He even made it sound on page 3 that most of the stuff thats on a PS3 blu ray disc could be squeezed onto a dvd9. Also even though people bring it up you can't play true Blu Ray movies on the lower model because it doeasn't have HDMI output. So thats a waste of $500.00. As for games he said go with the 360. Unless you want true HD movies then wait. I say my system is for games not movies. I remember another system that try to be the first of its kind. The 3dO and that system failed.

I'd better post now before the comments get overun by whiners.
I found the article fair, they make the thoughts behind the purchases very clear: Don't get PS3 unless you are passionate about hi-def movies.
I'm not interested in high tech movie playback at the moment. High definition is pretty, but the novelty is wearing off very quickly. I probably wont be buying the HD-DVD attachment for my 360, but if I ever decide to I don't think i'll feel sore even if they don't put an HDMI port on. The point is, I didn't plan on buying an HD player, so HD battles aren't going to sway my console purchase.

My DVD movies look subleme on my VGA TFT connection with my 360. I don't know why i should get better within now and 2 years?

Great Article! Some really good points in there. The writer of the article even states the BluRay is the PS3's main draw , it really should be the games. I also like how he pointed out the downgraded specs on the PS3 and that Sony is losing exclusive titles.

Fact is that HD-DVD vs. Blu-Ray WILL NOT be decided in the next 4 years. By the time an actual winner is clear, the consoles will both be ready for the scrap-heap as anotehr new generation of hardware is revealed.

At THAT time, next-gen optical media drives will be in both consoles, but the difference is that those who do not buty PS3 will not have subsidied Sony's effort to "win" with the Trojan Horse PS3...

I agree with most of the above posters that the article points to the PS3's BD ROM as it's biggest draw. This benifit of course is not for games but for movies. Personally I will not be purchasing any high def movies until a winner is declared. As such I see no reason to own either of the two competing formats until either of them is crowned king.

I will go on record by stating that while they are both going to be great consoles I prefer MS's blend of hardware, software, and services over that of the competition.

Oh, and #10 has is spot on. The whole debate over copy protection crippling players that don't support HDMI is unfounded. The fact that Sony is not providing HDMI in their "el cheapo" sku should be proof by itself. This is further backed up by the rumors flying around the industry at present that copy protection won't be implemented until around 2012.

:) it was good. W/E you buy have fun and stop flaming.

Both systems don't need HDMI. This is because by the time the Image constraint token is applied to movies it will be in the year 2010 or 2011 at which we will be heading to the next generation of consoles and standalone players will be cheap.

I already have the 360 now I need to get the Wii, and last but not least the PS3 in 2007 or when it's cheaper. I say it's best to get the PS3 in 2007, because people might get a rush system that flash red lights constantly in 2006( Oh no!! I'm not taking that risk like I did with the 360, but it never happen I was lucky). In 2007 Metal Gear solid 4: Guns of Patriots, and possibly Killzone 2 will be out for the PS3. 2007 is where it gets better. Nuff said.

made me want to like Sony again... darn, I got a tear in my eye!

i thought this article was kinda dumb and pointless.

“Major industry Specialists as well as major game developers including PGR3 developer for X360 clears how Blu-ray has the 'EDGE' here, clearing that the rain isn't in PGR3 for the content had to be cut off so either a game can be pretty on x360 or it can be futuristic. For a true next gen title to be on 360, its a sure trade-off.”

The only reason GTA 4 will have episodic content is because the developers can’t fit all the contents on a DVD9 disk. LMAO

”Both the PlayStation 3 and the Xbox 360 can play DVD movies, but the question on everyone's mind is how do they handle the next-generation formats? Microsoft has announced a HD-DVD add-on for the Xbox 360, set to be available by the time the PlayStation 3 launches this fall. With no confirmed price, many are guessing that the cost of an Xbox 360 plus the HD-DVD add-on will equal that of a PlayStation 3.”

Yeah except with the PS3 you also get

1. Wireless blue-tooth technology for up to 7 controllers
2. Free online multiplayer (just come to grips Xbots, it will be Free)……. "You can't charge money for network matching and other basic services. These things are just taken for granted on the PC." "On the PS3, basic services will be taken for granted while content will be the bread and butter of our business."
3. Out of the box Ethernet and WiFi for Internet connectivity
4. The highest-end video output (HDMI)
5. Motion sensing technology which will enhance game play.
6. 60GB hard drive
7. At least 97% compatibility unlike 360’s very low percentage of backwards compatibility
8. Blu-ray disks for better game storage
9. Four USB ports
10. Memory stick slots
11. Not to mention all the neat stuff one will be able to do with the PSP and PS3 combined.

We SONY fanboys are really stupid for wanting this stuff. Microsoft is brainwashing you people just like the US government brainwashes it’s own people.

If the only reason I'm going to buy a PS3 is because of pretty Cinema and nothing about the game itself is any different. Than I'm saving my money. I'm not going to buy the PS3 for movies or better looking game cinema. but to play a better looking game. Sony better have a game that you can't do on the 360 for me to part with my cash.

If you want a great platform to play the highest end games right now, then the Xbox 360 is the only choice to go with. Xbox Live is an extremely impressive online service, while the software catalog already contains some must-buys and is rapidly expanding.

If you want a system that doubles as a next-gen movie player, then you need to wait. The PlayStation 3 60GB is the only game system with a confirmed HDMI output and the only one guaranteed to playback all Blu-ray movies in full resolution. Until we hear more from Microsoft, the Xbox 360 can't promise to run HD-DVD content at its intended resolution.

Nintendo Wii Console

Wii Controller

Bear in mind that even with a steep $599 price tag, early adopters will often snatch up all initial shipments. This means that unless you pre-order, chances are good the only place you'll be able to find the PlayStation 3 in November is on eBay (at an insanely high cost).

Finally, there's the cost-conscious consumer that simply wants to play games and doesn't really care about media center features or hi-def movies. If you fall into this category, there's always the Wii! Nintendo's unique platform is the only one coming in at a confirmed sub-$250 point, with a sophisticated motion-sensing controller, and a proven track record of being inventive with new technology.

REALITY

sigh.

here we go.

look, PS3 is very expensive and delayed, the 360 is out, cheap and has lots of great games.

go figure.

The 360 clearly has my type of games. Some killer exclusives and the 360 has the graphics edge and MS is my type of company. MS is for the consumers vs. Sony is in it for themselves!! Plus all these f@gs saying "oh 1080" blah blah and the blu ray.. I think they should do a poll-How many people purchasing the ps3 have a tv that can display 1080p? I bet it would be 99.99% don't have 1... So whats the point? I deffinatley don't want to be forced to buy a Blu Ray when it most likely won't be the standered. HD DVD is cheaper it does the same thing and there is no need for more room on the disc!!! HD DVD is cheaper and accomplishes the same thing. I being a consumer will choose HD DVD over blu ray b/c ultimately the consumer chooses and I choose HD DVD AND THE 360!!

Hah! Here we go again. I'll put this in an old saying if you don't mind. Behind every strong man is a woman; behind every game console is a good game. You put out a load of terrific game on the Ps3, guess what's going to happen? That's right, people will ignore the price tag if possible and purchase a Playstation 3. Same said for the Xbox 360. Sure, you've got those devoted sony and microsoft fans, but like everyone else they have common sense. You're not going to buy a system that has poor games, just cause you like Sony. I'm sorry, but if you do you are obviously unfit to even have a game system. Not to be cruel, but this is ONLY my opinion, I do not reject anyone else's.

A relatively unbiased article on the two titans of next-gen!! Funny thing is, fanboys on both sides are spinning it however they can! LOL! Wow. To me as a gamer, the important info is (claims from both companies aside) that the systems performance is VIRTUALLY IDENTICLE. This is in the real world, folks, not that fantasy land where Sony and Microsoft can both try to claim that their system is the most powerful. The games will look exactly the same. Less exclusives this time around, coupled with near-identicle performance means more good games for both systems, the SAME games, as a matter of fact. So buy a 360 or a PS3, whichever you like, and bring on the next-gen gaming goodness!

this is a good article, but none of the 3 will fail, they'll all be successful, probably about 40-50,000 a peice, but we'll see if the gaming community grows which it might since gaming is very cool now with the new visuals, those numbers can grow, Microsoft and Sony will be mostly dead even with the ps selling slightly more because of hard core sony fans and Microsoft picking up with the people who dont want to spend $600 and the rest is the parents who just want something for their kids to shut up and play with for an hour.

I dono, both systems are pretty sweet...or at least the ps3 sounds pretty sweet. Sure the price is...well it seems crazy, but i dono. One thing that looks like a pretty good spec is the storage space of a blue ray disk. On the xboz 360 disk, they can cram 9 GB of stuff on there. With the blue ray disks, they can manage 50 GBs!! Imgagine how huge they can make some of those games!!! Yeah man, open world games...here we come

Well yes and no, 3 systems? probably not...but I think with all the new advertisements for new systems the base for gaming is growing, so their will be a bigger base of buyers than before

Hey what's up ya'll, man look i decided a while back maybe a week ago, that im done argueing over which system is better, to be honest i love games period, and i absolutely adore my ps2 i had mine since launch and love it til this day. Now that i have my xbox 360 im excited about it, i had mine since Dec. 24th 2005. Im not interested in the ps3 at all tho to be honest. Like the article said, the ps3 will appeal to movie fans, i love movies but not really interested in watching them on my console but if i was its nice to know i have options. However i am a music fanatic and thats another reason i love my 360, i have music downloads like crazy, burned cd's like you wouldnt beleive, my verizon vcast phone with music, music, and more music on it, my pc music galore, my 360 has 498 songs on it, with 11gb remaining so of course i was going to go for the 360. I love the hardware, i love the controller, i love xbox live, i love what they've offered. Im happy that the games are picking up and as with all systems eventually the library of games will grow. So for the people with the 360's you know my joy. To the people anticpating the ps3 enjoy it its just that simple.

Where the Xbox 360 lags is in storage space for games. Getting a year's head start on Sony meant using the standard DVD format for games, which limits software developers to around 9GB of space. In comparison, the PlayStation 3's Blu-ray format can support around 50GB. On paper that sounds like a huge disadvantage, but in reality the difference is minimal.

The biggest part of any game is typically the movies and the art used for the visuals. While PlayStation 3 developers will no doubt fill their discs with high definition cinema scenes, those same images can still be squeezed onto a standard DVD in a lower resolution. After all, most of a game is spent playing and not watching cutscenes (usually!). With similar system specs, picking a winner is going to come down to the games.

Now that the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 specifications have been announced, it is possible to do a real world performance comparison of the two systems.
There are three critical performance aspects of a console:
Central Processing Unit (CPU) performance.
The Xbox 360 CPU architecture has three times the general purpose processing power of the Cell.
Graphics Processing Unit (GPU) performance
The Xbox 360 GPU design is more flexible and it has more processing power than the PS3 GPU.
Memory System Bandwidth
The memory system bandwidth in Xbox 360 exceeds the PS3's by five times.
The Xbox 360's CPU has more general purpose processing power because it has three general purpose cores, and Cell has just one.
Cell's claimed advantage is on streaming floating point work which is done on its seven DSP processors.
The Xbox 360 GPU has more processing power than the PS3's. In addition, its innovated features contribute to overall rendering performance.
Xbox 360 has 278.4 GB/s of memory system bandwidth. The PS3 has less than one-fifth of Xbox 360's (48 GB/s) of total memory system bandwidth.
CONCLUSION
When you break down the numbers, Xbox 360 has provably more performance than PS3. Keep in mind that Sony has a track record of over promising and under delivering on technical performance. The truth is that both systems pack a lot of power for high definition games and entertainment.
However, hardware performance, while important, is only a third of the puzzle. Xbox 360 is a fusion of hardware, software and services. Without the software and services to power it, even the most powerful hardware becomes inconsequential. Xbox 360 games—by leveraging cutting-edge hardware, software, and services—will outperform the PlayStation

Play Station 3 WILL revolutionize gaming ONCE AGAIN like the PS2 and PSP did but FURTHER! Microsoft is screwed. They're not sell much 360s and they will be sued too. Microsoft's Windows Vista is not selling at all. Noone wants to buy another OS just to play Halo 2 on PC? Infact they will be SUED and SCREWED because alot of people will be burning free copies of Windows Vista. So what is the point of having it? AND The PS3 will OFCOURSE not only surpass the 360 AND the next gen of X Box after the 360 IF MS releases the next gen of X Box after 360. Here is the reason. JUST like SOny said the PlayStation 3 WILL have a long LONG! life cycle! Here is why the PS3 IS a computer. Hard Drive will be upgradable ofcourse. U CAN play IBM and apple games on the PS3 PLUS Hackers emulators. The PS3 will be UPGRADED 5 YEARS after the launch. That's right. OH and did I forget 1 more BANG? The PlayStation 3 WILL have QUAD GPU! WAHOO! I was always glad to be with Sony all the way ever since PlayStation. Also Sony almost put Nintendo outta business or if not BUY Nintendo but luckily Microsoft saved Nintendo. THey bought Rare. AND I have a LINK to prove it! http://www.youtube.com/watc...

PS3 has appearance but the 360 has the games

Now that Jim Ryan is gone just need to remove Herman Hulst from his position! And maybe give Shuhei the position he deserved.

This gen hasn't been the best for games, last gen consoles are still out there and now there's been talk of the PS6 and Xbox Two for a year or so. Many games this gen will be ported to next gen and the cycle will continue. The re-release of the Neo Geo AES+, games on cartridge for £70 ($95), gaming is going back in time. Gaming has gone pricing mad with the high cost of games, consoles and controllers. The men and women at the top are clueless.

It’s always interesting to hear behind-the-scenes stories like this, especially involving veterans like Shuhei Yoshida and leadership figures like Jim Ryan. That said, there are usually multiple sides to decisions at that level. It could be less about not “listening” and more about differences in long-term vision for PlayStation. Yoshida played a huge role in shaping the brand, so whatever the reason, his impact is undeniable.

If true, and I'm inclined to believe it is, it goes to show that Sony lost their way when they became more western/didn't respect the PlayStation origin story. Andrew House and Jack Tretton did great work, but they also didn't try to fundamentally change the PlayStation DNA. Ryan oversaw the death of Japan Studio and a live service direction.

I already figured this, good lord imagine if Shuhei took over instead, would've been a platinum era 😩

I miss the first three generations of PlayStation. The way they turned PS3 around, we knew they meant business. We were all worried for a bit there around launch. Eventually from 2008 they started shifting slowly. But since Yoshida was fired, it's never been the same. Still enjoy my PS5 daily. I got a backlog dating back to PS2 lol So I'm fine but new games aren't as appealing anymore.

It seems like we were thrown on to the worst timeline possible where everything is too expensive and the wrong people were put in positions that makes the world a shitty place. We could have had Shu as the head of PS but we got the shitty alternative. Same goes for everyone in power around the world. Doesn’t matter the company or country the majority of us got the shitty picks and the world is declining like never before. I do think PS can come out of this because of their studios, talent and IP but they need someone more in touch with gamers leading things like Shu was. They’re still the best place for console gaming imo but it could be much better than it is especially without the massive live service failures. The rest of the world I have a lot less hope for right now. Hopefully the pendulum swings back towards the good ole days but I’m preparing for the worst.

There goes illuminati distraction story

So now there's certifiable proof that Ryan was in fact "fired", as opposed to when it was first announced that he "retired", in order to save face.

There's another guy who recently "retired" as CEO of another large gaming company, after doing a dismantling job as lead for well over a decade.

seems legit, the business man, fires the one who has ideas to move the business forward.

Jim Ryan is the reason why we are entering year 6 since the PS5 launch and many of us don't feel like the PS5 has gotten started as yet.

I hope going forward, we will see a return to form.