Look at all three companies that define the industry. Microsoft is a software company, so Xbox has the best software and services, like Xbox Live, Zune and Windows Media Extender. Nintendo is fundamentally a games company, so they make the best games (or at least, the greatest quantity of amazing, if iterative games). Sony is a consumer electronics company, so they excel at hardware: The PlayStation 3 is defined by Blu-ray and its Cell processor; the PSP blew out the DS in terms of specs, not software. Raw hardware power.
So how the hell has Sony lost the hardware race two years running at E3? Squandering their most valuable brand, PlayStation, is a spectacular failure that doesn’t bode well for a glorious return to the Sony of old.
In the Home
True to Sony form, PlayStation Move out-rawrs the Nintendo Wii’s motion controls on paper, using the PlayStation Eye camera to track the Move controllers more accurately, with real depth-mapping. (And the technical demos of the hardware are just straight up neat.) But like Mark says, it’s just Wii HD. It’s derivative, not powerful. You wave sticks around. (It’s not even superior to the Wii, at least in some game demos: “The combat? Laggy. And I never felt like my punches were registered the way I threw them onscreen.”)
The hardware that garnered the most attention – judging by people’s reactions, the lines at E3, and our own experiences – is Microsoft’s completely controller-less Kinect, which seemingly promises something completely new. You are the controller with Kinect. That’s killer hardware.
But wait! PlayStation 3 does 3D! The Xbox 360 and Wii don’t do that. But guess what? No one will use 3D – at least not this generation. Sony’s 3D advantage is a waste of hype because it necessitates the purchase of a $US2000 3D-capable TV and $US150 glasses, even though you just dropped a grand or more on an HDTV just a couple of years ago.
In the Lap
Nintendo’s 3DS highlights the miserable position of the PSP and the complete bomb that was the PSP Go. When the PSP was announced in 2004, its hardware power shamed the DS. Last year, instead of a true successor to the PSP, Sony released the PSP Go, a sleeker, completely disc-less iteration of the PSP. Great idea (sort of), botched execution.
Now, Nintendo, the same company whose most cutting edge home console is stuffed with 10-year-old guts, is beating Sony on hardware with the 3DS, which has horsepower comparable to a Wii. And it’s 3D!
Viewed in the context of Sony’s massive, company-wide push on 3D (an impressively unified effort for Sony), the real swift-kick-to-the-nuts aspect of the 3DS is that it will probably be the first mass 3D piece of consumer electronics. It’s cheaper, easier, portable, and you don’t need glasses. Sony, the gigantonormous hardware company, just got punked by Nintendo, the short-sighted game company.
Taken together, Kinect and the 3DS paint a gloomy picture, not just for PlayStation, but for Sony and their entire worldview. For Microsoft and Nintendo, hardware is simply a means to an end. In the past, that meant they had out-manoeuvre Sony’s hardware with killer games or services. Now, that ethos has driven them to produce better hardware. Sony didn’t just lose at their own game; they’ve lost their reason to exist.
Mark
Saturday, June 19, 2010 at 7:36 AMWhile I agree sony got outclassed by everyone at E3, yet again.
I dont know how sony is the hardware master…. the original xbox and gamecube blew away the ps2 in terms of hardware, and the N64 blew away the PS1. And the xbox 360 still outperforms the ps3 on just about every cross platform title.
The only thing sony seems to have going for them hardware wise is pushing the game medium… cds vs cartidges and blu ray vs dvd. Unfortunately blu ray is the main reason sony didnt dominate this gen.
Josh
Sunday, June 20, 2010 at 1:50 AM“And the xbox 360 still outperforms the ps3 on just about every cross platform title.”
What are you on about?
Xheis
Sunday, June 20, 2010 at 12:09 PMCross-platform. As he said, Xbox is apparently the ‘software master’. The games produced for both consoles are coded for 360, then ported to PS3. Of course its not going to run as well.
You DO seem rather biased? Xbox 360 beating PS3 in hardware? You… you don’t know what your talking about do you?
glass
Saturday, June 19, 2010 at 8:09 AMPS3 has bluray which means bigger games like GT5 Uncharted 2 and Killzone 3 etc. Also you can watch BD movies.
Reports say that Kinect demo was pre rendered and as a gamer, give me a controller please. The Socery demo using the Move controller looks awesome and responsive.
ja
Saturday, June 19, 2010 at 5:05 PM‘PS3 has bluray which means bigger games like GT5 Uncharted 2 and Killzone 3 etc. Also you can watch BD movies.
Reports say that Kinect demo was pre rendered and as a gamer, give me a controller please. The Socery demo using the Move controller looks awesome and responsive’
blueray doesnt mean bigger games.. mass effect 2 on the xbox 360 is over 30 hours long to pass and is on dvd disc..
lol pre rendering cant be done on real time gaming.. only trailers u fuktard.. its imposible to do that on kinect becuz every time the demo is used a different outcome takes place
Flux
Sunday, June 20, 2010 at 6:44 PMExactly – it’s a bit rich to say that PS has lost the hardware battle when the 360 is reaching the end of its processor power and the PS3 has a lot more in the tank yet… And motion control is somewhat a sideshow for me (I got bored of the Wii long ago), but if Kinect really doesn’t register sitting people then it’s going to be a big disappointment.
XBox exclusives simply aren’t available on PS3, whereas PS3 exclusives would typically be impossible for the XBox to run (let alone the Wii). I own all three, and have heard fanboys of all the consoles agree that Sony’s software lineup was by far the strongest of the three at this show.
moloko
Saturday, June 19, 2010 at 9:22 AMPS3 is a bluray player
Move is WiiHD
Maybe next Gen they won’t just go for another format race instead of making an affordable console
BOB
Saturday, June 19, 2010 at 10:08 AMI fell asleep during the boring xbox presentation twice. It was snore factor 10. Sony just had more to show this year.
I work in a retail shop and there is far more excitment over MOVE than KINECT…..
Gregory Opera
Saturday, June 19, 2010 at 6:34 PMYeah, Kinect is interesting, but there’s no long-term appeal, limited capabilities and with the atrocious return/failure rates of the Xbox 360 products, I’m not sure it’s enough to convince me to make the jump to Microsoft’s gaming products (besides, it’s not exactly new technology – there are certain arcade machines that have made use of this technology, with mixed results)…
The Nintendo 3DS is however, incredibly interesting and certainly something I would love to see in person.
But what you’ve all to remember is two things – Sony is famous for going all-out with power (hence the reason some people have given it the “king of hardware” title) and secondly, we’re due for a “real” upgrade to the PSP (PlayStation Portable)…
Yes, the 3DS is a neat little device, but I GUARANTEE you the PSP (PlayStation Portable) successor will better it, particularly if the 3DS proves popular over the next year or so!
As for the 3D thing on the PlayStation 3, don’t underestimate 3D – there’s a LOT of companies putting BIG money on this and some are getting awfully close to a “REAL” 3D experience, without the glasses, so don’t expect 3D to go away anytime soon.
Besides, you’d be surprised just how many people are keen for a 3D experience at home…
Dominic Trinajstic
Saturday, June 19, 2010 at 9:48 PMTalk is cheap my friend, only time will tell how “excited” people really are for playstation move. The Wii, Move and Kinect are all just gimmicks, and Kinect is the newest, “most advanced” motion control gimmick.
If the Kinect has a price drop around xmas, the odds of it doing well are pretty high, i think. (IMO, of course… i might have to eat those words in a few months time)
josh
Sunday, June 20, 2010 at 4:57 PM*sniff, sniff*
i smell a fan boy.
Person
Saturday, June 19, 2010 at 1:38 PMI think the move is heaps more appealing than the kinect. The kinect would be great for casual gaming stuff but (forgive me if im wrong) it doesnt have any buttons whatsoever, how are you supposed to shoot? You could jump by jumping i guess…
James
Saturday, June 19, 2010 at 3:59 PMI think of it as Sony finally stepping in and saying that if Nintendo aren’t willing to make an HD motion-controlling system, we will. There are some true, gamer-like games coming to the Move. It looks good, and it’s HD.
The Kinect seems ludicrous to me. Everyone is praising the “limitless possiblities” but how many things can you do without something physical and substantial to hold and manipulate? You’ll have your standard EyeToy games, but I never, ever want to play a shooter with that thing.
David Anderton
Sunday, June 20, 2010 at 2:57 AMi would sat microsoft lost.. sony second
Ron Hubbard
Sunday, June 20, 2010 at 9:36 AMYou can really tell the ps fanboys in this post… PS LOST GET OVER IT … they decided to alienate a lot of gamers with price and they are not the first to do it … Nintendo did it first tho they did it with the game cube … they alienated hardcore gamers by producing those shitty cds that could not handle big games and they learned their lesson from it the gc graphic raped any of the other games consoles… ps does have a lesson to learn Mercedes of games consoles i believe they called ps3 …
dafatcat
Sunday, June 20, 2010 at 11:16 AMMove will not sell well at all when you add up pricing for 2 move controllers and 2 navigation controller will cost $160.00 usd, thats without buying a ps3eye if you dont already have one – and you stll have to buy games for it! I’ts a good product – its too expensive to sell enough of them. look at the history of console add ons, none have sold all that well.
Xheis
Sunday, June 20, 2010 at 12:23 PMI actually have to disagree with this article. I don’t think they’ve lost at hardware at all.
You argued they are a WiiHD. Yes, you point?
“You are the controller with Kinect. That’s killer hardware.” No, its software.
Kinetic could have been achieved years ago. Its a webcam with clever software, they are a software company remember. The ability of their MOVE hardware is coming in staggering detail. They’ve taken the idea and improved open it. If your interested in trying the knew Kinetic in your home today, go to http://www.camspace.com. Search through the fourms, whilst in beta i remember there were a couple of guys coding for skin recognition.
Playstation does 3D. Yeah. Alright, we wont see the benefits for sometime like the original launch of the console, but its free? Why are you complaining about free technology?!
3DS. Alas, their un-released Tech has finnaly beaten SONY’s 6 year old tech. Bravo.
“Sony didn’t just lose at their own game; they’ve lost their reason to exist.”
THEY’RE A HARDWARE COMPANY! They’ve released hardware that hasn’t been utilized, say for instance THEY’RE PS3.
“The PlayStation 3 is defined by Blu-ray and its Cell processor”
Yes and still is leading the market in home consoles.
I think I’ll sit this generation out and beg that the PC development doesn’t slow more than it has.
Lachlan
Sunday, June 20, 2010 at 8:47 PMObviously written by a Microsoft fanboy. judging my peoples comments on youtube Kinect is a novelty and their promo’s for it are a joke. Nintendo came out #1 at e3 with no one in second place. Also sony have put out some of the best games ever made in the last year.
Recka
Monday, June 21, 2010 at 11:41 AM“The hardware that garnered the most attention – judging by people’s reactions, the lines at E3, and our own experiences – is Microsoft’s completely controller-less Kinect, which seemingly promises something completely new. You are the controller with Kinect. That’s killer hardware.”
I’d say this actually was new and innovative… If it wasn’t eyetoy for PS2…
Though I agree PS Move is little more then a wii copy, but Kinect is an eyetoy copy.
3DS is the ONLY new thing out of the lot, and is the most innovative thing I’ve seen on a portable since.. well… ever.
@ Mark
“N64 blew away the PS1″ no
“I dont know how sony is the hardware master…. the original xbox and gamecube blew away the ps2 in terms of hardware” xbox was released more than a year after the PS2 and it wasn’t THAT much better.
“And the xbox 360 still outperforms the ps3 on just about every cross platform title.” Name one it outperforms on.
“The only thing sony seems to have going for them hardware wise is pushing the game medium… cds vs cartidges and blu ray vs dvd. Unfortunately blu ray is the main reason sony didnt dominate this gen.” How is Blu Ray, the biggest storage space and fastest disc media “the main reason sony didnt dominate this gen.”?
Steve Duda
Monday, June 21, 2010 at 12:41 PMYour article had a mistake, Xbox360 *is* 3D Capable.
Todd
Monday, June 21, 2010 at 5:09 PMPut it this way, this is how M$ and $ony are going to market themselves:
Sony – Upgraded Version of Wii Controller! More accurate for the hardcore gamer in you! Family want to play? Easy just buy more controllers!
Microsoft – Jump in and play with the whole family, no controllers, no extra costs. Your kids will love it.
Call it an eyetoy all you like, it’s far beyond that and its got the wii factor quirkiness to it. Same reason DS leave PSP behind despite hardware.
Sony’s market is people who bought their console already. Xbox’s market is it’s own, those same people who bought wii’s, and then those who haven’t bought a wii yet.
Joshua Ehmann
Monday, June 21, 2010 at 9:51 PMmatt buchanan, your article is pretty sad indeed.
the hardware race is barely started, we havent seen development really progress alot on the ps3 yet. its sad that so many games have had to be blackmailed into being xbox exclusives this generation, and due to the early adoption of the broken 2nd generation xbox developers are forced to use its platform to code thier games in order to not lose a lot of customers.
when a developer actually focuses on making a great game on the ps3 it will outperform the xbox 2 significantly.
ill tell you what does win, free multiplayer support for games and honesty.
the lies disguised as information by microsoft PR are sickening. for the cost of an off the shelf ps3 you cant get the same features in a box of x.
Rosseyn
Tuesday, June 22, 2010 at 12:03 PMVery sad to see such a poorly written article come out of Gizmodo. You had a couple of solid points to make, eg. 3DS will more than likely be the first big consumer 3D enabled electronic device across the world. You made a couple of pointless comments: PSP blew out DS in raw power. Then made a couple of assumptions about how you believe that jumping on the 3D bandwagon after the 3½+ years is both too early (read: not next-gen) and too late (read: users already have HDTVs). All of this mixed in with conjecture on how each company is lord of one domain or another, and that somehow.. the future of Sony’s Playstation brand name is pretty bleak, without getting around to offering any credible information to go with the grand statements of impending demise and utter defeat.
Each of these three companies, while competitors has nearly made a habit of switching positions by changing focus both mid-cycle and more to the point between console/handheld life cycles that to categorize any as good at just one thing is a waste of the time it takes us to read such. None of the three can be accused of having much in the way of similar life cycles either, the sales numbers for the PS2 are still amazingly high after 10 years, which cannot be said for either the original XBox or the Gamecube. Nor does power have a whole lot to do with success. 2 points for Nintendo on have an out-”raw power”-ed system and still being the biggest seller.
I just realized I wasted another 10 minutes of my life writing this. ~Epic Fail Gizmodo
TJ
Tuesday, June 22, 2010 at 7:19 PMThese controllers aren’t aimed at us gamers it’s aimed at those mums, dads and casual ‘i wanna get fit’ people.
360 is where it’s at in console gaming, and PC is where it’s at overall.
F*** Wii Clone Controllers and Motion Capture.
Jody Passeri
Saturday, September 18, 2010 at 11:10 PMSurprisee Dude , i like with Your idea. LOL Please come to my blog