The real "Console Issues"
As perhaps the instigator, I think in fairness I should say I liked the PS1 system the most of Sony's products. The N64 of a similiar generation I thought was not nearly as well thought out. The reasons there are such issues with consoles is the companies or better put leadership of the companies have conflicting goals for the product than do the people who use them.
I want to play games. Sony makes a console. Why wouldn't I buy a PS3? These are the things you should consider. What is the main detraction and why does it exist? The Blue Ray format isn't a big problem is it? The real thing that is a deal breaker first is incompatibility. Software investment is huge. I have probably $1000 or more in games, I want to KEEP playing. This is the MAJOR failure of the playstation 2 and 3. Incompatibility with the prior system. Blaming other people or the engineers for the problem, is to be blunt, idiotic. I'll say it clearly "There is no technical problem that is not solvable." All the problems with the PS2's developement software and compatibility are solely Sony's and Sony's management. Very rarely can a single person make that many problems. It takes someone in authority to really screw up a product. This likely holds true with the PS3. The management at Sony screwed it up. The goals of management were what with the PS3? Obviously they wanted something that conflicted with what the customer wanted.
Conflict with the people who BUY your product is a fatal error. This is what killed the Beta (not the fact VHS was BETTER or cheaper). The conflict in the PS3 is reasonable downward compatibility. Somehow Sony had this crazy idea that they could just slap most of a PS1 system into the PS2 and everything would be fine. Didn't happen, this was a bad management decision. Ditto with the PS3. Doing the same thing as you did before does not get you different results now does it? Now the PS3 is even more incompatible with prior generation software. PS2 and PS1 alike.
The second major issue of the PS3, is the end product is overpriced. This has nothing to do with engineering. It does again have to do with management choices. What is the biggest cost in the PS3? Why does it need a hard disk? Why does it need a whole new controller? With such a huge introductory price, how can Sony justify a half baked system to people? Thus sales are in the toilet. The bad part about this is likely all the people who weren't management knew this is exactly the results they would get and there was nothing they could do. In other words the people who make things happen are screwed and management keeps there job.
Yes, Sony has some serious issues. It would be good that a CEO get fired more often without ANY compensation. People need to get there attention changed sometimes when they get too far off on a tangent (it's like the nasty attitude car salesman why would you buy a car from him?). Sony has been persuing the mindless idea that DRM will be the silver bullet and evil pirate software manufacturers are to blame for there problems. I'm afraid you own your own mistakes, Sony needs to think about the beta and deal with the fact, there corperate behavior is like a bunch of barbarians. There motto should read "take what you want, <bleep> the world!" Another appropriate motto might be "Pilage before you burn!"
Cyb
