Why the PS3 is Poised for Success
22.7.08 by I.R.
Let's face it, if there were an Alcoholics Anonymous equivalent for video gamers, I would be it's chief patron - and, my friends, I say that with great pride.
The fantasy world is my utopia; my sanctuary from the dystopian realities of the real world. Games help me move beyond the mundane routines and harsh truths of our day-to-day grind. They transcend my insatiable appetite for material possession and monetary wealth, instead creating a world where imagination and wit - coupled with a hint of dexterity - provide me with life-changing experiences.
As a testament to the aforementioned remarkability of video gaming, we are now entering the, believe it or not, seventh generation of video game consoles. The three key players, of course, being Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo with the Playstation 3, Xbox 360, and Wii, respectively.
Since the revelation of the three consoles at Electronics Entertainment Expos (E3) 2005 and 2006, there has been considerable controversy over which would reign supreme in popularity:
Nintendo initially seemed poised to win the generational war as a result of the introduction of its revolutionary motion-sensing control mechanism - consisting of the intuitive Wiimote and Nunchuk peripheries.
Their commercial strategy, an attempt to broaden the video gaming market, was generally lauded by critics - ultimately leading the Wii to win Best of Show at E3 2006. However, beyond the Expo, there existed significant uncertainty about the longevity of Nintendo's latest effort - specifically, whether Wii's novel controlling scheme would compensate for its sub-par technical capabilities- most evident in graphics and audio processing.
In retrospect, we see those claims being perfectly legitimate. Two years into the latest three-way console war, although Nintendo still remains at the leaderboard in month-to-month console sales, it remains dead last in software availability and sales. Third-party developers have abandoned most hardcore gaming projects for the Wii, and have instead opted for production on the technically superior PS3 and Xbox 360. In an effort to quell pessimism about the future of the console, Nintendo execs have rebranded and remarketed their product in an effort to target the casual gaming audience. As such, they have largely abandoned the hardcore gaming niche that was promised exclusive and innovative titles for the Wii. The future of the Wii looks bleak. It has restricted its target gaming audience to fraction of its original size, and is developing dimensionless, bland titles that will only appease the most novice of gamers.
The Xbox 360 is another story, however. Revealed and subsequently released a year prior to the Playstation 3 and Wii, the 360 is the most developed of the lot. Although technically inferior to the PS3, the 360's early release allowed it to capture much of the third-party support and development as well as gaming market. As such, the 360 leads the three consoles in total software releases, as well as total console sales. The future of the Xbox 360 is uncertain however. Although it remains the number one competitor for the Playstation 3, the technical superiority of the PS3, along with its ability to play Blu Ray Discs - the winner of the latest format war - puts the PS3 in great position to surpass the Xbox 360.
Finally we turn to my pick for winner of the seventh generation console war - the Playstation 3. Initially touted as worst of show at E3 2006, due to its lack of innovation or creativity, the PS3 has steadily bounced back, in part, due to shuffling in management, marketing and price.
To show why the PS3 is destined for video gaming success, it is important to show that the PS3 is much more technically advanced than either the Xbox 360 or Nintendo Wii. Its 3.2 Ghz central processing unit, coupled with a dedicated graphics processing unit and use of Blu Ray media affords the PS3 the ability to produce more complex games, more advanced worlds, larger environments and sharper high-definition video and audio output than all other consoles.
Of course, a discussion of the hardware specifications of the PS3 wouldn't be complete without highlighting the Blu Ray player embedded in the PS3. Blu Ray readability, which allows playback of Blu Ray Discs (BDs) allows unsurpassed audio and video output, in part, due the huge storage capacity of up to 50 Gb. This allows for games to be much bigger, as well as enabling them to be played in high definition at full 1080p output, as mentioned previously. The Xbox 360, which utilizes HD DVDs offer only 1/6th of the storage capacity of BDs, resulting in much simpler games and gaming environments, thus limiting the innovativeness and depth of future developed games. As well, Blu Ray, having been victorious in the latest format war versus HD-DVD means that it is the only rightful successor to DVD. A built-in Blu Ray player in the PS3 thereby allows users to take full advantage of the next generation high definition format - which is already springing to life with the latest releases in cinema and television. Even if one were to purchase the PS3 solely for its Blu Ray capabilities, it would be a prudent investment in itself, as the only other comparable Blu Ray player on the market is priced at $499; $100 more than the price of the console system.
Beyond an enormous processing capability, and Blu Ray utilization, the PS3 offers customizable internal storage hard drive capacity, built-in Bluetooth, backwards compatibility with Playstation 2 games, and free online gaming - none of which Xbox 360 is even marginally able to match.
Finally, we must speak toward the future of software development for the PS3. As Sony execs have stated the shelf-life of the PS3 to be 10 years, we can expect to see consistent title development, as well as exponentially advanced games as developers begin to utilize the fuller processing power of the console. Already, we have seen a substantiative transition in the quality of games being produced for the PS3, from early 2006 to the present. If this is any indication of the future of gaming development for the console, we should be looking forward to a big bright future with the PS3.
The fantasy world is my utopia; my sanctuary from the dystopian realities of the real world. Games help me move beyond the mundane routines and harsh truths of our day-to-day grind. They transcend my insatiable appetite for material possession and monetary wealth, instead creating a world where imagination and wit - coupled with a hint of dexterity - provide me with life-changing experiences.
As a testament to the aforementioned remarkability of video gaming, we are now entering the, believe it or not, seventh generation of video game consoles. The three key players, of course, being Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo with the Playstation 3, Xbox 360, and Wii, respectively.
Since the revelation of the three consoles at Electronics Entertainment Expos (E3) 2005 and 2006, there has been considerable controversy over which would reign supreme in popularity:
Nintendo initially seemed poised to win the generational war as a result of the introduction of its revolutionary motion-sensing control mechanism - consisting of the intuitive Wiimote and Nunchuk peripheries.
Their commercial strategy, an attempt to broaden the video gaming market, was generally lauded by critics - ultimately leading the Wii to win Best of Show at E3 2006. However, beyond the Expo, there existed significant uncertainty about the longevity of Nintendo's latest effort - specifically, whether Wii's novel controlling scheme would compensate for its sub-par technical capabilities- most evident in graphics and audio processing.
In retrospect, we see those claims being perfectly legitimate. Two years into the latest three-way console war, although Nintendo still remains at the leaderboard in month-to-month console sales, it remains dead last in software availability and sales. Third-party developers have abandoned most hardcore gaming projects for the Wii, and have instead opted for production on the technically superior PS3 and Xbox 360. In an effort to quell pessimism about the future of the console, Nintendo execs have rebranded and remarketed their product in an effort to target the casual gaming audience. As such, they have largely abandoned the hardcore gaming niche that was promised exclusive and innovative titles for the Wii. The future of the Wii looks bleak. It has restricted its target gaming audience to fraction of its original size, and is developing dimensionless, bland titles that will only appease the most novice of gamers.
The Xbox 360 is another story, however. Revealed and subsequently released a year prior to the Playstation 3 and Wii, the 360 is the most developed of the lot. Although technically inferior to the PS3, the 360's early release allowed it to capture much of the third-party support and development as well as gaming market. As such, the 360 leads the three consoles in total software releases, as well as total console sales. The future of the Xbox 360 is uncertain however. Although it remains the number one competitor for the Playstation 3, the technical superiority of the PS3, along with its ability to play Blu Ray Discs - the winner of the latest format war - puts the PS3 in great position to surpass the Xbox 360.
Finally we turn to my pick for winner of the seventh generation console war - the Playstation 3. Initially touted as worst of show at E3 2006, due to its lack of innovation or creativity, the PS3 has steadily bounced back, in part, due to shuffling in management, marketing and price.
To show why the PS3 is destined for video gaming success, it is important to show that the PS3 is much more technically advanced than either the Xbox 360 or Nintendo Wii. Its 3.2 Ghz central processing unit, coupled with a dedicated graphics processing unit and use of Blu Ray media affords the PS3 the ability to produce more complex games, more advanced worlds, larger environments and sharper high-definition video and audio output than all other consoles.
Of course, a discussion of the hardware specifications of the PS3 wouldn't be complete without highlighting the Blu Ray player embedded in the PS3. Blu Ray readability, which allows playback of Blu Ray Discs (BDs) allows unsurpassed audio and video output, in part, due the huge storage capacity of up to 50 Gb. This allows for games to be much bigger, as well as enabling them to be played in high definition at full 1080p output, as mentioned previously. The Xbox 360, which utilizes HD DVDs offer only 1/6th of the storage capacity of BDs, resulting in much simpler games and gaming environments, thus limiting the innovativeness and depth of future developed games. As well, Blu Ray, having been victorious in the latest format war versus HD-DVD means that it is the only rightful successor to DVD. A built-in Blu Ray player in the PS3 thereby allows users to take full advantage of the next generation high definition format - which is already springing to life with the latest releases in cinema and television. Even if one were to purchase the PS3 solely for its Blu Ray capabilities, it would be a prudent investment in itself, as the only other comparable Blu Ray player on the market is priced at $499; $100 more than the price of the console system.
Beyond an enormous processing capability, and Blu Ray utilization, the PS3 offers customizable internal storage hard drive capacity, built-in Bluetooth, backwards compatibility with Playstation 2 games, and free online gaming - none of which Xbox 360 is even marginally able to match.
Finally, we must speak toward the future of software development for the PS3. As Sony execs have stated the shelf-life of the PS3 to be 10 years, we can expect to see consistent title development, as well as exponentially advanced games as developers begin to utilize the fuller processing power of the console. Already, we have seen a substantiative transition in the quality of games being produced for the PS3, from early 2006 to the present. If this is any indication of the future of gaming development for the console, we should be looking forward to a big bright future with the PS3.
