1. It’s Expensive.

A lot of gamers, funnily, want to game. So they want the console that will give them the best experience. The tradtional gamer would most likely go for the Xbox 360 because of its price and comparative performance. The casual market would most likely go for the Wii (as can be seen). The PS3 is a lot more expensive than either of these machines, especially the Xbox 360, due to recent price cuts.

2. Most Consumers Can’t Tell The Difference

While the PS3 is technically more capable than the Xbox 360, will gamers actually be able to tell the difference between games on the two platforms (more on that in a bit)? As with the casual demographic, most of them are not gamers and would not be bothered with graphics or power, would the PS3 actually attract them?

3. The PS3 is NOT being taken advantage of

The PS3, with its Cell Processor and unusual hardware layout, brings games development into a whole different realm. Developers need to optimise their games and take advantage of the many threads available to them and the two seperate graphics chips, but do a lot (if any) have the resources, time, expertise and personnel to do that?

4. It’s expensive to develop for

A company’s intention is to make money. Some publishers will not release exclusives for the PS3, and sometimes not even release any games at all for the platform, because the points from problem 3 make development cost-ineffective.

5. The Library of Games

Hardcore and casual gamers want a big selection of games to choose from, and this is a big part of choosing a console to buy, especially platform exclusive releases. The PS3 is lacking in its library, particularly on the exclusive front. This means there will be little to draw in consumers except the potential of the hardware itself (which was covered in problem 2)

Conclusion

I’m pretty sure that unless Sony sorts out some of these points, the PS3 is going to be this generation’s flop. Unfortunately, the design of the console contributes to many of these problems, making them hard or perhaps even impossible to iron out. It’s not all doom and gloom for SCE, however, with the PSP gathering huge amounts of sales recently in Japan.

Got anything to add? Disagree with my points? Leave a comment to discuss your opinions on the article.

Guess its a fresh start for me then. Man, how many times have I had to say that?

Sigh.

Well, later all.