Is Sony begging for developers

CoffeeShark · #1 (**permalink**) 10-22-2007, 06:59 PM

According to Dean Takahashi, they sure are.

Report: Sony 'pleaded' with third-party PS3 devs - News at GameSpot

With their console sales lagging far behind Microsoft and Nintendo, and the extended time it takes to develop a PS3 game, Sony is begging for developing companies to stick with the PS3.

With what is probably the best hardware and best-looking games, and the lowest failure rate - probably ever - for consoles, you'd think Sony had a winner on their hands.

But the inclusion of the Blu-Ray player and the higher initial price (til now) of the PS3 could possibly have doomed this system. Time will tell if the current price drop will revive it.

I guess that whole add-on HD-DVD player by Microsoft, to avoid a $200 higher initial price of the 360, was probably a pretty good choice. After all, as we all know, price sells, not just quality.

FuzzyLogik · #2 (**permalink**) 10-23-2007, 11:23 AM

Getting games out will be the biggest thing now - now that the price is down there really isn't a "price" excuse for it... it's the amount of quality games. If they're having problems with Dev's then thats a problem. Kinda crazy though, as the PS2 was a beast to program for, and those that knew how to program for it were worth their weight in gold (Had a friend that worked for Lucas Arts on PS2 and XBox games) - seems like there's the same thing going on with the PS3, just more severe. If they pump out the games that they say are supposed to come out for it, and if the games that are cross platform look even better on the PS3 than the 360, they still have a chance.

The Wii has been doing great in sales... but it's dropping off (I hear last week that the 360 took the lead in Japan) - most likely because of the lack of "quality games" - I know people with a Wii that haven't played it for months because of that. (lol, just look at the wii thread here... sheesh) - they'll finally have games comming out next month though.

Anyways, point being... if they make the games, people will come!

kuyuchi · #3 (**permalink**) 10-23-2007, 12:04 PM

imo 360 is better than ps3!!!

Of course like fuzzy said that wont last long....... 360 will sitll have a good lead on sales though but ps3 might catch up :O

CoffeeShark · #4 (**permalink**) 10-23-2007, 12:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FuzzyLogik

Getting games out will be the biggest thing now - now that the price is down there really isn't a "price" excuse for it... it's the amount of quality games. If they're having problems with Dev's then thats a problem. Kinda crazy though, as the PS2 was a beast to program for, and those that knew how to program for it were worth their weight in gold (Had a friend that worked for Lucas Arts on PS2 and XBox games) - seems like there's the same thing going on with the PS3, just more severe. If they pump out the games that they say are supposed to come out for it, and if the games that are cross platform look even better on the PS3 than the 360, they still have a chance.

The Wii has been doing great in sales... but it's dropping off (I hear last week that the 360 took the lead in Japan) - most likely because of the lack of "quality games" - I know people with a Wii that haven't played it for months because of that. (lol, just look at the wii thread here... sheesh) - they'll finally have games comming out next month though.

Anyways, point being... if they make the games, people will come!

as I mentioned, even during September, when the 360 sold like gangbusters due to Halo3, they BARELY beat the Wii console sales. So even if "people you know" don't use their Wii, there are still half a million people per month buying them. That's a HUGE user base, even if each console owner only buys a few games. They easily lead worldwide sales and continue to be hard to find. With Wii sports and Nintendo's continuing to have visionary thinking, they'll do fine. Straferight isn't exactly the Wii type of forum, either, I wouldn't measure Nintendo's success by our usage of Mario.

the PS3 will do a lot better with the price drop. I don't think they'll catch the 360, with such a huge console lead, and it's hard for most people to buy more than one console and games. But if they double their installed user base, it will help to convince developers to jump to that platform.

FuzzyLogik · #5 (**permalink**) 10-23-2007, 12:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CoffeeShark

as I mentioned, even during September, when the 360 sold like gangbusters due to Halo3, they BARELY beat the Wii console sales. So even if "people you know" don't use their Wii, there are still half a million people per month buying them. That's a HUGE user base, even if each console owner only buys a few games. They easily lead worldwide sales and continue to be hard to find. With Wii sports and Nintendo's continuing to have visionary thinking, they'll do fine. Straferight isn't exactly the Wii type of forum, either, I wouldn't measure Nintendo's success by our usage of Mario.

the PS3 will do a lot better with the price drop. I don't think they'll catch the 360, with such a huge console lead, and it's hard for most people to buy more than one console and games. But if they double their installed user base, it will help to convince developers to jump to that platform.

That's true - I guess what I was trying to say is that good games drive people to continue to buy/play a system. The fact is, people won't play a system if their's nothing fun to play on it. Some games can be played over and over and over again for years, but that's only a select few - the Wii is "still" doing well, but I believe if you looked at how many consoles were being sold during the time that Metroid came out... or Halo 3 etc., console sales just go up because of that. Thats a big thing the PS3 hasn't really had. a REALLY big game that people want to go out and buy..and now that the price has gone down enough that the cost of the system isn't a huge issue like it used to be, having some big game come out might be just what sony needs. I doubt that the PS3 will catch up to the wii or 360 any time soon... but one good game that a LOT of people want make help even the playing field. I just remember when the PS1 came out and in '97 FFVII came out. Virtually everybody in Japan that owned a PS1 bought the game (some 10 million copies sold in japan that year?) and even more people bought a PS1 just for that game - but sony at that time had developers galore. so Sony now needs to keep what they have and gain more in the future to stay in this game...

I'd buy a PS3 for FFXIII for much of the same reason (one of the reasons my brother and myself got a PS1)... but anyways, I hardly think this battle is over... Sony can pull out IF they can land these all important games.

Dukefrukem · #6 (**permalink**) 10-23-2007, 12:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kuyuchi

imo 360 is better than ps3!!!

Of course like fuzzy said that wont last long....... 360 will sitll have a good lead on sales though but ps3 might catch up :O

SonicSpeed · #7 (**permalink**) 10-23-2007, 01:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dukefrukem

Everyone knows that nobody really buys it for the Blu-Ray player... just for the "games." There hasn't been an OMG BLOCKBUSTER type game for it, and if it doesn't get one soon... bye bye PS3 hope.

Dukefrukem · #8 (**permalink**) 10-23-2007, 03:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SonicSpeed

Everyone knows that nobody really buys it for the Blu-Ray player... just for the "games." There hasn't been an OMG BLOCKBUSTER type game for it, and if it doesn't get one soon... bye bye PS3 hope.

Dopefish · #9 (**permalink**) 10-23-2007, 04:45 PM

I'd buy it for the blu-ray player. I can't watch DVDs anymore. Their quality is INFERIOR!!!!!!!!!1

Anyway, there was a neat little chart online somewhere that showed the PS3 is actually at the same point sales-wise as the 360 was at the same time. Sony is not outselling the 360, sure, but their sales match where the 360 was at the same time. I think the price drop will see a rise in the sales and it will slowly catch up. I doubt it will ever catch up to the 360 with such a lead on the PS3, but hopefully it will inspire some companies to make more games for the PS3.

FuzzyLogik · #10 (**permalink**) 10-23-2007, 05:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dopefish

I'd buy it for the blu-ray player. I can't watch DVDs anymore. Their quality is INFERIOR!!!!!!!!!1

Anyway, there was a neat little chart online somewhere that showed the PS3 is actually at the same point sales-wise as the 360 was at the same time. Sony is not outselling the 360, sure, but their sales match where the 360 was at the same time. I think the price drop will see a rise in the sales and it will slowly catch up. I doubt it will ever catch up to the 360 with such a lead on the PS3, but hopefully it will inspire some companies to make more games for the PS3.

that's pretty interesting. People tend to forget that the 360 had a very large lead on the PS3 and the Wii (Thus the Wii is doing very well).