ps3sixtii takes you through a 5 round match between psn and xbl. Each round, the contenders can get up to five points. The five rounds will be features, online play, ease of use, content, and bang for the buck.
Round 1. It's all about the features
I think we all know which will get the higher score in this round. The playstation network has improved rapidly since its debut. At first, compared to xbl, psn was like a little kid against a big adult. Since then, psn grew to match a lot of the features that xbl had. I know many of you disagree with us when we say this, but Home is a nice thing to have on psn. The reason is that it is constantly evolving, and will soon catch up to what Sony promised from Home and more. Just like psn... psn was not what was promised during release, but caught up to those promises. Back then, I would have given psn a 2, but now psn deserves a lot better. xbl hands down has more features, but psn has just enough to live with.
XBL - 5 PSN - 4.5 (.5 because of Home)
Round 2. Online Play
Both psn and xbl offer amazing online play. There really is no difference in the online play of these consoles. One of the major benefit of psn is that the games that use its dedicated servers are huge. When was the last time you heard of any game on xbl that can handle 60 player online lag free. MAG is supposed to have 256 players. Thats what I call epic. For now, nothing has come to our attention that gives psn the edge besides resistance, so both get:
XBL - 5 PSN - 5
Round 3. Ease of Use
They both are very easy to use and they are very different. The xbl has everything integrated into the nxe. Its easy to see whats going on, what new games are released. The friends list is nice in both. The psn has a separte section in the xmb for psn. It has downloads, life with playstation, home, and the store. I have to say, if they didn't update the store to what it is today, they would have lost this section. Now for the negatives, xbl has preset values for the points. The minimum to charge on psn is $5. Both are bad ideas, so both get:
XBL - 4 PSN -4
Round 4. Content
This is a highly debateable one. Both xbl and psn have a lot of content. But, psn is able to have content like GT5: Prolouge and Warhawk, because it does not impose a limit. Both have their fair share of small games, but psn titles like flower are titles you actually feel like paying for. Don't get me wrong, xbl has some great content which is why both get:
XBL - 5 PSN -5
Round 5. Bang for the Buck
I know what you're thinking... you think that we put this section here to boost psn's score, but here us out. psn is free, and thats the golden rule. For free, you get access to a lot of content, free online play, and Home. Although xbl charges $50, it is worth paying for, for everything that you get(headset, features, etc.). Both would get 5's, but when the competition offers a better deal, you have to do something to beat it which microsoft has not done...(I'm looking for a Live price cut please) xbl doesn't deserve a four, so:
XBL - 4.5 PSN -5
AND THE WINNER IS:
PSN and XBL
Both have their ups and downs, but both are great. Don't be a fanboy, appreciate both. We're sorry if we upset anyone out there.
Saturday, March 21, 2009
Thursday, March 19, 2009
What does a ps3 price cut mean for Sony?
Its basically confirmed. Look at any site, and you'll see that rumors of a ps3 price cut that are very strong. Like Cliffy B once said "Its a funny thing about rumors on the internet, once in a while, they're actually true".
What does this mean for Sony?
1. Profits - Things were really bright for Sony in the beginning of 2008 when they told Business Week that the production cost of one ps3 became about $400. At that time, that was about the price of the 40gb console. The 40gb console went for $400, and the 80gb went for $500. Sony finally started to reach the break even point. Although production costs became less, Sony expected to see profits being made in late 2009, if they continued the 40gb, and the 80gb. We've already seen a price drop, when the 80gb started to sell for $400. Now, another price drop, hopefully, to $300. Sony stated that they were more focused on making profits than increasing the install base. So with 2 price drops in a little over year, will Sony still be atleast breaking even?
2. Install Base - Everyone agrees that if Sony, or any other company for that matter, will have an increase in sales when they drop the price. How many people do you know that will buy a ps3 after they drop the price? More sales = a bigger install base. But in Sony's case, is that true? The PS3 is one of the best bluray players in the market, but lately, other manufacturers have been able to make bluray players that were much much cheaper than the ps3. Before that, not many people were interested in bluray players or ps3 as only bluray player because of their high price. Bluray is something that ps3 owners can gloat about, but is that the sole reason that you bought the ps3? A $300 price point is a price that will be on par with nice bluray players on the market today. Sure you can get cheaper ones, but those are the players that lack a lot of features. If there was a price drop, the ps3 would sell a lot more because it would attract people looking for bluray along with gamers.
3. Competition - Will a price drop be able to pull the ps3 out of third place? In my opinion, no, but it would greatly increase the sales. Nintendo is in a league of its own, at least in Sony's eyes it is. Their biggest competitor is Microsoft's Xbox 360. Does a price drop mean that the Xbox 360 will start selling less? Maybe(only time will tell)... Although the ps3 will still be $100 more expensive than the arcade, it will be at the same price as the 360 Pro, and $100 cheaper than the Elite. The truth is, if you compare the value of the Xbox 360 Pro, and the PS3 with a price drop, with what you get right out of the box with a non gamer perspective, the PS3 has a lot better bang for its buck.
Sony's price drop will definitely get more people to buy the console, and attract a lot of people looking for bluray players. but will it be enough to bring it out of third place?
What does this mean for Sony?
1. Profits - Things were really bright for Sony in the beginning of 2008 when they told Business Week that the production cost of one ps3 became about $400. At that time, that was about the price of the 40gb console. The 40gb console went for $400, and the 80gb went for $500. Sony finally started to reach the break even point. Although production costs became less, Sony expected to see profits being made in late 2009, if they continued the 40gb, and the 80gb. We've already seen a price drop, when the 80gb started to sell for $400. Now, another price drop, hopefully, to $300. Sony stated that they were more focused on making profits than increasing the install base. So with 2 price drops in a little over year, will Sony still be atleast breaking even?
2. Install Base - Everyone agrees that if Sony, or any other company for that matter, will have an increase in sales when they drop the price. How many people do you know that will buy a ps3 after they drop the price? More sales = a bigger install base. But in Sony's case, is that true? The PS3 is one of the best bluray players in the market, but lately, other manufacturers have been able to make bluray players that were much much cheaper than the ps3. Before that, not many people were interested in bluray players or ps3 as only bluray player because of their high price. Bluray is something that ps3 owners can gloat about, but is that the sole reason that you bought the ps3? A $300 price point is a price that will be on par with nice bluray players on the market today. Sure you can get cheaper ones, but those are the players that lack a lot of features. If there was a price drop, the ps3 would sell a lot more because it would attract people looking for bluray along with gamers.
3. Competition - Will a price drop be able to pull the ps3 out of third place? In my opinion, no, but it would greatly increase the sales. Nintendo is in a league of its own, at least in Sony's eyes it is. Their biggest competitor is Microsoft's Xbox 360. Does a price drop mean that the Xbox 360 will start selling less? Maybe(only time will tell)... Although the ps3 will still be $100 more expensive than the arcade, it will be at the same price as the 360 Pro, and $100 cheaper than the Elite. The truth is, if you compare the value of the Xbox 360 Pro, and the PS3 with a price drop, with what you get right out of the box with a non gamer perspective, the PS3 has a lot better bang for its buck.
Sony's price drop will definitely get more people to buy the console, and attract a lot of people looking for bluray players. but will it be enough to bring it out of third place?
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
ps3sixtii: Welcome: This is a new site for gamers and news
ps3sixtii: Welcome: This is a new site for gamers and news
Just an intro... I doubt anyone is going to read this, but whatever.
Just an intro... I doubt anyone is going to read this, but whatever.
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