The PSP, the "loser" of the seventh generation handheld console war, has sold more consoles than the Wii, the winner (so far) of the seventh generation home console war.
Granted, the DS trumps everything. But I think it's time to give credit where credit is due.
Posts: 1577 | Registered: Sep 2005
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Handhelds don't have anything approximating the same level of market saturation or price point barriers, so that a handheld sold more individual units than a home console doesn't really necessarily speak to the handheld's success 'credit.'
It didn't go the way of the gizmodo, but in non-relative terms, whether it was a success depends entirely on whether or not it made any money for Sony.
Posts: 15421 | Registered: Aug 2005
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There can be only one Wii. The numbering scheme would get too crazy. WiiII? It'd bring chaos, I tell you.
Posts: 4287 | Registered: Mar 2005
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I'm still living in the Nintendo 64 era. But I'm seriously considering getting a PS3 when and if they drop the price again this summer. I have no idea where the Xbox vs. PS3 debate stands, but I've played a couple games on my brother's PS3 and they seem neat enough.
Posts: 21898 | Registered: Nov 2004
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Xbox has always had better RPG, FPS content than the PS3. Halo series, Fable series, and to expand shortly the Mass Effect series are all exclusively Xbox and PC. They share alot of the best racing and platformer games you may enjoy, but if you want substantial story or the latest and greatest game for realistic pink mist the Xbox wins.
The most definitive characteristic of the PS3 IMO is the bluray player, but bluray's days are numbered in the face of HD DVD returning from its incubation in Asia and all of the 3D tech that now has alot of push behind it.
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quote:bluray's days are numbered in the face of HD DVD returning from its incubation in Asia
I'd be really surprised if HD DVD took off again here in the States. The studios abandoned it after it was cracked.
Posts: 37449 | Registered: May 1999
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I think AchillesHeel is referring to the CBHD format which licensed the old HD DVD technology.
quote:A more accurate translation obtained by Ars from professional Japanese translator Camellia Nieh shows that the true story is far more interesting. CBHD_logo.jpgTV Tokyo visited Gome, a major retail chain in China, where CBHD discs and players were flying off the shelf, while Blu-Ray players and discs languished. They also visited a factory for one of the largest CBHD manufacturers. Sources in these companies tell TV Tokyo that, in the China market, CBHD already constitutes some 30 percent of all disc players sold, while Blu-Ray accounts for 10 percent, similar to its penetration in the USA. DVD is responsible for the remaining 60 percent. That China has achieved 30 percent CBHD penetration, the sources say, reflects the strength of the format, as well as the determination of a nationalistic Chinese government and industry seeking to avoid foreign licensing fees on DVD and BD technology and make a greater profit on domestic sales.
At the retail store, a pretty shop girl (some things don't need translation) tells TV Tokyo that while the players are more expensive than DVD players (almost $300), the discs are cheap, and she expects the format to spread rapidly because of a marked difference in quality between DVD and CBHD. Retail cost of CBHD discs worked out to about US$7.40, while Blu-Ray discs cost US$29.60—close to what they do in the USA.
Looks like WB is the only Western studio to support it though. I expect that the studios will try their best to confine it to China and just use it as another way to region-encode disks.
I suspect that I will eventually try to buy one for Hong Kong and Chinese movies though since Western distributors of both tend to really suck.
Intriguingly, it appears that the British-Chinese are already on the ball
quote:Both CAV Warner and China Record have already released dozens of CBHD titles, and plan to top 100 releases this year. CBHD discs retail for approximately Rmb50 (€5).
Industry observers believe the player is likely to be attractive to consumers in the Chinese diaspora, as Chinese titles are available on CBHD, but not on Blu-ray disc.
posted
Pricing for one thing has kept alot of Americans from making the jump, and with the tech being developed the day I abandon my DVD collection is the day I install a media center hard drive.
Posts: 2302 | Registered: Aug 2008
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I think having any sort of media dependent on a physical disk will seem quaint in a few years.
Posts: 5656 | Registered: Oct 1999
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I own every system. Here is a list of great games for each system you may enjoy. Keep in mind I am an RPG lover.
PS3: Uncharted Metal Gear Solid 4 Demon's Souls (Best game on the system imo) Valkyria Chronicles Xenosaga Series (They are PS2 games, but the best RPG's I've ever played)
360: Lost Odyssey Mass Effect Series Halo Series Star Ocean: The Last Hope
Wii: Rune Factory: A Fantasy Harvest Moon Punch Out! Super Smash Brothers Brawl New Super Mario Brothers
DS: Ace Wright Series Trauma series All of the SNES RPG ports (Final Fantasy, Chrono Trigger, etc) Castlevania series
PSP: Monster Hunter Freedom Series (If you havent played one of these you are really missing out. Monster Hunter Freedom Unite is the best PSP game hands down)
God of War: Chains of Olympus
Final Fantasy: Crisis Core Final Fantasy Dissidia
I have probably missed a ton, but those are the ones that really stick out in my mind.
Posts: 1937 | Registered: Nov 2006
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quote:Originally posted by AchillesHeel: Pricing for one thing has kept alot of Americans from making the jump, and with the tech being developed the day I abandon my DVD collection is the day I install a media center hard drive.
We bought a bluray player for a hundred dollars this past Christmas season, and they're all backwards compatible, otherwise I suspect NO ONE would make the switch. At least, not for a long, long time. I don't think the price problem is blu ray players, it's that HDTVs, even though the price has really come down, are still a tad too pricey for the average consumer, so people are putting off replacing old TVs with new HDTVs, which makes buying a bluray player useless.
I think as the price drops for both in the next couple years, the changeover will become even more pronounced though. I have to say though, my favorite thing about blu ray is how dirt cheap dvds have become.
Posts: 21898 | Registered: Nov 2004
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Definatly one of my favorite, with some of the most entertaining side content I have ever found in a game. While not a turn-based game like traditional RPG's, Fallout 3 has an extremely involving storyline and is my top pick for open world enviroment to explore.
Another thing heralding the end of disc's is streaming an unlimited amount of Netflix movies straight to your TV, hence making bluray useless already and its so cheap!
Posts: 2302 | Registered: Aug 2008
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Yeah, but don't you have to stream Netflix through your bluray or equivalent player? It doesn't stream directly, it has to go through an intermediary to be played. Either way, yeah, I guess that hurts discs, and I suppose DVRs could serve the same function if they were set up to. They probably already are.
I don't think discs are going anywhere for awhile though. They're still too convenient and portable. And I can't lend a friend my Netflix account. I envision their demise in the future maybe, but I think we're a ways off from that.
Posts: 21898 | Registered: Nov 2004
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Lyrhawn: more and more TVs have such capabilities get in, though I don't think that's a good idea in the short term. Also, there are plenty of standalone players, notably the Roku player.
Posts: 15770 | Registered: Dec 2001
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quote:Originally posted by fugu13: Lyrhawn: more and more TVs have such capabilities get in, though I don't think that's a good idea in the short term. Also, there are plenty of standalone players, notably the Roku player.
Yeah I knew there were standalone machines, but they're more or less the same price as a cheap bluray player.
I didn't know that HDTVs were being sold that could do it alone however. Interesting.
What do you think media delivery will look like in 5 years? A combination of discs, dvr, and streaming netflix like content?
I think television in general is in for a big change. Network TV is in serious decline. They're hemorrhaging viewers, while cable providers are only gaining in strength. I wonder how that will affect how media is delivered.
Posts: 21898 | Registered: Nov 2004
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