News Is the PS3 a sales dud

As Panos stated (in parentheses), it's a fully functional computer with Linux.

You can do most things via Ethernet or USB these days, so it's not completely out of the question.

 

The PS3 will run Yellow Dog Linux as it's "PC OS".

As with all other flavours of Linux, support for USB printers & scanners is pretty good (except for Canon ).
As for disc burning, I suppose one could use an external DVDRW?

 

I notice Play have now reduced their bundle to £525.

Selling well? I think not.

 

now.... wasn't this kind of predictable? most people buy expensive stuff before Christmas.... not after.....

 

The PS3 may have stood a chance of selling better had the display kiosk models actually worked. Every time I walk into Best Buy or even *gulp* WalMart, the PS3 on display is either:

A. Turned off

or

B. Frozen on a single frame of gameplay

Fantastic way to sell consoles there, Sony... if it won't even work in the store as a display, why would I want to spend $600 + games on your new toy?

 

if someone could find me a ps controller for xbox, id buy a 360...thats why i play playstation...i cant get used to the 360 controller

 

I would get one, but not at that price, i mean 425 squid plus another 40 for a game, so u will end up at the 500 mark, but i think when the price drops, which sony must have in there plans, cos it will not sell at that price for long, it will take off.

From a technical point of view, ps3 is on paper better than the 360, but it depends on how developers utilise the hardware at thier disposal, its like the first leap between -s1 and ps2 games were not that great, then looked what happend a year or so into the ps2 being availbale, absolutly cracking games, think the same should happen here..

also for the people who seem to bash blu-ray, it is technically superior than hd-dvd, and in the future its massive disc density will cum into its on, plus it has more backing than hd-dvd at the mo

 

How so? They're actually roughly even, PS3 has a lot of processing power, the 360 has lots of memory. Anyway, the PS3 is reportedly very hard to program for, whereas the 360 is meant to be very easy.

I wouldn't call it a fully functional PC either, if the PS3 can do everything that my PC can do, and roughly as well, I'll buy a hat then eat it.

The PS3 supply chain isn't that great, and even if it were, there still shouldn't be stock on the shelves this close to launch. I still havn't seen a Wii in stock anywhere in the UK. These shops with the PS3s on the shelves had said that they'd actually been there for a pretty long time, and aside from the initial launch, sales weren't all that good.

 

Well, if we define a 'PC' as an 'IBM-Compatible Personal Computer', then no, it's definitely not a PC. PC's are x86.

I don't like Sony much, nor do I want a PS3 -- I just want the damn hardware encased within. A Cell microprocessor is an amazing bit of kit, just as XDR memory has some insane bandwidth to it.

And as far as I'm concerned, any machine with a fully-functional operating system on it, developed and available from the word go: is a fully-functional computer when loaded with it.

What can't you do? Via the wonders of USB, it can do anything within the realms of what you can do with any modern-day Linux-based system. And I'd be pretty upset if you told me this towering metal case next to me wasn't a computer because it was running Linux. Games? Well they're not really written for Linux on the whole (target audience), but you could always boot up a game instead of YDL.

I could quite honestly see it being a great platform for home-brew games, should the price drop to realistic levels. Wouldn't you love to say that you wrote and compiled your own game, burnt it to a disc and played it.. All on your PS3? It's entirely possible.

Sony did one good thing picking the hardware -- it may fail as the mother of all consoles, but with the YDL distribution to go with it -- it's certainly open to numerous possibilities.

And as for the BD-ROM's DRM... Hey, if we can disable HDCP under Windows with Any-DVD HD .. Why can't we do it in YDL?

 

If I had the money to blow I would get a ps3 to try linux on it.

For a computer its not a bad price but I have no interest in throwing my money into one just for that.

 

Once it bombs, and the price drops like a rock, I'm going to pick up a few. One for Folding, one for a cheap linux box. But it'd have to go down to ~$200 for that.

 

You do know that the PS3 and X360 take around the same amount of power as a mid-range PC?

 

I think I'm going to go and pre-order my PS3 now... the only reason I hadn't was that I assumed it was as popular as the Wii, and that I'd end up waiting an extra three months even if I pre-ordered now!

Now I know that this is NOT the case, a pre-order seems worthwhile...

 

If I bought a PS3 it would be because its a CONSOLE - not a PC.

If you want a machine to do OTHER tasks - buy a proper PC and use THAT.

Consoles are supposed to have simplified controllers, be more biased towards games/media......

If Sony wanted this to be a glorified super PC with state of the ark technology then perhaps they should have touted it as such, maybe then, people would have been quite happy to shell out £500 for a PC/games hybrid than just a glorified DVD player with a games console tacked on (and that's pretty much what the PS3 is people)

I want a PC cos its got a keyboard and mouse - its useful, it too plays games (yes, I NEED to upgrade at times, but who cares, it lasts me for YEARS)

I want a console, because I just want to play games. I already HAVE 3 DVD players (2 more than I need) so I don't really need another. I just wanna PLAY games.... Sony, are you listening...?

Should have made the PS3 nothing more than a games machine, made the blu ray players separate and charged LESS - people would buy the PS3 cos it would be cheaper, and if people wanted the blu ray, they'd buy that too...

Shot themselves in the foot? More like in the b@lls....

Is this proof that "convergent technology" is more or less pointless?

 

I see what people are saying about the PS3. I really do want it to work/succeed as I think it has good potential.

But like all consoles when they come to market, rarely to they have a killer line up. As pointed out earlier in the thread, the 360 only had a couple "good" (IMO) games at release. The Wii, as neat as the iface is, has dulled to me. I do enjoy the Wii sports games, but the Zelda..? Looks awful and doesn't have anything new to get me going.

I do love the 360 tho - at least now there are decent games out and many more coming. But this is always the way. The ps1 didnt have "killer" apps until a good 8 months after - once devs got to grips with the machines and churned out some good games. The same applied to the 360 and the same *will* apply to the PS3.

I suppose the major lack of "MGS4" quality games at launch is cos devs are still figuring the systems out when they hit the public, and with some studios, who's going to put their name to a sub-standard version of a supposed system seller game like the MGS series? No. They'll wait until they can really make it shine, which is generally some time after system release.

Nevertheless, I'm not a Sony, M$ or Nin fanboy. I simply enjoy any console that produces quality games that I enjoy. And I am quite positive that the PS3 will, just ast he 360 did.

 

Well I'm going to buy one, fed up with the continual advance in the PC sector and the spiralling cost, I use my PC for games, web and email, its highend (7900GTXSLI 3Ghz X2, 2Gb RAM) just for playing crappy console ports like Rainbow 6 Vegas that have sucky performance on the PC but are sweet on the console

If only they could sort out keyboard/mouse control for FPS and RTS titles on a console then PC gaming would be history with the likes of a PS3/Xbox360 now offering good high res graphics support.

I'm buying a PS3 to complement my X360 and I really hope PC gaming dies a death I can't really see what its offering, the continually advancing game engines appear to not offer much more a console couldn't do these days, all the hardware peripherals available for my PC like my FF wheel etc are available on a Console.

Honestly if Sony or MS put the option for Keyboard and mouse on the games I like to play I am outta here, a typical 5 year lifespan for a console where games only get better, look at PS2 some of its latest titles are some of its best, I'd rather pay £500 every 5 years than £500 quid every year to play games at high def with respectable performance. I can even do all my computer task on a PS3 by using Gentoo, Fedora or YDL though I wouldn't as if its anything like my X360 it'll burn 200W doing buggerall (much like my big rig under CnQ) whereas my low power laptop I use for surfing/web as an alternative to the big rig does it in 35W.

 

To be honest I can't think of any console that has offered so much at launch that I've wanted one right then. I bought a 360 just before Christmas, it was only when GOW came out that there were a reasonable amount of good titles to justify the purchase.
Rushing out and buying any console the second it comes out always strikes me as being an almost guaranteed disappointment.

 

most of the people i know have imported one

Buying from the UK is just far too expensive

Edit
The people that have one that is, and thats not many

 

I work for Argos yes im ashamed of myself, as for instore preorders, ive had one, think our store has had about 3 in total, the nintendo wii on the other hand had far more enquires! That says something to me. PS2 now that was some serious preordering. So maybe gamers do go to Argos and woolworths, but maybe the UK is sick of Sony!
Also I get the impression from alot of people they won't preorder one because last time they could it got delayed.

 

You know what is funny? Here in America I work for a wholesale giant, and the store close to mine got 48 PS3s in. In 3 weeks they've sold 5. We got 48 Wiis in, sold them in 3 DAYS. When our first 3 shipments of Xbox 360s came in (in better supply than both consoles, both stores got 48 all three shipments.) They sold within the day. Here in Charlotte the 360 is the clear winner. As for the Wii, I own one and personally I find it nothing special. It isn't as good as an arcade peripheral and there is only one game worth buying IMHO ATM which is Zelda. It's a great game, but coming from playing RS Vegas, it is hard to adjust to the graphics.