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Four Mistakes Sony Should Correct Next Console Generation

Sony’s PlayStation 3 has finally caught up in terms of sales after a sluggish start this generation, but the PlayStation brand has certainly lost a lot of ground when compared to its previous domination. In light of this, Dan Jenko suggests how the Japanese giants can rectify the situation next time around.

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fmvmagazine.com
Root4888d ago

"The loss of strong first-party developers"

Whaaa...they got rid of them because after chance after chance they wern't making games good enough to sell.

We would be moaning if Sony was loosing more money and they DIDN'T close them down.

I mean they did make ND into two teams so they can produce more then one new IP franchise per gen.

TheGamerDood4888d ago (Edited 4888d ago )

"with arguably little benefit in terms of technical performance"

What in the actual f***! Can he name any console game that surpassed the visuals of GOW, UC, KZ?

"Obviously Sony have fallen on hard times"

Just Sony? How about the whole freaking world that's been going through a recession. Yet no mention of MS and their almost total lack of exclusives for the past couple of years and the fact that they're ending of this generation with barely anything at all while Sony is pushing out GOW, The Last of US, Beyond.

Gazondaily4888d ago (Edited 4888d ago )

Well, relatively, in terms of the intricacy of the Cell processor and the results that followed, many will argue that the benefits really didn't outweigh the difficulties developers may have faced.

The technical performance hasn't been so markedly superior and the manner in which the vast majority of multiplatform performed on the PS3 compared to 360, especially during the early to mid stages of this generation only serve to prove the that the negatives of dealing with the CELL outweighed the benefits.

Watch how Sony take a completely different approach next generation to the one they did this gen.

TheGamerDood4888d ago

right but we're not talking about development or the issues involved in all that we're talking about technical performance and in that regard the PS3 crushed the xbox, and that's evident by the games that Sony brought to market.

TheGamerDood4888d ago (Edited 4888d ago )

And this is how MS is ending this generation, with more Gears and Halo DLC...yeah that's right DLC. lol Yet the real story here is how poorly Sony is doing even though they've sold more units than MS at 70.2 million and have some of the most anticipated games this generation. Piss off FMV with your FUD.

http://cramgaming.com/micro...

PS3 70.2 million(as of September 30, 2012)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wik...

360 70 million (as of September 30, 2012)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wik...

hylandpad4888d ago

The Cell simply did not bring to the table what Sony had advertised. 2 TERAFLOPS of processing power sounds cool when it comes to number crunching - but whether or not PS3 devs benefited from it is undeniable; it made things harder.

One could argue that GoW, UC and KZ ended up looking as good as they did because of the integrity and quality of the studios developing those games.

I don't know if you have looked lately, but recent MS games have been looking damn spiffy. Halo 4 looks great, Far Cry looks fantastic on Xbox 360, AND many of the current gen games STILL run better on a 360 than they do on a PS3. Plain and simple. The how and why are debatable, but the defacto nature of the beast is, what it is.

pete0074888d ago Show
WeAreLegion4888d ago

More GOTY awards, you say?

Except that Uncharted 2 holds more GOTY awards than any 3 Xbox 360 exclusives combined...

BABYLEG4888d ago (Edited 4888d ago )

Maybe because uncharted came out in a year when there really wasn't much competition. Play uncharted twice and be done while I play halo for years..

Ezz20134888d ago (Edited 4888d ago )

@BABYLEG
what about uncharted 3 in 2011 who won 70+GOTY award
what about MGS4 in 2008 who won all the GOTY awards
what about 2010 when god of war 3 along with RDR won all the GOTY awards
what about journey in 2012 who won as much or more GOTY awards than TWD

xbox exclusives are no where to be found in GOTY awards

Kevin ButIer4888d ago

Sony will be fine...

Awesome first party IPs... not as milked as MS IPs
PSN and + in really good shape
Gaikai ready to be a competitive cloud service
Hardware expertise
Gran Turismo (yes... EU loves this baby)

theBAWSE4887d ago

Again click the plus sign next to the website and mark it down to stop fud like this

if a website is gonna give points give valid points not total crap

jadenkorri4887d ago

wow an opinion, that has no valid points but price, wheres the 360 4 mistakes opinion. Nowhere in sight.

calis4887d ago

I read and reread pete007's attempt at a sentence and still have no freaking clue what the hell he was on about.

DragonKnight4887d ago

Ok, look sniper fanboys using this list to talk about how the Cell isn't so great, who cares? This list is just as bad as that idiot who made the Forbes list.

1. The loss of strong first party developers. WTF is that sh*t? Strong? First of all Sony Liverpool merged with another studio. I forget the name, but I know it starts with an E. Secondly, besides MAG, name a great game that Zipper made this gen? That's right, none, so how we're they strong? Sony still has the best of the best lineup of first party devs cranking out great games, so they did NOT make a mistake in the first party developer department.

2. Failing to integrate Vita with PS3. You mean the still relatively new handheld that still has to get its own features off the ground? Oh I guess the gen is over now right and we have PS4's already? No? So who says this can't still happen? Oh that's right, no one! *sigh*

3. PSN. *facepalm* I'm not even going to justify this idiocy with a response. Clearly if you think PSN is a mistake you've been dead for years.

4. Price and inadequate line-up. That's every console in history's mistake, well one or the other. Many bought a PS3 at launch and they got the best version of the console. Many had no problem with the line-up.

What the hell is wrong with the writers of these stupid lists? It's as though they've been living in sensory deprivation tanks and still think it's November 2006. Dumbass list.

4887d ago
+ Show (11) more repliesLast reply 4887d ago
Gazondaily4888d ago (Edited 4888d ago )

I think Sony will have it covered in the next gen as far as quality first party games are concerned. They set a strong precedent this generation but might not have reaped the rewards they deserve for it.

One thing that's VITAL for Sony to improve on is streamlining the social functionality of the next console. I know its been argued to death but the likes of cross game chat and other similar features have to be properly fleshed out and included day one. It's just simply not acceptable that, to this day, the PS3 won't even allow you to send proper voice messages, something that the original Xbox could do more than a decade ago.Had it been possible to reconcile the situation with the PS3 and social functionality I'm alluding to, MS would have been severely on the back foot.

Sony may have been arrogant (arguably) this generation but with financial woes and lessons made very clear regarding things like developer friendly systems and the online game space, I really do believe Sony will be a veritable force in the industry next gen, much closer to its previous reign a generation ago.

If anything, the competiton is going to be extremely fierce this generation and that only means good things for us gamers.

hylandpad4888d ago

Who heartedly agree with you Septic. On ALL points. MS has their shit together - the Live experience is much more streamlined and functional than PSN's current experience.

supremacy4888d ago

This is exactly what Sony needs to address, the social interactivity of the psn.

xchat is something found on the vita, so you know that is coming.

What they need is to streamline the whole thing like you said.

I honestly hate having to exit an app just to open another in order to message a friend. That seriously needs to be addressed.

Enough memory should ensure the system would be able to multitask properly without much of a hiccup.

Its like everything i do on the vita requires a grey loading screen and that just takes away from the experience.

Believe me if they can solve this and i believe they can. Then psn would be on par with live, then you add those exclusives and we are good my friend.

DanJenkoFMV4888d ago

There's an argument that Zipper's latest few games weren't up to scratch, but SCE Liverpool did some great Wipeout games over the last few years for the PS3 and PSP.

garos824888d ago

i dont know about you but mag to me was not only revolutionary but an extremely fun and under appreciated game. a technical marvel in both scope and online lack of latency

GribbleGrunger4888d ago

The only thing I agree with there is releasing with a lower price. The first three prove he knows nothing.

Hingle_Mcringleberry4888d ago

I've been having a debate about the subject of shutting down studios with someone here on n4g who believes Microsoft ruined RARE.
He argues that Microsoft kill off franchises and games that do not sell well whereas SONY keeps supporting underdog IP's. Here's my arguement however, after Perfect Dark Zero, Banjo Nuts & Bolts, Viva Pinata TiP, Kameo all not selling to expectations of Microsoft, they could have easily shut them down. They instead made them focus on more business sound projects and it paid off well. My problem is this, it seems its okay (judging by your agrees) for SONY to shut down studios that were not making games that sell (aforementioned underdog games) and ultimately leave hundreds of people out of a job but it is absolutely evil when Microsoft opts to make a studio develop commercially viable games instead of continuing to make niche games, and ultimately keep their jobs.
How is SONY excused for making business decisions that lead to redundancies but Microsoft is slated for making business decisions that lead to career safety for studios? Can somebody answer that for me? Please?

showtimefolks4888d ago

easier to develop for ps4, use parts off the shelf so most developers can work on it right away and produce quality titles.

in some areas sony succeeded and in some it didn't

bluray
build in hard drive that's easy to change
built in wifi
free psn
psn:plus value

cons:
cell is hard to understand
a lot of devs struggled early on
not enough Ram to get cross game chat

yes sony lost a lot of money but its game division is a profitable division

sony entered with arrgance but realized quickly time to play catch up

$599 us dollars can not and will not be the price for ps4, $399-449 max and maybe 2 different sku's for $399 and $349

price matters look at Vits sony understands that

i believe going forward sony is in best position to gain ground than nintendo or ms, just because they have the Ip's to back up all their talks

imagine this for example

Killzone 4
GT6
Uncharted 4

at launch with PS4.

they own 12 studios

they work with 2nd party like insomniac, read at dawn and QD who are doing beyond 2 souls

also where PSN started day one to where it is today its been an amazing journey and if somehow they keep it free that's a huge advantage over MS

360ICE4887d ago

Well, historically both WipEout and Socom have sold very well.
But it's weird. Three of the four examples the author gives of first party exclusives are from studios Sony have acquired this generation: Sucker Punch (inFamous), Media Molecule (LBP) and Evolution (Motorstorm). So it has gone both ways.

IAmLee4887d ago

Why do I never see any articles like this for the xbox?

user39158004887d ago

Another Sony doom article and their best opinion is that? Really? Here is a hint, have third party developers understand what you are selling in order to established better games quality compared to the competition. You can have the greatest car in the world, but if the speed limit says 70 mph, guess what? Thats right we all get there at the same time and if you take a shortcut you might wind up stock in traffic, its what happened to sony, sold the ps3 with the cell and almost all games performed better on the 360. So, either make better relation and support to third party in the production of games or make a system more appropriate for developers. Sony first party is the best of all 3 consoles, I should know is the reason why I bought the PS3 for their lined up of first party, 360 for third party and wii for the few unique gems.

clover0074887d ago

I actually agree with the 4th one. Don't get me wrong, I'm probably gonna get the PS4 on day one. And a lot of people (including me) won't mind paying $600 for it.

But let's face it, PS3 was way too expensive and its sales suffered because of that. Sony needs to understand that now days (in this economy), $600 is too high. Core gamers won't mind paying it, but hey I would say 2/3 of the people that buy consoles are "non-core" gamers. Instead of looking at how many exclusives a console has, they look for better deals. And I know exactly where they're coming from.

I can guarantee that the PS4 is going to be the most powerful console next generation because well, the truth is Sony is way better at making hardware than Microsoft or Nintendo.

But even if you have 4k graphics and the most powerful processors, they won't help you if you don't price your console right. I think anything over $399 would be too expensive regardless of how amazing the hardware is.

I really wish Sony fixes some of the mistakes it made in the past. Oh and can’t wait for the next generation consoles. :)

+ Show (7) more repliesLast reply 4887d ago
iamnsuperman4888d ago (Edited 4888d ago )

"The loss of strong first-party developers"
The issue with this is Sony is trimming the fat. The have a lot of studios who make games that are more profitable than Zipper and Liverpool did. It is worth noting that some of the liverpool staff moved to another UK based studio. I think trimming that fat is what Son needed to do. Having loads of studios is great but why invest in software that isn't going to do well

PSV and PS3 integration my thoughts can be read here http://n4g.com/user/blogpos...

The only aspect of the network that really needs improving is the new store. It needs stabilising because it is really buggy at the moment. Other than cross game chat (which I never saw the need for but I know other want it) I can't see what is really wrong with PSN. It is a stable experience with a lot of players online. They have a good library of games on it but they could do more to entice the indie developers (but I put that down to the 360 being like a PC to develop for so it is just naturally easy)

Price wise I can easily see expensive hardware next generation (hopefully with the option of a subscription model). $600 in 2006 was a big ask but in 2013 it really isn't for a product. Things have changed a lot. Families do not mind shelling out £500 for an ipad for a 3 year old (recent article on it about more 3 years getting ipads now. Crazy if you ask me) for Christmas.

Neonridr4888d ago (Edited 4888d ago )

in today's economy, people are less likely to shell out $600 for a gaming console. Since the recession happened in North America, money isn't as disposable for a lot of families. If Sony releases a $600 console, consider them dead.

TongkatAli4888d ago (Edited 4888d ago )

Yeah the economy is going to get worse, this fiscal cliff problem isn't going to end. Blame our stupid government and its addiction to programs that are bleeding money.

If we are taking about Sony getting BIG again they're going to have to outsource ALL its jobs to China its the reality of our world today.

@Logic

LOGICWINS4888d ago (Edited 4888d ago )

Every time I hear the term "fiscal cliff" I have to laugh a bit. It's a b.s term that the media came up with to scare people.

EDIT: Ummm..yeah. It was simply the government figuring out a new budget plan before the Bush Tax Cuts expired. No more, no less.

nunley334887d ago (Edited 4887d ago )

@logicwins ROFLMAO if you think obama and congress is gonna pass a budget or even wants one. A budget has been passed before in the house then died in the senate like every other one has. I agree the fiscal cliff was totally made up by congress though but it was phony and they had a few years to prepare for it.

TrendyGamers4888d ago

"The loss of strong first-party developers"

Don't forget about LightBox Interactive who had massive layoffs and are now an iOS developer.

TongkatAli4888d ago

Starhawk never had a chance and it was a good game. The summoning of turrets and buildings from the sky was amazing to watch in action.

DanJenkoFMV4888d ago

Very good point, I absolutely loved Starhwawk and believe the only reason that game failed was because Sony marketed it incorrectly.

DeltaCanuckian4888d ago

By marketed it incorrectly, you mean just didn't market it at all? I didn't see one advertisement for the game, which I was extremely excited about after playing it at PAX and playing in the beta. When it became apparent that it wouldn't hold a strong community, I just passed on the game entirely. Considering picking it up for cheap now, but who knows if it's even worth it.

P_Bomb4888d ago (Edited 4888d ago )

@TrendyGamers
Lightbox aren't a first-party developer though. Hence why they're doing some non-Sony iOS stuff now. It's like Insomniac or Ninja Theory. An exclusive here, a multiplat there.

Seraphemz4888d ago

The guy that make up this lists should go work for SONY...since he know everything..

abzdine4888d ago

i really hope they're not gonna make an app based menu like the damn vita or what they are starting to do with the PS3 and the PSS.

Ravenor4888d ago

That vita menu is fine to look at but I just hate using it.

Show all comments (78)
80°

(For Southeast Asia) New Price Changes for PS5, PS5 Pro, and PlayStation Portal remote player

For Southeast Asia, new price changes.

Prices effective starting May 1st, 2026.

Read Full Story >>
blog.playstation.com
26d ago Replies(1)
BeHunted26d ago

Looks like PlayStation took a hit with Marathon and is now quietly adjusting prices worldwide to recover the losses

andy8526d ago

Lets be honest raising prices doesn't do that when no one's buying it. I imagine the profit it greater selling 10 times more at a lower price

Pergele25d ago

Whatever you say buddy, let's all wear the tinfoil hats.

IceKoldKilla25d ago (Edited 25d ago )

LMFAO Your comment alone says a lot more about you than anything else. When has one game not selling 10 million copies made a company raise the prices of their console? Then Xbox would be costing $5000 by now lol. You remind of the crazy drug addicts on the street rambling on about conspiracies. xD You sure you don't need a hug, buddy?

ChunkyMonk25d ago

One game that Sony payed $200 million for. lol
Also, you sure were quick to get triggered. Maybe your the one who needs a hug?

Eonjay25d ago

If nothing else, we should be united against the real issue here. AI and unnecessary tariffs that are effecting all gamers.

+ Show (1) more replyLast reply 25d ago
Athlon10126d ago (Edited 26d ago )

The price increases are due to the RAM demand associated with AI and the US-Iran war. You can look to any business news website and local news to see that. Heck, even the 2026 Asus Zenbook Duo I've been eyeing has faced delays and has had a price increase of $400; that laptop has two specs. Asus is doing a staggered release with per-orders for the lower spec now and shipping in May and pre-orders for the higher spec that I'm eyeing starting in June. Basically, all computer manufactures are affected. It'll most likely start affecting smart phones too if it hasn't already. I can't remember the last time any major console maker (Nintendo, Sony, Sega, etc) increased the price of their console mid cycle outside of Microsoft just to make more profit.

S2Killinit25d ago

Its not the war. Its the RAM issue.

jznrpg25d ago

War is causing gas prices to rise. Transport of everything requires gas so the prices of those items go up as well. So it does have an impact

Athlon10125d ago (Edited 25d ago )

The blockage of the Straight of Hormuz due to the US-Iran war has affected raw components used in semi-conductor manufacturing such as bromine, aluminum, and helium. Iran had attacked the liquified natural gas (LNG) plant in Qatar which is a large producer (1/3 globally) of helium which is used in semiconductor etching. So it's the both the war and the RAM crises.

badz14925d ago

Oh no...should I get the Pro now before the price increase?

80°

Former Xbox Exec Says Developers Didn't Want a Sony Monopoly

Former Xbox executive Ed Fries comments on the early days of Xbox, the opinion of Japanese game companies, and more.

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insider-gaming.com
39d ago Replies(2)
Reaper22_39d ago

I dont think that'll ever happen. But i must say back in the day, they were definitely trying because they were more cash rich than their competitors.

CosmicTurtle38d ago

I think MS were and still are the richer company. They tried to acquire Sega back in the day (and considered doing so again more recently), they obviously bought exclusivity to Halo which was originally shown as a Mac title. I don’t think as a company MS can claim the moral high ground here. It’s a wilful lack of self awareness.

Of course Sony would try exactly the same if they had the resources, but when the PS2 dominated the industry was in a much healthier place with an abundance of great third parties.

This has been a depressing generation as far as first party decisions are concerned. The fact we are debating business plans rather than which game is better is a sad reflection of the state of things.

Darkseeker39d ago (Edited 39d ago )

There was Nintendo as well, Sony wouldn't have had a monopoly. In fact, the world would be better today if Xbox never existed in the first place. They pretty much brought all bad practices we have today. We might have gotten all of it either way, but not this early. In term of franchises, I don't think there is anything Microsoft released that would actually be missed if it didn't exist. Even Halo the world wouldn't notice if Halo didn't exist.

S2Killinit38d ago

MS was definitely a bad influence on gaming.

raWfodog39d ago

I think almost everyone will agree that a monopoly is not good for the industry. But that being said, the competition needs to be smart and strategic with their business. Simply buying up publishers and traditional third-party studios just to keep them out of the other companies reach is not a sustainable practice. That goes for all parties so don't think I'm just referring to Xbox.

I'm no business guru by any stretch of the imagination but I firmly believe that the best way to drive consumers to your software and hardware is to invest smart in your first-party studios. Give them full support and guidance in making unique, fun games that are only available to play in your ecosystem and the gamers will come.

Reaper22_39d ago (Edited 39d ago )

But first party studios aren't enough. They only make up a small portion of the industry. Without 3rd party there would be no industry for Microsoft or sony.Developing games take time and money and sometimes you gotta make moves to stay competitive.

raWfodog39d ago

Nah, I never said first-party was enough. I said it’s the ‘best way’ to drive gamers to your platform. 3rd-party is a free-for-all and there’s no guarantee that gamers will use your hardware to play the game. If you want to push your own software and/or hardware you need first-party, or at least exclusive deals with third-party studios.

SimpleDad39d ago

They Shure did a great job... 25 years later Xbox is dead.

Reaper22_39d ago

Then why be so emotional and continue to talk about it. Xbox will never die be ause it stays in so many people's head.

lodossrage39d ago

How can you even see him being "emotional" in that comment?

If anything, you're the emotional one, constantly trying to go at anyone that says anything against Microsoft. So when you call him emotional, it comes off as deflection

Elda38d ago

I own an XBSX & I can say it's becoming irrelevant out of the 3 current consoles.

39d ago Replies(2)
Show all comments (34)
40°

Sony Shows Off 20 Minutes of Crimson Desert on a Base PS5

Sony uploaded gameplay footage of Crimson Desert on a base PS5 running in what appears to be Quality Mode at a stable 30fps at 4K.

Read Full Story >>
powerupgaming.co.uk
BlazedKong65d ago

looks god awful on the base systems