Rave reviews for PlayStation3
2006-11-06 13:07
Honolulu - Crammed in the corner of a hotel's banquet hall, they stood and stared silently, mesmerised by what they were seeing. They were watching a soldier gunning down a giant monster on one TV and Miami Heat's Dwayne Wade taking over an NBA game on the other screen.
What they were really experiencing was the new Sony PlayStation 3.
The much-awaited video game console comes out on November 17 in the US.
Sneak peak
Thousands of lucky gamers tested the PS3 over the weekend at the 2007 Sony Expo in Honolulu, two weeks before the debut.
Almost all were males - from boys with braces and baggy jeans to gray-haired baby boomers. They crowded around two gaming booths with the sleek, lean, black machine behind a plastic case.
"The graphics are crazy, way better than the second one," said Doug Morrison, a 20-year-old University of Hawaii student. "It's more realistic. It's smoother. It doesn't have any glitches.
"I'm going to get one no matter what."
Not cheap
Forget Elmo, the third-generation PlayStation will top many wish lists to Santa this holiday season. And hopefully Santa saved because the PS3 isn't cheap.
The system starts at $500 for a 20 GB version. The price tag on the 60 GB model is $600.
People looking to cash in on the high demand and limited supply are already selling their pre-reserved PS3 consoles on eBay for well over $2 000. Rights to one PS3 recently sold for $3 250, plus $50 for shipping. It received 48 bids.
Shortages loom
Kazuo Hirai, chief executive of Sony Computer Entertainment America, said about 400 000 units will be available in the US in the initial launch and an additional 600 000 by the end of this year.
Sony hopes to have a total of 2m consoles in the US market by the end of company's fiscal year, which ends in March.
"Unfortunately, there are going to be some shortages," Hirai said in an interview. "I ask for everybody's patience. We are pedal to the metal in terms of trying to get as many units as possible into both the Japanese and American market."
Hirai said he doesn't even have a PS3 at home yet, even though his 12-year-old son has been begging for one.
Impressive specs
The PS3 is driven by a high-powered cell processor, making game play super-smooth and graphics amazingly detailed. A gigabit ethernet for online gaming and a Blu-Ray disc player comes standard on the console, as does a wireless controller.
The PS3 can play games and movies at "1080p," which is the highest definition resolution currently available.
But Sony has already experienced problems in developing the PS3. Sony reported a $366m operating loss in its gaming division in the third quarter because of development charges. The launch in Europe was delayed until March 2007 because of mass production problems in the Blu-Ray drive.
- AP