May 9, 2006. I’d say that was the day. The day the internet turned. But firstly, some history - a look back to when Sony entered the videogame industry…
It didn’t take long for the majority to fall for the PlayStation. Sony seemed to do everything right. They aimed it at ‘cool’ people in the UK. They showed it off at the Ministry Of Sound. They secured big arcade titles such as Ridge Racer and Tekken. WipEout made people realise they could play videogames without feeling embarrassed! And lastly, it was priced on a par with the competition, if not lower. This led to 102m in worldwide sales over the 11 years of its lifespan, as well as the PlayStation brand securing a huge fan base; something that meant the PlayStation 2 was always going to be tipped for success.
Again, with the PlayStation 2, Sony seemed to be doing everything right. Opting for DVD meant it appealed to an even wider audience and many initial sales in Japan were put down to DVD playback. Although the launch line-up wasn’t strong the success of the PlayStation meant Sony had plenty of publishers behind them. This led to some great games released shortly after launch. One notable title being Grand Theft Auto 3, which is arguably the game that sealed the success of the PlayStation 2, thanks to its long exclusivity. Like the original PlayStation, it was priced level with the competition. Even six years after launch it’s still selling strong - over 110m in worldwide sales and counting.
Sony could do no wrong. Its Computer Entertainment division was suddenly Sony’s saving grace and with its nearest competitor, Microsoft’s Xbox, trailing with worldwide sales of around 29m, it seemed the next-generation war was theirs for the taking.
May 9, 2006. E3. PlayStation’s top brass enter the stage. $600 for the 60gb console. A controller that arguably rips off the Wiimote (and lacks rumble), an online service that has yet to convince anyone it can compete with Xbox Live and a release date in November 2006. Let’s not forget the console was meant to launch back in Spring 2006. Yet after all this, the top brass had such an air of arrogance about them, people started to not want the PlayStation 3 to succeed.
And so the backlash started…
Negative threads flood gaming forums all over the internet. Mass hysteria at the price causes many people to just stop taking interest. Rarely a day goes by without there being a negative PlayStation 3 story linked to on the Digg front page. RIIIDGE RACER! Time Magazine say it’s not worth the hype. GIANT ENEMY CRABS! Shipment problems, analysts everywhere predicting it’s doom, more production problems related to the blue diodes, Gabe Newell calls it a disaster, Ken Kutaragi gets moved upstairs. I could go on, but I won’t. I won’t go on because even I’m tired of all the negativity.
2007 is a new year for all of us. A new year for Sony and the first year for the PlayStation 3. There are a few reasons all the negative press surrounding the PlayStation 3 doesn’t bother me. In fact, there are a couple of big reasons at the moment. And these, unlike the majority of the criticisms, are very important - Resistance: Fall of Man and MotorStorm. If these two games are a sign of what’s to come for the PlayStation 3 then Sony need not worry. It’s the games that make the console, nothing else. Believe me, these are two games worth owning a PlayStation 3 for. And this is just the beginning.
Although it’s a bit on the tragic side I agree with this opinion. Sony has the best platform out there but they have to listen to the market if they want to succeed. They cannot afford to tell people ‘this is out product,take it as it is or leave’ because people will leave. They have to provide a hefty number of high quality releases and if the market says the price is too high they have to cut it as soon as possible.
Comment by Shinji — Jan 22, 2007 @ 5:55 pm
Agreed, it does seem that there is bad Sony news per day. It’s fashionable to hate on Sony right now and they need to not only come out with a steady stream of good games, but good news as well.
Just as an example they should release PS Store updates/demos/games more often instead of lumping them altogether at one time.
And they need to get some exclusives for real. If MS is paying Capcom to jeep Dead Rising exclusive, then Sony needs to do the same with games as well. Because at this point I’m betting on MGS, Devil May Cry and Final Fantasy to come out for the 360.
Comment by Neil — Jan 22, 2007 @ 8:24 pm
I like sony just where they’re at.
Comment by Jonny — Jan 22, 2007 @ 8:53 pm
Sony is going to need a lot more than just Resistance and Motorstorm.
I think Sony has concentrated more on making cool hardware, than games. Same with the PSP. The PSP can do a lot of cool stuff, but Sony (at least SCEA) has not made many really great games for it (basically just Syphon Filter, and that was probably great by accident, rather than the resources devoted to it). Where the heck is Gran Turismo? Or any of the RPGs from Japan, like Brave Story of Jeanne d’Arc?
The same half-assed effort they put towards the PSP seems to be going on with the PS3.
They also seem to have forgotten how to market.
That said, people are fickle as hell.
Comment by JeremyR — Jan 22, 2007 @ 9:59 pm
Sony will likely address all our complaints in time, but they need to realize how much better it will be for EVERYONE involved, if that time was MUCH, much sooner than later.
I would encourage them to STOP announcing dates for game releases and STOP announcing shipment quantities if they are not 100% absolutely sure they’ll be met. That’s not “really certain”, that’s absolutely positively certain. It makes them look foolish when they say something and can’t make it happen. I own a PS3. I own Resistance (and love it), I’m playing the Japanese import of MotorStorm and (as far as the actual racing goes) I love it (it’s feature-bare and needs work before the US release). I guess I just don’t understand why it’s taking SO long to get SOME exclusive titles that are worth a damn (exclusing Resistance, of course) out there. I hate the term “put up or shut up”, but it’s time to put up, Sony.
I’m hoping this rumored “update” set to roughly coincide with the European launch _really_ adds a lot of functionality and bug fixes to the platform. And Sony, don’t miss the launch date in Europe or the update that’s set to coincide with it.
We need: background downloads, PS2 backwards compatibility fixed, 1080i fixed, playable PSOne downloads, the whole “Playstation Network” built into the games, the interaction you’ve told us about for so long… more demos, demos from 3rd party devs, messaging with friends from within games where we don’t have to leave, Bluetooth mouse/keyboard support, etc.
And that’s just a start…
Sony needs to do a TON of stuff right to not only slow ot stop this negativity, but they need a couple home runs… I hope Lair overcomes the framerate issues and has great gameplay, I hope MotorStorm not only has online but additional modes and the ability for downloadable content _worth_ something, get BUSY Sony!
Comment by rothbart — Jan 22, 2007 @ 10:13 pm
I see some positives to the negative feedback. Sony, in learning that their competition can actually be a ‘threat’ and hearing all the gripes from their users, can and should react nimbly with the feedback to make their network and games that much better. I think that 2007 is where Sony should, and can, evolve from being known as the maker of the video gaming console of choice to being known as the the maker of the complete internet and media living room device. However, to do that, the desire for PS3 video games first must drive the initial and concurrent sales to get enough units into people’s homes first to make a difference. Just because the machine is technologically future proof does not mean people are ready in their minds to get it. They are more ready to see it as a games machine, and then.. find out all the other neat stuff they can do with it.
Comment by nmc75 — Jan 23, 2007 @ 12:04 am
Yes, the anti-Sony negativity is overblown and exaggerated.
I think the problem is: we’re still waiting.
Resistance is amazing. Blu-Ray is great. But people’s expectations are high. We want more than one great game and a Blu-Ray player. I know… starting in late February, there’s an avalanche of amazing PS3 content coming. But until then, we’re just waiting…
Comment by psfan — Jan 23, 2007 @ 6:30 am
i cant wait till i get my hands on my ps3, blu-ray has the potential to blow all other console’s games away just thought sheer size and the same goes with the cell processor. already our line up looks to have a few great gems. and as far as negativity to the launch titles goes.. does anybody remember the ps2’s launch line up? or even the 360’s? (some people might know about the 360 but i have no idea what games came out on its launch)
Comment by Lincoln — Jan 24, 2007 @ 9:30 am
If i was Sony, i would stop hiding behind figures and really show what they are made of.Harrison said sony 1st party studios are 3 times bigger than the microsoft or nintendo one. So come on sony,bring on the killzone, ratchet and clank, grand turismo by 2007(not 2009).
Japan and america didn t stop loving playstation they are just waiting for the AAA games and a more consistant online experience.
In sony i trust.
Comment by chrissy — Jan 24, 2007 @ 6:36 pm
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