The PS3’s worst enemy

October 2nd, 2006, 09:54 Posted By: wraggster

Via the software pirate

Sony’s had a lot of problems stirring up excitement with the PS3. Manufacturing problems, launch shortages, high prices, lackluster launch titles (Metal Gear Solid 4 isn’t worthy a $660 investment) are just a few of the issues that have made gamers pretty nervous about getting Sony’s Grey Goose of a console. Fundamentally, none of these are the biggest problems the PS3 has to face. The PS3’s biggest problem hit me earlier today, when I was playing on my PS2.

The Playstation 3’s biggest problem is the Playstation 2.

Look at the release lineup for the PS2. Final Fantasy 12, God of War 2, Godhand, Phantasy Star Universe, and so on. Just this month we got the must-have Okami and the obscure-but-great Valkyrie Profile 2: Silmeria. These games are fun, they look beautiful, and they are adding more and more life to Sony’s battered workhorse of a platform. They might not look quite as good as Xbox 360 or upcoming PS3 titles, but they’re good enough to make the average gamer consider keeping their old system around for a few more months.

Sony hasn’t yet made a convincing argument that the PS3 is a worthy replacement to the PS2 yet. Yes, it can output to 1080p. Yes, it will have better online and storage abilities. But these are all features Sony has told us, not shown us.

Nintendo demonstrated just how the Virtual Console is going to work, what titles will be available, and what it’s going to cost us. We know we’re going to see some great classics on top of the various ports and exclusives in the Wii’s release lineup. Beyond that, we’ve seen the Wiimote in action, and though it could use some tightening up, there’s a whole lot of potential there. Sure, there’s still the Gamecube, but the Gamecube’s lineup is already dwindling, and it looks like Zelda: Twilight Princess and Super Paper Mario will be the last big names to hit the system.

Microsoft gave Xbox 360 XBLA, a great reason for fanboys to keep their systems on without a bunch of release titles. When Oblivion’s feeling tired, owners can tap into Street Fighter II, Geometry Wars, and loads of other classic and remix games through Live Arcade. The original Xbox did have Live, but the 360 added countless features and an interface that’s exponentially better than the original. The Xbox is still seeing its share of games coming out, but the 360 has already proven itself with a nice selection of exclusives and the unexpected greatness of XBLA.

The Playstation 3 has a lot of promises, Sony hasn’t actually shown us many of them. We know the technical merits. Metal Gear Solid 4 looks great, Assassin’s Creed looks great, White Knight looks freaking amazing. But beyond that… what does the system have to offer? Technically it should be at the top of the heap. Fastest, most graphical bells and whistles, HDMI output, 1080p support, all of those nifty features. But beyond that what do the system have? Sony hastily added a lot of “features” like the SIXAXIS tilt controller and some form of XBLA/VC downloadable game support, but we haven’t really seen them in action. Microsoft has proven the Xbox 360 to be a worthy successor to the Xbox. Nintendo has actually shown us what the Wii is capable of doing. Sony hasn’t done much more but promise technical superiority and demonstrate that the PS3 dwarfs Ken Kutaragi’s head.

Besides pretty graphics, the PS3 doesn’t look like it’s going to be that much better than the PS2. In the long run it might, but for now all Sony is offering is a bunch of lofty promises and a release list for the Playstation 2 will probably have more than one frugal gamer waiting a few months for a PS3 price drop and a few better titles. Unless they have a top-of-the-line high-def TV that can take HDMI and show 1080p, the PS3’s most impressive graphics abilities will probably be lost on most. Without an amazing and obscenely expensive display to go with the obscenely expensive console, the PS3 will be little more than a PS2 with Xbox 360 graphics.

Okami and Valkyrie Profile are out now. God of War 2, Godhand, Final Fantasy 12, and lots of other tasty titles are in the pipe. It’s still a good time to be a PS2 owner, and that makes it a bad time to sell the PS3.

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