Sick of It: WTF w/ PSN?
So, Sony Computer Entertainment is aiming to sell 11 million more Playstation 3 systems between now and next year? Great!
But how are they going to do it with a Holiday line-up full of stinkers and no word of a price drop?
That’s not to say every PS3 game coming out this Holiday season will bomb. I’m positive Insomniac will bear the burden of carrying Sony through the Holiday season for a second year with Ratchet & Clank Future Tools of Destruction. Uncharted, or Pitfall 2K7 as a friend mockingly referred to it (I prefer Dude Raider, haw!), could be good; but I’m not a fan of Naughty Dog’s games so I’ll refrain from commenting.
Why the concern?
Because honestly the Playstation 3’s future looks pretty bleak. Sony is backing all the wrong horses, Lair and Heavenly Sword to name a few. Mediocre to terrible games from development teams with spotty track records.
Meanwhile a fabulous game experience like Warhawk languishes with no marketing push, no hype, nothing. It’s merely a great game that will be buried under a landslide of hype for inferior PS3 software.
But I digress, I’m here to discuss how Sony could in theory sell 11 million PS3 systems by this time next year if they put forth some effort.
How can you sell a $500-600 console with little quality software?
How about leveraging your massive assets to make the PSN a more attractive purchasing feature for consumers?
That’s crazy talk, right?
No. Not really.
The most egregious oversight on the part of Sony is their inability to leverage all of the entertainment content they own as a part of the Playstation 3 sales strategy. Microsoft is just a massive software company, but yet it’s managed to create the Xbox Live “service”, position it as a salable product, and provide gobs of content - which it does not own.
Why in the world does Sony not step up to the plate? They wouldn’t need to fork over more money out of pocket because they already own:
Film
* Sony Pictures Entertainment
* Columbia TriStar
* Sony Pictures Classics
* Screen Gems
Television
* Sony Pictures Television
* AXN
* Animax Japan
* SoapCity
* GAME SHOW NETWORK
* Movielink
Music
* Sony BMG Music Entertainment
Labels include: Arista Records, BMG Classics, BMG Heritage, BMG International Companies, Columbia Records, Epic Records, J Records, Jive Records, LaFace Records, Legacy Recordings, RCA Records, RCA Victor Group, RLG - Nashville, Sony Classical, Sony Music International, Sony Music Nashville, Sony Wonder, So So Def Records, Verity Records
* Sony/ATV Music Publishing
* Music Choice
Why is none of this content available for download via the Playstation Network?
This is ridiculous!
The Playstation Network is free and accessible to every Playstation 3 owner, and subsequently folks that own a PSP as well. So in theory I could say - purchase an episode of The Boondocks on the PSN, download it to my PS3 as media server, and share it with my PSP for whatever iTunes or Xbox Live charges for an episode.
It’s my belief that by leveraging these assets as a sales feature, Sony could appeal to a broader consumer base. I don’t have cable. Thus I don’t watch cable, but I buy DVD copies of movies and television shows. I would love to just be able to download the latest episode of Rescue Me the day it broadcasts to my PS3 and watch it for a fee.
Content on demand baby!
How about updating the PS3 firmware so we can have custom soundtracks in games, like XBL? Only unlike XBL, Sony could also offer sales of music from the artists on their labels via PSN that you could listen to on your PSP, playback in game, or perhaps even dump to the MP3 Walkman Sony also makes.
How about movies on demand like Netflix?
I’d gladly pay $4.99-9.99 a month to be able to stream movies to my PS3 and watch them without having to wait for them to arrive in the mail, or buy a VGA cable to hook up my PC to my HDTV, etc.
What I’m getting at is Sony needs to stop wasting it’s time on trivial glorified IM / Social Networking fluff; and dedicate more time to enhancing the Playstation 3 / Playstation Network experience so that it becomes more attractive to consumers.
Sure quality software needs to be present and accounted for; but a good damn content on demand service courtesy of the Sony corporation’s massive assets would be the proverbial icing on the cake. All available at no extra cost until you’re ready to make a purchase.
If you’re not going to drop the price any time soon, then at least sweeten the pot.
But hey, what do I know. I’m just some schlub in a dead city.
Source: BitBag
Filed under: Main
(4 votes, average: 4 out of 5)
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The only reason why We do not release any movies or music on demand or other major media for PLAYSTATION Store is because the PS3 has a high multimedia component(especially the upcoming DVR accessory for PS3 in ‘08), in fact its abit too high. Sony chief Kaz and Phil strictly explained that the PS3 is a videogame machine 1st of all, its multimedia component must always come 2nd in the order. If we were to release all the great Blu-ray movies, DVD movies, Exclusive shows, and Music for download and rental for the console then the PS3 would be shown to the world as nothing more than just a media hub machine not a video game console. Its videogame component must always be 1st and greater than its media capabilities. Once SCE finally drops its prices the system. More and more software titles will arrive(currently over 130 PS3 titles). After thats done, then we can increase all its media opportunties significtly and placing it well balanced with the games.
Heavenly Sword mediocre? FU, HV averages around 8 out of 10 and that’s down to the odd few sites giving HS 6 and a 7, mainly the majority gave the game 8 and 9 with the odd 10.
The PS3 will see Haze, UT III, Ratchet and clank, Uncharted. While 360 has just Halo 3 to Carry its ass throughout the the end of this year, the whole next year and beyond. Forget all the other great games coming, xbots will only ever play Halo 3 now. I read the survey a month ago that listed results of what games are playing right now. For Microsoft Halo 2 came out on top, so the majority of 360 owners were playing Halo 2 and there are still xbox owners playing Halo 2 on xbox and have been waiting to buy a 360 just for Halo 3. Then 360 sales will come to a halt at 20million plus sold.
Sony has a better line up this holiday than 360 for current owners and future owners. Non-fans aren’t gonna go out and buy a 360 based off Halo 3. PS3 offers more of a variety for different gamers.
There’s going to be a few other games like Folklore, these maybe not AAA titles but they’ll be good and add to the PS3 line-up. And why you forget the huge 3rd party support? Games like CoD 4, Assassins Creed, Guitar Hero 3 to name a few. These also help towards Sony’s line-up as-well as Microsoft’s you know.
You don’t look at the few exclusive games and say that’s all the platform has this year, you add the multiplatform games as-well which some are AAA titles.
If the PS3 does not reach 11 million sales by March (not sell 11 million more by march as you make this article sound) It will come down to the price not being reduced. If there isn’t a price drop I still think Sony could sell 4-5 million by March. There is way more games with a few exclusives and IMO the better exclusive line-up than any other system. So around the whole world how many will PS3’s will be sold. And then you get into Q1 next-year with even more bigger exclusive, Killzone 2, LittleBigPlanet (analysts believe that LBP is the game everyone will want and be a bigger system pusher than any other game including Halo 3) Metal Gear Solid 4, MGS online, Final Fantasy XIII, some of the biggest franchise in the world. Then GTAIV comes later that helps PS3 more than 360 as it adds to PS3 killer line-up and 360 has no killer app. And even more good multiplatform games will add to Sony’s firepower. Oh, don’t forget HOME and even a more likely price drop at that time.
You have to look more into the future rather than just one week.