Bad news for PAL regioners

[odhranus]

its probably because Sony don't concentrate on the videogaming side of things, they do all manner of home electronics and mobile phones, batteries etc. while Microsoft have always been in the computer & videogame industry and are probably getting to be better at it than Sony, since the X-box was a fresh release from Microsoft into the Console market, it lost against the PS2 as sony had the PS1 to improve upon and Sony had the name for consoles since it beats its competitors at the time (Sega, Nintendo)

the 360 came out quite quickly after the x-box showing Microsoft have the technology to improve their systems, look at the time difference between the releases of PS1/PS2 & X-box/x360.

Microsoft's next-gen console may come out at lot sooner than expected while Sony are hoping for the PS3 to have a 5-10 year lifespan.

[Kernel Kev]

Originally Posted by Pagnell

You could have said the same about Nintendo or even Sega at one point and neither have had a best selling console (of it's generation) for well over ten years. However, you have a good point and the high profile of the PS1 and PS2 will help against the bad publicity the PS3 is already gethering. In the long run though I think the PS3 delays and high price along with Blu-Ray inevitably losing out to HD-DVD will leave Microsoft in first place going down the home straight.

Overall though I think the pattern will be:-

Xbox vs PS2 - PS2 wins hands down.
360 vs PS3 - Draw.
Microsoft next gen vs Sony next gen - Microsoft wins hands down.

Interesting point.

The statement about blu-ray losing to HD-DVD i feel not right, simply put, game developers and film makers have said that working with blu-ray is easier than HD-DVD simply because they have no worries about cutting corners to fit the game onto the disc.

read this article about a game devs opinion on blu-ray

And about the 360 and PS3 drawing in this generation of consoles, yes i can agree with that and will be very close and could go either way.

I cant say if i think microsoft will win the next battle simply because we have no idea on what the next next-gen consoles will be like, based on microsofts growth in the console market and Sony's (ok i admit) slowing profile.

Never know, in 10 years time nintendo may change their market and follow sony and microsoft and make the best console around, i mean they are capable of doing it.

Look at Volkswagen, making the Buggatti veyron (Worlds fastest factory road car, no longer most powerful due to the 13 litre AC Cobra, anyways), cost £5,000,000 per car to make and sold for £800,000. Only made eight of them but they done it to prove a point to the likes of ferrari and porsche etc... that they are a force to be reckoned with.

So my point is, lets wait and see and enjoy this gen consoles.

[scottie1984]

Originally Posted by odhranus

its probably because Sony don't concentrate on the videogaming side of things, they do all manner of home electronics and mobile phones, batteries etc. while Microsoft have always been in the computer & videogame industry and are probably getting to be better at it than Sony, since the X-box was a fresh release from Microsoft into the Console market, it lost against the PS2 as sony had the PS1 to improve upon and Sony had the name for consoles since it beats its competitors at the time (Sega, Nintendo)

the 360 came out quite quickly after the x-box showing Microsoft have the technology to improve their systems, look at the time difference between the releases of PS1/PS2 & X-box/x360.

Microsoft's next-gen console may come out at lot sooner than expected while Sony are hoping for the PS3 to have a 5-10 year lifespan.

Microsoft only want market share at the minute, they don't mind if there console doesn't win because they want the infrastructure (game developers on board, the superior X-box live service, fan-base etc) in place by throwing mega-bucks at it so in consoles to come they will have the lion's share of the market.

[lightt]

Originally Posted by Microsoft Europe Responds to Sony's PS3 Delay

Don't kick a company when they're down, right? Not so much in the console wars. Microsoft Europe boss Chris Lewis fired a couple of gentle salvos at Sony on the heels of their PS3 delay in Europe.

Lewis told MCV:

"We know how challenging it is to pull off a global launch, so it's not surprising that Sony has backed away from their previously announced launch plan due to the unproven technology they are trying to pack in to their console."

In the rest of the article, Lewis restates Microsoft's desire to succeed in Europe and mentions Gears of War and the whole 10M Xbox 360s thing, again.

maybe u find that interestin

[Pagnell]

Originally Posted by kevinorriss

The statement about blu-ray losing to HD-DVD i feel not right, simply put, game developers and film makers have said that working with blu-ray is easier than HD-DVD simply because they have no worries about cutting corners to fit the game onto the disc..

You will have to excuse me not taking an article on a PS3 website with quotes from PS3 game developers as impartial.

As for the size difference, talk of cutting corners is a little over the top. As things stand, the difference between the two is that HD-DVD is 30gb and Blu-Ray is 50gb (although new layers are being worked on to increase both formats). Now, there is no way in this generation of consoles a game is going to use more than 30gb of space short of it being packed with annoying HD video simply to fill the space up (MGS anyone?) Take the PS2 for example - it has a DVD for games. How long was the console out before they started DVD9 games? And even then it wasn't because they needed the full 9gb but rather it was used an additional piracy protection as dual writing DVDs were not the norm at that time. The point I'm making is that, just because the extra space is there, it doesn't mean it is going to be used in any useful way to increase the quality of the game/film, if at all.

And the reason I am saying Blu-Ray is not going to make it is because, like Betamax, it has less support from the big electronic corporations than HD-DVD. The fact it is technically better is completely irrelevent. Betamax was actually better than VHS (both technically and in size) but it didn't make it a success.

[odhranus]

Plus you get more people knowing about HD-DVD than blueray, most people who dont follow technology much will know about HDTV by now as its the new revolutio of TV, those same people will only assume HD-DVD is the next best thing and wouldn't have heard of Blue-Ray (unless they're Sony fanboys) and in the battle between HD-DVD and BluRayDVD IMO HD will win.

I never thought Betamax was better than VHS, I was born after Betamax died out, could it be that consumers go for the product with the better name? VHS & HD-DVD both sound cooler than Betamax & Blueray 8)

[Kernel Kev]

Of course at the moment HD-DVD looks like its winning, because blu-ray hasnt even started the race.

What needs to be asked is, will the next gen after ps3 and 360 still use the same format? If so, then space required will increase and eventually will exceed HD-DVD, im not saying anytime soon.

But then whos to say a new medium wont be out by then.

Easy way to answer the blu-ray or dvd argument is if a ps3 game comes out that couldnt fit onto HD-DVD then surely Blu-ray wins because you would have had less of a game otherwise. IMO anyways.

[Beodude123]

Right now, I think Sony is thinking very far ahead. A bit too far ahead perhaps. I've read an article saying something along the lines that since games evolve, the PS3 will evolve with them. So perhaps you will be able to upgrade the PS3 as well?

What I'm getting at is that Sony is planning ahead. It might be a bunch of crazy stuff right now, but I think in the end, when the rest of the world catches up with the technology coming out, Sony will be ahead a little.

I hope that Sony will come out ahead, but it's going to be a lot closer than ever. They have a lot of units to get back before they can even get even with the 360.

It'll be interesting either way.

[Kernel Kev]

I want Sony to win this battle, because they have put alot of work into it, some piece of technology it is.

360 is also very good, but there are PC's out there with higher specs so wether you call that next gen i dont know.

Saving up £350 for a 360 as i have a longer wait for ps3 now, thinking of getting that test drive unlimited game, anyone played it? what you think?

[lightt]

i've read in a mag, that Sony's next gen. console PS3 will be more powerfull than any computer up to now. . . correct me if im wrong