Sony Ships 1 Million PS3s So They Can Sit Untouched - We Ask Why? [update]
Sony’s broken a lot of promises regarding the PS3. When they promised a million units by the end of the year, I didn’t believe them. It seems I was wrong, they did it. However, it would seem that merely shipping consoles is not enough. Reports have been coming in for the past two weeks of PS3’s sitting, waiting for someone to take them home and show them some love…. but it’s not happening. We want to know why. Why haven’t you bought a PS3? It’s a powerful gaming machine, as well as the most reasonably priced blu ray player, so why is it just sitting on store shelves?
[update] Photo courtesy of Kotaku. They also deserve credit for being the first place I heard that PS3’s were sitting on store shelves.
-MIKE KURZ
Why haven't you bought a PS3 yet?
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January 8th, 2007 at 2:37 pm
Not a jab, an honest comment - your missing an important answer. Namely, not interested in PS3, nor is it likely that I ever will be.
For some hardcore gamers, myself included, the PS3 will never have the compelling first or 2nd party IP needed to get my dollar vote.
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January 8th, 2007 at 2:41 pm
I’d have to say that falls under content, but thanks for the input, it’s always appreciated.
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January 8th, 2007 at 5:24 pm
You’ve forgotten an important choice in your poll: Bought a Wii
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January 8th, 2007 at 7:13 pm
i voted price because well it is expensive but my main reason for not buying a ps3 is that i already have a 360 and well the ps3 is not better or not better enough to warrant me buying a ps3
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January 9th, 2007 at 2:15 pm
Why does everyone say “it’s too much!?” A Blu Ray player alone is $1000.00!!! Apparently alot of people out there can’t do math anymore. which I’m pretty sure I’m right, considering some of the people that work at some fast food places!! Damn!! Anyway, just do the math! I think it’s a hell of a machine, and we’ll see who’s who in about a year, or possibly less!! Later.
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January 9th, 2007 at 2:32 pm
@ John
It is too much, just because a crappy Blu-Ray player is even more expensive doesn’t mean that the PS3 is a reasonable price all of a sudden. I could care less about some crappy next gen DvD format, as I am sure the rest of the world would agree.
Your simple post only drives me farther into believing that Sony fanboys are elitist pricks.
We all know what Blu-Ray is. We don’t need you to spell it out for us.
Also you are in no place to critique our “math” skills, when you obviously have no knowledge concerning English grammar. So pipe down.
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January 9th, 2007 at 3:16 pm
The reason that price factors in for most people is that they’re shopping for a gaming console, not a blu ray player. John is absolutely correct when he points out that the PS3 is the cheapest blu ray player around. However, it’s also the most expensive gaming console, and that is it’s primary function.
To summarize
The PS3 is a bargain if you’re looking for a blu ray player
The PS3 is a hefty investment if you’re looking for a gaming console.
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January 9th, 2007 at 5:42 pm
i agree with john people are just stupid and cant do the math thats like getting a cheap car and someone throwing in a pair of 2000 dollar rims with it
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January 9th, 2007 at 6:15 pm
Historically, January and February have been slow months for sales of video games. At the same time, there is a lack of software available for the PS3 that warrants people to want to buy the console. Why would you buy a system when there aren’t any games out that you want to play?
Also, people are broke from holiday shopping and don’t have the time to lay out $500-600 for video games.
If Sony had marketed this console under the VAIO name, it would have been snatched up immediately. Most people are idiots and can’t understand why video games would be expensive (i.e. PS3 price tag, $60 for games, etc.). Therefore, a company needs to show the consumer exactly why their product is legit in comparison to others (namely the Wii).
Wii will likely fail in the future due to Nintendo’s historic lack of third party games for its console. 360 and PS3 will remain at the top, IF both companies can convince consumers that their consoles are money well-spent. By March, the PS3 will definitely be one that consumers will weigh on their minds heavily…even more so than they are now.
Most consumers probably look at the console as “PS1 and PS2 were awesome…but $600 is steep. I think I’ll take some time to think about this one.” As a result, Sony needs games that compel the consumer to purchase the system. Games like Virtua Tennis 3, Virtua Fighter 5, MGS4, DMC4, etc. Once that happens, the console will receive pretty steady sales. But by then, you’ll still see PS3s sitting around, much like how you see dozens of 360’s sitting around as well.
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January 9th, 2007 at 6:18 pm
@ Geoff
You know when you start resorting to name calling, all you’re doing is proving how ignorant you are. It’s people like you that bring the whole “comment/response” subject down to the gutters! Obviously, where you call home. I have yet to see one thread where people can put their “opinions” on without some jerk flaming them. I have a PS3, and just like when the X-Box came out, it has some issues with downloading content right now. i.e. not being able to download and play at the same time. But, just like the X-Box, that will be fixed with updates down the road. I’m satisfied with the machine, and can’t wait til they can fully use the power that it has. Again, time will tell.
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January 9th, 2007 at 7:09 pm
One of the things I’ve found curious is that some of my friends who have XBox 360 Premium systems talked a lot about how expensive the PS3 was going to be and how they didn’t care about high definition movies…then they ran out and bought the HD-DVD add-on. So they spent $400 for the 360, and $200 for the HD-DVD in order to have a game console that played the high def movies that they said they didn’t care about!!
I honestly don’t understand why people who love movies aren’t falling all over themselves to get a PS3, *or* the 360 & HD-DVD drive. The difference between high def and a progressive scan dvd player is spectacular.
Full disclosure: I own an XBox360 and a PS3, but not the HD-DVD add-on.
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January 9th, 2007 at 7:22 pm
I dont care about Blue Ray or getting $2000 rims on my car. The PS3 is crap and Sony is just putting salt in their wounds. No games and bull crap videos. I have a 360 and soon i will have a wii so i am set for this genration.
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January 9th, 2007 at 7:25 pm
By bull crap videos I mean their E3 lie athon. Also why would i spend $600 on it when most games are going multiplatform anyway and who knows if Blue Ray or Hd-dvd will win the format war. Sony was foolish for forcing someone that wanted a ps3 to get a blue ray player as well
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January 9th, 2007 at 7:37 pm
one problem, there’s no option for “I never expected it to do well, it isn’t, and it’s because it sucks…”
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January 9th, 2007 at 7:53 pm
Lack of games? The system hasn’t been out for 2 months yet!!!!!!!!!!! How many do you expect there to be?
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January 9th, 2007 at 7:53 pm
Lack of games? The system hasn’t been out for 2 months yet!!!!!!!!!!! How many do you expect there to be?
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January 9th, 2007 at 7:59 pm
I want a PS3 but the main reason I havn’t gotten one is becuase of the price. I simply cant afford it at the moment plus I want the full experience from it so I need a high def tv which again I can’t afford, so really I need to put out at least $1,800.
But I will for sure have one before MGS 4 comes out.
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January 9th, 2007 at 8:00 pm
i picked up a ps3. and now have buyers remorse. i personally felt i jumped in way too soon for a ps3. after renting two games.. and being underwhelmed or atleast thinking to myself.. i swear this is no better then the xbox360…
i should of waited till atleast march to pick one up. should of waitied for a killer ap. fall of man isnt it… intense yes…. but graphically not gears of war. =(
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January 9th, 2007 at 9:22 pm
@ alex
Yeah, Gears of War was incredibly detailed…mainly because the environments were pretty small in comparison to Resistance. Even then, I’d say Resistance is somewhere between Call of Duty 3 and Gears of War…mores so towards GoW.
As for the rest of you, your rebuttals are lame. “PS3 sucks and sony is putting salt on their wounds.” Yeah, thanks for providing no legitimate reasons at all as to why Sony is destroying themselves.
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January 10th, 2007 at 12:52 pm
I am not picking up a PS3 for a couple of reasons:
1 - $600 is WAY TOO MUCH for a game console - regardless who makes it - even though I could buy one today, I just can’t justify that kind of money for a GAME comsole
2 - No compelling software - I am not a fan of FPS games, and the only game that is listed as being with its price if Resistance: Fall of Man
3 - Dreadful Dual Shock/SizAxis controllers - Sony’s controllers have always been uncomfortable for me
4 - Blue-Ray - I am not a big movie watcher, also - I was bitten by a ’superior’ format back in the 80’s - Beta - and we all know how that turned out (see also MiniDisc)
I did pick up a PS2 last year, but only to play Katamari Damacy and We (Heart) Katamari and other ‘weird/wacky’ that were not available elsewhere
All in all, I think that the PS3 is overpriced…even for a glorified BR/DVD player.
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January 10th, 2007 at 1:55 pm
[...] With the age of blogs and instantaneous news upon us, we want our information brief, quick, and to the point. Fast. Instantly, even. So when news pops up of any system, not just the PS3, sitting on shelves, it’s so easy to aim our crosshairs at the news and say “har, har, failure… headshot, checkmate, doomsday” etc, etc. Well, here’s a pretty good way to look at the reasoning behind why PS3’s are sitting on shelves in some areas (still can’t find any). [...]
January 10th, 2007 at 1:55 pm
[...] With the age of blogs and instantaneous news upon us, we want our information brief, quick, and to the point. Fast. Instantly, even. So when news pops up of any system, not just the PS3, sitting on shelves, it’s so easy to aim our crosshairs at the news and say “har, har, failure… headshot, checkmate, doomsday” etc, etc. Well, here’s a pretty good way to look at the reasoning behind why PS3’s are sitting on shelves in some areas (still can’t find any). [...]
January 10th, 2007 at 2:37 pm
One last thing. Sorry, it just makes me smile when people say $600 is way too much.. Let’s do that math… again.
X-Box 360 (with ONLY a 20GB hard drive) $400.00
Wireless??? oh, that’s extra…. $100.00
Free On-line play….that’s extra too… $ 50.00 per year!!!
High Def Player… wait..that’s extra also $200.00 external HD Drive
Total…………………………………………………. $750.00 Hmmmm
So all you Xbox Fanboys actually paid more for your machine, Microsoft just hit you with a piece by piece buying plan. And it’s still not equal to what the PS3 60GB edition has… Bottom line, the X-box 360 costs more. Enough Said. The Truth hurts doesn’t it?
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January 10th, 2007 at 3:23 pm
I don’t know why some people (NOT ALL) complain so much about the PS3″S price $600 is reasonable if you actually take a look at what your getting, also the people who bought a HD DVD drive for their 360 have nothing to complain about at all because you spent $500 or $600 exactly for your 360 and high def drive. then on top of that you have to pay for the live subscription. now even though those prices are pretty similar the ps3 still has more technology like the hdmi input the bluetooth. and one feature i can only see so far that it over the 360 is the web browser (online wise), but at the same time the 360’s marketplace is overall better. But to make things short i think that the ps3 is worth the money. and also im not trying to put down the 360 because i own one but i will also say that the 360 does have alot more support at this time
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January 10th, 2007 at 4:28 pm
While I DO understand the value of what you get with a PS3 compared to an XBox 360, I still think that $600 is too much money for a GAME MACHINE.
If you read my comments above, you will see that FOR ME…someone who does not watch a lot of movies…regardless of the perceived value of the PS3 compared to a stand alone Blu-Ray player, the PS3 is still too expensive.
I can think of a LOT of others things to use that $600 for…I mean that is 2/3 as much as my mortgage payment for my house.
When the PS3 comes down in price to a sane level, and there is some truly compelling software, then I MIGHT pick one up…but I am sure that that will be at least 3 years in the future.
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January 10th, 2007 at 6:28 pm
To be quite honest I think the PS3 is a great value for what you are getting under the hood. But, where are all the promissed features, lets face it this system looks nothing like the system the pitched to us over the last year.
2 HDMI, 6 USB ports, where are they. They were talking about this system like it was a super computer. It has 256 MB of ram, even a lean Linux distro on the thing is going to run slow unless your only doing web browsing.
I’ll wait until the system sees a few revisions before I put my money in Sony’s hands. Oh and one question where are all the games?
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January 10th, 2007 at 7:47 pm
like Mike said already yet you all keep arguing about it
600 is a good price if you are looking for the next gen DVD player (blu-ray/HD-DVD)
600 is a horrible price if you are looking for a next gen GAMING console.
END of story
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January 10th, 2007 at 11:44 pm
Im a big time gamer and tech guy, I am the only person I know who even has an hdtv. So do you think anyone I know gives a rip about bluray dvds? I think they are cool but they are no reason to spend 100s on a player when plain old dvds look rock solid on my hdtv.
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January 11th, 2007 at 4:01 am
@ John
It’s not the math. You need to consider other groups of people:
1. People who just won’t buy XBOX.
2. People who bought XBOX but not interested in online game play and/or HD-DVD.
3. People who bought other gaming consoles.
In any of the above cases, the PS3 is way too expensive. You can’t sell something to consumers who do not value what the product offers. It’s pure and simple.
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January 11th, 2007 at 9:37 am
I would rather buy Wii/PS3 than buy an XBOX360 and support a country who goes around killing people.
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January 12th, 2007 at 2:17 pm
its very simple. the ps2 sold so well because of its resonable price (when it dropped) and because it was a simple reliable games sistem that offered everything that people wanted at the time (DVD player, quality games, easy to use, and everyone had them, so it was hard not to have one) now, with a console ridiculously priced, even though the contents make up for it easily, people dont have that sort of money, especially children, who made up a lot of the ps2 buyers. The thing is, the ps3 has none of the things mensioned above, who actually needs a bluray anyhows? its only on there to advertise it. there are few games, and fewer good ones. does anyone need a 60gig hd? nintendo has successfully taken over the casual gamer section, and is dominating the market at the moment, face it. the xbox 360 is slowly catching on, even slightly in japan, where it has failed completely, as the hardcore gamers choice, and in europe, ps3less, people have just given up, and my friends have all got a wii or 360. the ps3 is pointless in this day and age. sony has forgetten everything that once made it work, and lying through everything isnt really working. also, someone sue sony for copying nintendo in almost everything theve done!!! and someone sell rareware back to ninty b4 i kill them. there. done. ive said it. sony, just die. im gona love 2007
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January 21st, 2007 at 12:09 am
Here’s why the ps3 sucks:
-Too expensive, I work at a video game store, I tell people it has blue-ray and 80% of them have no idea what I’m talking about. They want the ps3 to play GAMES, not watch movies
-No titles! I know it’s a launch system, but 360’s were flying off shelves until at least early march. Around early march/late February we actually started having them in stock regularly. Their launch lineup was far from spectacular, but they sold systems like nuts regardless.
For all you ignorant Sony lovers who just complain about how the 600 is worth it, fine, I’ll agree with that. The 60gb hard drive, memory card readers, wireless internet, blue-ray makes it a worthwhile purchase from a technological standpoint. But here’s the thing - it’s not going to make people run out and spend 600 dollars. If i see a 5000 dollar car that’s usually 9000, that’s a helluva deal, but it’s not going to entice me to go out and spend 5000 dollars.
I’ve spoken with the sony rep about this, he just keeps repeating that once people see the games and see what they’re getting for the price, they will buy it. Wrong bucko, seeing a great deal will not make people go shell out tons of money.
For all you sony kids who compare prices of totals spent to make each system equal..I’ll agree the ps3 is cheaper if you had all components throw up against each other respectively. But the big thing is..with 360 you have A CHOICE. You don’t need/want wireless internet? Spend 15 dollars to buy a 50 dollar cable. Is your router right next to your 360, why do you need wireless? A 6 foot cable will suffice. Don’t care about HD-DVD’s? Don’t buy the addon! YOU HAVE A CHOICE! With PS3, blu-ray is shoved down your throat. You have no choice in the matter.
But mr.sony I don’t really care about blu-ray
*SILENCE YOU NEED BLU-RAY TO PLAY OUR GAMES OK? SORRY ITS COSTING YOU 200 DOLLARS MORE BUT ITS OUR TROJAN HORSE FOR OUR NEW DISC FORMAT!*
Superior graphics = win, right sony lovers? Wrong, I’ll use world of warcraft as an example for the first time. Everquest 2 has beautiful graphics, as does guild wars. World of warcraft has cheesy cartoon graphics. Look who’s bringing in billions a year now. The cheesy graphics company!
Also funny how sony lovers claimed ps2 was so great because of its library etc. You’re right, the ps2 is a solid system because of all the great exclusives it had. Now you claim the ps3 is the best and will win because of it’s specs? Now all of a sudden you guys care about specs and tout that off as why your system will be the best seller? Why didn’t the xbox beat the ps2 then? Xbox had superior graphics, hard drive, but the ps2 still won because of the game selection. People don’t buy systems based entirely on their specs, they get it for their games.
With 360 having 10+ million units out there, and ps3 having under 2, why are companies going to continue making games exclusive to ps3? It makes 0 sense, why make games strictly for a console that nobody owns, and nobody is buying. Won’t be surprised to see more exclusives (tekken, devil may cry, metal gear solid) start jumping ship. Games are becoming more and more expensive to make. With the ps2’s 100+ million units out there, they could afford to make games exclusive to ps2 and not worry about losing money. Such a massive amount of systems out there means not a major portion of owners would have to buy their game for them to turn a profit. It’s quite the opposite for the ps3. Best selling game on 360 right now is gears of war, just hitting the 3 million mark. That’s around 30% of owners buying one title. If a company makes another ps3 exclusive, we’ll give them a benefit of doubt and say it sells like nuts and 30% of owners buy it. That’s only 600,000 copies sold? Quite a big difference. Make a decent 360 title, we’ll say only 10% of people buy it, that’s still 1 million copies sold.
Xbox live vs free ps3? No question I’d still take the xbox live. I’d rather pay 50 dollars for premium service then the rumored god awful ps3 online service. But hey guys, yours is still free! Heard of a little game called world of warcraft maybe? I think a handful of 8 million people play it, and pay 12.99-14.99 monthly for it. What happened to that guild wars game? Free online! Way better! Except people care more about the games and content and service. Have fun downloading your arcade games to..your psp? Xbox live is 49.99 for 13 months in stores now. That’s approx 3.85 cents a month, less then a dollar a week. Gee whiz, all that freaking money for reliable and excellent service? Unacceptable!
The bigger glaring issue is the 360’s early jump out the door. Sure their launch was awful, sure the games were bad, sure there has only been a few great games out so far..but they’ve gotten that head start they needed. Why did I buy a 360? Because 2 of my friends from work had one. Why did 2 of my friends buy them? To play with me and other friends. People continue buying 360’s because they want to play their games online with friends. And what do friends have? The 360! Why on earth would poor jimmy buy a ps3 when 7 of his friends all play 360 together? And jimmy’s mom will be even more excited to save herself 200 some dollars.
I’m done ranting. Hope you enjoyed reading my post.
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January 25th, 2007 at 7:37 am
The price of the PS3 in Europe is 599 Euros($780).
The price of an Xbox in Europe is 279 Euros($364).
Sony putting the final nail in their own coffin… priceless.
I was a PS1 and PS2 owner for their first 2 generations of platforms. I had to jump ship when Oblivion came out, A YEAR AGO. I have never regretted switching platforms.
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February 19th, 2007 at 11:09 am
The ps3 is only 3mths old here in the U.S. damn! My 360 friend were saying the same thing a year ago “there’s no games damn gay box” everybody says
who needs a blu-ray player who the f*#! needs a dvd player if thats the argument who needs a i-pod,expresso machine etc. if cost is an issue im assuming none of you guys have cell phones if so there is still this thing called a pay phone.Everybody should do the math for the amount of money they spent last year on video games myself i bought a new game every 2 wks thats 100 dollars a month so the cost of the ps3 isnt an issue if so the 360 cost more
(online)*I would have to buy the game have broadband dsl whatever then pay for xbox live wtf! yeah the ps3 has NO games but like i said its only 3mths. old
I bought a ps3 because it is backward compatible what should i trash all my classic games?I might get a 360 but for now it has NONE of the games i play the ps3 will have the games i want to play I CAN WAIT! as far as exclusives i could care less im a gamer i go where the games are.
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February 20th, 2007 at 2:08 am
@Joey
It must be nice to live in a fantasy world where you can drop 100$ every two weeks on games, but I have to regretfully inform you most people don’t live in your fantasy world. Most people every day, usually to their sorrow, have bills, girlfriends, a wife, jobs, school, and maybe kids to attend easily making the price of the PS3 seem outrageous for a gaming console. Maybe you’ll understand this one day when you’re desperately clawing for your fantasy world as you’re forced into reality. Your arguments are fallacious at best.
The reason people don’t need a blue ray player is because 95% of the population doesn’t even have a TV that supports 1080p or any of it’s benefits. I’m not pulling this statistic out of thin air either. Your argument about DVD players being useless would hold merit if every one still had a T.V. from 1968, but the vast majority of the population all have TVs that can support all the benefits of a DVD player. To the contrary, the vast majority of the population doesn’t have TVs that support the benefit of a blue ray player.
Also apparently you’re not a gamer who plays any game because the 360 has a large library of games which are rated 80% and up.
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February 20th, 2007 at 10:14 am
@Blessed
You’re kidding about the dvd player right?Most dvd players have either dolby
surround or dolby digital 5.1 I rarely see anybody with 5 speakers hooked up to there tv my ps3 is hooked up to a standard tv.1080p i could care less
By the way im 31yrs old 10 yr. relationship 1yr.old daughter & a job at a video
game store my girlfriend has 2 jobs & goes to school (economics)(fantasy world) N!##A please! day-care cost more than a ps3.Last but not least the funniest thing ive ever read “apparently you’re not a gamer” i started with coleco-vision basketball you ever play video game basketball with a touch tone phone maybe,maybe not ive ran through the odysee,vetrex,commadore 64,sega master system,tiger handheld,those binocular type video games,table top arcade popeye,pac-man ive beaten games from maniac mansion,keith courage in alpha zones to every single metal gear from solid to acid to ops
even beat all the crappy matrix game(s) final fantasy(s)im done with those
I dont play sports games (not saying i havent) i dont play FPS, war games as in call of duty,socom,ghost recon.Playing games so long i know my taste i would sound like a fool saying (you’re) not a gamer wouldnt I?Like i said the 360 at this time has none of the games I I I I I play & i work at gamestop i.e.
metal gear,devil may cry, resident evil,god of war,& dont hit me with those reasonable fax. games splinter cell i cant ven think of any other games on 360
but its still not the same games as i said … Done
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February 27th, 2007 at 9:46 am
Ok yes the PS3 is a hefty price tag, but really no more than what an XBox 360 runs when you buy the stuff to compare the two equally. Let’s look at it like this…
PS3=60GB $599.99 (comes with Blu-Ray player, HDMI output, 60GB HDD, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth for wireless accessories, one controller, PS Online (free))
XBox 360=PRO $399.99 (comes with: component output, 20GB HDD, RF Wireless controller, Xbox Live (monthly fee).
Wi-Fi add-on for Xbox 360=$99.99
HD-DVD add-on for Xbox 360=$199.99
So you have $599.99 for the PS3 system as it is standard, or you have in order to match up with the PS3 the XBox 360 system at $699.97 for the comparible system, and that’s the Xbox without HDMI output, and with a smaller hard drive, and without Xbox Live, which allows you to play online, as Sony’s Playstaion online does for free.
The better buy price wise is obviously the PS3 vs. the Xbox 360, but nobody looks at it like that. Just haven’t figured that one out yet…
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February 27th, 2007 at 4:12 pm
This will most likely be the very last time I will ever post again. I honestly believe that I’m the last gamer on earth who has not enlisted in one of the 3 fanboy armies. All 3 systems are great, different, but nonetheless excellent pieces of machinery/technology.
Please stop bragging about how much better your system is than everyone else’s. I own a PS3 because I am a gamer and a movie fan. I’ve also played Gears of War on a friends 360 and it is one of my favorite games. And although the Wii isn’t quite as powerful as the others, it still does a damn good job of doing what it was made for…providing entertainment.
We all love games. Some are more expensive than others. Shut up.
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