When will it be safe to buy a PS3?

[wraggster]

Any day now, Gamestop and EB Games will start accepting preorders on the Sony PlayStation 3 and the Nintendo Wii, both of which are due to hit just before Thanksgiving. Supplies of both systems will be limited, with the PS3 being in particularly short supply, as Sony currently plans to ship only 400,000 units to North America. There will be plenty of press along with the usual midnight launch events that feature a couple of guys at the front of the line who've camped out for two days on the street to secure their spots. And CNET will probably have to fight to get review units in time to have reviews posted on the day each system hits stores.

That's all a given. But so, too, is the ugly fact there's a reasonable chance that some of the early units may not be glitch-free or, more probably, could end up with shorter life expectancy rates than, well, expected.


Early Xbox 360 models had a high failure rate. Take the Xbox 360. Just in the last couple of months, I've spoken to several people who were among the first to purchase the 360 and have now had to send their units back to Microsoft for repair. Because it was outside the warranty, and they hadn't bothered to purchase an extended service agreement, the cost for the fix was $150--until Microsoft recently agreed to make repairs for free on any units manufactured before January 1, 2006. (If you shelled out money for a fix, you can, in theory, get a refund.) As Tor Thorsen writes in his news piece for Gamespot, "Microsoft has now apparently admitted that the initial shipments of Xbox 360s were failing at a greater than normal rate."

No one's releasing any hard numbers, but in my little informal poll, three out of the six people I know who got an early Xbox 360 have had their systems fail. That's not good. Sony, too, faced some negative publicity when it had problems with dead pixels on the screens of its early PSP units. And there was also an issue with the button response on some systems. On a personal level, my early PSP unit, while it does have three dead pixels, is still working fine. But I use it only a few hours a week.

These type of first-gen kinks are de rigueur across the electronics industry. Toshiba's first-gen HD-DVD players are notoriously slow and have gone through multiple firmware upgrades to rid them of certain bugs. Samsung's BD-P1000 Blu-ray player is still awaiting a promised firmware upgrade to correct a chip flaw that delivers overly soft image quality. Sony, meanwhile, offered a service solution for owners of early KDS-60A2000 HDTVs that shipped with settings that didn't maximize the set's native 1080p resolution. And Apple began bundling its first-generation iPod Nanos with a cheap but effective slip case, but only after several weeks of mounting complaints that the player was overly prone to scratching.

Ideally, companies should try to isolate software issues from the hardware. It's hard to expect a major manufacturer such as Toshiba or Sony to say, essentially, "hey, you're buying a beta product today, but we're going to be regularly improving it with software upgrades." While Philips doesn't advertise it, the internal firmware of its new generation of flat-panels TVs can be upgraded with a USB thumbdrive. And we've seen manufacturers such as Slingbox, TiVo, and Sonos offer subtle to dramatic improvements over time with software updates.

One problem, of course, is that the average consumer isn't necessarily prepared--or is intimidated by the idea of having to upgrade a product with a file he or she needs to find on the Internet and either burn to a DVD or CD or download to some sort of flash memory. The best possible scenario is for products to have more transparent Internet connections and update themselves without any assistance from their owners. This is essentially what happens with devices that are always online. Cable and satellite companies, for instance, are always pushing new software updates to their set-top boxes and DVRs. The same is true for the Xbox 360, via its Xbox Live service. It's also what will happen with the PS3 and the Wii, both of which are touting more robust online connectivity than previous Sony and Nintendo consoles. And that's yet another reason to consider both of them to be beta products when they launch in November.

The bigger problem is that, if the hardware itself is flawed, as is the case with the early Xbox 360 units and their overheating problems (it remains to be seen whether later units will also fail at alarmingly high rates). I'm not suggesting it's a sure bet that Sony's going to have issues with the PS3, but I'd feel comfortable wagering a small amount of money that, with a product this advanced that's crammed into a small box that also features a new chip, you may have a few too many lemons in its early crop. In other words, I'm in no hurry to buy a PS3, even if I could somehow make sure I was near the top of the preorder list.


To make a high-tech omelette, you're bound to break a few eggs. Yeah, I know an admonition to steer clear of first-generation products is hardly a revelation for tech heads. But for everyone prepared to berate me for stating the obvious, consider how many tens of thousands (or more?) of eager gaming fans--or indulgent parents--will be paying double, triple, or even higher multiples on eBay to secure one of these potentially dicey boxes before December 25.

Of course, if you're worried about buying a lemon, the simplest thing to do is buy an extended warranty. But when you're already paying $600 for a game console--which doesn't even include a game--tacking on anything extra just seems too painful. With a more affordable console like the Wii, which will start at $250, I can see taking a chance on an early unit, especially if you're a Nintendo fan boy--or girl--who needs a Zelda fix or a parent who has to endure the incessant whines of your children begging for a new system. But I wouldn't buy a Wii anywhere near launch either. Heck, half of its appeal is that it can play old games from other Nintendo systems. And they're not going anywhere.

So when will it be safe to buy a PS3? I say by the middle of '07. Give Sony six months to get the factories humming and the bugs sorted out, and for a compelling game or two to arrive. Or, if you're really smart, wait for the price drop $100 and for Blu-ray discs to cost the same as DVDs. But that might not be until 2008.

Via Cnet

[irongiant]

I get the feeling there's a dirty tricks campaign being waged against the PS3 launch, with these negative articles being published.. how strange that the 360 launch was heralded as something special and i didn't read articles like this even though the PS2 launch had it's problems and the XBox has power supply issues. Yet here we are with loads of 360's going down, maybe MS shouldn't have rushed it out the door as they did so desperately to get to market first.

[dejkirkby]

I get the feeling there's a dirty tricks campaign being waged against the PS3 launch, with these negative articles being published.. how strange that the 360 launch was heralded as something special and i didn't read articles like this even though the PS2 launch had it's problems and the XBox has power supply issues. Yet here we are with loads of 360's going down, maybe MS shouldn't have rushed it out the door as they did so desperately to get to market first.

Quite the $ony fanboy aren't we. You are always defending them. You seem to forget the total disregard for their loyal consumers that they have.

1. Firmware update after firmware update to screw over legitimate homebrewers, just to stop the relatively minor amount of ISO users.

2. Over-pricing their system to such a degree, that loyal Sony purchasers can't afford the product and are likely to go into debt to buy their PS3.

3. Releasing such a miniscule amount of systems on launch date, knowing full well their is not enough to satisfy demand and leaving people dissappointed.

4. Totally ignoring the European market, even though a Sony Europe high-level employee stated that Europe buys more products than The US or Asia.

Sony need to pull their fingers out of their ears, stop screaming "la la la la" and actually listen to the people who pay their wages and make their profits.
THE CONSUMER.

[Darksaviour69]

i would agree that the anti ps3 articles are snowballing but they all have a point. There where a load of critisms for with the 360 launch (not enough units, faults, the failure of the japan launch)

Personally as a little bit of a sega fan boy, i found that everything sony did during the ps2 launch was pure gold to the press, but its clear now how many times sony lied about the "power" of the ps2.

[opiate81]

I bought a PS1 relatively early and I`ll never buy another console on release date again!
its like a new model car always wait for the series 2
by then they should have the bugs ironed out
and considering you`ll nearly need a car loan to pay for the PS3 I think I`ll let someone else beta test their product

[dejkirkby]

I must've been really lucky then, because my PS2, which I bought on release day is still going strong now. It's only problem is it won't play the blue disc games released early in the PS2's life.

[irongiant]

Quite the $ony fanboy aren't we. You are always defending them. You seem to forget the total disregard for their loyal consumers that they have.

1. Firmware update after firmware update to screw over legitimate homebrewers, just to stop the relatively minor amount of ISO users.

2. Over-pricing their system to such a degree, that loyal Sony purchasers can't afford the product and are likely to go into debt to buy their PS3.

3. Releasing such a miniscule amount of systems on launch date, knowing full well their is not enough to satisfy demand and leaving people dissappointed.

4. Totally ignoring the European market, even though a Sony Europe high-level employee stated that Europe buys more products than The US or Asia.

Sony need to pull their fingers out of their ears, stop screaming "la la la la" and actually listen to the people who pay their wages and make their profits.
THE CONSUMER.

Quite the opposite actually, though if you feel better labelling me as a fanboi then feel free i couldn't care less. I just don't like reading bull$#@! and you've just typed a steaming pile of it.


1. You're so niave it's scary. The amount of ISO users is enormous, just do a search on ebay over the past few months at all the dvds full of ISO games that have been sold. It's a massive problem just like it was on the XBox and PS2 etc. Sony just like every other company have a right to protect their property and to stop it being exploited. Homebrew isn't a god given right for us, if Sony want to stop it that's their choice and if by stopping homebrew they also kill off PSP piracy then great. It's a massive drain to the industry just as pirated DVDs are. Without strong PSP software sales you can kiss goodbye to decent games coming out on the system.

2. The PS2 launched at £299, XBox360 launched at £279. The PS3 will be around £400.. do you really think that extra £100 will put people into debt? How old are you, have you even got a job? Get a grip on reality, the people that buy consoles on launch are always early adopters and people who can afford the latest technology. Considering the PS2 launched over 5 years ago at £299 i don't see the £100 increase as that bad considering it doubles as a Blu Ray player.

3. Do you honestly believe they wanted to launch so few units and annoy potential customers? Of course they didn't, they've had manufacturing problems which believe it or not does happen from time to time especially with new technology. They had already committed to a launch date and didn't want to move the whole launch back 6 months as that would have been a disaster. So what would you suggest they do, not give any to their home territory or their biggest market?

4. How are they ignoring Europe? Console launches have traditionally been staggered across the world, the PS2 launched in Japan before Europe, were you up in arms about that as well? The PS3 will be here in March with games benefitting from the extra development time and PS3s with teething problems ironed out. The 360 is ridiculously cheap in Japan so will you be moaning about that too.. oh and how about all the times Nintendo have stiffed Europe over the years?

Just be patient and stop whining.

[dejkirkby]

Since when is having an opinion whining?

1. For every 1000 PSP's sold, around 10 will probably have any sort of clue with regards to homebrew and/or piracy. Compared to the movie industry, gaming piracy IS relatively small. Fact. I totally agree that companies have a right to protect their property. I applaud Sony for that. But the firmware updates could easily be modified to allow homebrew and stop piracy.

2. The PS3 is actually going to retail at £499, slightly more than £400. And yes, I do think that £200 extra pounds will put people in debt. I don't know if you know much about finance in Britain. But the fact is Britons are £1 trillion pounds in debt, collectively, and a large percentage of people owing a minimum of £15,000, I really can't see a £499 machine helping to solve the debt problem. And with regards to the Blu-Ray system, I distinctly remember Sony charging over the odds for other entertainment systems, which subsequently became defunct. Betamax? Minidisc? FYI, I'm 26 and I have a job, a very good, well-paying job.
3. If they were so few units, why release yet at all? Seriously, Sony can only lose with this strategy. With only 500,000 units worldwide, they are going to be a lot of dissappointed people. This is where Microsoft and Nintendo will take you the shortfall. It really wouldn't have been that much of a disaster changing release dates. Movies and games do it all the time and still make millions and millions of £/$. It would also have kept up with the worldwide release rather than HAVING to stagger.
4. How are they NOT ignoring Europe? Was there mean't to be a worldwide release? Yes. Who was dropped from the release schedule when problems arised? Europe. And personally, I am bothered about being last in the release list. It really does irk me. About the price of Xbox 360's? Where in the blue hell did that come from? So they are cheap in Japan. Whoop-de-doo. I never mentioned anything about the PS3 being cheaper or dearer in any sales region. Please try to keep your argument about the point in hand.

I am willing to wait....... until November.......for a Wii.
And like I've said many times, I will probably get a PS3 when I can be bothered.
End of Chat.
You're dismissed.

[briyan]

seriously, y'all better stop whining about the ps3. regardless of its "pre-launch faults", "jacked up pricing", "negligence of the UK (and Asia)", you know you will end up getting one because it's the only console built to last for the whole duration of next-gen. blu-ray, 1080p support, motion-sensing controller, raw power and the games, who can forget all the games that are slated to come out for this console, all of which have the "A-Grade" / "Far Superior" quality that Sony demands in its games, be it the in-house developers or the 3rd party support that is growing strong. love it or hate it, sooner or later, you will eventually get your hands on a ps3, whether you like it now or u will fall in love with it later. just like the ps2 before it, this console will conquer as all.
oh and for people complaining about poverty due to the high price of the ps3, "go get a yob!" if u have one u can afford this fine piece of hardware..so stop yer whining and stop the bashing..

[dejkirkby]

Easy briyan, We are only commenting on the subject in hand. irongiant and I aren't fighting, we are just expressing our opinions. I respect his and I would hope he respects mine. Just because we are at opposite ends of the spectrum, doesn't mean we can't debate.
P.S. The fanboy comment was said without malice. At least none was intended. ;D