Console Wars!

Some people are now saying the PS3 has finally earned it's place as the superior to the XBOX 360. This has been disputed on all fronts, by gamers and the dreaded "fanboys" alike. However, in discussing the subject of the PS3 "kicking out" the XBOX 360... there are as I mentioned, mixed reviews from both parties, including Gamers from the "neutral fence"...

This thread is to discuss this... "Gaming Revolution" that fans of Sony seem to be on about, and whether it's correct, or they're just spouting hot air...

I expect clean, well argued points.

LET THE WARS BEGIN!!!

Thanks people... Have fun!!!!

the PS3 is merely catching up to where they should have been in the first place. they are still installing updates to add features that the 360 and even the Wii have already had for quite some time. it looks like it should be getting some decent games soon, but game line-ups always look better when they're still unreleased. hopefully in a year or two it will be worth picking up.

The PS3 is still catching up to its launch expectations. Resistance which was to be a main selling point was a PS2 game on a PS3 and now theres a second one and the developers have gone down "Halo Avenue" trying to make it up into some huge machine with 60 player MP which just can't be done yet . The only game that stands out on PS3 is Warhawk with expansions, updates and online split screen.

What's even worse is how some of the Sony executives have become really smug over the blu ray victory and a re saying "If you want to see Gears of War 3, you'll need blu ray". Well thats not entirely true as these two are on DVD and most 360/PS3 shared games are better on 360. So far the only better one on PS3 is Oblivion. Which is soon dragged down by the PS3 controller. TRIGGER BUTTONS, SONY!

The PS3 is largely based on its main selling franchises like FF and MGS and possibly GTA. The 360 has been investing in newer franchises to push ahead as Nintendo seem hell bent on making games that died on the Gamecube.

However, many say that the transition from DVD to bluray was an expected hurdle, and whether the 360 does it or not, the news is out as bluray is the future of Gaming. IT makes you wonder if the 360 has the power to continue fighting a war like it is. It's a solid, well maintained HD experience, but what's to stop an experience like the much coveted Bluray HD experience COMPLETING it's transition from "experimental with a few kinks and graphical buggerups", to becoming the new medium for gaming?

The market for Gaming is similar to that of Cars. Shockingly similar, in fact, as are most of the traditional "boys toys" markets that have risen above being novelties to a way of life. The 360 price drop this spring was a welcome thing for some to see, but others see it as a sign the PS3 is finally taking over, and forcing the 360 out of the Market, and reaching the same price level as the poorly fated Wii.

While depreciation is one thing, it seems to little affect the PS3, which is working towards increasing it's compatability. In the end, yes the controllers are a problem, but the PS name has been around since the Console wars of the 90s, when it almost completely ousted Nintendo with the PSX. In fact, it had all these "popular series" that did it, most of which used to be on the Nintendo system, with the likes of MGS and FF switching shirts at the last minute to make Nintendo fall in Sony's dust, while the XBOX is a third generation effort in terms of Gaming, with Microsoft's only other gaming experience being PC. This makes me worry for the 360 in terms os Sony being a more established houshold name. It's like why people buy Lambourghini rather then Bughatti. The name Lambo has been aong for longer, and so people subconsciously view it as superior.

The 360 may need to close this gap that cannot be ignored. Sure, marketing is good, but when people are starting to judge your console as inferior... other steps have to be taken. I've been thinking of what these could be, and will list them soon... any suggestions are also welcome, as well as responses to my above points....

Thanks, lol I' no Sony fanboy, butit seems the market is going to decide this one, like back in the Mid 90s.

It'll take a while for blu ray to sink in, another few years at least for all developers to ude it. The 360 is the easiest console to develop for. PS3 sales may be rising but thats probably due to the head start the other consoles had so people are trying something new. The PS3 still has to prove it's worth all the fuss it claimed to be. The 360 lived up to what i expected, PS3 didn't. MS didn't over hype the 360 like Sony did PS3. Yeah 360 has flaws but so do all the consoles and PC.

Sony keep letting exclusives like GTA, DMC, Resident Evil, Silent Hill, Assassins Creed and even Bioshock slip through their fingers. If they had held onto a couple instead of placing faith in their old franchises they could have done better. It's the games that count overall, not the console's power.

I agree completely... however, I'm concerned about the future now... You said bluray won't be around for a few years completely... What about when that time is up? What will happen then? Will Microsoft have moved on, or will they still be stuck on the 360?

Many are stating that the only way for the 360 to fight this way is to release hardware updates to the 360, or indeed new hardware. Not now, perhaps, but sometime soon in the future?

By the time Blu Ray sinks in MS will be only a short while away from releasing a new console which would have Blu Ray anyway. Or at least thats my view. 360 was in end 2005 so end 2010/2011 is my guess for a new MS console. In fact all companies will have news of a new one unless sony is going to risk staying with the ps3 for longer...who knows it could be worth it at that point. we'll have to wait and see.

Have you heard anything in terms of PS3 improvements? I haven't really been following the market lately due to lack of time. However, I'm also curious on any info on a new XBOX console... I've been wondering when news of that would start popping up. The 360 is a rather long lived console I must say... and for it to last until 2010 potentially is really rather good for a console...

However, There's not much more people can do with Discs after the PS3 and 360 and it's potential descendant. I'm starting to wonder whether games are going to be stored in Readme portable hard drives. Sounds technically sound, and isn't really different from the fast and efficient cartridges of the old days...

Or maybe even a medium where all games are downloadable, but this is less likely from what I can see. So far, I'm tempted to say that blurays may even enter multiples. For example, Guns of the Patriots had to be shortened to fit on one disc. So... imagine a game series like Nova Crystallis Fabula. I see the potential for multiple blurays there. Which will eventually lead producers to consider upgrading from bluray, as console gaming's all about convenience, and two discs or more aren't really convenient in terms of gameplay or even in terms of costs on shelves...

A Game with one bluray costs 50 pounds... Think of how much games with multiple ones will cost... even counting the fact the more discs there are, the cheaper each additional disc is. I'm seeing, with FFXIII the potential for two to three discs. Which would be over the Hundred pound barrier. When's the last time a game actually fell into the category of being over 100 pounds? It's not feasable, and producers will aim to remove such problems.

Blu-ray is merely an excuse for developers to be lazy at this point. they aren't utilizing the room, they're just leaving things uncompressed because they have the room to do so. a negligible boost in loading time or quality isn't worth an upgrade.
however, Xbox will likely have a Blu-ray drive in the next console, which isn't that far off. as it stands now, HD movies are a very small market and games hardly require it either.

I agree fully on the points you make OT, however... it's hard to see how MGS4 had to be cut down if they were being lazy... Konami, and especially the Hideo Kojima team, have a reputation that's been around for over ten years... not simply for creating good gaes, but for pushing consoles and their medium to it's limits. This was clearlry evident with MGS2, which pushed the PS2 to it's limits, even as far back as 2001. So, the news that such a team was forced to shorten their final great project for the sake of the conveniance of one disc smacks as a counter to your above point... However, I am aware this is only one example, and does not speak for the majority of the market.

Other games, yes. I agree wholeheartedly, and it's this disorganised uncompression that may have led to many of the combatability issues we see in Cross platformers, which are designed to use the compression to it's fullest, while maintaining a high rate of play. This stream is removed in favour of laxity, and the game falters and fails to fulfil it's potential.

It's a sorry sight when games that are actually decent, like Vegas 2 are seen as simply expansions to the original, or seen as simply reutilising the old engines of their predecessors or other game series by the same team or group. For small time consoles, like the PSP, this can be forgiven, with GOW: CoO using the same movement and stance engine as the Jak and Daxter series. This is perfectly sound, as it's trying to fit a PS2 style game onto a UMD. However, I think such practices cannot be accepted for upgrades from DVD play onto bluray, where even texture upgrades would have been warmly welcome, along with the additional weapons and small gameplay tweaks.

Even the inclusion of a small Geo Mod like engine hasn't saved Vegas 2 unfortunately, and it's the Market and the critics who'll decide in the end, not professional or serious gamers, who's opinions are more logical. However, in a world driven by profit, I suppose it can be seen as being good in the short term for sales, but like most business mangagers, the long run is ignored, and this will lead to the PS3 suffering as it HAS. This would normally be an alarm bell for producers. However, in market where the producers of software are independant to the producers of hardware... such reactions can be delayed.

yes, MGS4 is the only game that comes to mind which even had a chance of using most of the space, but even Kojima chose to leave all of the music uncompressed as well. one or two games that might push the limits isn't enough to warrant a major overhaul for systems, although since the technology is becoming more and more accessible, there's little reason not to include it in newer versions.

New weapons,gameplay don't need blu ray. in fact its the other way round if the PS3 wants to become the best console out there. We still haven't reached the stage where all TV is HD so blu ray's dominance is still in the distance. Even with DVDs it took a while for VHS to completely disappear from shelves.

Yes, I agree. As I said, you were right on Bluray in terms of it's spreading. It'll take a good few years. That was my argument too Billy... the addition of new weapons isn't hard for a Game... which was my point on most game developers not maximising it's potential. Vegas 2 could have been so much more on the PS3... really, but it wasn't. A real shame if you ask me.

well it was but at the same time no one was expecting anything except a conclusion which we got.

Yes. however, the gaming industry should realise by now that even though a conclusion is what the market wanted when expecting the game, when it comes to practice, they also want the thrills of something new and exciting, and something with a marked improvement... that's the way gaming has been throughout the ages, it's a bloody upgrade system, and I don't see that changing soon.

It was alot to read so I'm saying no system is the best but i go by wii and 360. cause those are the ones i own. xD

It was alot to read so I'm saying no system is the best but i go by wii and 360. cause those are the ones i own. xD

Originally Posted by JasonCh444

If you're going to make a point in this thread, I'm afraid you're going to have to read the posts and then post a sensible view. I said in the start we required good, well thought out posts. We're discussing a market that the hobbies of millions relies on, with billions of dollars moving every year.... If you'd like to give your observations as a consumer, feel free to do so, however, please do not simply break a discussion of the likes we were having. Become a part of it, and enrich it!