5 Questions for Sony

GamingHobo Asks Sony the tough questions
Sony firm on a Spring launch date for PS3

With the launch of the PS3 expected sometime this year, GamingHobo asks Sony some questions regarinding HD, online play, and industry dominance as well as other important issues.

Gaminghobo asks Sony the "tough" guestions

The third in this series of articles with the focus being on Sony this time. Again, please remember, this is a purely hypothetical exercise but one I hope will be interesting and provide some talking points. The question are as follows:

1. So the ‘HD era’ begins with the PS3? Why should we care?
2. What will set the PS3 apart from the rest?
3. Can you match Xbox Live?
4. Can you maintain your dominance?
5. PSP and PS3 – how will they interact?

So the ‘HD era’ begins with the PS3? Why should we care?
Ah the ‘HD era’ – one of my favourite topics! Microsoft may have been guilty of over playing the significance of HD then Sony, “the HD era starts with us,� are positively obsessed with the subject. So if the PS3 will be the only console to provide full HD is this something, as gamers, we should care about? For majority of us I think the answer is no. There will be a vocal minority with the money and the desire for a full High-Def experience, be it movies, games or otherwise and for them the PS3 will be perfect. But the expense of a top of the range HDTV to go with what will be an expensive gaming machine, with games also going up in price, is not an attractive situation for most of us in the real world.

Answer: Only for some, but by no means not all.

What will set the PS3 apart from the rest?
Putting aside ‘HD era’ hype what will set the PS3 apart from its competitors? At the moment things are made all the more complicated by the ongoing debate about how powerful the PS3 will actually be. At this point it’s pretty much impossible to know. Many people have been quick to condemn the E3 demos that weren’t real-time gameplay; and this seems to have brought all sorts out of the woodwork claiming either that PS3 will blow everything out of the water, or that it’s hopelessly buggy and incomplete. I have taken on a simple view, ignore everything apart from my own intuition. Whatever happens PS3 games will look very good, that much is obvious, lets just leave it at that. As for the actual question at hand the PS3 will likely deliver much the same things as the PS2. So a stronger focus on Japanese titles, especially RPG’s, new versions of games we’ve played before, MGS and GTA, and so on. Perhaps some new Eye-Toy games? Hopefully Sony might reveal more in the future, as will be discussed further down, but they still have plenty to prove to me.

Answer: Bigger and shinier than everything else, not sure what else yet.

Can you match Xbox Live?
With the PS2, Sony seemed to be happy to allow individual companies to supply their own online platforms. This was not an unreasonable policy but the services provided had no chance of matching those supplied by Xbox Live. Sony has said nothing on the topic so far apart from the fact you will be able to play online, no surprises there. It is, at this point, unknown whether Sony will change their online strategy to compete with Microsoft like-for-like. On a more general point it is unlikely that either Nintendo or Sony will be able to match Live! considering the amount of money Microsoft have chucked at it. Since Sony and Nintendo are committed to (mostly) free services this won’t change any time soon.

Answer: Probably not.

Can you maintain your dominance?
Love them or hate them Sony have beaten a strong path from newcomers to all powerful industry leaders in practically no time at all. So can they keep it up? We already know that the PlayStation brand has a massive and loyal following but in the next-generation competition will be more fierce than Sony have ever known it. Nintendo seem to have found a new and exciting direction for gaming and Microsoft are mounting a more serious challenge to Sony’s dominance this time around. I have no doubt they will still lead the competition in market share but, one can’t help think, they won’t be as dominant as they have been through the two previous generations. Only time will tell.

Answer: Some definite doubt.

PSP and PS3 – how will they interact?
This could be a potentially interesting facet of the PS3 and might add some extra value to the package. As yet there has been little information forthcoming but I’m sure we will hear more on the subject. The potential is there for multimedia integration using the hard drive on the PS3 and this would fit in with Sony’s ambitions to create a multimedia centre with all components created by Sony. In this respect they are competing with Microsoft not just as a gaming machine.

Answer: Not sure yet but it will be important.

Source: Gaming Hobo | PS3 News