PLAYSTATION 2

Not dead yet
Where's the first-party support?
We were bummed when Sony's Jack Tretton told us that all internal development would focus on the PS3 and not the PS2. Given that there are some 100 million PS2s in the wild, that seems like something of a miscalculation. A new SOCOM expansion, a Killzone spinoff, or even a quick-and-easy port of Tekken 5: Dark Resurrection could help keep the PS2 embers glowing bright for another year at the minimum. But by dropping support now, the PS2 will have to compete primarily on price. Which brings us to...

It's time for $99...or less
Yeah, it's time. Seven years after its launch, the PS2 is finally showing signs of slowing down. But this isn't an inevitability. A well-timed price cut will do wonders for this classic console, likely buying it another year or more of interest and perhaps another round of high-profile third-party games. By shifting focus too quickly to the PS3, Sony risks losing many of its PS2 faithful to the cheaper Xbox 360 and the much cheaper, friendlier Wii. The PS2 isn't dead yet!




A handheld with big ambitions
PSP
Where's the iTunes-style online store?
The PSP has tremendous potential as a do-it-all media device, but Sony isn't putting its weight behind an online store that could do for the PSP what iTunes did for the iPod. Imagine: $1.99 retro arcade downloads, $4.99 PS1 games, and an assorted variety of mini-games, flash games, and the like, all downloadable through your PC or PS3. While Sony's at it, they may as well add video (TVs and movies) and music as well. Sony's one of the biggest media companies in the world -- a comprehensive, iTunes-style PSP site shouldn't be a huge difficulty.

Devs are overshooting
Many of the high-profile PSP games are epic, console-style games: see Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops, God of War: Chains of Olympus, and Ratchet & Clank: Size Matters. These are all excellent games worthy of the PS2...but that's part of the problem. Portable players expect a different breed of game, something simpler and faster to play in short sessions. Big sprawling adventures don't lend themselves well to these kinds of playing habits. Sony shouldn't discourage all console-style PSP games, but they should put the focus on more casual games -- Loco Roco, Lumines, and Castlevania being perfect examples.




Still selling, despite the glut of badness
DS
The shovelware problem
Much like the Wii, the DS is a system targeted at casual gamers. But ruthless game publishers are capitalizing on this naive new market by carpet-bombing them with shoddy, over-priced games. As with the Wii, the vast majority of standout DS titles are Nintendo-produced. What does that tell you?

Friend Codes suck
Why Nintendo went the route of "Friend Codes" beats the hell outta us, but it's a poor man's substitute for Xbox Live or PSN gamertags. They're universally reviled, yet Nintendo defends them at every turn. Why?

PLAYSTATION 3
Freezing Sixaxis controllers
This is a widespread phenomenon, but it's been shockingly underreported. The Sixaxis controller connects to the PS3 via a wireless Bluetooth signal; from time to time, this connection is apparently interrupted. When the signal drops, all controller input will "freeze" for as long as five seconds (seen countless times in Tekken 5: Dark Resurrection) before re-connecting and playing as normal.

Some evidence points to the Bluetooth technology, as freezing never happens when the Sixaxis is connected via a USB 2.0 cable. It also seems to happen more frequently when the battery is more depleted. A firmware fix might fix or better manage these disconnects -- they really are a drag during marathon sessions of Tekken 5 and Warhawk.

No Sixaxis auto-off
It's almost 2008. Wireless controllers should know when to shut off. Period. But the Sixaxis stupidly remains on, sucking at the internal battery even when it hasn't been touched in hours. It's not a huge problem now, but when the DualShock 3 and its battery-gobbling rumble mechanism are added to the mix, battery life could suffer. A software patch could theoretically enable this sorely needed feature.

Still no Xbox Live equivalent
It's been twelve months since the PS3's launch, and there still isn't a decent alternative to Microsoft's Xbox Live service. Sony deserves major props for introducing free online matchmaking, but the lack of a holistic, integrated online community and store make PS3 online play a pale shadow of the Xbox 360's offering. No standard voice chat? No in-game buddy lists or messaging? That's completely unacceptable. We hold out hope that Home, Sony's budding virtual community, will somehow address these massive shortcomings, but there's been no word on whether it features in-game messaging or buddy lists.


It's ugly, but it's free!
No bundled microphone
This is another one of those small, smart details that Microsoft mastered: virtually every Xbox 360 sold comes equipped with a small, cheap headset/microphone. This means that almost every Xbox Live user can voice chat right away - no extra purchases needed. None of the PS3 models comes with a headset, so the vast majority of online PS3 matches are eerily silent affairs. Sony should follow Microsoft's lead: package a cheap USB headset (possibly powered by the Sixaxis's mini-USB port) with the 80GB PS3s.

Developers aren't taking advantage
The PS3's technologies sure sound impressive -- Blu-ray storage, the Cell processor, hard drives, et cetera -- but you wouldn't guess that by seeing the third-party games released thus far. Sony's in danger of losing developer interest for the PS3, mostly because the PS3's highly specialized technology is far harder to program for than the Xbox 360's more straightforward approach. The new-fangled Cell CPU is a particular sticking point for game developers, who are forced to make a difficult choice: spend lots of time mastering a complicated CPU, or cut corners and treat it more like the Xbox 360's standard CPU. Most developers are trending towards the latter solution, which hurts third-party PS3 games. The solution: Sony needs to spend more energy on teaching game developers how to program for Cell, as well as building better middleware solutions to ease PS3 development. Otherwise, third-party PS3 games will continue to suffer when compared to their Xbox 360 counterparts.


Motion sensing: not a strong suit
Motion sensing: use it or lose it
The Sixaxis's motion controls continue to be ignored by the vast majority of PS3 developers. Why is that? Because, as a primary input method, the motion controls in the Sixaxis leave a lot to be desired. Ever play Lair? Sony needs to think hard about the future of Sixaxis, and find a way to make the motion sensors matter for all games. We suggest looking at Gran Turismo HD's use of the motion sensors: setting the controller down brings up a menu screen; picking it back up resumes the game.

The backward compatibility problem
Sony recently introduced a new, low-priced PS3 that costs $399 but drops the PS2-era backward compatibility. This triggered a mini-outcry among some blogs and forum threads, yet there seems to be a middle ground that Sony isn't exploring. Why not offer $10 or $20 downloadable PS2 games that are compatible with all of the PS3 models? Compressed, many of these games could be squeezed to a more manageable size for storage on your PS3's hard drive. Even offering Sony-developed PS2 games, especially legendary games like God of War II and Shadow of the Colossus, would be a great start.


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No bundled HD cables
In theory, the PS3 is intended to be the ultimate HD set-top box. So why does it come with crappy low-def cables? Throwing in a free set of component or HDMI cables would be a huge convenience for consumers. How much can these things possibly cost? They're dirt-cheap on Monoprice.com, and you know Sony

XBOX 360

Evil...evil...
The D-pad sucks
This one hurts. The Xbox 360 controller is a fine device in most ways, but its directional pad is an inaccurate mess. Part of the problem is that Sony and Nintendo own all the best directional pad patents (ever wonder why you always see the same d-pad design on Sony and Nintendo consoles?), and Microsoft had to engineer its own solution. We're excited about the upcoming release of Street Fighter II HD ...but not about having to execute Dragon Punches using that awful, awful d-pad.

The continued hardware failures
The Xbox 360's games are grand; its hardware isn't. Microsoft made a major gamble by rushing development of the Xbox 360 so they could hit their 2005 launch, and unfortunately gamers are paying the price for that haste. The Xbox 360 is one of the poorest-constructed game consoles in recent memory, with a huge number of known hardware flaws, several of which can permanently kill the system. Heat is the key problem, and it's a problem that Microsoft has carefully dodged. It took a team at Nikkei Electronics to confirm the overheating problems, and their thermal design expert commented "the heat sink on the graphics [chip] is so small, I wonder if it can really cool down the board." They even found that a supposedly "repaired" unit had the exact same heat flaws, which included a too-small fan and an overly cramped interior that reduced air flow.


Red Rings: happening all-too frequently
Not good. Microsoft made a few other key errors, too, such as promoting the Xbox 360's vertical orientation -- a configuration that actually blocks the largest vent on the Xbox 360, increasing heat and further risking damage. The company should be commended for extending its Xbox 360 warranty (three years!) to cover victims of the dreaded Red Ring of Death. But if you read the fine print, there's a catch: the warranty extension only covers the Red Ring failures. That's a major limitation, because some Xbox 360 manufacturing runs are known to use substandard DVD drives that scratch discs or give false disc read errors.

So there's no major fix here, no magic button that Microsoft can press to fix all of these hardware problems. Upgrading the warranty to cover DVD-related flaws would be a great step, as would offering vouchers to existing 360 owners for a discount on the inevitable

No Wi-fi on the Elite
Who wants more cables and clutter? Apparently Microsoft. Integrated Wi-fi on the Xbox 360 Elite should have been a no-brainer, but Microsoft didn't include it when every other console maker did - even the handhelds have Wi-fi! So why Microsoft's blatant omission? The only possible reason is cost-cutting, but even that's a lame excuse: Wi-fi chips cost under $10 when bought in bulk.

Enough with the double-As
Short and sweet here. Microsoft should include the rechargeable controller pack as a standard feature, at least in the Pro and Elite lines. Who buys disposable batteries anymore, anyway?


Same 120GB hard drive, half the price
Overpriced hard drives
On what planet does a basic 120GB external hard drive cost $179 plus tax? Planet Microsoft, apparently. Identical 120GB drives run for $85 on Newegg, which means Microsoft is essentially marking them up 100 percent. Memo to Microsoft: please stop nickel-and-diming gamers.

Subscription fees: lose 'em!
Xbox Live is the leader in online game matchmaking and community. But with Sony and Nintendo offering free online alternatives, Xbox Live is also the leader in charging way too much for online play. To keep costs low, Microsoft could introduce a few banner advertisements and reserve ranked play for paying subscribers.