The Official PS3 thread!

kyoukan · Post by **kyoukan** » May 14, 2007, 9:41 pm

10 pages of winnow shitting his video game console insecurities is nothing to be ashamed about. whether winnow contains his fucking moronic crap in one thread or lets it fester all over, it's still crap.

Zamtuk · Post by **Zamtuk** » May 14, 2007, 11:36 pm

I can change the title, delete your post, but you will still be the author of it =/

11 pages now kyoukan.

kyoukan · Post by **kyoukan** » May 15, 2007, 1:41 am

yes but only 10 pages of winnow threadshitting.

until later on tonight.

Animalor · Post by **Animalor** » May 15, 2007, 7:20 am

Zamtuk wrote:I can change the title, delete your post, but you will still be the author of it =/

11 pages now kyoukan.

No worries Zam, It's all good. =)

Winnow · Post by **Winnow** » May 16, 2007, 12:23 am

More Sony news.

Sony May Post Biggest Loss in 4 Years on PlayStation 3 Consoles

By Hiroshi Suzuki

May 15 (Bloomberg) -- Sony Corp., the world's second-largest consumer electronics maker, may report its biggest quarterly loss in four years after the PlayStation 3 game console failed to spur as much demand as Nintendo Co.'s Wii player.

The net loss at Tokyo-based Sony may have widened to 75.8 billion yen ($630 million) in the fiscal fourth quarter ended March 31, from 66.5 billion yen a year earlier, according to the median estimate of 11 analysts surveyed by Bloomberg. Sales probably rose 9.5 percent to 2.02 trillion yen, the survey showed.

PlayStation 3 is being outsold by Wii by about two to one, causing Sony's game division, its second-largest by revenue, to post a fourth-quarter loss of 121 billion yen and a record 245 billion yen deficit for the fiscal year, according to five of the 11 analysts. The loss may exceed profits from electronics such as Bravia televisions, and the movie unit, whose ``Spider-Man 3'' generated record box-office sales when it opened this month.

billions and billions of yen!

Knarlz · Post by **Knarlz** » May 16, 2007, 10:05 am

"PlayStation 3 is being outsold by Wii by about two to one, causing Sony's game division......"

Wouldn't they have lost much more if sales were great?
It seems to me that they are lucky in a sence. By the time "must have " games are developed and sales do catch up to expectations, they might have the loss per unit under control.

Leonaerd · Post by **Leonaerd** » May 17, 2007, 4:59 pm

kyoukan wrote:yes but only 10 pages of winnow threadshitting.

until later on tonight.

THREADSHITTING! :vv_signlol:

Winnow · Post by **Winnow** » May 18, 2007, 7:17 pm

Sony Blames Software for Poor Console Sales

Dave Karraker, Sony Computer Entertainment America's Sr. Director of Corporate Communications, attributed the poor results “to a lack of new software in the market," pointing to games like Heavenly Sword and Uncharted: Drake's Fortune as heavy hitters meant to spur sales in 2007. May doesn’t look any better: there are only two May PS3 games: Surf's Up and Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End. Both are multi-platform releases. Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot told the Reuters news service a price drop was in order: "For sure Sony will have a different market share ... lower than before. They have to decrease the price quite significantly." Will Sony listen?

Ya think?

Zilch for interesting games isn't going to sell much.

kyoukan · Post by **kyoukan** » May 20, 2007, 8:32 am

i am posting this from my ps3 bitchaaaz

i am also quite intoxicated

Kwonryu DragonFist · Post by **Kwonryu DragonFist** » May 20, 2007, 8:52 am

kyoukan wrote:i am posting this from my ps3 bitchaaaz

i am also quite intoxicated

Ps3 got a keyboard? COOL!

Whatcha been drinkin Kyo! Long Island Ice Tea i hope!

masteen · Post by **masteen** » May 20, 2007, 2:20 pm

Knarlz wrote:"PlayStation 3 is being outsold by Wii by about two to one, causing Sony's game division......"

Wouldn't they have lost much more if sales were great?
It seems to me that they are lucky in a sence. By the time "must have " games are developed and sales do catch up to expectations, they might have the loss per unit under control.

Not true. The units already produced didn't shoot out of the factory for free. Selling them at least lets them recoup a portion of that cost.

Plus the costs don't start decreasing until they produce enough units to start getting economies of scale and spread the development cost over millions of units.

Aslanna · Post by **Aslanna** » May 25, 2007, 1:52 pm

http://www.gamesindustry.biz/content_page.php?aid=25310

Alleges infringement of patent

California-based firm Target Technology has filed a lawsuit against three Sony companies - including SCEA - claiming that the Blu-ray format infringes on a patent it has held since March 2006.

According to IPlaw360.com, Target alleges that Blu-ray discs "embody" a silver-based alloy thin film it invented to be used on optical discs.

The lawsuit, which was filed earlier this month, names Sony Computer Entertainment America, Sony Pictures and Sony DADC US.

Target is seeking a jury trial, damages and a permanent injunction which would stop Sony from allegedly infringing on its patent rights in the future.
According to IPlaw360, Target has filed two other federal court lawsuits over a different patent for optical disc alloys, accusing manufacturer Williams Advanced Materials and its customers of infringing ten patents.

Target claims that company founder Han Nee developed the reflective silver alloy material which is used as a component of most DVDs produced today.

Sony has so far declined to comment on the lawsuit.

Interesting. If a valid lawsuit just add it to the list of Sony woes. Seems odd though since I'm pretty sure B-R was around before March 2006.

Winnow · Post by **Winnow** » May 25, 2007, 6:19 pm

Analyst says PS3 needs $200 price cut to recover

Posted May 24th 2007 4:25PM by Alexander Sliwinski

An analyst at Bank of America believes for Sony to make up the ground they've lost this console generation they don't just need the expected $100 price cut, but a $200 price cut. The analyst who made these remarks to GameDaily.biz, Michael Savner, believes this is unlikely, but believes it is the way to recovery.

Savner says, "While Sony could cut the price by $150 - $200, we view that as less likely given that it is already losing approximately $200 per console at $599, based on our estimates ... Offsetting a potential price cut are decreasing production costs, which should improve significantly this year. We estimate that the loss per console could decline to about $50, assuming Sony does not cut its wholesale prices. Bottom line, we don't expect Sony to make up meaningful ground against the Wii this year."

Didn't Sony sell less PS3's than Microsoft sold 360's last month? How are they going to make up ground that way?

Anyone have last months figures?

Winnow · Post by **Winnow** » May 28, 2007, 5:30 pm

As soon as Sony stops selling PS2s for $10, they're screwed.

Japanese is known for being a pretty vague language, but Wada's words were pretty clear. No FFXIII in Japan until some time after March 2008.

Man, when will FFXIII come to the U.S if it's not available in Japan until March 2008?

A recent ranking of the best game console controllers of all time:

#05 Atari 2600
#04 Super Nintendo Entertainment System
#03 Nintendo 64
#02 PlayStation 2
#01 Microsoft Xbox 360

360 > Sony again!

Chidoro · Post by **Chidoro** » May 29, 2007, 9:58 am

I wouldn't put a whole lot of stock in that controller ranking thing, nostalgia aside, the atari stick was a piece of shit. The Genesis pad was much much better

Aslanna · Post by **Aslanna** » May 29, 2007, 10:09 am

The ones that came with the 2600 may have been crappy. But the design itself was glorious in its simplicity. 8 directions and a fire button. What more could you need!

Wico made some great 2600 replacement controllers that were anything but shit.

Drinsic Darkwood · Post by **Drinsic Darkwood** » May 29, 2007, 2:14 pm

Placing the Nintendo 64 controller over the Gamecube controller, or uh, anything really, proves how worthless that ranking is.

miir · Post by **miir** » May 29, 2007, 2:21 pm

Winnow wrote:

As soon as Sony stops selling PS2s for $10, they're screwed.

The US sales in that chart represent about 30% of the PS3s total sales.
Worldwide, the PS3 is outselling the 360 by a sizeable margin.

Winnow · Post by **Winnow** » May 29, 2007, 8:13 pm

Can you feel the excitement??

http://gizmodo.com/gadgets/trick-or-tre ... 264082.php

oops! wrong thread!

Waikiki · Post by **Waikiki** » May 30, 2007, 8:33 am

So what did they actually announce?

Winnow · Post by **Winnow** » May 30, 2007, 10:24 am

Waikiki wrote:So what did they actually announce?

It turned out to be this:

http://www.veeshanvault.org/forums/view ... 25&t=20422

Winnow · Post by **Winnow** » June 4, 2007, 7:08 pm

May console sales are in:

for the US:

Ouch!

For Europe:

PS3 seems to be losing ground, not gaining it...now where were those posts about how the PS3 would be crushing the 360 right around now? lemmie look.

Almost 17K PS3 units sold last month in the U.S.!

Akanae · Post by **Akanae** » June 4, 2007, 7:47 pm

Knarlz wrote:"PlayStation 3 is being outsold by Wii by about two to one, causing Sony's game division......"

Wouldn't they have lost much more if sales were great?
It seems to me that they are lucky in a sence. By the time "must have " games are developed and sales do catch up to expectations, they might have the loss per unit under control.

In addition to what people have said about the units already being out the door at a loss (and not selling) What Sony was really hoping for is a high software adoption rate, because that's where all the real money is made, at least in the first couple of years. Unfortunately for them there are no good games for the PS3 and the majority of poeple that I know of that have one/ want one just want it to play Blu-Ray movies and aren't planning on even buying any games. In my case I don't even purchase the Blu-Ray titles I just get them from Net Flix so Sony just lost a crap load of money from me they will never see again.

Jice Virago · Post by **Jice Virago** » June 4, 2007, 8:29 pm

Comparing sales of consoles without including the asian market in the total is kind of like discussing how many times you got laid and not including women in the total. I am sure you win that challenge too, but that doesn't show the whole picture, now does it, Winnow? I am also guessing the Burger King titles (still the number one selling 360 games) are being included in those software numbers, probably some Live Arcade shit too, knowing how this spin shit usually is played.

Once again, wait until the first Squaresoft PS3 game comes out and then there will be some practical data to judge. Right now, none of the new consoles exactly have a huge smash hit out there, though the Wii and Piii are worse off than the 360 in this area. Despite a nearly two year headstart, the 360 doesn't exactly have a lot to show for itself, though, beyond some twitch shooters that would be better played on a PC anyhow. The only innovative games I have seen on the 360 have been Viva Piniata and... well thats about it really. Two years in and Sneak King and Piniata gardening are the hieght of the fucking console?

I think Final Fantasy 13 vs Halo3 vs Mario Galaxy will be the numbers to watch, if you want a real comparison. Until those games have each been out about a month (or one of the three steps up and delivers a solid new must have game that transcends its niche, like Kindom Hearts) everyone is just posturing.

Winnow · Post by **Winnow** » June 4, 2007, 9:05 pm

I dunno, the 360 has a nice lineup of games coming out...a steady flow...you may not call them Halo 3 or FF level games...but how many games reach that level that aren't now multi platform? 360 still has some good stuff on the way that's exclusive to the console while we wait until at least March of 08 for MGS4 and at least that long or longer for FFXIII. As much as you want to give the PS3 a time frame somewhere near infinity to catch up and make itself look decent, the 360 kicked things off about eight months after launch with Dead Rising and was rolling along at the one year mark. Eight months for the PS3 is next month with the year being this November. We all know how Gears of War did for the 360 but there doesn't seem to be a Gears of War for the PS3 for this November while the 360 keeps rolling along with Halo 3 in September along with the Mass Effect, Blue Dragons, while matching any other major title with a same day release(GTA4) preventing peeps from using the occasion to buy a PS3. I find it hard to believe I didn't break this up into paragraphs and that Sony is heading into the 2007 holiday season without a major game release for the PS3, missing a second holiday season for the platform. I hear rumors that there is something that hasn't been announced yet for the PS3 to be released this fall but we'll see.

Aslanna · Post by **Aslanna** » June 4, 2007, 9:21 pm

Wii kicking butt in US and Japan!

Jice Virago · Post by **Jice Virago** » June 5, 2007, 12:06 am

@ Funk:
The 360 has been out 18 months longer than the Piii or Wii and the closest thing it has had to a descent exclusive is Gears of War, who's developers got pissed off when MS would not let them post map downloads for free. I do not play shooters, outside of the AvP series, so I have no real opinion on Gears oor any of the other billion shooters that sustain the 360. I do like fighters, RPGs, and the occasional action game. I reserve final judgement until I play Blue Dragon, personally, but thus far they have zero console exclusive RPGs outside of Phantasy Star (which blows and is an MMO) and Blue Dragon is the only title on the horizon in this catagory.

Viva Piniata is truely a great game and original, so good work there. Dead Rising wound up getting very boring very fast, though it had some descent ideas. Lair looks incredible, but until I play it I am not going to form an opinion about it, as a game. Every other action title out there that does not have the name Zelda or Mario in it is multiplatform and the P3 has superior hardware, so that is, at best, a wash. Sports sims, same deal. Racing games I would have expected the 360 to dominate, but Motor Storm is just fucking incredible and the other racing game demos are equally amazing. The 360 has also lost some ground on the Live Arcade thing, as you can get tons of classic games on the Wii or Piii (of which many are playable on the PSP as well, all for one download) for less money. They still have a better community interface and more games, but they charge for this service and had a headstart as well. This leaves strategy games (which suck on all consoles) and RPGs (which are the largest selling genre), which basically puts us back to waiting on Blue Dragon.

We know Kingdom Hearts 3 and FF13 are going to be great games because of the amount of developmental resources that get devoted to them, so its simpy a matter of whether Blue Dragon is in the same league or not. The real irony here is that MS had a descent RPG exclusive (Jade Empire) that they really have made no effort to promote and a great franchise (KotR) which they killed with unrealistic development deadlines. If I were them, I would push those franchises.

Funkmasterr · Post by **Funkmasterr** » June 5, 2007, 11:44 am

Jice Virago wrote:@ Funk:
The 360 has been out 18 months longer than the Piii or Wii and the closest thing it has had to a descent exclusive is Gears of War, who's developers got pissed off when MS would not let them post map downloads for free. I do not play shooters, outside of the AvP series, so I have no real opinion on Gears oor any of the other billion shooters that sustain the 360. I do like fighters, RPGs, and the occasional action game. I reserve final judgement until I play Blue Dragon, personally, but thus far they have zero console exclusive RPGs outside of Phantasy Star (which blows and is an MMO) and Blue Dragon is the only title on the horizon in this catagory.

Viva Piniata is truely a great game and original, so good work there. Dead Rising wound up getting very boring very fast, though it had some descent ideas. Lair looks incredible, but until I play it I am not going to form an opinion about it, as a game. Every other action title out there that does not have the name Zelda or Mario in it is multiplatform and the P3 has superior hardware, so that is, at best, a wash. Sports sims, same deal. Racing games I would have expected the 360 to dominate, but Motor Storm is just fucking incredible and the other racing game demos are equally amazing. The 360 has also lost some ground on the Live Arcade thing, as you can get tons of classic games on the Wii or Piii (of which many are playable on the PSP as well, all for one download) for less money. They still have a better community interface and more games, but they charge for this service and had a headstart as well. This leaves strategy games (which suck on all consoles) and RPGs (which are the largest selling genre), which basically puts us back to waiting on Blue Dragon.

We know Kingdom Hearts 3 and FF13 are going to be great games because of the amount of developmental resources that get devoted to them, so its simpy a matter of whether Blue Dragon is in the same league or not. The real irony here is that MS had a descent RPG exclusive (Jade Empire) that they really have made no effort to promote and a great franchise (KotR) which they killed with unrealistic development deadlines. If I were them, I would push those franchises.

I guess I just don't agree with you, the 360 has had plenty of must have games as you could read about in the thread in the 360 forum... I just don't see how you can rest your bets on ONE big game coming out for the PS3, especially when it is very likely it will NOT be an exclusive to the PS3.. Hell if they keep down the road they are on, they are going to lose exclusivity on MGS as well..

The 360 has a GREAT lineup for the rest of 2007 including Halo 3 and Blue Dragon.. I just don't see why people are still trying to argue this point. Sony has recognized and admitted their mistake, software developers are showing us that they aren't too interested in making titles exclusive to it (which is huge since Sony refuses to pay for exclusive titles). That is the big thing, many people here including yourself have stated that software is what wins the fight, and I just don't see how the PS3 is going to be in the same league anytime in the next year and a half at least.. and at that point it will be too late, cause the Xbox 720 won't be far off

Aslanna · Post by **Aslanna** » June 6, 2007, 12:20 pm

Winnow wrote:Oooooh, that's gotta hurt! lol

Square Enix Confirms FFXIII Is Not Exclusive To PS3

In a huge blow to Sony, Motomu Toriyama of Square Enix confirmed that Final Fantasy XIII, the blockbuster RPG highly anticipated by millions of fans of the series, will not be an exclusive game for the PlayStation 3 console. The Final Fantasy XIII project currently consists of two games for the PS3 as well as a mobile game but now it appears that other consoles will be receiving Final Fantasy XIII as well. The big question is which console Square Enix plans to support. The Xbox 360 is easily a very popular speculation choice but one must not rule out the Nintendo DS handheld and or the Nintendo Wii since Square Enix has been very impressed and pleased with the Wii's user base and the DS has already received the Final Fantasy treatment a few times.

US, June 5, 2007 - Looking for more Final Fantasy following the Xbox 360 port of Final Fantasy XI? Then you're going to have to look to a different next generation system. A Square Enix executive has disclosed to Japan's Nikkei BP that the company currently has no plans for Final Fantasy games on the 360.

Noting that the PS3 is getting Final Fantasy XIII, the website asked Square Enix's Shinji Hashimoto if the Wii or Xbox 360 will also be getting games in the series. "For the Wii, we have FF Crystal Chronicles in production," replied Hashimoto. "As for FF on the Xbox 360, it's currently a completely blank page."

Funkmasterr · Post by **Funkmasterr** » June 6, 2007, 12:40 pm

So what the fuck are they releasing it for? The PSP? that would be a joke.

Winnow · Post by **Winnow** » June 6, 2007, 12:53 pm

"currently a blank page" doesn't mean no. They would be retarded not to take advantage of the 360 user base but we'll see. Square's shooter for the 360 is being released at a discounted 39.00 price.

They are probably calling the 360 FF version Fantasy Fantastic to avoid whining from the Sony Fanbois.

Aslanna · Post by **Aslanna** » June 6, 2007, 2:28 pm

Winnow wrote:"currently a blank page" doesn't mean no.

Doesn't mean yes either now does it!!

I'd think if they were working on it they'd say so. As it is they are not working on any FF product for the 360 other than the XI port.

And what's wrong with the PSP?

Funkmasterr · Post by **Funkmasterr** » June 6, 2007, 3:39 pm

Aslanna wrote:
Winnow wrote:"currently a blank page" doesn't mean no.

Doesn't mean yes either now does it!!

I'd think if they were working on it they'd say so. As it is they are not working on any FF product for the 360 other than the XI port.

And what's wrong with the PSP?

1- I can't stand hand-held game machines..

2- Why (other than to be a douche) would you release a game like FFXIVIVIVIVIXIIVIIVVVIIII on the PSP which is a hand-held with hand-held graphics when you could release it for the 360 (hint: the answer is at the beginning of this sentence in parenthesis.)

miir · Post by **miir** » June 6, 2007, 4:08 pm

Why would you release a FF game on the PSP which is a hand-held with hand-held graphics when you could release it for the 360

Because the installed user base for the PSP is more than double that of the 360.
Because the primary audience for squenix games is in Asia where the 360 is a complete and total non-factor.

Aslanna · Post by **Aslanna** » June 6, 2007, 4:13 pm

Well considering they never mentioned PSP in the first place I think you're jumping to conclusions.

And just because YOU don't like handhelds doesn't mean it would be 'a joke' even if it did come out on it.

And the graphics of the PSP aren't that bad.

Winnow · Post by **Winnow** » June 6, 2007, 4:22 pm

Busting rumors: Sony's PS3 price drop and Square's 360 Final Fantasy plans

By Ben Kuchera | Published: June 06, 2007 - 09:29AM CT

There are two stories—and they're really more like translated rumors—that I've been seeing on every forum I visit this morning. I'd like to take a look at where these stories came from and point out that people are taking much more out of the quotes than they (rationally) should. The headlines and talking points are easy, but let's take a step back and look at the actual facts here.

Headline: OMG PS3 Price Drop is Coming!

The PS3 is an expensive piece of hardware, and with Blu-ray diodes not as supply constrained as they used to be, it's easy to say that Sony needs to cut the price. But their financials are hurting, and a price drop would be hard to take. Sony has maintained that there won't be a price drop, but now Sony has said that the price drop is coming! Right?

Well, not really. Sony president Ryoji Chubachi has actually said that they "do not rule out the possibility of lowering the price" of the system. That's a pretty ambiguous statement that doesn't say anything one way or the other. As quotes go, it's a shrug and an admission that in business, anything is possible. If you dig into where people are getting this quote you get an Australian news source talking about something Chubachi-san told the Japanese Yomiuri Shimbun. So we're looking at a third or fourth-hand ambiguous quote.

As evidence for or against a price drop, this is pretty shaky.

Headline: Square says "NO FINAL FANTASY FOR Xbox 360! PlayStation 3 wins!"

Sure, the 360 has flopped in Japan, but to be fair, everything that isn't Nintendo is flopping in Japan right now. Still, people think Final Fantasy moves systems, and where Final Fantasy goes, gamer go. So the forums are going crazy when Square said that Microsoft would never see a Final Fantasy game. But is that the story here?

Let's look at the IGN story and parse the entire quote.

Noting that the PS3 is getting Final Fantasy XIII, the web site asked Square Enix's Shinji Hashimoto if the Wii or Xbox 360 will also be getting games in the series. "For the Wii, we have FF Crystal Chronicles in production," replied Hashimoto. "As for FF on the Xbox 360, it's currently a completely blank page."

To start, this is something a Japanese man said to Japan's Nikkei BP. Was this translated? I'd be interested in the subtleties of what was said and in what context. This isn't a note saying it won't happen, or that it will never happen, or anything really. It's just a blank page. If they're not actively working to bring a Final Fantasy game to the 360, it would take years to finish, so this won't happen tomorrow. But a blank page isn't a yes or a no. It's a blank.

Also, never underestimate the power of money. If Square-Enix thinks that cash will be made by porting the games, it will most likely happen. After a developer tells you to your face that a game won't be ported and you get a press release announcing said port a few months later, you get very cynical about believing this sort of information.

What can we take away from these two instances?

First, I'm not saying that a price drop isn't happening or that Final Fantasy is coming to the 360. Both of these things are complex decisions that are most likely being debated right now and will be for a long time. The point is both things are far from certain either way, and these two quotes shouldn't add much evidence to believing things will go one way or another. It's certainly not worth the certainty and vitriol we're seeing across the Internet when it comes to these loaded topics.

So take a deep breath, follow the links, think about the source, and ask yourself what the quoted sections could actually mean. Reality is more complicated than the easy headlines and forum arguments would have you believe.

Sony is the 4th largest shareholder (according to unreliable sources) in Square Enix so that may play a factor. I hope the 3 larger shareholders have some common sense!...also sure Microsoft would invest in them if asked!

Aslanna · Post by **Aslanna** » June 6, 2007, 4:50 pm

That quote really adds nothing that hasn't been said. Anyone with a brain obviously can tell that "currently a completely blank page" does not equate to "never going to happen".

However completely blank also leads one to assume there are no plans at this time or it would only be partially blank. I'm sure if XI on the 360 moves a lot of copies they could change their tune.

Jice Virago · Post by **Jice Virago** » June 6, 2007, 5:26 pm

F11 on the 360 was a no brainer move because the 360 is just s glorified PC, so the work was fairly minimal. Squarenix stopped doing PC ports of their single player FF games after FF8 on the PC flopped, largely due to EA's horrible port. As for why the older FF games are on handhelds and not the 360, the older FF games make ideal handheld games and the larger asian market rests in handhelds, over the 360. They don't really have to port things to the DS because it plays the GBA carts, so two platforms for one format there. And on the PSP, people were running the old games under emulators so I bet it took next to no effort to port those games, especially the NES based ones. I would expect the Wii to get the older FF games as downloads at some point, unless square gets greedy. As for the 360, the FF7 PC port was well done so I could see that being a possibility, depending on whether they are willing to put it out the door without boosting the graphics or not.

Out of curiosity, does anyone know how the sales for FF3 on the DS were?

Winnow · Post by **Winnow** » June 6, 2007, 5:36 pm

Aslanna wrote:That quote really adds nothing that hasn't been said. Anyone with a brain obviously can tell that "currently a completely blank page" does not equate to "never going to happen".

However completely blank also leads one to assume there are no plans at this time or it would only be partially blank. I'm sure if XI on the 360 moves a lot of copies they could change their tune.

FFXI sucks on the 360. It was a half-assed effort and really a waste of time. I wish they had never done that port.

Blank page could mean anything. There may be invisible ink on that page that will become visible at the right time! If it was translated from Japanese, the quote is even less reliable. He may have meant they had a blank check from Microsoft to get an FF game to the 360 asap but the translation was messed up.

Aslanna · Post by **Aslanna** » June 6, 2007, 7:18 pm

Personally I don't care either way. I was just posting it in response to your "Oooooh, that's gotta hurt!" post. (Because you seemed to be implying it would be going to the 360 so yet another 'victory' for the 360 over the PS3).

Winnow · Post by **Winnow** » June 6, 2007, 7:52 pm

Well, FF is the last thread of hope for the PS3 and any exclusive interest. Sony's already been steamrolled again and again by bad news and bad decisions. If they manage to keep one game, great for Sony...one game. Pretty sad! That's like someone stealing a fresh mug of beer but they leave the coaster so at least there's a reminder for the unfortunate beerless person of what they once had.

Jice Virago · Post by **Jice Virago** » June 6, 2007, 9:36 pm

Its not just one game, its an entire genre and the largest one at that. At least until MS gets a real runaway hit that makes RPGers feel they have to buy the console. KOTR got a lot of people to buy an XBox1. Jade Empire was a quality game that got little promotional help from the MS people, so its sales were lukewarm. KOTR2 had the second worst ending in gaming history, so I am not sure if there will be a third installment. Supposedly Bioware is working on another RPG set in the same world as Jade Empire, but there has not been any news about that in a long time and with the serious floppage of NWN2, they may have their priorities elsewhere. So, its back to Blue Dragon (which I have high hopes for) not sucking and selling enough to establish the 360 as an RPG console. Blue Dragon hasn't seemed to make much of an impact in Japan, but we both know that if all Sony sold were Square titles that the Piii would still outsell the 360 in asia.

MS needs a barn burner RPG to make the 360 succesful in the long term and they know this, just looking at the money they have dumped in that direction.

Pherr the Dorf · Post by **Pherr the Dorf** » June 7, 2007, 1:11 pm

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19090812/

TOKYO - Sony Corp.’s game unit said on Thursday it planned to cut jobs in the United States and was eyeing restructuring steps in Japan as it struggles to keep up with industry rival Nintendo Co. Ltd.

Sony Computer Entertainment, which makes video games and the PlayStation 3 (PS3) console, announced plans in April to cut up to 160 jobs in Europe, or 8 percent of its work force there, and said it would look to streamline its U.S. and Japan operations.

Sony’s game division posted an operating loss of 232 billion yen ($1.91 billion) in the year ended March 31 due to hefty start-up costs for the PS3, a spec-heavy console that has been losing out to Nintendo’s simpler but wildly popular Wii.

Aslanna · Post by **Aslanna** » June 8, 2007, 12:14 pm

Jice Virago wrote:KOTR got a lot of people to buy an XBox1. Jade Empire was a quality game that got little promotional help from the MS people, so its sales were lukewarm. KOTR2 had the second worst ending in gaming history, so I am not sure if there will be a third installment.

A rumour has arisen in the US Official Xbox Magazine suggesting that the third title in BioWare's awesome KOTOR series could be with us as soon as Christmas or at least in 2008.

Towards the end of April we reported that BioWare had formed a new internal studio to create a Star Wars: Knight of the Old Republic massively multiplayer online game. No further details were reported and BioWare still remain tight-lipped on anything to do with any possible new KOTOR games and what platforms they might appear on, though you've got to think that Xbox 360 is a safe bet.

Still, that hasn't stopped the US press reporting fresh rumours regarding the third title in the RPG series. From what was said in our comments section about the MMO, it seemed as though most of you were holding out for KOTOR 3 rather than a massively multiplayer online game.

Is your wish about to come true? Should we expect to hear something KOTOR-related at Microsoft's conference at E3 next month? Should we just stop talking about it until BioWare coughs up the goods? Probably.

Kwonryu DragonFist · Post by **Kwonryu DragonFist** » June 8, 2007, 3:50 pm

I'll prolly end up getting a PS3 just for Tekken 6.

Aslanna · Post by **Aslanna** » June 9, 2007, 6:38 pm

Sony just can't seem to get a break these days!

Church of England 'to sue Sony' over ultra-violent game

Church of England 'to sue Sony' over ultra-violent computer game's use of Manchester Cathedral. Pictured is a screen shot from 'Resistance: Fall of Man' The Church of England today threatened legal action against Sony after it used a cathedral without permission as the backdrop to an ultra-violent computer game.

Church leaders have accused Sony of the "desecration" of Manchester Cathedral, after the firm set one of its top-selling games inside the place of worship.

The new Play-Station3 game, titled Resistance: Fall of Man, which has sold more than one million copies, sees a virtual shoot-out between rival gunman with hundreds killed during a gun battle inside the cathedral in an orgy of blood.

Church officials described Sony's use of the building as "sick" and sacrilegious.

The Church say Sony did not ask for permission to use the cathedral and has demanded an apology and the removal of the game from shop shelves - otherwise legal action will be considered.

Sony has not returned calls to officials from the Church.

The firm is also branded irresponsible for choosing Manchester - a city plagued by gun violence which has left tens of youngsters dead.

The Bishop of Manchester, the Rt Rev Nigel McCulloch, said; "It is well known that Manchester has a gun crime problem.

"For a global manufacturer to re-create one of our great Cathedrals with photo-realistic quality and then encourage people to have guns battles in the building is beyond belief and highly irresponsible.

"Here in Manchester we do all we can to support communities through our parish clergy, we know the reality of gun crime and the devastating effects it can have on the lives - it is not a trivial matter."

It is understood photographers may have visited the Cathedral to take pictures for use in the game.

During the game players are asked to assume the role of an army sergeant and win a battle. Screenshots of the game in play show the interior of the Cathedral with the player's gun ready to fight; soldiers can be seen elsewhere in the nave taking aim.

No one was available at Sony today for comment.

David Wilson, a Sony spokesman, told The Times: "It is game-created footage, it is not video or photography. It is entertainment, like Doctor Who or any other science fiction. It is not based on reality at all. Throughout the whole process we have sought permission where necessary."

The Dean of Manchester Cathedral, the Very Rev Rogers Govender, added: "This is an important issue, for many young people these games offer a different sort of reality and seeing guns in Manchester Cathedral is not the sort of connection we want to make.

"Every year we invite hundreds of teenagers to come and see the Cathedral and it is a shame to have Sony undermining our work."

A spokesman for the Church of England said a letter will be sent to Sony on Monday and if its demands for an apology and withdrawal of the game are not met the Church will look at legal action.

Copyright Press Association 2007.

Drinsic Darkwood · Post by **Drinsic Darkwood** » June 9, 2007, 10:42 pm

Don't most games/films/novels have the "all persons, places, and events are a work of fiction - any resemblance to real persons, places, and events are purely coincidental and unintended" clause tacked on somewhere? I'm no lawyer, so I can't vouch for the validity of such a statement, but since it's used so often I can only assume it has some functionality.

Either way, that's just lame.

Sueven · Post by **Sueven** » June 10, 2007, 12:41 pm

I don't know specifically what that statement is used for, but my guess is that it only offers you protection when it's true. If the church can demonstrate that you're lying and that this building you claim you dreamed up is in fact an exact replica of a very particular and very identifiable building, then having that disclaimer isn't going to do shit. Of course, that assumes there's some legal claim here in the first place, which I don't know.

Aslanna · Post by **Aslanna** » June 11, 2007, 4:07 pm

Toshiba: $299 HD DVD Player Selling Fast
Company says sales are up tenfold at some retailers.
By Phillip Swann

Washington, D.C. (May 30, 2007) -- Toshiba is now running a one-month promotion offering a $100 instant rebate on its HD DVD player. The discount drops the price to $299 and Toshiba says consumers are scooping them up.

According to Video Business, Toshiba says the rebate has increased sales of the high-def disc player by as much as tenfold at some retailers.

“We’re thrilled to see that consumers are, by far, choosing Toshiba’s HD DVD players as their source for high-definition,” says Jodi Sally, vice president of marketing for Toshiba.

At Amazon.com, the Toshiba HD-A2 HD DVD player is now ranked #16 in overall electronics sales. Yesterday, TVPredictions.com reported that Amazon was selling the player for just $242, but a strong demand caused the e-commerce site to raise the price back to $299.

Toshiba's one-month $100 instant rebate is good until June 16, but many industry observers are predicting a price war between HD DVD and its rival, Blu-ray. Panasonic this month announced the launch of a $599 Blu-ray player and Sony is scheduled to issue a $599 Blu-ray player this summer.

The two high-def formats are locked in an intense battle for the new high-def disc audience. Many industry officials, particularly retailers, are urging an end to the format war, saying it's confusing consumers. Consequently, they say, high-def player and title sales are well below what they should be.

Tenfold!

It goes in this thread since searching on HD-DVD returns no results. I guess the hyphen confuses it.

Crutchfield was selling it at $199 for a day or so. It's back to $299 now though.

Winnow · Post by **Winnow** » June 15, 2007, 6:59 pm

http://www.deeko.com/news/?p=2094

RUMOR:Microsoft Secured Yet Another Exclusive-Beautiful Katamari

katamari.jpg

N’Gai from LevelUp had a hell of a blog today, letting the world know that MS is at it again; claiming another exclusive for the 360. At least it sounds that way…

In hindsight, we should have seen it coming. First, Namco Bandai announced that Ridge Racer 6 as an Xbox 360-exclusive launch title for 2005. We didn’t think too much of it, because even though Ridge Racer games had been closely associated with the debuts of various Sony machines (PS1, PS2 and PSP, for example) the Playstation 3 wasn’t due in stores for another year. For that reason, it made perfect business sense that Namco would seek to hoover up some of Microsoft’s co-marketing dollars in exchange for the bragging rights Microsoft would derive from having a Ridge Racer game debut on the 360. So when Ridge Racer 7 was announced exclusively for the Playstation 3’s launch, it served to confirm our belief that Namco had only engaged in a mercenary flirtation with Microsoft, only to return to the warm embrace of its first love, Sony. After all, how could Xbox 360’s anemic performance in Japan sway local developers to turn their attention away from the hometown console?

In the months that followed, however, there were signs that Namco’s brief fling with Microsoft was becoming a simmering flame. Eternal Sonata, a Japanese role-playing game of the sort that the first Xbox had desperately lacked, was announced only for the Xbox 360. Then the sixth installment of another franchise that had long been Playstation-only–Ace Combat–was introduced as a 360 exclusive. Ditto for Pac-Man Championship Edition for Xbox Live Arcade. Still, we ignored the signs.

But when a little birdie with good reason to know–and to gloat–informed us that the We Love Katamari sequel, Beautiful Katamari, would join the ranks of Xbox 360 exclusive titles, the pattern was impossible to deny. We’ve since confirmed that an exclusivity deal between Namco and Microsoft is very close to fruition, likely to be announced at the E3 Media and Business Summit in July. Namco is enjoying the warm embrace and ever-deepening ties with Microsoft, while Microsoft sees this as an opportunity to change the perception of Xbox 360 as the barracks for bald space marines and little else.

This doesn’t spell the end of the world for the PS3; after all, none of these games will single-handedly turn this generation over to Microsoft, and each is all but certain to make its way to the PS3–eventually. But it demonstrates the impact that the continued weak PS3 sales are having on the strength of the platform: the installed base disparity between Xbox 360 and PS3 means that Sony isn’t strong enough–or willing enough to reach into its pockets–to hold on to the types of games and franchises that belonged to it alone during the PS2 era. It shows that Microsoft’s aggressive courting of Japanese publishers is having an effect. And if Microsoft’s relentless wheeling-and-dealing and Sony’s shockingly poor sales remain the same, one of Sony’s key advantages of yesteryear–that its machines were the only choice for the gamer who wants to play just about everything–will vanish into thin air.

VeeshanVault

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