Sony unveils third-gen 'portable' PS2

Sony has confirmed rumours of a PS2 redesign and said that the lighter, third-generation model will be released in Japan later this month. third_gen_PS2 Sony's new PS2: in black, white or sliver The new model is almost exactly the same size as the current model - it's a mere 1mm shorter - but it weighs a lot less: 720g to …

[Julian Cook]

Kicking a Dead Horse

This shows the core difference between Microsoft and Sony, With the release of the 360 the original XBOX was virtually a dead console. There where some games still in development for the old console that have now been released but to all tense and purpose it was a dead console. Sony on the other hand keep brining out new revisions of there older systems. Anyone remember the PSOne, one must ask why Sony continue upon this route, is it to offer more choice to there customers’ err no, in this case it is justification for dropping PS2 support with the PS3. The 360 and PS3 are no longer next generation consoles; they are now the current generation. With the release of a new PS2 does that mean that we might still get a new version of the Sinclair Spectrum if so I will be ordering mine in err Black. So if you want a company that looks forward buy Microsoft (for a change)

[TLA]

Dead Horse?

Julian, have you seen the sales figures for the PS2 against the 360?

In Nov 2006 the 360 sold 511,000 units. in the same month the PS2 sold 663,000! And the was with Gears of War boosting the sales! (of the 360)

Graphics aren't everything, the original XBOX was for all "tense and purpose [sic]" a "dead console" was because it was terrible.

Here is my reference , where is yours?

http://money.cnn.com/2006/12/08/technology/personaltech/ps3sales/index.htm

[David Neil]

Or a change in market?

Not everyone is looking to drop £300+ on a current gen console - say someone buying one for the kids (8-14)?

Combined with a large library of titles and a safe brand name it's a no brainer for a lot of people.

Sure junior may want to get a PS3 as thats the one all over the TV, but if he's just hooking it up to his TV in the bedroom whats the point in some sooper dooper blue ray high def dream machine?

[Lloyd]

Bleedin ell

Flogged mine on e-bay 2 months ago, got a staggering £96 for it and 14 games. Although I'm now quite happy with my wii thank you.

[b shubin]

Twitch buyer

gotta love the Microsoft fanboys and their worship of planned obsolescence (it's a real word, Julian, look it up).

i know a guy who's still using the original modded XBOX. it runs a Linux distro that turns it into a media center and set top console. he's not even a geek, he's a music producer, and he's ecstatic about that box, wouldn't give it up for the world.

i would never buy the XBOX 360 or the PS3, i don't have the kind of time to make it cost-effective (got a life and responsibilities, you know?), but i may buy the new PS2 if i can get a decent media-oriented Linux for it. got just the place for it, too, it's so low-profile, it would be perfect.

yes, there is absolutely a market for PS2 at that price point, as the Wii has already demonstrated. worth noting that i'm not a gamer, and have no particular affection for Nintendo or Sony.

i do have scorn for Microsoft and their idiot fanboy trolls. Microsoft writes software the way Julian Cook uses English - poorly. perhaps he's in their QC department...

[SeanR]

Sony... Europe...

You don't actually think we'll get the new slimline slimline PStwo.two do you? At the equivalent £50 price point?

Aha-hah-hah-hah-ha!

ps. b shubin: wouldn't it be easier/better/cheaper to get a second hand xbox for £50 and then mod it?

[Ben Parkinson]

What's the point?

It's the same size (what's 1mm?)

The same price

The fact it weighs a bit less is irrelevant as the console is stationary.

The only difference is it comes in a different colour - Wiite

[Gavin Nottage]

@What's the point

It takes less juice to power and is lower profile. No doubt it's cheaper to produce too.

[Pascal Monett]

What this actually means

is that PS3 sales are so dismal SONY has to some out with a different color PS2 to give a XMas bonus to the CEO.

Ain't it sad ?

[b shubin]

Progress

@ SeanR

it would indeed be cheaper and easier, but my interests are in another direction.

[1] i don't want an XBOX that i then have to mod. the PlayStation platform will run Linux without modification, i just have to get the right distro.

[2] i like the low profile of the PS2, and the newer box will have lower power requirements, is RoHS-compliant, and likely has updated components (if for no other reason than they couldn't get any more of the original low-end stuff that went into the original PS2).

[3] buying used electronics in the US is chancy, unless it's a certified Apple refurb or similar (where you have some recourse if it goes ugly). i don't want a console that some 12-year-old twitch gamer (like the thoughtful, articulate Julian from the first post) tried to run into the ground and failed; it wouldn't be worth the £50 (or, in my case, $110-$120, at the current exchange rates).

[4] XBOX has a history of electrical problems (houses have burned down because of it).

[frankgobbo]

XBOXes burn houses down

I've been using my original, mod-chipped XBOX now for 5 years. And in that time, it has spent maybe a grand total of 2 weeks powered off.

It runs XBMC for all my media and plays all my games.

Yet somehow it hasn't burnt my house down, even with that ~44,000 hours of usage.

There were some isolated cases of the power coard causing problems, but Microsoft replaced them for free years ago now. I've not heard of anybody's house burning down due to the (original) xbox itself.

As for the PS2.3 - I agree, I don't see the point. Yes, it's currently outselling all of the current gen consoles. But that won't last. This is a last ditch attempt to cash in on a dead platform.

Publishers are NOT going to continue publishing games for this old thing long term, and even if it was just 50 quid to buy it, I'd feel rather ripped off when I can't buy a single new game in 12 months time. Or 6. Or 3. Aside from the Japanese (language) releases, how many are really scheduled into the Euro/US/Australian markets?