MCV

Of course it was difficult.....

But that is expected when one launches a radical product, risk is business, its expected. I would much rather have a radical product than a simple PS2 version 2......They pushed the boat out yes, but the PS3 (for its users) will be well appreciated as many have stated. Having said that they have managed to sell 12 million PS3 units in little over a year....which i think is pretty good when you consider the staggered launch, high price and lack of AAA games as well as terrible PR. Since Christmas the PS3 has picked up well and although not selling in massive numbers looks like it will get game after game now and service after service. Sales of the PS3 at worst now will remain at the level they are, steady, but in reality with these games coming up like MotorStorm 2, Resistance 2, LBP, MGS4, Play TV, etc etc it is likely the PS3 will pick up sales.....

There is too much stuff coming out for the PS3 now for anyone to knock, year one has always been an introduction for the PS brand, usually it was always year two where they hit hard. Yes its harder to do now when you have a rampent Nintendo Wii and Sony haters everwhere, but this will hopefully push the boys at Sony hard and get them to get the best out of the PS3. I am looking forward to the PS3 doing well, and more important looking forward to seeing peoples opinions of it changing. *Also i know i should not say this but everyone who has a PS3 please try out echochrome, Pixel Junk Monster and Super Star Dust HD. Please support these developers because Sony really wants to push the whole digital games distribution thing, but if people do not appreciate these innovative titles, then we will get the same games after the same games.

Since the days of old,when will companies who spend tens of millions on new formats realise that without software there is no point?I personally bought the psx3 on day 1 and have a collection of 3 games,its like having the fastest car in the world,with no petrol to run it.Nintendo,Sega,3D0, Atari,have all done it through the decades,only Microsft managed a day one AAA with Halo.

It's a shame, you know, that at such conferences the likes of MCV are herded like sheep with all the other news rags, as if to make them feel grateful that they get given a goody bag and a few new screenshots to keep them happy.

Hirai-san must have a short memory, indeed.

Surely, it was the fact that the PS3 was delayed in Europe, came with an extortionate price, was crippled (spec-wise) by the time it reached Europe and no DualShock in sight - were the REAL reasons why it's birth was a baptism of fire.

It frustrates me that no journalists ever ask the difficult questions...Something to do with not biting the hand that feed them, I guess.

Cowards!

"Also i know i should not say this but everyone who has a PS3 please try out echochrome, Pixel Junk Monster and Super Star Dust HD"
I think you should say this because the scary thing is, Super Stardust HD is probably the best value purchase I have made for my PS3. The developers of quality games like this get little or no exposure and they're producing excellent games. I haven't play PJM but I wasn't overly keen on the Echochrome demo.

As a multi-system owner, the problem I see is that I can walk into game and see 360 games for £39.99 and the same PS3 games at £44.99. Now the fact is that the PS3 version isn't £5 better. At best it is the same, at worst, it is a lower quality. The initial outlay for the machines is still lower for the 360 and the games are lower priced. That's still going to be a swing factor for gamers.

Joe "Gamer" Public doesn't care about Blu-Ray movies. Jim "DVD Watcher" Public isn't interested, not when they need a new HD TV and then to pay at least twice the price for the blu-ray version of the movie. And of course to make sure they have the right kind of TV to ensure that the HD movies aren't eventually crippled if the wrong input isn't there... then there's the sound system.

Then of course, you are dealing with the "clued up" gamer or people like myself (developers) who can see through the hype numbers, who understand what the technology brings and what it is capable of, who won't buy into the BS PR that people like Phil Harrison spew out. They're the people who know that things like 1080p come with potential stumbling blocks. That Blu-Ray isn't going to revolutionise gaming because bigger != better (on the whole). There's a finite number of high school kids who will blindly support a company with fanboyish loyalty. Once they run out, they have to convince everyone else and up to now, Sony just hasn't done that.

And of course, they have to stop shafting Europeans on a regular basis too... that would help.

Halo isn't the only AAA title to ever launch with a console - lets think about Super Mario World on SNES for a minute.

"yes its harder to do now when you have rampant Nintendo Wii and Sony haters everywhere"

There are an equal number of 360 haters too but with regards to Sony, the question you have to ask yourself is: Why are there so many Sony haters?

Some of the reasons are highlighted in comments 3 and 4.
Sony have done well to shift as many consoles as they have but in my eyes, that has been purely on the strength of their brand and not what they actually offered the market. Apart from releasing an affordable Blu Ray player, at launch, all Sony did was give us all a big slap in the face.

Well at least, in Europe they did.......

I'm not a Sony hater but I am a hater of companies that take the p**s out of the very people that have kept them in business for all those years before the industry went mass market.

Nintendo was guilty of this for years until the release of the original DS and the Wii in Europe and Microsoft have done their fair share with the multiple variations of the 360 hardware and dropping support for the original xbox far too soon.

People start hating when the p**s taking isnt balanced out with what you give back to the customer.

In my opinion, thats what Sony have done this time around. Take, take, take without giving anything back.

If 2008 is the year the plan to start giving a little something back, then perhaps it will be their year indeed.

This is the first post on MCV i've ever read were comments hasn't turned into mindless drivel of xbox vs ps3 and the fanboys flaming eachother.

All comments had valid points and I especially agree with #3, excellent point and its a real shame console makers are now on power with politicians when it comes to answering questions ... its no longer a case of dodging questions, they don't need to because "their" media won't ever put them in a situation were an answer could make them look bad.

I was going to type something educated but the comment above me just reminded me of something..PS3 RULEZ!!!!!WOOOOOOO GO FAGGET ASS FANBOYS!!
Jk..I agree for once there wasn't a bunch of baby touchers rambling on about which console is better.

"The PS3 will be the "action" platform in 2009"... Why not in 2010, 2011, 2012 ???

Hey Mr Sony, I have a PS3, I want to play TODAY !

Take a look at Zed Zee's comments. He's the residential MCV Microsoft spokes person.