PS3 Packs Promise, Lacks Punch

[Suhit Gupta]

http://www.wired.com/news/culture/games/0,72183-0.html?tw=rss.index

"Sleek and powerful, the PlayStation 3 will eventually be worth its hefty price tag. But right now, Sony's new game console remains an icon of teasing potential. From a pure tech-for-your-buck angle, Sony's new game machine, which launched Nov. 17, is a bargain. It sports the seven-core IBM Cell processor -- easily the most powerful engine ever put inside a console -- plus a Blu-ray drive for high-definition movie playback. Add a hard drive -- 60 GB for the $600 version of the console, 20 GB for the $500 model -- and four USB ports, and PS3's price is far lower than the sum of its parts. But what good is subsidized hardware when it doesn't do much of anything? PS3 radiates an impressive aura at first blush. Easily one of the largest game consoles ever, the giant machine weighs in at 11 pounds. Its curved, glossy black form factor makes it look like a set piece out of a sci-fi film."

Another review of the PS3, good read. And unlike other articles, it lists where the PS3 beats the XBox 360 and vice versa. Wired also has an article on some of the new PS3 games.

[Suhit Gupta]

http://www.wired.com/news/culture/games/0,72183-0.html?tw=rss.index

"Sleek and powerful, the PlayStation 3 will eventually be worth its hefty price tag. But right now, Sony's new game console remains an icon of teasing potential. From a pure tech-for-your-buck angle, Sony's new game machine, which launched Nov. 17, is a bargain. It sports the seven-core IBM Cell processor -- easily the most powerful engine ever put inside a console -- plus a Blu-ray drive for high-definition movie playback. Add a hard drive -- 60 GB for the $600 version of the console, 20 GB for the $500 model -- and four USB ports, and PS3's price is far lower than the sum of its parts. But what good is subsidized hardware when it doesn't do much of anything? PS3 radiates an impressive aura at first blush. Easily one of the largest game consoles ever, the giant machine weighs in at 11 pounds. Its curved, glossy black form factor makes it look like a set piece out of a sci-fi film."

Another review of the PS3, good read. And unlike other articles, it lists where the PS3 beats the XBox 360 and vice versa. Wired also has an article on some of the new PS3 games.

[Felix Torres]

You...almost...gotta feel sorry for Sony...

Most of the techie/gaming site reviews are just killing them.
You can hardly find a review (outside of the money mags; Fortune and Businessweek) that puts them in a good light. Most, like the Wired piece, end up bringing up the dreaded X-word and not in any way Sony wants to see it. They really can't "shake those guys off". :-)

And now the gaming sites are taking it one step forward:

http://www.1up.com/do/feature?cId=3155393

Basically, in the space of 2 weeks PS3 has gone from super-hyped anticipation to mild-disappointment to outright backlash. (And an entire continent laughing their heads off.)

It would take an entire multi-page article to detail all the ways Sony has messed up this launch, to the point that right now the only good news one can point to is that the power supplies aren't exploding.

Yet. :twisted: