The Unanswered Questions Thread

[Organic_Shadow]

We've all (for the most part) seen the PS3, we've seen it's technical specs (which could still be unofficial), and we've seen what it can do..... but that doesn't mean that all our questions are answered.....

This thread is where we can all post our "more advanced" questions about games, the inner workings of the PS3, developers, and peripheral support, etc. If anyone happens to find out the answers then make sure you can back up your claim with a link or two! 8)

Here goes:

1. The PS3 is supposedly backward compatable with it's older sibling's games. On the PS2 Sony added support to attempt to make PS1 games look a bit better through an option in the system preferences. Will the PS3 offer such capability? And if so, will it be powerful enough to add anti-aliasing, filtering, etc. to old games that badly need it?

2. Sony stated the HD will be "detachable". They did not specify how large the HD will be though. Does this mean that the HD is sold separately? Or do they not want to get into the specifics because they are rumored to be releasing two models of the console, which may feature different HD sizes, or no HD at all?

3. Looking at the timeline from the birth of the PS1 till now, it is obvious that many developers have played this ping pong game of changing their minds which console they are developing for. A good example is the Resident Evil series. What started as a Playstation only series, ended up with their orginal (and my personal favorite) being updated...but on the GC. Will developers be changing their minds again when the console wars take place once more? I sure would like to see some RE1/RE2 updated on the PS3...as well as many other games *cough*oddworld franchise*cough*....

4. Both the PS3 and the XBOX 360 seem to be trying to not only top the next gen consoles, but the gaming industry as well. Not everyone can afford a PC with 3 x 3.2ghz processors in it, yet alone get their hands on a cell, nor do PC's perform as well as consoles with given specs due to their variety of hardware which developers must code for. Will the PS3 be anti-PC? Or will it offer PC connectivity allowing the best of both worlds, the sharing of information, or even synchronizing of music/movie media?

5. Why 7 controllers? They stated that there is a maximum of 7 wireless bluetooth controllers, but is that the maximum allowed players the console can handle? An odd number is....well....odd. I couldnt imagine playing a sports game.....or even playing a sports game with an odd number of people(catch the joke? i dont like sports games.....). Sony claims the PSP can be used as a controller also....does this mean that 7 is not the maximum allowed player count? If so....how many PSP's can be used as a controller simultaneosly?

6. Will the PS3's eventually sport more colors than the 3 shown in (what seems to be) concept photos? XBOX seems to be heavily geared towards the personalization and customization of the console to allow players to have a sense of individuality.....what is Sony's take on this? The ability to get different colors, or even modify the PS3 itself to reflect the user could be another cherry on top for the PS3's impressive specs.

That's all I have for now. None of this was meant to flame anyone or anything.... I just have several frustrations lingering in my head and I need a place to get them out. Hopefully most of my questions will be answered by fall or holiday season this year, as I would like to know that im saving my money for a good reason.

[watashi]

Think about gamecube, it was 4 controllers for melee but one had to take pictures. So it was 3 when 4 was available. So maybe it's picture? This is only talked about number 5.

[evanft]

Mine questions.:

1. The controller. No need for a question there. :P

2. Killzone, is it a launch, or soon after launch title?

3. How much is this going to cost?

4. What's the online plan? Is it free? Are there levels of service?? Do I have to pay for new shirts and wheels in my games??

5. Is everything going to be wireless, like the headset and eyetoy? Am I going to be able to purchase non-Sony made versions of these items for use with the PS3?

I actually had the exact same questions you did, too, so I didn't bother posting those. I'm VERY interested in seeing how BC turns out.

[muchuukuri]

1) I hope there's some AA added, since it's more than powerful enough.

2) I dunno, but there is no place on the console to add a HDD. it'll prolly run a lot like an external HDD you buy for your PC.

3) Wasn't RE5 announce for PS3? I could be wrong though. I'm sure we'll see it come to the PS3 though... the Rev may not even be out by then. Oddworld is dead, didn't you hear? They closed down as a game studio and are going to start making movies.

4) Well, they're very "exotic" hardware in comparison to PCs, for sure, but connectivity breaks down to drivers really. Nothing more nothing less. So yeah we should, especially since the X2 is... no way is Sony just gonna let that happen without offering the same themselves.

5) The 7th port is prolly for the eyetoy or something... I can imagine RTS games where you use the eyetoy and your hand to circle and select groups of troops or pull of minority report style commands and then use the controler to do various actions as per the norm. Whatever it may be I think it's there in a secondary perphreal stater. Maybe for the steering wheel, footpeddels, controllers, eyetoy...this way you don't have to keep changing things around.

6) Doubt it. Sony likes uniformity. Look at the PS2, people have asked for multiple colors and whatnot for ages... never happened.





1) Maybe it's confortable... who knows. They must have a reason to mess with something that's prolly (argueably) the best controller out there.

2) Not a clue... I doubt launch though.

3) There's been some talk and it seems that at the most it will run for $465. Hopefully, less, but dunno.

4) Didn't say. hopefully. Maybe. Yes, greedy is "in", didn't you know?

5) I very much expect it to be, and it makes sense cosidering the number of wireless ports. More than likely.

[PS Gamer]

I answer as much as I can...and for right now I'll just answer Organics...since I have a lot of stuff to do right now...A lot of people at the booth at the moment...

1. The PS3 is supposedly backward compatable with it's older sibling's games. On the PS2 Sony added support to attempt to make PS1 games look a bit better through an option in the system preferences. Will the PS3 offer such capability? And if so, will it be powerful enough to add anti-aliasing, filtering, etc. to old games that badly need it?

Me - From what I heard, it is supposed to make PS1 & PS2 games look alittle better.

2. Sony stated the HD will be "detachable". They did not specify how large the HD will be though. Does this mean that the HD is sold separately? Or do they not want to get into the specifics because they are rumored to be releasing two models of the console, which may feature different HD sizes, or no HD at all?

Me - I guess your talking about the "HDD" since HD and HDD are two different things. From my sources state that there will be a bundle, and a sold seperate version. I can't comment on the storage at this time.

3. Looking at the timeline from the birth of the PS1 till now, it is obvious that many developers have played this ping pong game of changing their minds which console they are developing for. A good example is the Resident Evil series. What started as a Playstation only series, ended up with their orginal (and my personal favorite) being updated...but on the GC. Will developers be changing their minds again when the console wars take place once more? I sure would like to see some RE1/RE2 updated on the PS3...as well as many other games *cough*oddworld franchise*cough*....

Me - Some of the trailers that I took a peek at showed a RE game for the PS3...not a lot of info out there at the moment though.

4. Both the PS3 and the XBOX 360 seem to be trying to not only top the next gen consoles, but the gaming industry as well. Not everyone can afford a PC with 3 x 3.2ghz processors in it, yet alone get their hands on a cell, nor do PC's perform as well as consoles with given specs due to their variety of hardware which developers must code for. Will the PS3 be anti-PC? Or will it offer PC connectivity allowing the best of both worlds, the sharing of information, or even synchronizing of music/movie media?

Me - The PS3 is going to be able to do A LOT of things. That is the reason it is called a "Super-Computer". Along with the PS3, there is Video chat, and all that kinds of fun and neat things.

5. Why 7 controllers? They stated that there is a maximum of 7 wireless bluetooth controllers, but is that the maximum allowed players the console can handle? An odd number is....well....odd. I couldnt imagine playing a sports game.....or even playing a sports game with an odd number of people(catch the joke? i dont like sports games.....). Sony claims the PSP can be used as a controller also....does this mean that 7 is not the maximum allowed player count? If so....how many PSP's can be used as a controller simultaneosly?

If you use your PSP as a controller, it counts as a controller. They choosed 7 because thats the top amount of players you can put on a 55-70" TV, and still have good resolution.

6. Will the PS3's eventually sport more colors than the 3 shown in (what seems to be) concept photos? XBOX seems to be heavily geared towards the personalization and customization of the console to allow players to have a sense of individuality.....what is Sony's take on this? The ability to get different colors, or even modify the PS3 itself to reflect the user could be another cherry on top for the PS3's impressive specs.

Me - Probably...there are 3 colors now, and probably will be more on the way later down the road...It is always possible to mod these consoles..though we suggest that you don't do it since It voids warrenty, and could possible break your system.

Ok, I hope that help alittle organic...I know have to get back to work....I'll post more of your answers later when I get a chance.

-PS Gamer

[evanft]

PS Gamer, thank you.

EDIT: But how much better will PS2/PS1 games look?? Would it be possible to implement FSAA and texture normalization?? Or maybe we could see bleem-level enhancement on PS1 games? Or maybe there are multiple options that the gamer can tinker with?

[PS Gamer]

Heres answers to your questions Evanft:

1. The controller. No need for a question there. Razz

Me - Just a prototype...will likely change

2. Killzone, is it a launch, or soon after launch title?

Me - Possibly launch title, since Guriella got there dev. kits a few months ago.

3. How much is this going to cost?

Me - Probably 300-500$ USD.

4. What's the online plan? Is it free? Are there levels of service?? Do I have to pay for new shirts and wheels in my games??

Me - Can't comment on the service yet...ether at TGS (Tokyo Game Show) or GDC (Gamer Developers Conference) 06, you'll get a lot of info on online.

5. Is everything going to be wireless, like the headset and eyetoy? Am I going to be able to purchase non-Sony made versions of these items for use with the PS3?

Me - Yes...from what I have heard the headset will be wireless...don't know much on the next gen eyetoy though. Yes there will be 3rd party versions of items.

[PeanutButterMunky]

Me - Can't comment on the service yet...ether at TGS 06 or GDC 06, you'll get a lot of info on online.
Since you work for Sony, wouldn't you have some insight into that?

[PS Gamer]

Yes I do....but like I said I cannot comment on it. I talked to a few people about it, and they said that we shouldn't discuss it yet since there making a large plan for ether TGS or GDC.

[evanft]

Good news on the headset. I just LOVE the idea of everything being wireless right out of the box, very cool.

Please elaborate on the BC more if/when you can.

EDIT: I haven't seen super good shots of what's under that little flip cover. Is there a slot for PS1/PS2 memory cards??

[PeanutButterMunky]

Is there a slot for PS1/PS2 memory cards??
Yeah, there is slot for PS1/PS2 memory cards.

[Chaotic_King]

Hmm...

1) I'm hearing so many conflicting things. Is the PS3 really between 1-2 times more powerful than the X360? Or are they about the same?

2) The controller. Ok, if it is a phototype, why was it even shown/created? Why would they not just spice the DS2 up a little bit? Doesn't that mean that Sony is trying to move away from an already proven controller?

3) The console itself? Now, from people I've talked to, it's larger than the Xbox360. Is it still a prototype? Is it like Sony is going to change it? I mean, Sony is usually the best at design. The PS3's is really a bit underwhelming. (I'm not saying I don't like it, I think it's ok, but it looks a bit awkward...)

4) Why is Sony adding all these unneeded functionality to the PS3? Hirai said he expects that given what the PS3 has, consumers will be willing to pay more than $300 for it. That's all nice and dandy, but the majority of gamers won't use all of the functionalities of the PS3. I mean, I could purchase a $400 PS3, or a $279 Xbox360, supposedly, both capable of the same type of graphics, with the Xbox360 having the larger game list, most likely better online service, and cheaper. Could Sony really be that naive? (Or is there a lot more that we have yet to see. But if that's the case, that would likely add to the fortune Sony is already losing on the PS3)

5) After seeing a lot of Xbox Live, it makes you wonder, does Sony have the ability to create something that could rival it? Sony, after all, is a hardware company. Microsoft on the other hand, is the largest software company in the world. It's taken them years to get something as great as Live will be. Should we really expect something of equal quality from Sony?

6) Is this it for Sony until TGS, regarding the PS3?

[PeanutButterMunky]

1) I'm hearing so many conflicting things. Is the PS3 really between 1-2 times more powerful than the X360? Or are they about the same?
There isn't any conflict. The PS3 is between 1-2 times more powerful, on paper, than Xbox 360.


6) Is this it for Sony until TGS, regarding the PS3?
Information regarding PS3 can always be given out from now until then.

[Epsilon-Zero]

Well you guys already asked my questions. Only got a few left.

1. Why are there 3 10/1000 LAN connections?

2. Why is it so big?

3. Who do I have to kill to get a FF7 Remake? :P

[PeanutButterMunky]

1. Why are there 3 10/1000 LAN connections?
Because Sony is hardcore...and I don't know.


2. Why is it so big?
There is a lot of stuff packed under the hood, and the design may or may not change. Although it should change if they want to appeal to the Japanese market. I myself couldn't care less. The size looks fine to me.


3. Who do I have to kill to get a FF7 Remake?
Hopefully nobody.

[watashi]

Kill the guy that said "WE SHOULD GO MULTI-PLATFORM" Hahahahaha, anyway,

2. I think it's big because the BD-ROM Was just released, and new roms can't be so small just already.

[PeanutButterMunky]

^^^^^^

That's probably also a factor. And NVIDIA has a reputation for making gargantuan GPUs.

[PS Gamer]

Just a quick thing before I have to leave, and start "working" :P

Its really not as big as you think...a lot of people are blowing it way out of proportion, if it was sized up next to an 360, it would probably be smaller in height but larger in width (since its convex).

[muchuukuri]

1) I'm hearing so many conflicting things. Is the PS3 really between 1-2 times more powerful than the X360? Or are they about the same?
---As PBM said on paper yeah... realisitically, as things stand now and based on what I've heard and learned so far it looks like the Xbox360 is around 2/3rds the "power" of the PS3.

2) The controller. Ok, if it is a phototype, why was it even shown/created? Why would they not just spice the DS2 up a little bit? Doesn't that mean that Sony is trying to move away from an already proven controller?
---Actually, I've been taking a long hard look as to why the would do something so crazy... I've been examining the way my hands would lay if I was trying to cover the entire controller and the design fits pretty close to the shape my hands make... maybe Sony's not crazy??? Still doubtful, but meh.

3) The console itself? Now, from people I've talked to, it's larger than the Xbox360. Is it still a prototype? Is it like Sony is going to change it? I mean, Sony is usually the best at design. The PS3's is really a bit underwhelming. (I'm not saying I don't like it, I think it's ok, but it looks a bit awkward...)
---Actually, as far as I can tell NO. The PS3 is smaller than the X2. I've been measuring over and over using every picture I can get my hands on to compare and the PS3 each and every time comes out smaller than the X2. I'd say by about an inch or two... unfortunately the pictures aren't to scale of the actual consoles so 3 inches or whatever, but the PS3 is definately smaller, even if I'm generous to the X2 its smaller.

4) Why is Sony adding all these unneeded functionality to the PS3? Hirai said he expects that given what the PS3 has, consumers will be willing to pay more than $300 for it. That's all nice and dandy, but the majority of gamers won't use all of the functionalities of the PS3. I mean, I could purchase a $400 PS3, or a $279 Xbox360, supposedly, both capable of the same type of graphics, with the Xbox360 having the larger game list, most likely better online service, and cheaper. Could Sony really be that naive? (Or is there a lot more that we have yet to see. But if that's the case, that would likely add to the fortune Sony is already losing on the PS3)
---I honestly don't know, obviously they're not naive, but they've got me wondering why. I can only imagine the PS3 has some serious HD capabilities. I think Sony is trying to push the PS3 beyond a gaming system and make it an entertainment system.

5) After seeing a lot of Xbox Live, it makes you wonder, does Sony have the ability to create something that could rival it? Sony, after all, is a hardware company. Microsoft on the other hand, is the largest software company in the world. It's taken them years to get something as great as Live will be. Should we really expect something of equal quality from Sony?
---And Sony is also te makers of Everquest... I think they have an idea of what's needed for online and things like that. Will it ever be as seemless or as feature rich as M$'s model... honestly, I don't think so... we'll have to wait and see.

6) Is this it for Sony until TGS, regarding the PS3?
---Prolly, some snippets here and there... a few commercials to stir up public awareness... but I think so.






1. Why are there 3 10/1000 LAN connections?
---Ever heard of LAN parties?? Imagine hooking up a farm of PS3's and going nuts. Or maybe make it an internet hub in itself able to connect to all other appliances through a standardized port.
2. Why is it so big?
----See above.
3. Who do I have to kill to get a FF7 Remake?
---Apparently Wada... I'll join... I call nail bat.



Also, I had a thought about the 7 controllers... Kutaragi's expression when he announced the 7 controller support wasn't all the happy... so something occurred to me... perhaps they were aiming for 8 controllers? Perhaps the bandwidth available to bluetooth (blu-ray and blue tooth ^^) was only enough to properly feed 7 controllers not 8. Maybe Sony was going for a LAN in a box idea... one thing M$ often showed off was this kind of thing... a bunch of friends get together... 2 XBoxes 2 TVs 8 controllers an have a mini lan party. Maybe Sony trying to make it so you only need 1 PS3 and one up the Xbox.

[Chaotic_King]

Thanks. Still hope we get a console/controller redesign.

[straightballin]

I know this is a little off topic but i think sony has not come out with everything. I think that their may be some features on the gpu and other things that are missing on the specs, im expecting the specs to be better (I dont think sony would give everything away) and I also belive that sony has some innovative ideas they are keeping quite along with their online service. I wont be supprised if sony has some really HUGE things coming up for us such as hardware, innovation, and online capibilties.

[phobia]

Just a quick thing before I have to leave, and start "working" :P

Its really not as big as you think...a lot of people are blowing it way out of proportion, if it was sized up next to an 360, it would probably be smaller in height but larger in width (since its convex).

Yes when I saw the press conference and the japanese guy was holding the ps3. (I'm going to be stereotypical here and say he's small) The ps3 looked very small when I compared it to him. Also the way he hold it seemed like it was as heavy as a feather (seeing how he holded it with some fingers each side and easily flipped it a few times) Then again this is al speculation! Believe what you want to!

[adamba4e]

What do you not like about the console design.

[watashi]

It appears the console is being said as big, when it could possibly be small. Then again, we've forgotten. Big = Good, 4 years later, Small = Sony. And probably the size of nintendo rev.

[Organic_Shadow]

epsilon: i agree with muchuukuri, the ps3 has 1 in and 2 outs, and LAN reasons seem to be what that is pointing toward. it might even be possible that you can use one of the ps3's host as the server and all the other ps3's chained to it can get in and play? but that makes me wonder why it has 802.11 b/g on it.... maybe to play with people (room mates) in other rooms on two separate tv's etc.

I think the main reason Sony has ALL these crazy features on it is so that if they want to add functionality to it later on we all wont have to go out and buy a network adapter or HD and cause all that drama like the ps2 did. If game developers want to do something that requires an additional hardware requirement they have SO MANY options to go with when creating the game that they wont have to worry about making Sony release an add-on just to be able to play their game, like final fantasy online. Plus, Sony can even release updates to the firmware(if any) to fix bugs, prevent pirating, etc. They can just say "okay, we'll release an update and if their ps3 is online it automatically updates...." and then certain bugs are fixed or addressed.

[muchuukuri]

Actually, the article here answers a number of questions and touches up on some of the reasons for the mulitple ports.

http://www.gamesindustry.biz/content_page.php?aid=9051

SOny has some really neat things in store for online.

Also, I was reading around... it seems that Bluetooth actually does have enough bandwidth to support 8 controllers, so as to why 7... well, I'm at a loss... it's possible that maybe the PS3 controllers use up more bandwidth than we think or that the 8th is reserved for a specific feature... back to the drawing board, I guess.

[Chaotic_King]

What do you not like about the console design.
I don't know. For me, it just doesn't ooze Sony's style. I mean, sometimes, it looks pretty good, but a lot of the times, it looks rather big and bulky. I'm not too much of a fan of the convex shape of the console, and I really am curious to see the size of the console, because according to IGN, it's much bigger than the Xbox (and MUCH MUCH more than the Xbox360). The PS3 is easily the most ridiculed console at the moment. I don't know, I guess I was expecting something a lot better looking.

That's why I'm hoping for a console/controller redesign. (Anybody know the chances of one...? PS Gamer? )

[Chaotic_King]

How do you turn the PS3 on?

[adamba4e]

Is the PS3 going to have a disc tray or suction thing ( the car CD player kind)

[watashi]

I hear PS3 is always on, like a computer, and goes to hibernation mode/sleep mode - ps2 way, no turning it off completely 'cause it said "Always online"

[Organic_Shadow]

How do you turn the PS3 on?

Maybe there is a part you touch to turn it on, sort of like my room mates Sony micro shelf stereo system. There is a small button that you BARELY touch to open and close the door. Maybe it's being used to turn on and off the PS3? Some sort of tiny, inconspicuous(lol big xbox360 button) item that you simply graze your finger across?


Is the PS3 going to have a disc tray or suction thing ( the car CD player kind)

It's a slot-loading disc loading system, much like the little "suction" slot on your car stereo. You will not be able to insert the tiny 210mb cd's in it though or they will get stuck! :P

[goodfella3048]

From experience i dont really like the suction type media players. Probably about 8 years ago i had a Compaq presario with one and the cd's always got stuck. But i had lots of trouble overall with that thing, so it was probably just mine. On my old PS2 the dvd drive broke somehow, so i guess this has less moving parts to make it better.

[ROMAN]

because according to IGN, it's much bigger than the Xbox (and MUCH MUCH more than the Xbox360).
NEVER EVER EVER LISTEN TO IGN....EVER EVER :twisted: :twisted: K?

[Organic_Shadow]

because according to IGN, it's much bigger than the Xbox (and MUCH MUCH more than the Xbox360).
NEVER EVER EVER LISTEN TO IGN....EVER EVER :twisted: :twisted: K?

lol I think MOST of us can agree on that one...

even though alot of people post links from them it still doesnt hurt to read what their biased misinformation has to offer. same goes for gamespot. only people i actually trust are when i see sites posting the exact same articel due to an interview or press release of some sort.

[vvlaski]

blabllbalbalbalbal sdf asdfsafsd afasdf sadf

[nekon]

blabllbalbalbalbal sdf asdfsafsd afasdf sadf

you've got to be kidding :shock:

[Pong]

:shock:

N00b, this thread was almost two years old :suspect: and you brought it back with a blah blah comment. What the .... ?

[Loudninja]

Stop bumping it! I already told him to stop.

[AJJets107]

I have banned him for first spamming and bringing back old threads.

[RpgBoy]

LocoRoco was the second game for the PlayStation Portable to show off the system. Not really in a graphical way, but more in terms of gameplay. The game created a new genre for it self.

Last December, there were various rumours which said the popular LocoRoco on the PlayStation Portable would be getting a sequel.

Yesterday Phil Harrison finally confirmed the game would indeed get a sequel. And he confirmed this game would head for the PlayStation 3.

Unfortunately he couldn't confirm anything more than this. No releasedate, and he didn't say anything on how it would go to the PlayStation 3. Meaning, through PlayStation Network Platform or as a game on the market.

Keep checking PSU.com for the latest LocoRoco news.

[RpgBoy]

weird, is this game actually for PSP or PS3. Some sites report for PS3, but IGN says PSP...

[ps3 Wanna be]

It's not really known - people should assume it's for PSP, but because of LocoRoco's nature it would be very successful as a PS Store download. And it's highly likely to become one regardless of whether or not this sequel is PS3 or PSP.