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The story
A thread on 5ch’s hardware/industry (“geha”) board revisited the question of why the PS3 is remembered as such a massive failure. Released in 2006, the console drew early criticism for its high price, bulky size, and the notoriously difficult-to-develop-for Cell processor — and multiplatform titles became infamous for “degradation,” with the PS3 version often suffering worse frame drops and lower visual quality than versions on other systems. In the thread, some argued the fatal blow was Sony cutting PS2 backward compatibility early on, while others drew comparisons to the PS4, PS5, and even Nintendo’s Switch 2. Opinions were also split on how to judge the console’s eventual worldwide sales total of roughly 87 million units.
What people said
SCE basically went insolvent and got reborn under a different name
no wonder Sony corporate hated it
I heard the PS2 actually wasn't all that profitable
it was full of similar-looking titles — there was almost nothing I actually wanted to play
though I am grateful it's how I got to experience Fallout 3
The Wii U's worldwide cumulative sales: 13.56 million units, domestic Japan sales: 3.34 million units.
at least that one didn't bankrupt the company
really shows how much SIE hates catchy, character-driven games 🙄
https://youtu.be/YxHk3esxis8?si=8Ltc5up4xclAVkeu
yeah yeah, Western games are amazing, amazing (eye-roll)
are you telling me you can rewrite history?
that "skinny dogs" thing was about PSP users, so those people probably never even bought a PS3 to begin with
the PS3 back then was even more expensive than that
so that means the slowing Switch 2 is losing average consumers too, huh
When my wife and I were furnishing our place after getting married, TV was still king, so instead of buying a separate recorder to save money, we just got a PS3 and Torne.
Back then there wasn't really a way to show everyone photos from a digital camera through the PC, so we'd use the PS3 to view vacation photos on the living room TV.
I'd rip CDs on the PC and play the music through the TV via the PS3, and watch videos I'd downloaded on the PC on the living room TV through it too.
When I ended up hospitalized, I had someone copy TV recordings onto my PSP so I could watch them there.
It wasn't really about the games — I used it more like a household appliance.
why not just output straight from the PC to the TV…?
does using PlayStation make you dumber or something?
back then PCs hadn't fully adopted HDMI yet
it wasn't like today where every PC comes with it standard no matter what you buy, so depending on your setup it's not that strange a story
besides, this was still the GeForce era, so it was more of a niche enthusiast topic than something about graphics card performance
these days a smart TV or a Fire TV Stick uses less power than a PC and has its own upsides too, I'd say
damn that's insanely nostalgic lol
I was playing that right around the PS3 era, extra points for the artistry
isn't that not really true for Tales though?
the ports of Vesperia, Xillia, Xillia 2, and Graces f were all fairly well received, I'd say
that's basically unheard of
I don't know about anyone else, but it killed my enthusiasm
yeah, I think that was the fatal blow too
wonder if Nintendo will pull the same move with the Switch 2
unlike the PS3, which had backward compatibility via an actual PS2 chip built in, the Switch 2's compatibility works by tricking the system (not the best way to put it) into thinking Switch games are Switch 2 games — so cutting that feature wouldn't actually save any cost
the only part I don't get is the "this was the GeForce era" bit
GeForce vs. Radeon hasn't really changed since back then
though S3 Chrome was still around at the time
what I meant was that it wasn't like today, where HDMI or DisplayPort comes standard on every graphics card
domestically, the PS3 and PS4 sold almost the same number of units
why didn't the PS4 sell better in Japan?
it was cheaper and didn't really have anything bad going against it
Nintendo has released home consoles 7 times, and only the Wii ever outsold it (1 win, 6 losses)
Even counting handhelds, only the Game Boy, DS, and Switch have beaten that number 😂
Background and Key Points of the Discussion
At its 2006 launch, the PS3 was criticized for being priced higher than rival consoles, for its large casing, and for the notoriously difficult-to-program “Cell” processor — and multiplatform titles were repeatedly called out for “degradation,” with PS3 versions often suffering more frame drops and lower visual quality than their counterparts on other systems. Sony Computer Entertainment (SCE) posted major losses around this period, and cut PS2 backward compatibility relatively early after launch. At the same time, the console’s worldwide cumulative sales eventually reached roughly 87 million units, so it’s not simply a case of the hardware failing to sell. Where the thread split was over whether the core of the failure lay in “price and development difficulty” or in “cutting PS2 compatibility,” with the discussion weaving in comparisons to successor consoles and rival hardware.
※This article is compiled as an excerpt and summary of the 5ch (Hardware/Industry (“geha”)) thread “It’s Expensive. It’s Huge. It’s a Nightmare to Develop For, and Multiplatform Games Look Worse on It. — Why This Console Was Such a Massive Failure“.
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