Right on the heels of Sony's recent announcement that it is creating another SKU to confuse the market comes a couple of interviews that Sony hopes will finally clear the air about its stripped down 40GB console: Enter Jack Tretton, CEO of Sony's American division. Speaking with Newsweek's N'Gai Croal and a couple suits at the Wall Street Journal, good old Jack did the usual song and dance routine that Sony is known for, when asked a few questions about the decision to lower the price point of the PS3, while simultaneously removing the one thing gamers thought they could always depend of getting from Sony -- backwards compatibility. After all, they pretty much pioneered the stuff... right?
Maybe so, but those days no longer matter. The reason? Not only does practically nobody ever play those "outdated" PS2/PSone titles on Sony's current number crunching beast in the first place, but the reality of it all is that not including such distractions is the surefire way to make sure that consumers take a bite out of the PS3's gargantuan lineup of quality titles. As far as Jack's concerned, if you really must stoop down to the level of last-generation games, by all means purchase one of those PS2-whatevers. Don't fret, as it all makes perfect sense. Doing so will most certainly save you money in the process -- limited entertainment center space is for losers.
I guess the way I tend to look at it, N'Gai, is if I'm a consumer, and I paid $599 for the Playstation 3 when it launched, I got backwards compatibility and I got PlayStation 3 technology. Today, for $399, I'm able to get all the same technology in the Playstation 3, and for $129, if I don't own a PlayStation 2, I can buy that as well at any retailer in North America. So for a total investment of $529, I've got two machines that do everything the same machine did a year ago at $599. So it's hard for me to see that as a negative for the consumer.
How can we hope to argue against that logic? Jack and Sony have us all pegged. You better run out and buy one of those 40GB deals as soon as they land on the shelves. Compared to first adopters, you are getting a steal! Who says two isn't better than one?
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Contest:
5:20 PM on 10.18.2007
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If you want to talk logic there it is.
If you want to talk logic there it is.
Here, eat this.
I bought the 60GB PS3 and I still play new PS2 games on my system. I couldn't bring myself to actually boot up the old PS2 after I got my PS3 and enjoy having the virtual memory cards to use for my still expanding PS2 library.
Its not freaking okay and its unjustified.
If this was Nintendo or MS doing this, it would still be wrong and I'd rally against it too.
As for the bitching about BC, who the hell still has their PS2 hooked up? And wasn't Sony the ones shit talking about Microsoft's backwards compatibility? Oh, the hypocrisy.
And ArrestedDeveloper made a great point. Some people are going to want to trade in their older console to put money to buy a new shiny PS3. Are they going to sell their old games too?
I already have a console hooked up, and if I plan on getting a PS3, I don't want 4 of them up there, especially if it's just to play an old game. It's too much trouble. I already have my cable box and my stereo hub to deal with.
And Volomon, I'm expecting you'll be fired from Sony's viral marketing team fairly soon, you're just not that convincing.
The majority of people that purchased 40gb PS3s in the U.K are non gaming casuals looking for a bargain, so no one should be reading much into the 178% increase. Even they looked at the old PS3 price and said 'too much money'.
If PS3 was really shit hot, they would have sold despite the huge price wouldn't they? Or were Sony right with that too? Gimme a break and stop suckling on their Sony nipples.
Definitely. The DS is excused for lack of total BC, since Nintendo planned to keep the GBA if the DS flopped. Yet if the next handheld has dual cart slots, it had better have total BC, or a portable VC.
Though I'm a bit confused. Is software emulation for backwards compatibility totally out of the 40 GB model? If so, why?
"If you want "limited" BC like the Xbox buy the 80GB or if your lucky get the 60GB. If you don't want no BC don't get the 40GB. It isn't like they are ONLY selling 40GB."
See, the problem with this is that Sony made a huge deal on how backwards compatibility was this huge thing that consumers needed.
Let me quote from the link that was posted by Gameboi. "I don't believe that was backwards compatibility." So, let me get this straight, Phil. The PS3 doesn't have real backwards compatibility anymore?
That's the thing, Volomon. It's limited. The XBOX didn't have the library PS2 had. How long is it going to be before they stop updating the PS3 to play older games?
And before you call this a fanboy rant, this is what pisses me off about Microsoft's backwards compatibility. There are some games that I can't play on it. I wanted to play an old Gauntlet game a couple days back and I got that annoying incompatible message. The thing that makes this news story worthy of a front page, is that it makes Sony look like a bunch of jack off hypocrites.
They're going below what Micrsoft is doing with one of their SKUs (I feel like a jackass for saying SKU). Even the Microsoft's tard pack (core) has BC.
Software emulation is out of 40gb, like freaking software emulation takes up a lot of space. It takes up next to none, that why its software emulation and not the previous hardware Emotion engine chip emulation, which Sony should not have removed either but did it anyway.
Sony are lame ass and their excuses hold as much weight as 'the dog ate my homework'.
Sony don't care about gamers anymore otherwise they wouldn't be screwing us over. Its all about what they want to sell to us, not what we really want. Sony are now the industries biggest joke, so they better get used to the tomatoes in their face from us. Fuck them fools. Just another link in their chain of fuck ups.
Didn't Jack Tretton say that, when Peter Moore said they'd rather give consumers a choice in picking what they need? Oh Peter, perhaps you should have gone to SCEA instead of EA.
Thank you for the endless laughs you have provided for us all.
Love,
Your former supporters
I will use my PS2 for PS2 games, but that's not what this is about. The fact is I shouldn't have to if I buy a PS3, and neither should anyone else. Commitment to your bullet points shows character. The lack of it shows the truth reflected in the mirror.
This kind of stuff is why Sony are gonna win fuck all this gen, and they wonder why they are last. Doh!!
... Or maybe I watch too much Shin Chan...
Anyways, back to the issue at hand...
<a href="http://photobucket.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j57/CypherVR360/sonyagain.gif" border="0" alt="Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket"></a>
Sorry 2d games aren't cool and we don't want them on our system (complete bullshit and they U-turn)
Lik Sang are evil and you can't import PSP games, even though we still get paid for them in the wake of piracy. (A company we that provided great service closes, but naturally we still import elsewhere, making the whole exercise pointless)
Sixaxis is cool apparently (when its a tack on extra in response to Wii with less substance)
Rumble is last gen (when there's nothing wrong with it, pushes Sixaxis lots and U-turns)
PS3 is worth the price at £425/$600 (floods market with multiple skus, u-turns and cuts price, but at cost of BC)
All of these fuck ups are unacceptable, lacking confidence, consistency and commitment to us. Now you know why I hate them so much, when they treat us like dumb monkeys. I'm tired of their shit. When they do right by me, I'll return the favour.
The PS2 means going back to an old wired controller that takes up extra room and switch TV plugs aronund every time you want to use it (does the PS2 use the HDD for save games on the PS3 like the 360, because if it does theres another reason why going back to the PS2 is shit), and Jack is trying to tell us this is WAY better?
HAHA!
It's not like Sony was going to make money off people buying used PS2 games for the next 10 years. Face it, there's a glut of PS2's and games on the planet right now. Every pawn shop in town has like 7 systems in stock used. So, what's BC really worth? To me, whatever the cost of a working PS2 is...which is, like $50, max. So is that worth getting mad at Sony? All I play on my PS3 is PS3 games anyway now. It's not like I even play all those old VC games I downloaded. I need that 720p now.
Anyway, I have a question since I am new here and just created this account. Why is there no space to enter my PSN ID when I update my profile? Just XBOX Live name and Mii Friend Code. wtf. I'm going to try not to read too much into that, especially after reading Gameboi's vitriolic headline to a story that already means less and less with every passing second.
You wanted a lower priced PS2- you got it.
You wanted rumble back- You got it.
You wanted a unified network- You got it.
No matter what Sony does, some douchebag on a taped together site will always bitch about it to generate hits...
What is it that MS always said about the 360? "We offer the consumer Choice"..
Well Sony is giving you the same thing now arent they?..
To be breif.. STFU..
Not yet, but as soon as the 60gig version sells out, it wont be replenished, and the 40gig WILL be the only option, at least till next year and they might release the 80gig version, but thats no guarantee.