Category: Playstation 3

Playstation 3 Outsells Wii in Japan for November

The Playstation 3 has been doing better and better in this race for the next generation console war. Recently we found out that the console saw a 298% increase in sales after the release of the 40GB version, but now we hear that the Playstation 3 outsold the Nintendo Wii in Japan for the month of November.

This is the first time that the Playstation 3 has ever outsold the Nintendo Wii in Japan. In the 4 weeks in November up to the 25th Sony sold 183,217 units and Nintendo only sold 159,193.

This has been building up for a while, during the summer the NIntendo Wii outsold the Playstation 3 by 6 to 1 but during the fall the gap had narrowed to about 3 to 1.

Many analysts believe that this trend will most likely not continue but I’m not too sure about this. I almost feel like the joys of the Wii have passed, many people that I talk to think of the Wii as some type of fad, don’t get me wrong, the Wii is really fun but the problem is that I don’t see how people could enjoy shaking the controller around for too much longer, it gets tiring.

DailyTech

40GB Playstation 3 Caused 298% Sales Increase

The week of November 18-24 the Playstation 3 saw a 245% increase in sales compared to the week prior. Sony says that the sudden increase in sales is mostly due to the sales cuts that have happened recently.

The 80GB version dropped from $599 to $499 and on November 2 Sony launched the 40GB version of the console which is priced at $399. According to Sony the 40GB model caused an increase of 298% between November 2nd and November 24th.

This goes to show you that the Playstation 3 is still in it for the long haul. The recent price cuts of the consoles could have been the smartest thing Sony has done for the PS3 since they decided to get rid of the boomerang controller.

(Don’t forget that this will help put more Blu-Ray players in homes, just thought I’d mention that).

40GB Playstation 3, Ratchet and Clank, Spiderman 3, and HDMI Cable Bundle for $399

Dell.com is selling a 40GB Playstation 3 with HDMI cable, Spiderman 3, and Ratchet and Clank for $399.

This is a great deal and hopefully will help the PS3 compete a little bit better with the Xbox 360.

I really like the idea that you can pay $399 and get high-def movies and high-def games right out of the box.

Don’t forget that the 40GB version of the PS3 doesn’t have any backward compatibility.

If you want to pick the bundle up for yourself you can buy it here.

Sony Makes a Good PS3 Ad and Ratchet & Clank is a Good Exclusive

Sony has finally made a good PS3 ad. The new ad showcases the exclusive titles for the PS3 and what really sets it apart from the rest (Xbox 360 and the Nintendo Wii). I have to say Sony did this one right.

One other thing I want to mention about the ad is that one of the game clips that they show in the beginning of the ad is of Ratchet and Clank: Tools of Destruction. Guardian Unlimited said recently that Ratchet and Clank is “the finest PS3 game to date.” This is exciting because it means that Sony may actually start to compete with Microsoft on the gaming front. Ratchet and Clank really is one of very few titles that are exclusive for the PS3 that are actually good. I’m glad to see this because it means that Microsoft will have to step up their game and subsequently Sony will have to step it up again themselves, which, all around, is good for all.

Playstation 3 $100 Price Drop

The Playstation 3 is shaping up to be the bronze in this console war but Sony is seeming to be doing there best to kick it up a notch. The 80GB Playstation 3 will now be priced at $499. This will bring the highest end model of the console just $20 above the price of the most expensive XBox 360, but with the PS3 comes a much larger back catalog of PS2 and PSONE games and on top of that, a next gen dvd player (Blu-Ray).

Now, the games for the PS3 still aren’t up to par with the XBox 360’s games, but now the highest end PS3 is the same price as the lowest end XBox 360 + the HD-DVD add on. I happen to think that the PS3 is shaping up to be a much better deal then the XBox 360, too bad the games aren’t there yet (hopefully Ratchet and Clank will fix that).

Along side this announcement of the price drop there is also a new PS3 model being debuted. On November 2nd a brand new 40GB PS3 will be released. The 40GB console will be priced at $399, the only problem is the 40GB PS3 won’t have any backward compatibility (although I don’t see why it couldn’t be added in software since all they would need is a software emulator).

Hopefully this will help the PS3 compete a little bit more with the XBox 360 then it is now, the PS3 keeps dropping in price and let’s hope that along with better games, it will force Microsoft to lower the price of the XBox 360 some as well.

Source

$399 Playstation 3 on October 28th?

There have been some rumors around the internet talking about a 40GB $399 Playstation 3 and it seems to actually have some legs to it. Engadget has gotten a hold of some Best Buy documents that seem to confirm that the Playstation 3 will be stocked on October 28th.

I don’t currently have any plans to purchase any of the next gen consoles but I’ll tell you what, if I can get high-def gaming and a next generation high-def disc format in my living room for $400 it would be something I would seriously consider. Let’s face it $399 for the Playstation 3 is quite the bang for your buck.

I truly hope that Sony will release a $399 model soon because the Xbox 360 is dominating the PS3 (like I say all the time, we need more competition).

Engadget

PS3 Gets the Exclusive it Needs – FF XIII

That’s right Final Fantasy XIII will be a PS3 only game.

” During my foray to the Square Enix Closed Mega Theater presentation, I saw the Final Fantasy XIII trailer and at the end the words “For PS3 Only” flashed on to the screen.” –Kotaku

I personally don’t care for Final Fantasy games however I do know that there are plenty of gamers out there that are willing to buy a new console just to play a Final Fantasy game.

I don’t really care about any of the next-gen consoles, all of them have pluses in my mind but none of them have anything that makes me want to go out and buy them. I hope this game causes many people to go out and buy the PS3 because the Xbox 360 is just destroying the PS3, better competition is better for everyone.

$400 40GB Playstation 3 By Christmas?

Arstechnica is claiming that a “mole” has tipped them off of a possible $400 version of the Playstation 3 to be released by Christmas. This is quite a surprise since the 20GB and 60GB versions of the Playstation 3 have been phased out, why would they want to bring another to the table.

I am taking this with a grain of salt however the mole also tipped them off on the HDMI in the Xbox 360 so the track record seems to be fairly clean.

The mole also notes a couple other things, the Playstation 2 will have a price drop to $99 and Spiderman 3 on blu-ray may be bundled with one or both of the Playstation 3 versions.

I wouldn’t be surprised about the price drop to $99 for the Playstation 2 and I also wouldn’t be surprised if Spiderman 3 was bundled with the Playstation 3, especially since it should look great in HD and is pretty much one of the biggest movies that will be out on Blu-ray for this Christmas. I’m still a bit skeptical on the 40GB PS3 but I wouldn’t put it out of the realm of possibility.

Arstechnica

Why I’m excited for the PlayTV

Sony recently announced the PlayTV for the Playstation 3. If you haven’t heard the PlayTV is a device that will basically turn your PS3 into a DVR. The PlayTV is going to be released in Europe in 2008. Sony’s Phil Harrison told Kotaku that PlayTV isn’t coming to the United States anytime soon because it does not have terrestrial digital television. Some cities such as San Diego have digital TV but other locations do not. But with the digital conversion happening in 2009 I expect Sony will decide to make it available in late 2008 or early 2009.

On to why I’m excited about it. It turns your PS3 into the ultimate home theater box. It is a high-def game console, a Blu-ray player, and a DVR all in one. What more could you want? Well it has two digital tuners! Hows that, oh you want more? The PlayTV will detect whether or not your TV shows HD by checking what kind of cables you have connected to your TV. If it finds out that your TV isn’t HD then it won’t record the programming in HD but will record it in SD to save space on your drive. PlayTV allows you to stream content from your PS3 to your PSP or transfer the video with a USB cable so that you can watch it on the go.

The PlayTV is really cool and even if we have to wait a year or more for it, I’m still excited.

Playstation 3’s Sixaxis Controller is Not New

The Plyastation 3’s motion sensative Sixaxis controller isn’t new at all. The idea for the controller is nearly a decade old. The PSM podcast shows off a Pelican controller made in 1999. The controller does have vibration, the PS3’s controller does not. Check out the video below:

60GB Playstation 3 to be discontinued

So it seems the 60GB Playstation 3’s $100 price cut (Purchase on Amazon) was just so that they could get rid of stock and give it the fate of the 20GB version (Purchase on Amazon), discontinued. This is something that has been moving fast lately, a lot of stuff going on with the Playstation 3 lately, but nothing that is about good games, only stuff about price drops and discontinuing of SKUs. I personally think that it is smart to consolidate the lineup of Playstation 3’s and only have the 80GB version available. But, I think that the $599 price point is too high, $499 is a much smarter price point and is where a lot of people start thinking about buying it.

The price needs to lower because I do think that XBox 360 may have a price drop soon, especially since the Playstation 3 seems to be more and more of an option and less of a joke.

E3: No more 60GB Playstation 3 in US after July, says Reeves [GameIndustry.biz]