Probably as the sheep that are the average American consumer will buy anything packaged as the "latest" and "greatest". However, wtf is MS going to do with the 720 that is going to make the PS3 obsolete? PS3 already has 3D capabilities and the games still aren't maxing out the PS3.
I have no doubt Microsoft is going to launch first when it comes to next generation hardware, and I also have no doubt they'll end up selling more than Sony's product. There's a very high chance that Microsoft is going to reveal their new system this year at E3, meaning it'll launch either the end of this year or early 2013. From what I've read from various sources, Sony isn't ready for that kind of time frame, which means they're probably going to get beat to the punch by several months once again.
I really don't think it even matters. Sony showed time and time again this generation that they have completely lost touch with what their customers want. With today's huge emphasis on online gaming, playing online on the PS3 is almost as bad today as it was when it launched over 5 years ago. The lone improvement they have made to the network in that 5 year span is the implementation of trophies, which is also half-assed, much like everything else involving their network.
I just don't think they know what they're doing to be honest. They're focusing on exclusive niche titles(most of which were rushed and came out terribly - here's looking at you, Killzone 3, SOCOM 4, Resistance 3, and inevitably Starhawk), 3D(which is a gimmick), Move(also a gimmick which has proven to have failed miserably), and Home. Meanwhile, Microsoft is focusing on 3 or 4 blockbuster exclusives(Gears, Halo, Forza, etc..) that have tons of polish, Kinect(which somehow has proven to be incredibly successful), and securing exclusive deals with 3rd party games so that they sell better on the 360(Call of Duty, Skyrim, etc...).
When you look at how well Microsoft is handling everything with the 360 compared to the monkey job Sony is doing with the PS3, I'm shocked Microsoft isn't beating them more in sales than they currently are. I guess they have Europe and Japan to heavily thank. Regardless, if the trend continues and Sony doesn't wake up, beef up their network with a lot of features, and start developing games that people actually want, I don't see a chance in hell of Sony winning this next generation.
I disagree with practically everything you listed there, I OU, but I also understand where you're coming from -- I just don't share your conclusions. I also don't think we're going to hear anything about a new Xbox at E3 this year.
CLW, I agree. Microsoft practically has to embrace a Blu-ray drive, but besides that almost all you'll see in a new console is increased graphics (and hopefully more RAM). But I don't think the time is right, and I don't think Microsoft would be eager to heap another new piece of hardware on their existing consumers, especially with the sales they just got at the end of last year. Kinect is in a good position right now, so they'll ride that wave for another year at least, I think.
Twitter: @3YardsandACloud
Well don't get me wrong, I love my PS3, but I really don't like the way Sony handled this generation and I just don't see that changing when it comes to the next line of consoles. They're already screwing up when it comes to the Vita, too.
But yes, Microsoft has to adopt blu-ray next generation. It would be extremely stupid of them not to.
Another rumor I've heard multiple times is that Microsoft is working on two consoles - one full upgrade to the 360 and then another system as a set box for the Kinect. While I doubt that is the case, it would be an interesting way to balance out core players and casual players. Charge $400 for the new Xbox and get the core players, then turn around and charge $99 or something for a set box for Kinect, which would get the people who don't want to pay $150 for Kinect + $200 for the system.
As for Move, I really hope Sony ditches it. I don't see that thing ever being a big hit for Sony.
Holy shit. After 4 years of periodically trying to get my original PSN account back, I FINALLY got it back today. Long story short, someone jacked my account a few years ago and I've never been able to get it back due to not knowing the email address, and of course, Sony doesn't let you do anything if you don't know the email. I finally got someone today who was willing to verify all my information, get my old console serial number(which I thankfully had), and get it changed to a current email.
I wish they would've done it 4 years ago so I could have gotten all my trophies on this name instead, but nonetheless, I'm extremely pleased to have finally gotten it back.
I am by no means a motion gamer ... but I didn't see the Wii taking off with the Wiimote, nor Kinect becoming a huge success with Kinect. Now, I think Sony is significantly behind the 8-ball right now with Move (the lack of success at this point is rather daunting), so they may be well suited to cutting and running. But motion gaming, or to think of it another way "the next fad in gaming" seems to have been very unpredictable over the last few years.
Yeah, I can understand that. That's just not how I feel about it. I'm fine with how the PS3 is, except for the way the System Updates / Patches are handled. Some things could be better, but I'm a big fan of the exclusives and the system overall. Then again, you and I have distinctly different tastes beyond our shared love of sports games. You mentioned 5 shooters + Forza. None of those matter to me, after all. So while I can observe things like Gears/Halo vs Resistance/Killzone, and I know Sony is quite up to snuff there, it's not a dealbreaker for me. To each his own though, I don't mean to belittle your opinion, if it seems that way.
Twitter: @3YardsandACloud
Whenever Sony announced Move, I thought it had potential, but I never thought it would work the way Sony thought. I think Sony initially thought it would be able to tap into some of the Wii users and that Move would basically be Wii in HD, and I don't think it panned out that way. It seems to me that a lot of people have Move to play shooters on(I have no idea how, I think it sucks when it comes to shooters), and the casual portion of it never caught on. Of course, that may have to do with the price. To use it, you would have to pay $250 for a PS3, then another $100 for all the Move equipment. It has the potential to be successful, but I think Sony needs to support it more and lower the price on it. I honestly have no idea how Kinect is doing as well as it is - I thought for sure it would bomb just like I thought the Move would bomb.
The system updates and patches are definitely one of the big issues for me, along with the lack of online features specifically no cross game chat and the lack of emphasis on players profiles/trophies. The exclusives and the fact 90% of my friends have a PS3 are really the main reasons I have a PS3, so I do appreciate that Sony focuses on first party exclusives rather than going the Microsoft route and trying to secure third party exclusives or third party titles with exclusive content.
I just truly hope Sony has learned their lesson with this generation and incorporate the online features that people have been asking for. One baffling aspect of the equation for me is the lack of a truly enticing exclusive online shooter and the fact that they haven't even released a LEGITIMATE version of the game that completely dominated online gaming during the PS2/Xbox era in SOCOM. Makes absolutely no sense to me.
Hopefully Microsoft doesn't rush their next console out and miss a flaw in their design this go around.
Either way I'll wait to get one just to be sure
I can't say much about Move, but I can speak to this a little. A co-worker's son got the Move for Christmas and has been using the Sharpshooter. At first he didn't take to it either, but over time he's really enjoyed it. I think my co-worker said that he thinks it's a lot better than just using the controller. I think it may depend on which games you're playing, though.
Maybe not to the extent Microsoft has (I'm honestly ignorant about Microsoft's recent deals), but Sony's definitely started this. Look at the "extras" the PS3 has gotten with titles like Portal 2, Medal of Honor, etc. I heard a few months back that Microsoft was starting to bitch about third-party titles not being the same experience on one console as the other. Ironic to me, that is.
Related to that and your earlier comment about Sony exclusives, I wonder how much control Sony has over exclusives. With first-party titles, you can imagine a decent amount of control, but with third-party games that just happen to be exclusives, not so much. But either way, if the game sucks at the end of the day, is that on Sony or solely on the developer? In my eyes, the best exclusive they have is Ratchet & Clank: A Crack in Time, and that was third-party. That may say a lot.
Twitter: @3YardsandACloud
Anyone having issues with PSN recently? I have had a TON of connection issues with it. I run a connection test and I get a connection and IP every time so I don't think it is anything on my end.
I haven't really been on PSN lately, but when you're running the connection test, check out your Up/Down speed. Sometimes I'm having issues and I notice that my test speeds are a lot lower than they should be. After rebooting my router, the speeds are back to normal and the connection is stable again.
Twitter: @3YardsandACloud
4.10 update is out dang it. Gotta wait two hours to go online from download ha. But gonna wait and do it over night since my wifi is way slow right now .
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