Where has the innovation gone Sony?

[NaughtyDawg]

Let me start out by saying I'm not an Xbox fanboy. I like games for games' sake. I've long been a supporter of Sony because they made a solid console and supported it with a constant stream of quality software. I want to see Sony succeed because competition is healthy in the market. I've also owned just about every console and have no qualms purchasing each new console generation if there's good reason to do so.

This latest generation of consoles has seen some surprising moves from Sony's PR department as well as a somewhat overall lack of innovation. With the exception of pushing Blu-Ray hard, Sony feels more like a flock of sheep than a shepherd in this round of the great console war. Let's take a look at some of the warning signs.

• Just before the release of the console (and not too long after Nintendo announced its plans for a motion-sensitive controller) Sony decided to drop the "shock" from their award winning "dual shocK" controller in favor of a motion-sensitive controller of their own. Yay for innovation.
• The recent decision to drop the emotion engine chip in favor of a software solution which is a less supportive method of backwards compatibility. To mask this obvious downgrade in machinery, they added 20 gb to the HD and added $100 to the price tag. Am I missing something here?
• Xbox 360 game achievements have given new life to the replayability of titles. It's been rumored that beginning in 2008 PS3 games will also employ an achievements system. Once again it's Sony ingenuity to the resuce!
• Most recently, Sony is rumored to be working on a "Gamercard" system similar to Microsoft's Live Gamertag. Why they didn't think it was important to setup a online multiplayer structure from the beginning like Microsoft has done, I have no idea. I'm seeing a theme here, are you?
• Finally, there's the Sony PR department. From the whole non-price drop $100-off fiasco from this year's E3, to the often brainless rantings of Kutagari regarding how the PS3 would be received by the gaming public, it just seems like Sony's not listening to the pulse of what gamers want this generation.

I've been on the fence for some time now as to whether or not I should get a PS3. Alot of my concerns are detailed in this thread. I want to like the Playstation 3. I really, really do.

Spiff brought his Playstation 3 over to my house today so I could get a feel for the system. I gotta say, I wasn't terribly impressed. In fact, I'm thinking more and more of waiting to purchase one when prices comes down. Sony has dried up the exclusivity of all but a few titles and if a multi-platform game comes out, I'm going to want to play it on a system that all my friends own.

Sony, you're not giving me many reasons to *WANT* the Playstation 3.

[asakura]

Originally Posted by NaughtyDawg

• The recent decision to drop the emotion engine chip in favor of a software solution which is a less supportive method of backwards compatibility. To mask this obvious downgrade in machinery, they added 20 gb to the HD and added $100 to the price tag. Am I missing something here?

And remember how Sony criticized Microsoft mercilessly for doing software emulation while claiming PS3 would be able to play virtually all old titles flawlessly? Microsoft made the right decision first.

Originally Posted by NaughtyDawg

• Xbox 360 game achievements have given new life to the replayability of titles. It's been rumored that beginning in 2008 PS3 games will also employ an achievements system. Once again it's Sony ingenuity to the resuce!
• Most recently, Sony is rumored to be working on a "Gamercard" system similar to Microsoft's Live Gamertag. Why they didn't think it was important to setup a online multiplayer structure from the beginning like Microsoft has done, I have no idea. I'm seeing a theme here, are you?

These two seem like a "no-brainer" to me for any successful online gaming setup. The fact that Sony is only now beginning to implement them says a lot about their lack of forethought about online gaming and a lack of consideration for what gamers want.

Originally Posted by NaughtyDawg

Spiff brought his Playstation 3 over to my house today so I could get a feel for the system. I gotta say, I wasn't terribly impressed. In fact, I'm thinking more and more of waiting to purchase one when prices comes down. Sony has dried up the exclusivity of all but a few titles and if a multi-platform game comes out, I'm going to want to play it on a system that all my friends own.

I've played a PS3 over at a friend's place, and while the hardware itself is nice and appears to be of a high quality, the games and online aspects simply aren't there. For anyone who doesn't have an HDTV and is seriously into movies there is almost no reason to buy a PS3 at this point.

[deejrandom]

Here is what upsets me the most: The Ps2 is an awesome system.

I could compare the ps3 to the n64 (The system that brought Nintendo low) but honestly the n64 had it's own set of awesomeness...

Because of the reasons stated above and others, I find it hard for me to want to purchase a ps3 at this point.

I do, however, want to buy the ps3 grill Since that is what it looks like heh...

Think sony will do a nintendo and release something like the wii and ds lite in the future?