PS3 Good, Bad, Ugly

Ken Kutaragi/PS3 News about Sony’s impending PlayStation 3 launch has dominated the Tokyo Game Show where fans have seen the console up close and personal, been able to check out some of the titles, and have been treated to a host of tidbits about the console that hadn’t been released before.

With a little bit of good, a little bit of bad and some ugly, the news out of Tokyo is definitely a mixed bag.

The Good

Sony has put out a list of launch titles for the Japanese debut Nov. 11. They include Resistance: Fall of Man, Genji: Days of the Blade and Ridge Racer 7.

Some third-party titles will make use of motion-sensing abilities. These include Monster Kingdom Unknown Realms and Ridge Racer 7. This will give players the same kind of in the game experience the Wii is expected to deliver.

Several game titles have been confirmed in 1080p format. They include Liar, Virtua Tennis 3 and Gran Turisom HD. The 1080p format won’t be a PS3 exclusive anymore though.

The 20GB version of the PS3 will have HDMI support in Japan. It’s unclear whether this will extend to the U.S.

The Bad

Some of the better PS3 titles won’t come out with the launch. Those gamers will have wait for include Heavenly Sword, Metal Gear Solid 4 and Devil May Cry 4. The Japanese launch line up does look pretty light, but the titles in the pipeline are more than interesting. Whether this will be enough to help with the PS3 launch remains to be seen.

Response to the console has been mixed. Despite some big news revolving around the console, many say it lacks a “wow” factor “Fans criticised a lack of innovation. The controller was almost exactly the same as the one that came with the original PlayStation and PS2.“

The Ugly

Rumors are afoot that Sony intends to charge gamers for demos at in-store kiosks. Granted the word on the street is that demos will cost only about $1 each, but the fact the idea is being entertained at all isn’t good. “Even from Sony’s point-of-view, charging people to just try your system in a store could drive away potential customers and undoubtedly hurt the company’s bottom line. As for charging PS3 owners to download game demos online, well, it seems a little more reasonable. Microsoft charges $50 USD a year to play games online and Sony has stated that you can do that on the PS3 for free, so the demos could be seen as a way for Sony to cover the cost of such a network”

The big price drop. Many are seeing this as a sign of weakness. This is not good for Sony – when analysts worry, stockholders tend to, as well. And, many of those who might not see it as a sign of weakness are nevertheless a bit irked the drop hasn’t been announced in other regions. The console’s already facing a hiccup in its original planned release with a delay in Europe and elsewhere and a major scaling back of unit numbers.