DailyTech - PS3 Hands-on at IGN UK

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Gadgets PS3 Hands-on at IGN UK
Marcus Yam (Blog) - October 16, 2006 9:01 AM

31 comment(s) - last by UserDoesNotExi.. on Oct 17 at 10:28 AM

Report says that SIXAXIS controller isn't up-to-snuff with PS3

It looks like Sony is making its rounds showing off the PlayStation 3 to several European media outlets, even though European gamers supposedly don't mind waiting longer than the rest of the world for the PS3's release.

IGN UK records its brief first impressions with the debug PS3 hardware, touching upon topics such as the user interface, the "ON" button, disc drives that behave like four-quid whores, and the controller. Even though the PS3 controller, dubbed the SIXAXIS, is relatively unchanged in shape since the original Dual Shock, the IGN blokes faulted it for feeling "cheap, plasticky, uncomfortable and disconcertingly light." Controller weight wasn't the only issue, it seems:

More worrying still, the newly-designed lower L and R shoulder triggers feel more like they belong on an early controller prototype than the near-final model. Replicating the 360 pad, rather than being simple shoulder-mounted buttons, the triggers are now hinged horizontally along the controller, with pressure forcing them inward along the bottom - like triggers then, really. Trouble is, they're placed almost unnaturally low meaning we found ourselves operating them by jamming our fingers in between the hinges to apply pressure, rather than using the buttons themselves. What's more, the triggers are convex, with no grooves to keep your fingers in place - an issue further compounded by their smooth finish, offering no resistance against your finger tips. Invariably we found our digits slipping off with the triggers snapping back to their default position.

This is the second hands-on report that has come from the UK media. Click here for the first from PSM3.

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DailyTech hates the PS3?

By Parhelion69 on 10/16/06, Rating: 0

RE: DailyTech hates the PS3?

By AmbroseAthan on 10/16/2006 10:19:39 AM , Rating: 5

Are there new unreported strengths we are all unaware of?

Dailytech covered the specs, power, and strengths of the PS3 long ago and continues to do so when rays of hope emerge. But in the recent past, the new information about the PS3 has tended to not fall into the product's "strengths;" from any news source.

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RE: DailyTech hates the PS3?

By Kevil on 10/16/2006 10:25:07 AM , Rating: 4

I wouldn't really agree with that. Dailytech only reports on the news, its just that there has been more negative publicity for Sony's black box of late than positive.

I did think the IGN article to be a complete waste of time and didn't actually report anything of interest. At least the PSM3 article shed some light. This just seems written in a very sarcastic manner (though I may be taking it up incorrectly)

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RE: DailyTech hates the PS3?

By Janooo on 10/16/2006 10:28:29 AM , Rating: 5

Daily Tech is 'a middle man' for technology articles. They just report on what is out there. It appears there are not many positive articles about PS3 these days.

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RE: DailyTech hates the PS3?

By michal1980 on 10/16/2006 11:30:26 AM , Rating: 2

Yes Daliy Tech is the middle man.

BUT they have taken great editorial liberties with their 'reporting'.

They had to read the article, and then instead of reporting, IGN-UK has a hands on review. They went ahead, cut up the article, and only pointed out what IGN-UK Said was bad about the system.

Is this control news dissapointing, Yes, And I'm a fan of the ps3.

But is this 'reporting' from dailytech sickening? yes. I saw the ign article yesterday, it was mainly positive, with the biggest grip being those 2 buttons, and the fact the control was like the dual shock 2, which they saw they are not fans of.

Daily tech Cut and pasted out of the article only the negative.

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RE: DailyTech hates the PS3?

By Goty on 10/16/06, Rating: 0

RE: DailyTech hates the PS3?

By Aeros on 10/16/2006 4:01:13 PM , Rating: 2

They report on what is relevant like any pundints would. Going on about trite points no matter how positive they are would be biased.

These are the issues.

If you want to hear about the "ooos" & "aaahs" go read a sony press release.

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I just don't understand this

By encryptkeeper on 10/16/2006 11:42:33 AM , Rating: 2

How can Sony have done so well with the PS2 and now it is doing so poorly with the PS3? The only good press for it lately is that everyone says it's, 'whisper quiet', which doesn't really matter when you're blasting away bad guys in 5.1 surround sound. They just seem to be doing what Nintendo did with the GameCube, making copies of what everyone else is doing but not improving on their ideas.

RE: I just don't understand this

By michal1980 on 10/16/06, Rating: 0

RE: I just don't understand this

By BladeVenom on 10/16/2006 2:11:02 PM , Rating: 2

When Howard Stringer replaced Nobuyuki Idei, Sony was doing very poorly. It's looking better now then when he took over. Sony is a lot more than just the PS3. The PS3 was Started long before Stringer was hired by Sony.

Ken Kutaragi is the president and CEO of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. and responsible for the PS3.

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RE: I just don't understand this

By BladeVenom on 10/16/2006 2:12:44 PM , Rating: 2

Also Stringer is Welsh.

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RE: I just don't understand this

By stmok on 10/16/2006 1:09:02 PM , Rating: 2

They seem to push the PS3 (from a technological and marketing standpoint), a bit too far...What I mean is, they have put alot of faith in new technologies that have yet to be publically demonstrated and proven. There has been delays because of it, and as a result, its a mad rush to get it polished and ready to go.

(New technology or technology that has small marketshare are very susceptable to FUD...Perfect for Marketing Dept to repeatedly hammer into the consumer).

The marketing and hype was REALLY overdone...Their pre-rendered videos started triggering doubts about the capabilities of the machine itself. (to the audience, the cracks started to appear).

News of potential problems with the architecture (chipset) started...I remember there was an article about bandwidth issues at The Inquirer.

Then the "Boomerang" controller wasn't well accepted, so they dropped it. They scrambled looking for new ideas, but ended up using the proven PS controller. (They really went over the top for the "Boomerang" control...Should have stuck with ergonomics and simplicity with style).

Technological delays such as the lack of available Blu-ray components didn't help matters...Then there was the price! (If you look at history, consoles at this price range, you'll see they often resulted in failure...Will it be the same for the PS3? I don't know. Time will tell on that).

To top it off, Europe and Australia's release gets delayed until 2007. :(

And then they worried about Microsoft!

That's one thing you never worry about if you're in the lead. You don't care about Microsoft or their Marketing BS. Because MS is a "marketshare focused" company. All they care about is number of people they can get using their products, and publically putting down competition. (Its actually very childish coming from a 8,000,000lb gorilla corporation)...Check the last 5 years on their smear campaign against Linux, and you'll see what I mean.

You come up with crap that your market can really use and appreciate. Provide something that is refined and useful for them. And despite the competition, you will come out on top or at least be leading the way on popularity and market. (Look at the iPod as an example and you can see why Steve Jobs isn't worried about the Zune.)

Essentially, all the above accumulated into one big pile of doubt and uncertainty for the potential buyer of the PS3.

The only way Sony can redeem itself, is by doing things that will destroy any doubt about what the PS3 and its related services can do or are capable of.

Overall, they have become over confident because of the PS2's success, and have overdone themselves with the PS3 and the hype. (over hype)

Personally, a much better approach would be to develop the PS3 in complete secrecy (with decoy versions to throw off the tech journalists and leaks), but only letting out small snippets of info on it as you progress.

I suppose its important to grab a sample of console users and average Joes/Janes out there, get them to sign NDAs, and ask their honest opinions about the features and designs of the PS3 and related devices. (That's the thing that nearly every corporation forgets: What the heck does the customer want?)

You don't say anything until you're absolutely ready to go. (which is 1 week before release).

Why would you do all this? For three reasons.

(1) You don't set the audience up for endless disappoints with delays and problems. You're product is out! No need to spend money on marketing hype!

(2) Your marketing team can then poke fun of the competition.

(3) You would have manufactured sufficient numbers for your initial release!

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RE: I just don't understand this

By Xavian on 10/16/2006 5:23:16 PM , Rating: 2

You know, that was Nintendo's strategy with the Wii. It seems to be working quite well.

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RE: I just don't understand this

By UserDoesNotExist on 10/17/2006 10:28:02 AM , Rating: 2

I think you're wrong. Apple is scared of the Zune. They won't publicly admit it of course, but companies never admit to being scared of the competition. Why else would they lower the price of their iPod, an incredibly hot item that is selling faster than they can make them, and an incredibly profitable item?

Whether the Zune will live up to Apple's fears is, of course, another matter entirely. Until the Zune starts supporting hotspot music downloads and wireless syncing, I can't see it gaining appreciable market share. But Apple probably knows that too. Such features can easily be added via firmware revision and will probably be added within a year of the Zune's launching, it not earlier.

The Zune doesn't need to get 60% market share to severly dent the iPod. The Zune doesn't even need to be profitable to severly dent the iPod. All it needs to do is to become the "it" item for one brief season to severly dent the iPod. And Apple knows this.

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Four Quid Whores?

By giantpandaman2 on 10/16/2006 12:51:16 PM , Rating: 2

quote:
behave like four quid whores

Not really expected on a news site. I guess DailyTech doesn't plan to appeal to women, ever.

I mean, do what you want, but just thought you all might want to think about such language in the future.

RE: Four Quid Whores?

By giantpandaman2 on 10/16/2006 12:59:32 PM , Rating: 2

BTW-I do realize they state that in the original article. I'm just surprised you chose to quote it at all.

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RE: Four Quid Whores?

By HilbertSpace on 10/16/2006 5:35:18 PM , Rating: 2

Definitely a bad choice to include that in the article. Have we learned nothing in 50 years?!

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RE: Four Quid Whores?

By Kilim on 10/16/2006 10:54:22 PM , Rating: 2

Won't anyone please think of the children!!!

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The reason why boomerang died

By daftrok on 10/16/2006 11:16:09 AM , Rating: 2

The company's name does not come to mind, but I remember a year or so ago that Sony was sued for using dualshock on their controller, thus using patented technology. So to steer away from another lawsuit they came out with SIXAXIS (catchy name) that did not have vibration but moving the controller actually interacted with your game. Now Sony said that vibration would interfere with the SIXAXIS feature, but is in actuality false. You can have vibration along with it, according to the company that sued Sony. Plus, if you guys noticed, the bluetooth SIXAXIS controller is selling for 39.99, which is coincidentally the same exact price as the best playstation 2 controller (Logitech's). So I believe that after a few months a few third-party companies will make this controller have it and in time the games will feature vibration feedback. Seriously after 7 years of good vibrations, you can't just take it away.

RE: The reason why boomerang died

By PurdueRy on 10/16/2006 11:42:34 AM , Rating: 2

You think companies are going to program in rumble information solely for 3rd party controllers? I would say that is highly unlikely. So unless Sony adds it at some random point, also unlikely, then I doubt you will ever see rumble on the PS3

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RE: The reason why boomerang died

By killerroach on 10/16/2006 11:44:49 AM , Rating: 2

That was Immersion... they basically tried to shake down the console makers for money, and Sony flinched. Rather than try to work out a settlement, they instead tried to come up with an excuse, and it didn't really fly.

Personally, I think the PS3 has a lot of potential, but Sony is in dire need of having their entire PR team sacked. Seriously... these guys are like the Keystone Kops of marketing. However, unless something dramatic happens, I'm probably going to be sticking with my PC for gaming, with the money I would've spent on a console instead going to a new GPU and CPU.

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RE: The reason why boomerang died

By michal1980 on 10/16/2006 12:31:02 PM , Rating: 1

naw the sony pr execs, are like the old saying.

a bunch of elephants in a house of glass.

they do need to be fired, and a new team hired.

Because no matter how good the ps3 is/can be. The way sony is presenting it, is definiatlly turning alot of people off. (even if the sony hate is unwarrented, its not let sony is fixing its image)

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Curious............

By Master Kenobi

(blog) on 10/16/2006 9:43:41 AM , Rating: 2

With still several months until launch in Europe, are they trying to whet the appetite of the European gamers? It looks to me like they are fairly pissed off by Sony right now, especially after the "Don't mind waiting" line. http://thisiswaiting.com

RE: Curious............

By Kevil on 10/16/2006 10:30:03 AM , Rating: 2

One website doesn't represent an entire content. In saying that as a European I mind greatly and it will affect my final decision on when or if I buy a PS3.

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RE: Curious............

By otispunkmeyer on 10/16/2006 10:41:36 AM , Rating: 2

its already affected mine, and ive been playing PGR3, TDU and dead rising on the xbox 360 for the past 3 weeks. having a hell of a good time....better than PC gaming even

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The controller can change...

By Exodus220 on 10/16/2006 9:47:28 AM , Rating: 2

The controller can change as the PS3 ages. Look at both Sony and Microsoft, they modified or improved their controllers during the life of their systems. During the PS1 we had the introduction of the Dual Shock controller and it was an amazing thing. During the XBOX we had that massive controller that wouldn't fit in my hand but MIcrosoft recognized it was too big for some and reduced the size...a huge improvement for me. So it isn't impossible or improbably to think that Sony might make modifications or improvements later down the road with their current PS3 controller.

RE: The controller can change...

By NotAok on 10/16/2006 10:05:53 AM , Rating: 2

yeah but the thing that's upsetting is the fact that sony is taking a design that already worked and is making it worse. Microsoft on the other hand has been making their controllers better each time.

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RE: The controller can change...

By Xavian on 10/16/2006 5:28:50 PM , Rating: 2

Problem is, you can only really change the shape of the controller, you cant add anything substantial like buttons or rumble, because many third parties wont program rumble data for those who are in the minority.

This is one of those situations where Nintendo has the upper hand, they dont have to rely on third parties to produce good games for their system, this allows them to REALLY push new technology and innovation forward on their system by using it in their first party games.

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Samsung???

By derekd on 10/16/2006 6:17:43 PM , Rating: 3

Any one else find it entertaining that we are watching Sony's next gen console being played on a 768p or at best 1080i Samsung LCD? Wouldn't you want it to on 1080p since that was supposed to be the reason to go with the PS3?

Firmware

By UserDoesNotExist on 10/17/2006 10:15:34 AM , Rating: 2

I do think that as of late, the DailyTech posts have been written with bias against Sony. But I honestly don't know how anyone can be a Sony fanboy anymore. Lest I be accused of being a fanboy, I was planning on buying a PS3 until the whole Bluray fiasco emerged. Sorry, I'm not putting down $600 on an unproven technology when stable $400 and $250 alternatives exist. I'll wait until the price comes down, sorry.

Anyway, I'm surprised no one's commented on the firmware issue. The article is quick to point out that the PS3 tested uses a slighty out of date firmware revision, but why would they disable CD and DVD reading if they weren't having any problems? Might I need to buy a PS2 again?