PlayStation 3: Difference between revisions
Added note, section headers, Reddit intro to better summarize what the PS3 was and break the ice for the reader into the following sections, wrote section for $599, updates
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(Added note, section headers, Reddit intro to better summarize what the PS3 was and break the ice for the reader into the following sections, wrote section for $599, updates) |
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{{quote|''"If only there was a game console that was also a Blu-ray player."''|'''[[Kevin Butler]]'''}}
The third generation of [[Sony]]'s PlayStation console. Riding high on the wild success of the PlayStation 2 console line, the PlayStation 3 was to be a juggernaut, and indeed it was a performance beast, a marvel of technology and engineering. The PlayStation 3 at the end of its life would have titles by skilled developers that seemed similar in graphical quality to early titles released for the [[PlayStation 4]] and [[Xbox One]]. Even in [[The New Twenties]], many gamers keep their console around to run cult classic exclusives. So surely such an incredible system rocketed past even the heights of the PlayStation 2, right? Not quite. All that strength and power was also prove to be a weakness.
The third generation of [[Sony]]'s PlayStation console, the PlayStation 3 tried to do with Blu-ray what [[PlayStation 2]] did with the original DVD format. They succeeded, but it took a significantly longer period of time. Sony knocked HD-DVD out as a competitor, but primarily did so by rallying market support towards Blu-ray rather than offering any real innovation one way or the other. The recession a couple years after the PS3 launched slowed down the sales of HDTVs, which meant the synergy needed for Blu-ray to take off was hurt (regular DVD didn't need anything other than people having TVs with audio/video plugs, or adapters if they didn't). It also represented a last desperate attempt by Sony to save SACD and the first couple of generations were compatible. This failed utterly and the feature was quietly dropped from the same iteration which finally gave up [[PlayStation 2]] backwards compatibility.<ref>Ironically, this inability was due to the copy protection measures placed in by Sony for the PlayStation 2. The PS2 has a built-in bypass for the copy protection on the discs, while the PS3 does not.</ref> As HDTV has since gotten cheaper and caught on, this problem has somewhat healed, but not completely. The opportunity for PS3 to ride the wave of HD enthusiasm from launch has been [[Lost Forever]].▼
==$599==
With great power comes great cost, and the PlayStation 3 was costly at $599 USD, imprinted in many gamers minds due to a [[Memetic Mutation|Memetic]] [[E3]]. Customers got a lot of value for that, a console, a blu-ray player, and even a basic computer before Linux support was removed. However the [[Xbox 360]] and especially the [[Wii]] were far cheaper, and customers noticed, especially when a recession hit early in the life of the system. Sony didn’t stand idly, and they quickly reduced costs of systems to make it more affordable, but not before many gamers locked in their next gen console choices.
==Format Wars==
▲The
==The Household Supercomputer==
But the PS3 itself had bigger problems. The system was built with the dream of being an affordable supercomputer. Unfortunately, supercomputers are judged more by their relative processing power compared to computers of the age than by design and affordability. Even though the [[CPU|Cell Processor]] has a lot of speed, making an actual supercomputer from the system's parts requires linking several together. While several groups have done this, the need for multiple console units does defeat the notion of an "affordable" supercomputer.
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While it's not so bad now, early on these factors severely hurt the PS3 as it was and came in addition to an already bad PR problem caused by Sony's pre-launch marketing. Sony came across as arrogant, with Ken Kutaragi (the creator of the PlayStation) making statements such as the system would sell 5,000,000 even without games, and that he wanted people to want the PS3 enough to work harder to earn it (forgetting that the [[Crack is Cheaper]] notion was mainly with [[Pandering to the Base|the base]], not the mainstream). There are a couple of other infamous lines, but most of those simply became internet memes instead of hurting the system's reputation.
Now, while the system itself is good, has a strong design, is probably the most reliable PlayStation so far, has better security than the [[PSP]], has [[Useful Notes/Digital Distribution|solid online and downloadable games]] on the [[Playstation Network]], has quite a few other great features (if you want a Blu-ray it's one of the best players, and the PS3 had official Linux support), and doesn't charge for extras like the 360
As of August 2009, a new variant of the PS3 has been released — the Slim, a [[Product Facelift|smaller device]] with most of the same features and a relatively significant reduction in power needs. More importantly, this led to price drops all around, putting the PS3 within striking range of the Xbox 360. Since PS3s are still more technically advanced than Xbox 360s, and since Microsoft discontinued its midprice 360 model in the meantime, the fortunes of the PS3 have improved (as in, more releases). If 3D TV catches on, that might help, since Sony introduced 3D support with the 3.50 update and recent games like ''[[Gran Turismo|Gran Turismo 5]]'' and ''[[Killzone|Killzone 3]]'' are taking full advantage of it.
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