For the past 2+ years I've done nothing but recommend the Xbox 360 to my friends that wanted to get into the new generation of game consoles. It's fairly easy to see why. The 360 had a more robust online component in Xbox Live, even if you ding it for its price tag. It had a solid list of exclusives, and the titles that were making their way to the PS3 were either delayed, buggy, or feature-stripped shadows of their former selves - sometimes all of the above. Why wait longer for what would likely result as an inferior product when you get instant gratification and play the better version on the 360? Beyond the cross-platform issues, the PS3 was lacking in truly compelling exclusives, which wasn't totally unexpected for the first year of the console's life. I argued against buying an Xbox 360 during its first year for the same reason. That's not to say that the PS3's exclusives were bad, just not capable of justifying $500 or more for a console with an inferior library. The Playstation Network was in its infancy. Blu-Ray was in a battle with HD-DVD over high-definition supremacy with the outcome still unclear.
Lastly, Sony hadn't found an identity with the Playstation 3. Their PR disasters that permeated before the PS3's release continued for several months afterwards, with Sony backtracking on statements about new SKUs and adding rumble, only to have their "surprise" announcements leaked before their proper unveilings by retailer ads or vendors demoing the product before they were supposed to (Dual Shock 3). The ever-evolving bundles, from the 20GB and 60GB, to now the 40GB and 80GB, all with varying levels of backwards compatibility made it impossible to recommend one to buy because you had no idea if your PS3 would be trumped by a new model just a month later. What is this, PC gaming? Things had to change at Sony, from top to bottom. Executives needed to be replaced, PR and marketing needed new strategies, and Sony needed to provide consumers a compelling reason to spend more on a game console than an Xbox 360, or take the easy route and drop the price. Thankfully, all of the above have happened and things are looking much better for the Playstation 3 in 2008. But is it worth buying yet? Should that $600 tax rebate coming in May be allocated for a PS3? Let's take a look.
The Cross-Platform Conundrum
Lastly, Sony hadn't found an identity with the Playstation 3. Their PR disasters that permeated before the PS3's release continued for several months afterwards, with Sony backtracking on statements about new SKUs and adding rumble, only to have their "surprise" announcements leaked before their proper unveilings by retailer ads or vendors demoing the product before they were supposed to (Dual Shock 3). The ever-evolving bundles, from the 20GB and 60GB, to now the 40GB and 80GB, all with varying levels of backwards compatibility made it impossible to recommend one to buy because you had no idea if your PS3 would be trumped by a new model just a month later. What is this, PC gaming? Things had to change at Sony, from top to bottom. Executives needed to be replaced, PR and marketing needed new strategies, and Sony needed to provide consumers a compelling reason to spend more on a game console than an Xbox 360, or take the easy route and drop the price. Thankfully, all of the above have happened and things are looking much better for the Playstation 3 in 2008. But is it worth buying yet? Should that $600 tax rebate coming in May be allocated for a PS3? Let's take a look.
The Cross-Platform Conundrum
The year head-start that the Xbox 360 got over the PS3 benefitted Microsoft to a wonderful degree, not necessarily from a market standpoint, but from a development standpoint. The extra year that developers spent with 360 dev kits before touching the PS3 meant that their programmers were better suited to coding to the 360s strengths, rather than the PS3's. They're only now getting to the same level of familiarity with the Playstation 3 architecture as the Xbox 360's, and it shows. Multi-platform games are no longer crippled on the PS3, as was the case with many of its early titles. They're hitting the streets on the same day as their 360 counterparts, with the same features, and clear of any alarming graphical disparities. The only argument that remains between the two platforms is the increasing necessity for annoying installations on the PS3 (thanks CAPCOM), but it's still too early to call that a trend so I can't knock the Playstation 3 for it just yet. In fact, some would argue that recent titles like Devil May Cry 4 and Burnout: Paradise are superior on the Sony console, especially once the Dual Shock 3 gets released in the US which will finally bring rumble to the PS3 and steal that feather from Microsoft's cap. Suddenly the 360's cross-platform crown has disappeared.
While multi-platform games make up a large amount of a system's library, it's the exclusives that sell consumers on the platform. Thankfully, Sony has a pretty killer lineup for 2008 with only one title that really needs spotlighting: Metal Gear Solid 4. Of course, there are other games besides that coming to the Playstation 3, but all bets are on MGS4 being the title to carry the system through the year. In fact, Sony believes in the game's system-selling potential so much that it will be releasing a new SKU in June with the game bundled inside. How's that for a great buy? Maybe more interesting than the PS3's exclusives this year is the 360's own ho-hum lineup. Ninja Gaiden 2, Halo Wars, and Fable 2 just don't have the same pizazz that Bioshock, Halo 3, and Mass Effect brought to the table last year, or Gears of War the year before that. Sorry Alan Wake - we've seen you too little and too infrequently to warrant getting excited about. It leaves us begging the question: how will Microsoft respond? So far they seem to be in shell-shock. If I had to give the nod to either platform's 2008 library at this early point, I'd have to go with the Playstation 3.
Blu-Ray Triumphant
Besides becoming a more appealing game console, the Playstation 3 now has another indisputable advantage over the Xbox 360: high-def playback. Alright, so Microsoft would rather you use the Xbox Live Marketplace for all of your hi-def movie needs, but consumers haven't shown faith in that market yet, and if my money's on anyone to pull it off it's Apple. From a retail perspective, there's only one option: Blu-Ray. HD-DVD is dead, leaving Sony's format as the sole option for buying hi-definition content at your local Best Buy. Combined with its format victory and the price drops, the Playstation 3 suddenly becomes a very appealing product even for consumers that aren't looking primarily for a game system. Much like the Playstation 2 was an affordable way to get introduced to digital movie formats, the Playstation 3 is a great way to give your hi-def experience a kick-start.
Blu-Ray Triumphant
Besides becoming a more appealing game console, the Playstation 3 now has another indisputable advantage over the Xbox 360: high-def playback. Alright, so Microsoft would rather you use the Xbox Live Marketplace for all of your hi-def movie needs, but consumers haven't shown faith in that market yet, and if my money's on anyone to pull it off it's Apple. From a retail perspective, there's only one option: Blu-Ray. HD-DVD is dead, leaving Sony's format as the sole option for buying hi-definition content at your local Best Buy. Combined with its format victory and the price drops, the Playstation 3 suddenly becomes a very appealing product even for consumers that aren't looking primarily for a game system. Much like the Playstation 2 was an affordable way to get introduced to digital movie formats, the Playstation 3 is a great way to give your hi-def experience a kick-start.
Thanks to its impressive lineup, stagnant competition, and forthcoming bundles, the Playstation 3 is set to take 2008 by storm. There's only one problem: I've gotten you all excited to buy a PS3, but the answer to my original question of "is it finally time to buy a PS3?" is still no. How can I say that? Simple: you can only buy the 40GB model right now. That means no Playstation 2 backwards compatibility, and no Dual Shock 3. Unless you can live without both of those and just have to get your PS3 fix now, it just doesn't make sense to buy the currently available PS3 model. My suggestion: you've probably got a nice $600 check coming from the government in May (you have filed your taxes already, right?). Use that for the Metal Gear Solid 4 bundle and enjoy the year's best exclusive on a PS3 with an 80GB hard drive, backwards compatibility, and a controller that has rumble.
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