PS3 launches in Japan

By Eurogamer staff Published 11 November, 2006

And we were there. Pics and info.

The PS3 launch is likely to remain Japan's most unusual for many moons to come. The man on the street expected Sony to put its considerable marketing clout in full motion months ago, but the first PlayStation 3 commercial arrived only few days before the launch. No ads could be seen in the streets of Tokyo to inform the public that the launch of a new PlayStation console was imminent. In contrast, Wii is everywhere, but it's also true that Nintendo has to explain what it is about to introduce to market. So yesterday, Friday November 10, the day before PS3's launch, the absence of queues in Tokyo came as no shock. Just a surprise.

The uncertainty about the number of units going on sale may have convinced people to stay at home. While Sony announced 100,000 units would be available, the Nikkei Shimbun later confirmed that only 80,000 would ship for launch, and created huge confusion in the mind of gamers and stores alike. Shops in Tokyo's famous Akihabara district were allocated 100-150 units. In total, more than 1,000 people would get a PS3 there. Much smaller game shops could secure only a couple of units. Tsutaya in Shibuya, which normally plays host to countdown events - as it did for PS2 and Xbox - only had 300 machines confirmed. A few major retailers like Bic Camera or Yodobashi Camera were expecting much more, at least 1,000 units, the former expecting 1,200 units at its main store in Ikebukuro and 1,100 in Yurakucho (the business district in central Tokyo). Meanwhile, Yodobashi Camera was getting more than 1,000 units at its game-oriented shop in West Shinjuku and another 1,000 units at its new huge centre in Akihabara. Even so, the scarcity of pre-order campaigns was marked.

'PS3 launches in Japan' Screenshot 1

Ikebukuro.

Uncertainty about shipments forced many stores to sell their units on the launch day itself - obvious nervousness about running pre-orders schemes keeping pre-release hype at bay. Very few online shops went with pre-orders. Even Sony's PlayStation.com website refused to offer hardware pre-orders, just software. So basically, getting a PS3 on day one meant queuing, possibly a couple of days before the release. And even that wouldn't definitely secure you Sony's new console.

In Akihabara, stores shunned PS3 pre-orders in the face of expected shortages, but also to counter the "Chinese" issue. Since the launch of the PS2, Chinese buyers have become a common sight in Tokyo, working in large groups to secure as many units as possible. With PSP and DS Lite, they became organized into networks, even employing local homeless people to increase their chances of success. To avoid troubles (particularly with angry Japanese gamers), the Akihabara stores decided to sell most of their units via lottery. People were given a coupon with a number. At a given time, winning numbers were announced, and the person with the right coupon was able to buy their PS3.

'PS3 launches in Japan' Screenshot 2

Lots of game boxes, including Ridge Racer 7. Tom is sulking.

This almost worked, as most of the foreign buyers gathered on locations where "normal", first-come first-served sales were taking place. And indeed, at Ikebukuro's Bic Camera and West Shinjuku's Yodobashi Camera Game, Chinese was by far the most common language heard in the long queues snaking through the streets. While some South Koreans were also present, a large European presence was also noticeable. In front of the Japanese media, many of them confirmed they were here to get a PS3 and sell it online.

The PS3 was sold out at Shibuya's Tsutaya six hours before the official launch. The first buyer was waiting in front of the store for 30 hours. Even Bic Camera's store in Ikebukuro saw all its 1,200 units sold out by 6am, despite stores across Tokyo apparently only putting the machine on sale from 7am. Ken Kutaragi and others officials chose Yodobashi's Akihabara and Bic Camera's Yurakucho centres for the official countdown event.

In Akihabara, the lottery kicked off. People were anxious to know if they had a winning ticket and also if their number would get them a 60GB unit, not the 20GB version. The 60GB pack was the model desired. In places like Ikebukuro or West Shinjuku, coming at the end of the queue meant getting a 20GB pack. People in front were given paper to fill so they could select the desired model of PS3, games and accessories.

The PS3 was sold out in Japan before sales actually started.

Queues were closed as the number of people queuing matched the number of units delivered to the store. No date was confirmed for the next shipment. As for the games, stores acknowledge the line-up was far from stellar, and this worked in favour of Ridge Racer 7, certainly the most reliably bankable launch title. On average, buyers spent a little more than 70,000 yen (EUR 463 / GBP 311). Rapid shortages of some accessories indicated low stocks of hardware other than the machine itself.

'PS3 launches in Japan' Screenshot 3

What it's all about.

Real problems did not wait for the machine to go on sale. The police had already been in action in Akihabara the day before. A few cases were reported of units being stolen while the trucks were delivering precious shipments to stores.

It is too soon to evaluate any technical issues the PS3 is facing as users are exploring their new acquisitions. SCEJ has already posted an online database with the details on each game. Most of the PS2 online games seem not to work properly on the machine - Final Fantasy XI, Front Mission Online and Nobunaga Online most notably. Even Gran Turismo 4 is experiencing troubles. SCEJ indicates that those issues should be fixed with patches soon. Some users are already reporting PS3 games freezing during play and some other technical issues.

Handicapped by the limited number of units available, the PS3 launch may not have been the huge success the PS2 was. But all the stores are happy that the machine is now out there. This is, and will remain, an incredibly important event, if a low-key one.

We'll be bringing you news from the US PlayStation 3 launch on 17th November, where 400,000 units are confirmed for retail. See you then!

Picture of Eurogamer.

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Comments (130) Latest comment 5 years ago

Comments threads automatically close after 30 days, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • SeanLB #1 5 years ago

    Seems to have gone well thus far then.

  • macksed #2 5 years ago

    its a weekend - and there's news?

  • SeesThroughAll #3 5 years ago

    Most of the PS2 online games seem not to work properly on the machine: FFXI, Front Mission Online or Nobunaga Online. Even GT4 is experiencing troubles.

    It is as I feared. :\

    But why am I bothering? I won't so much as see one before March.... *shrugs*

  • Foxclose #4 5 years ago

    As usual being last to recieve one has major benefits. Like the PSP, all problems will be fixed come March.

  • ProtoformX #5 5 years ago

    Yeah, weekend news is rare, but then the first territory launch of the successor to possibly the most popular home console is quite a big event.

  • Avaloner #6 5 years ago

    Yeah...test the thing on the Japs. We want a tried and tested revision to hit Europe come March :)

  • SeesThroughAll #7 5 years ago

    Yeah...test the thing on the Japs. We want a tried and tested revision to hit Europe come March :)

    That's the spirit! :)

  • BartonFink #8 5 years ago

    So the beta ends in March then?
    So when is the real launch date?

  • rashes #9 5 years ago

    Seems very civilised ... I'm sure Sony Execs would have prefered a bit more chaos and hype!

  • Steroyd #10 5 years ago

    Ah the Japaneese as Beta testers has and seems will always be the way. :D

  • thunderdownunder #11 5 years ago

    Using the term 'damage control' might be a tad extreme at this early stage, but Sony realises that they are in a slight predicament at present, and a European launch with insufficient (in relation to demand-which I assume is still quite high) units wouldn't really help the situation a great deal.

    The March launch will be postponed by at least 3 months.

  • Lother #12 5 years ago

    Are people stupid?!!?!?!

    "Some users are already reporting PS3 games freezing during play and some other technical issues"

    PS3 is teh Brok3n!

  • BartonFink #13 5 years ago

    So the are going to extend the beta :(

  • jiveguy #14 5 years ago

    Congratulations to Sony for selling out the PS3 on day one of launch! Thats going to be hard to beat for the likes of Nintendo and the future launches of next next-gen hardware! Again, well done Sony!

  • thunderdownunder #15 5 years ago

    It's easy to sell out when you have 1 unit available for every 50 people that want to purchase it!!!!

  • captainrentboy #16 5 years ago

    The only plus for us having the console later is that our launch game line up might look a little thicker than the other regions did(Although they too will be getting the games at that point anyway,so not even that is that big of a deal),and that's it guys.We aren't going to be getting a sooper dooper edition of the PS3 that has absolutely no bugs or faults.It seems some of you are still desperately trying to come up with that proverbial 'silver lining' for the European delay,there isn't one,we were shafted,end of :)

  • thunderdownunder #17 5 years ago

    Ultimately, it's just for entertainment, so I think we'll all survive until next year just fine.

  • JediMasterMalik #18 5 years ago

    The PS3 was sold out in Japan before sales actually started.

    Quickest sales of 80K units ever?

    (For comparison reasons, I use 80K, but was 80K confirmed?)

  • BartonFink #19 5 years ago

    So there are already reports of problems? Jaysus it's only a few hours old :(

  • Hench #20 5 years ago

    So there are already reports of problems? Jaysus it's only a few hours old :(

    It could be just rumours. Or people playing without applying the patch or something

  • Psychotext #21 5 years ago

    It's cute that the little PS3 got released and all... and yeah it sold out... but I have money on the Nintendo becoming the fastest selling console in gaming history. I expect to collect.

  • Ramza69 #22 5 years ago

    Im not going to buy a single Playstation anymore i have 2x psone and 2x ps2. All of them are crap, psone cant read cds properly anymore and the ps2 makes Scratches to my dvd:s and sometimes there comes read error, but i have 1 gamecube the first version and it works perfectly.

    And sonys batterys explodes and now ps2 onlinegames wont work on ps3 and sometimes it freezes, and how long will it work until it wont read discs anymore?

    i would buy xbox360 or nintendo wii or both
    Edited by 1 at 11/11/06 @ 12:58

  • SeesThroughAll #23 5 years ago

    *sigh* Why are people surprised that there would be problems. EVERY launch has always had faulty hardware and software.

  • Muddtallica #24 5 years ago

    Well, that's certainly the most unusual sounding launch that I can remember reading about. The system sounded a little bit confusing in places, and it doesn't sound like it really had the feeling of a console launch in the traditional, floodgate opening sense; more like just getting a few units out there to a select few, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory-style. Kind of as if the real, public launch is yet to come. Nevertheless, it sounds like it went off well enough.

    Oh, and I see the Chinese are in there getting as many units as they can...that might mean that my living in China this year might actually work in my advantage.

    Line up, Euro-saps! Which of you poor wretches wants me to get them a PS3? A handling fee of about 300 quid seems reasonable... :p
    Edited by 1 at 11/11/06 @ 12:59

  • turtlesbreath #25 5 years ago

    "Yeah...test the thing on the Japs. We want a tried and tested revision to hit Europe come March :)"
    Nothing will be revised because Sony never admit to any defects :p

  • BartonFink #26 5 years ago

    @Hench - or maybe there is a problem there was reports of freezing and other stuff at TGS too. Maybe they haven't ironed all the issues out yet.

  • JediMasterMalik #27 5 years ago

    lol a Single day, and people are bitching about hardware issues, I think we need to substantiate these rumours before bitching. AFAIK, the issues are only with some PS2 games, not really an enormous issue, but troubling for people who want to play PS2 games on PS3.

  • PearOfAnguish #28 5 years ago

    A PS3 article on a Saturday? Will EG's Sony bias never end?

  • Ramza69 #29 5 years ago

    LOL
    Why are people surprised that there would be problems.

    I DID know from the begining that ps3 would have problems like PsOne and PS2 so we arent surprised

  • PearOfAnguish #30 5 years ago

    According to the Bible anyone working on a Sunday should be stoned to death. I fully support this.

  • JediMasterMalik #31 5 years ago

    A PS3 article on a Saturday? Will EG's Sony bias never end?

    Would you rather wait till Monday? 3 days after the Japanese launch? To hear about something which is old news?

    Didn't think so.

    Retard

    According to the Bible anyone working on a Sunday should be stoned to death. I fully support this.

    Yeh... ok. >_>
    Edited by 1 at 11/11/06 @ 13:10

  • PearOfAnguish #32 5 years ago

    You make the baby Jesus cry, Jedi. I pray for you.
    Pray that you get hit by a bus.

  • pantherboy #33 5 years ago

    Hardly can be called a launch with a paltry 100,000 units. More of a public beta test.

  • Azazel #34 5 years ago

    Hey, it is written... And you can't argue with the literal word of... oh hang on, I'm reading King James version... doh.

    Uh, anyway: There are not nearly enough exclamation marks in this thread! More exclamations!

  • alimokrane #35 5 years ago

    oh Sold out! SHOCKER ... Anywho Cant wait for the Wii Launch in Japan.

  • PearOfAnguish #36 5 years ago

    I read that the Xbox 1 is faster than the PS3 and it costs less. This is because the Cell chip was never actually finished so instead they bought a big lot of unused Pentium 2's off Intel and just wrote 'Cell' on them.
    Edited by 1 at 11/11/06 @ 13:22

  • UncleLou #37 5 years ago

    Since the launch of the PS2, Chinese buyers have become a common sight in Tokyo, working in large groups to secure as many units as possible. With PSP and DS Lite, they became organized into networks, even employing local homeless people to increase their chances of success

    A tad scary.

  • Takeuchi_Riki #38 5 years ago

    PS3 launch model is broken!!!!!!!!! Be advised that launch models have had problems (inescapably I dare to say!!!!).

    Folks I want to buy a JP PS3 in the future but I live in Europe so I can't import anymore!!! This isn't happen' man!!! This can't be happenin' man!!!!!!


    http://ww w.petitiononline.com/doa4ps3/pe...

  • morriss #39 5 years ago

    Where's the Tiger Woods review?

  • captainrentboy #40 5 years ago

    The 360 launch was facking poor,not so much with the amount of stock they put out,as they at least managed something that resembled a worldwide launch like promised,more poor in that such a bloody high percentage of the units sold were fucked,and it was all clearly a bit of a rush job.I'd say only now they are starting to recover,and actually get out consoles that are considerably more reliable.
    I seem to be one of the lucky ones,who managed to get one on launch that's still working fine now,but I can't help wondering if it's sitting there like a ticking time bomb,ready to blow on Dec 10th when my friggin warranty's up :/
    Edited by 1 at 11/11/06 @ 13:43

  • Darkbeat #41 5 years ago

    That new technology is fragile is hardly any surprise. Im still exited to see how things are gonna go with the US release.

  • HarryB #42 5 years ago

    it seems really weird.. like a pre-release lol... the US launch will be more important for the xbox lot I guess

  • caligari #43 5 years ago

    I wonder if any of our fellow EG-ers have managed to get their hands on one.

  • Mordum #44 5 years ago

    @captainrentboy
    High percentages? The numbers were below average. Why do people keep going on as if all the launch 360 consoles were fooked? they clearly were'nt, and it was the loud minority of customers who did have problems that made it seem that way. I did need my Xbox 1 serviced once during its lifespan (launch version), which only took a couple of days then worked fine right up untill I replaced it with the 360, and I was satisfied to only have the one problem. Sony themselves have had a pretty poor record with reliability though.

    Anyway, as far as the launch goes.... it was always going to be a non-event, with so few machines available, I'm sure the US release will be the same (and of course the eventual Euro launch). It'll be interesting to read first impressions from the first people who have actually had to pay money for the PS3 (and not the gaming sites who get theirs to try out for free). Japanese gaming tastes are a little strange though (Ridge Racer?!!), so I'll wait to hear what the yanks think of it.

  • JediMasterMalik #45 5 years ago

    PearOfAnguish, you are a tool.

  • UncleLou #46 5 years ago

    PearOfAnguish, looks like you have to make it even more obvious that you're not serious before all of us get it.

    No, I don't know how, either. ;)

  • SeesThroughAll #47 5 years ago

    @ disc:

    Yes, you will also be able to buy them through the yourpsp.com site.

  • PearOfAnguish #48 5 years ago

    PearOfAnguish, looks like you have to make it even more obvious that you're not serious before all of us get it.

    Jedi is just a little slower than most. He's a 'special' boy.

  • barabbas #49 5 years ago

    Mordum: High percentages? The numbers were below average. Why do people keep going on as if all the launch 360 consoles were fooked?

    Even MS admits problems with the first patch of 360s:

    The company said that "standard and ongoing" analysis of its repair data had pointed to a large number of problems with a particular group of consoles that made up the initial manufacturing run.

    "Returns for repair are coming in for a variety reasons and it's a higher rate than we are satisfied with," it said in a statement reported by The Mercury News.

  • peterfll #50 5 years ago

    Hardware issues are expected and normal, give that element a rest.

    ps Can I get stoned on a Saturday or do I HAVE to wait for Sunday?

  • chronom4n #51 5 years ago

    Now this is the reason why i am glad so some extent that they are delaying the launch this side of the pond. I can see that things are not going to go well for sony and to use the japanese as guinea pigs to evaluate what potential problems lie in wait. Fingers crossed by the time we have a euro launch things will have become more settled in the software and/or hardware issues.

  • Xerx3s #52 5 years ago

    Just wondering though, does EG employ Japanese speaking people for stuff like this? Or did you just threw some English questions at the queue in the hope that someone would understand and reply?

  • peterfll #53 5 years ago

    Yes, Ellie flew in direct from Canada changing her mounty gear for her geisha look as she disembarked the plane.

    She's clever like that.

  • bdc #54 5 years ago

    "Congratulations to Sony for selling out the PS3 on day one of launch! Thats going to be hard to beat for the likes of Nintendo and the future launches of next next-gen hardware! Again, well done Sony!"

    Do you want a smack up the backside or something? Of course they sold out, only 80,000 freaking units were available!

    /bangs head against wall

  • Psychotext #55 5 years ago

    No really... I'm going to be pissing myself laughing when Ninty sells out their 4 million launch allocation in the first week. Sony wont know what hit them and I'll be £800 richer after tax... GO NINTENDO! =)

  • EmiliasHorse #56 5 years ago

    4 million in a week would be a sight to see, do you think it is likely?

  • Psychotext #57 5 years ago

    I would never have thought it possible... but unless the cancellations of pre-orders are just marketing (I doubt it) then yeah, I can see them selling out their launch allocation really quickly. Maybe not in a week, but that wasn't my exact bet anyway. :)

  • JediMasterMalik #58 5 years ago

    @Pear - I think you seemed very serious when you were praying for a bus to hit me. I wasn't talking about your obviously sarcastic cell remark. I'm not as special as you think.
    Edited by 1 at 11/11/06 @ 15:39

  • Muddtallica #59 5 years ago

    I have to say, I am growing increasingly amazed at the number of people on this site who seem totally incapable of detecting irony, even in the most unsubtly delivered wisecrack. Maybe it might help these people if EG implements a system by which any remark that is not to be taken at face value must be typed in green, or accompanied by a picture of Matthew Perry.

  • EmiliasHorse #60 5 years ago

    Are you serious?

  • UncleLou #61 5 years ago

    @Pear - I think you seemed very serious when you were praying for a bus to hit me. I wasn't talking about your obviously sarcastic cell remark. I'm not as special as you think.

    You mean after you called him a retard, because you obviously didn't get the sarcasm in his first comment ("A PS3 article on a Saturday? Will EG's Sony bias never end?";).

    Great posting style, no really.

  • JediMasterMalik #62 5 years ago

    Well I apologise for not noticing his sarcasm in that post, it didn't seem sarcastic to me after the past days.

  • texx #63 5 years ago

    hook line and sinker

  • MadMirko #64 5 years ago

    Really, technical issues even after this long delay. Sometimes it just seems strange. I could understand the rushed PSP to some extend, but with the PS3 they should have been more careful. A lot depends on this machine for Sony, why all this flailing around?

    Although it was decided for me that I can't get one at the (global, paper) launch, it would have been insane anyway. I'll make sure not to get hardware revision 1 somewhen next year, possibly around christmas.

    EDIT: Oh, and for the conspiracy minded: Harrison declined to confirm the March launch in Europe (GamesIndustry.biz), which is allegedly the most important market for Sony. Maybe they do indeed like us and try to not anger the European customer by buggy consoles and non-availability and so decided to wait until they got a proper version with enough supply until they launch around here? :)
    Edited by 1 at 11/11/06 @ 17:50

  • Glitch #65 5 years ago

    £1500 on ebay already?! just been told, not checked myself

  • thunderdownunder #66 5 years ago

    I have a PS3 sitting right here in my living room, and it works fine.

    'Resistance' is great, but I have to say, it's nothing that the 360 couldn't handle. In fact, graphically, 'Gears' is definitely a cut above.

  • wellzy4eva #67 5 years ago

    The interesting statistic would be how many of the 80k consoles were actually bought by users, and how many have been bought just to be sold on.

    This happened a LOT for the xbox360, and a quick look on ebay today brought up 1340 ps3's for sale already. (Usually starting at $1,000 minimum)

    Dave

  • Mugwum Verified Operations Director, Eurogamer Network #68 5 years ago

    "Just wondering though, does EG employ Japanese speaking people for stuff like this? Or did you just threw some English questions at the queue in the hope that someone would understand and reply?"

    We got someone who lives in Japan to do this for us.

  • Mugwum Verified Operations Director, Eurogamer Network #69 5 years ago

    Quoted: "A PS3 article on a Saturday? Will EG's Sony bias never end?"

    "Would you rather wait till Monday? 3 days after the Japanese launch? To hear about something which is old news?"

    I think a) he's mocking us and b) he's quite funny!

  • Mugwum Verified Operations Director, Eurogamer Network #70 5 years ago

    As for the weekend news thing, it was Pat's idea. He thinks it's unfair that EG pays a monthly salary to people who only work five days a week. He has a point, and is a strong and worthy editorial business development manager whom I respect very much. And love.

  • Psychotext #71 5 years ago

    Nice post Mugwum... that's a raise for you! =D

  • monkey-ken-wizard #72 5 years ago

    Strange launch. Looks like Sony is under pressure. It’s certainly going to be an interesting year.

  • old_skool #73 5 years ago

    Well , it seems some industrious Niponese already upgraded his HDD





  • Takeuchi_Riki #74 5 years ago

    Please sign the "Multilingual Voice-Over/Text for NTSC & PAL PlayStation3 games" petition

    http://ww w.petitiononline.com/basw/petit...

  • dog2_99 #75 5 years ago

    yay mine is in the the Air on its way! cant wait! anyone know if the Jap games have any english in them, i remember reading somewhere that due to the Blu-ray that there will be several Lanuages on each one!? oh well dont need much english for Ridge Racer!
    Edited by 1 at 11/11/06 @ 18:49

  • old_skool #76 5 years ago

    Takeuchi_Riki , the games will be region free by all accounts so just import the game from Nippon
    Edited by 1 at 11/11/06 @ 18:52

  • Steroyd #77 5 years ago

    Most of the PS2 online games seem not to work properly on the machine - Final Fantasy XI, Front Mission Online and Nobunaga Online most notably. Even Gran Turismo 4 is experiencing troubles. SCEJ indicates that those issues should be fixed with patches soon.

    Am i reading that right are they talking about GT4 online or are they talking about GT4 the offline game?

    I'm a bit miffed with the double standards of some of these games, FFVII Dirge of Cerberus's online mode has been taken out just for us Europeans. >_>

  • old_skool #78 5 years ago

    disc , I assumed ( incorrectly ?? ) he wanted the "original" Japanese voice/txt in . Arcade type games shouldn't be too much of a hassle to maybe include English , but any story driven game will be another matter .

  • magicpanda #79 5 years ago

    One word.

    PWNTENDO.

  • patchbox360 #80 5 years ago



    Ps3 will be cool, but no point getting hyped until the summer European launch

  • Takeuchi_Riki #81 5 years ago

    old_skool@
    PS3games might be region free but SCEI says that importing is illegal. I can't import anymore!!!!
    Have you noticed what happened to lik-sang.com

    http://ww w.petitiononline.com/basw/petit...

  • Psychotext #82 5 years ago

    disc: The only reasonable explanation I've seen is that it impacts the balance sheet for the importing market (I.E. Sony Europe technically shows fewer PS3 sales) but that doesn't make much sense either as I would have thought the volume would be low.

  • Ace_McCloud #83 5 years ago

    "I can see that things are not going to go well for sony and to use the japanese as guinea pigs to evaluate what potential problems lie in wait."

    Yeah sure. They're using the Japanese as guinea pigs. They obviously just want to make sure that the european market that they care so very much about has the smoothest launch possible...

    This isn't directed at you Chrononm4nnf4nm, but man I hate all this blind Sony love. I can't understand why everyone is getting so worked up about a console that by all accounts isn't that spectacular. Especially one that costs almost 200 pounds more than its nearest (and again by all acounts similar in performance) rival. (According to the 1up show some of the PS3 games actually look like barely decent PS2 games on a standard def tv!!! So hurrah for another 1000 out of the bank account)

    So PS2 dominated. Get over it. Sony have been taking the piss so far, I've never been so dissappointed with so many lies after lies. If Sony wins this generation it better be because they start sucking all of our dicks (or vaginas) in apology for the god awful build up to launch.

  • Lother #84 5 years ago

    Does anyone else realise what a HUGE slap in the face it is to japanese gamers everywhere that the first PS3 was sold to a chinese person?

    KK pissed not only on europeans but their hometeam japs now too.

  • SeesThroughAll #85 5 years ago

    This may come as a shock for you to accept, but Sony is reacting to the competition as they should. And to all accounts, the PS3 looks really interesting regarding it's features and costumization.

    Don't worry, Sony already lost quite a chunk of market share.

    1up, like most american sites, is pro-MS. Any exaggerated critics towards PS3 games should really come as no surprise. Just read their Gears of War review, they clearly state that although great, the game is far from perfect, and still give it a 10. Why? Because Microsoft's prestige demands it. "games looking hardly as good as PS2", bollocks. Only those who want to will believe that bullshit.

  • Psi #86 5 years ago

    im a little unimpressed, i think if liksang was still around there would be a better buz around the place.

    its a bit shit tho, not much on the positive side, few people have one or are getting one. whats the feedback apart from whats reported so far?

    have to say tho, maybe not for me. too much money and im outta work atm :(

  • PearOfAnguish #87 5 years ago

    Does anyone else realise what a HUGE slap in the face it is to japanese gamers everywhere that the first PS3 was sold to a chinese person?

    Does anyone care?
    If idiots want to queue for hours to buy an overpriced console, let them.

  • mrbandersnatch #88 5 years ago

    Lother : "Does anyone else realise what a HUGE slap in the face it is to japanese gamers everywhere that the first PS3 was sold to a chinese person?"

    And what are stores supposed to do? Ask for passports in order to buy a console? Should we add "sumimasen. anata wa sankokujin dakara PS3 ja arimasen" (sorry. Youre a foreign dog so no PS3 for you) to the technotourists guidebook for Japan?

    *Personally* I see that as a good thing since it shows that a market with 3 BILLION plus people is right on Japans doorstep. Sony might just have enough consoles for them by 2107 ;)

  • monkey-ken-wizard #89 5 years ago

    Ah, Brand loyalty is a interesting human trait; it gives people a sense of purpose, identity and belonging. Status anxiety leads people to purchase produces/services that make them feel successful / superior.
    Basically guy's you need to grow up and get over your misguided brand loyalties.
    Do yourselves a favour and buy ‘Gears of war’ next Friday because it’s fucking cool and the best action game since resident evil 4. And then whenever the PS3 comes out get ‘Resistance’.
    Edited by 2 at 12/11/06 @ 11:20

  • Bluetooth #90 5 years ago

    Haha, nice to see the old chinese-japanese rivalry once again. It's the East's England-Germany.

  • Psychotext #91 5 years ago

    Darker side of the PS3 launch:

    [link url=http://www.kotaku.com /gaming/top/foreigners-and-fights-ps3-jpn-launchs-dark-side- 214130.php
    ]http://ww w.kotaku.com/gaming/top/foreign...[/link]

    Really interesting little piece.

  • BartonFink #92 5 years ago

    So just how many of them are breaking?

  • Azazel #93 5 years ago

    The only people who care about this are geeks. I am a geek it must be said. And drunk.

    But still: F**K UP GEEKS.

    iwantadanish

  • tuftiller #94 5 years ago

    lets see when we can get it......

    here's a fun one

    http://cognit ivelabs.com/word_shoot.htm

  • Dizzy #95 5 years ago

    Wait until Wii comes out if you wanne see real chaos in Japan.
    Edited by 1 at 12/11/06 @ 09:11

  • MyPointIs #96 5 years ago

    I wish everybody stopped comparing the graphics of Resistance and Gears of War. If anything, they should compare Gears 360 vs Gears PS3 (whenever/if that comes out) OR ELSE compare Resistance to Perfect Dark (still a futile effort, though).

    But my wish did not come true :)

    Also wish, also in vain, that people stopped blowing out of proportion in forums any reports of faults in new hardware.

    You know? my good friend, who got a japanese PS3, said the battery in the sixaxis exploded, and that the HD picture has dead pixels, and all the Xbox and 360 games crash on it!!!
    Edited by 1 at 12/11/06 @ 09:40

  • Scimarad #97 5 years ago

    His SIXAXIS EXPLODED?!?? Oh my god, was he hurt??

    ...yes alright, I know.

  • MyPointIs #98 5 years ago

    Is NOT funny. He lost two fingers. It blows up if you shake it too much and then press the triggers heavy.

    I also heard that the CELL doesn't have any clipping.

  • Scimarad #99 5 years ago

    Are you telling me a controller really DID explode?

    /is gullible

    Just spotted this on IGN: -

    "Next, we ejected that disc and put in Gran Turismo 4 for the PS2, without changing any of the settings. We did managed to confirm one of the features from our Cross Media Bar segment in IGN Weekly 31, which is that the PS3 will pop up a logo as soon as you start a PS2 game, which enables the SIXAXIS controller to emulate a Dualshock. The game played fine with one quick race, but we also wound up adjusting the visual settings of Gran Turismo, pushing it to 1080i."

    So does GT4 work on the bloody thing or not?
    Edited by 2 at 12/11/06 @ 10:08

  • manic_mouse #100 5 years ago

    "I wish everybody stopped comparing the graphics of Resistance and Gears of War. If anything, they should compare Gears 360 vs Gears PS3 (whenever/if that comes out) OR ELSE compare Resistance to Perfect Dark (still a futile effort, though). "

    Gears of War will never come out on the PS3. MS publish it, which means they own it.

    Why not compare the games? Both are "big gun" console exclusives being released at the same time on opposing platforms. Do you have a problem with an Xbox 360 game eclipsing everything on the PS3, graphically?
    Edited by 2 at 12/11/06 @ 10:23

  • Scimarad #101 5 years ago

    "Do you have a problem with an Xbox 360 game eclipsing everything on the PS3, graphically?"

    Only if that state of affairs continues:-)

  • MyPointIs #102 5 years ago

    Do you have a problem with an Xbox 360 game eclipsing everything on the PS3, graphically?

    Ha, ha! ... erm, no I don't. But we all know that devs get better with every game cycle on a platform. Therefore I think it's stupid to compare a first generation game (like Perfect Dark Zero, or Fantavision) with a more advanced one.

    We all know the differences between both platforms will be very small. But the fact that game X has more detailed textures than game Y says absolutely nothing.

    I like Gears of War, I've played it, and yes it's plain gorgeous at times. But the environments are very static compared to other games (miles away from something like Black) and smaller than those of Resistance. It doesn't support 40 people deatmatches, it's gameplay design its more simple, and it's been in development for FAR longer than Resistance. So?

    To make it clear: I'm not defending PS3. I'm not talking about platforms at all. MyPointIs that saying "OMG Gears of War ROCKS, PS3 is OWNED" it's plain s t u p i d.

  • Takeuchi_Riki #103 5 years ago

    Please sign the "Multilingual Voice-Over/Text for NTSC & PAL PlayStation3 games" petition.
    http://ww w.petitiononline.com/basw/petit...

  • Xerx3s #104 5 years ago

    OR ELSE compare Resistance to Perfect Dark (still a futile effort, though).

    So you want to compare it to a game that had a full year less development (because the ps3 games have been in development roughly the same time as the 360)? I think that it is very normal to compare R & GoW. The point is, GoW doesn't look as good because of the 360, it looks as good because it runs on the U3 engine. When UT2k7 runs on the ps3, it will look just as good or possibly even better.

    The point is, U3 engine is simply one of the best engines out there and there are very few who can get up to the same level. It has nothing to do with the game itself or the platform.

  • Xerx3s #105 5 years ago

    and it's been in development for FAR longer than Resistance. So?

    Thats a porky.

  • BurningR #106 5 years ago

    tuftiller: hey thanks, great game for honing my new blindwriting skill!

  • Steroyd #107 5 years ago

    @Scrimarad

    <a href=http ://uk.ps3.ign.com/articles/745/745439p1.html>PS3 Backwards Compatibility Issues</a>

    Gran Turismo 4: The screen may freeze following the title demo.

    Here's an interesting bit.

    Some problems, including those for Ace Combat 5, Oz, SOCOM and so forth, were fixed with the System 1.10 update. Sony still lists those problems in the database.

    Sony were damn quick to solve some B/C issues already. o_O

    And...

    Games that use the hard disk will currently not run. The problem is that the built-in PS3 hard disk cannot currently be used as a PS2 hard disk. We haven't tried it out ourselves, but this means games like Final Fantasy XI and Nobunaga's Ambition Online won't work.

    I must admit that the Virtual Memory card sounds like it's as much a bitch as the physical PS2 memory cards. :s
    Edited by 1 at 12/11/06 @ 12:15

  • Der_tolle_Emil #108 5 years ago

    The Kotaku article is a great read. And I read the IGN one about BC also. One thing that hit me was at the very end:

    Other backwards compatibility problems will also, hopefully, be fixed in future updates. It's doubtful that the PS3 will every be fully backwards compatible, though, as even the slim model PS2 doesn't play back some PS2 titles properly.

    There are PS2 out there that don't play all PS2 titles? This is the first time I am hearing this.

  • SeesThroughAll #109 5 years ago

    So Sony goes into the BC patching cycle, just like MS.

  • Lother #110 5 years ago

    That was hilarious! A bunch of chinese homeless people who didn't even FRIKKIN KNOW WHAT a PS3 IS bought it. Pure genius, this has got to be gaming's most embarrasing hour!

  • Xerx3s #111 5 years ago

    I don't get it. They build in a ps2 so they wouldn't have this problem. :\

  • Der_tolle_Emil #112 5 years ago

    Xerx3s: Me too; But since it is only the CPU and GPU it is also only these two that they do not have to emulate via software. That games using the harddisk for example do not work comes as no surprise because it is nothing special that the PS3 uses the harddisk in different ways than the PS2 did. So of course hd access needs software emulation. This is where it gets quite complex depending on how the games used the PS2 harddisk. I don't know how they accessed the disk but if it was up to the developers of a game then I wish Sony a lot of fun writing wrappers for all different kinds of games. If there was a standard interface it would probably be not such a big thing. But since this isn't working yet it either a) is much more complex than we know or b) Sony didn't really have the time to implement BC.

    Nevertheless I find it rather strange that various games simply freeze or seem to have timing problems. I have no idea what the exact architecture of the PS2 looked like, but if the main hardware is the same and built-in in the PS3, what is causing those problems?

  • chupachups #113 5 years ago

    "Ah, Brand loyalty is a interesting human trait; it gives people a sense of purpose, identity and belonging"

    It's more practical than that, it's a sort of guarantee that the product will have a minimum level of quality. A company's brand alone can be worth literally billions, so it's in their interests to make sure the brand doesn't get spoilt with inferior products.

    Which would you trust to taste better and be safer: no-brand value fish fingers, or branded Findus fish fingers?

  • PearOfAnguish #114 5 years ago

    so it's in their interests to make sure the brand doesn't get spoilt with inferior products.

    Nice idea, shame it doesn't work like that. Anyone who buys an expensive product because of the brand name alone is a fool.

  • monkey-ken-wizard #115 5 years ago

    Just read this: IGN's PS3 Tony Hawk's Project 8 Review:
    'It's certainly disappointing that the PlayStation 3 is so far behind the Xbox 360 game. Framerate issues are apparent at every other turn, and the lack of online play really hurts. Project 8 is a worthy game to pick up, just preferably not on this system.'
    Oh dear :|

  • rebe #116 5 years ago

    The ps3 will probably never catch up to 360 graphics wise. The ps3 hardware has too many bottlenecks compared to the 360. They will both improve graphically, but the 360 will stay a head.
    Edited by 1 at 12/11/06 @ 19:31

  • Rambaldi #117 5 years ago

    So, only 130 posts about the launch? A reflection of the level of interest or a slow weekend?

    /looks into crystal ball and sees PStuds defending hardware failures whilst hoping no-one remeber their attitude towards the 360 ones.

  • chupachups #118 5 years ago

    "Nice idea, shame it doesn't work like that. Anyone who buys an expensive product because of the brand name alone is a fool."

    You're taking things to an extreme there.

    For example, would you really buy dirt cheap no-brand medicine from the back of a van rather than expensive branded medicine from a well-known pharmacists? If so, you're the one who's a fool.

    If I buy unbranded accessories made in Hong Kong for my phone from ebay, and they're nearly always cheap rubbish that breaks far more quickly than branded accessories bought in a real shop.

  • YourMessageHere #119 5 years ago

    Comparison of a branded thing with an unbranded thing is not appropriate in this case as neither MS nor Sony equate to unbranded. This is more like choosing between established Findus fishfingers and new McCain. Both brands have produced trusted, reliable products before, but the McCain ones are new and unfamiliar. It comes down to subjective choice: which tastes nicer, once you've tried both?*

    ...The overstraining of this metaphor therefore shows that monkey-ken-wizard is essentially right, there's no point in thinking of either X360 or PS3 being more reliable or trustworthy at this stage, as we just don't know how they compare in practice yet.

    *for those unable to think straight, McCain fishfingers are a work of fiction; any similarity to real fishfingers, living or dead, are 76% butter.

  • Psychotext #120 5 years ago

    The scariest thing... now imagine people spending hours of their time defending Findus fish fingers on websites and making up stuff about McCain.

    OMG The new Findus Cod Steak is clearly going to have better breadcrumb coverage than the lousy McCain Cod Crumble. You're such a moron, I have a friend that works for Findus who said that the FCS not only has more breadcrumbs, but is 24% tastier. Can't afford it? Get a job noob.

    Take a long hard look in the mirror fanboys.

  • Daikon #121 5 years ago

    I live in Japan, and if I wanted to get a PS3 (which I don't, not at 60,000 Yen) I could have made a reservation at one of the electronic superstores, no need to get in line.

  • DJmizuhara #122 5 years ago

    I got my PS3 on Saturday the 11th and the machine rocks, I got the 60Gb version and I've had no problems what-so-ever. It was really easy to set-up the Username and the PS3 network account. 40 player Resistance is a riot, no lag, no disconnecting, no freezing just smooth sailing...it's a little quiet though, Bluetooth isn't so popular here in Japan so most of the games in resistance are a little quiet at times. Over all the machine is great...plays everything I've suck in to with little or no problems. I've very happy with my purchase! :D

    My Playstation username is DJmizuhara is anybody wants to add me.

  • mingster #123 5 years ago

    Findus / McCain / Cpt Birdseye Comparisons FTW

    Now we just have to work out which one is which out of Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo.

  • Psychotext #124 5 years ago

    PS3 Ridge Racer vs 360 Ridge Racer

    [link url=htt p://www.hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1119977
    ]http://ww w.hardforum.com/showthread.php?...[/link]

    Quite a cool way of looking at it.

  • HarryPalmer #125 5 years ago

    "PS3 Ridge Racer vs 360 Ridge Racer

    [link url=http://ww w.hardforum.com/showthread.php?...
    ]http://ww w.hardforum.com/showthread.php?...[/link]

    Quite a cool way of looking at it."

    Thats crazy that must be fake surely?

  • Lother #126 5 years ago

    Looks like developers are lazy. After all, it would take a LOT more effort to get a 360 game to look the same on the pS3, and it would take way too much to make it look better. Now the only issue remaining is: "which system will it appear on first" as that will, inarguably, be the one it looks best on.

  • Basselito #127 5 years ago

    First of all. Comparing different titles with each other like Perfect Dark Zero, Gears of Wars, Resistence fall of Men etc is totally pointless. In most cases it comes down to how skillfull the dev's are. There was a whole bunch of people that used Metal Gear Solid 4 as reference on how nice games look on the PS3 meanwhile Hidejo Kojima himself says that it could easily run on a 360. Situations like Project 8 doesn't have to do with that the hardware is weak. In many cases it's about how much effort the dev's have putted in to make the game run as good as possible on the different platforms. I'm almost sure that in Project 8's case Neversoft didn't do a specially good job on the PS3. The reason on the other hand could be that it's a bit more complicated doing games for that hardware.

    And it IS true about the PS3 has a lot of "bottlenecks" in it's hardware. This is what I've been told from a PS2/PS3 coder. Each "section" on it's own is extremly powerful but how they work together is where the "bottleneck" happens.
    Edited by 1 at 13/11/06 @ 12:31

  • Scientist #128 5 years ago

    "For example, would you really buy dirt cheap no-brand medicine from the back of a van rather than expensive branded medicine from a well-known pharmacists? If so, you're the one who's a fool. "

    This is actually a really bad analogy. Branded medicines are incredibly over-priced to the point that developing countries are campaigning to be able to make geneeric versions of drugs which are affordable. The pharmaceutical companies effectively operate a cartel to keep prices high.

    There are many cases where the point you respond to are vaild. For exmaple, unbranded breakfast cereals and cleaning products are often made by the same companies which make the more expensive brand (e.g kellogs, persil). The reason the branded products are more expensive is because of the advertising costs associated with maintaining the brands profile in the marketplace.


  • kangarootoo #129 5 years ago

    Apologies if these have already been posted.

    PS3 disassembly.

    [link url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aHS07EFGZ3g&mode=r elated&search=
    ]http://ww w.youtube.com/watch?v=aHS07EFGZ...[/link]

    Check the side links for the other 3 parts.

  • Reapergold #130 5 years ago

    Lol it sounds like the most unorganised pile of sony plop ive ever heard :) My praires for ps3 to fail seem so far to be coming true :D