Playstation 3 Production begins

[gamesource]

X-Bit, a PC hardware news site, is reporting that the computer components manufacturer ASUSTeK Computer Inc. has begun shipping the PlayStation 3 component sets to Sony. For the PS3 components, all 200,000 of those shipped thus far, to be sent to Sony, the hardware must be finalized and Sony's production schedule is closer to staying on track than the gaming public has been assuming. And with Sony's PR team doing a spotty job of impressing the public after an E3 showing that was almost universally considered poor, the news that console production is on schedule gives them a speck of hope for rebuilding their image with haters.

Additional information uncovered concerning Asustex Computers was their co-manufacturing of the original Microsoft Origami models alongside Samsung. Asustex also played a part in the manufacturing of Sony's Playstation 2 components.

[Rip]

I read about this in the news a few days ago. X-bit also put up another article stating that there was no confirmation of said reports from any of the official parties involved, but I think the rumor is still probably at least somewhat reliable. Their goal to have over a million shipped in October seems a bit odd though, but they are going to need to ramp up quick.

[Look Its a Panda]

I'm still a bit curious to whether there's going to be a shortage or not. $499 or $599 (and Screwing Europeans; €499 or €599) is a lot to play for a game console, and even though Playstation is a well-known brand, I doubt parents will buy this for their kid just so they can play Singstar and the likes.

Oh, and this is from one of the Norwegian stores taking pre-orders:
20GB: $958 (5995,- NOK)
60GB: $1117 (6995,- NOK)

[Apoth3osis]

Oh, and this is from one of the Norwegian stores taking pre-orders:
20GB: $958 (5995,- NOK)
60GB: $1117 (6995,- NOK)

Holy S*** thats a lot... and I thought we Americans had it bad.

Also, the other day I was at my local Gamestop retail store, and one of the employes told me that with the PS3 all the games are "programed" to only run on the machine they were first run on (similar to XBL Arcade games, and how they only work offline on the first 360 that they are downloaded to) hence eliminating the used games market. I dont know if this is true or not, and havent been able to find anything about it, but said employee seemed very confident with his info, and made it sound like if this is true many stores that sell used games wont even carry PS3 games.

[Lindsayxcore]

I'm not buying a PS3. I just don't like playstation.

[Apoth3osis]

I'm not buying a PS3. I just don't like playstation.

Its not a question of whether or not I like the hardware, its the games. And so far I have been entierly underwhelmed with all things PS3... Is it just me, or is Sony making this thing sound like a Blu-Ray player, with some tacked on gaming features as well?

But then again... there are plenty of games that Sony has exclusive rights to, that I like playing, ie: Metal Gear Solid (even though MGS 2 came out on Xbox, I dont see any of the others porting anytime soon), Guitar Hero (but then again... in a recent GameInformer, hints were droped at the sequel being on 360 as well as the current gen stuff)... and the alltime greatest Playstation game, Amplitude, which will never be on a system that doesnt have a controller like the Playstation's, It just wouldent work.

[Tears_PMS]

.. and the alltime greatest Playstation game, Amplitude.

heck ya AMPLITUDE ;) did u play FreQuency when the server was on-line?

[Lindsayxcore]

Its not a question of whether or not I like the hardware, its the games. And so far I have been entierly underwhelmed with all things PS3... Is it just me, or is Sony making this thing sound like a Blu-Ray player, with some tacked on gaming features as well?

But then again... there are plenty of games that Sony has exclusive rights to, that I like playing, ie: Metal Gear Solid (even though MGS 2 came out on Xbox, I dont see any of the others porting anytime soon), Guitar Hero (but then again... in a recent GameInformer, hints were droped at the sequel being on 360 as well as the current gen stuff)... and the alltime greatest Playstation game, Amplitude, which will never be on a system that doesnt have a controller like the Playstation's, It just wouldent work.
I wasn't directing that post to you. I don't like playstation therefor I don't like the games. lol :p

[Apoth3osis]

heck ya AMPLITUDE ;) did u play FreQuency when the server was on-line?

Nope... I used to play amplitude online all the time though, but then I got rid of my ps2, which I deeply regret.

[Tears_PMS]

doesn't mean you'll never have one again ;) i want PLAYSTATION LIVE tourneys SOooOO bad! all the ones around rnt any good games... jeesh wheres the Socom LIVE tourneys!!!?

[asphix]

Good deal. I wont be buying one (i dont think) but I'm highly interested in seeing how it does. I typically dont like sony.. but I almost feel like rooting for a sucessful launch due to the fact that they're looking to be the underdog this time around.

:)

[The Geeky Panda]

my sister is getting it so basically I can just buy the games I liek to play on it, saves me $600

[CajunH2O]

Actually I just read yesterday they not in production yet.....http://www.1up.com/do/newsStory?cId=3153007

[Rip]

I read the same on ars, and they're a pretty reliable source (a week ago), I'm actually wondering what the scoop is now, because sony is in deep crap if they don't get some production units running. They need the lines started NOW because the plant engineers need a few runs to iron out bugs and increase efficiency. A process that well keep production numbers very low for at least a month as they go through analysis and testing of units. (The first batch may get tested at ten times the rate of normal production batches, so it takes some time). Of course they could simply bypass this step to decrease time, but the end result - bad QC = very bad press come release time. And if PS3's start melting, sony is in big trouble.

[Tears_PMS]

bad QC = very bad press come release time. And if PS3's start melting, sony is in big trouble.



*bites lip* im starting to worry bout SONY.. grrr.. I really hope they pull thru, ive been waiting for some Playstation tourney Opportunitys!!

[asphix]

yeah, who knows.. either way supplies will be tight regardless and I'll hopefully make some $$ on ebay and have a fun night + experience to remember waiting in front of some random store for 24 hours with a bunch of friends. :)

When the units go into production is just a minor detail (IMO since it wont really change the situation). Even if they had 4mil units (unheard of for a console launch) to ship, there would be shortages. At least this year there arent massive pre-order lists which will go without being met for months.

[PMS HateMaker]

E3 showing that was almost universally considered poor

Really...all the games for PS3 I saw from E3 looked damn sweet. The only people I hear saying this are anti-PS3 biased people.

But anyway, I heard they aren't going to start shipping until November. Which would make sense considering Christmas is just around the corner.

[Rip]

Really...all the games for PS3 I saw from E3 looked damn sweet. The only people I hear saying this are anti-PS3 biased people.

But anyway, I heard they aren't going to start shipping until November. Which would make sense considering Christmas is just around the corner.
Were you actually at E3? Don't be blinded at all, it has been essentially universally determined that the PS3 showing at E3 was a lot less than what they'd have liked. I personally was disappointed with the demos they had on the floor. The demos had high res textures for the backgrounds, but the playable part...was sad. MGS4 looked good for the most part, but there were some issues with the video (well rendered in real time purportedly), most noticeably the game despirately needed anti aliasing, and sometimes framerates dropped to very poor levels.

[PMS HateMaker]

No, I wasn't at E3, however I was sent all the PS3 videos.

it has been essentially universally determined that the PS3 showing at E3 was a lot less than what they'd have liked.

Universally determined? That's kind of a weird statement. Do they have a committe or something? Personally I don't care what other people say as I think for myself. However, your statement would have to be flawed because as I don't think the showing was "lesser" then the consensus isn't universal is it? Of course, I suppose you could argue that I don't count etc.

In my opinion as I stated before, the games look effing sweet. I don't take too much notice of resolution etc as I know these games are still being made, and have a lot more work on them to be done. As a former QA/software tester I see things with the kind of eye that tells me what it WILL look like, not what it DOES look like at E3.

[asphix]

I think he means the general consensus is that the pre e3 showing from sony was weak (which I'll agree with) and that their showing on the floor was only marginally better (I wasn't there, but I'd have to say relative to the competition, he has a point).

However, that doesnt mean the system will do great, or fail. Personally, I dont see any possible way that the Ps3 will take off right from launch. The x360 has done really well as far as console launches go (a lot is attributed to 0 competition for the past year. Microsoft made the same gamble that Sega made 6 years ago but with a far better execution), so the Ps3 has a lot to live up to. The wii certainly has the pre-launch hype which will possibly allow it to hit with a bang, but not all variables are disclosed yet (How many units can we expect?) and Nintendo is sort of fumbling currently with their marketing of the console (possibly due to focus on the DS Lite?). They should be having massive demos, showing off games, leaked videos of the console in the works. Get the blog community in on it, have them rant and rave about its uniqueness.. where is all this marketing to match the bar Microsoft set a year ago? Or is it just slightly too high for Nintendo to reach?

Anyway, getting off topic here.....

As far as how things will do in the long run.. who knows. Regardless, I dont see either of the consoles dropping suddenly a la Sega with the Dreamcast. They'll all be in for many years ahead, especially with the portable market finally showing some huge merit. In the end, we, the consumer win.

[Rip]

PS3 will do fine unless it starts blowing up like Dell or Apple batteries, i'm not worried about it.

There is a comittee that does (or did now that E3 is changed) the 'best of the show' for every different category, and from their reactions to PS3, you get the idea. But really when it comes down to nearly everyone I asked about the show who had attended (yes I was there, i walked through the booth, I got a bunch of PS3 lanyards), it wasn't up to their expectations. Hell I expected a lot more too. But I won't damn them either, most of the games hovered under 40% completion (purportedly), so I think there's plenty of work left to be done and they should look better.....I hope.

Maybe I should put this whole 'universal comparison' in perspective at E3. The last day of the show I was able to get through the doors 11 minutes after they opened. 11 minutes. In those 11 minutes the sony booth had accumulated a line of well...there wasn't any line at the sony booth, the entire day there wasn't any line. Nintendo had a three to four hour line after those first 11 minutes. It stretched around their booth, along the back wall and almost to the other side of the hall. These halls are HUGE so this line was absolutely giant. Microsoft's booth didn't have any line queues, so its not a capable comparison, but I never saw more than one or two open demo units on the floor (they had a couple hundred out there)

[PMS HateMaker]

The strength of the marketing does not = the quality of the unit. I don't come here to argue Sony vs Microsoft vs Nintendo. I don't fricking care. I'm happy that people are happy with their 360's, but seriously...stop...just stop. I come here to post in the PS2 & PS3 section to talk about those systems and games. So why does every damn discussion have to turn into a comparison and competition? I guess I'll just stop posting in this forum.

[asphix]

Sorry HateMaker, wasnt my intention to offend you :( . The whole concole race interests me, thats all. I'd hate to see you stop posting though. I'll be mindful of what I say in the future concerning the Ps3.

[enyork]

PS3 is nice!!!!!!!!