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You know, as probably the most platform agnostic game fan around (since I usually get all systems eventually)I have to say that I felt going into this year that the PS3 was one system I could wait for. That's rare. I usually put down money REAL early to be the hobbiest "early adopter" that I am. I opted not to do that this year with the PS3.
Personally, price wasn't the biggest thing. Hell, I bought a 3DO back in 1995 to the tune of $500 in a time when I had a just-above minimum wage job. I found a way. Road Rash, Madden, and T&E Soft's "Pebble Beach Golf" game were awesome release games for the doomed system.
But that's just it. With the PS3..there ARE no "must have" release games for me. With the knowledge that Madden 07 is basically a re-release of the snore-inducing, buggy, flawed XBOX 360 version, you can count me out. As for "Resistance: Fall of Man", we have another alien/demon invasion of earth in an FPS. I've covered that ground before in many other games like it on PC. Little is left beyond that. There's just not a single PS3 game that says "Buy me now. Pay $600."
If there was, I would have put cash down 5 months ago.
However, it seems the braintrusts at Sony are fumbling BEYOND the paper-thin launch catalogue. The New York Times hardware review section just slammed the PS3 pretty hard. (Check out the story surrounding this NY TIMES review HERE at Gamespot.com, and check out the actual New York Times review HERE at NyTimes.com.)
However, the bad news doesn't stop there for Sony. This afternoon, Gamespot.com led with a surprising story HERE about Newsweek reporting that Sony's Playstation chief Ken Katuragi dropped the ball with 3rd party publishers who were about to grant the PS3 some "exclusive" games. The publishers site "delays" on the part of Sony that made them reconsider PS3 exclusives. Among these "exclusives" are the much anticipated GTA IV by Take Two, and Assassin's Creed by Ubisoft, are now releasing on XBOX 360 and PS3, isntead of giving a 6 to 9 month exclusivity window to Sony. ...and, apparently...Microsoft was quick to pounce on the publishers who were coping with silence from Sony of Japan:(from the article) "According to Newsweek, while Sony played the waiting game, Microsoft contacted both Take-Two and Ubisoft and offered them very generous terms to bring Assassin's Creed and Grand Theft Auto IV to the Xbox 360. Croal cites an unnamed source at one of the companies as saying, "I do have to give Microsoft a lot of credit for going after titles and doing whatever they can to generate third-party support. They've been magnificent in this generation." As an XBOX 360 owner, I can't say that I'm dissappointed. (Still, I do plan on getting a PS3 in the 2007 calendar year, to be quite honest. I'm personally viewing any potential PS3 purchase as money I would have spent on a new PC tower, and I probably would have spent way more than $600). However, the majority of gamers don't have the luxury of purchasing all systems, so these Sony miscues and this rocky start might mean that the patented brand of Sony "They'll buy it no matterwhat" arrogance might cost them the lead they assumed they would have in next gen. Meanwhile, a little system with a smaller price tag hit shelves last weekend...and oh-by-the-way... it released with an 800lb gorrilla named Zelda, which most gaming publications are reviewing as an instant classic to rival all of its predecessors. And the system is shipping with more inventory than previously admitted.
Nintendo had hoped to carve out a solid position behind #2 (MS or Sony), but with an advantage in price, launch titles, buzz, and availability.. Sony arrogance and Nintendo release savvy could rocket the system up to the 2 spot after all. I know in my office, the older executives are getting their kids Nintendo Wiis. What's even more suprising is that their kids are asking for Wiis, and not just settling for Wiis. Meanwhile, undecided kids and parents are being pointed to the one next gen system with good availability, more software, and a beasty of a new title called Gears of War. Meanwhile... somewhere in Redmond Washington, an aging, geeky fellow with poorly combed hair surveys his already limitless empire, and cracks a smile because of the mis-steps of his last-gen nemesis.
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