PS3 “Insider” Information Part 2: Online, Cells, and Loose Ends

With Part 1 of Scrivener’s “insider” information on the PS3, we’ve discussed his take on the console’s launch lineup, and his opinions on Blu-Ray vs. HD-DVD. In Part 2 we cover other things that are still relevant today about Sony‘s next-gen system. For those of you who have already taken part in online debates about the PS3, much of this is old news (Scrivener’s article-of-opinions-and-reports was posted August 18), but his opinions are still interesting (judging by your comments in the previous article and in other related articles here at QJ, even if this is old news, it’s still news that just won’t die).

Scrivener pretty much hit back at almost every criticism levelled at the PS3 and Sony: Blu-Ray, cost and pricing issues, online, the Cell, 1080p support, and third-party support. We at QJ have tons of speculations, but we’ll leave you with an easy set of questions: Scrivener’s claim that (PS3 online) = (Xbox Live Gold with no subscription fees) got us thinking.

• Scrivener claims that Sony will make their online subscription-free. But can the company sustain it?
• Will they eventually start charging for premium services?
• Will the costs simply pass on to game developers whose titles feature online multiplayer? Will this mean higher game prices? Or will those developers be the ones who will charge for multiplayer?

Jump in on the fun and controversy! Read the full version of this article (click on the Full Article link below).

With Part 1 of Scrivener’s “insider” information on the PS3, we’ve discussed his take on the console’s launch lineup, and his opinions on Blu-Ray vs. HD-DVD. In Part 2 we cover other things that are still relevant today about Sony‘s next-gen system. For those of you who have already taken part in online debates about the PS3, much of this is old news (Scrivener’s article-of-opinions-and-reports was posted August 18), but his opinions are still interesting (judging by your comments in the previous article and in other related articles here at QJ, even if this is old news, it’s still news that just won’t die).

• System Life (or the opposite, system death): Scrivener said that Sony went as far and as expensive as they did with the PS3 system because they wanted to make a console that would last ten years. It’s pretty much the same thing Sony execs announced to the media, so nothing new there. And from our perspective, the jury’s still out on whether the PS3 will hold its tech lead that long.
• Online: “Online service is absolutely, positively 100% free… no tiers, no subscription. It’s like having Xbox Live Gold, but you don’t have to pay for it.” Scrivener also said that features for PS3 online include multiple online IDs (as opposed to one gamertag), friends list, auto-2 based on skill or ranking, full online profiles, and EyeToy and EyeToy HD integration (photo profiles, video chat). Those look like fighting words. Presuming the PS3’s online service will be subscription-free, this looks like Sony’s bid to take on the Xbox in its own backyard (for reference, we reported before on Major Nelson’s take on Sony’s “basic” online features and comparing that to Xbox Live Silver).
• Web and Keyboard: The PS3 has a web browser and keyboard and mouse support (surfing the web should go easier than using a controller). Sony won’t make 1st party keyboard/mouse peripherals, and they’ll allow their use in games (such as FPS titles), but they prefer that developers concentrate on the controller instead.
• SDKs and Cells: Scrivener said that Sony has shipped more than 10,000 SDKs to third-party developers, and that there are more than 350 titles in active development for the PS3. All eight cores in the console will be enabled. “Reports of SPEs ‘dying’ are just plain rubbish.” Scrivener also tackled reports of lower Cell yields. The Cell has “naturally lower yields” because it’s a new and more powerful tech. Second, Cell yields were known by Sony far in advance. The company takes only the best silicon wafers to be made into Cells.
• Cost: “PS3 games will generally cost the same as Xbox 360 titles.” Scrivener said that the across-the-board $10 price hike is meant to cover the additional production costs related to HD-quality assets. “Better graphics means higher production costs.” We at QJ wonder if costs will go down as HD graphic assets become more common in the industry.
• HDMI: We’ve reported that Sony’s gone and deleted the HDMI cable from the PS3 package as there aren’t enough HDMI TVs in the market yet. Scrivener says that even the 20GB PS3 will support full 1080p via the component cable. Only hitch: there aren’t any TVs in the market that support 1080p via component. But “that’s an issue of support from TV manufacturers.”
• Launch and Units: North America will be getting about 700,000 of the first 2 million unit run with a second shipment before Christmas with an equal number of units (compared to the 360’s 400,000 initial North American run and the following 5-month gap in shipments). The balance of production/shipping between the 20GB and 60GB versions had not been decided, but as both are produced at the same plants and with the same basic parts anyway, shifting from one to the other won’t be a problem. Scrivener’s betting the 60GB will be the more “common” one, though.

Scrivener pretty much hit back at almost every criticism levelled at the PS3 and Sony: Blu-Ray, cost and pricing issues, online, the Cell, 1080p support, and third-party support. We at QJ have tons of speculations, but we’ll leave you with an easy set of questions: Scrivener’s claim that (PS3 online) = (Xbox Live Gold with no subscription fees) got us thinking.

• Scrivener claims that Sony will make their online subscription-free. But can the company sustain it?
• Will they eventually start charging for premium services?
• Will the costs simply pass on to game developers whose titles feature online multiplayer? Will this mean higher game prices? Or will those developers be the ones who will charge for multiplayer?