The PS3 at GDC: Extremetech impressions.

[theWacoKid]

And it ain't good. Previously, they were one of the very few sites, that viewed sony's E3 presentation last year as the smoke and mirrors show that it was. Without further adieu.

PS3 Goodness—or Lack Thereof

But what about the PS3? Our feelings are summed up in one word—disappointment. We saw an underwater demo with thousands of fish, we saw rag doll demos with about a thousand soldiers standing outside in barren wastelands devoid of any vegetation or interesting landmarks, and we saw some vehicle destruction physics in the same environment. There was a demo of Motorstorm, the off-road racing game, that didn't really resemble a game at all. It showcased the ability to tear up the muddy ground. In all honesty, they looked extremely unimpressive by next-gen standards, and certainly don't reinforce the vision presented last year at E3.

More game-like demos were shown, too. Warhawk is a playable flying/shooting sci-fi game, but it looks like a bad Xbox 360 title. The only impressive kinda-sorta game demo was a noninteractive fly-through of a futuristic city, complete with long lines of flying cars (think Futurama) by Insomniac games. It looks like this is the early work on a next-gen Ratchet & Clank game.

The crux of the speech was on Sony's online plans, their PlayStation Network Platform (an internal name, not the final consumer name). The basic service will be free, and will include unified login and player profiles, a shop to buy content online, and voice/video chat. It will support developers running their own servers (a feature recently added to Xbox Live), all forms of commerce (outright purchase, micropayments, subscriptions), and the ability to see your friends' lists and access online game store purchases from within a game. Every single thing Sony talked about made us think, "This sounded good when I heard it a year ago from Microsoft." From the look of it, Sony is clearly playing catch-up with Xbox Live, and with no specific announcements about game titles that will be digitally distributed or subscription MMOs or even a live demonstration of the interface, it seems they're way behind.

Sony had better be saving the "big guns" for E3, because what they showed at GDC this year left us sorely disappointed.


Hmmm, "looked extremely unimpressive by next gen standards". Also, "Warhawk... looks like a bad xbox 360 title." OUCH!! But I thought the xbox 360 was just an xbox 1.5. Say it ain't so, sony, not after 10 months time where you could've polished that smoke and mirrors routine. Oh, wait, showing cg videos just isn't going to cut it anymore. Nobody's buying that bs routine not even brain atrophied sony worshippers.

Oh, yeah, the awesome power of the cell, 4d gaming, the uber console that is the ps3. NOT!

Oh and here's the link if you think I"m making any of this up.

http://www.extremetech.com/article2/0,1697,1941619,00.asp

Ack, ack, ack.

[thelastword]

So what does this mean exactly? I'll tell you, NOTHING. Have you not seen glimpses of the PS3's power at last years E3? All of the games shown at E3 2005 was not CG. As a matter of fact, the most impressive next gen game shown last year was MGS4, that was all realtime, do you have a clue.

The GDC was never about showing games, it's more or less a conference where the tools, compilers and general development including programming techniques are shared and discussed. E3 2006 will show what this machine can really do, showings from Namco, Square,Konami, Ea and Sony will surely tell the tale. As a matter of fact Insomniac's next gen Ratchet game is looking quite impressive according to your very article. Does this mean every game will look like MGS4 at PS3's launch? NO. Hell, Resistance (formerly I8) is now scheduled for release after the PS3's launch, there's much time for this title including warhawk and all the others to shape up to next gen standards.

Judging the PS3 from early showings of games that has a considerable amount of dev time left, says absolutely nothing to me. It just shows how insecure the xbots are relative to their machine's capabilities. So they bash the hell out of the PS3 based on incomplete and early code that's hardly tasking the PS3. All the talk about untold legends on the PS3 and now this is all BS. The PS3 will be playable at E3 this year with finalized specs and a finalized controller, this is when we will witness what this machine can do. Until then, all these negative articles are all BS.

[trebor]

All of the games shown at E3 2005 was not CG.

You're delusional.

I don't think we've seen an accurate representation of what gameplay will actually look like for any game on PS3. What was shown at E3 2005 carries as much weight as what was shown regarding "Emotion Engine".

I.E. it amounts to Jack Sh!t - and Jack just left town.

[slade]

You're delusional.

I don't think we've seen an accurate representation of what gameplay will actually look like for any game on PS3. What was shown at E3 2005 carries as much weight as what was shown regarding "Emotion Engine".

I.E. it amounts to Jack Sh!t - and Jack just left town.

What was shown regarding the Emotion Engine was realized by quite a few PS2 games. I think I linked to the technical demonstrations shown by Sony at TGS 1999 a while ago. I'll go look them up. Anyway, Heavenly Sword which was a tech demo at E3 was running in real time at GDC. If Ninja Theory can pull it off then I have no doubt that Insomniac and Incog can match their games with what was shown at E3. And in the case of Insomniac, the build they showed was from last december.

Edit: I did find them. Yippeeee!!!!!!

http://ps2movies.ign.com/media/news/video/ps2demos/psx2_2.mpg
http://ps2movies.ign.com/media/news/video/ps2demos/psx2_1.mpg
http://ps2movies.ign.com/media/news/video/ps2demos/psx2_3.mpg

[theWacoKid]

So what does this mean exactly? I'll tell you, NOTHING. Have you not seen glimpses of the PS3's power at last years E3? All of the games shown at E3 2005 was not CG. As a matter of fact, the most impressive next gen game shown last year was MGS4, that was all realtime, do you have a clue.

The GDC was never about showing games, it's more or less a conference where the tools, compilers and general development including programming techniques are shared and discussed. E3 2006 will show what this machine can really do, showings from Namco, Square,Konami, Ea and Sony will surely tell the tale. As a matter of fact Insomniac's next gen Ratchet game is looking quite impressive according to your very article. Does this mean every game will look like MGS4 at PS3's launch? NO. Hell, Resistance (formerly I8) is now scheduled for release after the PS3's launch, there's much time for this title including warhawk and all the others to shape up to next gen standards.

Judging the PS3 from early showings of games that has a considerable amount of dev time left, says absolutely nothing to me. It just shows how insecure the xbots are relative to their machine's capabilities. So they bash the hell out of the PS3 based on incomplete and early code that's hardly tasking the PS3. All the talk about untold legends on the PS3 and now this is all BS. The PS3 will be playable at E3 this year with finalized specs and a finalized controller, this is when we will witness what this machine can do. Until then, all these negative articles are all BS.

Oh, look, a brain atrophied sony worshipper showed up, with his brain still in major freeze lock. Yeah, right, extremetech are some xbox fanboys looking to take sony down a peg, or maybe they're an unbiased outsider to the console scene who call a spade a spade.

Man, I can see the flop sweat forming at your temples as you bang away at the old keyboard. Hey, I didn't post those boring screen shots of Untold Legends with psp style visuals. Blame SOE. As for Resistance, oh, uninformed one, Insomniac said the game releases positivley this year, so its either a launch title or shortly thereafter, and from the blurbs I've read concerning that one, its also not living up to its E3 trailer, which I thought was unimpressive even back then.

Hey, don't worry about it, its not like you'll be finding a ps3 to buy anyway this November, so they'll be plenty of time to fix things in post. 6 million shipped by march of 2007. ROFLMAO!!! That's a good one. One million a month. LOL!! This is the same malarky they spewed with the psp. We're producing a million a month. They launch in japan with less than 200k. WTF? What happened to a million a month, sony.

Yeah, all the negative articles are BS but the positive ones are the truth, I suppose. Man, I"m glad I don't live in your little fantasy world. Hey, how does it feel to have your little uber console kicked in the balls a few times. Hurts, don't it? You and your next gen twaddle and rips on the 360. Worry about the growing stench in your own backyard as sony poops out some more pr logs and more and more journalists begin calling them out and asking what happened? This stuff doesn't look your E3 trailer montage.

You want to live by the pr sword, then you're going to die by the pr sword. And when the ps3 simulatneous launch nose dives into the ground in a flaming ball of fire, hey, don't be suprised. And when sony's launch titles DON'T raise the bar on next gen gaming, no shocker there, either, unless of course, you're this sad little sony worshipper who buys into every piece of sony pr as if it were the gosple truth. This is just the beginning of the sony train wreck that is the ps3 launch. Woo-hoo! All aboard.

[thelastword]

Exactly, People who still deny that the tech demos on the EE was not realized are just those who just did'nt play PS2 games or are in some serious denial of the facts. Silent Hill 3, Tekken 5, Mgs3,Gow,Sotc have eclipsed everything that was shown in those demos back in 99.

Unreal 2k7 was running in realttime, it was quite impressive now, was'nt it, so was heavenly sword. So apart from Metal Gear there were many other games which looked great, yet they were very early builds. As I said before even the MGS4 realtime demo that these same industry journalists ranted and raved about only gave a glimpse of the capabilities of the ps3. According to the devs at Konami, it is only now that MGS4 is looking next gen, and even then with it's ps2 level environmental textures, it rapes everything on the 360 in a vein beyond lunacy.

People want to talk about early builds of games, but what about early builds that clearly outclasses the 360's best. Have you guys seen Ea's new Medal of honor shooter? Will that run on the 360 in style? What type of framerate does oblivion run at on the 360? These are the questions these guys should ask. There are too many high profile projects from high profile devs that we have to see in full force yet, I'm talking Lair,Gt5,Ea's true next gen efforts etc.. too many to list right now, but all of us have seen bits and pieces over the net these last couple of months and weeks to know that the games are indeed coming along.

I remember when Mgs2 was shown at E3, all the fanboys said it was impossible., Fake,Cg etc..You know not only was and it run at 60fps, it was one upped by Mgs3. It's the same endless and useless cycle really, people will talk the same S4it. I believe in proof, the proof is that Mgs2 was done and eclipsed, GT3 eclipsed Gt2000 shown at E3 and GT4 eclipsed Gt3.

Still here we go again, dreamers, guys who pray at night that the PS3 will be weaker than the ps3. These are the guys bask in their own delusions.

[MoNkEy MaN X]

Smoke and mirrors, maybe or maybe not... I suppose you never know. PS2 did end up having some graphically impressive games even after all the talks of the limitations of the system.

I own a 360 which is off at Microsoft for repairs, sucks about that but I will say this, owning the 360 that it is pretty impressive and even the 1st gen games I'm playing on it are pretty darn good looking, but they also play well. Also, xbox live has gotten alot better with the 360, the new additions are great.

I think the PS3 won't be much more than the 360 in terms of graphics when it releases for the first gen of games. None of us really know though what each system will grow into graphically. Also, if I do end up buying a PS3, which is possible, I intend to buy the extended warrenty just like I did with the 360. Hardware just seems to be made so disposable now and it really sucks to be a consumer in this market now.

Anyway, this time around, the online experience will probably play a bit more of a factor than the graphics. Good graphics are awsome, but when the games suck or don't give you that imersive feeling then it doesn't matter how good it looks.

As far as release dates and shipments of PS3, well I'm not sure how they would do any better than they did with PS2 or MS did with the 360. Didn't they just release the final dev kits?

[Vgamer]

I will agree that the GDC is not a place where we usually see the latest and the greatest. And given the fact that Sony has a month or so to polish things up before E3, we will see how much is cleaned up and fixed by then. For many of these developers, I am sure that they are prasing the fact that they have til November to put some spit and shine on these games. Granted most of us will have to wait for E3 to actually see the games in a more finished form.

To tell you the truth I am more eager to see the final controller, hopefully final pricing, and any other details they are waiting to unveil at E3. Of course the games are the most important thing, and I can't wait to see what they show off at this years show... at least there wont be a huge debate over what is CG and what is real this time around since they will be playable...

[theWacoKid]

As far as release dates and shipments of PS3, well I'm not sure how they would do any better than they did with PS2 or MS did with the 360. Didn't they just release the final dev kits?

Nope, not by a long shot. According to their previous slideshow the dev kits were supposed to have been done by now, but that's not the case and final dev kits not until june and that's a maybe. And from what I'm reading, sony has problems with their compiler as well.

http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20060225-6265.html

And here's a gamespot article on the compiler problems and what that could mean.

http://www.gamespot.com/news/6146440.html?q=bluray%20not%20the%20only%20reason% 20for%20ps3%20delay


Sony Computer Entertainment president Ken Kutaragi explained last week at the 2006 PlayStation Business Briefing that the PlayStation 3 would be delayed until November because of problems with the finalization of the next-generation Blu-ray disc standard. However, International Game Developers Association Japan (IGDA Japan) president Shin Kiyoshi has pointed out another likely factor in the console's postponed launch.

In an article posted today on Nikkei Net, Kiyoshi reports that Sony hasn't been able to provide key PS3 development tools to game makers in a timely fashion. As a result, Shin said, most companies haven't even been able to go into full-scale development for PS3 games, even though it's already spring, which was Sony's initial launch period for the console. Nikkei Net says Shin pointed out that the PS3's compiler, which converts programs into a language that the console can understand, wasn't released until very recently.

The responsibility for the compiler was entrusted to compiler specialist SN Systems Limited, which was acquired by Sony in 2005. However, Shin said that the compiler's release had been continually delayed due to the complexity of the PS3's hardware and its multicore Cell processor. SN Systems finally made its release at the end of 2005, but according to Shin, it still didn't take full advantage of the PS3. As a result, IBM itself has become involved in the creation of the PS3's development support tools, and a compiler optimized for the Cell chip is finally being released this month.

Shin predicted for Nikkei Net that, in terms of development environment, the PS3 will have tough competition against Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Nintendo's Revolution. Publishers will be receiving the final release of the PS3's development tool in June, which gives them less than half a year to prepare for the console's worldwide launch. On the other hand, the Xbox 360 is known for its convenient development environment that inherits many aspects of the original Xbox's.

Shin speculates that Sony may be able to prepare a lot of Blu-ray movies for the PS3 launch, but the launch might lack on games. Furthermore, he thinks the chances are high that launch titles for the PS3 may look inferior when compared to Xbox 360 games.

Shin also comments that the Revolution could mean major competition for the PS3 in Japan. He said that the console is known for its friendly development environment that inherits the GameCube's and that there is a possibility of its launching before the PS3.

Oh, yeah, sony knows software all right. They're going to release their own propritary middleware tools, network code, compiler, whatever. Yeah, right.

Love that comment, kids and turtles.

"Furthermore, he thinks the chances are high that launch titles for the PS3 may look inferior when compared to Xbox 360 games." And oh, yeah, Shin, he's just a closet xbox fanboy not president of IGDA Japan, so no need to take his comments seriously.

But, it can't be, this is the ps3, the wunder console, the uber system, it features the awesome power that is the cell. Ack, ack, ack.

[thelastword]

Again, what exactly does this mean? I'll tell you yet again, NOTHING...There will be a symposium on the PS3 compiler known as (Octopiler) tomorrow in NY. IBM has already released a 25 page report on their website. It explains in great detail how the compiler works and of course how it allow programmers to increase productivity in shorter spaces of time.

It is through software that you access the hardware, and surely the octopiler was built from the ground up, only to maximize performance out of the cell's eight core architecture. This is no ordinary compiler as a result, In essence it does more work than other compilers, so 3rd grade programmers are still able to sing the sweet symphony as a result. Guys who only want to port their single threaded X86 code will have absolutely no hassles, what's more,there's greater depth for these guys as it relates to code optimization. The top tier dev teams, which populated the PS2 and will be no different on the PS3, these guys who are so brilliant with manual coding will continue to show their brilliance and would be responsible for outclassing the best 360 efforts from the outset.

The ps2 compiler was never a bed of roses, especially in the early stages or around launch. Sony has learnt from that and IBM has completed a compiler which will help all classes of programming talent from the get-go. This is a good thing is it not? Did you expect that such work could be completed in a day? The PS3 is scheduled for early November, the compiler is done, Presentations and tutorials are already scheduled and will be ongoing from SONY and IBM. Sony is serious about this business and it shows. All of these are marked improvements over that of the PS2 and it's launch. As I said before at E3 a finalized Playstation3 will be shown including it's controller, again the compiler is done, final dev kits will be released in June, giving devs yet another 3 months to optimize their code even further. We are now more or less guaranteed a 4x BluRay Player come November, Backwards compatibility will be done right. Yes! (I will be able to play GOW2 in HiDef), can't see the problems you see.

This is what it is, a well thought out launch, a piece of hardware well researched and developed specifically to the tune of next gen gaming, there's no rush for good things, it comes to those who wait. In the meantime, playstation players are'nt crying or wishing that Sony would rush the PS3 especially after the lacklustre performance of the 360, be it the games, production issues and sales or the fact that more people are interested in the next couple of PS2 releases than what's on the 360 and the hardware at the moment.

Links:
http://news.com.com/Octopiler+seeks+to+arm+Cell+programmers/2100-1007_3-6042132.html

http://www.research.ibm.com/journal/sj/451/eichenberger.html

[Superior Beatslayer]

OMG shut up word you already got owned 10 times over, you're not going to fool anyone with your worthless posts so quit while your ahead pal.

[MoNkEy MaN X]

The proof will be a playable game at E3 with a finalized controller for people to use to play the games with. Also, it would be nice to actually see the PS3 console in action, right out there for people to actually use.

Is Nintendo going to be the only company this time around to not be rushing their console out?

[theWacoKid]

OMG shut up word you already got owned 10 times over, you're not going to fool anyone with your worthless posts so quit while your ahead pal.

Let him rant all he wants, apparently he didn't bother to read the arstechnica article on that 25 page report by IBM on their octopiler. So, I'll post two paragraphs in black and blue for him to peruse at his leisure.

All afternoon I've been slogging through IBM's 25-page paper on their newly released Octopiler, and now things are clearer to me. See, Cell's greatest strength is that there's a lot of hardware on that chip. And Cell's greatest weakness is that there's a lot of hardware on that chip. So Cell has immense performance potential, but if you want to make it programable by mere mortals then you need a compiler that can ingest code written in a high-level language and produce optimized binaries that fit not just a programming model or a microarchitecture, but an entire multiprocessor system. This isn't just a tall order, or even a doctoral dissertation. It's a generation's worth of doctoral research. Meanwhile, the PS3 is due out in 2006.

Octopiler is intended to become just such a compiler—one that can take in a sequential program that's written to a unified memory model, and output binaries that make efficient use of the massive, heterogeneous system-on-a-chip that is the Cell Broadband Engine. I say "intended to become," because judging from the paper the guys at IBM are still in the early stages of taming this many-headed beast. This is by no means meant to disparage all the IBM researchers who have done yeoman's work in their practically single-handed attempts to move the entire field of computer science forward by a quantum leap. No, the Octopiler paper is full of innovative ideas to be fleshed out at a further date, results that are "promising," avenues to be explored, and overarching approaches that seem likely to bear fruit eventually. But meanwhile, the PS3 is still due out in 2006.

Translatlon, Ocotpiler is nowhere near ready for prime time, over and out. Last word is noob city. All this guy is doing is pulling his foot out of one dung heap and planting it firmly in another. Nope, sorry, but the ps3 has been delayed, because it ain't close to being ready and november ain't looking good, but they may have no choice with the lead MS is building and the revolution looking to release in the same time frame. But, its going to be a fricking mess of a launch if they stick to november.

This crap, we've had to delay because of bluray copy protection issues is just that, crap, sony style. They're running around like a chicken with their head cut off. We're bringing out this and that, its all going to be great, just trust us, meanwhile critical components like a functioning compiler are hanging up the developers. Oh, yeah, they got their act together. NOT!

[shogun]

Buying the PS3 at launch is likely to be as losing a proposition as 360 was. We'll get some recycyled ideas with better graphics to be played on an overpriced/underutilized console. Hoozah.

Maybe if we're lucky 360 will have a lower price and enough games at that point to make the thing worth getting. In my case though, I refuse to pay $60 a game, so there will have to be enough lower-priced titles as well.

[slade]

Go to see screenshots from the GDC demos here:

http://www.ga-forum.com/showthread.php?t=92000&page=1&pp=50

[Tappy_Tibbons]

I'm sticking with my PS2 until PS3.

[thelastword]

Ocotpiler is nowhere near ready for prime time, over and out.

Despite the fact that you can't read, this is still irrelevant to your original argument even if it was true. You attempted to bash the PS3 by some lame article, which suggested that early games in Dev was not up to snuff, this is as high as stupid can get, now you want to suggest that the compiler is the one and only reason for PS3's delay. So if that is the case MR WACO, does that not explain to some degree, why certain PS3 games are not as far along. So yes, your primary argument is destroyed as a result.

As I said before though, I deal with the facts and this is what it tells me.

From your very own quote: the bolded part says it all.

All afternoon I've been slogging through IBM's 25-page paper (http://www.research.ibm.com/journal/sj/451/eichenberger.html) on their newly released Octopiler (http://domino.research.ibm.com/comm/research_projects.nsf/pages/cellcompiler.index.html), and now things are clearer to me.

However, this is what I'll deal with.

Octopiler is intended to become just such a compiler—one that can take in a sequential program that's written to a unified memory model, and output binaries that make efficient use of the massive, heterogeneous system-on-a-chip that is the Cell Broadband Engine. I say "intended to become," because judging from the paper the guys at IBM are still in the early stages of taming this many-headed beast. This is by no means meant to disparage all the IBM researchers who have done yeoman's work in their practically single-handed attempts to move the entire field of computer science forward by a quantum leap. No, the Octopiler paper is full of innovative ideas to be fleshed out at a further date, results that are "promising," avenues to be explored, and overarching approaches that seem likely to bear fruit eventually.

Of course there are intentions for updates and improvements to the compiler in the future, what's new? As of November of last year, IBM's XL compiler was modified to the tune of Cell based development and was released then. The fact is, octopiler is in it's primary release stage at the moment. I expect further improvements to the product from now till Novemeber and even further during the lifespan of the PS3. Where as, the 25 page report detailed information relative to the SPE specific optimizations and compiler assisted memory realignment etc... It is at the NY symposium that much more would be detailed and demonstrated relative to CELL based development.

I find you're really reaching here with this baseless piece, I think we all know that the PS3 will be here in November. The fact is you do not know that the games will look like untold legends at launch, moreso, it's just plain idiotic to even suggest that. Let's hear what you have to say at E3, when the top gunners shows their wares, and you know what, even then, the PS3 will still be off by 5-6 months.

[GameLegend]

I heard the cell will find the cure for prostate cancer and even solve world hunger.
Where are my Shrek 2 graphics in my PS2?
Like i said be4. Not reading a single line of how graphical overpowering the cell is over the NES, until E3's playable demos.

[theWacoKid]

Hey, little sony dude, last word, don't cry, pal, its not like the end of the world because sony hosed you on their development schedule. I'm not the one who's been lying to you, its sony. Just remember, de nile is a river in egypt. With you its like a permanent state of being. What's your problem, anyway, with this pathological defense of a company continually blowing smoke up your ass, You enjoy that tickling sensation around your rectum or something.

You want to believe their crap, hey, go for it. They tossed out dev slides before stating where they would be by now and it didn't happen. Ask your buddy, slade, he's posted their dev schedule. Notice how he's not contradiciting me. Wonder why, genius. Bluray copy protection issues, my ass. They're behind, that's all there is to it. Whatever the ps3 turns out to be, its not going to be blowing people's minds for a very long while.

As for your thorougly pathetic attempts to discredit the sources I"ve been quoting, puhleasseee!! Extremetech and arstechica along with the president of IGDA japan are a hell of a lot more credible than the marketing pr shills over at sony like Phil Harrison or general gaming sites looking to cater to their 14 year old non-critical fanbase.

The ps3 could very well turn out to be great, but it's going to take time. LIve with that reality or don't, I don't care. The psp sucked ass for the first year, now its turning the corner, its not there yet, but I can at least see the light at the end of the tunnel. Sony created this hydra processor and now they're stuck with it. In six years time, sony has failed to prove that a computing paragdim of a general purpose cpu assisted by vector units yields superior results. Now, they're taking a second kick at the can.

Until I see demonstrable proof of the cell's superiority, I remain a skeptic. I'm certainly not buying into sony's pr bs. Sony is claiming that 1080p is the REAL high def standard. MS is claliming its impossible for the types of games that are currently on console. We'll find out shortly who's telling the truth and who's a liar. If sony can't pull off a Warhawk in 1080p or Resistance: Fall of Man then, we'll know that that claim was juat another of sony's gross exaggerations and increasingly tiresome attempts to 1up MS and blow smoke up the ass of the industry. And we'll also know that MS is more reliable and truthful when discussing the limits of their console and gaming in general.

[ThaMaskedGamer]

Buying the PS3 at launch is likely to be as losing a proposition as 360 was. We'll get some recycyled ideas with better graphics to be played on an overpriced/underutilized console. Hoozah.

Maybe if we're lucky 360 will have a lower price and enough games at that point to make the thing worth getting. In my case though, I refuse to pay $60 a game, so there will have to be enough lower-priced titles as well.

I doubt the PS3 will have as many high calibur games by March 2007. I know it doesn't seem like much, but the perspective will be clear when PS3 launches I think. I don't remember any console launching in the first 6 months with so many games rated 88% to 95%. We already know that if PS3 had of met its original Spring schedule its launch woulda been probably the crappiest in recent history.