Sony takes big step into home entertainment - PSX Announced

[Perfect Stu]

Check this out for a clear, organized article on the PSX.

More pics:

[Rndm_Perfection]

First off... what are we going to call the original PSX, PSone?! D'oh... I've always hated the title.

Anywho, this new Playstation looks impressive. And, honestly, I could find a use for each of its functions. If the PSX could be used as an internet surfing device, I'd almost have a reason to scrap my computer!

Hell, that gets rid of your basic gaming system, "boombox", dvd/vhs player, "TiVo" (even though I've always just recorded with VHS), and possibly even a computer? Why, that's just nutty. For $500, I'd almost call it a steal.

Hopefully it keeps the great functions. And people, the Phantom did have a few good ideas, believe it or not.

[gekko]

Originally posted by Perfect Stu
please explain.

I see this as the VCR of the next generation. Was the VCR a bad idea? If you wanted all of the features the PSX offers, you would need to buy a DVD player, a Playstation 2 (the new models that are coming out soon), and a TiVo with DVD recording abilities. These are all features that are part of the future of home entertainment, and Sony is offering all of them in a single piece of hardware. Where's the " bad idea " part?

No, I'd have to buy a TiVo, which I would have if I wanted one.

If you haven't gathered over the years Stu, I don't like when companies try to create the "digital entertainment lifestyle" (cheesy marketing term Microsoft is using in a recent survey). I want a game system to play games. When the consoles are announced, I want them to talk about the games. Maybe throw in the DVD player thing at the end. But what have I been hearing lately? PS3 and Xbox 2 to use TiVo technology! Why the hell do I give a damn? If I wanted a Tivo, I would buy a Tivo. When I want a game system, I will buy a game system. I don't want to buy a game system/pc/dvd player/cd player/tivo/time machine/microwave/walkman/*

[Perfect Stu]

PSX is not a game system. It's not rivalling Gamecube and Xbox. PS2 support was simply a no brainer, considering the following:

Here's what's going on:

Sony's profits as a whole company are non-existent. They're pretty much losing money across the board, with the SCE unit being the saving grace. The PS2 architecture is very powerful, and almost wasted on the PS2 game console. So they decide to take the proven technology in the PS2, and utilize it for something that is more than the sum of it's parts.

The PS2 processors are running this new box, but it's not a "real" PS2. It's a home entertainment box, a media hub, so to speak. It's meant to watch and record TV, burn those programs to DVD, but all that functionality is powered by the PS2 processors.

Hey, since we're already using the PS2 hardware, let's make this thing play the games, too. So what you're basically getting is a combination DVD recorder and PVR ... with a "free" PlayStation 2 thrown in.

This isn't meant as any sort of threat to Nintendo or Microsoft. It's simply Sony using the same technology to reach new markets. It's pretty smart business, really.

Now, I'm fully expecting people to take what I'm saying with a grain of salt, considering where I'm coming from. Bear in mind that I'm a tech junkie, and I own every console, and a ridiculous amount of electronics. This isn't really going to be much of a blip on the gaming radar, but will be a real powerhouse in the PVR space.

[bobcat]

Originally posted by gekko
No, I'd have to buy a TiVo, which I would have if I wanted one.

If you haven't gathered over the years Stu, I don't like when companies try to create the "digital entertainment lifestyle" (cheesy marketing term Microsoft is using in a recent survey). I want a game system to play games. When the consoles are announced, I want them to talk about the games. Maybe throw in the DVD player thing at the end. But what have I been hearing lately? PS3 and Xbox 2 to use TiVo technology! Why the hell do I give a damn? If I wanted a Tivo, I would buy a Tivo. When I want a game system, I will buy a game system. I don't want to buy a game system/pc/dvd player/cd player/tivo/time machine/microwave/walkman/*

I agree with you there.

You get the best quality from buying separate hardware items. The Ps2 got away with DVD coz there was a high demand which was a very logical and feasible idea at the time.

Either way I prefer JBL/Pioneer for home entertainment over Sony anytime.

[DeathsHand]

Wow that sounds like a pretty sweet dilly-o... Tis a shame it will cost too much... And I already have a PS2... And no money... And I probably wouldn't use the recording stuff very often, if ever...

[Jonbo298]

Originally posted by gekko
No, I'd have to buy a TiVo, which I would have if I wanted one.

If you haven't gathered over the years Stu, I don't like when companies try to create the "digital entertainment lifestyle" (cheesy marketing term Microsoft is using in a recent survey). I want a game system to play games. When the consoles are announced, I want them to talk about the games. Maybe throw in the DVD player thing at the end. But what have I been hearing lately? PS3 and Xbox 2 to use TiVo technology! Why the hell do I give a damn? If I wanted a Tivo, I would buy a Tivo. When I want a game system, I will buy a game system. I don't want to buy a game system/pc/dvd player/cd player/tivo/time machine/microwave/walkman/*

Well said gekko, well said. I've been preaching like that for a good while now. No extra crap that will cost more, just give me my damn games!

[Perfect Stu]

Originally posted by Jonbo298
Well said gekko, well said. I've been preaching like that for a good while now. No extra crap that will cost more, just give me my damn games!

this is not a game console. I will not tell you again.

[bobcat]

Question (to Stu)

Is this a games console?



Looks nice though, but looks can be deceiving.

By looking at those pics for some reason, it makes me think that Sony is implying " Pretty Please put me in your Home Theatre Setup". Looks like a desperate cry to me to get more users (I thought they already had enough!)

[bobcat]

quoted by Stu

please explain.

I see this as the VCR of the next generation. Was the VCR a bad idea? If you wanted all of the features the PSX offers, you would need to buy a DVD player, a Playstation 2 (the new models that are coming out soon), and a TiVo with DVD recording abilities. These are all features that are part of the future of home entertainment, and Sony is offering all of them in a single piece of hardware. Where's the " bad idea " part?

One single piece of hardware is more likely to fail with so many things in it(hardware fail i'm talking about). I never buy those things that are 3 or 4 in 1 (like Printer/Scanner/Photocopier). I've heard nothing but bad news about them (and I can tell you from experience).

For optimum quality, and overall piece of mind, I would NOT buy something like this coz if one thing breaks down, chances are other things may not work. It's a stupid idea. And that goes for anything else they try to cram into one box. That's MO on it.

[Shiz]

i agree with you gecko, but then, stu said its not a game console.

i dont want it to have everything in the world. i just want my damn video games in a box thats all lol...a dvd player would be nice, nothing else really though.

[Dyne]

On Gaming Age last night, all we got was some story called "Sony announces PSX" and turned out to be a very engrish article. We were laughing our asses off because we couldn't understand it at all. Now I see this and I think it's more of a joke. Gekko's nailed it. I think Xbox is the limit of functionality of what a game console should be. You could burn soundtracks, so they could be ingame. It had a DVD player, so you could watch DVDs like Shenmue that was packaged with Shenmue 2. It was useful in that respect. Whereas PS2 only had the DVD playback, next gen I think they're going overboard with TV functionality or whatever. Now they announce this, with the Playstation brand branded on it. What the hell is wrong with them. I think they're losing their guns.

I feel the same way about functionality about PSP. If I want to watch movies, I'll watch them on a laptop, not hunched over in fetal position for 2 hours in some subway.

[gekko]

No Stu, it's not, but PS3 is, Xbox 2 is. This is part of the campaign to rule your entertainment center, and it's that which I dislike. These are all spawning from the ideas which are also supposed to be part of their next consoles. Sony is trying to make the all-in-one entertainment center, Microsoft wants the same thing. I want both to go to hell.

This isn't PS3, this isn't Xbox 2. But it's part of the transition from games to entertainment; a transition I am against.

[Jonbo298]

Originally posted by Perfect Stu
this is not a game console. I will not tell you again.

I can clearly see that I was talking about what's gonna happen when the next consoles roll out. Not about this thing Sony is releasing.

[Perfect Stu]

I didn't realize that PS3 was announced and that it will have all of these features included with it