Even after it was released, Sony's console was plagued with problems. The PlayStation 3 was quite expensive, especially compared to the 360. Even though it had a much superior hardware, not many people found it worth investing Rs. 40,000 in what they thought was essentially only a game console. Pricing aside there were other issues as well. Developers complained about the difficulty in coding games for the PlayStation 3, whereas they had no problem at all doing it for the 360, due to its similarity to a regular Windows machine.
The games that came out initially weren't that great as well and the cross platform games often worked better on the 360, while the PlayStation 3 version was riddled with poor graphics and slower frame rates. The fact that the games themselves (being on Blu-ray discs) were much more expensive than the 360's didn't bode well with the consumers.
Further, continuing the list of woes on the PlayStation 3 was the differences between the model that was originally unveiled and the model that was launched to the public. The original model had a cooler, boomerang shaped controller, but the actual PlayStation 3 came with a controller that looked the same as the Dual Shock 2 on the PlayStation 2 and also lacked the vibration feedback, which was a major omission.
The original model also had memory card slots and two extra USB ports, along with SACD playback, but the production model didn't. Sony had also promised full PlayStation 2 games compatibility for the PlayStation 3 but the actual model came with half-baked support for just a few games. It was then reduced to software-level support as the Emotion Engine chip was removed to save costs and finally the PlayStation 2 games support was removed completely. This was once again a major drawback as the PlayStation 2 has some of the best games ever made for any platform till date and they could have all been available for the PlayStation 3.
It was only after Sony made some severe price cuts to the PlayStation 3 did it start getting the attention of the average gamer. By then Blu-ray had also started establishing itself as the format of the future and the PlayStation 3 was officially the cheapest Blu-ray player that one could buy, making it an even more attractive buy. The PlayStation 3 didn't just play them but was very good at it, with several videophiles actually recommending it as their Blu-ray player of choice over standalone Blu-ray players.
The PlayStation 3 also proved itself to be a reliable performer and unlike the 360, which soon started falling apart, with RRoDs (Red Ring of Death) being a common sight for many gamers worldwide. The PlayStation 3 continued to work flawlessly, with silent operation and rock solid reliability, thanks to the use of superior quality hardware and craftsmanship.
Things only got better when price cuts started getting more aggressive and the PlayStation 3 was finally within what could be called affordable. By then HD-DVD had died as well and Blu-ray had taken its place on the throne as the king of HD-format. So those who have been on the fence now had a clear choice ahead of them. The PlayStation 3 could play Blu-ray movies in their full splendour, play games in high definition, had an impressive multimedia playback capability, could browse the internet - thanks to its built-in Wi-Fi connection - and even had the option to let you install Linux operating system over it, which converted it into a mini computer. It truly had it all.
Now, games too had started coming in thick and fast and developers finally began to get the hang of the PlayStation 3's hardware and exploiting it to its full potential. The PlayStation network also came in place where people could buy full games and demos online. Although it couldn't stand up to the Xbox Live, it was still pretty good. Sony even changed the controller to the Dual Shock 3 variant, which finally gained the vibration feature. The PlayStation 3 was now enjoying the success that it always deserved.
So you may ask, why the long history lesson? Well, before we head over to the actual matter on our hands, I thought it was necessary to show where it has come from. The PlayStation 3 might be successful now and has become the de facto choice for any serious console gamer, but it wasn't always so. The new models enter the market in a very strong position and hence have it much easier than its predecessor, which has done all the hard work for it. So now that we know about the previous PlayStation 3, let us get on with the new kid on the block, the PlayStation 3 Slim.
Full Review: techtree
No comments:
Post a Comment