johng Blog

If there is one thing this year’s E3 showed us it’s the continuing struggle at Sony to innovate.

The next generation should be about bringing new ideas and fresh concepts to the table, something which Nintendo and (to a smaller extent) Microsoft have become familiar with. Instead what Sony plans to deliver with the PS3 will be a mashed up version of what their competitors are providing only with more horsepower and more sequels.

You only have to look at the way they reacted to the Wii by bundling in a poor version of it’s motion tracking at the last minute. The fact that the Warhawk developers had only two weeks of development time to produce a demo before the show tells us all we need to know. Of course there was also the removal of rumble from the pad (not mentioned in the conference) which despite what Sony might say was due to legal pressure and not technicalities.

Then there is the online functionality. I felt PS2 was a real snub to the consoles that preceeded it (Dreamcast) for not including any kind of network adapter or modem on launch day. The PS3 will include a network card and the online service they have planned looks strikingly similar to the Xbox 360 (hell they even have a dashboard button on the pad). They also have the marketplace functionality for upgrading games with new weapons, items, etc. But when you look over to their rivals it all seems too little too late as Microsoft has the largest online user base and a tried and tested service. I don’t for a second believe we will ever see the kind of experience that Live Anywhere will provide on the PS3.

As we all know one of the PS3’s key purposes for Sony is to win the high definition format war in favour of Blu-Ray. The inclusion of a Blu-Ray drive is an expensive move and one that could prove to be a disadvantage rather than an advantage. Long term the battle between HD-DVD and Blu-Ray will result in DVD staying strong and downloadable content taking its rightful place along side it. If this thing was launching two years from now then it would be viable but right now it’s just too early.

So overall I do think Sony have lost their way, rushing things to market and dealing with their own internal politics. Of course they will have no problem taking Japan, that’s a given, but in the much larger markets of North America and Europe I see a much closer battle being fought with Microsoft taking a larger piece of the pie. Oh and don’t count out Nintendo, they have a niche and they are not afraid to expand it.