So what's up...

[seawasp]

... with the game consoles these days, especially the PS3 and the Wii?

It appears, judging from availability on my normal shopping venues, that the Wii still isn't available anywhere at its normal price. Yet -- if I recall correctly -- one of the major points of the Wii when released was that it WASN'T using some bleeding-edge technology but mostly off-the-shelf stuff, so availability should never have been an issue at all.

It also appears that the version of the PS3 I put on my wish list (60GB) isn't available any more. The 40GB is and there's an 80GB listed... what's up with that? And is there a real reason that I would NEED the 80GB instead of the 40 (i.e., what do you do with the PS3 that would normally eat up tons of data storage? If it's PVP online stuff, then I should just get the 40, since I don't do online games with my consoles)

Comments

[autopope.livejournal.com]

It appears, judging from availability on my normal shopping venues, that the Wii still isn't available anywhere at its normal price. Yet -- if I recall correctly -- one of the major points of the Wii when released was that it WASN'T using some bleeding-edge technology but mostly off-the-shelf stuff, so availability should never have been an issue at all.

Wii demand outstrips supply -- not by a few percentage points, but by getting on for an order of magnitude.

It's not just a matter of telling the factories to crank up production; they're probably running flat-out already. It's more a case of needing to upgrade the entire supply chain from end-to-end, including the component vendors whose surplus capacity is earmarked for other customers.

(I suspect the Asus Eee is going to go the same way and may be in scarce supply for the next year.)

[j-v-lynch.livejournal.com]

Prior to the price cut, the Wii was outselling the PS3 about 5 to 1.

If you are really curious about this kind of stuff, the blog http://dubiousquality.blogspot.com/ does a weekly console post that sums things up quite well.

[cordova829.livejournal.com]

One of hte problems with the PS3 40GB and the 80GB is that neither are backwards compatible, meaning they do not play PS2 games. The only one that did with any degree of success was the 60GB, but they discontinued this one back in October.

Sony's original plan was to discontinue anything that played PS2 games, which is stupid considering that they are still releasing new games for the PS2. They should have done what XBOX did with the 360, and make the newer consoles backwards compatible.

Combined with the lack of good PS3 only games out on the market (Heavenly Sword is good, if a bit short and repetitive, and Lair is horrible), unless Sony admits they screwed up and release a machine that is around 90% backwards compatible, this is going to screw them in the end.

[argonel.livejournal.com]

Additional details on the PS3 deal. They discontiued the model that had PS2 compatability supplied by including the EE chip and replaced it with software emulation. The 80GB model is still backwards compatable, but not to the same degree as the 60GB model.

I agree that the market is pretty thin for good PS3 games though. Although I would rate Lair as OK, instead of hoorible. I'm still waiting for exclusive games that I would call good. Some of the cross platform games are excellent though.

As far as why you would want the higher capacity model for, it depends on what else you have around. Currently the PS3 is a better multimedia machine than it is a game console. So you may want the additional space for audio and video files. Also the 80GB model (and the 60GB if you can find it) have built in ports for compact Flash, Memory Stick, and SD cards.

As for the Wii availability the demand for it has been simply insane, It may be another year before supply can meet the demand.

[amberdine.livejournal.com]

If the Wii isn't available in the US, I suspect Nintendo of doing it deliberately. There were piles of them available in Tokyo.

My husband spent a week or so playing with a friend's PS3, and now we're buying the 40GB one. (Which means we "need" a new TV. Oy.) I gather you use the hard drive for saves and for downloadable games, like the 360.

Unlike the 360, I think it's no biggie to upgrade the PS3's hard drive. Also, unlike the 360, Sony's online service is free, so you might want to consider taking advantage of it if you get one.

The PS3 games my husband liked were Warhawk and Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon... something or other. The preview for the upcoming Metal Gear Solid looked quite awesome (and I don't even like those sorts of games!), and Unreal Tournament 3 should be out any day now.

I'm only interested in Oblivion. :)

[corvidophile.livejournal.com]

Reason of wii shortage: nintendo has to do hardware predictions 6 mo. before its actually made to order parts and assembly etc. Demand is still far outstreching supply and they were too conservative with their numbers 6 months ago so there will be Wii shortages this holiday season.

PS3: The 40 gb ps3 is the new "cut down" version of the old ps3 (smaller hd, loss of card readers, loss of 2 usb slots and loses ALL backward compatability - ie. no more playing old PS1/2 games).

the 60 gb version is the "original" ps3 released has 100% HARDWARE compatability. If you want ps1/2 backward compatability then this is the one to have (we bought this one for that reason hehe)

the 80 gb versions is the same as the 60gb version with the bigger harddrive and SOFTWARE backward compatability. its is not 100% backwards compatible but still very good (90%+ or so).

If you want backward compatibility then the 60gb should be your 1st choice then the 80gb model. If you don't care about backward compatibility and the loss of some features then the 40gb model is a good deal. Regular notebook hardrives can be installed in your PS3 (explained in the manual) so expanding the harddrive at a later date is not a problem. If you have the PS3 hooked up to the 'net then you can download demos, game & movie videos and old ps1/2 and origianl fuill version games from the playstation network so you would be surprised how quick you can fill up your hard drive with stuff.

[ross-teneyck.livejournal.com]

Really? I did not know that about PS2 compatibility. Wow. Is Sony trying to lose this console generation?

The main reason I bought a PS3 at all was because my PS2 had been stolen, and I figured if I was going to buy a new PSanything it might as well be a PS3 so I could play the good PS3 games, assuming some ever came out. Also, what the hell, it's a Blu-Ray player in case that format happens to win the high-def DVD war. But mostly it was a replacement for my PS2. I got the 60GB because that was what was available and it had the built-in Wi-Fi; so far as I knew, both models that existed at launch were equally PS2-compatible.

I plan to pick up a Wii at some point, but since "at some point" in regards to consoles usually means "when I see one on the shelf" it could be a while. But since I have a fair stack of games piled up that I already don't have time to play on the consoles I do have, it's kind of a moot point.

2 things:

[guy-jin.livejournal.com]

1) Nintendo hasn't had to produce a console this quickly since the days of the SNES.

2) the controllers actually have some custom electronics inside (motion sensors) which probably doesn't help matters.

[aardy.livejournal.com]

Is Sony trying to lose this console generation?

Yes, but not on purpose. For many years now, Sony's basic business concept across their entire line of products has been to come out with "upgraded" versions of their products that are not fully backwards compatible (or not without third-party help) and then discontinue production of the old product, forcing every customer to purchase the new version of whatever it is. This trend is probably worst in their digital camera & memory stick division, but you can see it's touch in just about every press release they issue about new versions of their products.

If Blu-ray wins the high def war (and if the video market hasn't completely shifted to download-only by then), expect Sony to tweak the format just enough that every 2-4 years you'll have to keep buying new copies of the movies you want to own.

[meril.livejournal.com]

It's a holiday rush on the Wii. I saw plenty of Wiis in stock around St. Paul in September. Now, they're all gone.

[cordova829.livejournal.com]

The Wii, while having tons in Japan, is quite limited due to transport issues. Some towns received a lot, due to distribution (Gamestop is one of the few gaming stores that got hardly any, and continues to receive little while Sam's Club continues to stock them steadily).

From what I've discovered when employed at Gamestop, Nintendo has a supply problem within North America. Think about how long it takes to ship something through two sets of customs into the U.S. Nintendo sent the U.S. a large shipment back in July, and those sold out rapidly. Due to production problems in Japan, and the release of the system in China, North America simply has not been receiving as many as we could. However, that is the official reason.

There's a more serious and deeper reason that many people don't talk about.

Now look at it this way. The Wii goes for $249.99 here in the U.S., and for $249.99 in euros. Since the euro is valued at a higher rate than the dollar, Nintendo makes more money if they simply ship more to Europe. The Yuan's value is lower than the dollar, but the sheer number and scale of population buying a Wii in China, even if only 25% of the people can afford it and rush to buy it, more than exceeds what the U.S. demand is for it.

The U.S. buying power simply isn't what it used to be. Nintendo is smart enough to realize this, and offers an affordable machine worldwide. Sony offers an expensive mahcine that few can afford, as does Microsoft. Looking at the global economy, the U.S. still has clout. Not as we did in the late 80's to mid 90's, but still some. However, until we can truly appreciate how small our population is, and how weak the dollar is when compared to the euro, and take steps to correct this (I'm for the dollar improving, myself. I'm terrified of the vast numbers of population in China and India), then we will continue to play second fiddle when it comes to foreign goods.

It's simple economics.

[ross-teneyck.livejournal.com]

I've been keeping a casual eye out for Wii's around Seattle ever since they came out, and I think I've seen exactly one on the shelf in that time.

I've been told they're not that hard to get if you contact your favorite big-box store and find out when they get shipments in, and are waiting at the store for them at that time. Of course, I was told that before the Christmas shopping season kicked in, so it may be more competitive now.

[argonel.livejournal.com]

Sony is an incredibly conflicted company. They would probably do much better if they broke into 2-5 separate companies that were free to go thier own way. Of course if they did that I would expect a huge lawsuit between the entertainment portion and the hardware portion within 6 months.

Also the first gen PS3's (both models) have an EE chip that is basically the heart of the PS2 included in them. The newer models have removed this and have software emulation instead. I don't know if their is a technical reason why the 40GB model doesn't support the emulation or if that is just someone being blatently stupid.

If you really want to hear about sony stupidity though, go to any MMO forum and ask people what their opinion is of SOE (Sony Online Entertainment).

[ninjarat.livejournal.com]

Wii turned out to be far more popular than Nintendo expected and the company has had difficulty keeping up with demand. To put it in perspective, Nintendo expected 6 million units delivered world-wide in its first 6 months of sale. It hit that mark some 3 months early.

Wii isn't bleeding edge but it isn't off the shelf, either. The guts are all custom stuff.

The 40GB and 80GB PS3s are Sony's attempts at reducing manufacturing costs. The big deal is that there is *no* PS1/PS2 backwards compatibility on the new 40GB model and PS1/PS2 backwards compatibility on the 80GB model is... "lacking" is a kind description. As for the space? If Sony ever manages to pull its thumbs out of its collective ass it'll put up a store like the Xbox Live Marketplace for things like game demos, movies and TV shows as well as making (more) downloadable content for games availbale. Believe me, that space can go fast. I got a '360 Elite a few months ago -- that's the 120GB model -- and I've already used up almost 30GB for games, demos and game DLC. It'd go really fast if I were in the habit of buying TV shows :).

[argonel.livejournal.com]

The PS3 already has something that I will call "inspired" by the X-box Live Arcade. Having never used the XBLA I can't tell how close it is. currently it only has downloadable games, game trailers, downloadable expansions for games, Game demos, and Movie/DVD trailers. No movies, TV shows, or music yet. However as noted elsewhere the PS3 uses a standard laptop hard drive in a removable tray. It's a 5 minute process to replace the drive.

Also if you are interested there is at least one Linux distribution available for the PS3, but it requires that you re-partition the hard drive with a tool that causes data loss if you have anything saved on it.

[brooksmoses]

Well, number-crunching with large simulation data sets can take up a lot of gigabytes of storage space in short order.... I pretty quickly filled up a 40GB partition with my thesis work, and those were pretty small calculations on a much slower computer.

(What? You were going to take a machine that would have bested the top supercomputer in the world only a little over a decade ago, and would have been solidly on the Top 500 list when (most of) my current desktop computer was built, and just use it for playing games? How barbaric!)