and they already had decent third party support. Yet they didn't make the Saturn cost so much, nor made Nintendo stick with a format with a horrible profit margin.*

The PS2's DVD drive was a good move. It helped the system sell well while the library picked up. Yet Sony didn't make Nintendo and Microsoft offer systems that lacked anything truly compelling over the PS2,** aside from the Xbox's PC-like structure attracting western developers. Plus they didn't make GTA III sell so well it just happened.

Incidentally, that combination is the real reason for Nintendo's handheld dominance (they didn't make the Game Gear have bad batter life, nor made Bandai not take real advantage of the Wonderswan). Yet Nintendo seems to remember that, as they made a radical move with the DS, and worked hard to prove the control scheme, while Sony spent too much effort on a great launch library, while forgetting the next year, and didn't offer anything truly compelling over the iPod, which was the real reason for all the media abilities.

Now we have the 7th gen. Katuragi's statement about 5 million with no games said it all. Whether or not it's true for any PS system is irrelevant.*** It showed they were not going to work as hard on their games as they should, and of course thinking the PS line would sell no matter what. So while they did luck out with Microsoft making a rookie engineering mistake with the shoehorned GPU placement in the 360, Nintendo did their own hard work (even though it's not the hard work some would like****), and are reaping the rewards.



*Even without FMVs, FFVII would likely had to be on 2-3 carts, and there would be no way Square could sell that at $60 and even make a profit. That was why CDs were so compelling.

**Which also shows that few consumers and developers are truly graphics whores, Factor 5 being a notable exception.

***The PS2 did come close, where The Matrix sold a lot of PS2s, especially in Japan (Onimusha was the first PS2 hit, which came out nearly a year after launch). Yet Sony didn't have the lack of sense to actually tout that back then.

****I know Wii Fit seems like a slap in the face to the hardcore, but Nintendo didn't wave a magic wand and make casual games so profitable. They are just using that fact.

lets wait untill Nintendo makes a real mature action game like GoW, lets wait untill they make a real racer that breaks 10 million. 

The only handheld gaming console where I can see an advantage to putting it down is a DS during a Tap Heavy game of EBA or that Japanese drumming game.

My complaint with Sony is pretty simple. What I was promised wasn't delivered. A new great gaming experience: Fuck no. Not at all. The same old experience, at a 500 dollar inflated price tag. Sure, if I cared about BluRay or HD, the price tag wouldn't be that inflated. I don't.

Also, another weird thing I just thought of: BluRay was advertised as having laround 10x normal capacity, and it does. Why does Motorstorm only have 8 races? 23 years ago, Excitebike had 5 tracks, and the ability to make your own.

Ratchet & Clank isn't even Sony first party. Really, what few 1st party games Sony has are not on the level of Nintendo's. Nintendo's been doing it longer, better.

 A few points here Hus. Firstly, does it matter what type of games they make? They are still the untouchable first party developer and neither Sony nor MS look like they're going to change that. Mario and Zelda are probably the two biggest franchises in the market at the moment, with only a few other franchises that can challenge them (GT, GTA, FF and Halo).

Also GoW is not a mature game, its got mature content yes, but its essentially a hack'n'slash. I would call say, Bioshock a mature action game, something thats slightly deeper than GoW.