PlayStation 3 delay - a good thing?

[Evil Avatar]

While Sony's official reason for today's PlayStation 3 delay has to do with technological matters, this week's Game Over column on CNN (http://money.cnn.com/2006/03/15/commentary/game_over/column_gaming/) indicates the true reason may be to give developers more time to polish (and finish) their games. With the coming retail battle this holiday season, quality games are going to be particularly important and while, according to the column, we'll likely see Halo 3 footage at E3, it won't be on store shelves until 2007 - giving Sony the opportunity to distract buyers from the Xbox 360, even if those buyers can't find a PS3.

[KNOTE]

It's great news if you're a developer. It's terrible news if you're a publisher.

[Zeal]

Highlight my signature for a secret message.

[Deathbane27]

I STILL think Halo 3 is already done, even though Bungie said otherwise.Because quotes don't count for the 10-character minimum.

[gzsfrk]

I think the article's premise is a little misleading; this isn't a situation where it's advantageous to release the PS3 a year or more later than the 360, but rather that the lesser of two evils is to release it later with refined games support rather than rush an earlier release with weak launch titles. Of course, the ideal situation would have been to release in the Spring, as they had announced, with several mature titles at launch, in addition to the first-gen sports ports and such.

Of course, given Sony's recent track record for honesty, I'm still hesitant to put much confidence in this latest announcement. And honestly--who believes the bullcrap that the PS3 is being delayed due to BluRay DRM issues? Please...

[MasterEvilAce]

Refined games?

The FINAL dev kits aren't even out yet.. how can you have a FINISHED game if you're still working with beta hardware?

[Mason]

This is a dumb meme that I keep hearing.

Continuing development costs money. If studios had wanted to throw more money at a title, they could've upped its budget at the beginning.

Plus, delaying it so that lots of titles launch at the same time will make the few high-end titles overshadow most of the others, so marketshare for most games will be diluted by the delay.

Would any current 360 owners really think more of the 360 if MS had held off until the end of March?

[Venkman]

And honestly--who believes the bullcrap that the PS3 is being delayed due to BluRay DRM issues? Please...

I do, considering I develop DVDs for a living. I've been following this story for months.

The Blu-Ray copy protection delay is real, but what most people don't realize is that it is also used by HD-DVD.

Warner Brothers just delayed their upcoming HD-DVD catalog for the same reason.

[Mason]

Refined games?

The FINAL dev kits aren't even out yet.. how can you have a FINISHED game if you're still working with beta hardware?
Another valid criticism. The info we have doesn't give us a lot of reason to meet them halfway here.

[Paranoia]

Funny CNN article, not once it mention Nintendo.

[Nite_Moogle]

What Ace said-- how is getting the final dev kits in the hands of designers late going to lead to polished games?

[BenN1ce]

Refined games?

The FINAL dev kits aren't even out yet.. how can you have a FINISHED game if you're still working with beta hardware?

http://xbox360.ign.com/articles/655/655273p2.html

MS didn't send out Final Dev kits until mid to late August 2005

[Vandenh]

PS3 here now... great!
PS3 delayed... great!

Stop spinning this in a positive way.

Product delays usually point to *problems*. When a product gets delayed at my company, that is a big thing.

[score]

Exactly how much of a delay is this for the American market? Was anyone expecting it before November time even if it launched in spring in Japan?

[bjornbarspingvinen]

of course it´s a good thing, it is because the PR team says it´s so. And the funny thing is, IT WASN`T SUPPOSED TO BE RELEASED IN MARCH anyhow.... ffs.... It was just a distraction.

[Dirty Harry]

so have they actually released a date on this thing, i thought nothing was said as fo sho' you know.

[bean19]

This is interesting speculation, but what games besides UT2007 and MGS are worth mentioning for the PS3?

The fact that the developers do not have final devkits until June tells me that they aren't really getting all that much more lead time over X360 titles.

I'm just hoping that it is enough time for Sony to figure out how to make a really good online infastructure like Live and to, hopefully, launch with a reliable product.

[MrMeatshake]

Highlight my signature for a secret message.

cool, where from?

[benig]

Why does Nintendo not factor into Popular Media's take on this industry? They're a huge player and should be treated as such.

[Draft]

Hahahan, nice spin from CNN. Jeez, like a forum post.

[bapenguin]

I think the Delay is a good thing for the consumer...well at least the hardcore gamer. It gives us time between launches of the 360. It gives us time to get our hands on some solid 360 titles. Then, come this fall we'll start to get that new console itch and the PS3 will be there to fill it.

[Wolfgang]

The PS3 needs more lead time if we are to believe what we have read. The 360 has DirectX and is more programmer friendly if you have been using the Microsoft enviroment. Hence all the PC ports.

The PS3 is supposed to be harder to develop for due to the Cell, etc... I am not a developer for either, so I can not say.

[Reanimated]

CNN's Damage Control column.

[KhitomerRouge]

CNN's Damage Control column.CNN is owned by Time-Warner, who competes with Sony on several fronts, not the least of which is Hollywood. Remember Frodo at the 360 unveiling? Yeah, he was under contract from New Line, a subsidiary of Warner.

[EvilBob46]

Would any current 360 owners really think more of the 360 if MS had held off until the end of March?

With the glowing reviews of Oblivion and Ghost Recon AWF to go with the launch, and without all the bad press regarding the shortages? Absolutely yes.

Refined games?

The FINAL dev kits aren't even out yet.. how can you have a FINISHED game if you're still working with beta hardware?

A lot of Xbox 360 launch games would have looked a lot better had developers had more time to refine the models, textures, animations, etc. None of this would have required final hardware. It's a process of using 3rd part software on PCs, like Maya, and giving the art, modelling, and animation staffs more time to really do their job.

[fitbabits]

It's both good and bad, but mostly bad (for Sony):

Good
- It gives the punter that much more time to enjoy the great library of PS2 games out there.
- It gives developers more time to polish whatever projects they have going.
- (For Microsoft) It affords Microsoft the opportunity to get a better stranglehold on the hardware battle. Games like Oblivion, Gears of War, etc. will be out and will help sell 360s.

Bad
- It gives the impression of serious internal problems with the development of the PS3, fanning the flames of haters everywhere. Don't forget - this is the same company that propagated the news about the first batch of 360s overheating.
- People who were holding on to their money for a Spring 2006 PS3 launch may well go buy a 360 now just to sample the next generation greatness that is GRA, Oblivion, PGR3, etc.
- (For Sony) It affords Microsoft the opportunity to get a better stranglehold on the hardware battle. Games like Oblivion, Gears of War, etc. will be out and will help sell 360s.

[Yeti2005]

I think the Delay is a good thing for the consumer...well at least the hardcore gamer. It gives us time between launches of the 360. It gives us time to get our hands on some solid 360 titles. Then, come this fall we'll start to get that new console itch and the PS3 will be there to fill it.
This probably is a good thing for consumers although hardcore gamers are going to have to choose (or have really deep pockets) between Nintendo and Sony when the launch so close to each other.

This has got to be bad for retailers and some developers. Retailers expecting to get revenue from customers buying the PS3 this spring/summer will be out of luck. I guess developers probably already knew about the delay but they're not getting any return on their investment until the end of the year (unless of course the title is cross platform).

[Serapth]

It's both good and bad, but mostly bad (for Sony):

Good
- It gives the punter that much more time to enjoy the great library of PS2 games out there.
- It gives developers more time to polish whatever projects they have going.
- (For Microsoft) It affords Microsoft the opportunity to get a better stranglehold on the hardware battle. Games like Oblivion, Gears of War, etc. will be out and will help sell 360s.

Bad
- It gives the impression of serious internal problems with the development of the PS3, fanning the flames of haters everywhere. Don't forget - this is the same company that propagated the news about the first batch of 360s overheating.
- People who were holding on to their money for a Spring 2006 PS3 launch may well go buy a 360 now just to sample the next generation greatness that is GRA, Oblivion, PGR3, etc.
- (For Sony) It affords Microsoft the opportunity to get a better stranglehold on the hardware battle. Games like Oblivion, Gears of War, etc. will be out and will help sell 360s.

Funny, you list reads the exact same as it would if the title was "PlayStation 3 Canceled - a good thing?"

[Kelegacy]

Hopefully by year's end HD prices will drop a TINY bit so I can grab a 360 and a tv together--and hopefully take advantage of an anti-PS3 price drop. I will own a 360 before a PS3, it's only logical, but that's because a PS3 will have a piss-poor launch game-wise, I can only imagine. I am excited about the PS3 though, strangely so. Yet I think the box AND the controller is god-ugly. And I don't buy consoles at launch. Well, except the Revolution maybe.

[TrackZero]

I think the Delay is a good thing for the consumer...well at least the hardcore gamer. It gives us time between launches of the 360. It gives us time to get our hands on some solid 360 titles. Then, come this fall we'll start to get that new console itch and the PS3 will be there to fill it.

It's a bit of a downside for me. The longer the console has been out, the sooner it's price will fall. At this rate the PS3 won't fall into my "purchase" range until 2010. Oh well.

[Serapth]

I am excited about the PS3 though, strangely so. Yet I think the box AND the controller is god-ugly. And I don't buy consoles at launch. Well, except the Revolution maybe.


Excited about what?!?! Really... you know nothing about the game launch lineup, havent seen a single *real* screen shot, and from the announced title list basically screams "MORE OF THE SAME!"

I really dont know what people could be excited about here. Well... true, I would like my video aged like fine wine, but thats about it.

[Morratut]

I'm just waiting to see something concrete from Sony. All we know at the moment is that Sony had to admit the PS3 wasn't going to be ready for a spring launch.

E3 I want to see some good games on show and a good online network on a par with Live.

[Kamalot]

Someone has to be smokin' a LOT of Sony PR rock to be able to spin this into a good thing.

This is bad all around. Bad for developers. Bad for publishers. Bad for retailers. Bad for Bluray. Bad for Sony.

Bad for Gamers!

[Kelegacy]

Excited about what?!?! Really... you know nothing about the game launch lineup, havent seen a single *real* screen shot, and from the announced title list basically screams "MORE OF THE SAME!"

I really dont know what people could be excited about here. Well... true, I would like my video aged like fine wine, but thats about it.
Um, excited that there will be two next-gen (or three) consoles on the market vying for my dollar? I know nothing about the games, that's why I said "strangely so". But Sony hasn't let me down with their consoles in the last 10+ years, so I can't help but be a loyal "sheep". In fact, the Sony systems have been some of my favorites of all time.

Needless to say, Sony being around this year is good for gamers. I don't care how much crazy Kool-Aid Kamalot drinks.

[Kamalot]

Needless to say, Sony being around this year is good for gamers. I don't care how much crazy Kool-Aid Kamalot drinks.:D

Being available this year is good for gamers. Being pushed back from Spring is NOT good. Having so few launch units available is NOT good. Having been delayed for Bluray, an optical disc format completely unrelated to gaming, is NOT good.
Why on earth do we, as gamers, need Bluray? Why do we need the delays?

Publishers and developers who were expecting to reap profits in Spring when the PS3 launched now have less money to spend on making new games. That's bad for gamers.

The more you look at the issue, the more unlikely it is to find any real, tangible benefits to anyone for this delay.

[Kelegacy]

:D

Being available this year is good for gamers. Being pushed back from Spring is NOT good. Having so few launch units available is NOT good. Having been delayed for Bluray, an optical disc format completely unrelated to gaming, is NOT good.
Why on earth do we, as gamers, need Bluray? Why do we need the delays?

Publishers and developers who were expecting to reap profits in Spring when the PS3 launched now have less money to spend on making new games. That's bad for gamers.

The more you look at the issue, the more unlikely it is to find any real, tangible benefits to anyone for this delay.
I think we came to the consensus that the BR excuse was just that--an excuse. There were other factors at play here, like not having the final dev kits finished until June, lack of a game library yet, system fabrication, etc. I agree, if it was just BR I'd be pissed. Hopefully this BR thing comes through and really knocks me on my ass, since every PS3 game will be on such a disc. I doubt it will be a huge draw for me, but whatever. I'd hate to have it launch this spring with no good games available for the thing, or at least for a while, like the PSP and DS.

[Roc Ingersol]

It's not even a delay if you're a North American gamer.

But seriously: how is a delay ever good? It means you weren't ready. You screwed up.
Sure, delaying is better than putting a steaming turd on the shelf, but that doesn't mean the delay is 'good'. It means: Sony's got its head up its ass, but hasn't quite suffocated to death yet.

Then again, who am I to disagree with Chris "I usually make sense" Morris?

Way to go Sony! Good job making that call to not start selling nonexistent products to the Japanese market next month!

[Crenor]

How about, the 8 Cell core - PS3 has one turned off due to failure rates. How about the cost the PS3 Cell and Blu-Ray drive too expensive atm and will be cheaper by that time. How about developers are making games on the XBox 360 and porting as an afterthought to the PS3

"1 of 8 SPEs reserved for redundancy"
http://www.theinquirer.net/?article=23293

How about no games due to
"developing software for the PS3 from scratch requires an initial investment of at least 2 billion yen (US $17.6 million) and that’s before they start."
http://www.theinquirer.net/?article=26945

[KhitomerRouge]

Being available this year is good for gamers. Being pushed back from Spring is NOT good. Having so few launch units available is NOT good. Having been delayed for Bluray, an optical disc format completely unrelated to gaming, is NOT good.
Why on earth do we, as gamers, need Bluray? Why do we need the delays? Blu-Ray was a smokescreen. The format itself is being launched in May, with titles and players. Krazy Ken is probably getting pimpslapped by Stringer right now for laying the blame on anybody but himself.

[Mason]

I think the Delay is a good thing for the consumer...well at least the hardcore gamer. It gives us time between launches of the 360. It gives us time to get our hands on some solid 360 titles. Then, come this fall we'll start to get that new console itch and the PS3 will be there to fill it.
Looking for a silver lining is one thing, but if the absence of a console is a good thing for you, that's kind of a statement on that console's overall relevance.

What consumers need most of all is for Sony not to betray the trust that lots of developers gave them, in favor of furthering their multimedia business interests.

[Kamalot]

I think we came to the consensus that the BR excuse was just that--an excuse. There were other factors at play here, like not having the final dev kits finished until June, lack of a game library yet, system fabrication, etc.
So, IF it isn't bluray, there are other issues. No final dev kits, lack of games, systems aren't made, etc.

Even IF Sony is blowing smoke about Bluray, nowhere in the other possible problem areas do I see good things for anyone, ESPECIALLY gamers.

[Kamalot]

What consumers need most of all is for Sony not to betray the trust that lots of developers gave them, in favor of furthering their multimedia business interests.
Quoted for truth!

I suppose it is a good thing that the PS3 is late. More gamers will have the opportunity to pick up a real game machine, and not a movie industry trojan horse, disguised as a game machine.

[motor]

There is one way in which this will be good for gamers. My guess is that sony and Microsoft will be much more neck and neck in percent of market, which means that each will invest a lot this generation to out-do each other and gain share. Remember, this gener (ps2 vs xbox), sony did very little in way of innovation because they didn't need to, they were at >70% all the time. I expect a huge amount of innovation on live (ms and sony's), online distribution and making my game console into a downloadable movie and music console. And to me that's a very good thing.

They are going to be at each other's throats this time around and they are going to really work for our dollars.

[fitbabits]

Funny, you list reads the exact same as it would if the title was "PlayStation 3 Canceled - a good thing?"
It does? How so?

[Serapth]

It does? How so?

Well, going through almost every point you made...


Even longer if the PS3 is never release
[quote]
- It gives developers more time to polish whatever projects they have going.

True, and ot relevant to this conversation ( aka, I cant make it fit my argument :) )


- (For Microsoft) It affords Microsoft the opportunity to get a better stranglehold on the hardware battle. Games like Oblivion, Gears of War, etc. will be out and will help sell 360s.

Microsoft really gets the lead if the PS3 is cancelled outright :D


- People who were holding on to their money for a Spring 2006 PS3 launch may well go buy a 360 now just to sample the next generation greatness that is GRA, Oblivion, PGR3, etc.

If cancelled outright, fence sitters aint gonna fence sit no more...

- (For Sony) It affords Microsoft the opportunity to get a better stranglehold on the hardware battle. Games like Oblivion, Gears of War, etc. will be out and will help sell 360s.

And again, although you kinda already used this point.

See, almost point for point, you could have been talking about the PS3 being canceled vs delayed using the same points.