Looks like Sony is in development hell

[EXO]

Now the PSX...

Production of Sony's ill-fated PSX media centre halted

http://www.gamesindustry.biz/content_page.php?aid=7006

Also this...

Sony to end Clie production in July

http://www.techjapan.com/Article901.html

[Druna Skass]

Well gee that thing cost around, what, $500?

[JB0]

The PSX was doomed, if not from day one then when they started ripping features out to appease other divisions.

[mikeszekely]

Actually, according to what I read on IGN, they're just phasing out the current models of PSX, and they're likely to have newer models later.

Well, the PSX wouldn't have been a bad idea... except for the fact that you can buy a PS2, a TV tuner card, and a DVD+/-RW drive for a hell of a lot less.

[Zentrandude]

funny website. for some reason xbox invaded this page

but seriously. I can see why they stopped the production of the "PSX media centre cum game console", why you want to play that .

edit: forgot pic

Edited February 25, 2005 by Zentrandude

[yellowlightman]

funny website. for some reason xbox invaded this page

but seriously. I can see why they stopped the production of the "PSX media centre cum game console", why you want to play that .

cum ( P ) Pronunciation Key (km, km)

prep.

Together with; plus. Often used in combination: our attic-cum-studio.

http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=cum

[Zentrandude]

you so not get the joke.

[Godzilla]

you so not get the joke.

Yeah I got it but I am not laughing.

[Aegis!]

Well , for once I´m happy sony is finally getting the message from consumers. although OT , this is why they get for being so full of themselves.

Sony is like a person suffering from bi-polar disorder , it´s like it has two personalities , its ¨dark and oppresive Music label¨-personality , and its ¨creative and innovative computer entertainment company¨-personality.

Sony Music is the bitch that ruins all of Sony CE´s innovative products ( Hi-MD , Flash Players , PSX , PSP , etc...) by limiting their potencial features. If this kind of thing happened back when the Walkman was first released I´m sure as hell it wouldn´t have been as successful.

What I mean by this is that the PSX was probably halted not only because of low sales but because its features weren´t as great as it could´ve been and in the end it wasn´t cost effective for the consumer.

[Murphy]

the hell i never heard of the psx before right now.......... also wasnt the psx the other nickname of the playstation 1?

[magicsp00n]

the hell i never heard of the psx before right now.......... also wasnt the psx the other nickname of the playstation 1?

Yeah, it was. You'd think they could have come up with another name.

[JB0]

Well , for once I´m happy sony is finally getting the message from consumers. although OT , this is why they get for being so full of themselves.

Sony is like a person suffering from bi-polar disorder , it´s like it has two personalities , its ¨dark and oppresive Music label¨-personality , and its ¨creative and innovative computer entertainment company¨-personality.

Sony Music is the bitch that ruins all of Sony CE´s innovative products ( Hi-MD , Flash Players , PSX , PSP , etc...) by limiting their potencial features. If this kind of thing happened back when the Walkman was first released I´m sure as hell it wouldn´t have been as successful.

What I mean by this is that the PSX was probably halted not only because of low sales but because its features weren´t as great as it could´ve been and in the end it wasn´t cost effective for the consumer.

Actually, the dark opressive personality is present in all their divisions.

That's why the Net Yaroze was so bastardized from it's original concept of making a full PS1 dev kit available to consumers.

It's also why they actively put graphics abouve gameplay in their game approval process.

By most counts, publishers have extreme trouble getting licenses for 2D game releases in the US at all, regardless of game quality.

Based on the shelves, they can only get the linceses as bargain releases and bundle deals.

I would be happier if Sony had stayed out of the video game market totally.

I think they've been nothing but trouble for the industry, and to hell with the sales numbers that say otherwise.

[yellowlightman]

you so not get the joke.

Yeah I got it but I am not laughing.

Agreed.

Sony is like a person suffering from bi-polar disorder , it´s like it has two personalities , its ¨dark and oppresive Music label¨-personality , and its ¨creative and innovative computer entertainment company¨-personality.

I think Sony's problems go beyond that. Much of it has to do with Sony's reputation of being the "best" and as a result of that, their lax quality control assuming that everyone will buy what they make based simply because it's a Sony.

The PS2 is a good example, not only is it stupid ugly, it's had all sorts of QC issues. The clincher for me is that they didn't even bother making a new controller, when the PS1 controller was seriously flawed and outdated compared to it's competitors. But they're Sony... people will buy it anyways.

[Rune]

And in other news not fully related but.....

http://www.pocket-lint.co.uk/news.php?newsId=983

[Kin]

I'm gonna rip that PSX and install a new operating system on it... cheap and powerfull PC. hah!

[Druna Skass]

The clincher for me is that they didn't even bother making a new controller, when the PS1 controller was seriously flawed and outdated compared to it's competitors. But they're Sony... people will buy it anyways.

Would you care to clarify what was "flawed and outdated" about the dual shock design? I've used just about every 1st party game controler and found them to be all garbage compared to Sony's design. Microsoft's are either too big or have the buttons in akward positions, it hurts to hold the Dreamcast controler after about an hour and the D pad has a habit of biting into your thumb, the Gamecube, is by far the worst, too damn small. Sony didn't need to redesign their controler, it was fine as is.

[Sundown]

Sony didn't need to redesign their controler, it was fine as is.

Agreed, for the most part. They might have polished it with a few ergonomic adjustments, and I'd have loved it if they made 6 buttons thumb-accessible in street-fighter style. Or if they'd made the analog triggers a little bit more like the Dreamcast's and Gamecube's, with their longer analog trigger pull... But the PS2's controller is still pretty comfortable and mighty fine. Beats the heck out of the Gamecube's confusing on-crack button layout, and how it cramps my large hands at times. I hate that thing.

-Al

[JB0]

The clincher for me is that they didn't even bother making a new controller, when the PS1 controller was seriously flawed and outdated compared to it's competitors. But they're Sony... people will buy it anyways.

Would you care to clarify what was "flawed and outdated" about the dual shock design?

Fanged d-pad.

4 face, 4 shoulder button layout.

Analog thumbsticks way too low.

D-pad in primary left thumb location instead of thumbstick.

The existence of the select button.

The existence of the mode button.

Edited February 26, 2005 by JB0

[Druna Skass]

Fanged d-pad.

4 face, 4 shoulder button layout.

Analog thumbsticks way too low.

D-pad in primary left thumb location instead of thumbstick.

The existence of the select button.

The existence of the mode button.

I see nothing wrong with the first four points though the mode and select button have been fairly useless. Personaly I like the button lay out, with four face buttons all four buttons are decently sized and all underneath your thumb, the same goes for the four triggers. I absolutly hated the long pull on the Dreamcast and xbox. I also hated how the xbox had six face buttons, meanting two buttons wern't already under your thumb.

[JB0]

Fanged d-pad.

4 face, 4 shoulder button layout.

Analog thumbsticks way too low.

D-pad in primary left thumb location instead of thumbstick.

The existence of the select button.

The existence of the mode button.

I see nothing wrong with the first four points though the mode and select button have been fairly useless. Personaly I like the button lay out, with four face buttons all four buttons are decently sized and all underneath your thumb, the same goes for the four triggers. I absolutly hated the long pull on the Dreamcast and xbox. I also hated how the xbox had six face buttons, meanting two buttons wern't already under your thumb.

Maybe it's been fixed with the Dual Shock 2(I think they softened it up a fair bit), but Sony's PS1 d-pads are the ONLY gaming device to EVER give me a blister.

I despise twin trigger buttons. I've never gotten along with them.

The long pull on DC, GC, and XBox triggers... depends on what you're doing.

If you're getting analog input, it kicks ass(pressure sensitivity can bite me). But if you're using them as digital buttons... worthless.

4 face buttons being all underneath my thumb? How come every time I need to hit more than 2 at once I've got an index finger on the button pad next to my thumb?

Anyways, I prefer having 6. Lets me get something out of sliding left as well as sliding right.

I've never thought of shoulder buttons as primary action keys, nor have most developers. They just aren't in a good position for the task.

And the Dual Shock design has always given me a sore left thumb after any real play time with analog control.

...

And now that I'm ranting... the Dual Shock handles are akwardly sized.

Too small to serve as comfortable handrests, too large to ignore.

The perfect digital pad was the Saturn pad. This is uncontested among serious gamers.

Even at my most nitpicky, the only real change I would make is moving the start button to above the action keys, like the Genesis 3-button pad was. Pause should be instant access.

While more debated, I say the perfect analog pad was the Saturn analog pad(AKA the Nights controller).

Not that either is a substitute for a good joystick when the situation calls for one.

Unfortunately, the contest for worst pad ever is a lot hotter.

[Skull Leader]

I would argue the PS1/PS2 dual shock is about as close to perfection as we're likely going to get. Pressure sensitivity was the only thing really added for the PS2, and that was all the change that was needed. If it's not f-ed up, then don't fix it. (and it's not so they shouldn't)

[Zentrandude]

guess I can say differnt button strokes for differnt folks. I didn't like the ps2 controller all that much. gc was ok to me but tad small

[JB0]

I would argue the PS1/PS2 dual shock is about as close to perfection as we're likely going to get. Pressure sensitivity was the only thing really added for the PS2, and that was all the change that was needed. If it's not f-ed up, then don't fix it. (and it's not so they shouldn't)

Respectfully, I have to disagree.

It's a kludgy upgrade to an SNES pad that was originally done with JUST enough changes to make it look like it was new, while not infringing on whatever intellectual property claims Nintendo had on their pad(there are historical reasons for this).

The extra shoulder buttons are there SOLELY so that the pad looked like an upgrade over the SNES, and have been largely ignored by developers.

No consideration was ever given to ergonomics, and it is painfully obvious to any seasoned gamer.

And pressure-sensitivity is THE most moronic feature I've EVER seen. ESPECIALLY to a full byte of accuracy.

There simply isn't enough travel room for anything approaching accurate control past off, on, and mashed down(I WILL grant 3 states).

And this is coming from someone familiar with the Power Glove, U-Force, idiotic rocking platforms for directional control, the TurboTouch 360s, and the Game Handler(which was a joystick that had no base, used mercury switches to track motion, and could glitch games by spewing unreasonable data at them). Oh, and the millions of 3rd-party pads with slo-mo buttons.

When I say a feature is idiotic, I speak from experience.

[CoryHolmes]

Hey, the Gameglove wasn't that bad. For it's time, it was a pretty nifty thing.

Of course, I also remember that over-the-shoulder bazooka that came with the SNES. That was also pretty neat

[Jolly Rogers]

No consideration was ever given to ergonomics, and it is painfully obvious to any seasoned gamer.

PS1/2 and DC controllers are the only ones that do not make my hand and fingers hurt after hours of continuous use.

Maybe they just didn't give any consideration to people raised on NES/SNES pads.

[yellowlightman]

And pressure-sensitivity is THE most moronic feature I've EVER seen. ESPECIALLY to a full byte of accuracy.

There simply isn't enough travel room for anything approaching accurate control past off, on, and mashed down(I WILL grant 3 states).

The pressure sensitivity is a poor replacement for the trigger buttons found on modern game controllers, which are pretty much necessary for racing games.

The PS2 d-pad is horrible for any sort of 2D or d-pad instensive game. Why they insisted on being completely different from every other d-pad in existence, I have no idea, but it sucks.

It's not a bad controller per se, perfectly acceptable for 1998 but compared to it's peers it's lacking.

[JB0]

No consideration was ever given to ergonomics, and it is painfully obvious to any seasoned gamer.

PS1/2 and DC controllers are the only ones that do not make my hand and fingers hurt after hours of continuous use.

Maybe they just didn't give any consideration to people raised on NES/SNES pads.

I hate the NES pads, too. The original bricks, anyways. The "dogbone" pads are okay.

SNES is iffy, but livable.

I'll take a 3-button Genesis pad over either of them any day, though(too bad the 6-button is so much smaller).

If anyhting, I was raised on 99/4a joysticks. And those are an abomination like you've never felt. I wouldn't wish them upon anyone.

Nice case, but the sticks are stiff, mushy, and unresponsive.

And Dreamcast? I'd really hate to see your hands if that monstrosity is a comfortable pad(I love my DC anyways).

...

On the other hand, I'm one of perhaps a dozen people that likes the 5200 sticks(when they work). So perhaps I'm not one to talk about odd controller preferences...

[EXO]

the hell i never heard of the psx before right now.......... also wasnt the psx the other nickname of the playstation 1?

Yeah, it was. You'd think they could have come up with another name.

Sony paid Phillips millions for that name, so they better keep using it to get their money's worth.

[JB0]

PSX was never an official system name.

The origins are hard to trace, but it SEEMS to stem from a typo in an early magazine article about Sony's upcoming new video game system. It was accidentally dubbed PSX in the preview, and it stuck.

[EXO]

I was talking about the name "Playstation" itself. It'd be hard to find an article now on how much they paid for it back then, but the relationship between Phillips, Sony and Nintendo was widely documented back then. Phillips ended up with the copyright of the name but Sony wanted it so bad they ended up buying it from them. I'm sure they made up for the cost with the PSOne success.

[Jemstone]

The clincher for me is that they didn't even bother making a new controller, when the PS1 controller was seriously flawed and outdated compared to it's competitors. But they're Sony... people will buy it anyways.

Would you care to clarify what was "flawed and outdated" about the dual shock design? I've used just about every 1st party game controler and found them to be all garbage compared to Sony's design. Microsoft's are either too big or have the buttons in akward positions, it hurts to hold the Dreamcast controler after about an hour and the D pad has a habit of biting into your thumb, the Gamecube, is by far the worst, too damn small. Sony didn't need to redesign their controler, it was fine as is.

I agree with everything you said except the GC controller. I think the size is a perfect middle ground so that female gamers (like myself) don't have to struggle holding it like I did the XB and DC controllers. Those made my hands hurt nect to the N64's analog surface. The GC's controller flaw is the button design from the location of the X and Y buttons, the size of the A button to the stupidly placed Z trigger. Thank goodness for controller port converters. Sega Saturn controllers were the best IMO.

Sony's ego about being "the best" is just the icing on the cake. I'm still rolling from all the BS spewed yesterday from Sony Imageworks' presentation yesterday (the success of Spider-man 2 didn't help things at all). To say they just assume people will buy their products is a serious understatement.

[Zentrandude]

Sony's ego about being "the best" is just the icing on the cake. I'm still rolling from all the BS spewed yesterday from Sony Imageworks' presentation yesterday (the success of Spider-man 2 didn't help things at all). To say they just assume people will buy their products is a serious understatement.

the apprentis last thursday about the gt4 grafitti ad test didn't help. Having trump say they are the largest video game maker in the world left dirty taste in my mouth since im a pc gamer more than a consel player.

Edited February 27, 2005 by Zentrandude

[JB0]

The clincher for me is that they didn't even bother making a new controller, when the PS1 controller was seriously flawed and outdated compared to it's competitors. But they're Sony... people will buy it anyways.

Would you care to clarify what was "flawed and outdated" about the dual shock design? I've used just about every 1st party game controler and found them to be all garbage compared to Sony's design. Microsoft's are either too big or have the buttons in akward positions, it hurts to hold the Dreamcast controler after about an hour and the D pad has a habit of biting into your thumb, the Gamecube, is by far the worst, too damn small. Sony didn't need to redesign their controler, it was fine as is.

I agree with everything you said except the GC controller. I think the size is a perfect middle ground so that female gamers (like myself) don't have to struggle holding it like I did the XB and DC controllers. Those made my hands hurt nect to the N64's analog surface. The GC's controller flaw is the button design from the location of the X and Y buttons, the size of the A button to the stupidly placed Z trigger. Thank goodness for controller port converters. Sega Saturn controllers were the best IMO.

Itnerestingly enough... I compared earlier. The 'Cube pad is slightly BIGGER than a DualShock.

Personally, I like the 'Cube button layout. For properly-mated games.

It won't win any awards for fighting game controller of the year, obviously. but there's no way I'd play Metroid Prime with anything else.

For the record... Z is stupidly placed because it wasn't an original design feature. They realized they were short a button for Smash Brothers and wedged another in.

[Black Valkyrie]

Never liked the PS pads, broke some from frustration especially playing fighting games. well it good that SEGA bringing this beauty to PS2 :

http://mgrsti3030s.seamlesstech.biz/templa...&subFolderID=97

[Skull Leader]

best controller EVER? The NES Advantage (That's strictly a personal feeling, I understand that it has tons of shortcommings while compared to the PS dualshock)