The PS3 is trailing at a distant third, behind the Xbox 360 and well behind the Wii. We’ve gathered out top ten reasons the PlayStation 3 is failing at the moment.
10: Too many and confusing SKUs.
Since the PS3 was released in 2006, there have been seven official SKUs in production, with differences in everything from the amount of USB ports, to backwards compatibility, to WiFi, to flash card readers and even Super Audio CD support. With so many SKUs, it’s no surprise that gamers are confused.
And those who decide to buy a PS3, spend a long time figuring out what to get, delaying their purchase, and in some cases, just give up because of the possibility of Sony releasing yet another SKU. Luckily for hopeful PS3 owners, there are currently only two SKUs in production; the 80 GB and the 160 GB versions, both with two USB ports, no backwards compatibility, WiFi and… that’s it.
9: Controller SNAFU
Remember the first PS3 controller, the boomerang? Remember the Sixaxis, with bad motion controls on all six axis, and no rumble? It took Sony three tries to make up their minds on a controller; the Dualshock 3, which is now the standard controller for the console.
The problem is that it was released a year and a half after the launch of the console itself. This is not entirely a hardware issue, but a testament to the fact that Sony has a hard time making up their minds, like with the seven SKUs that have been in production.
8: Sony arrogance
The massive success of the PS2 turned Sony’s confidence into sheer arrogance, when initially relying on “brand loyalty†to sell the PS3, despite being inferior, more expensive and lacking decent “killer-app†games well into the second year after it was released. Sony’s Ken Kutaragi said the $600 price tag was “probably too cheap†adding that “people will, without question, purchase itâ€. We think otherwise.
Sony’s spent more time pushing the Blu-ray format, thinking that the gaming side will take care of itself simply because the console was named “PlayStationâ€. They were thereby fighting a war on two sides — with Microsoft and with Toshiba — further driving the focus away from where it should have been: making games and supporting developers.
7: A developer’s bag of hurt
There’s no shortage of developer rants against the PS3, it’s a very difficult system to work make games for. Valve’s Gabe Newell called the PS3 a “total disasterâ€. Midway Games’ Shaun Himmerick said it was a “huge pain in the assâ€, and even Sony’s own Kaz “Riiidge Raaacer†Hirai said it was “hard to program forâ€.
However, this isn’t new to Sony; the PS2 was likewise difficult to develop on, and instead of learning from those mistakes, Sony created an even more complicated platform for the PS3. It doesn’t matter how powerful it is, if the software libraries, the compilers and tools are not sufficient, then it’s useless. You can have a 1000 HP sports car, but it’s no good to you if it doesn’t have a set of good wheels, a decent transmission and so on.
6: (Very) Expensive manufacturing costs
The PS3’s high price is a result of the complicated and high end hardware Sony uses in the PS3. At launch, they were losing hundreds of dollars for every console sold, and today, even after several updated and new, cheaper components, Sony still loses a big sum of money for every console they sell.
Some analysts have even suggested that Sony will continue to lose money on the PS3 during its entire lifetime, which is especially problematic since Sony expects the PS3 to last at least another 5 years.
5: Still no strong game library
Looking at the NPD console attach ratio (i.e. how many games per console are sold), the PS3 is severely lacking behind, having only 4.6 games sold per system, where as the Xbox 360 has 7.5 games sold per system.
This only boils down to the PS3s inferior game library; it not only has a lot less key first party titles than its competitor, but the PS3 ports of multi-platform titles are almost always inferior in one way or another, despite developers having several years to work with the PS3 now.
4: Weak ports
It’s been common knowledge that when games are released on several systems, the PS3 version is usually the inferior one. Not only are they inferior, they’re usually released later than the Xbox 360 counterparts. Madden 08 for instance, ran at 30 fps as opposed to 60 fps on the Xbox 360. Another example, Lost Planet, was not only released almost a year later on the PS3, but ran at a very sluggish frame rate and was missing a lot of the eye candy.
A major reason for the bad ports is simply the difficulty working with the system. Developer Valve for instance, has given up on porting games (like The Orange Box) to the PS3 because it’s simply too difficult and expensive, and instead has left that to EA. EA ported The Orange Box to the PS3, where it was delayed and had to undergo several patches before it was playable at a decent level.
3: “Killer-appsâ€: too few, too late
One of the most critically acclaimed PS3 games, Metal Gear Solid 4, was released 18 months after the launch of the PS3. Killzone 2, another critically acclaimed title, was released almost two and a half years after the PS3 launched. Same goes for Little Big
Planet: 2 years.
It’s far too obvious that it takes a lot more resources, time and money to make a decent PS3 game, as opposed to a decent Xbox 360 game, even for first party developers. It doesn’t make it easier for Sony with the fact that Sony is losing more and more exclusives to the Xbox 360, and, in some cases, the PC as well.
2: Still the most expensive console
The PS3 started by retailing at 500 and 600 dollars, way more expensive than the competition, and was criticized by everyone except the hardest of the hardcore PlayStation fans. Currently the two SKUs cost 399 and 499, while Microsoft has a 199, 299 and 399 Xbox 360 model.
This gives the Xbox 360 — the main competitor to the PS3 — a big advantage when it comes to first time console buyers. Most of them are neither Xbox nor PlayStation fans, they’re getting into the console wars this console generation. If you spend $400 on a console and buy the wrong one, it’s going to hurt a lot more than if you spend 200 and buy the wrong one.
1: Loss of exclusive titles
A game console is defined by its games, or rather, the games exclusive to that console. Over the years, the PS3s bad sales and steep developing costs has cost Sony several titles that were before exclusive to the platform, titles like Grand Theft Auto 4, Assassin’s Creed, Virtua Fighter 5, Devil May Cry 4 and Resident Evil 5, which will be released shortly on both the PS3 and Xbox 360. Not to mention the highly anticipated Final Fantasy XIII, which should hit the stores later this year.
Had Sony managed to keep only a few of these titles exclusive to the PS3, like Grand Theft Auto 4, the current console battle would have looked a lot different. Instead, Sony gambled on Blu-ray to drive the sales of the PS3, hoping to repeat what they did with the PS2 and the DVD drive. The PS2 however, had a ton of great games, many of which where exclusive to the platform.
10: Too many and confusing SKUs.
Since the PS3 was released in 2006, there have been seven official SKUs in production, with differences in everything from the amount of USB ports, to backwards compatibility, to WiFi, to flash card readers and even Super Audio CD support. With so many SKUs, it’s no surprise that gamers are confused.
And those who decide to buy a PS3, spend a long time figuring out what to get, delaying their purchase, and in some cases, just give up because of the possibility of Sony releasing yet another SKU. Luckily for hopeful PS3 owners, there are currently only two SKUs in production; the 80 GB and the 160 GB versions, both with two USB ports, no backwards compatibility, WiFi and… that’s it.
9: Controller SNAFU
Remember the first PS3 controller, the boomerang? Remember the Sixaxis, with bad motion controls on all six axis, and no rumble? It took Sony three tries to make up their minds on a controller; the Dualshock 3, which is now the standard controller for the console.
The problem is that it was released a year and a half after the launch of the console itself. This is not entirely a hardware issue, but a testament to the fact that Sony has a hard time making up their minds, like with the seven SKUs that have been in production.
8: Sony arrogance
The massive success of the PS2 turned Sony’s confidence into sheer arrogance, when initially relying on “brand loyalty†to sell the PS3, despite being inferior, more expensive and lacking decent “killer-app†games well into the second year after it was released. Sony’s Ken Kutaragi said the $600 price tag was “probably too cheap†adding that “people will, without question, purchase itâ€. We think otherwise.
Sony’s spent more time pushing the Blu-ray format, thinking that the gaming side will take care of itself simply because the console was named “PlayStationâ€. They were thereby fighting a war on two sides — with Microsoft and with Toshiba — further driving the focus away from where it should have been: making games and supporting developers.
7: A developer’s bag of hurt
There’s no shortage of developer rants against the PS3, it’s a very difficult system to work make games for. Valve’s Gabe Newell called the PS3 a “total disasterâ€. Midway Games’ Shaun Himmerick said it was a “huge pain in the assâ€, and even Sony’s own Kaz “Riiidge Raaacer†Hirai said it was “hard to program forâ€.
However, this isn’t new to Sony; the PS2 was likewise difficult to develop on, and instead of learning from those mistakes, Sony created an even more complicated platform for the PS3. It doesn’t matter how powerful it is, if the software libraries, the compilers and tools are not sufficient, then it’s useless. You can have a 1000 HP sports car, but it’s no good to you if it doesn’t have a set of good wheels, a decent transmission and so on.
6: (Very) Expensive manufacturing costs
The PS3’s high price is a result of the complicated and high end hardware Sony uses in the PS3. At launch, they were losing hundreds of dollars for every console sold, and today, even after several updated and new, cheaper components, Sony still loses a big sum of money for every console they sell.
Some analysts have even suggested that Sony will continue to lose money on the PS3 during its entire lifetime, which is especially problematic since Sony expects the PS3 to last at least another 5 years.
5: Still no strong game library
Looking at the NPD console attach ratio (i.e. how many games per console are sold), the PS3 is severely lacking behind, having only 4.6 games sold per system, where as the Xbox 360 has 7.5 games sold per system.
This only boils down to the PS3s inferior game library; it not only has a lot less key first party titles than its competitor, but the PS3 ports of multi-platform titles are almost always inferior in one way or another, despite developers having several years to work with the PS3 now.
4: Weak ports
It’s been common knowledge that when games are released on several systems, the PS3 version is usually the inferior one. Not only are they inferior, they’re usually released later than the Xbox 360 counterparts. Madden 08 for instance, ran at 30 fps as opposed to 60 fps on the Xbox 360. Another example, Lost Planet, was not only released almost a year later on the PS3, but ran at a very sluggish frame rate and was missing a lot of the eye candy.
A major reason for the bad ports is simply the difficulty working with the system. Developer Valve for instance, has given up on porting games (like The Orange Box) to the PS3 because it’s simply too difficult and expensive, and instead has left that to EA. EA ported The Orange Box to the PS3, where it was delayed and had to undergo several patches before it was playable at a decent level.
3: “Killer-appsâ€: too few, too late
One of the most critically acclaimed PS3 games, Metal Gear Solid 4, was released 18 months after the launch of the PS3. Killzone 2, another critically acclaimed title, was released almost two and a half years after the PS3 launched. Same goes for Little Big
Planet: 2 years.
It’s far too obvious that it takes a lot more resources, time and money to make a decent PS3 game, as opposed to a decent Xbox 360 game, even for first party developers. It doesn’t make it easier for Sony with the fact that Sony is losing more and more exclusives to the Xbox 360, and, in some cases, the PC as well.
2: Still the most expensive console
The PS3 started by retailing at 500 and 600 dollars, way more expensive than the competition, and was criticized by everyone except the hardest of the hardcore PlayStation fans. Currently the two SKUs cost 399 and 499, while Microsoft has a 199, 299 and 399 Xbox 360 model.
This gives the Xbox 360 — the main competitor to the PS3 — a big advantage when it comes to first time console buyers. Most of them are neither Xbox nor PlayStation fans, they’re getting into the console wars this console generation. If you spend $400 on a console and buy the wrong one, it’s going to hurt a lot more than if you spend 200 and buy the wrong one.
1: Loss of exclusive titles
A game console is defined by its games, or rather, the games exclusive to that console. Over the years, the PS3s bad sales and steep developing costs has cost Sony several titles that were before exclusive to the platform, titles like Grand Theft Auto 4, Assassin’s Creed, Virtua Fighter 5, Devil May Cry 4 and Resident Evil 5, which will be released shortly on both the PS3 and Xbox 360. Not to mention the highly anticipated Final Fantasy XIII, which should hit the stores later this year.
Had Sony managed to keep only a few of these titles exclusive to the PS3, like Grand Theft Auto 4, the current console battle would have looked a lot different. Instead, Sony gambled on Blu-ray to drive the sales of the PS3, hoping to repeat what they did with the PS2 and the DVD drive. The PS2 however, had a ton of great games, many of which where exclusive to the platform.
