Is the Playstation 3 destined to go the way of the Sega Dreamcast?

[yoda313]

So with Sony posting a 1 billion dollar loss and the 360 and Wii winning the console sales wars, is the Playstation 3 doomed to the same fate as the Sega Dreamcast?

What do you think?

I have all three current gen systems and here is the order in which I play the most games on them - 360 - PS3 - Wii. And actually the ps3 and wii are neck and neck - ie I haven't been playing them much.

BUT I do use the ps3 as a hdmi dvd upconverting player. I also have a modest collection of 4 bluray movies.

I think what has hurt the PS3 initially was the ridiculous $600 USD launch price. Of course launch prices are always high but it took them quite a while to drop to a smaller harddrive and a $400 USD price tag.

Personally I think the ps3 is a decent gaming system. Though I am fully in the 360 camp.

One thing I think will keep the ps3 from completely folding is those adopters that like its multimedia capability. For the longest time it was the cheapest bluray player available and about the only one to be updatable. It is a good upconverting dvd player and can also do many high def formats including m2ts files.

So is the ps3 doomed to extinction or can it survive the one-two punch from Microsoft and the resurgent Nintendo?

[edDV]

I'm all ears. You have all three and I've only sampled these in other's homes. I've avoided dedicated game consoles to date in favor of PC games/simulators. The Niece/Nephews bring in their 360's and I hook them up. But I'm not impressed with those as a video player.

The PS3 blu-ray playback is interesting but the $399 price needs some killer game support which I see lacking.

I'm no Sony fan but when they have something I'll listen and maybe buy.

So far, I think the PS3 is a second rate media player-extender at first rate prices. I can only assume Sony is getting their act together. If not I say "Sayonara".

[Xylob the Destroyer]

I wasn't aware that the 360 was being considered a "winner".
I bought mine used from a buddy who was strapped for cash - it was a pity purchase.
It's OK, but nothing special.
I play my PS3 more than the 360 & Wii combined.

That being said, most of what I play on my PS3 is Playstation2 games (I bought mine before they decided to **** you on backward compatiblilty).
Most of what I play on my Wii is NES, SNES, TG-16, N64 and other downloaded stuff for previous era consoles.

Apparently what's holding the PS3 back the most is it's lack of some sort of online hub like XBOX Live. Personally I wouldn't know as even though I briefly had an XBOX and currently have a 360, I've never played any games on Live.
I find online multi-player gaming to be a simple novelty and nothing more (I know, I'm seriously in the minority on this point).
I've played online with my Wii, PS2 & PS3 a few times and it's OK, but the vast majority of the games I like are single-player...
Home is supposed to be $ony's Live killer but I've been testing the Beta of Home for several months now and to be perfectly honest - it's crap. Pointless crap. I guess it's not fair to say I've been Beta testing it for "several months", as I got so unbeilievably bored with it in less than 2 days. I actually can't put into words how pointlessly stupid Home is...

Anyway....
I like the PS3 best. Mine plays all of my (many) PS2 games and most of my (again many) PS1 games.
The Playstation controller can't be beat. It's ergo as all hell and has 8 fully analog buttons, 4 digital buttons, a d-pad, 2 analog sticks, and it's all in the right place (controller could be a bit bigger though - some of us come in adult sizes).
Wii controller was cool at first, but has become more novelty than anything. It seems that only Nintendo understands how to make games that take advantage of it and they're slow at putting them out.
360 will only play a small handful of the XBOX games I had and the controller is a carpal-tunnel nightmare with the WORST (absolutely worthless) d-pad in history.

As for PC gaming...
I hate the mouse/keyboard control scheme. It's ass-backward and 100% counter-intuitive.
My desk is not the optimal spot for chillin' out and killing some monsters, running people off the road, or going on a grand adventure. Especially since my monitor is only 22" (4:3) which is actually pretty darned big for PC, but still small as hell compared to any decent TV. I've got a $50 2.1 sound system and a desk chair.
This can't compare to 36" HDTV [again, (this time "only") 4:3] with 7.1 bad-ass surround while kickin' back on the Lazy-Boy!
Computers are for working, not playing. It's been hard for me to get away from that mind-set.
I do have an HTPC connected to the HDTV but there really aren't that many PC games that appeal to me that aren't also on console, and I'd still have to deal with the atrocious mouse/keyboard control scheme.

[yoda313]

I wasn't aware that the 360 was being considered a "winner".

I don't know how reliable the XPLAY tv show on the G4 network is but they had pretty damming sales figures in December. EDIT - I really don't remember the exact numbers XPLAY quoted so I decided to edit them out here - also I have since deleted that episode from my dvr so I can't pull it back up.

I'd have to dig up hard facts. If anyone has links i'd be interested.

(by the way I'm looking out farther than just a few months worth here).

EDIT - Here is at least some total next gen console sales figures from wikipedia - again not sure on true accuracy but at least its a place to start:

Worldwide sales figures

1. Wii – 34.55 million, as of 30 September 2008 (2008 -09-30)[update][23]
2. Xbox 360 – 25 million, as of 25 November 2008 (2008 -11-25)[update][24]
3. PlayStation 3 – 16.84 million, as of 30 September 2008 (2008 -09-30)[update][25]


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Console_wars

I'd say nearly a 10 million unit edge makes the 360 more of a winner than the ps3 is. This doesn't include the holiday sales. We'd need another more reliable source for post holiday sales to see if the pecking order stayed the same.

[raffie]

I don't own any console, I've always felt the PC s good enough if I do want to play a game. My last game was Flatout2 for wich I even bought a wireless Xbox360 controller (with PC receiver). Who is gonna tell the diff between a PC with that thing and the real deal hmmm? Consoles are little more than quickly outdated, closed hardware designed PC's. So why not just get the real thing? Consoles = money down the drain IMO

[FulciLives]

I love my PS3 and it's multimedia capabilities far outshine the XboX 360.

Plus I've heard horror stories from even die-hard XboX 360 supporters claiming they are on their 2nd or 3rd or 4th system.

Does Microsoft farm the production out to Fischer Price?

- John "FulciLives" Coleman

[lordsmurf]

The Wii has sold more units than the 360 and PS3 combined.
I think the public has already spoken on this one.

I've played all three, and I sat this generation out. If I had money, I'd get a Wii.

[gadgetguy]

Not a gamer.
But the grammar nazi in me forces me to point out that the Bluray option should say "you heard it here first" instead of "you heard it hear first"

[Nitemare]

My kid has a PS3 and it rocks. I love the multi-media capability. The few games I've seen on both PS3 and X-Box look better on the PS3.

Two things worthy of note... X-Box sales took off after they dropped the price to $200. They're cheap enough that I'm even thinking about buying one. Also, around my area (Pittsburgh represent!) you can buy a PS3 or an X-box 360 anywhere but the stores appear to be constantly sold out of the Wii.

I used the be a PC gamer but hacked DAT files (cheaters) and ridiculously growing hardware requirements are sending me towards a console.

[yoda313]

@gadget guy - sorry about that. Will change. That's what I get for posting late at night after getting up really early for a Saturday..... EDIT - all fixed!

[Xylob the Destroyer]

So, folks like the multi-media capabilities of the PS3? A lot?
I must assume you're talking about it disc playback capabilities?

My PS3 can't do shit over the network for media... It almost never recognizes the servers, won't recognize half the files (format issue?) and constantly loses the connection.
My 360 sees all the servers and plays all the files flawlessly + it sees, recognizes, and plays the playlists from Windows Media Player.

[classfour]

I bought one for my son for Christmas - the game downloads are a nice feature, keeps you from renting to try games, and is free! (Unlike XBox Live). Graphics score high, but haven't tried anything other than PS3 games except for blueray.

[Noahtuck]

Is the Playstation 3 destined to go the way of the Sega Dreamcast?
HUH ?!?

Whats wrong with the Dreamcast ??
I still have one, with 150 games, hooked up to my 54" and it rocks!!


I read recently the PS3 might be dropping to $299 ?
And also read there was some kind of lawsuit against M$ because they shipped 360's knowing there was some kind of defect in the drive which cause disc's to be scratched ?

I still play the crap out of my PS2 but now there are some new games only being released for the 360 & PS3 so i guess i'm gonna have to finally break down and buy a PS3 8)

[PuzZLeR]

Why is the Dreamcast compared with the PS3? They both had/have very different problems. I don't play any games any more but I do recall what happened.

It wasn't so much that the Dreamcast had died, it was more the fact that Sega had pulled out of the console market entirely then. After enduring several beatings from Nintendo over several generations of consoles, the added beatings later from Sony too entering the console market were the last straw. I guess Sega accepted the reality that the market, at least globally as a whole, just was never going to accept, and respond to, Sega seriously as a premiere gaming console - only as an alternate choice. This isn't the case with the PS3 where Sony has proven it can be accepted as a gaming console leader.

Sega at that time instead decided to leverage their branding to dedicated gaming software development, where they could indeed be a leader, restructuring and concentrating fully in this market away from the headaches and pains of console competition.

And it was a great move - Sega didn't want to be "another Atari" who never realized when to pull out as they too took many more beatings over 15 years. Sega was looking forward, not looking backward like Atari was in endlessly struggling to re-capture the market magic that they had long lost since the Pong and 2600 eras. Atari, it seems, never recovered from the North American "Crash of '83" and only fire-sale acquisitions through the years have rescued the name from oblivion. It still limps proudly today.

So instead of letting it go and moving forward like Sega did, Sony is instead on a "fool's errand" desperately trying to recooperate an investment that is lost forever. Sega never really lost anything. They never were #1 in console sales. Sony was. Very different tales indeed.

Although different too, I'd say Sony's problem (with the PS3) is more similar to Atari's (ex: the 400, 800, 7800, Lynx, Jaguar, ..., etc. - just pick one.)

[Xylob the Destroyer]

I bought one for my son for Christmas - the game downloads are a nice feature, keeps you from renting to try games, and is free! (Unlike XBox Live)...

Downloading demo games on the 360 is also free.

[yoda313]

@xylob - I think classfour might have been referring to the 50.00 a year gold membership fee for playing all online games on XBOX LIVE. Your silver membership has many restrictions - you pay the 50.00 a year and you can do whatever you want on xbox live.

However you are correct demos are free on xbox live. Just thought I'd make that clarification. That is the playsation network does not require a service charge beyond your regular internet service provider fee - in other words if you already have a broadband connection just hook up the ps3 and you go on the playstation network.

[Nitemare]

Since I don't have an X-box, I'm confused. So far (in our experience) all online gaming is free on the Playstation network... not just demo downloads.

Is this not the case with X-box?

Sony does offer some downloaded content for sale, but many freebies are also available.

[Ai Haibara]

Hey, I liked the Dreamcast. Plenty of games that I'd wanted to get (and still do, darn. )

For me, what hurts the PS3 is...
- Price. Sure, it's come down a bit, but combined with the other factors, I'm just not as willing to buy one at the moment.
- Lack of games I'm interested in. Though, I think someone told me on VH a while back that the PS3 does allow imports, and I still need to see if there's any games in Japan that would interest me. :P
- The loss of backward compatibility. I still want to be able to play my PS2 and PSX games, darn it.

I should note that my sister DOES have a PS3 (one of the earliest models with full backward compatibility), so we do have one around to experiment with. But I'm not including that as a factor. And I really DO need to replace my messed-up PS2...

[Xylob the Destroyer]

...
- Lack of games I'm interested in.

I hear ya. I hate sports games. That limits what I can play on all the consoles, but man there's just not much out there for the PS3 that's grabbed me.
Don't worry, you and I aren't the only ones in this boat...

... Though, I think someone told me on VH a while back that the PS3 does allow imports, and I still need to see if there's any games in Japan that would interest me. :P

Japanese PS3 games will work on the North American PS3. Japanese PS2 games will NOT!

- The loss of backward compatibility. I still want to be able to play my PS2 and PSX games, darn it.

All PS3s will play most original PlayStation games. But yeah, this is the biggest nail in the coffin. When the PS2 launched backward compatiblity was one of the biggest selling points. Hey look! Here's a DVD player that costs less than most on the market and it also happens to be the next big thing in console gaming, PLUS it already works with thousands of your old games!!!!!!!
Unfortunately they did the same thing when the PS3 launched. Then they decided to yank half of the capability and that royally pissed of potential customers.

On a slightly different note -- you can now download full PlayStation games to your PS3 and play them on it. This is supposed to be coming for PS2 titles as well. I wish that damned PSP would just die already. It's too expensive, and nobody plays the damned thing. You can't even buy the movies at 'real' brick & mortar retailers anymore. But you can download PSP games to your PS3 and then transfer them to your PSP for play.
I want to be able to play those downloaded PSP games on my PS3!!! I just can't justify spending that much money on a system that only has 3 games that I want to play...

[Ai Haibara]

I hear ya. I hate sports games. That limits what I can play on all the consoles, but man there's just not much out there for the PS3 that's grabbed me.
Don't worry, you and I aren't the only ones in this boat...

Well, if I have to resort to imports...

Japanese PS3 games will work on the North American PS3. Japanese PS2 games will NOT!

I expected as much, really. It also wouldn't surprise me if some (or more) PS2 games also do a check to see if they like the region of the system on boot, as well.

All PS3s will play most original PlayStation games. But yeah, this is the biggest nail in the coffin. When the PS2 launched backward compatiblity was one of the biggest selling points. Hey look! Here's a DVD player that costs less than most on the market and it also happens to be the next big thing in console gaming, PLUS it already works with thousands of your old games!!!!!!!
Unfortunately they did the same thing when the PS3 launched. Then they decided to yank half of the capability and that royally pissed of potential customers.

I've got a large array of PSX and PS2 games, and basically, if I wanted to get a PS3, I'd still end up having to have a PS2 connected. And since I do still need to get around to replacing my PS2, I'd have to buy another new one.

On a slightly different note -- you can now download full PlayStation games to your PS3 and play them on it. This is supposed to be coming for PS2 titles as well. I wish that damned PSP would just die already. It's too expensive, and nobody plays the damned thing. You can't even buy the movies at 'real' brick & mortar retailers anymore. But you can download PSP games to your PS3 and then transfer them to your PSP for play.

The UMD-Video discs? Actually, most of the Gamestops usually seem to have something in, and the Fry's I visit has a large shelf with a surprisingly large array of them (wouldn't surprise me if it was all of the titles they've released). Not that I'd want to get any of them, though.

I want to be able to play those downloaded PSP games on my PS3!!! I just can't justify spending that much money on a system that only has 3 games that I want to play...

I can't see that happening, unfortunately. Unless Sony decided to make a UMD reader that plugs into the PS3's USB ports... but even then, they still probably wouldn't allow you to play PSP games that way.

[yoda313]

Wow I guess I missed a potential source of games if japanese ps3 games work on US ps3's.

Now are there any that have english subtitles and english menus?

This sounds interesting.

[rhegedus]

I have a PS3 and a Wii. I bought the PS3 for its Blu-Ray and multimedia abilities. I bought the Wii for simple fun and because my girlfriend wanted a WiiFit. PS3 gets used every day, the Wii less so.

I play my games on the best sytem for them - a PC.

The PS3 can be whatever you want it to be - that's why it will be around for a while.

[dadrab]

Does Microsoft farm the production out to Fischer Price?

Nah...

If they did, the damn things wouldn't break.

That being said, most of what I play on my PS3 is Playstation2 games (I bought mine before they decided to **** you on backward compatiblilty).

Which is exactly why I bought my kid a 360 for Christmas.

I had been a dedicated Playstation fan, having bought a first generation machine. I enjoyed that first one and enjoyed the PS2 - particularly appreciating the fact that I could play old games. When our first PS2 finally gave up the ghost, I bought another one.

But, when my son began making noise about wanting a new console, I told him to check out his friends' machines and decide which one he liked the best. He arrived at the 360 because knew he'd have to keep his PS2 hooked up if he wanted to play his older games. I was shocked (pronounced "PISSED") that Sony decided for me that I couldn't play old games on a new console - particularly one that cost $500.

[Grain]

I have 2 360's and a PS3, my boy has a Wii. The PS3 is no more expensive than the 360, you can't compare a $200 360 Arcade w/ a $400 80GB PS3, the price of a 360 Pro model and a wifi adapter is $400, they are the same money for similar features.
Some other points:
- the 360 has been on the market for well over a year longer than the PS3
- the PS3's Blu-ray discs will keep it going longer than the 360 (strictly talking disc space for games), Metal Gear Solid 4 was never considered for the 360 as it would have meant 4-5 DVD's.
- no annual fees for online gaming with the PS3
- both of my 360 consoles are early models, and noisy as hell (I had to install aftermarket fans to prevent the RROD). The newer models are a lot quieter, but you can't ignore the millions of original units.
Which brings up another point, how many of the 360's sales numbers include replacement's to defective original units?

I really like both units, but I find all this talk of the PS3 being close to dead a complete and utterly laughable joke. The only definitive fact in the console war is that Nintendo is kicking ass and selling tickets.

[web_maven]

About a year ago I had posted a reply about BlueRay and that it missed the boat. At the time I did not have a console but I did have access to a video player that you can record your videos to a Flash drive and play the video using the Flash drive. I thought that it would would beat BlueRay hands down, I was wrong. Using a console as a media player is far better. I just connect my USB hard drive to the console and play movies, home videos, music and photos from the console. I find that this is fantastic and if you use the Logitech Harmony Remote 550 you can control the whole system and it's even wife approved! I have some how achieved Home entertainment nirvana! I have the XBOX 360 and a Wii, I went with the 360 for the price ($199) and I got a free 20GB hard drive. (The Wii is for the kids or for when I want to do boxing)

Other reasons why I choose the XBOX was that my friends had the 360 and Netflix. Which I will now say this will be the new way of watching media (Netflix needs better content but I believe they will get there) Forget BlueRay and DVD Netflix is the way to go and with the 360 I can use credits to rent current HD Videos this can't be beat. I am sure that the PS3 will get Netflix soon.

I believe you buy a console because your friends have it and you want the ability to connect with your friends. And there is a need to prove that what you got is better. I say Lets PLAY!! (My only wish is that if you have a game on both the 360 and PS3 then you should be able to play together.)

To get home videos on the 360 or PS3 I would recommend using EncodeHD with advanced settings (See ffmpeg settings) I am able to convert my videos in about 1 hour. I am not sure why the XBOX 360 does not support 5.1 but I hope this is added soon. For people who have DVD camcorders what you want to do is use VOBMerge first to merge all VOB files into one file then use the EncodeHD. My Backups of movies look great and compressed to 1.6GB.

Will the PS3 stay alive? That is up to Sony like I said one of my main reasons was price. Even at $399 it was still out of reach. Only when the XBOX dropped to $199 did I make the purchase. Both systems I think would be great as a media center but for right now BlueRay was not a factor and is a technology that is dyeing on the vine. I don't believe this would hurt the PS3 because they can use BlueRay as storage for video games. If the PS3 does not use a BlueRay disk for games I would say pull the drive and sell it as an addition so Sony could drop the price of the PS3.

Now back to Netflix and the Office in HD!

Raymond

[MJA]

Is the Playstation 3 destined to go the way of the Sega Dreamcast?
HUH ?!?

Whats wrong with the Dreamcast ??
I still have one, with 150 games, hooked up to my 54" and it rocks!!


I read recently the PS3 might be dropping to $299 ?
And also read there was some kind of lawsuit against M$ because they shipped 360's knowing there was some kind of defect in the drive which cause disc's to be scratched ?

I still play the crap out of my PS2 but now there are some new games only being released for the 360 & PS3 so i guess i'm gonna have to finally break down and buy a PS3 8)

I still have mine too with one game only Revolt .I wish Japanese DC work on mine.their games are more fun like under defeat
for some reason the audio doesn't work on my LCD TV .

[Ai Haibara]

I still have mine too with one game only Revolt .I wish Japanese DC work on mine.their games are more fun like under defeat
for some reason the audio doesn't work on my LCD TV .

Actually, you can play import games on your Dreamcast without modding it, through the use of a swap disc. One of the most well-known ones was the "DC-X" disc... don't know where you might be able to buy one, now, though. I bought mine a few years back.

[MJA]

The damn game is selling from $59 to $119

[Ai Haibara]

The DC-X disc? Unfortunately, that's a common problem in buying Dreamcast games these days... you have to look around and hope you find a good price. I bought it at Gamestop... actually, I was wrong, it was about four or five years ago, for somewhere around $10-20. You'd think that since it was just a swap disc, it wouldn't be selling for that much...

[guns1inger]

Until the Christmas, the last and console I had owned was an original playstation bought some time last century. It was fine at the time, but against the PS2 and then the Xbox it started to look it's age. Thing was, neither the PS2 or the Xbox did anything for me. The PS2 had better graphics, but the original releases had a sub-standard DVD player capability, and was over-priced at AUD$800. The Xbox was cheaper, but frankly all the hype games where just that - hype. Halo would have to be the biggest load of average game player and mediocre graphics ever to get 5 stars and rave reviews everywhere it went. Played through it once, was bored more times that I was excited, and couldn't imagine why everyone was so eager for the next one.

Then the next generation got announced, and again, they were over-priced and, if you go back and read the launch press (and this goes for the PS2 and Xbox), unsupported by good games.

So I held off.

But this Christmas I caved. I bought a PS3. I looked at them all, and looked at what they offered and what their potential was, and while it is more expensive, it gives far more long term bang for buck.

Nintendo has never done it for me. I am not a Mario guy. I am not a Zelda guy. They kiddie focus of so much of the Nintendo herd is of no interest. The Wii is fine if you like sports, or again, mostly cutesy stuff, but by not supporting HD it took the cheap road over the long term road. It was a good decision for Nintendo, because it kept the prices down to almost impulse buy level, but it also sent up flags - be ready to buy a new on in two years when the HD version is released.

The Xbox360 was just a bigger Xbox. The decision, like Vista, to roll out multiple models at multiple price points may have helped it initially, and continues to get it into some homes that would rather something better, but to get one that offers close to the PS3's full capabilities means spending pretty much the same money, and you still don't get Bluray.

The PS3 has Bluray (and I do not believe that BD will go the way of the laser disc - there is simply too much at stake for too many for that to happen), it has a growing range of games - some of them mediocre, some of the (too many ?) sports, and some great, and it has the best media support as a media streamer. Using PS3 Media Streamer I get solid wireless connectivity for watching movies, streaming music or running photo slide shows. It has a brilliant upscaling DVD player built-in. I don't miss the PS2 support that much, having not owned one (although from time to time I have looked at the PS2 bargain bin and thought - bugger).

Interestingly, for all the Wii's sold, the common tale is that in multi-console homes it's longevity is nowhere near as good as the Xbox or PS3, and I also know many that have purchased a second console (either 360 or PS3) after having owned a Wii for some time.

It appears that the Wii may just be for Christmas, and not for life.