According to the ineffable authority that is Time Magazine, Sony’s PlayStation 3 is a bust. Its verdict:
The big story in computer games this year was HOW TO BLOW A HUGE LEAD, by Sony. Its PlayStation 2 was the champ in the last round of the console wars. This time Sony bet on a chip called the Cell and a disc format called Blu-ray. They’re probably awesome, but how would anybody know? The PS3 is hideously expensive–it goes for up to $600–and Sony manufactured only a piddling few hundred thousand for the U.S., fewer for Japan. Plus it’s hard to write games for; the launch titles were lame. You know you’re in trouble when you get beat by something called a Wii.
While there is complete legitimacy to that statement, I find myself compelled to criticize the comment because Time also calls “Studio 60 On the Sunset Strip” a bust, which is easily the best fall show. And I don’t know if you knew this, but it also named me person of the year. Now I’m flattered by it all, but to be perfectly honest, I might be the least accomplished person to ever have the honor bestowed upon them. Yea sure I’m young and have my whole life to accomplish “things,” but I would have preferred that they waited until I was older, and actually deserving, before being given the title.
5 Things That Went From Buzz to Bust [Time via Joystiq]
Hi Blake, I am young too and am happy that Time recognized “my” efforts but I consider this a huge cop-out. Listen, if “we” are so popular this year, do they not realize that social networking will be even more popular next year (and the years following)? What are they going to do… next year You(2) (squared) then You (3) etc… I think there is one group of people who are far more deserving… those who are still alive in Darfur (and other conflict regions) after being slaughtered day in and day out. I give my hat to those guys living their hell here on earth and still waking up in the morning to relive it day after day, week after week, month after month and very sadly, year after year with no end in sight.
Time should use its podium to point to ALL of us for doing such a horrible job, yes, ALL OF US for ignoring their plight. Knowing about something and doing NOTHING about it, there are our fellow human beings… is just as bad in my opinion as allowing it to continue.
Sorry to put a damper on things but we have it extremely easy here… we just don’t realize the gift we have for simply being born in a relatively stable country(ies).
Jon
They are right on the money, the PS3 is a bust, it was over priced had too few games and such a limited release that it was almost a limited edition. I’d have understood if they had done a small release and then 2 weeks later launched 5 million more but they didn’t.
And Hero’s is way better than studio 60.
I’ve got to agree with Jon on this one. Time took the lazy way out.
Isn’t there some ONE who is deserving of their “person of the year” designation? You can’t just give this “award” to everyone who does social networking and helps generate content.
Besides, you can’t tell me that people who surf YouTube, Facebook, and MySpace all day are more worthy of this designation that humanitarians, social workers, etc.
This is another reason not to read Time.
Thanks Andrew - Time is a very good magazine, I was not bashing it by any stretch of the imagination but editorially, instead of actually making a decision - they choose the “politically correct” route to please everybody - hence probably pleasing nobody ;-) I expect this from a politician, not a magazine editor.
Jon
ps: Although highly presumptuous of me, please discount me from any of the remaining memory sticks up for grabs – I only need one to make my day… there are some other well deserving people on this board who also need some swag to make their Christmas complete.
Time magazine should do a little more homework before spreading half-truths. It is this kind of journalism that misinforms the general public. To say that the PS3 is hideously expensive is not comparing “apples to apples”. An Xbox 360 system plus the HD-DVD player plus the Wi-Fi transmitter(not built in) will cost you $700 plus tax! The question can be asked whether consumers are interested in an all=in=one unit like the PS3(gaming,blue ray,internet,photos,etc.), but don’t imply that an Xbox 360 system with the same 3 functions(gaming,HD,Wi-Fi) is cheaper because with tax it is actually more! Time magazine should be check their “supposed facts” more carefully in the interest of accurate reporting!
@mike
You cannot compare things like this. If you wanted to compare the ps3 versus a hd-dvd player i would allow you to bring in multiple functions, but the ps3 is a GAMING system, the rest is icing. For the gaming system apples to apples is still 399 versus 599, which is grossly overrpriced. You do not need the extra features to play games, and 50gb for a game means they are just putting more fluff in.
Plus the ps3 internet functions have been called lackluster and poor even by most ps3 fanboys i have talked too. So if you wanted a blu-ray player, you got a really ugly but insanely cheap one. If you wanted a gaming system you got ripped off.
Resistance is the ONLY game worth buying at the moment, and hopefully by this time next year, Sony will finally have a finished product with titles to go along with it, and they can pretend their release didnt actually happen.
Sony’s plan is to use their gaming market as a springboard to grab the HD player market before Toshiba, and as a business strategy, that’s pretty clever. The problem is they’re making the gamer pay to implement this plan, as $200 of the $600 price is a direct result of blu-ray. Now, I don’t have anything against being used IF there’s something worthwhile in it for me, so the question is whether blu-ray is worth it…I’d have to say it’s not. Even though you’re getting a blu-ray player for cheap with a PS3 purchase, in two years time, both formats (HD-DVD and blu-ray) will probably be playable through one machine (like DVD+R and -R), so the only thing to do is wait and buy the one with the best price/quality ratio. There are also triple-layer discs being developed.
As such, the only advantage in getting blu-ray with your PS3 is Sony’s advantage over Toshiba, and I’m not the one who’s gonna pay to give them that — give me something worthwhile, and we’ll talk…
fuck you!!!
ps3 was not intended to be just a gaming system. MS knew this long before PS2 (sony’s plan was to take over our living room..) that’s why they came up with the xbox.
Instead of concentrating on who takes over whose living room, Microsoft should focus on creating an operating system that is revolutionary and will lead it to bigger and better things. With all the resources Microsoft has at its disposal, I am sure they can do far better then Vista. Focus at what your good at and success will come, otherwise you are screwing yourself in the long run.
Jon
I’m still holding out for the PS3, but the XBox 360 is looking more and more appealing based on price (and Gears of War). I don’t think that I would ever go for the Wii because its just too kiddie oriented and I want games without Yoshi, despite the very innovative wiimote/nunchuk.
Studio 60 is hilarious! I only happened to start watching it because it followed “Heroes” (geek). There are some great lines and skits in the show. Hell, at least Matthew Perry moved on something more original and significant than “Joey”. :0)
I too believe that Time has been on a streak of Let’s-have-a-feel-good-ending-to-the-year for some time now. As candy-coated as naming “me” the “Person of The Year” is, that just takes the cake. (Get it?)
It wouldn’t have hurt them to be just a *tiny* bit more specific - naming a few individuals that run some of the social sites that Time is hinting at but lacking the huevos to mention. And the PS3 being a bust? This holiday season, yeah, but there’s still time for Sony to play catch-up. I’d still get a Wii, though.
U’ve got good pics, the site could use a tiny bit of work (no offense) its still awesome