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Is Sony heading in for another PS3-level disaster?

Jubenhimer

Member
After the red hot success of the first two systems, Sony went into the PlayStation 3 with an inflated ego and a $600 price tag. The bloated, over-designed, and needlessly difficult to program for nightmare that Sony arrogantly insisted you work two jobs for, destroyed the company's reputation and momentum in the console market, and with an initial lack of games to justify the tech, Sony had a hard time selling PS3s as they were regularly getting their ass handed to them by both Microsoft's Xbox 360 and especially Nintendo's Wii. They eventually turned ship around later in the system's life, but it's hard to deny that the first 3 or so years of the PS3 were a rough ride for PlayStation fans.

Now Sony is back on top with the PlayStation 4. Being an affordable, simple, and focused product that righted every wrong of the PlayStation 3, and took advantage of the floundering Nintendo and Microsoft, to dominate the console race for much of the generation. Now, we're nearing the end of the system's main life cycle (It'll still get supported years after PS5), and that dominance Sony held on to for the 8th gen is slipping. Microsoft has cleaned house on management, and has slowly turned the Xbox One into a solid product with a lot of great games. And Nintendo is back in the spotlight with the Switch, regularly selling on par with, and in many cases beating the PS4 each month in the US.

There are signs that Sony is starting to get cocky with their success with the PS4. First with new SIE management implimenting new puritanical content guidelines for Japanese developers, and now with rumors of the PS5 being $500, which while not as bad as the $600 monstrosity of the PS3, is still too expensive for a gaming platform. With this I'm worried Sony is going to end up right back at square one with the PS5, a disasterous reveal and launch that fails to make a splash. And if Sony doesn't play their cards right, developers could very well distance themselves from the PS5 and put more focus on the Xbox Scarlett and even the Switch to an extent. I don't want this to be the case, and neither do you, so I'm hoping Sony makes it out alright in the end, but I am a bit worried about the PS5 at this point. It may not be as bad as the early PS3 days, but it could very well be a disaster if Sony doesn't put their best foot forward, especially now that their contemporaries aren't as incompetent now as they used to be.
 
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Mr Hyde

Member
I don´t think they will be heading in the way of PS3 launch disaster, they will surely take every procedural step to avoid such a clusterfuck. But who knows, history has a funny way of repeating itself so I wouldn´t be surprised if they dropped the ball eventually. I also don´t think MS will shit the bed either this time around so hopefully it will be a next gen that evens the competition quite a bit.
 
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cryptoadam

Banned
Sony will be fine until a streaming service unseats it. But they will sell a boatload of PS5's for the time being. Sony has the games and the mindshare.

I will say though that if Stadia can work and if the price points for next gen is 500$ both MS and Sony are in for a world of hurt.

We are getting to the generation of gamers that have grown up with smart phone and F2P games. Us old farts that were used to paying out the ass for consoles are a dying breed. Its going to be hard to have a value proposition with a huge barrier to entry with an expensive price.

I will be on the sidelines to start the gen. We all know price drops and pro's/slim models will hit within 36 months. Not going to be a day 1 adopter like I was with PS5.
 

stranno

Member
PS3 and XBOX 360 have sold pretty much the same units and the same games. It was a success, at least in retrospective.

Of course Sony wont do another franken-hardware again. MS/Sony future consoles will be, quite probably, AMD/NV APUS.
 
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sublimit

Banned
Too early to tell.

But as someone who has been faithful to Playstation since 1998 and has bought every system they have made i see signs of their overall direction and hear rumors that worry me.
 

Jubenhimer

Member
PS3 and XBOX 360 have sold pretty much the same units and the same games. I dont see the disaster, at least in retrospective.

Sure, in the end, Sony saved the PS3 from doom. But in the begining, the PS3 was lagging behind in last place. It took a cheaper slim redesign and a new logo to get the system on the right track.

Voost Kain would be proud of the OP -although he left out some capital letters and "(Anti-Consumer)" at the end.

I wouldn't go that far really. I think "Anti-Consumer" is a loaded and overused buzzword these days. But I do kind of worry about Sony next gen.
 
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Mista

Banned
Isn’t it too early for all this? I also believe that Sony aren’t that stupid to repeat a brutal mistake twice
 

Ian Henry

Member
Off Topic but I always felt that Sony were going back to their roots when the turnaround for the PS3 happened. We started seeing them release remastered collections for God Of War, Jak & Daxter, Twisted Metal, Sly Cooper, and Ratchet & Clank.

It felt like a whole movement for them to revisit their PS2 1st Party output. Does anyone feel the same way or understand what I'm talking about?
 

NickFire

Member
I'm not seeing anything to suggest a disaster is in the works.

After the red hot success of the first two systems, Sony went into the PlayStation 3 with an inflated ego and a $600 price tag. The bloated, over-designed, and needlessly difficult to program for nightmare that Sony arrogantly insisted you work two jobs for, destroyed the company's reputation and momentum in the console market, and with an initial lack of games to justify the tech, Sony had a hard time selling PS3s as they were regularly getting their ass handed to them by both Microsoft's Xbox 360 and especially Nintendo's Wii. They eventually turned ship around later in the system's life, but it's hard to deny that the first 3 or so years of the PS3 were a rough ride for PlayStation fans.

Has Sony repeated the mistake of suggesting two jobs to afford a PS5? I don't think they have, and I have not seen anyone knowledgeable claim that the info revealed today shows a bloated / over-designed console on the horizon.

Now Sony is back on top with the PlayStation 4. Being an affordable, simple, and focused product that righted every wrong of the PlayStation 3, and took advantage of the floundering Nintendo and Microsoft, to dominate the console race for much of the generation. Now, we're nearing the end of the system's main life cycle (It'll still get supported years after PS5), and that dominance Sony held on to for the 8th gen is slipping. Microsoft has cleaned house on management, and has slowly turned the Xbox One into a solid product with a lot of great games. And Nintendo is back in the spotlight with the Switch, regularly selling on par with, and in many cases beating the PS4 each month in the US.

I don't mean to shit on MS, but clearing house on management has hardly caused them to come close to a 1:1 sales ratio over the current cycle. And those great games are almost always either on PS4, or a flop unless you count game pass players as purchasers. Suggesting MS doing a little better shows Sony lost focus is silly. For everything good MS has done since launch, Sony has an exclusive game that is good and truly console exclusive.

There are signs that Sony is starting to get cocky with their success with the PS4. First with new SIE management implimenting new puritanical content guidelines for Japanese developers, and now with rumors of the PS5 being $500, which while not as bad as the $600 monstrosity of the PS3, is still too expensive for a gaming platform. With this I'm worried Sony is going to end up right back at square one with the PS5, a disasterous reveal and launch that fails to make a splash. And if Sony doesn't play their cards right, developers could very well distance themselves from the PS5 and put more focus on the Xbox Scarlett and even the Switch to an extent. I don't want this to be the case, and neither do you, so I'm hoping Sony makes it out alright in the end, but I am a bit worried about the PS5 at this point. It may not be as bad as the early PS3 days, but it could very well be a disaster if Sony doesn't put their best foot forward, especially now that their contemporaries aren't as incompetent now as they used to be.

How is potentially launching a next generation machine at the cost of the One X getting cocky?
 
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Jubenhimer

Member
How is potentially launching a next generation machine at the cost of the One X getting cocky?

The diffrence is that the One X is part of the Xbox One platform. It's just a more expensive, niche option for the current gen Xbox. All Xbox One games are fully playable on both systems, so $500 for an X is easier to stomach for those that want it. Less so with the PS5 since that's going to be a new generation system with exclusive software on it. If you don't have good games, $500 is going to be harder to justify for a next gen mainstream console, just ask Microsoft about that.
 
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Northeastmonk

Gold Member
I don't think so. The thing about this whole "hype" are the games and the accessibility to the games. We still have brand new PS4 games to open/start until then. Its all about the games. Give me the most powerful console in the world, but it means nothing if the games aren't amazing.
 
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hunthunt

Banned
PS5 is doomed, arrogant Sony is commited to anticonsumer practices and movie-like walking simulators & the next Xbox looks like will be a inexpensive hypercomputer featuring their glorious gamepass with 50 AAA exclusives.
 

Ian Henry

Member
PS5 is doomed, arrogant Sony is commited to anticonsumer practices and movie-like walking simulators & the next Xbox looks like will be a inexpensive hypercomputer featuring their glorious gamepass with 50 AAA exclusives.
Don't be like that man. It ain't safe😁.
 

DonF

Member
Did you read Wired's piece? Hell no! No overcomplicated machine, Cerny back as architect, focus on devs.

Only weird thing Sony is doing right now its the censorship. But I blame more the current trends than sony. They just want none of it.

The "anti consumer" Sony, is more of a Winner stance than anything, Microsoft was the same last gen.
 

spawn

Member
How have you come to this conclusion? There has been no price reveal. Just rumors. We have not seen Microsoft's plans for xbox yet. Sony will probably launch the last of us 2 and if rumors are correct god of war 2 with the launch of the PS5. I say wait until more info comes out to start saying Sony is doomed
 

JORMBO

Darkness no more
$500 won’t be too bad if they can also come out with a $400 model with less storage. If they can get their main box in at $400 even better. I also think they are in a pretty good position going into next gen due to their really strong first party efforts this gen.

We also don’t know what their competition is doing yet. Too many unknowns now.
 

Shin

Banned
Nope, different times and both will likely be $499.
We've traveled the old road where cheap, cheaper, cheapest have dominated for decades it's time for the other players to have some fun too.
The whole world is changing or wanting change, console gaming have and probably still is an exception to a lot of things so I'm fine with the price.
 

epicnemesis

Member
PS3 launched at 600 bucks in 2006. Consumer spending on electronics and gadgets have exploded since then.
Suddenly, compared to an iPad or a smartphone a game console is cheap.
 

NickFire

Member
The diffrence is that the One X is part of the Xbox One platform. It's just a more expensive, niche option for the current gen Xbox. All Xbox One games are fully playable on both systems, so $500 for an X is easier to stomach for those that want it. Less so with the PS5 since that's going to be a new generation system with exclusive software on it. If you don't have good games, $500 is going to be harder to justify for a next gen mainstream console, just ask Microsoft about that.
If an Xbox One S without disc drive goes for 250 in 2019, a PS5 for 500 is a steal.
 

juliotendo

Member
After the red hot success of the first two systems, Sony went into the PlayStation 3 with an inflated ego and a $600 price tag. The bloated, over-designed, and needlessly difficult to program for nightmare that Sony arrogantly insisted you work two jobs for, destroyed the company's reputation and momentum in the console market, and with an initial lack of games to justify the tech, Sony had a hard time selling PS3s as they were regularly getting their ass handed to them by both Microsoft's Xbox 360 and especially Nintendo's Wii. They eventually turned ship around later in the system's life, but it's hard to deny that the first 3 or so years of the PS3 were a rough ride for PlayStation fans.

Now Sony is back on top with the PlayStation 4. Being an affordable, simple, and focused product that righted every wrong of the PlayStation 3, and took advantage of the floundering Nintendo and Microsoft, to dominate the console race for much of the generation. Now, we're nearing the end of the system's main life cycle (It'll still get supported years after PS5), and that dominance Sony held on to for the 8th gen is slipping. Microsoft has cleaned house on management, and has slowly turned the Xbox One into a solid product with a lot of great games. And Nintendo is back in the spotlight with the Switch, regularly selling on par with, and in many cases beating the PS4 each month in the US.

There are signs that Sony is starting to get cocky with their success with the PS4. First with new SIE management implimenting new puritanical content guidelines for Japanese developers, and now with rumors of the PS5 being $500, which while not as bad as the $600 monstrosity of the PS3, is still too expensive for a gaming platform. With this I'm worried Sony is going to end up right back at square one with the PS5, a disasterous reveal and launch that fails to make a splash. And if Sony doesn't play their cards right, developers could very well distance themselves from the PS5 and put more focus on the Xbox Scarlett and even the Switch to an extent. I don't want this to be the case, and neither do you, so I'm hoping Sony makes it out alright in the end, but I am a bit worried about the PS5 at this point. It may not be as bad as the early PS3 days, but it could very well be a disaster if Sony doesn't put their best foot forward, especially now that their contemporaries aren't as incompetent now as they used to be.


$500 seems about right for the specs that they floated today in the Wired interview. Although we are likely 12 to 16 months away from launch at the earliest and pricing can always change.

Microsoft will likely be at the same price point, hardware should be similar between next XBOX and next PlayStation.

Also, Sony has clearly “won” this generation. At 90 million units sold + counting current Xbox One is done with and Switch has a long way to go.
 

Barakov

Member
I think the only potential red flag is VR. IF they force VR on people is the only potential way it could bad for them. Though I don't think that'll happen because there's enough people at Playstation that remember how much grief the PS3 caused for everyone.
 

Dr. Claus

Vincit qui se vincit
It certainly seems that way. The censorship is actively pushing away a number of japanese developers, even leading to some like the Senran Kagura producer to outright quit. These japanese games are the bread and butter for much of Sony, so if they lose them - why would I buy a PS5 on launch over the competitor? Sony's core first party exclusives have been getting substantially weaker on top of it. Outside of AstroBot, Gran Turismo Sport, and God of War - I can't remember any first party games that I actually enjoyed that came from them.
 

DanielsM

Banned
It certainly seems that way. The censorship is actively pushing away a number of japanese developers, even leading to some like the Senran Kagura producer to outright quit. These japanese games are the bread and butter for much of Sony, so if they lose them - why would I buy a PS5 on launch over the competitor? Sony's core first party exclusives have been getting substantially weaker on top of it. Outside of AstroBot, Gran Turismo Sport, and God of War - I can't remember any first party games that I actually enjoyed that came from them.

If you eliminate their exclusive line-up, their exclusive line-up is weaker. :messenger_tears_of_joy:
 

rəddəM

Member
Here's the deal:
1: Sony went all *the good one* this gen with the prices, content and services while M$ fucked up really bad, Sony took advantage of it and won this gen.
2: They're are probably going to do the same thing next gen but U$100 more expensive.
Why's that? Because the current gaming momentum demands it. We've playing the same kinda of games since PS2 (FPS/TPS/Racing/Sports).
Play a little, loading screen, video cinematics...
Now there's Ray tracing, no loading screens, ingame cinematics and games are getting bigger and more ambitious.
You can't do that with US400.
Who pays U$400 pays U$500.
 
Sony can get away with $499 for PS5 because they have all those killer games + PS4 BC + PSVR 2. This has no chance of being a PS3 fiasco for all those reasons. If anything this pricing will force XBox to make a very desperate choice on their pricing.
 
Here's the deal:
1: Sony went all *the good one* this gen with the prices, content and services while M$ fucked up really bad, Sony took advantage of it and won this gen.
2: They're are probably going to do the same thing next gen but U$100 more expensive.
Why's that? Because the current gaming momentum demands it. We've playing the same kinda of games since PS2 (FPS/TPS/Racing/Sports).
Play a little, loading screen, video cinematics...
Now there's Ray tracing, no loading screens, ingame cinematics and games are getting bigger and more ambitious.
You can't do that with US400.
Who pays U$400 pays U$500.

Increased hardware pricing opens up the field more for something like Google Stadia.
 

Hinedorf

Banned
Curious......in what regard was PS3 a disaster? I was a Microsoft fanboy through the entire last generation that had far more enjoyment on my PS3.

It's hard for me to understand how PS3 was in any way a failure when we're talking about PS5. And what was the end result of PS3? As I recall they've decimated Microsoft this latest round and the sentiment stating otherwise is this type of fruitless speculation.
 

Jubenhimer

Member
Curious......in what regard was PS3 a disaster? I was a Microsoft fanboy through the entire last generation that had far more enjoyment on my PS3.

It's hard for me to understand how PS3 was in any way a failure when we're talking about PS5. And what was the end result of PS3? As I recall they've decimated Microsoft this latest round and the sentiment stating otherwise is this type of fruitless speculation.

The PS3 had a notoriously sluggish start due to its high price and Sony's arrogance. It's wasn't until they cleaned up management, and relaunched the PS3 in 2009 that it started pulling in some real results. Sony had to do a lot of shit to get the PS3 to Retail, and even more to turn ship around when it was floundering. It's a big reason why the company was in such a financial crisis that they're only now starting to recover from.
 

Fbh

Member
Ps3 had more issues than just the price though.
It was also hard to develop for which resulted in notoriously worse performance in a lot of third party titles, and the exclusive lineup early on was really lacking compared to the 360. The price was obviously a big factor too but if it had released with better games and provided a notorious performance and visual boost on third party games compared to the 360 I don't think it would have done THAT badly.


Either way I think it's too early to say. We don't know the exact specs, we don't know the price, we don't know the lineup and outside of rumours and speculation we don't know what MS has planned.
But I don't think $499 would be dealbreaker if the hardware and games are on point
 
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