PS3 On The Rise?

Arguably the Xbox 360 has enjoyed the lead in the console war thus far when comparing it and the PS3 but word around the community is that the PS3 is on the rise. It seems that people are now going to be propelled to buy a PS3 simply because Blue Ray has won the HD format war. That and the fact that the PS3 is finally coming out with some games are the two main reasons that advance these assumptions that are being made about the console. I have two questions that need to be answered. Who is going to pay $400 for a Blue Ray player six months from now when Blue Ray players start popping up everywhere cheaply, and what PS3 exclusive games are coming out that warrant this “the PS3 is on the rise” attitude?

So Blue Ray has won the HD format war. That’s great news for Sony but all that means is that for now they might sell a few thousand more PS3’s because some of these people have waited to buy a next gen system until the industry had picked a winner between Blue Ray and HD DVD. Does Sony think that they will get another 100,000 PS3 sales because of these events that have taken place? I think not. The hardcore gamer already has their system of choice, they don’t have to go out and buy a new system just because the format war has been won by Blue Ray. I think we need to remember that less than 20% of the households in America even own HDTV’s and when manufactures finally see a winner in the format war I bet ya a dollar that the price of Blue Ray systems will drastically drop in the next year. If I already own an Xbox 360 do you think I am going to go spend $400 on a PS3 just for Blue Ray or am I going to go to Wal Mart and get a stand alone Blue Ray player for $96.88?

So the PS3 game library is ready for a significant upgrade which will let Sony overtake Microsoft? Yes, it took the PS3 over a year but finally they are putting out some quality games for the system. Uncharted, Ratchet & Clank, and Warhawk are all great games and a much needed addition to the PS3’s slow rising library but where does Sony go form here. As I look down the list of upcoming releases I don’t see very many games that sound good to me. Sure, you get Metal Gear 4 in June or whenever they release that soap opera but don’t you actually watch more of that game than play it? And better yet, you have to buy the online mode of the game for a total separate price and game and it won’t be available when MG4 releases. Wait a minute, Grand Turismo 5 is coming in April, great but isn’t that just a $40 demo with the real game coming in the Fall? Haze will be here in May but that game has been pushed back more times than the original Xbox game BC. The best exclusive game that the PS3 has this year is Little Big Planet which also ships in the fall.

Given the information above one can only wonder how people think the PS3 is finally on the upswing, but if they are, and they are finally turning it around, and this is getting better, its sad to see how bad it actually was for the PS3 in the first year of its existence.

This article was originally posted on March 4, 2008 on our previous gaming blog.