PS3 UI and the Sony Secret

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Taken from Megagames

"A video, coming to you straight from an E3 2006 presentation, reveals what the PS3 User Interface will look like and a few of its features while a PS3 secret is also revealed.

A few very polite and skilled assistants were at hand during E3 to demonstrate what the new Sony UI will look like and what options it will offer. The UI, as you can see from video 1 and video 2 is that the design is not that new as it is very similar to that of the PSP UI. That is, of course, a conscious choice as Sony has stressed that it sees the two devices as complimentary. The new UI will also have a very Vista-like appearance with an animated background.

Users will have the usual options but will also feature a Users option which allows you to switch between profiles highlighting Sony's intent to make a machine for the entire family. A Friends option can also be seen, obviously a reminder of Sony's forthcoming, aggressive online policy which will feature a service similar to that of XBox Live.

The UI will also feature a native browser and the helpful booth assistant explains that we will be able to have up to 16 windows up on the PS3 at any one time.

Finally the PS3 secret revealed by the UI is that the keyboard add-on for the console will most probably be available from day one, possibly included in the premium model, since there is a clear option for a keyboard/mouse choice built-in to the UI. You can see that option on the image on your right (if you can't make it out follow the Screens tab above). Sony could have course remove that option before the console launches since the version of the UI we saw is not finished and runs at a much slower pace than the final version will."
 
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Sorry but i just had to point out the way Sony make out that their machine is so cool and when it clear is copying MS

Users will have the usual options but will also feature a Users option which allows you to switch between profiles highlighting Sony's intent to make a machine for the entire family.

something that MS does already with multiple gamertags accounts for the whole family!

LOL, just made me laugh.

Would be nice for a keyboard, but guess what! again you can use one on the 360!
 
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worded well tho as if they bringing new things to it. Only advantage is the browser really but i aint to fussed as thats what my PC is for.

And it doesnt say if the KB/Mouse is for games either? Just for the UI which could be kinda pointless
 
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McManicMan said:
Sorry but i just had to point out the way Sony make out that their machine is so cool and when it clear is copying MS



something that MS does already with multiple gamertags accounts for the whole family!

LOL, just made me laugh.

Would be nice for a keyboard, but guess what! again you can use one on the 360!

But isn't it a little naive to suggest that just because one console has a particular functionality, that the other shouldn't, or that it should at least re-invent the wheel? There is nothing that is clearly being copied from anything. Do you really think that MS are the first ones to come up with this kind of interface? If that were the case surely MS would have it's armies of lawyers out citing copyright infringement. It's not happening as far as I can see.

Now, I personally think that it is quite cool that the PS3 has the demo'd fuctionality. IMO I think the PS3 is not quite the failure that people are ready to paint it up as and I have the suspicion that the sales figures will reflect that. But then you never know until the very well proportioned female of the species vocalises tunefully... :D
 
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no one is denying that its good and they aint allowed to do the same its just when u read things released from sony they make it sound like they are inventing the ideas "free online service" when basically its *** the silver account is to xbox live really (well by all accounts so far)
 
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R5Rich said:
no one is denying that its good and they aint allowed to do the same its just when u read things released from sony they make it sound like they are inventing the ideas "free online service" when basically its *** the silver account is to xbox live really (well by all accounts so far)


From a marketing perspective, do you want to say - Well, just like the XBOX 360 we have this and this and this, or do you want to solely market your product? I would suggest the latter.

It is new stuff... to SONY.
 
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mparter said:
Yeah but their marketing this stuff to consumers. To consumers, none of this stuff is new.


Hence the "It is new stuff... to SONY."

That is not my point; my point is that the marketing is for their product, not to compare their product with competitors...

It is kind of inane to suggest that the PS3 is a poor product based on it having similar features to another product. It's like saying - "oh no Apple have created a player that plays MP3s just like Creative..."

I used that analogy for a reason, Creative is in the process of sueing Apple for copying the user interface on their iPod from the Creative products. I don't see M$ doing the same thing to SONY over their interface.
 
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I wonder if it will take off as a replacement PC for some families. I know a lot of people just want email and web browsing and maybe music and video. If the PS3 can provide all this through your TV then the £400 pricetag could look a lot more palatable to some.
 
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SteveOBHave said:
Hence the "It is new stuff... to SONY."

That is not my point; my point is that the marketing is for their product, not to compare their product with competitors...

It is kind of inane to suggest that the PS3 is a poor product based on it having similar features to another product. It's like saying - "oh no Apple have created a player that plays MP3s just like Creative..."

I used that analogy for a reason, Creative is in the process of sueing Apple for copying the user interface on their iPod from the Creative products. I don't see M$ doing the same thing to SONY over their interface.

That is ludicrous business mentality to be honest. "Marketing for their product not to compare their product with competitors". Seriously, i mean, do you know what a business market is or what marketing entails. They are naturally going to be compared by the consumer and in the industry. If consumers realise that the Sony machine is literally bringing what Xbox 360 has brought forward 12 months earlier their brand loyalty may waiver slightly. Would you not think?

That is what the chaps previous to my post are saying. Sony so far are bringing very little new to the market with their console. I agree entirely with what Microsoft have stated "From a gamer's perspective, I'm pretty disappointed in Sony's lack of innovation," said Satchell. "I mean, they didn't deliver anything terribly new, and at the cost of $600, $200 more than our system, it's hard to get excited about it. The 'new' controller was even disappointing. It's basically the same design. It doesn't seem good for consumers, just good for Sony."

The rest of the article can be found http://uk.xbox360.ign.com/articles/705/705948p1.html and although there is bias because it is Microsoft vs Sony, most of what they say is rather undeniable.
 
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punky_munky said:
I wonder if it will take off as a replacement PC for some families. I know a lot of people just want email and web browsing and maybe music and video. If the PS3 can provide all this through your TV then the £400 pricetag could look a lot more palatable to some.

Yeap exactly, and i think Sony will drive towards that.
I mean if u want to surf the web, get mail, play games and hook up to your MP3 player, what else could you want?? it will do it all and play Blu-Ray movies.
I mean the integration it will have with the Sony MP3 players also i imagine will be great. When they get Sony Connect running on the PS3, purchase music on the PS3 sync it to your MP3 walkman or PSP and away you go, would you really need another machine in the house?
That could be a limiting factor with the 360, is that if u buy music on it, u may well be limited to listening to music on it and nowhere else. I just hope sony get it all right and get it sorted. Even if not you are limited to only 12 gig of music at most, providing u dont have any demos etc.
This is whats stopping me from Buying a new iPod, i am waiting to see if they bring out the full size video iPod and i am also waiting to see the integration on the PS3 with walkmans
 
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punky_munky said:
I wonder if it will take off as a replacement PC for some families. I know a lot of people just want email and web browsing and maybe music and video. If the PS3 can provide all this through your TV then the £400 pricetag could look a lot more palatable to some.

While i do agree, I think there are still a lot of limitations with consoles and ultimately people will still need a PC too, mainly for work and such. Problem is not with consoles exactly, but the screens they are usually run on are not good for lots of text. We will be waiting for mass adoption of HD before consoles really start to penetrate the PC's market in that respect.
 
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gord said:
While i do agree, I think there are still a lot of limitations with consoles and ultimately people will still need a PC too, mainly for work and such. Problem is not with consoles exactly, but the screens they are usually run on are not good for lots of text. We will be waiting for mass adoption of HD before consoles really start to penetrate the PC's market in that respect.

Yeah definately. It's not going to happen immediately but I feel it is inevitable. I suppose a lot of the PS3's success depends on how long they keep it alive for. It could penetrate very deeply into a lot of hones.
 
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gord said:
That is ludicrous business mentality to be honest. "Marketing for their product not to compare their product with competitors". Seriously, i mean, do you know what a business market is or what marketing entails. They are naturally going to be compared by the consumer and in the industry. If consumers realise that the Sony machine is literally bringing what Xbox 360 has brought forward 12 months earlier their brand loyalty may waiver slightly. Would you not think?

That is what the chaps previous to my post are saying. Sony so far are bringing very little new to the market with their console. I agree entirely with what Microsoft have stated "From a gamer's perspective, I'm pretty disappointed in Sony's lack of innovation," said Satchell. "I mean, they didn't deliver anything terribly new, and at the cost of $600, $200 more than our system, it's hard to get excited about it. The 'new' controller was even disappointing. It's basically the same design. It doesn't seem good for consumers, just good for Sony."

The rest of the article can be found http://uk.xbox360.ign.com/articles/705/705948p1.html and although there is bias because it is Microsoft vs Sony, most of what they say is rather undeniable.

But by the same token, did MS bring anything new to the table?

What I am trying to point out is, slating SONY based on a couple of videos of SONY demonstrating their product is narrow minded. I don't dissagree with you, I don't believe that there is a huge amount of surface innovation, but they have completely reworked the core infrastructure of the machine.

I don't understand the massive desire to slate SONY over thier decisions to not re-invent the wheel. Innovation is not always a positive thing, it mearly points towards creating something new. IMO there is something to the addage of "if it aint broke, don't fix it".

We've had the Playstation controller for years and it has worked fine, more than fine, it has totally redesigned the way gamepad manufacturers model their products. Why have a go at them simply because they have recognised that their original product was a good thing?

It really sounds like your raising the argument for the sakes of the argument. We haven't even seen the product in action yet, and it is already in the bin... poor form...
 
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SteveOBHave said:
But by the same token, did MS bring anything new to the table?
Well, the next level of online console gaming is quite big and Microsoft really have developed that into an accessible platform with XBL and the xbox 360. They are also the first of the next generation of consoles, which provide us with better graphics/new games and outputs. This wouldnt be so important if they hadnt done it 12 months before the direct competition.

SteveOBHave said:
What I am trying to point out is, slating SONY based on a couple of videos of SONY demonstrating their product is narrow minded. I don't dissagree with you, I don't believe that there is a huge amount of surface innovation, but they have completely reworked the core infrastructure of the machine.

I don't understand the massive desire to slate SONY over thier decisions to not re-invent the wheel. Innovation is not always a positive thing, it mearly points towards creating something new. IMO there is something to the addage of "if it aint broke, don't fix it".

I see what you are trying to point out, and franky the contradiction in your posts makes it hard for me not to "slate" Sony even more. Take the two paragraphs above for example. First points out their desire to completely rework the core infrastructure of their machine. The cell processor was amazing on paper but in the industry it has a lot of negative implications for programmers [Carmack]. The second paragraph then moves on to say Sony are not reinventing the wheel. Hold on, i thought they "completely reworked the core infrastructure". Microsoft on the other hand took pretty much tried and tested hardware, and that still manages to malfunction so i am not eagerly anticipating what Sony's machine will be like.

SteveOBHave said:
We've had the Playstation controller for years and it has worked fine, more than fine, it has totally redesigned the way gamepad manufacturers model their products. Why have a go at them simply because they have recognised that their original product was a good thing?

It really sounds like your raising the argument for the sakes of the argument. We haven't even seen the product in action yet, and it is already in the bin... poor form

Indeed, we have had the Playstation controller for years, and it was great. If only they didnt have to change it because of this rumble feature fiasco. Not to sound overly pleased with vibrating devices, but i do think its a key feature weve all become accustomed to.

I wouldnt dare bin an item before it was out, but you must see that there is clearly a stack of evidence already against the PS3 that does not put it in a good light. Similar performance graphically and computationally to a 360, most likely a poorer online system (considering it will really be their first big push into that segment). Such evidence is only compounded by the PS3 coming out 12 months after the 360 and at the increased price.
 
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gord said:
Well, the next level of online console gaming is quite big and Microsoft really have developed that into an accessible platform with XBL and the xbox 360. They are also the first of the next generation of consoles, which provide us with better graphics/new games and outputs. This wouldnt be so important if they hadnt done it 12 months before the direct competition.

Fair call. But I still see what both SONY and MS are doing are boxing a medium-high end PC into a box and selling it - I don't see this as being entirely revolutionary, not from either camp. That MS has done it 1 year earlier than SONY points to some needed forward thinking, but I personally don't see it as something overly new...


gord said:
I see what you are trying to point out, and franky the contradiction in your posts makes it hard for me not to "slate" Sony even more. Take the two paragraphs above for example. First points out their desire to completely rework the core infrastructure of their machine. The cell processor was amazing on paper but in the industry it has a lot of negative implications for programmers [Carmack]. The second paragraph then moves on to say Sony are not reinventing the wheel. Hold on, i thought they "completely reworked the core infrastructure". Microsoft on the other hand took pretty much tried and tested hardware, and that still manages to malfunction so i am not eagerly anticipating what Sony's machine will be like.

I don't think I am contradicting myself at all. What I am saying is that they have created a new internal infrastructure that is required to support the PS3 OS and the games being produced for it. Whether it is any good or not leaves to be seen, hence following up my statement with "Innovation is not always a positive thing, it mearly points towards creating something new.".

My 'not re-inventing the wheel' comment refers to their replicating the PSP interface and keeping the original controller shape... if it aint broke...

I entirely agree with you, the Cell may be the proverbial straw, but we can't know that until the machine is in the wild...

gord said:
Indeed, we have had the Playstation controller for years, and it was great. If only they didnt have to change it because of this rumble feature fiasco. Not to sound overly pleased with vibrating devices, but i do think its a key feature weve all become accustomed to.

LOL - agreed but hardly the end of the world... on the same note, I'm really not keen on the motion detection, looks nigh on uncontrolable...

gord said:
I wouldnt dare bin an item before it was out, but you must see that there is clearly a stack of evidence already against the PS3 that does not put it in a good light. Similar performance graphically and computationally to a 360, most likely a poorer online system (considering it will really be their first big push into that segment). Such evidence is only compounded by the PS3 coming out 12 months after the 360 and at the increased price.

The problem I have is that there is no way to compare the PS3 as it is not yet released. Agreed the 360 is the yardstick, but it is dangerous to make assumptions on the SONY/PS3 infrastructure until it has either proven or disproven itself.

To be honest, I 'secretly' want the PS3 to do well. Market competition is nothing but good for the consumer
 
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SteveOBHave said:
To be honest, I 'secretly' want the PS3 to do well. Market competition is nothing but good for the consumer

But the PS3 doing well isn't good for the consumer what with Sony's current lead in the market.

I want the PS3 to take a bloody nose this generation and lose some its market share to MS and Nintendo.

This would then force all 3 consoles companies to come back with better consoles in an attempt to reverse/build on the fortunes of this generation in the next.

That in my eyes is good for the consumer.
 
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SteveOBHave said:
My 'not re-inventing the wheel' comment refers to their replicating the PSP interface and keeping the original controller shape... if it aint broke...
The PS controller has it's analogue sticks in the wrong place though, why they opted to make the d-pad in the optimum place is ridiculous.
 
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GuruJockStrap said:
But the PS3 doing well isn't good for the consumer what with Sony's current lead in the market.

I want the PS3 to take a bloody nose this generation and lose some its market share to MS and Nintendo.

This would then force all 3 consoles companies to come back with better consoles in an attempt to reverse/build on the fortunes of this generation in the next.

That in my eyes is good for the consumer.


I think it already has done that. You don't leave the market free for a whole year and then release a console at such a relative high price and not take something of a beating.
 
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