[nmaster64]

Here, I'm gonna sum the conference up even better, minus all the PS2/PSP crap...


The Good
1.) The PS3 will have a worldwide launch around November (basically right alongside the Revolution). Sony says it will keep a steady supply of 1 million consoles per month after the launch coming in so it doesn't suffer the same stock issues the 360 is.

2) Price supposedly to be "less than 50,000.00 JP YEN" (or "$425.607 USD") for Japan. If this is true, and Sony does indeed take about a $300 loss per console, it's still likely (though not in any way confirmed) that the U.S. will get a bundle pack reminiscent of the PSP for $499.99.

3) The PS3 will feature backwards compatibility much like the 360, where earlier games upscale to a kind of HD, but Sony claims that ALL games will work instead of just a small list...

4) Sony will have some form of an online service, featuring voice chat and a marketplace. Current talk suggests a free basic service and a paid-for-extra-features premium-type service. That kind of sounds familiar...

5) The PS3 will REQUIRE a hard drive. The good news is that it's included with every system, so developers won't have the issues they have with the 360. It's a 60GB drive and supports Linux too.

6) Final PS3 dev kits will be shipping out in June.

The Bad
7) "All PlayStation 3 games will ship on Blu-ray to help prevent piracy." Developers have no choice. PS3 games MUST be made on the more-expensive, more-complicated Blu-ray format, no budget titles on standard DVDs allowed, even if your game is only a couple gigs. Plus, Sony + Anti-piracy always = unhappy customers. Rootkits anyone?

8) No games. All this crap means nothing relatively. There still are no games showcasing next-gen prowess of the system, other than some pretty prerendered scences.

9) The PS2 will not drop in price, despite the PS3's coming.

The Ugly
10) Ken Kutaragi. PS3 games are "live" and PS3 concept is "4D". Gaming's history is going from 8-bit to 16-bit to "space" to "live" with the PS3.


Honestly, I see no surprises, and the only thing important to me is the price, and I really think they're bull****ting. I've said $500 forever, and I'm sticking to that. I can't wait to see Sony's financial after a year of selling consoles at a $200-$400 per console loss...