Please use the new FAQ thread (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=931796).

Thank you.

I agree that it seems that gamers have better displays than average.

But it really seems that: PS3 purchase + HD display ownership ==> will try Blu-ray.

If the general profile of PS3 buyers follow your statistic (15% with HDTV), then 15% of PS3 buyers can benefit from Blu-ray. Don't you think most of them will give it a try? With Netflix behind it, it is risk-free.

I didn't say that PS3 buyers with HDTV's wouldn't buy or rent Blu-ray movies. In fact, I agree that a PS3 owner who also has an HDTV is very probably going to buy or rent at least 1 Blu-ray movie. I question the result that 80+% of PS3 owners would buy Blu-ray movies when a very large percentage of them don't have HDTV's. It could be that gamers have a higher percentage ownership of HDTV's (but I haven't seen any statistics one way or another) and there is nothing to extrapolate from that poll either way.

If I were an analyst, I'd probably get a few grand just for this post. :D

Well, at the very least you would get $.02.

Excellent post Grubert. He's absolutely correct that this isn't about gaming dominance or Sony vs. Microsoft. Sony already has that. This is Sony vs. Toshiba, who are already strange bedfellows with their co-development of the Cell processor.

And as he points out, we could have a PS3 launch in the US before Japan. The US is Sony's bread and butter market for their gaming consoles. They sold almost half of all PS2s sold in the US. The PS2 launched in Japan with 9 games. Sony wouldn't do that here in the US, but I think they would launch with 6-10 games and 20 BD titles.

I think the author of that piece has some interesting and illuminating tidbits there.

Joseph

Your point being? My post was in response to how Microsoft Vista natively supporting HD-DVD is pointless. People will either buy their computers pre-built with the drives available (Dell being the largest manufacturer and supporting Blu-Ray) or they will modify their own.

If they can install a drive, they can surely install the required drivers to get that drive to work. There is no advantage, that was all I was saying.

IMO, the computer drive advantage right now goes to HD-DVD, that was all I was saying. And just because Dell may be Blu-ray doesn't mean that every computer they ship will have a Blu-ray drive installed.

Another juicy rumor - wholly unconfirmed - is that Japan will not see the launch of PS3 until very late this year. Our sources were unable to make the connection about whether this means the U.S. launch will come at the same time, even later, or, just maybe, much earlier. This is where, unfortunately, we are left to speculate.

What if it's earlier?

The theory goes that Sony's play is not for the next generation games market at all. Microsoft's Xbox 360 is no more than an irritating diversion. The big play is for the high definition DVD market, and in this context, an early launch, with small hardware numbers and threadbare games software support might just be a good move.


Wow. That is the mother of all rumours.

That's a very interesting and losses reducing way of doing it. Don't appeal to the gamers initially, cause the game availability is spotty. PSP-redux.

Gary

Grubert,

Good find!

As crazy as that article is, it does make a certain amount of sense. Very interesting indeed.

Excellent post Grubert. He's absolutely correct that this isn't about gaming dominance or Sony vs. Microsoft. Sony already has that. This is Sony vs. Toshiba, who are already strange bedfellows with their co-development of the Cell processor.



Dont forget about TSST (http://www.arnnet.com.au/index.php/id;1615439796;fp;256;fpid;337468494) either - The Toshiba/Samsung company that, among other things, makes Blu Ray drives.

The speculation is that the PS3 delay has as much to do with the software as it does the hardware. The developers are supposed to be having a hard time learing to use the Cell to its full potential.

If Sony doesn't want to wait until the games are ready, they could put out the PS3 early with limited SW support, in order to seal the deal on the movie end.

The PS3 will be a much more intuitive approach to hidef in general. I'm not comparing BR to HDDVD but the gamming public may just have their lights turned on by the simplicity of hidef implementation. The majority of these people imo will seek out information on hidef programming from major suppliers (ie. cable,sat,OTA) especially if they already own a hidef set and are confused. And the non hd displays are disappearing limiting the masses choice to a hidef set or junk DVCRT. Down the road PS3 adopters will have a collection of BR movie titles (even if there collection only consists of 3 titles) that they wont want to jump formats to a stand alone HDDVD player, they will stick with BR after the stand alone players come down in price. On the other hand HDDVD will be common place in the PC domain but mainly for storage. Down the road PS3 adopters will just use there PC for HDDVD movie titles if the really want to try out the other guy. The DVD-A/SACD argument has no merritt here. After cassette tapes CD's were considered the benchmark for audio and the masses still think so. With the MP3,AAC being so popular its obvious the masses just don't hear the difference in compressed music....that leaves little chance for DVD-A/SACD to succeed.

I have said many times over the past few months that Sony should make an exception this time, and release the PS3 as soon as possible in the U.S. first.

This combined with the eight studios not supporting HD dvd would in effect kill that format very quickly imo, and we could have a single format and not have to deal with a war.

I have said many times over the past few months that Sony should make an exception this time, and release the PS3 as soon as possible in the U.S. first.

This combined with the eight studios not supporting HD dvd would in effect kill that format very quickly imo, and we could have a single format and not have to deal with a war.


I hope they don't. I don't want another rush job like the 360 was. Let them bring it out in Japan first, like they always do. They can iron out all the kinks and then launch it in the US a few months later, like has always been done. They really don't have any reason to change this cycle. Remember: Gaming market comes first, then the BD vs. HD-DVD stuff.

I hope they don't. I don't want another rush job like the 360 was. Let them bring it out in Japan first, like they always do. They can iron out all the kinks and then launch it in the US a few months later, like has always been done. They really don't have any reason to change this cycle. Remember: Gaming market comes first, then the BD vs. HD-DVD stuff.

LOl yeah sure.. iron bug out.. LOL so that's why my PS had to be placed upside down to play game (exchange 3 times over a year) or my PS2 did failed after 2 weeks...

Console are made so fast in so little time, that whatever place it's release Rev1 is Always buggy and they are about 1 Rev each year and a half... generally.. 360 had issue (i didn't) , PS3 will ... that's inevitable...

LOl yeah sure.. iron bug out.. LOL so that's why my PS had to be placed upside down to play game (exchange 3 times over a year) or my PS2 did failed after 2 weeks...

Bad luck. It happens.

Nothing's perfect. Ask Xbox 360 owners. E-74 errors? Crashes? Bugs? Heat?

You're always going to have that 3-5 percent bug/failure rate. Anything beyond that, of course, is unacceptable.



Console are made so fast in so little time, that whatever place it's release Rev1 is Always buggy and they are about 1 Rev each year and a half... generally.. 360 had issue (i didn't) , PS3 will ... that's inevitable...

We all agree on this. It pretty much goes without saying.

I wasn't trying to infer or imply that a Japanese first release would guarantee perfection by any means.

I hope they don't. I don't want another rush job like the 360 was. Let them bring it out in Japan first, like they always do. They can iron out all the kinks and then launch it in the US a few months later, like has always been done. They really don't have any reason to change this cycle. Remember: Gaming market comes first, then the BD vs. HD-DVD stuff.

If it comes out here first, it will pretty much seal the deal though for BD, and Sony knows that the PS3 will prevail regardless if its buggy like my kids 360 is.

The smart thing to do from a business stand point is to unleash the PS3 in the U.S. as soon as possible because they have no risk in the gaming war...they will win that whenever its released.

Business Week has considered the article worth using: http://www.businessweek.com/innovate/content/jan2006/id20060124_554520.htm?chan=tc?campaign_id=rss_tech.

Thanks to HDforEVA for finding out (see here (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=636277)).

Anyone know if the PS3 will have/support HDMI 1.3 for true 1080p output?

Anyone know if the PS3 will have/support HDMI 1.3 for true 1080p output?

I would certainly hope so, especially considering the expected time period the thing is supposed to launch by?

Here's a noob question: HDMI can be updated via firmware, yes? Example: HDMI 1.1 can be updated to 1.3 via software?

Here's a noob question: HDMI can be updated via firmware, yes? Example: HDMI 1.1 can be updated to 1.3 via software?
Not typically, no. HDMI support is provided/determined by silicon in the box. Chips are sold that are 1.1 complaint, 1.2 compliant, etc.

Not typically, no. HDMI support is provided/determined by silicon in the box. Chips are sold that are 1.1 complaint, 1.2 compliant, etc.

What a pain. Did I mention that I think HDMI is of the devil himself? ;)

I, for one, could have been perfectly happy sticking with DVI for video and, oh noes! One whole extra cable for audio! I could've lived... ;)

Yeah, it better have 1.3 HDMI support so it can dump the audio data into an outboard surround processor (since it seemingly won't decode all the audio formats onboard).

HDMI was poorly implemented and its standards board is slow to respond to the wave of future technologies. They're JUST getting the proper A/V output channels into its specs. Many current 1080p displays, for example, don't even ACCEPT 1080p signals (like 24 fps, 30 fps, 60 fps, etc.) via HDMI. Because the full HDMI implementation wasn't ready we'll probably have to wait until CEDIA (and even the next CES) to find out what products will support 1.3. And do I smell a version 2.0, etc.? This is craziness!

Dan

Come on, does anyone actually think that if Sony had anything of substance to say about a solid release date they wouldn't say it?

Come on, does anyone actually think that if Sony had anything of substance to say about a solid release date they wouldn't say it?

They have done a similar thing recently with the Sony VW100 (aka "Ruby"). Last CEDIA, virtually out of nowhere, they put this on show and redefined the high-end projector arena. Competitor TI is still in shock.

So I do think they can pull a "Sergeant Pepper" on us. ;) But maybe it is wishful thinking on my part.

Yes. Typically you can only announce something once and expect it to cause a stir. Try to imagine when would be the most inopportune moment from an HD DVD perspective for Sony to announce the PS3 price/date. I'd think that would be their best bet as far as timing goes.

Microsoft did the same thing with the the 360. Tell me if this sounds familiar:
Billy G. might not have felt like chatting much about the Xbox 2 during his keynote address at CES last night, but he did mention a few things in an interview he gave with CNET yesterday. Unfortunately they're all basically generalities, like how they want the Xbox to be the hub of people's "digital lifestyle" and how they want to get there with the next generation product (notice how he never actually calls it the "Xbox 2" or by any other name?). Otherwise it's mainly details we already knew, like that ATI and IBM are their chip partners, or that they're not planning a handheld, saying that Sony's focus on the PlayStation Portable could make it easier for Microsoft to win the next-generation console war that's looming. That's from Engadget, January 6 2005. It's exactly what people are saying now. That mght mean the same launch schedule for the US, but it's not as if it doesn't even exist.

Come on, does anyone actually think that if Sony had anything of substance to say about a solid release date they wouldn't say it?

yes.

yes.
Perhaps some official news (rather than analyst’s speculations) will be forthcoming at the next E3…………..

The downside?

Apparently, the fluffers won’t be as “forthcoming” as in the past. :( http://www.theinquirer.net/?article=29238

Come on, does anyone actually think that if Sony had anything of substance to say about a solid release date they wouldn't say it?

Think about it. Right now the fact that they didn't say anything has got the PS3 on everyone's lips and fingertips. They've generated quite a bit of interest without saying anythign at all. No media campaign, not boisterous announcements. My guess is they'll tell us what they want us to know when they want us to know it, just like with the PSX and PS2.

Joseph

Think about it. Right now the fact that they didn't say anything has got the PS3 on everyone's lips and fingertips. They've generated quite a bit of interest without saying anythign at all. No media campaign, not boisterous announcements. My guess is they'll tell us what they want us to know when they want us to know it, just like with the PSX and PS2.

Joseph

I think that's the same marketing technique Apple had developed and refined decades ago. Set a date for a convention, reveal nothing before then, and finally open curtain.

February should be good to hear from the Playstation convention. By which time, the ink on those agreements from peripheral makers is just about to dry...


fuad

Why would anyone pay $1000 to $1700 for a stand-alone Blu-ray player when a Sony P3 (with a built-in Blu-ray player) will purportedly sell for less than 500 dollars?

Sony is still trying to figure this one out too

Why would anyone pay $1000 to $1700 for a stand-alone Blu-ray player when a Sony P3 (with a built-in Blu-ray player) will purportedly sell for less than 500 dollars?

Sony is still trying to figure this one out tooPeople still pay for $500+ DVD players when you can get them for $50. People still bought DVD players even when they bought the PS2. They're not aiming at the same audience, they're just hoping to broaden the market. These companies aren't idiots, they've been working together for years. Considering that Blu-Ray has a huge lead in hardware manufacturer support, that should say something about the format.

Perhaps some official news (rather than analyst’s speculations) will be forthcoming at the next E3

my guess the PS convention in Feb. It's a double whammy

PSM has published a juicy article on the multimedia features of the PS3. Main points:

* PS3 will have online service that goes beyond xbox live
* PS3 will be a DVR
* It will connect with psp
* There are alot of games being worked on for it right now in the US (alot more then what people know about)
* The final ps3 dev kit is alot faster than they thought (according to the developer)
* The ps3 will have an itunes type service to let you download HI DEF movies, music, etc
* The Ps3 will take the media center functionality the 360 has even further
* PS3 will serve as a location free player for the psp, means you can watch the dvd's that you have in your psp on your psp (from anywhere in the world), or any other video files you have on your ps3, though this is still only being planned.
* PSP will be able to send its files straight to the psp from anywhere in the world, and it can also control its DVR functionalities
* Firmware updates will add more functionality, much like with the psp
* The Blu Ray Player functionality doesnt cost as much as a stand alone player because the Cell and RSX can take care of alot of the stuff the ps3 will need to do to be able to read the disks
* Fall release date for ps3, no release date for online service, but expected to launch w/ the system

Scans:

http://x2.putfile.com/2/3216094062.jpg
http://x2.putfile.com/2/3216060422.jpg

The PS3 has a DVR now too?

Hey, that's what it says:

[...]
Sony’s long term plans extend beyond gaming and into the broader entertainment world. “DVR [digital video recorder] functionality is going to be a big push for this thing [PS3],” PSM was told. “We don’t know exactly how the video’s going to get into the system, but it’s a top priority for Sony,” they added, elaborating that “high-def movie and TV episode downloads over the online service are a definite, kind of like the iTunes Music Store.”
Sony is planning to take the media center functionality that Microsoft bult into its Xbox 360 a big step forward, according to our sources and others in-the-know. It will also allow the PS3 to stream all major video and audio formats over a home network. Location Free playback using the PSP is still planned to be in the final hardware, meaing that you will be able to use the portable to watch DVDs and video files, view photos, and listen to music stored on your home network anywhere in the world via the internet. Taking things a step further, the PSP will be able to send data to the PS3 (for example, pop the Memory Stick from your digital camera into your PSP while on vacation and send photos home). The PSP will also be able to control the DVR functions of the PS3.
“It’s something that will evolve to add new features over time,” our sources point out, adding that frequent firmware updates will continue to add new functionality to the PSP and, eventually, the PS3 as well.

means you can watch the dvd's that you have in your psp on your psp (from anywhere in the world),

Could you explain this in detail ;)
:D

Per

You will be able to use the PSP to watch DVDs and video files, view photos, and listen to music stored on your home network anywhere in the world via the internet.

So, if you are on vacation, you can use the internet connection on the hotel room and watch on your PSP any movie you have in your home media server.

Can you say hype?

Maybe it's just me, but it sounds an awful lot like they are promising the world just to curtail Xbox360 and/or HD-DVD shipments. Or perhaps they're just trying to push magazine subscriptions...

Sony has said the PS3 won't have a hard drive, so a DVR is out of the question without a storage add-on. Sony has said the PS3 won't have tuners, so recording high-def from both cable and satellite is out of the question, without an expensive new tuner add-on. The article does allude to that somewhat -- "we don't know how video is going to get into the system."

This story went to press at least a few weeks ago. I find the "final ps3 dev kit is alot faster than they thought" comment interesting, because published reports from last month indicated exactly the opposite. I'm sure we all read the infamous review from the Sony Online employee who was since fired for his comments regarding the status of the ps3 devkit. I suppose it's possible that the final devkit was released shortly he published those comments on January ~10, in which case, this magazine report is good news.

None of the information in this article is of particular interest to me. I am not a gamer, and could care less about gaming. I am interested in movies, and affordable Blu-ray playback. This article tells us little about Blu-ray playback. Things that I want to know about the PS3:
Will it have built-in decoding for Dolby TruHD, Dolby Digital Plus, or DTS-HD?

Will it have HDMI 1.3 to output the new lossless audio formats to a future receiver/processor?

Will it have 7.1 analog outputs with 24/196 DACs?

How good will its DVD playback will be? Will it scale DVD playback to 720p, 1080i, and/or 1080p?

Will it feature 1080p playback for all BD titles, regardless of the video codec used? At CES, Sony indicated the Cell hardware was capable of 1080p MPEG-2 playback.

What BD-J profile will it support? Edit: Should say BD profile...

Will it read BD50 writeable/rewriteable disks?

Will it support SACD? Some comments suggest yes, others suggest no.

When can I buy it, and for what price?

Can you say hype?

Maybe it's just me, but it sounds an awful lot like they are promising the world just to curtail Xbox360 and/or HD-DVD shipments.My god, why would they want to do that?! That's not fair! :)
What BD-J profile will it support?Do you mean Blu-Ray profiles? Keith has shown that BD-J is a requirement at all levels.
Will it support SACD? Some comments suggest yes, others suggest no.According to official specs from the press release, it will support SACD, including hybrids. I haven't seen any comments refuting that. If you have, please post them.

Can you say hype?

Maybe it's just me, but it sounds an awful lot like they are promising the world just to curtail Xbox360 and/or HD-DVD shipments.

I'd have to agree with this statement. Most have hoped for the PS3 to be $499 or less. With the specs listed above there's no way this thing is being sold for anywhere near that. It's one thing for Sony to take a loss, it's another for them to crash and burn. I'm not keen on the idea of add-ons either which is the only logical plan they could have IMO. But just as it is for XBox 360, how many are going to buy any of the future add-ons? I'm guessing a small percentage. Don't get me wrong a PS3 with a built-in DVR sounds fab but either this thing may cost a fortune and not even be a good BD player. Somewhere they're going to have to cut corners. :(

Most have hoped for the PS3 to be $499 or less. With the specs listed above there's no way this thing is being sold for anywhere near that.
They have to come in at $500 or less, or they're dead meat. The vast majority of PS3's will be sold exclusively for gaming, not BR capabilities. More than $500 puts them out of the market entirely (more than $400 will be a challenge).

Exactly. Either they're blowing smoke (not unusual for any company, especially Sony) or they've been keeping very quiet about supplies and specs.

I read this a little while back, it's a story about a guy who got fired for breaking his NDA with Sony:

PS3 Developers Comments Removed (http://www.gamespot.com/pages/unions/read_article.php?topic_id=24206733&union_id=2479)

It's an interesting read about the PS3. Website "Down in Front" once featured his comments, but for some undisclosed reason took the information down.

Sony has said the PS3 won't have a hard drive

that is not right, it was always supposed to have an HDD, the only difference between Sony and MS is that Sony does not have a second SKU that comes standard with one. The PS3 has a drive bay and there will be several drive choices, that was what Sony said back at E3. They also said they did not include it to keep the initial price down and so that people have choices (do you want 20GB, 80GB more....)

On the other hand I don't see anything (much) that is new or that surprising. From the beginning it was supposed to be able to play movies off the BD, connect to the internet and connect to PSP and have an optional HDD that could be used for multimedia as well as games.

Once you assume those few key facts the rest is just a variation of a theme and rearrangement of those stuff

* PS3 will have online service that goes beyond xbox live

if it is a paid subscription like MS then - no cost to player

* PS3 will be a DVR

doubt it will have an internal tuner, most likely need to connect to something, my guess streaming from PC like MS - no added cost to Ps3 (but you will need to buy the optional HDD and maybe more stuff)

* It will connect with psp

known from day one, PSP can also be controller - no added cost to PS3 - bluetooth and IP are there

* There are a lot of games being worked on for it right now in the US (a lot more then what people know about)
* The final ps3 dev kit is alot faster than they thought (according to the developer)

not cost related

* The ps3 will have an itunes type service to let you download HI DEF movies, music, etc

what more then codecs and network connection is needed? no added cost to Ps3

* The Ps3 will take the media center functionality the 360 has even further

what more then codecs and network connection is needed? no added cost to Ps3

* PS3 will serve as a location free player for the psp, means you can watch the dvd's that you have in your psp on your psp (from anywhere in the world), or any other video files you have on your ps3, though this is still only being planned.
* PSP will be able to send its files straight to the psp from anywhere in the world, and it can also control its DVR functionalities

except for a network connection what is needed? - no added cost to Ps3 (but you will need to buy the optional HDD and maybe more stuff)


* Firmware updates will add more functionality, much like with the psp


* The Blu Ray Player functionality doesnt cost as much as a stand alone player because the Cell and RSX can take care of alot of the stuff the ps3 will need to do to be able to read the disks

this is a bit BS, but more to justify the stand alone players cost then the PS3, on the other hand it is true that all that is needed will be a drive, so except for the more expensive gaming part that makes comparisons futile it is true that they don't need some of the chips in other players

* Fall release date for ps3, no release date for online service, but expected to launch w/ the system

not a cost thing


-----------------------

Now I know programming costs money and SW features do too, so it is not really no extra cost, but the cost is fixed so can't be said it adds cost to a player. Because the more players it makes the lesser the cost

The most Ironic thing about all this, is the MS(edit XBOX) usually get's criticized for being too PC, or being too much something else than a Video Game console.

But thanks to MS for pushing SONY off thier ass instead of re-hashing consoles with nothing but added graphics powers.

PS3, if all the above holds up, is a pretty killer piece of hardware.

oh, and as far as I am concerned with this monster of a PS3, it's still vapoware to me

And always a step or 2 back.

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/12/20/tech/gamecore/main1146894_page5.shtml

oh, and as far as I am concerned with this monster of a PS3, it's still vapoware to me

No one asked you but I am curious do you consider the Toshiba HD DVD players vaporware as well? If not you should.

Can you say hype?

None of the information in this article is of particular interest to me. I am not a gamer, and could care less about gaming. I am interested in movies, and affordable Blu-ray playback. This article tells us little about Blu-ray playback. Things that I want to know about the PS3:
Will it have built-in decoding for Dolby TruHD, Dolby Digital Plus, or DTS-HD?

Will it have HDMI 1.3 to output the new lossless audio formats to a future receiver/processor?

Will it have 7.1 analog outputs with 24/196 DACs?

How good will its DVD playback will be? Will it scale DVD playback to 720p, 1080i, and/or 1080p?

Will it feature 1080p playback for all BD titles, regardless of the video codec used? At CES, Sony indicated the Cell hardware was capable of 1080p MPEG-2 playback.

What BD-J profile will it support?

Will it read BD50 writeable/rewriteable disks?

Will it support SACD? Some comments suggest yes, others suggest no.

When can I buy it, and for what price?


You could add, will it be as loud and hot as the 360 when playing movies to that list as things that I'm curious about as well. I'll probably end up getting one for the games though, and not its ability to play movies. I fully expect its movie playing performance to be as sub-par as every console to date has been. *shrug*

No one asked you but I am curious do you consider the Toshiba HD DVD players vaporware as well? If not you should.

Considering there is a release date, spec sheets, a price, pictures, and actual product demos...I would say your comparison is lacking.

I've long been a Sony fan (I still shine up my old 19" old Sony Trinitron taking special care with the SONY logo, it still retains a certain mystique for me)

Howver, the cheaper and simpler approach of HD-DVD looks to me Toshiba could also be a major player in Hi Def discs longer term

that is not right, it was always supposed to have an HDD, the only difference between Sony and MS is that Sony does not have a second SKU that comes standard with one.

No, thats not right. Ken himself said the PS3 would NOT have a hard drive because any size HD Sony could offer would not be enough. I believe that is exactally what he said.

Sounds stupid I know, but thats what he said.

You could add, will it be as loud and hot as the 360 when playing movies to that list as things that I'm curious about as well. I'll probably end up getting one for the games though, and not its ability to play movies. I fully expect its movie playing performance to be as sub-par as every console to date has been. *shrug*

I remember seeing the supposedly "PS3 playback of Blu-Ray movies" demo at CES, and wondering where the PS3 was ?? All I remember seeing was a Sony Bravia LCD playing demo trailers of movies like "Da Vinci Code" and "Chicken Little", and compared to the same demos on their standalone players, the PS3 playback looked dull and washed out. Even thought the PS3 demos were playing on a non-final hardware, it might just be indicative that the Blu-Ray playback on PS3 might be sub-par compared to a standalone player - just like the Xbox 360's DVD performance is crap.

Ken himself said the PS3 would NOT have a hard drive because any size HD Sony could offer would not be enough.
bdavidson: yes, he said something like that, but what does it have to do with what I said. Someone said the PS3 had no HDD capabilities so where will it record the movie. All I said is that it won't come bundled with an HDD but that it will be optional and someone that wanted one could have it. You think it stupid not to make a bundle (second SKU) with one, I don't really care, second SKU or not it is still optional (i.e. you can buy a PS3 with or without a HDD by paying more or you can buy a 360 with otr without a HDD by paying more.)

bdavidson: yes, he said something like that, but what does it have to do with what I said. Someone said the PS3 had no HDD capabilities so where will it record the movie. All I said is that it won't come bundled with an HDD but that it will be optional and someone that wanted one could have it. You think it stupid not to make a bundle (second SKU) with one, I don't really care, second SKU or not it is still optional (i.e. you can buy a PS3 with or without a HDD by paying more or you can buy a 360 with otr without a HDD by paying more.)

Sorry, your right, I read it wrong. I read your statement as:

"that is not right, it was always supposed to have an HDD, the only difference between Sony and MS is that Sony does not have a second SKU that , it comes standard with one.

Sorry, your right, I read it wrong

no problem, it happens to all of us at some point in time

Sony to showcase PS3 at Taipei Game Show 2006 (http://www.digitimes.com/systems/a20060209A8050.html)

Sony will showcase the PlayStation 3 (PS3) at the upcoming Taipei Game Show (TGS) 2006, which takes place between February 16-20. This will be a first Taipei showing for Sony’s new game console, prior to the official worldwide launch of the unit, although Sony has already shown the PS3 in the US and Japan.

Sony’s exhibit will occupy a total of 80 booths at the TGS show, including 20 booths allocated exclusively for the PS3, according to a February 9 report in the Chinese-language Commercial Times.

The Taipei showing is a move, by Sony, in a marketing campaign against its rival Microsoft, which will begin to market its Xbox 360 in Taiwan, starting March 16, the paper said.

[...]

...This will be a first Taipei showing for Sony’s new game console, prior to the official worldwide launch of the unit, although Sony has already shown the PS3 in the US and Japan....

Sounds like they will just be showing the samething as what they've already shown before? Just doing it to get a foot hold in the Taiwanese market.

I'm not a gamer, so I don't know how much they showed on the PS3 during last E3. Was it enough to fill 20 booths?

Sony to showcase PS3 at Taipei Game Show 2006

Kaddy Chung, Taipei; Steve Shen, DigiTimes.com [Thursday 9 February 2006]

Sony will showcase the PlayStation 3 (PS3) at the upcoming Taipei Game Show (TGS) 2006, which takes place between February 16-20. This will be a first Taipei showing for Sony’s new game console, prior to the official worldwide launch of the unit, although Sony has already shown the PS3 in the US and Japan.

Sony’s exhibit will occupy a total of 80 booths at the TGS show, including 20 booths allocated exclusively for the PS3, according to a February 9 report in the Chinese-language Commercial Times.

http://www.digitimes.com/systems/a20060209A8050.html

Finally, something concrete.

No, thats not right. Ken himself said the PS3 would NOT have a hard drive because any size HD Sony could offer would not be enough. I believe that is exactally what he said.

Sounds stupid I know, but thats what he said.

No word yet if PS3 will be a DLNA-equipment but I think if the LAN connection at the back of the PS3 (originally they had 3 but now only one, last I heard) can be used to connect to HDDs as part of your network (directly or through a server) then bundled or proprietary HD drives would matter only to those who don't want LAN HDDs.

The bundled HDDs would work great for saving games but not for any other media usage that PS3 seems to be geared for.


fuad

PS to have a hard drive after all? (http://www.engadget.com/2006/02/10/report-ps3-to-have-a-hard-drive-after-all/)

For the record, I had already noticed the writer's very definitive phrasing about a hard drive on the PS3. Glad someone else was awake too.

PS to have a hard drive after all? (http://www.engadget.com/2006/02/10/report-ps3-to-have-a-hard-drive-after-all/)

For the record, I had already noticed the writer's very definitive phrasing about a hard drive on the PS3. Glad someone else was awake too.With all the misinformation floating around, I wouldn't be suprised if we see a "PS3 to Cure Cancer" article next.:)

With all the misinformation floating around, I wouldn't be suprised if we see a "PS3 to Cure Cancer" article next.:)

If that's true then I guess they rethought the original plan (http://www.engadget.com/2005/06/09/kutaragi-confirms-ps3-hdd-will-be-add-on-and-will-run-linux/) quite a bit. Perhaps influenced by developer input (http://xbox360.ign.com/articles/687/687671p1.html)?

Matsuhara seems to know very little about the PS3 at this point -- or, at least, he wasn't willing to get into details at the event. Regarding the system's supposed Spring launch, he commented jokingly, "Spring is being said, but it will likely be an extremely hot Spring." Matsuhara stated that he's been asking for a hard disk to be included with the system as standard, but he's not sure what will happen.

And according to the original source (http://www.businessweek.com/bwdaily/dnflash/feb2006/nf2006029_0411_db016.htm?chan=tc) which they claim has Sony insider access it's also going to sell between $350 & $400. So that's BR, a "massive" harddrive and oh yeah plays great video games too all for <= $400? No complaints from me.

With all the misinformation floating around, I wouldn't be suprised if we see a "PS3 to Cure Cancer" article next.:)

Followed by a "PS3 to Cause Cancer" article ;)

The hilarious part about all this is that you could pretty much take most of the news articles (hype and gloom-and-doom) that came out before the PS2/Emotion Engine and X-Box, do a search-and-replace with PS3/Cell, and you'd be hard-pressed to tell the difference.

With all the misinformation floating around, I wouldn't be suprised if we see a "PS3 to Cure Cancer" article next.:)

Well the PS2 was said to be hoarded by Saddam to launch scud missles with.

So I won't be surprised when the PS3 does cure cancer.

First post overhauled. Y'all might want to have a look at it. ;)

First post overhauled. Y'all might want to have a look at it. ;)

Wow. Someone's gotta get tipped for that kind of effort! Did the good Doc do all that?!

Nice! Very handy. :)

It should be noted that the FAQ from IGN is from July 2005, over 6 months old. I believe some of that info has already changed. I think 2 of the three network jacks and router functionality have been dropped.

Of course I don't have a source link anymore though.

Wow. Someone's gotta get tipped for that kind of effort! Did the good Doc do all that?!



Doc put the links to the other threads on the forum. I compiled the FAQ and the news.

Doc put the links to the other threads on the forum. I compiled the FAQ and the news.
Nicely done Grubert,

I recently posted this article(2/23/06) on another PS3 thread which you may want to add to post #1 --for which some people may find interesting.

http://www.thestreet.com/_yahoo/tech/gamesandgadgets/10269907.html?cm_ven=YAHOO&cm_cat=FREE&cm_ite=NA

Doc put the links to the other threads on the forum. I compiled the FAQ and the news.

Nice work by all. :)

Nicely done Grubert,

I recently posted this article(2/23/06) on another PS3 thread which you may want to add to post #1 --for which some people may find interesting.

http://www.thestreet.com/_yahoo/tech/gamesandgadgets/10269907.html?cm_ven=YAHOO&cm_cat=FREE&cm_ite=NA

I agree with the author that a delay into fall doesn't affect the console race or even the hd optical race too much. The numbers that they launch with in the fall will have some impact, but the PS brand still has a lot wiggle room with gamers. Some gamers where thinking Spring Japan/Summer US but most weren't banking on that. The question of whether this delay is Summer Japan/Fall US or Fall Japan/07 US will matter a lot more.

A real delay is a delay into 2007, and as the author states, that would open up a significant opportunity to get traction for MS and for Nintendo as well. MS wasn't able to take too much advantage of the early launch in real numbers due to the supply problems but they were able to position themselves and Iron out their issues which sets a the stage for a strong 2006. They were able to get the 360 train up on the tracks and rolling.

A lot of "positioning" is occuring right now. Sony's positioning is mostly behind the scenes though so I don't think we really know much there until after E3 and possibly into summer when we see what guns they'll have ready for Christmas 2006.

Don't expect any revelations this week, it appears...

Blurb in today's CED on the Destination Playstation conference currently underway in Miami...some insiders had expected Sony to share *some* pricing and release date info with its partners at this closed-to-the-press event, but it now looks like nothing much is being said...EA, attending, said nothing big/new was likely to surface until E3 at earliest, they were 100% in the dark on specifics, but confirmed that they were planning for a "late summer" release for Japan...spring ain't gonna happen (duh).

Yeah, EA said they alone will have 8-12 games for PS3 launch...

Also, last month Ken K. stated that he wants PS3 to support HDMI 1.3 (mainly for 36-bit color support) but said the console would not be delayed to include it...

Well, if there is going to be a delay to the Japanese launch anyway (it seem like this might be the case) then that would bode well HDMI 1.3 support in PS3...

Also, since CELL is handling all media processing abilities, I don't see why it wouldnt also support/decode DTHD, dts-HD and Dolby Digital Plus in software....during Blu-ray movie playback, CELL would have lots of CPU cycles to spare so it should be trivial...

Don't expect any revelations this week, it appears...

Blurb in today's CED on the Destination Playstation conference currently underway in Miami...some insiders had expected Sony to share *some* pricing and release date info with its partners at this closed-to-the-press event, but it now looks like nothing much is being said...EA, attending, said nothing big/new was likely to surface until E3 at earliest, they were 100% in the dark on specifics, but confirmed that they were planning for a "late summer" release for Japan...spring ain't gonna happen (duh).

I guess that must answer this analysts expectations that some PS3 info would emerge at this event:

McNealy's report also touched on Sony's PlayStation 3 to note that he expects new information on the next-generation console to come out of the Destination PlayStation retail event in Miami, saying: "We expect Sony to give some directional information on the PS3 about launch plans and pricing, but we believe it is more likely that Sony will keep its commentary to a high level about the PS3 rather than specifics.

The keynote address is expected to be tomorrow morning." In addition, McNealy noted: "Also, [Sony] is expected to host an event around Blu-Ray for the media industry in southern California on Tuesday morning. We believe this could mean a flurry of public announcements from movie studios around movies to be sold in the Blu-Ray format later this year."

Interestingly enough that's part of a report where the analyst also think the 360 is picking up steam for 2006 (http://www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/news_index.php?story=8315). PS3 may need to arrive by fall not only for BR sake, but also to protect that console gaming dominance.

Senior analyst P.J. McNealy of American Technology Research has published a new note estimating that Microsoft will sell greater-than-anticipated amounts of its Xbox 360 console, eclipsing even the company's own sales estimates.

PS3 may need to arrive by fall not only for BR sake, but also to protect that console gaming dominance.

I've said it before, and I'll say it again, a prolonged delay by Sony will hurt them. People can speculate all they want regarding the PS 3's superior capabilities (which I agree is superior). But, we are talking money here and I don't think the typical consumer will wait to long to get their gaming fix. People want to play their games and watch their Blu-Ray (or HD-DVD) today, not 12 or 14 months down the road. If they feel that the system is delayed to long to wait, they won't wait, they'll buy what is available that day. I think the only thing that is working in Sony's favor right now is Microsofts inability to get enough Xbox 360's out the door. Sony needs to learn from this and get enough units to the sales floor to slow Microsofts sales.

I was talking to an executive for Fry's Electronics the other day about the availability of the Xbox 360. He expressed his continued frustration with the limited amount of units that Microsoft could provide. He showed me figures for one store which indicated the units were selling out within an hour of arrival on a consistent basis.

Everywhere you look you see a lot of nervous reaction by investors and the media concerning delays by Sony. Trust me, if Sony delays past next Christmas, Microsoft will have their production problems worked out. When/if that happens, look out Sony.

http://www.joystiq.com/2006/03/02/ps3-is-a-no-show-at-sonys-playstation-event/

PS3 is a no-show at Sony's PlayStation Event

With just one day remaining before the end of Sony's invite-only "Destination PlayStation" event in Miami, video game industry insiders at the event remain "very much in the dark" about Sony's launch plans for the PlayStation 3 console, reported Consumer Electronics Daily.

This could be interpreted as another data point supporting the theory that the PS3's launch schedule has slipped. Or it could just be all part of a master plan to catch the world by surprise with a surprise unveiling. Either way, our impatience grows.

Does anyone know if there will be a DVD remote available for the PS3? It seems like that is the major thing missing in terms of using the PS2 as a DVD player is that it's annoying trying to use a game controller for your remote control. The PS3 already has wireless technology, so it seems like a real DVD remote for it as an add-on if nothing else would be a no-brainer. If such a thing will be available, I'll probably just get a PS3 and use it as both my gaming system as well as my movie player.

Or it could just be all part of a master plan to catch the world by surprise with a surprise unveiling.

IMO this would be a mistake, if the PS3 were really ready for a surprise unveiling Sony would want to tell everyone so as to stop the PlayStation faithful from bolting and picking up a 360, as many might do when they hear the PS3 is going to be a while.

Besides some fans making alternate plans, it can also cause developers to adjust plans.

http://www.totalvideogames.com/news/Killing_Day_On_Hold__9413_4561_0.htm

It's believed the shots released back in May 2005 were from concepts on the Playstation 3, so whether the continued issues facing the format's launch have had any effect on the title is currently unknown; it's entirely possible that Ubisoft are just holding back until becoming more confident of when the PS3 will actually arrive.

Attempts to clarify the situation with Ubisoft representatives were met with a wall of silence, but hopefully TVG will hopefully have further information soon.

Very good compilation of PS3 information here: http://www.1up.com/do/feature?pager.offset=1&cId=3148332

On the subject of the PS3 as a blu-ray player, I am really suspect on how good the quality is going to be. The standalone Sony player has recently been announced to that it will sell for $999 in august. Can they really have a PS3 with blu-ray sell for 500-600 and be a decent player? If so then why even bother releasing a $999 player if the PS3 can do what this player can do and more?

Even if you don't care about playing games, if the quality was good why would I buy anything else? Which is why I'm a little suspect on the quality of the PS3 vs a standalone. Anyone have any ideas on the reason for a huge price difference (if the PS3 does get released for around $600)

On the subject of the PS3 as a blu-ray player, I am really suspect on how good the quality is going to be. The standalone Sony player has recently been announced to that it will sell for $999 in august. Can they really have a PS3 with blu-ray sell for 500-600 and be a decent player? If so then why even bother releasing a $999 player if the PS3 can do what this player can do and more?

Even if you don't care about playing games, if the quality was good why would I buy anything else? Which is why I'm a little suspect on the quality of the PS3 vs a standalone. Anyone have any ideas on the reason for a huge price difference (if the PS3 does get released for around $600)

A standalone will be superior. That's a given.

None of these gaming systems have ever been very good as DVD players. I suspect that trend will continue right along.

Sony's new PlayStation 3 was widely expected to be introduced this spring, but will be delayed as the company fine-tunes the chips that are crucial to the success of the console's Blu-ray function.

The PlayStation 3 --- which is being called "the poor man's Blue-ray" --- is vital to Sony's plans because it plays Blu-ray discs as well as videogames.

Sony will roll out the PS3 by year end, in time for the holidays. If PS3 "delivers what everyone thinks it will, the game is up," Stringer boasts.

http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117939258?categoryid=18&cs=1&s=h&p=0

An interview with Howard Stringer in the "Hollywood Reporter" said that the PS3 would be coming out for "Holiday 2006." This was back in early November last year, and yet people were still expecting it this Spring. Why didn't anyone want to believe the article?

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/thr/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1001393147

I guess cause the *OFFICIAL* SONY site still says Spring 2006.

http://playstation.com/products.html

We have already a PS3 thread in this forum (sticky at the top), and a thread discussing possible delays: http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=647120

Compeq said to land PCB orders for Sony PS3, but company also faces flaws in its 3G handset PCBs

Compeq Manufacturing, a leading Taiwan-based PCB maker, has secured an HDI (high density interconnect) board order for Sony PS3 game consoles, with volume shipments to begin between the end of June and early July, market sources indicated.

Compeq declined to comment on the report.

However, rumors have recently circulated that Motorola has returned third-generation (3G) handset PCBs to Compeq due to quality issues. In addition, Compeq may suffer a fine due to the product flaws.

While not naming any customers, Compeq explained that the handset PCB flaw only appears in a small quantity of shipments and should not affect the company’s results.

Link (http://www.digitimes.com/bits_chips/a20060306PR211.html)

The PCB orders is starting to show some signs that PS3 may indeed at least make a fall 06 launch time frame.

The upcoming Game Developers Conference (http://www.gdconf.com/) is supposed to have more info soon accd to this interview (http://biz.gamedaily.com/industry/interview/?id=12048):

BIZ: What can you tell us about Phil Harrison's keynote? Will we finally get some new information on the PlayStation 3?

JM: The answer is yes.

In general, platform providers have a unique opportunity at the GDC to share knowledge with and inspire the people who will make or break their consoles, namely the game developers themselves. With that in mind, this GDC keynote, along with the Nintendo keynote by Satoru Iwata, have both been in development for several months, and contain significant editorial value and developer takeaway. I strongly encourage you to attend both platform keynotes.

Other chips may be causing problems, however, specifically the much-hyped Cell. The custom, PPC-based processor is large (235mm2) and difficult to manufacture. In fact, the specification for the processor calls for one PPE core and eight SPE vector acceleration units, with one SPE disabled. This is thought to be a way of increasing yields on the Cell, since chips that have one broken SPE can still be used in production units.

http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20060308-6345.html

Sony "definitely not" committing to simultaneous US, Euro launch for PS3 (http://www.gamesindustry.biz/content_page.php?aid=15235)

The first 1080p PS3 game has been shown.....sadly, it looks like crap:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=654854

The first 1080p PS3 game has been shown.....sadly, it looks like crap:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=654854

Not even close to a final product.

More problem for sony and the ps3

Chalk this up as another issue for Sony, alongside Cell processor issues, Blu-ray issues, delay rumors, and more than a few ad campaigns that have backfired.

http://www.joystiq.com/2006/03/13/sonys-appeal-denied-fate-of-dualshock-uncertain/

Here's the funny part.
a federal judge rejected Sony's appeal and upheld the earlier decision (which also includes a $90.7 million payment by Sony to Immersion).

Microsoft settled out of court (buying a share of Immersion in the process)

http://www.digitimes.com/systems/a20060314PB204.html

Asustek reported to kick off mass shipments for Sony's PS3 and PSP game consoles

EDN, March 14; Jessie Shen, DigiTimes.com [Tuesday 14 March 2006]


The Chinese-language Economic Daily News (EDN) reported today that Asustek Computer has secured orders for Sony's PlayStation 3 (PS3) and PSP (PlayStation Portable) game consoles, with mass shipments slated for this Christmas season.

Asustek, however, denied the rumor and claimed that it has no knowledge of the report, the paper cited a company spokesperson as saying.

Market sources expect Asustek's revenues in the latter half of this year to exceed NT$300 billion (US$9.2 billion), accounting for about 60% of its full-year revenue forecast for 2006.


Cue cries of 'Asus makes crappy hardware anyway'. ;)

I find this statement (http://gamecube.joystiq.com/2006/03/12/ffxi-fans-asked-creators-answered/) curious from the Square Enix team of Final Fantasy Fame:

The developers also responded to inquiries on the PS3 version of FFXI: "Right now, we still don't know what type of machine the PS3 is, so we are waiting on Sony to finalize the hardware before we can make that decision." An end of the year launch for Sony's next console is looking more and more likely.

What is meant by not knowing what type of machine the PS3 is? Are the fundamental specs most assume not "final" afterall?

Here ya go boys.........
Apologies if this has been posted on another PS3 thread.............

http://www.extremetech.com/article2/0,1697,1937565,00.asp

Relevant information from the recent press conference:

Hard Drive
The PlayStation 3 will require the hard drive peripheral and the unit will ship with the system right out of the box. In total, it will be 60GB big, be completely upgradeable, and support Linux OS. Additionally, the peripheral will act as a home server and allow users to store various forms of media to be pulled up elsewhere.

Blu-ray
All PlayStation 3 games will ship on Blu-ray to help prevent piracy. In other words, no "cheap" DVD releases; Blu-ray only. Of course, it'll still play PS2 and movies on DVD, but all PS3 releases will be on Blu-ray. The company expects initial BD-ROM production to reach 2.5 million in Japan and Europe and 5 million in the US.

Worldwide launch
The PlayStation 3 will be launching in early November worldwide for the North American, Asian, and European territories. Once released, Sony will unleash one million units per month with a total of six million units in 2006 alone. Production numbers are higher for PS1 and PS2 in their initial years.

HDMI
The PlayStation 3 will include a "next-generation" HDMI port. (possibly meaning HDMI 1.3??)

HDMI
The PlayStation 3 will include a "next-generation" HDMI port. (possibly meaning HDMI 1.3??)


http://www.psxextreme.com/scripts/ps3-news/new.asp?newID=138

According to this source:

"The PS3 will utilize a new form of HDMI called HDMI 1.3"

http://www.psxextreme.com/scripts/ps3-news/new.asp?newID=138

According to this source:

"The PS3 will utilize a new form of HDMI called HDMI 1.3"

Thanks.

4K Display also found this:

http://www.watch.impress.co.jp/av/docs/20060315/sce1_06.jpg

Mar 15, 5:47 AM EST


Sony to Delay Release of PlayStation 3

By YURI KAGEYAMA
Associated Press Writer


AP Photo/ITSUO INOUYE


TOKYO (AP) -- Sony will put off the release of its much awaited PlayStation 3 console until November from its planned spring debut because of delays in finalizing its next-generation optical disc technology, the company said Wednesday.

Ken Kutaragi, the head Sony's video games division, made the announcement at a hastily called news conference after reports of the delay surfaced in the business daily Nihon Keizai Shimbun and other papers.

You didn't read the thread, did you.

You didn't read the thread, did you.
NO i just pulled it off ap news. i know :D

Worldwide launch
The PlayStation 3 will be launching in early November worldwide for the North American, Asian, and European territories. Once released, Sony will unleash one million units per month with a total of six million units in 2006 alone. Production numbers are higher for PS1 and PS2 in their initial years.


Fuzzy math :p
one million a month, 2 months nov. and dec. = 2 million in 2006
Their planning on 6 million between nov. and the end of march.

The price being as cheap as it is kind of scares me as far as blu-ray goes. I really think its going to be a very crappy blu-ray player at that cost. I guess we'll c what happens.

Fuzzy math :p
one million a month, 2 months nov. and dec. = 2 million in 2006
Their planning on 6 million between nov. and the end of march.

Since they are saying simultaneous release for three territories, the intent of the statement could easily mean one million units per continent. That would give 6 million...

Since they are saying simultaneous release for three territories, the intent of the statement could easily mean one million units per continent. That would give 6 million...

No....no thats not it :rolleyes:

http://www.1up.com/do/newsStory?cId=3148775

http://www.businessweek.com/globalbiz/content/mar2006/gb20060315_601738.htm

This time, Kutaragi is dealing with manufacturing new machines as well as new games. He said he plans to prepare 1 million PS3 consoles for the worldwide launch and have enough capacity to roll out another 5 million through the end of March, 2007.

Chap, where do you get the idea that it will be cheap.
Sony has said a few times that it will be expensive.
Don't believe any of these rumors you see floating around the internet regarding prices.

"This is not something I like to publicize, but the hardware is going to be costly," Kutaragi said.

Everyone likes to think..i'm going to get a blu-ray player/computer/cutting edge game console. All for 500 bucks or less. The "I want something for nothing crowd"

Not going to happen.

Everyone likes to think..i'm going to get a blu-ray player/computer/cutting edge game console. All for 500 bucks or less. The "I want something for nothing crowd"

Not going to happen.

Wow! So categorical! ... well, there are others that don't agree with you:

http://money.cnn.com/2006/03/15/news/international/sony_ps3.reut/?cnn=yes

"...

Analysts expect the PS3 to cost about $500 with an initial line-up of at least five to 10 games."

$500 seems about right.. any less or more would hurt sony financially.

"...Analysts expect the PS3 to cost about $500 with an initial line-up of at least five to 10 games."

You've got to be careful of unnamed sources, especially Analysts. They aren't as concerned with the bottom line profit that the company executives are. Not saying your necessarily wrong, I just wouldn't bank on that until Sony makes an official announcement later this year.

Add-ons now availiable for the PS3 :)

http://cgi.*********/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=8268473741

edit...didn't work


try this, ebay item # 8268473741

Add-ons now availiable for the PS3 :)

http://cgi.*********/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=8268473741

edit...didn't work


try this, ebay item # 8268473741


LOL, already?

No....no thats not it :rolleyes:

http://www.1up.com/do/newsStory?cId=3148775

http://www.businessweek.com/globalbiz/content/mar2006/gb20060315_601738.htm

This time, Kutaragi is dealing with manufacturing new machines as well as new games. He said he plans to prepare 1 million PS3 consoles for the worldwide launch and have enough capacity to roll out another 5 million through the end of March, 2007.


Dude, you can keep your rolling eyes. If you have information to the contrary of a post and even a link to support it, then use it the first time around. The way you wrote your response only called into question their ability to multiply, not that there was a factual error for which there was correct information elsewhere.

PlayStation 3 Hard Drive Confirmed As Standard


Sony has confirmed to Gamasutra that the PlayStation 3 will come with a 60GB hard drive as standard, removing the ambiguity on the issue, following potentially confusing statements from Sony's Ken Kutaragi at the developer's Tokyo conference last week.

The news was reported today by various news sites, and has been confirmed to Gamasutra by Sony Computer Entertainment Europe PR Manager Jonathan Fargher. The 60GB hard drive will be the default size, with other larger sizes available as separate peripherals. This follows Kutaragi's already acknowledged comments that all games will require a hard drive in order to run.

As previously reported on Friday, additional details on the PlayStation Network Platform, the PlayStation 3 equivalent of Xbox Live, have revealed that it will apparently provide a free basic service that includes online gameplay. According to these reports, only specific massively multiplayer online (MMO) titles and other premium services will require an additional fee.

Additional information on the hard drive and other technical aspects of the PlayStation 3 are expected during Phil Harrison’s keynote speech at GDC this Wednesday.
http://www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/news_index.php?story=8579

nothing really new; but confirmation from another source today on PS3 launch in November

http://news.com.com/Sony+unveils+plans+for+PS3+launch%2C+online+ecosystem/2100-1043_3-6052886.html?tag=st_lh

ken

GDC 2006 - PS3 will be region free (for games). (http://ps3.ign.com/articles/697/697656p1.html)

[B]March 22, 2006 - In a QA session following the platform keynote address at GDC 2006 this morning, Sony Computer Entertainment Worldwide Studios President Phil Harrison confirmed what was heavily demanded for import gamers all over the world and yet previously thought unthinkable for a major corporation: the PS3 will be region-free for gaming.[b]

As a gamer, this is very good news. No more reason to buy a gray market import PS3 to play import games.

Joseph

Any news on pre orders?

Playstation 3 and HDMI

http://www.tgdaily.com/2006/03/24/gdc2006_ps3_no_hdmi/

PS3 Screenshots. Look pretty good.

http://www.joystiq.com/2006/03/25/motorstorm-resistance-and-more-pictures-from-sonys-gdc-keynot/

i will wait till you can have a controller in your hand before i make an informed decision on what the PS3 can do. hopefully, it will do better than some of those shots and Rachet and Clank looks to renderd video for my liking (no health bars etc could be a giveaway).

What happened to it being able to do the famous killzone 2 level of imagery?

Hopefully E3 will be more informative.

PS3 500 Euro Reports "Misinterpreted" (http://www.next-gen.biz/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2690&Itemid=2)

Fornay's comments are not an indication of PS3 pricing - Sony (http://www.gamesindustry.biz/content_page.php?aid=15937)

I wonder what will happen in Ballymena when PS3 arrives and somebody steals one from somebody else :eek: ………………

http://www.kotaku.com/gaming/top/street-war-erupts-over-a-playstation-2-165719.php

Can someone confirm? if Toysrus USA taking pre orders?

Can someone confirm? if Toysrus USA taking pre orders?

ATM Negative. I'm expecting lots of pre-orders to be available in 1 month after the price is announced at E3.

I asked ToysRUs about pre-orders and was told, after E3, they either will take begin to accept pre-orders immediately or will take pre-orders 1 month before the PS 3 is slated to be released.

I asked ToysRUs about pre-orders and was told, after E3, they either will take begin to accept pre-orders immediately or will take pre-orders 1 month before the PS 3 is slated to be released.

Well, that's pretty open ended.

Sony is really shooting itself in the foot on so many levels.

Well, that's pretty open ended.

Sony is really shooting itself in the foot on so many levels.

How so? By not releasing the pricing info before E3? Seems like a somewhat reasonable thing if you ask me, E3 is going to generate lots of media attention.

E3: Sony and Nintendo to face off once more in Los Angeles (http://www.gamesindustry.biz/content_page.php?aid=16161)

Can someone confirm? if Toysrus USA taking pre orders?

I have a pre order in with Toys R Us in Canada. Was $50.

Me too, but you have to use Canadian address?

Fun with numbers:

Microsoft ramps up Xbox 360 shipments (http://news.com.com/Microsoft+ramps+up+Xbox+360+shipments/2100-1043_3-6066201.html)

Some points:


The world's largest software maker raised the bottom line of its Xbox 360 sales target range for the year ending June 30 to 5 million to 5.5 million units from an earlier range of 4.5 million to 5.5 million.


Sony said it plans to ship 6 million PS3 units by March, 2007.


Earlier on Thursday, Sony forecast its game division to register a 100 billion yen ($875 million) loss in the current business year ending March 31.


From the current profitability of the Sony gaming division, their projected loss due to the PS/3 AND that being based on 6 million units through March 2007, it should be possible to calculate an fairly accurate loss per PS/3.

TVs and video games help Sony avoid loss (http://www.iht.com/articles/2006/01/26/business/sonyearn.php)

This year:


Profit at the games division, which includes both hardware and software for the PlayStation video game series, rose 52 percent to ¥67.8 billion. [$588 million]


So, $588 million profit (FY2006) to $875 million loss (FY2007) clearly all due to the PS/3.

Assuming 50% PS/2 profit canibalization and a 4 PS/3 titles sold per unit ($10 profit per), the direct losses on the PS/3:

$875 (loss)
+ $588/2 (PS/2 profits)
+ 6 million * 4 * $10 (PS/3 game profits)
------------
$1.4 billion / 6 million = $234 gross sales loss per PS/3 ($194 net with the $40 in game profits) for FY2007

So, $400-$500 retail, depending on (ahem) the cost of building a PS/3. :D

Gary

I have a pre order in with Toys R Us in Canada. Was $50.

Canada will be lucky to get 50,000 units.

http://theinquirer.net/?article=31443

PS3 cell porcessor having some issues.

SOURCES CLAIM that yields of the Cell microprocessor for the Playstation 3 are not good. A process mole tells us that the Cell yields are far enough below par that the amounts of good dies off the test wafers are "horrible".

http://theinquirer.net/?article=31443

PS3 cell porcessor having some issues.

SOURCES CLAIM that yields of the Cell microprocessor for the Playstation 3 are not good. A process mole tells us that the Cell yields are far enough below par that the amounts of good dies off the test wafers are "horrible".

Would be more reliable if this weren't coming from the Inquirer! ;)

http://theinquirer.net/?article=31443

PS3 cell porcessor having some issues.

SOURCES CLAIM that yields of the Cell microprocessor for the Playstation 3 are not good. A process mole tells us that the Cell yields are far enough below par that the amounts of good dies off the test wafers are "horrible".

Without historical information on yields and dated info. upon when this pronouncement was made, this is difficult to assess. But, somewhat expected, given the logic count. However, they conveniently fail to mention is that there are actually 8 SPE's (processing elements), but only 7 are enabled for final product (assuming that 0 or 1 of them fail the final Q tests). The SPE's also occupy something like 70% of this large die, so yields obivously won't be like a NAND gate, but this should improve.

Improving yields on a standard nm die like this (and it isn't even considered state-of-the-art) is just a matter of time/volume.

Yawn

Forbes sez Sony will announce a price this Tuesday. :)

http://www.forbes.com/business/2006/05/05/sony-chipotle-aes-cx_vc_0506peopletowatch.html?partner=rss

Forbes sez Sony will announce a price this Tuesday. :)

http://www.forbes.com/business/2006/05/05/sony-chipotle-aes-cx_vc_0506peopletowatch.html?partner=rss

The E3 is finally just about upon us. I would certainly HOPE they finally announce some concrete information, like a true MSRP, so we can get the ball rolling on preorders and the rest of it.

It's high time.

any news come out about the PS3 at E3 today?

any news come out about the PS3 at E3 today?


4pm PDT is when the Sony conference begins. Keep a close eye on a site like Gamespot or whatever gamint site you prefer.

Forbes sez Sony will announce a price this Tuesday. :)

http://www.forbes.com/business/2006/05/05/sony-chipotle-aes-cx_vc_0506peopletowatch.html?partner=rss
Didn't Sony already say they wouldn't announce a price for the PS3 at E3?

Plus the article says if it's above $600 it would be bad. However, IMO if it's above $500 it would already be bad for Sony in terms of adoption of the PS3 (and Blu-ray). Over $600 would be outrageously bad.

Anyways, why would they announce it Tuesday if their presentation is today?

Presentation is today? What kind of announcements have been made?

presentation is at 4pm PDT.....

Any websites covering the presentation?

http://www.gamespot.com/news/6149508.html

PS3 $499, $599, November 17 release
Dates and prices finally revealed for Sony's next-gen console. Two SKUs will be available, one with 20GB HD, one with 60GB HD.
By Tim Surette, GameSpot
Posted May 8, 2006 6:51 pm PT

At today's pre-E3 conference held at Sony Pictures Studios, two questions that have been on gamers minds were answered. Sony president Kaz Hirai revealed the PlayStation 3's price and launch date.

The PS3 will be released in Japan on November 11, and the United States on November 17, 2006. Like the Xbox 360, the PS3 will come in two configurations, one with a 20GB hard drive and one with a 60GB hard drive.

The 20GB will retail for $499 in the US (59800 yen in Japan, 499 euros in Europe), and the 60GB model will retail for $549 (open price in Japan, 599 euros in Europe).

Sony expects to ship two million units in its first month of launch, four million by the end of the year, and six million by the end of its fiscal year, which ends in March 31.

http://www.gamespot.com/news/6149508.html

Any word on whether these include a blu-ray player? all the talk had been that blu-ray equipped PS3's would cost about $1000.

if they put out a blu-ray equipped PS3 for $500, that will be a huge boost for that format.

Any word on whether these include a blu-ray player? all the talk had been that blu-ray equipped PS3's would cost about $1000.

if they put out a blu-ray equipped PS3 for $500, that will be a huge boost for that format.
? All PS3s will have Blu-ray drives.

Note however that the $500 one does NOT include HDMI. That's reserved for the $600 model.

20GB-$499
http://www.watch.impress.co.jp/av/docs/20060509/scei03.jpg
60GB-$599
http://www.watch.impress.co.jp/av/docs/20060509/scei01.jpg
DualShock3...minus the shock
http://www.watch.impress.co.jp/av/docs/20060509/scei04.jpg

http://www.scei.co.jp/corporate/release/pdf/060509ae.pdf

499.99 version:

- No built-in Wi-fi
- No HDMI port
- No Memory Stick slot
- No SD card slot
- No Compact Flash slot
- 20GB hard drive

599.99 version:

- Includes everything including HDMI port, built-in Wi-Fi, 60GB hard drive, etc.


Im laughing so hard, I think Sony of Japan can actually hear me. I wonder how well Blu-Ray is going to work without that 1 (not two :) ) HDMI ports.

I hope the shitstorm of bad press on this decision of two different systems is so intense that SCEI changes their tune before the end of E3..... :mad:

I could care less whether the $499 "tard edition" can be upgraded to HDMI later on or not. We were "supposed" to get dual HDMI outputs, well, no surprise there.
But, we better get 1 HDMI output no matter which version we buy. I'm not impressed...

I don't see what the big deal is.
Even if you get the "base" version you can have very high quality games & BD (1080i), most people don't even have a HDTV yet so they don't need HDMI.

Why do you need more than 1 HDMI output??
You planning on watching it on 2 TV's at once??

I'll be at BB tomorrow to see if they'll put my name on the wating list for the $599 version!!

Everyone seems to forget that this is a videogame system first and foremost. This means two things. 1. Unless you luck out and are one of the first ten to reserve it you probably won't get one until Jan/Feb. 2. It's extremely difficult to buy stand alone game systems nowadays. So you're going to have to buy a bundle. So when you factor in 2 games($120) and an extra controller($40-50). You're looking at around $800. Let's not forget about any movies you might want to buy that day. All of this for a Blur-ray player which will most likely be sub-standard. You might as well buy a standalone player. Will this thing even have analog inputs?

jcollins

Why would it need inputs, analog or otherwise?

Good catch, I meant to say outputs. But my point is that if you the PS3 lacks the bells and whistles of a standalone player. I for one like my bells and whistles, especially at that price.

Good catch, I meant to say outputs. But my point is that if you the PS3 lacks the bells and whistles of a standalone player. I for one like my bells and whistles, especially at that price.


The PS3 as a BD movie player is expected to be subpar to a stand alone. To what extent we will know later this year. Start saving your pennies :D

I don't get this, didn't they want to use the PS3 to boost blu-ray format, but the $500 one doesn't have HDMI output, ever!!! How can you call it a blu-ray player. It's not like HDMI is just needed for 1080p, but they advertise it so much as full HD yet they release one without it, makes no sense. You need HDMI for HDCP, what happens when movies start using it, the consumers that bought the $499 version don't know all about this. The $600 version is already worth the $100 more in other features, why did they have to cripple the $500 version with no HDMI.

Where's the name on on the PS3 for the crippled version. they just say 20gig package, that doesn't tell the consumer it's no longer a true blu-ray player. At least the 360 used "core" in the name, but the core can be brought upto premium level. And yet some consumers thought the core meant that version was slower or could never do HD. And now the PS3 crippled version is referred to as 20gig package, this will confuse people. People who think they don't need a 60gig drive will just get the 20gig version and expect the same console.

By the time the PS3 is out the 360 premium will be down to $299, and the Core down to $219, plus the HD-DVD add on drive about $100. $600 just to get a full blu-ray player out of the PS3 when you'll possibly be able to get a HD-DVD player out of the 360 for $420. And there will probably be stand-alone blu-ray players for $600 by then.

Man oh man, I thought the whole excuse and reason for a high price of the PS3 was atleast it would be a blu-ray player, but now it's a moot point see how the already more expensive $500 version lacks HDMI.

I'm going to be shaking my head for days now.

I don't get this, didn't hey want to use the PS3 to boost blu-ray format, but the $500 one doesn't have HDMI output, ever!!! How can you call it a blu-ray player. It's not like HDMI is just needed for 1080p, but they advertise it so much as full HD yet they release one without it, makes no sense. You need HDMI for HDCP, what happens when movies start using it, the consumers that bought the $499 version don't know about all this. The $600 version is already worth the $100 more in other features, why did they have to cripple the $500 version.

Where's the name on on the PS3 for the crippled version. they just say 20gig package, that doesn't tell the consumer it's no longer a ture blu-ray player. At least the 360 used core in the name, but the core can be brought to premium level. And yet some consumers though the core meant that version was slower or could never do HD. And now the PS3 crippled version is referred to as 20gig packag, that will confuse people. People who think they don't need a 60gig drive will just get the 20gig version and expect the same console.

By the time the PS3 is out the 360 premium will be down to $299, and the core to $219, plus the HD-DVD add on drive about $100. $600 just to get a full blu-ray player out of the 360 when you'll possibly be able to get a HD-DVD player out of the 360 for $420. And there will probably be stand-alone blu-ray players for $600.

Man oh man, I thought the whole excuse and reason for a high price of the PS3 was atleast it would be a blu-ray player, but now it's a moot point see how the already more expensive $500 version lacks HDMI.

I'm going to be shaking my head for days now.

I think I would have paid somebody a $100 to not have read that. :D

I think I would have paid somebody a $100 to not have read that. :D

What did I do wrong :( EDIT: I fixed some typos in that message, I was typing too fast. Please read it again :D or a $100 will do fine :)

Nothing. It was just very stream-of-consciousness. :)

As for the lack of HDMI in the...let's call it the PS3 Core...that does at least guarantee one thing: the first batches of Blu-ray discs almost certainly won't be flagged to prevent playback via component at 1080i or thereabouts. Or Sony's going to be really calculating and figure out a way to enable that for the PS3 (firmware flag?) and disable it for their standalone players later...

What did I do wrong :( EDIT: I fixed some typos in that message, I was typing too fast. Please read it again :D or a $100 will do fine :)

Just seems that you're making yourself waaaaaaaaaaaaay too crazy over a $100.


Wait for the other surprises. No inside information, just have my doubts that Sony is going to sell a fully enabled Blu-Ray player as part of its PS3 game console for $400 less than the competition or $900 less than its own stand alone player. (may have got the $s a bit off, but you get my message)

It's not the price, it's just what having no HDMI technically does and how no PS3 should be without it. Having two different versions will just confuse the average consumer, they won't know the full ramifications of this later on if they bought it with plans as a blu-ray player and HDCP starts being used.

I hope we get some kind of review on the video playback capabilities of the PS3 at E3. If it's garbage I'll skip it and just buy a stand alone player.

Don't think it will be garbage, but yes, hopefully we'll get a review soon. But I somehow doubt it will be done on a big enough screen, on a 32" it will probably look great no matter what....

Well, I can't figure out Sony's move with the loss of HDMI on the "core" package, either. I couldn't care less about the other stuff they left out on the "core." But I'd have gone with that package for sure for $499. Now I'll have to snag the $599 version. And it really makes no sense to in any way cripple the Blu-Ray functionality on the base model considering how much Sony has riding on Blu-Ray. Perhaps the specs will change by the time the release date comes around. A Nintendo spokesman said he was surprised that Sony announced the price this early. Maybe, like the controller, they'll see the reaction to all of this stuff and make some tweaks. There's no final hardware yet, so it wouldn't be difficult. Add HDMI back to the base model and I'm all over it. I can always upgrade the HD later if need be.

As far as the quality of the Blu-Ray playback in the PS3 is concerned, before this announcement, I'd have bet that Sony would have packed a pretty nice player into the PS3 based on the flack they got from the PS2's DVD player and the importance of Blu-Ray. Now - I'm not so sure. And I wouldn't expect any reviews until much later. As I said, there's no final hardware yet, so reviews wouldn't matter anyway.

Oh, and incidentally, I don't see MS dropping the price of the 360 this year now. They might have if the PS3 came in at the same price points of the current 360 prices, but there's no incentive for them to take a bigger loss now that the PS3 is $100-$200 more than the current price.

where PS3 was...... a look back....

Xbox 360 Versus PlayStation 3--Consumer Console Versus Gamer Console The PS3 also seemed to have significantly more complex polygonal models than the Xbox 360. While the 360's rather disappointing Ghost Recon 3 looked like a minor facelift from Ghost Recon 2, Killzone on the PlayStation 3 was an eyeopener--undoubtedly the most beautiful looking FPS game to date (Quake 3 and Half-Life 2 pale in comparison). When comparing the graphics between the 360 and the PS3, the latter has graphics that are true to the phrase "next-generation" while the 360 seems more like a respectable upgrade (say, the jump from PS One to PS2) from the original Xbox.

Fornay's comments are not an indication of PS3 pricing - Sony The idea that Fornay's mention of 499 to 599 Euro price ranges was an indication of the PS3's price point is "a mistranslation or misunderstanding of the discussion, which was actually focused on the relative value of PS3 as a Bluray Disc player," according to SCEE corporate

Yahoo: 60 GB Hard Drive Standard With Every PS3 The UK branch of Yahoo News is reporting that a Sony contact "confirmed this morning that PlayStation 3 will come with a 60GB HDD as standard," and that the hard drive can be upgraded.

Report: the PS3 to Have a "Huge" Hard Drive (they must have meant "Wii" Business Week article today concluded that the PlayStation 3 will ship with a "huge internal hard drive," despite conflicting information over the status of this feature. According to the article, "[The PS3] boasts a huge hard drive to store photos, music, and TV shows."

PS3 Games Up for Preorder on GameStop The preorder page contains 32 PS3 games, including Devil May Cry 4, Killzone 2, and Spider-Man 3, all with release dates of October 1, 2006, with the exception of Metal Gear Solid 4 listed to release on December 1, 2006. While these PS3 games are listed on the site as available to preorder, the final purchase page in the GameStop shopping cart is currently not working. (YA THINK)?!!

Sony Re-Confirms Spring 2006 PS3 Launch
According to Reuters, Sony has re-confirmed a Spring 2006 launch for their upcoming PlayStation 3 console. This announcement contradits the latest analyst speculation that the console would release sometime in late 2006.

PS3 to Launch in Japan for Under $400 The Japanese blog CoolGamer, a historically reliable source for Japanese gaming, has exposed that an upcoming issue of Famitsu magazine will reveal Sony's plans for a 2006 PS3 launch for under 40,000 Yen, approximately $400 US. While CoolGamer has yet to make a false claim regarding the console gaming market in Japan, it should be noted that this is still early speculation, and, more than likely, won't reach the US until summer 2007, at the earliest.

MODS: Any chance we can herd all the PS3 discussions back into this thread? The forum is getting polluted with all of the PS3 talk. Thanks! :)

Really, the players should be quarantined into a sticky thread. The PS3 is going to be the sink or swim determining factor for Blu-Ray. Discussion on the PS3 should be primary as sony has bet the farm on selling the intergration of BR into it's game system. Also, it is going to be the cheapest way to get into BR for a LONG time.

Really, the players should be quarantined into a sticky thread. The PS3 is going to be the sink or swim determining factor for Blu-Ray. Discussion on the PS3 should be primary as sony has bet the farm on selling the intergration of BR into it's game system. Also, it is going to be the cheapest way to get into BR for a LONG time.


How is $600 going to be the cheapest way to get into Blu-Ray for a long long time? I can guarantee that within a month or so after the PS3 is released, you will see a Blu-Ray player at the $300 price point competing against the new Hd-DVD models that will be priced at around $300. Both camps need to reach that level if they want the average person to buy their players. It will be a huge mistake by Sony to have their first Blu-Ray player priced at $1000 dollars sitting next to $300-499 HD-DVD players. And very very few non-gamers will buy a PS3 simply for Blu-Ray.

exactly, 1k for a bd player is insane. Sony better be very....very careful.

How is $600 going to be the cheapest way to get into Blu-Ray for a long long time? I can guarantee that within a month or so after the PS3 is released, you will see a Blu-Ray player at the $300 price point competing against the new Hd-DVD models that will be priced at around $300. Both camps need to reach that level if they want the average person to buy their players. It will be a huge mistake by Sony to have their first Blu-Ray player priced at $1000 dollars sitting next to $300-499 HD-DVD players. And very very few non-gamers will buy a PS3 simply for Blu-Ray.

I agree with you superman!

I can make my kids happy with Wii and wait for second generation BD or HD players for under $300, that is my decision..

According Izumi Kawanishi interview there will be DVD up conversion and progressive conversion in ps3 but isn't this impossible on ****** pack (no HDMI)? Am i correct that css doesn't allow up conversion thru analog output?

Source: beyond3d

One thing everyone is overlookin, is that there is going to be little or none lead time between the BR launch and the PS3 launch. Essentially, the PS3 is launching with a brand new technology at the same time it is presented to the public in other ways. I don't think this has ever been done before in the history of consumer electronics.

The cost of the PS3 has been reported to be anywhere from $500 to $800, perhaps this is why Sony has been so flip about the PS3's price. From what I understand, the stand alone BR players share most of the technology in the PS3, sans the nvidia graphics chip. So, it's a given that the PS3 and or a standalone system will cost Sony AT LEAST $400 to manufacture, and may stay at that level for quite some time. If oil skyrockets this summer because of hurricanes, Iran, or a mexican revolution, both the Blu Ray players and the $500-600 PS3 maybe out of reach for consumers paying $12 at the pump.

I can guarantee that within a month or so after the PS3 is released, you will see a Blu-Ray player at the $300 price point competing against the new Hd-DVD models that will be priced at around $300.

Wut? Dream on...

I can guarantee that within a month or so after the PS3 is released, you will see a Blu-Ray player at the $300 price point competing against the new Hd-DVD models that will be priced at around $300.

Never happen.

Unfortuneately.

It will happen, but not this year. Maybe towards the end of next year, maybe? I don't think the adoption of high-def will be as fast as some hardware makers and studios are hoping/predicting, thus volumes won't be as high, thus prices won't drop as fast...

It will happen, but not this year. Maybe towards the end of next year, maybe? I don't think the adoption of high-def will be as fast as some hardware makers and studios are hoping/predicting, thus volumes won't be as high, thus prices won't drop as fast...

I agree. I wrote "never happen" strictly in response to Supermans specific scenario.

Ah... Of course! :) If would be nice, though!

Good read and breakdown on the PS3: LINK (http://www.gamespot.com/features/6125429/index.html/)

should have had one 1080p HDMI 1.3 port on the "tard" version and the much touted dual 1080p/dual player HDMI 1.3 ports on the upgraded model.

Dumb I tells ya, dumb!

Dan

Do we know what codecs the PS3 player will support??

The HDMI1.3 PS3 will support all the new lossless codecs.

Good news, but is it documented somewhere (public)? Link?

1.3? Will 1.3 even be ready for the PS3 launch? I know that's what Sony wanted months ago, but 1.3 has been slow coming.

http://curmudgeongamer.com/2006/05/history-of-console-prices-or-500-aint.html

Game Console Prices, Historically

http://curmudgeongamer.com/imgdisplay.php3?shotfile=console-prices-absolute.png

http://curmudgeongamer.com/imgdisplay.php3?shotfile=console-prices-relative.png

http://curmudgeongamer.com/2006/05/history-of-console-prices-or-500-aint.html

Game Console Prices, Historically

http://curmudgeongamer.com/imgdisplay.php3?shotfile=console-prices-absolute.png

http://curmudgeongamer.com/imgdisplay.php3?shotfile=console-prices-relative.png


Point? technology gets cheaper over time. Would you still like to pay $4000+ for a mid range PC???

Thought it was relevant.

Cause there has never been a succesful game console that sold for over $400.

Now, to be fair, PS 3 is a lot more than a game console.

http://xbox360.ign.com/articles/643/643170p1.html

In case you didn't look at both charts, here is an easy run down of modern day prices.

Atari VCS launched in 1977 for $249.99 $811.21 in 2005
Nintendo Entertainment System launched in 1985 for $199.99 $354.91 in 2005
SEGA Genesis launched in 1989 for $249.99 $389.67 in 2005
NeoGeo launched in 1990 for $699.99 $1041.12 in 2005
Super Nintendo launched in 1991 for $199.99 $282.21 in 2005
Jaguar launched in 1993 for $249.99 $328.69 in 2005
3DO Interactive Multiplayer launched in 1993 for $699.95 $920.30 in 2005
SEGA Saturn launched in 1995 for $399.99 $497.66 in 2005
Nintendo 64 launched in 1996 for $199.99 $242.75 in 2005
SEGA Dreamcast launches in 1999 for $199.99 $228.09 in 2005
PlayStation launched in 1995 for $299.99 $372.01 in 2005
PlayStation 2 launched in 2000 for $299.99 $333.15 in 2005
Xbox Launched in 2001 for $299.99 $325.34 in 2005
GameCube launched in 2001 for $199.99 $216.89 in 2005

http://xbox360.ign.com/articles/643/643170p1.html

Is anyone taking pre-orders for the PS3? Gizmodo is reporting that EB Games & Gamestop are not.

One thing that's putting me into Console Launch Panic Mode is that EB and Gamestop won't open up pre-orders for the PS3 until the fall. Why? My local EB register girl cites a lack of confidence in Sony's ability to meet demand in November and looking to avoid nerd riots similar to the Xbox 360 launch. She also made an off-hand comment that Wii pre-orders may come earlier.

Is anyone taking pre-orders for the PS3? Gizmodo is reporting that EB Games & Gamestop are not.

Wii is now looking to ship in October.

Nobody is really taking PS3 pre-orders at this time.

EB and Gamestop want to know how many units they are getting.
Yes, it got crazy with XBox 360, but PS2 was even worse, especially when they shipped such low numbers.

The Pioneer representative was also making sure to mention that the Blu-ray movie playback quality on the Sony PS3 will be by far not as good as on their BDP-HD1. The Sony PS3 is not a low-cost product ($599), so you would actually expect to get a decent Blu-ray disc player, right?

http://www.i4u.com/article5721.html

In the UK we are only getting the 'FULL' version of the PS3. No TARD package here thank goodness. Downside is it is going to cost £425.

Point? technology gets cheaper over time. Would you still like to pay $4000+ for a mid range PC???

Not a fair comparison. Traditionally consoles are sold at a loss for the first few years. The early profits are made from software liscensing fees and accessories, followed by profits from the console itself when it matures (and has hopefully begun selling 50 mill to a 100 milll units).

Computers have traditionally sold at a profit inside and out, and the system parts individually have less per-unit-sales than consoles. They have a shorter shelf lifespan as well, so profits need to be realized quickly to support advances in technology that continually happens (as opposed to every 5 years for consoles).

The PS3 is still under-priced for all that it offers. That still doesn't mean, of course, that the masses will accept it at that price. My guess is Sony knows the early hardcore will eat up the first 6 - 8 million (which we will), so they are charging closer to manufacturing cost than normal, minimizing early losses per unit sold (the first XBox was notorious for "bleeding" billions of $$$ from Microsoft for the first four years of its life). Why let scalpers make all the money?

It would help Sony immensely though if they cut the price $50 next Spring, then another $50 in Fall '07 to bring the price in-line with what the 2nd tier of buyers are willing to put out en masse. This way they minimized early loss, but they are back on track by Christmas '07 with selling 20 million - 30 million units in the first few years due to a better price point.

Also, I'm amazed at all the people here who definitively seem to know about the BD playback of the PS3... have any of you actually SEEN it?

I have. I live in Los Angeles and was at E3 last month. I sat in the mini living room that Sony had setup (2 sets of three booths side-by-side) and the one I was in was showing Blu-Ray previews of Sony movies. They showed Click (Adam Sandler), Monster House (CG animation), RV (Robin Williams), The Davinci Code, Hitch (old movie), Casino Royale (new James Bond flick), and Open Season (CG animation).

All of this was shown on a 70" Qualia screen and I was up front, in the center no more than 8 feet away for the entire reel, which I watched completely three times. The picture quality is absolutely AMAZING! There is no way that the quality can be improved much more than what I saw for myself.

Everything was vibrant, clean, sharp and a dozen other adjectives that haven't been invented yet. I saw NO artifacts. The visual quality was at least as good as a quality movie theater picture, but may be even better IMHO. 'Click' in particular was stunning; it almost felt 3D. The PS3 was sitting there in the case, running everything. You want something on par with the Hawaii feed looping through SXRDs at Circuit City? Get a PS3 and you'll be pleases..

It is because of the presentation that I am actually here at this website. I came back home knowing that I absolutely HAD to have the screen that the PS3 was connected to (I already knew I wanted a PS3). I did some research and found out that SXRDs are the near-equivalents, which this site's members have written a lot on. As of last night, I paid $2,800 for a 60" SXRD (yes, I know the new models are coming soon), and its all because of that E3 BluRay movie preview demonstration. Scoff if you want because you plan to get some $1,500 BluRay player at launch, but I've actually SEEN what the PS3 can output.

I thought they didn't have any actual PS3s, just hardware decks.

There was some video clip, maybe from here, that showed the previews as some guy was showwing off the PS3 menu system, but they loaded so fast it seemed as if they were coming from a hard drive.

That'd be awesome if Blu Ray loaded that fast. Or maybe it was the PS3 that loaded fast.

PS3s all come with a HD.

PS3s all come with a HD.

Sorry for the confusion. My question was if the movies clips were from a Blu Ray disk, or the hard drive?

All I can tell you is that they said it is coming from the PS3's BluRay drive (displayed on the screen as well periodically). I didn't exactly trace the wires from the source to the set, but if it wasn't coming from the PS3 on display I'm guessing they had a PS3 equivalent BluRay drive secured somewhere else running the clips.

which basicly means then, we are yet to see what a PS3 can do with BD films. I would take any Sony demo with a pinch of salt until there is proper working PS3s with actual BD movies spinning in a final production unit PS3. Then we will know the quality available

Wrong, it doesn't "basically" mean anything of the sort. The PS3 was there. The screen and the presenters said it was all coming from the PS3. I just can't confirm it if a gun was put to my head because I didn't try to trace the wires from the system to the back of the TV (cables would've been fed through the stand holding it up into the flooring anyway).

I hope the DVD quality is better than the ps2 equivalent, it was very bad, and a real remote not the artifact interface on ps2.

I agree. The PS2 DVD playback was hardly top tier, even long after launch. Since then its improved as it now accepts component, and is progressive in playback. That's little consolation for early adopters.

Seeing as how PS2, for its credit, was offered for a cheap price at launch back then, maybe part of the reason for the PS3s high console price is because they've tried to get the quality right the first time. It is definitely an improvement in relative graphic quality as far as games are concerned for next-gen consoles (compared to PS2 vs. the competition back then). So far, there's no reason to believe that Blu-Ray won't also be at least as good as stand alone players in picture quality.

Well considering other sites around theWWW, have said playback was coming from either Dev kits or PCs, then without confirmation its useless info. Not getting at you in anyway, but unless you can confirm it, then i would rather wait for somthing more solid.
I hope you are correct, i really do. :)

Well considering other sites around theWWW, have said playback was coming from either Dev kits or PCs, then without confirmation its useless info. Not getting at you in anyway, but unless you can confirm it, then i would rather wait for somthing more solid.
I hope you are correct, i really do. :)

It was from Dev Kits and PCs, here (http://www.theinquirer.net/?article=31688) is the link to a story that even has pics showing where the video out was really coming from.

Part of the story-'First off, the display models appeared to be simply boxes painted in pretty colors to wow the throngs of unwashed (if you were at E3, you know I am not kidding) masses. The problem is if you looked at the display models, they had all the fan grates blocked. This either means they had solved the modern problem of semiconductors and drives using electricity, or they were still empty.'

Well here's what Ken Kuteragi had to say about how the games were running.

"First up is Ken Kutaragi. The SCE chief told the magazine that while the PS3 demo units at E3 can be considered real hardware, the actual game demos at the show were not running off optical media. SCE had the games running off hard disk in order to download updates as the show progressed. This ability was apparently put to use with Gran Turismo HD, which, according to Kutaragi, saw updated versions on each day of the show."

Link to whole story
http://ps3.ign.com/articles/710/710286p1.html

OK, then the attendant was either lying (obviously possible) or the movie clips were playing on the Blu Ray drive that's finalized for the PS3 (even if it wasn't physically in a PS3).

I hope the DVD quality is better than the ps2 equivalent, it was very bad, and a real remote not the artifact interface on ps2.

I don't intend to watch any DVD's on my PS3 :D

I agree. The PS2 DVD playback was hardly top tier, even long after launch. Since then its improved as it now accepts component, and is progressive in playback. That's little consolation for early adopters.
.

With BluRay, it HAS to be top quality. Not a single artifact will be acceptable.

If it's kind of crappy like the DVD playback, then that won't be good for Sony.

I would expect top notch HD performance from the PS3, anything less is a complete failure imo.

Some Game Price Points now appearing, and as I predicted, the $70 games for Ps3 are there.

But the $95 game???

This is still up in the air though....

Preise von Segas PS3- und Wii-Spielen

31.05.06 - Atari hat Preise von PS3- und Wii-Spielen veröffentlicht, die sich auf die Beneluxländer beziehen. Die Spiele sind von Sega, allerdings übernimmt Atari den Vertrieb der Software in diesen Regionen.

- Sonic The Hedgehog (PS3): Euro 67,99 - $86.25 USD
- World Snooker Championship 2007 (PS3): Euro 73,99 - $93.97 USD
- Sonic Wild Fire (Wii): Euro 59,99 - $75.95 USD
- Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz (Wii): Euro 59,99 - $75.95 USD


Inwiefern die Preise auch auf Deutschland zutreffen, bleibt abzuwarten: Hierzulande regelt Sega den Vertrieb und hat noch keine offiziellen Preisangaben zu den obigen Spielen gemacht.
CLICK (JeuxVideo: 'Les prix des jeux Playstation 3 et Wii')

Atari Publishes all Sega games in germany , keep in mind add about 10 dollars for a game in germany. Which puts Nintendo Wii games about 59.99 pricepoint and PS3 games at a 69.99 pricepoint.

http://gamefront.de/

(scroll about half way down)

Some Game Price Points now appearing, and as I predicted, the $70 games for Ps3 are there.

But the $95 game???

This is still up in the air though....

Preise von Segas PS3- und Wii-Spielen

31.05.06 - Atari hat Preise von PS3- und Wii-Spielen veröffentlicht, die sich auf die Beneluxländer beziehen. Die Spiele sind von Sega, allerdings übernimmt Atari den Vertrieb der Software in diesen Regionen.

- Sonic The Hedgehog (PS3): Euro 67,99 - $86.25 USD
- World Snooker Championship 2007 (PS3): Euro 73,99 - $93.97 USD
- Sonic Wild Fire (Wii): Euro 59,99 - $75.95 USD
- Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz (Wii): Euro 59,99 - $75.95 USD


Inwiefern die Preise auch auf Deutschland zutreffen, bleibt abzuwarten: Hierzulande regelt Sega den Vertrieb und hat noch keine offiziellen Preisangaben zu den obigen Spielen gemacht.
CLICK (JeuxVideo: 'Les prix des jeux Playstation 3 et Wii')

Atari Publishes all Sega games in germany , keep in mind add about 10 dollars for a game in germany. Which puts Nintendo Wii games about 59.99 pricepoint and PS3 games at a 69.99 pricepoint.

http://gamefront.de/

(scroll about half way down)

I think it's more FUD and speculation. The European market has always been more expensive and downright screwy anyways.


I will say this: IF it ultimately comes to pass that these HORRIBLE prices become fact? They're begging for a repeat of pre-NES crash of the console videogame market ultimately.

THAT is just absurd.

You're out of your mind if you think that news bit can just be coverted like that. I'll bet you $95 that Super Monkey Ball for the Wii will not retail for $75.95 USD.

You're out of your mind if you think that news bit can just be coverted like that. I'll bet you $95 that Super Monkey Ball for the Wii will not retail for $75.95 USD.

Grain of salt duly noted.

Very large grain of salt.

Besides defending the PS3, Harrison took time to evangelize the device, which will launch worldwide this November. In particular he said the Linux-based operating system on the console's hard drive will have enough processing power and non-gaming functionalities to render traditional PCs--most of which use a form of Microsoft's Windows OS--moot in the home. "We believe that the PS3 will be the place where our users play games, watch films, browse the Web, and use other [home] computer functions," said Harrison. "The PlayStation 3 is a computer. We do not need the PC."

http://www.gamespot.com/news/6152133.html

Well that comfirms PS3 running Linux, now that will be a nice HTPC

If you are a big sony fan, you may want to avoid this link.

Video Game centric article. Big Point, Sony not paying off the bill for Rumble Features in the PS2, and the lack of rumble in the PS3, and what it's gonna cost them.

http://taketa.livejournal.com/5325.html

Als Scoff if you want because you plan to get some $1,500 BluRay player at launch, but I've actually SEEN what the PS3 can output.


At e3 they said they JUST started shipping new dev kits(which are still not final hardware) . I'm pretty sure what you saw was not a ps3 playing that video off a BR disc but a VERY high bitrate playing off a Harddrive and who knows what was outputting it. I would bet money on the fact it wasnt an acutal ps3 playing that video tho and I doubt it was coming from a BR disc.

Anyone hear anything about major recent problems with the PS3...like they can't get it to play BD discs?

Anyone hear anything about major recent problems with the PS3...like they can't get it to play BD discs?

Where did that come from?

Will the PS3 Blueray play be high quality ?
Or would one sold in a Dell PC be better quality ?

Nobody has seen the PS3 play BluRay movies yet.

So it's all up in the air in that regard.

Where did that come from?

i'm wondering if any "insiders" might be able to dig up some info or confirm this...

i'm wondering if any "insiders" might be able to dig up some info or confirm this...

It was you who brought that up! You must have heard or read it somewhere.

I feel bad for you guys. So so many defectives. Ouch.

OMG, PlayStation 3 Controller Spelling Mistake

Kotakuite Oly hit Sony's super swish Ginza showroom, which was not only displaying the PlayStation 3 for all to see, but a glaring spelling error. Instead of "SELECT", the PS3 controller reads "SERECT". Even though Sony's been batting fly balls of late, we're not going to poke fun. That would be rude. Spelling in a foreign language is hard, especially when it's an unusual word like "select".

http://www.kotaku.com/assets/2006/06/ps3consolespellingmistake.jpg

http://www.kotaku.com/assets/2006/06/ps3spellingmistake.jpg

http://www.kotaku.com/gaming/top/omg-playstation-3-controller-spelling-mistake-180260.php

I'm not Japanese but I do have a minor in the language and will be there next week. But I can tell you that you can't make fun of them because the "l" in Japanese is pronounced like the "r". So the guy doing the translation doesn't think he messed up. Its a rough language to learn man, from personal experience.

Praystation.

^Yes there is a deeper meaning. LOL

Praystation.


:D

photoshop. if anyone believes this is real then.. LOL

Anyone hear anything about major recent problems with the PS3...like they can't get it to play BD discs?

I am fairly new to this but didn't the BD fanboys say that HD DVD was DOA? All I WANT is that HD DVD (either BD or Tosh HD DVD) does not become DVD-A or SACD!

Nobody has seen the PS3 play BluRay movies yet.

So it's all up in the air in that regard.


I went into three of these in order to size up the situation - the Warhawk booth, the Blu-ray booth, and the user interface booth - and in two of the three (Warhawk and Blu-ray), the hardware used was the Playstation itself.

http://psinext.e-mpire.com/index.php?categoryid=20&m_articles_articleid=546

Neither rumble nor motion-sensitivity is a big deal for the PS3. And in the end, if Sony loses their last appeal, they will pay. They will pay because in the long run they'd lose far more money by withdrawing the PS2. They will pay, and the PS3 will come out, and it will live or die on its own terms.

“PLAYSTATION®3 will be the most advanced computer platform for enjoying a wide range of entertainment content, including the latest games and HD movies, in the home,” said Ken Kutaragi, president and group CEO of Sony Computer Entertainment, Inc. “By introducing the next-generation HDMI 1.3 technology, with its high speed and deep color capabilities, PS3 will push the boundaries of audiovisual quality to the next level of more natural and smoother expression on the latest large flat panel displays.”

http://www.hdmi.org/press/pr/pr_20060622.asp

“PLAYSTATION®3 will be the most advanced computer platform for enjoying a wide range of entertainment content, including the latest games and HD movies, in the home,” said Ken Kutaragi, president and group CEO of Sony Computer Entertainment, Inc. “By introducing the next-generation HDMI 1.3 technology, with its high speed and deep color capabilities, PS3 will push the boundaries of audiovisual quality to the next level of more natural and smoother expression on the latest large flat panel displays.”

http://www.hdmi.org/press/pr/pr_20060622.asp

Didnt they say similar things about BD? Saying and doing are two different things...

Well, it will have HDMI 1.3, so that in and of itself isn't a lie.

But not all of them. Only the $599 version.

sony lies, all the time

I don't believe one game was running on a real ps3 at E3.. Dev Kits, sure, not a real PS3.

More Sony lies.....
http://www.kotaku.com/gaming/warhawk/warhawakps3-controller-nothing-new-182473.php

The video shows a Motion Sensing controller with Rumble, running on the PS1 in 1999.

During E3 Sony stated they had to drop rumble cause it wouldn't fit into a controller with motion sensing. (they would have to pay big $$ to immersion to use rumble), or course that's just another Sony lie. Cause motions sensing is REVOLUTIONARY!!!! NOT!

I gurantee not 1 PS3 game was running on an actual PS3. They were at best dev kits.

Sony, sorry, just can't trust them.

Its a great marketing ploy and it generally works in America. If you cant beat the competition (do as Intel and Sony does) market the hell out of it.

During E3 Sony stated they had to drop rumble cause it wouldn't fit into a controller with motion sensing. (they would have to pay big $$ to immersion to use rumble), or course that's just another Sony lie. Cause motions sensing is REVOLUTIONARY!!!! NOT!

Its less a lie and more a PR divergence. Sony can't go "yeah, we pulled rumble out because we did not want to pay Immersion".

I gurantee not 1 PS3 game was running on an actual PS3. They were at best dev kits.

They were all Dev kits. Final hardware was only recently tapped out for the CELL and RSX.

But not all of them. Only the $599 version.


Correct. Without an HDMI port it's hard to have HDMI 1.3. But they aren't hiding the lack of HDMI on the low-end version. So it's still not a lie. I'm not defending Sony, but even a chronic liar says something true sometimes. :D

Its less a lie and more a PR divergence. Sony can't go "yeah, we pulled rumble out because we did not want to pay Immersion".



They were all Dev kits. Final hardware was only recently tapped out for the CELL and RSX.

There are dev kits, in dev boxes and then there are pre-production models in actual PS3 casings.

Did you see the link i posted, or are you just being ignorant?

sony lies, all the time

I don't believe one game was running on a real ps3 at E3.. Dev Kits, sure, not a real PS3.

More Sony lies.....
http://www.kotaku.com/gaming/warhawk/warhawakps3-controller-nothing-new-182473.php

The video shows a Motion Sensing controller with Rumble, running on the PS1 in 1999.

During E3 Sony stated they had to drop rumble cause it wouldn't fit into a controller with motion sensing. (they would have to pay big $$ to immersion to use rumble), or course that's just another Sony lie. Cause motions sensing is REVOLUTIONARY!!!! NOT!

I gurantee not 1 PS3 game was running on an actual PS3. They were at best dev kits.

Sony, sorry, just can't trust them.

You sound like a bitter man, why even bother to post in this PS3 thread?

tintin1001 I like you because you realize what Sony is doing.

You sound like a bitter man, why even bother to post in this PS3 thread?

LOL!!!!

I love sony fanboys.....you sir are a classic! :p

http://biz.yahoo.com/ap/060626/sony_outlook.html?.v=1

At its Nov. 17 launch, Sony will offer a basic model for $499 and a more fully featured one for $599, prices that are much higher than competing consoles -- Nintendo Co.'s Wii, expected out later this year, and Microsoft Corp.'s Xbox 360, which is already on the market.

"The price of the PS3 is high, but you are paying for potential," Stringer said.


I hope this works out for Howard. Even if it doesn't, I'm sure he has a golden parachute. Something we as customers never seem to have when we buy in.

k

Paying for Potential....why do PR guys get away with this crap all the time?

Paying for Potential.. Do they always need to state the obvious. Of course I'm paying for potential, just like I did with the 360, xbox, PS2, just as people are doing with HD-DVD players and Blu-ray players. Surely people aren't buying consoles strictly for launch games and launch HD movies to never buy again :confused: Maybe some fit into that category but they are in the minority if they do exists.

What I never hear from the Sony haters is the fully optioned X Box 360 is going to be the same price as the high end PS3 but with less fuctionality.

The high end PS3 is $599,
the high end X Box 360 is $399, add the HD DVD player & you have $599 but, the X Box 360 doesn't have HDMI & can not use the HD DVD drive for games, That means the PS# games can be much larger,.

Think about that!

What I never hear from the Sony haters is the fully optioned X Box 360 is going to be the same price as the high end PS3 but with less fuctionality.

The high end PS3 is $599,
the high end X Box 360 is $399, add the HD DVD player & you have $599 but, the X Box 360 doesn't have HDMI & can not use the HD DVD drive for games, That means the PS# games can be much larger,.

Think about that!

Don't forget 40GB more space on the HDD (20GB on the 360 is $100) and the option to buy your own as well, not propriatary ;)

Also, from what I've read HDMI 1.3 on the PS3 allows for deeper color, which provides a better picture than component. Hopefully the 360 gets this later as an add-on, I'd certainly buy it for my 360.