At the risk of sounding like a forum troll, I have to say, I'm not too impressed with the implementation of Netflix on Xbox 360.
The service, which is available to Xbox Live and Netflix -subscribers, allows you to stream movies to your TV via your Xbox 360, and on paper, it sounds ingenious.
Indeed, that's why I -- along with many others -- was so excited when Microsoft announced this forthcoming feature way back at E3 in July. Unfortunately, Netflix for Xbox Live users is now here, and it's not all it was cracked up to be.
For starters, the selection of streamable movies is lackluster. Netflix users who have used the service's "Instantly Watch" section know that there aren't an incredible variety of movies to pick from. There are few new releases available. Instead, the selection is composed mainly of films like Mission to Mars, The Abyss, Superman: The Movie, Batman Forever and Scarface.
There's nothing necessarily wrong with th... More »
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 »
This generation console war is still finely in the balance. Sure, the Wii is way out in front, while the PS3 and Xbox 360 trade positions on a monthly basis, but with a long way to go, I still feel it’s anyone’s market.
So what will swing it for one of the consoles? What will make the all-important mainstream consumer choose one over the other and take it on to victory?
While some of us have owned and played a next generation console for two to three years, we are the early adopters, the hardcore gamers (except for Wii owners) who want the latest and greatest system to experience our hobby on. And generally, although price may be a slight concern, we’re willing to pay through the nose for that cutting-edge experience.
But with prices dropping and this generation of consoles moving in to the second phase, the general populous are entering the fray and choosing their games system to replace the last-gen console they have been happy with for t... More »
We knew Japan was warming up to Blu-ray, but apparently those tepid desires have morphed into infernos of passion.
According to new statistics loosed by the Japan Electronics and Information Technology Industries Association (JEITA), Blu-ray Disc recorder / player shipments hit a level of 138,000, or around 107 times more than the shipments posted a year ago.
Moreover, those shipments accounted for 31% of "overall shipments of DVD equipment on a volume basis."
Unsurprisingly, BD equipment -- coupled with flat-panel TVs -- were the two biggest drivers of consumer electronics shipments in Japan this year, with visual equipment shipments rising 8.2% year-over-year.
Blu-ray and HDTV: a match made in heaven. Or Tokyo.
Sony is in deep trouble. The company has been forced to slash its earnings forecast by 57 percent amid deteriorating economic conditions and its inability to compete more effectively in markets throughout the world.
Of course, Sony will still post a profit--most analysts claim that it'll be about $500 million--but the downturn speaks to Sony's issues and the fact that this once-dominant company has been downgraded to an also-ran in the industry.
Remember the days of Sony dominance? It was a time when the Walkman was on the minds of tech lovers around the world and the PlayStation moniker was held in the highest regard. Sony TVs were everywhere, and the company's ability to capitalize on any market was truly astounding.
But since then, Sony has lost its way. It's no longer a company that can rely on its name to beat other companies to a pulp, and with more competitors realizing how to beat Sony, it has quickly become irrelevant in many markets.
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Mark Levitan, marketing and public relations manager for PlayStation Canada, has said that they "can't really depend on third party for exclusives anymore."
He does however feel that Sony creates enough of their own exclusives to set them apart from he competition. Levitan went onto say that he thinks the PS3's come down to a point where, for $399, it is certainly affordable.
To quote: Functionality is kind of hand in hand with price - you have to say to yourself, if you've bought an HDTV, 1080p resolution is important to you so maybe you want a Blu-ray player. If that's something you're considering, then obviously you're going to pick a PS3.
You can go to any chain store and pick up a Blu-ray player but for an extra 100 bucks, you can get a PS3. You get something that not only plays the best games but you can surf the Internet with it, download all your pictures to it, or listen to music. I think that functionality will separate us from ... More »
IGN Australia (linked above) is reporting that the new PlayStation 3 Firmware 2.50 is incompatible with their Sony amp/receiver and greets them with a black screen. As soon as they cut the 7.1 Sony amp/receiver supporting 1080p over HDMI out of the picture, things worked which to them is "utterly boggling". Sony is yet to comment on this issue...
To quote: Last week Sony released firmware 2.50 for the PS3. However, in a bizarre turn of events the latest firmware prevents the PS3 from displaying an image on some state-of-the-art Sony home theatres.
We installed firmware 2.50 yesterday only to be greeted by a blank screen. After much swearing and trouble-shooting we discovered it was the Sony amp/receiver that was incompatible with the new firmware. We were able to get a picture again by cutting the Sony amp out of the loop and going straight into the projector.
For the record the IGN AU PS3 setup includes a 7.1 Sony amp/receiver supporting 1080p ov... More »
ExtremeTech has found that replacing the PS3's hard drive with Intel's new X-25 solid-state 80GB drive can reduce a games load times by up to 40%.
However, the drive does not greatly improve install times as the read performance of the Blu-ray drive holds it back. If anyone is considering this upgrade, it will set you back $600.
To quote: We've already raved about the stellar performance of Intel's new X-25 solid-state drive, which just happens to come in an 80GB capacity and 2.5-inch SATA form factor. Perfect for a PS3!
So after a quick FAT32 format, we dropped the drive in the PS3 unit we keep in the HDTV lab here (an original 60GB unit) to see what kind of impact it has on install times, game start times, and load times.
We took four games notorious for long installs or load times and timed them both with the original 60GB hard drive and the Intel SSD. The results may surprise you—but at $600, it's certainly not a cheap upgrad... More »
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