PS3 fans: don't let them win.
Opposing fanbois have taken to comparing the PlayStation 3's sales to that of the GameCube. They may be doing this as a way to put Sony's console in its place, but the truth is that the comparison suggests better things to come. After the GameCube came the Wii. After their darkest days, Nintendo reconquered the world. And with a little fortitude, and a lot of innovation, Sony can too.
1. Stay Your Course in the Face of Adversity
Sony, and its fans, have two models to follow as the PS3 makes do with a third place position. On the one hand, they can emulate what Nintendo did with the GameCube: hang in there, fight honorably, and keep the dream alive. On the other hand, they can become the next Sega.
Of course, if you're going to hunker down and fight it out, you'll need what Nintendo had and Sega didn't: money. The strategy right now is not to get knocked out, and that means that not only do you have to stay positive, but you have to resist the urge to give in to the howling demands of detractors.
For instance, many have called for drastic price cuts for the PS3 in order to spur sales. I've been guilty of bringing up this topic myself. But ask yourself, did price cuts help the GC catch up to the PS2? And did the newly-$200 Xbox 360 whip the Wii last November? No.
In the big picture, Sony has already moved mountains to cut costs on the PS3, from undergoing radical re-engineering to remove costly hardware emulation, and, let's face it, the company needs to keep from losing money in today's economy. Yes, low prices are absolutely necessary to remain competitive, but I've already shown that price drops don't magically regain turn a third-place console into a market leader. Cut the price as much as possible, but someone has to keep an eye on the bottom line until the PS4 comes out.
Of course, this brings up a very important question: "How can the PS3 continue to sell, and how can Sony's gaming division keep its head above water, if it's the third place console?"
Hmmm… give me a day to think on that. Nintendo managed to do it. And as a fanboy, it's my passion to figure out how.
I don't really wish that anyone has to endure that side of the gaming culture. It's one of the worst parts of being a fan - that you may be rooting for the loser while the majority is for the winner. No one wants to be in that position. As "bad" as Sony and it's fans may be, I don't think they should be run into the ground.
As good as it feels to see Nintendo and Sony in completely reversed places this time around, I really don't necessarily want Sony to fail. That just seems needlessly cruel. Sure they may copy tech/ideas from others, sure they mostly pander to a demographic of gamers that find joy in bald space marines and shooting hookers, and sure they were incredibly arrogant going into this console generation to the point that it's so ironic that they are where they are, you can't help but laugh. But hoping that they drop out of the game business is a low blow (not saying that anyone is calling for that here, but around the web, I see it a lot).
As good as it feels to see Nintendo and Sony in completely reversed places this time around, I really don't necessarily want Sony to fail. That just seems needlessly cruel. Sure they may copy tech/ideas from others, sure they mostly pander to a demographic of gamers that find joy in bald space marines and shooting hookers, and sure they were incredibly arrogant going into this console generation to the point that it's so ironic that they are where they are, you can't help but laugh. But hoping that they drop out of the game business is a low blow (not saying that anyone is calling for that here, but around the web, I see it a lot).
You forgot the rootkits.
Of course, this brings up a very important question: "How can the PS3 continue to sell, and how can Sony's gaming division keep its head above water, if it's the third place console?" <P>
Hmmm… give me a day to think on that. Nintendo managed to do it. And as a fanboy, it's my passion to figure out how. <P>
If Sony wants to make some recovery, the best thing they can do is modularize the PS3: gut the Blu-Ray player and reinstate the PS2 emulation hardware. I don't give a damn about Blu-Ray (and given how strong DVD continues to do, I'm far from the only one), and when the time comes that I do I'll get a standalone player for it. Make the Blu-Ray player a separate attachment for those who want it. Ditto for the hard drives, which right now just lead to too many SKUs in the marketplace and outright confusion. I'm interested in playing the games on the system first, and the removal of these components would probably drop the price of the PS3 by at least $100-$150.
If Sony wants to make some recovery, the best thing they can do is modularize the PS3: gut the Blu-Ray player and reinstate the PS2 emulation hardware. I don't give a damn about Blu-Ray (and given how strong DVD continues to do, I'm far from the only one), and when the time comes that I do I'll get a standalone player for it. Make the Blu-Ray player a separate attachment for those who want it. Ditto for the hard drives, which right now just lead to too many SKUs in the marketplace and outright confusion. I'm interested in playing the games on the system first, and the removal of these components would probably drop the price of the PS3 by at least $100-$150.
They can't modularize out the Blu-ray player. Part of their reason for having it besides pushing Blu-ray was to allow for more "Epic and cinematic" games ala Metal Gear. At this point, I am not sure whether any games actually use blu-ray though.
Also, Sony invented Blu-ray, so no money would be saved by not including it unlike the Wii and it's lack of DVD playback where Nintendo would have to pay a license fee with each unit sold. They probably save money, at least for it's electronic division by enlarging the production run, well in the long run if Blu-ray is the true successor to DVD.
Also partitioning out the HDD would create a lot of work that may well be impossible seeing that PS3 never had an allowance for having no HDD.
With all the bits and pieces, one might as well just buy a computer.
In terms of cost, their biggest mistake was over-engineering it and making it needlessly complex. Both in manufacture and programming. For all their quality control issues, MS basically went with and Xbox 2 however went with a PPC chip for some reason that I can't remember or never knew. That helped MS keep costs controllable.
Sony has all the issues the N64 has, without any of Nintendo's strengths. But I do see Sony lasting out the generation. It will be a long slow drag to whatever one calls a finish line. PS4 is 50/50 at best. There is no longer the insane drive or vision in Sony for another. As insane as crazy Ken was, his force of will made the PS3. There is no one to replace that. In fact I believe there is a distaste for another in Sony.
Nothing else I learned from being a Nintendo fan. Just go and play the bloody games and enjoy them as they come. That or get a life.
Is Lindy going to follow Kairon's advice? Inquiring minds want to know!