Gamers give PS3 rave reviews.

[zoiks]

I bet most of the Sony haters here won't give up a chance to get at it.

Text

By JAYMES SONG, Associated Press Writer
Sun Nov 5, 2:46 PM ET



HONOLULU - Crammed in the corner of a hotel's banquet hall, they stood and stared silently, mesmerized by what they were seeing. They were watching a soldier gunning down a giant monster on one TV and Miami Heat's Dwayne Wade taking over an NBA game on the other screen. What they were really experiencing was the new Sony PlayStation 3.

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The much-awaited video game console comes out Nov. 17 in the U.S., although getting one will be as challenging as finding parking at the mall after Thanksgiving.

Thousands of lucky gamers tested the PS3 over the weekend at the 2007 Sony Expo in Honolulu, two weeks before the debut.

Almost all were males ? from boys with braces and baggy jeans to gray-haired baby boomers. They crowded around two gaming booths with the sleek, lean, black machine behind a plastic case.

"The graphics are crazy, way better than the second one," said Doug Morrison, a 20-year-old University of Hawaii student. "It's more realistic. It's smoother. It doesn't have any glitches.

"I'm going to get one no matter what."

Forget Elmo, the third-generation PlayStation will top many wish lists to Santa this holiday season. And hopefully Santa saved because the PS3 isn't cheap.

The system starts at $500 for a 20 GB version. The price tag on the 60 GB model is $600.

People looking to cash in on the high demand and limited supply are already selling their pre-reserved PS3 consoles on eBay for well over $2,000. Rights to one PS3 recently sold for $3,250, plus $50 for shipping. It received 48 bids.

Some stores began taking pre-orders on Oct. 10. At some GameStop and EB Game locations, the orders were snapped up within minutes.

Kazuo Hirai, chief executive of Sony Computer Entertainment America, said about 400,000 units will be available in the U.S. in the initial launch and an additional 600,000 by the end of this year.

Sony hopes to have a total of 2 million consoles in the U.S. market by the end of company's fiscal year, which ends in March.

"Unfortunately, there are going to be some shortages," Hirai said in an interview. "I ask for everybody's patience. We are pedal to the metal in terms of trying to get as many units as possible into both the Japanese and American market."

Hirai said he doesn't even have a PS3 at home yet, even though his 12-year-old son has been begging for one.

"He talks a good game about PlayStation 3 when he's at school, but he hasn't touched one and he hasn't seen one," Hirai said. "That's only fair for everybody."

With his back turned to Sony's new $7,000 TV, Robert McDuffie and his buddies were glued to a much smaller screen, watching someone play the first-person shooting game "Resistance: Fall of Man."

The 25-year-old Army sergeant from Daytona Beach, Fla. said he didn't attend the expo to check out Sony's new line of high-definition TVs, tiny digital cameras or ultrathin laptops.

"I came for the PS3," he said, anxiously waiting for a moment with the machine.

After playing for a few minutes, McDuffie said he was impressed.

"I'm just trying to figure out how to get one," he said. "I didn't pre-order, so I'm going to have to stand in line overnight."

The PS3 is driven by a high-powered cell processor, making game play super smooth and graphics amazingly detailed. A gigabit ethernet for online gaming and a Blu-ray disc player comes standard on the console, as does a wireless controller.

The PS3 can play games and movies at "1080p," which is the highest definition resolution currently available.

But Sony has already experienced problems in developing the PS3. Sony reported a $366 million operating loss in its gaming division in the third quarter because of development charges. The launch in Europe was delayed until March 2007 because of mass production problems in the Blu-ray drive.

Tim Mah, 13, of Honolulu had one word for the new machine: "Wow."

Dyron Mack, a 35-year-old computer analyst, said he plans to buy a PS3 without consulting his wife or disclosing the cost.

"I'm not going to tell her. You just show up with it and let her be mad," he said. "You just say, 'I'm sorry. I lost the receipt.'"

 

[Philippine Mango]

How can you give a console with mediocre startup titles rave reviews?

 

[Ika]

"The graphics are crazy, way better than the second one," said Doug Morrison, a 20-year-old University of Hawaii student. "It's more realistic. It's smoother. It doesn't have any glitches.

Sony hater or not, I find that VERY hard to believe.

 

[GTaudiophile]

"The graphics are crazy, way better than the second one," said Doug Morrison, a 20-year-old University of Hawaii student.

So! Who cares about the second one? How about compare it to the 360?

 

[Reckoner]

How much did sony pay those people?

 

[Koing]

Thats good to hear. Now whens the release date for the new Tekken game with online play hopefully and GTHD

The launch games do look seriously lacking...nothing new from Sony then.

Koing

 

[LanceM]

This article could have been written about my favorite thing in the world and I still would have admitted that it's a shoddy piece of fluff.

 

[confused1234]

the launch for the xbox 360 was by far forse then what the ps3 will be

 

[zoiks]

Originally posted by: LanceM
This article could have been written about my favorite thing in the world and I still would have admitted that it's a shoddy piece of fluff.

Yah. But the question is whether you will buy it or not? In any case, I'd call it a shoddy piece of fluff but only if I find it to be that way after I see and play it.

 

[Ika]

Originally posted by: PaulNEPats
How much did sony pay those people?

Probably the other way around. Only Sony fanboys/fanmen would go to a limited Sony Expo for a chance to try out the PS3. I bet they went through a lot of trouble to get to the expo, and likely feel that the PS3 is worth it. And anyway, why not? Graphics are just as good as the xbox360, and they probably didn't have enough time on the system to tell if the games were crappy.

 

[JackBurton]

Originally posted by: GTaudiophile
"The graphics are crazy, way better than the second one," said Doug Morrison, a 20-year-old University of Hawaii student.

So! Who cares about the second one? How about compare it to the 360?

The 360 has crazy graphics. WAY better than the NES.

I find it funny that the other preview of the PS3 from "gamers" gave it a "meh." I say put an XBox 360 with Gears of War playing and let's see how "crazy" those graphics look.

 

[Injury]

My two issues with the PS3:


The price. $600? Hell no. I'd rather build a new PC. I'd use it more, and it would last longer.


The quality: Sony has put an image in my mind of crap quality products. This isn't just things I've read, it's personal experience. Pay $600 for something that MIGHT work a year down the road? Hell no.



No chance in hell of me buying this console until both of these problems are guaranteed fixed. I don't give a damn about the performance or how sweet the graphics are, because graphics doesn't make the game.

 

[GTaudiophile]

Funny this is that I am not a console gamer.

But PS3 vs. 360 boils down to nVidia vs. ATI for me. And that I am interested in.

 

[loup garou]

Originally posted by: zoiks

Originally posted by: LanceM
This article could have been written about my favorite thing in the world and I still would have admitted that it's a shoddy piece of fluff.

Yah. But the question is whether you will buy it or not? In any case, I'd call it a shoddy piece of fluff but only if I find it to be that way after I see and play it.

Uh...it's fluff. Regardless of whether you've played or not...doesn't even have anything to do with how good the PS3 may or may not be.

Look at this article. There's ONE quote of some dude saying "better graphics than PS2!" That's it. The rest is filler...no real impressions, no real info on why it's so great, no "rave reviews" as the title insists. Totally fluff.

 

[eelw]

I bet most of the Sony haters here won't give up a chance to get at it.

The exact same thing can be said for Nintendo haters. I'm unsure if the OP falls in this category, but the Wii will do far more for the gaming industry can either the 360 or PS3 will do. But those gamers that think graphics > gameplay won't even give the Wii a second thought because it's "kiddy"

 

[sash1]

I'm looking forward to the PS3. Unfortunately, $600 is just completely ridiculous and I'm not paying that much just to play video games, especially considering the fact that I don't play video games anymore.

But I want to play FF XIII, so I might have to get one.

 

[mugs]

I don't think any "Sony haters" have denied that it would be fun to play... Every console has been fun to play. PS3 has been criticized for... well, just about everything else, starting with the price tag.

 

[So]

So associated press is blindly printing press releases now? Because this is clearly what this is. :roll:

 

[zoiks]

Originally posted by: loup garou

Originally posted by: zoiks

Originally posted by: LanceM
This article could have been written about my favorite thing in the world and I still would have admitted that it's a shoddy piece of fluff.

Yah. But the question is whether you will buy it or not? In any case, I'd call it a shoddy piece of fluff but only if I find it to be that way after I see and play it.

Uh...it's fluff. Regardless of whether you've played or not...doesn't even have anything to do with how good the PS3 may or may not be.

Look at this article. There's ONE quote of some dude saying "better graphics than PS2!" That's it. The rest is filler...no real impressions, no real info on why it's so great, no "rave reviews" as the title insists. Totally fluff.

It could be that the article is slanted one way. But I'd still wait for the console and evaluate it in my own way before I start making judgements. It could be crap or it might not.
For $600 it better not.

 

[loup garou]

Originally posted by: zoiks

Originally posted by: loup garou

Originally posted by: zoiks

Originally posted by: LanceM
This article could have been written about my favorite thing in the world and I still would have admitted that it's a shoddy piece of fluff.

Yah. But the question is whether you will buy it or not? In any case, I'd call it a shoddy piece of fluff but only if I find it to be that way after I see and play it.

Uh...it's fluff. Regardless of whether you've played or not...doesn't even have anything to do with how good the PS3 may or may not be.

Look at this article. There's ONE quote of some dude saying "better graphics than PS2!" That's it. The rest is filler...no real impressions, no real info on why it's so great, no "rave reviews" as the title insists. Totally fluff.

It could be that the article is slanted one way. But I'd still wait for the console and evaluate it in my own way before I start making judgemnents. It could be crap or it might not.
For $600 it better not.

Did you even read my post?

EDIT: Actually, looking back at your response to LanceM, I see you don't understand what fluff means. We're not talking about the PS3, we're talking about the article.

 

[zoiks]

Originally posted by: loup garou

Originally posted by: zoiks

Originally posted by: loup garou

Originally posted by: zoiks

Originally posted by: LanceM
This article could have been written about my favorite thing in the world and I still would have admitted that it's a shoddy piece of fluff.

Yah. But the question is whether you will buy it or not? In any case, I'd call it a shoddy piece of fluff but only if I find it to be that way after I see and play it.

Uh...it's fluff. Regardless of whether you've played or not...doesn't even have anything to do with how good the PS3 may or may not be.

Look at this article. There's ONE quote of some dude saying "better graphics than PS2!" That's it. The rest is filler...no real impressions, no real info on why it's so great, no "rave reviews" as the title insists. Totally fluff.

It could be that the article is slanted one way. But I'd still wait for the console and evaluate it in my own way before I start making judgemnents. It could be crap or it might not.
For $600 it better not.

Did you even read my post?

I think I did. Though maybe I didn't understand the message that you were trying to get across.

 

[Sc4freak]

Originally posted by: GTaudiophile
"The graphics are crazy, way better than the second one," said Doug Morrison, a 20-year-old University of Hawaii student.

So! Who cares about the second one? How about compare it to the 360?

Haha, yeah. Its like comparing a Pentium III to a 286 then declaring that the Pentium III is the fastest chip in the world.

 

[BigPoppa]

Don't know about your Bestbuy's, but mine has a PS3 demo up. Can play a basketball game and a truck racing game. Didn't get a chance to play either, but the truck game had some damn nice looking visuals as I stared in awe.

 

[MercenaryForHire]

"I'm not going to tell her. You just show up with it and let her be mad," he said. "You just say, 'I'm sorry. I lost the receipt.'"

Only worthwhile piece in the article.

- M4H

 

[Eug]

Originally posted by: confused1234
the launch for the xbox 360 was by far forse then what the ps3 will be

Funny you should say that, cuz EA thinks PS3 year-end shipment numbers exaggerated.

GI.biz reports Electronic Arts CFO, Warren Jenson, says they don't believe Sony will hit their year-end PS3 shipment of 2 million consoles for North America and Japan. The North American shipment was to be between 1 and 1.2 million units.

Not so says EA. EA estimates that the North American PS3 shipment will reach 500,000 to 800,000 units by the end of the year, 25% to 50% less than Sony's official statement. Jenson says this is "approximately what Microsoft sold last year on the Xbox 360."