Does PS3’s extra power really matter?

It is common knowledge that the PS3 has tons of untapped potential that nobody has even seen yet. As amazing as Killzone 2 looks, it is still not using the complete computing power of this behemoth. With its Blu-Ray capabilities and 8 cores, we can only imagine how amazing games like Uncharted, Gran Turismo 5 and God of War III are going to look as final products. The question is; does it really matter?
The first problem that Sony is facing is that fact that everyone is demanding a price cut while they are still struggling to turn a profit on system sales. Their production costs are much higher due to the price of all of the components needed to manufacture a system this powerful. Many people are sitting by the sidelines, just waiting for the price to drop before they make the purchase. Microsoft, on the other hand, was able to drop the price on their stripped down base model due to lower manufacturing costs. This allowed them to attract some of the more casual gamers in the market.
The next problem that Sony is facing is the cost of development of exclusives such as Killzone 2. In the time that it took for Guerrilla to release their AAA title, the 360 had already seen the creation of its new system-selling title, Gears of War, as well as its sequel. As studios such as Polyphony, with Gran Turismo 5, try to create groundbreaking titles that redefine visuals in gaming, the PS3 has been missing out on titles that made its predecessor so great.
As we are stuck waiting for the release of these AAA exclusive titles, the Xbox continues to sell and gain a market share on the PS3. The biggest problem is that in this economy, the studios want to minimize risk and are looking for the safe bet more than ever. It is no secret that the 360 is easier and faster to develop on than the PS3 and with the 360 continuing to sell so well, this does not give them much incentive to develop exclusively for Sony’s system. We have seen this already with both the GTA and Devil May Cry series’ going multi-platform.
So the question is, while everyone is waiting for the PS3 to finally reach its potential, in the end, will it really matter if/when it ever does? Or will it be too late?
Written by:
Wall street
















