Jubenhimer
Member
The troubles surrounding the first three or so years of the PlayStation 3 have already been well documented at this point, and it's safe to say the console got off to a very rocky start that generation, regularly outsold by both the Xbox 360 and Wii.
But from 2009-2013, the PlayStation 3 saw a turnaround unlike any other console before it. What launched as an overpriced, over-enginered joke of a platform, memed on for having no games, eventually blossomed into arguably, not just the best console to buy during the later half of the seventh generation, but personally speaking, one of the best gaming consoles of all time IMO.
The significant price drop and Slim rebrand with the Kevin Butler ad campaign in 2009 did wonders in reversing the cosnole's image amongst the general public. For $299, you get a game console and Blu-Ray/Media player in one.
It was also around this time that Sony had finally gotten past the first party game droughts that plagued the PS3's early years, with the system now seeing a consistent exclusive release slate, with some of the best exclusives that generation, finally showcasing what the CELL was capable of. Compared to Microsoft, which felt like they were scaling back first party development (at least for non-Kinect titles), WWS was on fire during the later PS3 gen, with games like Infamous 1+2, Killzone 2, The Little Big Planet Trilogy, Uncharted 2+3, The Last of Us, and more.
For third party games, PS3 was also seeing improvement. Games came day and date with other versions more frequently, and the performance gap that plagued early third party releases on the console vs. the 360 versions, had now shrunk considerably for most titles. PS3 versions even started getting exclusive features and content, and the console even started getting third party exclusives outright, particularly from Japanese devs.
When Nintendo's Wii opened the door for motion gaming, PlayStation entered the ring with PlayStation Move. A motion control system for PS3 using a Wand-like orb controller and the PlayStation Eye camera for an advanced 3D motion control experience. While it may not have been quite as successful as Sony perhaps hoped, Move was a welcome addition to the PS3 ecosystem, extending it's support to nearly 80+ PS3 releases, and eventually served as the basis for PlayStation VR on PS4. And other additions such as native 3D TV support helped round out the versatility of the platform.
PlayStation Network, the great 2011 hack and lack of party chat aside, was also free compared to Xbox Live, and had come a long way from it's initial lackluster state during the PS3 launch period. Plus, PS One classics was a lovely way to experience the best of the original PlayStation library for those who couldn't get physical copies, and the addition of PS2 classics, and HD remasters of PS2 games, made up for the lack of PS2 backwards compatibility in later models. PlayStation Plus, a subscription service that launched in 2010, was also at the time a much better value than Xbox Live Gold was.
Overall, the PlayStation 3 had possibly one of the greatest turnarounds of any video game system to date. Going from being seen as the worst console of the generation, to quite possibly the best console of the generation, was quite the glow up nobody saw coming. It may have costed Sony billions in financial losses in trying to save it. But considering how the system ended up in the end, and that the lessons learned from it ultimately led to the PlayStation 4 dominating the next generation, I'd say it was worth it.
But from 2009-2013, the PlayStation 3 saw a turnaround unlike any other console before it. What launched as an overpriced, over-enginered joke of a platform, memed on for having no games, eventually blossomed into arguably, not just the best console to buy during the later half of the seventh generation, but personally speaking, one of the best gaming consoles of all time IMO.
The significant price drop and Slim rebrand with the Kevin Butler ad campaign in 2009 did wonders in reversing the cosnole's image amongst the general public. For $299, you get a game console and Blu-Ray/Media player in one.
It was also around this time that Sony had finally gotten past the first party game droughts that plagued the PS3's early years, with the system now seeing a consistent exclusive release slate, with some of the best exclusives that generation, finally showcasing what the CELL was capable of. Compared to Microsoft, which felt like they were scaling back first party development (at least for non-Kinect titles), WWS was on fire during the later PS3 gen, with games like Infamous 1+2, Killzone 2, The Little Big Planet Trilogy, Uncharted 2+3, The Last of Us, and more.
For third party games, PS3 was also seeing improvement. Games came day and date with other versions more frequently, and the performance gap that plagued early third party releases on the console vs. the 360 versions, had now shrunk considerably for most titles. PS3 versions even started getting exclusive features and content, and the console even started getting third party exclusives outright, particularly from Japanese devs.
When Nintendo's Wii opened the door for motion gaming, PlayStation entered the ring with PlayStation Move. A motion control system for PS3 using a Wand-like orb controller and the PlayStation Eye camera for an advanced 3D motion control experience. While it may not have been quite as successful as Sony perhaps hoped, Move was a welcome addition to the PS3 ecosystem, extending it's support to nearly 80+ PS3 releases, and eventually served as the basis for PlayStation VR on PS4. And other additions such as native 3D TV support helped round out the versatility of the platform.
PlayStation Network, the great 2011 hack and lack of party chat aside, was also free compared to Xbox Live, and had come a long way from it's initial lackluster state during the PS3 launch period. Plus, PS One classics was a lovely way to experience the best of the original PlayStation library for those who couldn't get physical copies, and the addition of PS2 classics, and HD remasters of PS2 games, made up for the lack of PS2 backwards compatibility in later models. PlayStation Plus, a subscription service that launched in 2010, was also at the time a much better value than Xbox Live Gold was.
Overall, the PlayStation 3 had possibly one of the greatest turnarounds of any video game system to date. Going from being seen as the worst console of the generation, to quite possibly the best console of the generation, was quite the glow up nobody saw coming. It may have costed Sony billions in financial losses in trying to save it. But considering how the system ended up in the end, and that the lessons learned from it ultimately led to the PlayStation 4 dominating the next generation, I'd say it was worth it.
