Sony Suckage
Nov. 11th, 2005 01:30 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
thessalian*sniff* Everybody else gets to be out having fun while I'm stuck here in editorial office purgatory. I want to go home.
Currently annoyed at Sony. First I hear about this root kit thing their newer CDs and what have you are installing on people's computers, serving as a copy protection measure and a veritable back door into people's computer systems. The worst part of that is that some white collar peon at Sony is justifying this by saying, "Well, no one knows what a root kit is, so it doesn't really matter to anybody". Ha. Fucking. Ha. Well, if they sure as hell do now, you stooge. So far as it has been explained to me, this root kit of Sony's is designed to make file names with certain suffixes invisible, even to admins ... and even to anti-virus software. Hackers, crackers and virusmonkeys must be loving this. And of course, you cannot run the uninstall without disabling the root kit, which you cannot do without uninstalling the root kit. Ha ha bloody fucking ha. Someone's going to get their arse sued right off.
And then I hear that the PS3 is not going to be entirely backwards compatible with the PS1/PS2. The few leaks that are coming out are suggesting 50% backwards compatibility; I predict that 'nearly none' will be more to the point. Of course, Sony's rationale might be something to the order of "Well, everyone has a PS1 and a PS2 if they have the games for it, so what's the big deal?" Um ... the big deal is that the PS3 is supposed to replace the old hardware that, in comparison with today's hardware, is kind of clunky. The PS3, much like the XBox360 or whatever it is, is supposed to replace damn near every component of your home entertainment system bar the TV. The PS2 managed backward compatibility and so people junked their PS1s (can't say I blame them). People will likely be hoping to get rid of their PS2s when the PS3 comes out, or the kids will hope to have it in their rooms or something, and they won't be able to and still play the games. But of course, real bonus for no backwards compatibility as far as Sony's concerned (aside from not having to do as much work) is that in order to truly enjoy your new PS3, you will have to buy a whole mess of new games instead of just being able to play your old ones.
And the worst part? They're not even going to manage a PS3 release in time for Christmas. XBox360 is releasing in time for Christmas, which means it's getting a much better launch in terms of sales numbers -- not only will there be the typical "Must buy my kid that console for Christmas" situation, but also the teenagers and young adults who will predominantly get cash for Christmas and want to blow it on something impressive. Meanwhile, PS3 isn't launching until March/Easter or so, according to the grapevine, which means they're launching at a time of year where practically no one actually buys anything major. XBox360 is also, so far as I can see, a fundamentally less ugly piece of kit. Of course, I'm not making any final decisions on which one I would prefer until I find out for good all what platform is launching Silent Hlll 5. No one seems to know yet.
Still, while I'll want the console on which I can play SH5, I'm betting Xbox360 is going to tromp PS3's arse into the ground in terms of sales numbers.
Am I a geek yet?
Currently annoyed at Sony. First I hear about this root kit thing their newer CDs and what have you are installing on people's computers, serving as a copy protection measure and a veritable back door into people's computer systems. The worst part of that is that some white collar peon at Sony is justifying this by saying, "Well, no one knows what a root kit is, so it doesn't really matter to anybody". Ha. Fucking. Ha. Well, if they sure as hell do now, you stooge. So far as it has been explained to me, this root kit of Sony's is designed to make file names with certain suffixes invisible, even to admins ... and even to anti-virus software. Hackers, crackers and virusmonkeys must be loving this. And of course, you cannot run the uninstall without disabling the root kit, which you cannot do without uninstalling the root kit. Ha ha bloody fucking ha. Someone's going to get their arse sued right off.
And then I hear that the PS3 is not going to be entirely backwards compatible with the PS1/PS2. The few leaks that are coming out are suggesting 50% backwards compatibility; I predict that 'nearly none' will be more to the point. Of course, Sony's rationale might be something to the order of "Well, everyone has a PS1 and a PS2 if they have the games for it, so what's the big deal?" Um ... the big deal is that the PS3 is supposed to replace the old hardware that, in comparison with today's hardware, is kind of clunky. The PS3, much like the XBox360 or whatever it is, is supposed to replace damn near every component of your home entertainment system bar the TV. The PS2 managed backward compatibility and so people junked their PS1s (can't say I blame them). People will likely be hoping to get rid of their PS2s when the PS3 comes out, or the kids will hope to have it in their rooms or something, and they won't be able to and still play the games. But of course, real bonus for no backwards compatibility as far as Sony's concerned (aside from not having to do as much work) is that in order to truly enjoy your new PS3, you will have to buy a whole mess of new games instead of just being able to play your old ones.
And the worst part? They're not even going to manage a PS3 release in time for Christmas. XBox360 is releasing in time for Christmas, which means it's getting a much better launch in terms of sales numbers -- not only will there be the typical "Must buy my kid that console for Christmas" situation, but also the teenagers and young adults who will predominantly get cash for Christmas and want to blow it on something impressive. Meanwhile, PS3 isn't launching until March/Easter or so, according to the grapevine, which means they're launching at a time of year where practically no one actually buys anything major. XBox360 is also, so far as I can see, a fundamentally less ugly piece of kit. Of course, I'm not making any final decisions on which one I would prefer until I find out for good all what platform is launching Silent Hlll 5. No one seems to know yet.
Still, while I'll want the console on which I can play SH5, I'm betting Xbox360 is going to tromp PS3's arse into the ground in terms of sales numbers.
Am I a geek yet?
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no subject
Date: 2005-11-11 02:21 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-11-11 03:23 pm (UTC)EVERY FIVE MINUTES the phone would ring, "Yo, you got PS2/X-Box/DS?"
I hated it.
And while Christmas releases boost sales, with products like these, they don't really *need* the boost. PSP had a spring release as well, and we could barely keep it in stock. We kept having to special order from Japan.
Tech nerds will scramble, no matter the time of year.
But the not backwards compatible thing? Frigging LAME. Bzzt.
no subject
Date: 2005-11-11 03:45 pm (UTC)As for the backwards compatibility issue, news is that Xbox360 is likely to have the same problem. And the games for both are likely to suck on the grounds that there's all this legislation and bad press about violent games. Things aren't looking all that good for the new consoles, 120 fps or not.
no subject
Date: 2005-11-11 04:50 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-11-11 05:21 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-11-11 05:34 pm (UTC)and
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/4427606.stm
should cheer you up a little.
no subject
Date: 2005-11-11 07:09 pm (UTC)Well, if it makes you feel any better I'm likely to be here at work well past 8pm tonight.
> Hackers, crackers and virusmonkeys must be loving this.
Indeed. The first virus has already been released that takes advantage of it.
Anti Sony programmers rant (http://www.pigdog.org/auto/software_jihad/link/2581.html).
> Someone's going to get their arse sued right off.
Unlikely. It'll be burried in the EULA that no-one ever reads.
Another one today on BoingBoing concerns a spyware company who is suing an spyware removal company because their EULA says that no anti-spyware company can install their software to backwards engineer it.
> And then I hear that the PS3 is not going to be entirely backwards
> compatible with the PS1/PS2.
Slashdot has some stuff about the Nintendo Revolution (http://money.cnn.com/2005/11/10/commentary/game_over/column_gaming/index.htm).
> you will have to buy a whole mess of new games instead of just being able > to play your old ones.
Or indeed copy. I give the copy protection less than a week.
> XBox360 is releasing in time for Christmas
With contracts between Microsoft and all major retailers *forcing* them to go out of stock to show it selling out.
> Am I a geek yet?
Long before I met you. *smile*
no subject
Date: 2005-11-11 07:21 pm (UTC)I take it all back. There's lawsuits, police and all kinds of things () going on. Sony is in deep shit this time.
no subject
Date: 2005-11-11 07:22 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-11-11 07:23 pm (UTC)