BeerFiles is a sometimes irreverent blog concerning all things to do with IT, technology, people and the media from the point of view of a hard boiled technology journalist and commentator. Stan has been in the IT game for about a quarter of a century. He has seen and written about the rise and fall of more than a few IT players and made many friends, some of whom he has even crossed swords with on occasions. Everything in this blog is purely Stan’s opinion so if you agree, wish to expand upon, correct a post or tell Stan he’s a clueless know nothing, please feel free.

PS3 wows gamer fans in US, underlines fork with Wii

by Stan Beer

Monday, 06 November 2006

A recent showing of PlayStation 3 at 2007 Sony Expo in Honolulu over the weekend confirmed what many in gaming world expected - Sony won't be able to make the PS3 fast enough to meet initial demand from gamers. However, with the impending release of Nintendo Wii, it has become evident that a fork has developed in the philosophy of home entertainment and games consoles. Judging by the reports that PS3 "scalpers" who were able to get on the pre-order list are selling their pre-order rights to fanatical gamers on eBay for more than US$2000, the scarce PS3 will be a hot item in the US and no doubt also Japan over the holiday season. At the same time, the far less pricey and far more abundant Wii will also sell like hot cakes around the world. Many of the intending PS3 buyers, according to their own admissions, will also buy Wii consoles because the two consoles offer different gaming experiences. PS3, from the latest reports, offers power and graphics to die for. Its computing engine, centered around the cell processor, is the stuff of supercomputers, enabling unprecedented graphics and detail. According to an Associated Press report, long lines of gamers, mostly males, from 12 year olds to baby boomers, were busting to get a try out of the two machines on display at the Sony event. However, those are gamers. What about non-gamers? This is where the fork has developed in the philosophy of home entertainment. Both Sony and Microsoft have taken the view that to entice non-gamers to open their wallets, they have to provide them with a one-stop media center, luring them with non-gaming features such as video streaming, internet browsing, video playback and, of course, high-definition video. Nintendo, which openly admits that it has opted out of the hi-tech race, believes it can entice non-gamers to take home a console not through throwing in media center goodies but by convincing more people to become gamers. Cheaper price aside, the motion sensitive "Wiimote" as far as Nintendo is concerned will make it easier and more intuitive to play games and therefore the target market for Wii will be widened to include gamers and non-gamers, kids and adults. There are plenty of analysts who believe that Nintendo is on to something. Whether the Wii will actually create a market revolution (sounds like a good name for a console) and bring new gamers to the table is another matter. As far as PS3 is concerned, its main problem outside Japan, according to some pundits, is likely to be Xbox 360. Superior graphics, processing power and Blu-ray, may not be a sufficient lure for the extra money users will have to spend, especially given the Xbox 360 is more natural fit with a Windows-based home network. PS3 and Wii are two consoles which are now at opposite ends of the spectrum of gaming philosophy. About one year from now, we'll all have a better idea of who was a better judge of the market.{moscomment} Tags See All Tags Consoles  Games  PlayStation  Xbox  Powered By Joomla Tags Please enable JavaScript in your browser to post your comment!

 

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