http://www.keepmedia.com/pubs/PlaystationMagazine/2005/11/01/1019152?extID=10026
They're going with the same online model as PS2. Can't say I'm pleased, I love XBL and I would have liked to see a similar model from Sony.
Full Article:
As we suspected months ago in our interview with Epic’s Mark Rein, it looks like Sony will in fact go with an open architecture for its online model. What does that mean, exactly? Basically, the way that the PlayStation 2’s online model operates will be applied to the PlayStation 3. While Harrison admitted that the Xbox Live online gaming service is one of the things that Microsoft has done well, he said that Sony’s plan is to let publishers establish their own means for getting consumers online and to let the publishers interact with consumers directly instead of using Sony as some kind of buffer for the online experience.
Unfortunately, by going with this model, Sony runs the risk of repeating its mistakes. The PS2 online model has proven to work with some sports games, a few shooters like SOCOM, and Final Fantasy XI, but outside of those, very few PS2 games have found success online. If Sony does a better job of promoting the online experience with the PlayStation 3 and at least attempts to have some sort of unifying structure, then this may not be the case. As it stands, Sony must have a decent plan in place if it hopes to make this model a success.
The Multiple-Sku Scenario
Microsoft announced that it plans to sell two versions of the Xbox 360 when it launches the system in November. One version, called the Xbox 360 core system, will include the console, a standard controller, a faceplate, a Silver membership to Xbox Live (which doesn’t actually let you play Xbox 360 games online), and a standard AV cable. The other Xbox 360 package adds a hard drive, a wireless controller, an Xbox Live headset, and a media remote—and all of this costs only $100 more.
There has already been a massive outcry from the Xbox community on Microsoft’s strategy, saying that it will segment the market much in the same way Sega did when it offered upgrades to its systems. “While we designed a no-compromises game system, a huge percentage of our customers are not like [hardcore users],” says J Allard, a corporate vice president at Microsoft. “Recognize that more than 75 percent of the folks on Xbox have not played Halo. By introducing the core system, we are sending a signal to the market that we are committed to this part of the market, just as we are committed to [the hardcore market] with the Xbox 360 premium bundle.”
In contrast, Harrison stated at the Game Developers Conference Europe that the current plan is to have only one version of the PlayStation 3 at launch, but that the company will start selling different versions of it down the line as new peripherals (such as the hard drive or the EyeToy) become available, but not before then. However, since the system is supposedly going to be so expensive, at least according to SCE’s own president, Ken Kutaragi, it might not be such a bad idea for Sony to offer different versions. The problem with Microsoft’s plan is that the inclusion of the hard drive in one package but not in the other means that developers are going to have to make a decision at some point—use the hard drive to make games more technologically advanced (thus forcing core users to buy the hard drive anyway) or make two versions of the game, one that supports the hard drive and another that doesn’t. It’s going to be a giant mess at some point, but since the PS3 won’t have the hard drive to start with, it’s less of a problem for Sony.
What Sony can do is make a stripped-down version of the PS3, one with fewer bells and whistles, for those that maybe aren’t quite ready to make the full jump into the high-def era. The other version of the unit can have all of the standard features revealed at E3 for a little extra money. That way, neither audience is neglected unless they want to make the jump to high definition. At any rate, Sony is still investigating potential price points and offers, but we should know more at the Tokyo Game Show and in the months following.
The Game Developers Conference Europe proved to be a focal point of PlayStation 3 discussions thanks to Sony Computer Entertainment Vice President Phil Harrison, who revealed a broad range of information, ranging from online play to the multiple-SKU strategy that Microsoft has chosen to use with the Xbox 360.
To the Rescue
The original Killzone has some pretty decent online multiplayer gameplay, but you really wouldn’t know it since Sony hasn’t done a particularly good job of pushing online play for its games or for the PlayStation 2 in general. Hopefully, the company has learned its lesson and will kick off the PS3’s online features the way it was meant to be done—with potentially great games like the next Killzone and Unreal Tournament 2007. But only time will tell if the open-structure model will be enough to give online PS3 games their due and take on Microsoft’s excellent Xbox Live service.
Copyright © 2005 Ziff Davis Media Inc. All Rights Reserved. Originally appearing in Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine.
They're going with the same online model as PS2. Can't say I'm pleased, I love XBL and I would have liked to see a similar model from Sony.
Full Article:
As we suspected months ago in our interview with Epic’s Mark Rein, it looks like Sony will in fact go with an open architecture for its online model. What does that mean, exactly? Basically, the way that the PlayStation 2’s online model operates will be applied to the PlayStation 3. While Harrison admitted that the Xbox Live online gaming service is one of the things that Microsoft has done well, he said that Sony’s plan is to let publishers establish their own means for getting consumers online and to let the publishers interact with consumers directly instead of using Sony as some kind of buffer for the online experience.
Unfortunately, by going with this model, Sony runs the risk of repeating its mistakes. The PS2 online model has proven to work with some sports games, a few shooters like SOCOM, and Final Fantasy XI, but outside of those, very few PS2 games have found success online. If Sony does a better job of promoting the online experience with the PlayStation 3 and at least attempts to have some sort of unifying structure, then this may not be the case. As it stands, Sony must have a decent plan in place if it hopes to make this model a success.
The Multiple-Sku Scenario
Microsoft announced that it plans to sell two versions of the Xbox 360 when it launches the system in November. One version, called the Xbox 360 core system, will include the console, a standard controller, a faceplate, a Silver membership to Xbox Live (which doesn’t actually let you play Xbox 360 games online), and a standard AV cable. The other Xbox 360 package adds a hard drive, a wireless controller, an Xbox Live headset, and a media remote—and all of this costs only $100 more.
There has already been a massive outcry from the Xbox community on Microsoft’s strategy, saying that it will segment the market much in the same way Sega did when it offered upgrades to its systems. “While we designed a no-compromises game system, a huge percentage of our customers are not like [hardcore users],” says J Allard, a corporate vice president at Microsoft. “Recognize that more than 75 percent of the folks on Xbox have not played Halo. By introducing the core system, we are sending a signal to the market that we are committed to this part of the market, just as we are committed to [the hardcore market] with the Xbox 360 premium bundle.”
In contrast, Harrison stated at the Game Developers Conference Europe that the current plan is to have only one version of the PlayStation 3 at launch, but that the company will start selling different versions of it down the line as new peripherals (such as the hard drive or the EyeToy) become available, but not before then. However, since the system is supposedly going to be so expensive, at least according to SCE’s own president, Ken Kutaragi, it might not be such a bad idea for Sony to offer different versions. The problem with Microsoft’s plan is that the inclusion of the hard drive in one package but not in the other means that developers are going to have to make a decision at some point—use the hard drive to make games more technologically advanced (thus forcing core users to buy the hard drive anyway) or make two versions of the game, one that supports the hard drive and another that doesn’t. It’s going to be a giant mess at some point, but since the PS3 won’t have the hard drive to start with, it’s less of a problem for Sony.
What Sony can do is make a stripped-down version of the PS3, one with fewer bells and whistles, for those that maybe aren’t quite ready to make the full jump into the high-def era. The other version of the unit can have all of the standard features revealed at E3 for a little extra money. That way, neither audience is neglected unless they want to make the jump to high definition. At any rate, Sony is still investigating potential price points and offers, but we should know more at the Tokyo Game Show and in the months following.
The Game Developers Conference Europe proved to be a focal point of PlayStation 3 discussions thanks to Sony Computer Entertainment Vice President Phil Harrison, who revealed a broad range of information, ranging from online play to the multiple-SKU strategy that Microsoft has chosen to use with the Xbox 360.
To the Rescue
The original Killzone has some pretty decent online multiplayer gameplay, but you really wouldn’t know it since Sony hasn’t done a particularly good job of pushing online play for its games or for the PlayStation 2 in general. Hopefully, the company has learned its lesson and will kick off the PS3’s online features the way it was meant to be done—with potentially great games like the next Killzone and Unreal Tournament 2007. But only time will tell if the open-structure model will be enough to give online PS3 games their due and take on Microsoft’s excellent Xbox Live service.
Copyright © 2005 Ziff Davis Media Inc. All Rights Reserved. Originally appearing in Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine.
