There's general agreement that Sony stumbled out of the gate with the PlayStation 3. Months of intense hype were followed by a late launch (fully a year after the Xbox 360) and a staggering $600 price tag for the deluxe model.
Even worse, the PS3 didn't initially have any real must-have exclusive titles, and despite the power of its vaunted Cell processor, multiplatform games from third-party developers didn't look appreciably better than the respective titles on the Xbox 360.
Since then, the company's been modifying the PlayStation product line to better fit the competitive market landscape. As of August 2008, a new "bargain" PS3 is available with a larger, 80GB hard drive, and a "deluxe" model is due in November, doubling the capacity to 160GB.
Both, however, lack backward compatibility with PS2 games and do not come with flash card readers. If those features are a must, it might be best to pick up the 80GB "Metal Gear" bundle version on eBay w... More »
The DS and PSP are last gen platforms – and the only true next-gen portable platform is the iPod Touch.
That was the message from Apple this week, as the company finally revealed its intentions to snaffle market share in the traditional gaming space – after years of fervent speculation about its plans.
Speaking exclusively to MCV, the company confessed that its new marketing campaign encourages consumers to buy iPod purely “to play our games” – and even marked the device out as a real threat to Nintendo and Sony’s handheld efforts.
Greg Joswiak, head of iPod and iPhone marketing told us: “It’s not just the screens that are superior to DS – it’s the graphics capability, the computing power and the App Store distribution model.
“I had an analyst tell me in September – and he was right – that the DS is the past of gaming devices, and iPod Touch is the future of gaming devices. It certainly has our competi... More »
In a recent interview, Insomniac CEO Ted Price admitted that he sees the benefits in going multi-platform and breaking the company's exclusivity with Sony.
However, for now it seems as if the benefits of actually sticking with Sony slightly outweigh the benefits of parting, so don't expect any radical changes in the immediate future.
To quote: Of course, Insomniac has historically been a Sony mainstay. "For the last ten years or so, we have been working very closely with Sony," Price said.
"I mean, people ask me all the time, 'so, do you consider going multiplatform? What are the drawbacks?'" He says that one benefit of exclusivity is that the company's games "tend to be associated with the hardware - but that could be a drawback too."
He cites the original Resistance: Fall of Man as an example of this kind of product association. "We did get a lot of additional exposure simply because it was synonymous with the PlayStation... More »
Capcom's John Diamonon shared the following today via PS Blog:
Hey PS Fam! Long time no blog. It’s my pleasure to announce that Age of Booty will finally become available today on the PSN for only $9.99. I know there was a delay bringing this title to you, but we had to make sure we fixed all the bugs before we deliver one of the most original digital games on this platform.
Anyway, Max Hoberman, the President of Certain Affinity and the developer of Age of Booty, wanted to give you some insights into this critically acclaimed game. He’ll also answer any questions you have about the game. Without further ado, heeeere’s Max!
This is a follow-up to my previous post, where I described the genesis of our upcoming downloadable pirate action RTS, Age of Booty. I left off with us signing a publishing deal with Capcom and beginning production. That was a year ago, and since then we’ve had a lot of time to improve upon the original design.... More »
Per Grace Chen (Senior Manager, PlayStation Store) via PS Blog today:
Hey, everyone. It’s time again for the PlayStation Store weekly update.
Downloadable Games
Age of Booty ($9.99)
Fight for pirate supremacy in this game of strategy and cannon-blasting action that’s fun for all ages. Sail the high seas alone or with friends as you build your pirate empire by plundering villages, sinking ships, and sending your enemies to the briny deep! Upgrade your ships with new, more powerful weapons, and explore 25 different maps or create your own to share! With so many features, Age of Booty is a treasure chest of fun! Download the game today!
File size: 44 MB
Add-on Game Content
LittleBigPlanet - MotorStorm Stormers Costume ($1.99)
A premium costume for SackBoy!
File size: 1.04
LittleBigPlanet - Sack-Eating Plant Costume (SCEE contest winner) (free)
A community co... More »
You'll have to forgive me; I would rather be playing Gears of War 2 on my Xbox 360 instead of writing this. Unfortunately, Microsoft's customer support has made that an impossibility.
Now, I'm well aware that the internet has become a haven for Xbox customer support horror stories and with good cause. In fact, I think that these types of stories are quickly catching up to porn as the most popular use of the internet.
I kid of course, and I would think my experiences with these people would be good for a laugh or two if I didn't have a fresh copy of Gears 2 staring me in the face. Before I begin with my multiple tales of woe, let me tell you a bit about how our operation works here at GamingExcellence.
GE is made up of a staff of about two dozen very enthusiastic folks that contribute to the site through sheer love of all things gaming related. We're not doing this for the big bucks, we're not doing this for the fame, we're doing this because gami... More »
A short time ago Sony Computer Entertainment executive Ray Maguire was quoted in response to a question about a PlayStation 3 price cut.
"Well the pressure comes from the consumers obviously and so therefore there's always pressure on price," admitted Maguire, "but you know we have a business to run, and we have to make sure we're doing the right thing for the shareholders as well."
I am sorry, what? I know I am not a CPA, a high ranking business analyst, nor a senior executive at a multi-billion dollar company, but I can do basic math. Microsoft recently had some major price cuts on their hardware and has seen a big hardware surge in North America and especially Europe as a result. So let’s break out some hypothetical numbers shall we?
So after weighing in on Resistance 2, it started to dawn on us: is this now the franchise to beat in the FPS genre? And with the impending Killzone 2, is the PlayStation 3 now home to the best FPS experiences on the planet?
Typically, Microsoft has been responsible for the best FPS experiences ever since the original Xbox launched way back in 2001 with Halo. Even multiplatform FPSs have been better on a Microsoft console, although we believe that trend will soon fade in this generation.
Earlier, developers simply didn't have a good handle on the PlayStation 3, but now, things are starting to come together and it appears it's Sony's machine that has the best to offer in the FPS genre. Xbox 360 loyalists will consistently turn to Halo 3, but although I am a big fan of that trilogy, the fact of the matter is that Resistance 2 is better.
Insomniac's initial effort, as good as it was, may not have been a "Halo killer," but the sequel most certainly ... More »
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