My buddy at work is a Sony fanatic, and he’s always on the very positive end of the Outcome Possibility CurveĀ for the PS3, so I’ve been keeping an eye on news to get a balanced scoop.
I’ve been guessing — even with the news (see below) — that Sony’s replacement to the wildly popular PS2 game console would come in close to Xbox price. I think Sony knows a $600 price tag would be a disaster, especially with the next Nintendo device already slated to appear under Xbox’s price.
At first the PS3 was certain to debut just after Xmas 2005, six months ago. But you know how these things are: delicate balances between expectations, features, and competitor intimidation.
Then it was Spring 2006. Then about two weeks ago I read a September 2006 launch was likely. Now news that the launch may be as far away as 2007 in the US.
Let’s look back at the current Xbox’s development for a minute. With this latetes PS3 delay news firmly in our data buffers, it’s clear one thing that MS did right was learn from their experience developing software. To get out Xbox II (”Xbox 360″), they knew they could fart around (add features) or they could get it out before PS3. They got down to business and got the thing out, hitting the Xmas 2005 target even.
Farting around would have probably seen a next-gen HD DVD drive incorporated into the 360, and would have seen it match the PS3 in horsepower, for bragging rights if nothing else. Also, MS passed up matching PS3’s 1080p video signal, settling for 1080i.
IMHO Sony’s plan to cram in a little bit more into their console than their competitor was risky. Hindsight is 20-20, but adding an unreleased technology — like say something as massive as The Next Home Movie Format — should set off alarm bells in anyone’s head. Now, it looks as if that decision could really hurt Sony because it’s still changing.
Big players in the arena are still making changes in the anti-backup OOOPS I mean anti-piracy used in Blu-ray
All MS’s non-farting around worked. I think the team was focused, and the results are tangible.
A bird in the hand…
