Do you think Sony will ever pull ahead this generation?

[Jrecee]

With regards to the PS3. I know the ps2 is still selling like crazy, but it's not like it's supported much beyond licensed games and wii ports.

Do you think PS3 will ever be able to overtake the Wii and 360? Or have they royally screwed up this generation.

It seems to me they blew it by attemping the "premium entertainment" route, which seems to be what they're doing with all their products. Vaio, TVs, mp3 players, portable system. Beyond the techies the momentum with bluray seems to have dulled a lot.

It also seems that Microsoft is planning to counter every price drop on Sony's end with one of their own.

[Mod_Man_Extreme]

I definitely think that Sony started out with a bang but dropped the ball right afterwords and while I love my PS3 I think that they're not going to pull out of their funk until they can get their cost of ownership down and make the system seem more accessible to the mainstream like Microsoft did with the 360 despite all the hardware issues.

That having been said I hope they do pick up sales somewhat this generation as the PS3 is a great piece of hardware with a ton of quality titles.

[Ack]

On the upside, at least their console works.

I'm looking at you, Microsoft.

[the7k]

I definitely think that Sony started out with a bang but dropped the ball right afterwords and while I love my PS3 I think that they're not going to pull out of their funk until they can get their cost of ownership down and make the system seem more accessible to the mainstream like Microsoft did with the 360 despite all the hardware issues.

That having been said I hope they do pick up sales somewhat this generation as the PS3 is a great piece of hardware with a ton of quality titles.

Really? You think they started out strong and dulled? I think just the opposite - their start was hideously under-performing, but they have become much, much stronger over time.

I don't think the PS3 will ever overtake the Wii, but I think Sony has come a long ways in competing with Microsoft. With the supposedly cheaper-to-produce slim PS3 coming, the bundle bargains picking back up (http://kotaku.com/5304092/playstation-3 ... -than-this), and Sony at least considering making PS3s play PS2 games again (http://kotaku.com/5304117/sony-patents- ... ps2-on-ps3), I think they will become a force to be reckoned with.

I'd say, we can all judge Sony once God of War III hits. If people go crazy over it like I think they will, Sony'll be in the clear. Otherwise, Sony should just drop out of the race. As much as I dislike God of War, it's practically their Pokemon.

[dsheinem]

Pull ahead? No. No one will catch the Wii this generation, and it is probably unrealistic to expect that the PS3 will catch the 360 while both are still the flagship console of their respective company. However, I'd guess that the PS3 will eventually be successful - even if it is after the PS4 has hit the market.

The more conservative estimates (http://www.videobusiness.com/article/CA ... ryid=47213) suggest that Blu-Ray penetration will be 50% in about 2.5 years, which means that the cost of players (and some of the more expensive PS3 parts) will get cheaper and the systems will start selling more. I'd guess we'll see a $100 price drop around Christmas 2009 and maybe another $100 within the next two years.

In my opinion, even if the PS3 folded within a year, the PS3 library (current and forthcoming) is one of the best ever for a console and I would be happy with what it has provided.

[Mod_Man_Extreme]

What I mean by starting out strong is that they had the media and Joe Public practically eating out of their hands before early 07' when the hype began to die down and the supply and price problems became readily apparent to the general public.

Late 07' to now is where they've been steadily improving themselves.

[Gamerforlife]

From what I've seen of God of War 3, it looks thoroughly unimpressive. It's basically more of the same and won't be the answer to Sony's problems and besides, it's not like God of War is as big as Halo, Grand Theft Auto or Metal Gear Solid(which already has made its presence felt on the PS3).

At this point, and looking at some of the cool games available and on the horizon, I think Sony will regain the industry's respect through sheer quality of titles. If they can ever get their heads out of their asses and give us a price drop, I can see them becoming profitable.

I think things will move in their favor once people get tired of the Wii, which at this point just seems like a popular trend with little staying power, especially with Sony and Microsoft offering similar control options in the future. At that point, what's going to make the Wii unique? It'll just become that weaker console with no high definition.

Sony should worry about Microsoft who are their real competition as far as I'm concerned. Let the casuals have their Wii. I think most serious gamers are spending their time with the 360 and probably would buy a PS3 if the price went down a bit and they started seeing more quality software, of which Sony seems to be bringing to us

[gradualmeltdown]

there are far more casual players than hardcore. MS and Sony both want that market share badly. Nintendo played the blue ocean business plan to perfection. Why compete when you can change the game?

Sony has enough systems sold to get software support for the PS3 I own. That's all I care about let fanboys route for the companies. I buy systems that have games I like, in my case thats usually all of them

[Dylan]

Sony's problem was that they got lazy and a little drunk off their success, like Nintendo did in the early 90's. Sony lost some crucial 3rd party support to bad marketing, which happened right around the loss of hype and the $600 price tag.

[the7k]

Yeah, I know. I've never liked God of War and God of War III looks bland as all hell. Just more Devil May Cry with Quick Time Events, and maybe a few titties for good measure.

However, everybody else I seem to talk to seems extremely excited for it, and I've heard many say that they will plop down $460 when GoW3 hits, even if it means selling their 360s.

I would definitely say there are more people excited for God of War than Metal Gear Solid or Halo. Maybe not GTA, but God of War definitely speaks to the Id of every frat-boy in a way that Metal Gear Solid can't, and Halo kinda lost its place when Call of Duty 4 hit.