Ready for PlayStation 3?

[bahn]

Looks like Sony is ready to get the jump on the competion again.

Several months ago, rumors surfaced regarding Sony's development plans of the successor to its existing platform. Below is a report from a UK news outlet:

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The news will put an icy chill in the heart of every parent with school-age children. Sony, the Japanese entertainment titan striving for total domination of the video games market, is understood to be in advanced stages of developing PlayStation 3.

It is unlikely to get a warm welcome from Sony's two chief competitors – Nintendo and Microsoft – who have only just brought out machines to compete with PlayStation 2.

Plans for the third installment in the PlayStation saga were rapidly stepped up when Sony saw the capabilities of Microsoft's Xbox, says sources within its development team.

Although the company believes it has enough good games in the pipeline and a wide enough global customer base to compete for the moment, PlayStation 3 is being designed specifically to handle online gaming – seen by many analysts as the future of video games.

Sony has courted alliances with some of the technology industry's biggest hitters in an effort to "soundly beat whatever our rivals produce next''. IBM and Toshiba are jointly designing the central chip that will control the PlayStation 3 at a top-secret technology lab in Austin, Texas. The project, which aims to create the ultimate graphics and sound processor, is believed to cost around $1bn (£650m).

City analysts estimate that the global games market could reach $40bn within the next decade – riches that no one in the industry wants, or can afford, to miss. Because of the UK's strength in game design, the forthcoming console war will also benefit the many small software houses that have been making hit games since the heady days of the ZX Spectrum and the Commodore 64.

The British market is experiencing a glut of new launches. Nintendo's hand-held Game Boy Advance hit the shelves before Christmas, Microsoft's Xbox was launched six weeks ago, and this week will see the last piece falling into place: Nintendo's GameCube.

The three-way struggle for supremacy has seen each company adopt different tactics. Sony got its PlayStation 2 machine on the market before anyone else, and reaped the rewards of being the only player on the block for 18 months. Microsoft's Xbox, meanwhile, has made its appeal to what it sees as more serious gamers. Although the enormous Xbox – much larger than other consoles – is Microsoft's first step into the world of video games, its rivals cannot afford to dismiss the machine. After all, Sega and Nintendo seemed to have the market sewn up in 1993 when Sony arrived and sold 85 million PlayStations.

The Xbox's software makes full use of the machine's huge graphics and memory capabilities, and the games line-up includes "Halo", one of only a few games to which reviewers have given a "perfect" rating. Unfortunately, the past six weeks have not gone Microsoft's way: sales have been sluggish and, within five weeks of launch, the company decided to drop the price by 38 per cent to drum up custom.

The Xbox may have the best technology, but the market is only interested in the quality of the games. Nintendo, a past master at producing must-have titles, has not only got a meaty selection of games to accompany the launch of the GameCube, but is also selling the machine at less than half the original cost of the Xbox.

[Brotherman]

Oh boy... not again.

If PS3 is comming soon there better be a nie price drop for PS2, because I doubt PS3 is going to be selling for the same price as an older system. Then again, they might decide to charge of $300 dollars. If that's the case and it still sales well, all I can do is shake my head and watch the standard costs for consoles at launch jump up again. I wonder how devs. will react if this is true. Guess we have to wait and see.

[bloodyarts]

Ugh, I hate you, SEGA!

It's because of you (VF4, specifically) that I finally got off the fence and bought a PS2.

Now, Sony is readying PS3 for release sooner than expected. Great. So, I guess I have 2-3 years of life left in this thing. I'm not too mad, though. VF4 is the dog's teeth. I heard XBox is getting a superior version, but there's no way I'm buying another system now.

[Cheebs]

It is WAY too early for the PS3. Sony doesn't want to pull a "Sega CD/32X". Release the PS3 if you want too, just don't come crying to me when it turns out to be a huge blunder.

And for God's sake, if you name it the PS3 I will stretch your nose out and wrap it fully around your left ear. We have a way of doing things in the console industry, ya damn newbie! New consoles get new names.

[Keres]

There's been PS3 hype since long before the PS2 hit the market. Sony's got a grip on the console market like Nintendo has long had on the portable market. Look at Nintendo, they didn't upgrade their hardware for over a decade because there really wasn't the need to do so since the demand was so high. There's no doubt that Sony will rule this generation, so why be in such a hurry to ruin a good thing? It's a safe bet you won't see the PS3 for at least 2 more years.

[Kidnemo]

Originally posted by Keres
It's a safe bet you won't see the PS3 for at least 2 more years.

My thoughts exactly...

[TheSCHLONG!]

you know whats sad....segs went thru systems like underwear and people STILL hate them (even tho 99% never bought anything past the Genny)....yet SONY can release systems whenever and the masses will still love them. i rememeber the lemmings right when the ps2 came out believeing the ps9 commercial and actually wanting to joyously put money down on it. people.....are......stupid.....shits.

[dog$]

One main concern:

Will this thing use PS1/2 softs?
How soon until they tell us?

Originally posted by TheSCHLONG!
you know whats sad....segs went thru systems like underwear and people STILL hate them (even tho 99% never bought anything past the Genny)....yet SONY can release systems whenever and the masses will still love them.

Sony has released two systems to date, with a five year gap between them.
Since the Master System, Sega has released numerous (PROTIP: More than two!) systems and I don't believe there was ever a gap of more than four years between any one of them.

Watch your tone.

[Keres]

Originally posted by TheSCHLONG!
you know whats sad....segs went thru systems like underwear and people STILL hate them (even tho 99% never bought anything past the Genny)

Sega went thru add-ons like underwear. The Sega CD & 32X didn't help them all that much. Other than that, they've released just as many systems since the Genesis as Nintendo has. Give Sony a break, they have yet to go thru their first "add-on" catastrophes, the Broadband adapter & the hard drive. I can't think of an add-on that has yet gained mass acceptance.

Originally posted by TheSCHLONG!
....yet SONY can release systems whenever and the masses will still love them.

Sony has only release 2 systems so far with a five year gap in between them.

[Werewolf]

I don't expect this anytime soon, like it says they are still designing the graphics chip. I would say it would be released around early 2005 (in Japan) and fall 2005 (in the USA), which is the same distance between PSX and PS2... they might go for a 2004 release if they feel they need it, but I don't see it coming any earlier then that.