UPDATE:Kutaragi sez: PSP design flaws my fault = brilliance!

[system11]

Well Sony has always had this reputation for shoddy hardware ever since the ps1. It really is a great philosophy from a business sense. They put out shoddy cheap to build hardware and the consumer buys it. When the hardware breaks down, they don't swear off Sony or curse their name...THEY BUY ANOTHER ONE! Wrap it all up in Sony hype about Emotion engine super computers and other BS and the consumers just lap it up.

Have you ever bought something new by Sony that proceeded to break? Is this all picked up from 'what people say' or 'some guy on a message board'?

I have a Sony Minidisc walkman. It's bullet proof. I have a nice big old Trinitron TV they made - great for shmups and it's bullet proof. I have an old revision PS1 which has been modded, abused, travelled with, lent to a younger sister, and it's bullet proof (only finally failing because it had been used so much one of the tabs on the disc spindle cracked). I have an original Japanese PS2, it's fine although the fan is a little noisy these days, and an older model Euro one which developed a 'fault' which turned out to simply be old grease on the laser motor gearing. I also have a Sony amplifier from 1967, it still works perfectly.

Sony have only had a reputation for shoddily built hardware from small groups of people on message boards, who can't operate a console without smacking their spade-like hands against the CD tray, slamming down the lid and so on. I've -seen- this abuse, and it's not pretty.

So I guess the real criticism is, Sony don't adequately cater for retarded gorillas.

Still not buying a PSP though personally, it is looking very much like PS2 on the move, and if I'm on a half hour train journey, I just want a game of Sonic or Outrun. Sega Nomad it is then.... (and a suitcase full of batteries)

[Andi]

Yeah. I think the PSP is garbage, but at least they figured out that people want a lit screen in only one try. Give them some credit for that.

[The n00b]

uh bloodflowers read the rest of the thread... I've owned a ps1 and a ps2. Both of them were pretty shitty hardware wise. I'm going to ignore the rest of your post btw.

[Dylan1CC]

I'm beginning to be a little more inclined to believe that some complaints about Sony hardware problems are blown out of proportion, however...

Brian:You want to ban EA from your life because their bank account swells with greenbacks. Who cares?

O...K. The EA NFL and NBA exclusivity is a BAD deal for gamers and choice PERIOD. It sets a bad precedent for the industry too. Ex: I like Star wars games, should EA have exclusive rights to the SW liscence? And if they got it in this hypothetical situation should I just shrug it off as "Oh well, that's business. EA is so big and rich, I should just stop whining about them eating up the SW games for the next 15 years and just casually accept their huge, unstoppable bank account which could use maybe a *smidge* of legal regulation."

All I can say is I'm glad I don't play sports games outside of the occasional game of Madden 95 at a friend's house on the Genny. '

But that's already part of another thread.

[vek]

uh bloodflowers read the rest of the thread... I've owned a ps1 and a ps2. Both of them were pretty shitty hardware wise. I'm going to ignore the rest of your post btw.

No, they're not. See, you got your 'luck' explanation the wrong way round. Most Sony hardware, be it consoles, music players, televisions or whatever else, is very well made. In the real world, Sony have an absolutely fantastic reputation. Only on internet forums filled with Sony hating nerds do they have a bad reputation.

If you've really had so much trouble with Sony hardware, it's you that is unlucky not everyone else that is lucky. But, you said you had problems with Microsoft and Sega consoles too? So why aren't you laying into them as well? Because you only hate Sony?

Or why don't you stop and think - maybe it's something you do with the consoles that makes them break?

Why do you think Ipod is the #1 portable media player now? Minidisc is not, and "walkman" is soon to be considered a passé word.

Why? Because Apple were there first, they got the early adopters, and started some sort of internet based iPod cult. When prices drop and HD based MP3 players go mainstream, that's when Sony will start grabbing all the new customers. They've learnt their lesson now and stopped forcing ATRAC on people, and just in time too. Of course, I expect that similar to what we see here with the PS2, there will be lots of people jumping on the 'Sony are shit' bandwagon, but see, outside of the internet, no one listens to this crap.

[magnum opus]

Why? Because Apple were there first, they got the early adopters, and started some sort of internet based iPod cult. When prices drop and HD based MP3 players go mainstream,

actually apple showed up third, they were when HD players went mainstream.

[Brian]

As far as consoles go, I have had many more problems with Sega hardware than anybody else. I have been through 3 Saturns and the DC was made very poorly. Discs on the Dreamcast that worked yesterday stop working today. The Nomad went all dead pixels on me and the Sega CD creaks and cranks like it has a bee hive inside it.

That said, my original 1994 Sony Playstation is still hooked up and working fine. As is my original launch PS2.

[vek]

Why? Because Apple were there first, they got the early adopters, and started some sort of internet based iPod cult. When prices drop and HD based MP3 players go mainstream,

actually apple showed up third, they were when HD players went mainstream.

I know they weren't technically the first. But they were the first with any sort of recognisable brand name. And they are far from being a mainstream item at the moment. They've sold, what, 10 million odd iPods world wide in a few years? Pretty respectable for a niche item, but the market potentially numbers a couple hundred million at least, once prices start to drop.

The iPod really strikes me as a bit of a fad. I can see it fading away in a few years. PSP will probably steal away its crown as gadget of the moment, and once that crown is gone, I can't see what will lift the iPod above its rivals. Certainly shit like the iPod Shuffle won't help them, that will appeal to no one but Apple nuts "Oh look, its an mp3 player, but there's this cool feature where i can't choose what i want to listen to! WOW!!!".

I could be wrong, but hey. I think I'll be right, at least

[magnum opus]

whil i agree its a matter of (a short) time before th Ipod fades into "just another hd player" i doubt the PSP is going to steal its gadget crown. because that would require media outlets like Time, or USnews or newspapers and what not to treat gaming as legitimate, which judging by the current state of things we're atleast 2-3 years away from.

[zimeon]

I don't believe a bit of the talk about the PSP being flawed. I am perfectly sure it's as good as, or better, than any other handheld.

However, I do resent Sony's attitude. They are to so extravagantly arrogant it's making me sick. I happened to be in Japan when the Dreamcast was launched, and after the Tokyo Toy Show that februari, the TV reporters kept coming back to that "the thing everyone talked about was the PS2", something that was complete and utter bullshit. Their so-called report on the Tokyo Toy Show ended up with them going to Sony's headquarters and getting to play some badly rendered Gran Turismo on a custom-made PC, the reporters all going "wooow" and "sugoooi" and "kireeei". They were so obviously bought by Sony I couldn't believe it was happening. And then they interviewed the boss at the time, who to the question "how many PS2s do you believe you will sell" answered, with a sort of offended look "As many as there are TV sets, of course", and to the questions "what about any rivals?" managed a "that would be cell phones, you mean?". The whole faked so called Toy Show Report ended with the comment "And then there were some games for the Dreamcast, and that will be all from us! Bye!". And this was in february, two months after the Dreamcast had been launched, when all games companies (except Square) had games for the Dreamcast in development. More than a year before the PS2 appeared.

Out of sheer sickness I decided never to buy a PS2 until it was absolutely necessary. A promise I held.

They buy the TV-folk, they brainwash their customers into believing that owing a PS2 will give you healthy children, lovely weather and a sexy wife. Their TV-commercials for both the PS and the PS2 were downright sickeing.

A statement like the above is SO typical of Sony. I don't think there is any the minor flaw for the PSP. I just can't stand their arrogant attitude, and I will never ever in my lifetime buy a Sony product if I can help it.

[vek]

whil i agree its a matter of (a short) time before th Ipod fades into "just another hd player" i doubt the PSP is going to steal its gadget crown. because that would require media outlets like Time, or USnews or newspapers and what not to treat gaming as legitimate, which judging by the current state of things we're atleast 2-3 years away from.

Nope, that's what it would take for something that only plays games, from a company which only makes games to get to that point, something like the Nintendo DS, for example. PSP is not only a games machine, it plays MP3 and films as well. And it's a Sony product, which looks absolutely amazing. That's the key. That makes it 'legitimate'. It's not a games machine, remember, it's 'the walkman of the 21st century'.

BTW I'm not saying the DS is shit, or that it won't sell well, I think it will. But I don't think it'll get the attention the PSP gets, because the PSP is more than a games machine, and made by Sony.

zimeon:

What the hell do you expect them to say? "Hey, our console's ok. But you could get a Dreamcast now, they're good too! Actually, screw that, why not wait for the Gamecube or Xbox? They'll both be more powerful than the PS2!"

Really, what about their rivals? Yeah, all three rival systems had some great games on them. But in sales terms, all three added together probably still sold less than the PS2. And what company wouldn't be arrogant after dominating a market they were new to as successfully as they had with the first Playstation?

If you're not going to buy Sony stuff because they're arrogant, you'd better stay away from Nintendo stuff too. Have you ever seen the stuff Yamauchi comes out with? Or the tactics Nintendo used back when they were the top dog in the console world? If you're not just as 'sickened' by that, then its clear that you are just coming up with excuses to hate Sony, probably because you have some dislike for them because they 'ruined gaming' or some shit like that.

[BIG]

Would you guys lighten up?

However,I do find these anti-Sony sentiments to be somewhat amusing. Sony make shoddy products,you say? Sure,their track record may not be perfect,but then again,they are definitely not the only one who's guilty of this.

Take the GBA SP,for example. There were several complaints that launch model SPs often came with dead pixels. I know,I had one. The same can be said about the Turbo Express/PC-Engine GT,where dead pixles are a commonplace. While we're at it,let's not forget the shoddily-built Sega Nomad and the infamous Sega Saturn cart-slot.

With that said,I rest my case,your honor.

BIG-

[The n00b]

heh I love the fanboys coming out and saying everyone who calls Sony on its shoddy workmanship is "anti-Sony." I've owned Sony consoles and will most likely continue to buy Sony consoles. I may love the games avaliable for it but I do not have to worship or fondle my Sony consoles.

As for the people saying I must not know how to treat a console. I'm sure these idiots have investigated each and every one of the complaints against Sony hardware. I know one of the fanboys was just at my house the other day inspecting my Sony hardware with cotton swabs and looking for miniscule scratches. He also took a blacklight to my playstation 2 to make sure that "its needs were taken care of."

It's funny, someone can talk about a "weak laser" in their turbo duo or an xbox thompson drive and nothing will happen. If you mention Sony, the fanboys come out of their parents' basements and start ranting about "anti-Sony" rhetoric.

[BIG]

heh I love the fanboys coming out and saying everyone who calls Sony on its shoddy workmanship is "anti-Sony." I've owned Sony consoles and will most likely continue to buy Sony consoles. I may love the games avaliable for it but I do not have to worship or fondle my Sony consoles.

As for the people saying I must not know how to treat a console. I'm sure these idiots have investigated each and every one of the complaints against Sony hardware. I know one of the fanboys was just at my house the other day inspecting my Sony hardware with cotton swabs and looking for miniscule scratches. He also took a blacklight to my playstation 2 to make sure that "its needs were taken care of."

It's funny, someone can talk about a "weak laser" in their turbo duo or an xbox thompson drive and nothing will happen. If you mention Sony, the fanboys come out of their parents' basements and start ranting about "anti-Sony" rhetoric.

Your name suits you well

About the anti-Sony thing,if you don't see it as Sony-bashing,then I guess you're simply turning a blindeye to the facts.

Now,I'm not a so-called "fanboy" of all things Sony,but f you would've read the entire thread,which is quite obvious that you haven't,then you can see that I,myself,were also very skeptical about Sony's carftsmanship regarding the PSP.

Again,I'm not saying that Sony products are the best thing since sliced bread but hell,they sure aren't the worst thing since crack, either.

BIG-

[The n00b]

Actually it seems you might deserve this name more than I. You seem not to have read the thread at all especially the discussion where certain posters talked about how you should treat a console. The "facts" about the playstations speak for themselves.

Now various other consoles have had their problems. MS worked through the thompson drive problem with their xbox. It has since been corrected..for the most part. Nintendo had some problems with the gamecube but it was quickly squashed. The Gamecube is actually one of the most durable consoles out there. The Dreamcast never had time to correct its faults. It's still a roll of the dice whether your DC will conk out quickly or still be running since launch. Saturns seem to be more durable since their launch date.

Sony has done very little to correct the ps2's problems. They are still as delicate and as malfunction prone as the launch systems were. The PSP seems to be following in that proud Sony tradition. I also have doubts that Sony is going to go out of its way to correct these problems, judging by their track record. The arrogance Sony has displayed when it comes to the PSP's button problem is surprising but then again they're just being open about their quality of workmanship. At least they are honest?

[magnum opus]

Nope, that's what it would take for something that only plays games, from a company which only makes games to get to that point, something like the Nintendo DS, for example. PSP is not only a games machine, it plays MP3 and films as well. And it's a Sony product, which looks absolutely amazing. That's the key. That makes it 'legitimate'. It's not a games machine, remember, it's 'the walkman of the 21st century'.

the press releases can say whatever they want, the fact is that its being marketed with the name of two in/famous video game machines and its going to be seen AS a game consol. maybe if it launched with half a dozen high profile UMD movie titles or something, but it isn't its being/been launched as the compitition to nintendo. best you can hope for is an article with an "it plays mp3's and eventually movies too" tacked on.

[vek]

the press releases can say whatever they want, the fact is that its being marketed with the name of two in/famous video game machines and its going to be seen AS a game consol. maybe if it launched with half a dozen high profile UMD movie titles or something, but it isn't its being/been launched as the compitition to nintendo. best you can hope for is an article with an "it plays mp3's and eventually movies too" tacked on.

You've probably got a point with that, it is likely to be seen mainly as a games console. But, if you think it's going to be ignored by the media because of this, I expect you're in for a surprise. Of course, I don't know what it's like in the USA, just Europe, so it may be different for you guys. It may well not feature in Time on it's launch, because they don't deal with things like that. It's not a magazine about the latest gadgets and toys and such. Although I wouldn't be at all surprised if at some point they looked at the competition between Sony and Nintendo, more from a business point of view than a review of which product is best. I've read articles in Time before about game companies.

Secondly, whether you see it as a good thing or a bad thing, Sony have done a lot to push games into the mainstream view, and the PSP is likely to continue this.

[zimeon]

What the hell do you expect them to say?

I'm not expecting them to say anything special. If they had said "I hope we will sell double the amount of Playstations" or something, I wouldn't be annoyed. But when they scornfully belch out that they will sell "as many PS2s as there are TV-sets" (which everybody knows is bullshit, so it would have been fun if they had made a joke out of it, only they didn't) it's just so arrogant. I would hate any company showing that kind of attitude.

Don't take me wrong. I own a PS, PS2 (wont get the PSP, though, since I don't like handhelds at all) and am very content. It's nothing wrong with their products. It's their arrogant attitude that pisses me off. Sega or Nintendo has never shown that sort of attitude (in their commercials, at least).

I was also sort of pissed off that they'd bought the whole TV team, their brainwashing TV commercials, and the stupid law they dug up that the PS2 couldn't be exported because it was too powerful. That was such a load of dung.

It's not the specific performance, it's not just what whoever said about the PSP, it's not the TV commercials, not the Toy Show report... it's everything massed together that forms the picture of Sony being a bunch of arrogant shitheads. Which I'm quite intelligent enough to realise they can't possibly be. Sony is an impressive maker of hardware. But they insult me as a customer, and that's nothing I approve of. I don't want to see a commercial with the content that any family with a PS2 will be SOOOOO happy. I'm a gamer, I want to see the games. I want to see what the machine can perform. I want honest commercials. But all Sony keeps giving me are all these euphoric kids and smiling parents. I mean, for God's sake, I'm not stupid! I heard japanese people who wanted a PS2 SOOO much, and they were a) completely uninterested in DVDs and b) completely uninterested in games. They didn't need one. The argument was "oh yeah, maybe, but you know, it's cool, isn't it?". What's that? That's brainwashing.

I'm most certainly not a Sony-hateboy. I just happen to hate all sorts of sleaky TV commercials that just describes something unrelated to the product, and that goes for all car ads showing a woman in a bikini. And, unfortunately, Sony had proven to be very adept at precisely that, although not as blatant an example.

Which is why I react exactly how I should. I feel offended and I avoid their products. As simple as that. Nintendo might have done sleazy things too, they just haven't been dumb enough to shove it in my face. Maybe Sony is a wonderful, kind company. I wouldn't know, because the only face Sony has bothered showing me is one leering with arrogance. Their products though, are wonderful. No question about it.

[Specineff]

I have the feeling that the movie playback option is going to be just another gimmick. Do we need another movie format? Regardless of how many exclusive movie titles Sony adds to their UMD line, people buy, rent and watch DVDs, which are more popular and cheaper. Anyone remember those portable Video 8 players? Seems Sony hasn't learned its lesson. Don't get me wrong, you just can't stick a DVD in that machine. But I doubt highly that people will be purchasing full length movies at 15-25 bucks to watch them on the run.

Also, expect Sony to use their stupid Digital Restriction Method when it comes to MP3 Playback. This, and their abysmal failure at competing with Apple is what has reduced MD and the Walkman to things of the past. (How would you like it if your music management software randomly corrupted data and said that you just can't play or transfer your legally purchased music after crashing? That's Sony's SonicStage for many users.)


Apple owns the portable media player market because it was the first one to do things the right way: A useful and more or less functional portable player. Stable software. Support for Apple's own codec, PCM/Wav, and MP3, WITH NO QUESTIONS ASKED. Fair and legal music download service, which respects both consumers and those capitalistic pigs, ermm... the RIAA.

While Sony says " Thou shalt not have any other formats beside me. ATRAC is what you'll listen, breath and serve all your life. 132 Kpbs with artifacts transferred at sometimes painful speed is what you'll have as long as you serve me. And should I see one single digit changed in your MD, all your music shall be voided, for ever more. I am ATRAC, Thee lord and master."


No, I mean it. Get one of those Net MDs and see for yourself. I am sure this is the same kind of crap that Sony will pull off with the PSP when it comes to downloadable content.

[BIG]

Actually it seems you might deserve this name more than I. You seem not to have read the thread at all especially the discussion where certain posters talked about how you should treat a console. The "facts" about the playstations speak for themselves.

Now various other consoles have had their problems. MS worked through the thompson drive problem with their xbox. It has since been corrected..for the most part. Nintendo had some problems with the gamecube but it was quickly squashed. The Gamecube is actually one of the most durable consoles out there. The Dreamcast never had time to correct its faults. It's still a roll of the dice whether your DC will conk out quickly or still be running since launch. Saturns seem to be more durable since their launch date.

Sony has done very little to correct the ps2's problems. They are still as delicate and as malfunction prone as the launch systems were. The PSP seems to be following in that proud Sony tradition. I also have doubts that Sony is going to go out of its way to correct these problems, judging by their track record. The arrogance Sony has displayed when it comes to the PSP's button problem is surprising but then again they're just being open about their quality of workmanship. At least they are honest?

Here we go again.

Would you care to comment on what I've said about the GBA SPs and Saturn cart-slot? Seriously,what exactly did both Nintendo nor Sega do to rectify these problems?

I have bought,and quickly sold my first gen. GBA SP due to the dead pixel issue,and the same can be said about the Saturn's quirky cart-slot,but I'm not one to complain or bash either of the two companies just because there were flaws with their products. On the other hand,the anti-Sony camp tend to quickly rush to the scene the moment something bad happens under the Sony brand..go figure

Arrogance? Does it even matter? So long as people continue to buy and support their products/releases,they can be as arrogant or as humble as they want to be.

BIG-

[Acid King]

Flaws in design are inherent, screwed up components are a different story. If you buy a PS2 and it's screwed up, that's not because the design is screwed up, it's that you got a messed up system through chance. The PSP's square button's design is screwed up, just look at the picture Josh posted. Unless they change it there will always be people who have problems with the button. Just because your system works fine now doesn't mean that the button alignment wasn't a poor design choice.

[Dylan1CC]

BIG:Take the GBA SP,for example. There were several complaints that launch model SPs often came with dead pixels.

First I heard of it, seriously. While I'm reasonably sure the PSP I buy (after a bit of waiting) will work out fine you can't deny Sony systems get waaay more reports of problems than competitiors.

The TE definitely is a game of chance as to whether or not you will get a dead pixel. I'm glad my 6 year old unit which I got new still has a nice fresh screen with no dead pixels.

I guess if ya wanna narrow it down Nintendo makes the most solid hardware with the least reports of defects from consumers. Post blinking NES of course.

[BIG]

BIG:Take the GBA SP,for example. There were several complaints that launch model SPs often came with dead pixels.

First I heard of it, seriously. While I'm reasonably sure the PSP I buy (after a bit of waiting) will work out fine you can't deny Sony systems get waaay more reports of problems than competitiors.

The TE definitely is a game of chance as to whether or not you will get a dead pixel. I'm glad my 6 year old unit which I got new still has a nice fresh screen with no dead pixels.

I guess if ya wanna narrow it down Nintendo makes the most solid hardware with the least reports of defects from consumers. Post blinking NES of course.

More common than you think,but here are a couple of threads regarding the DS:

http://www.neo-geo.com/forums/showthread.php?t=109756
http://www.neo-geo.com/forums/showthread.php?t=105389

BIG-

[vek]

While Sony says " Thou shalt not have any other formats beside me. ATRAC is what you'll listen, breath and serve all your life. 132 Kpbs with artifacts transferred at sometimes painful speed is what you'll have as long as you serve me. And should I see one single digit changed in your MD, all your music shall be voided, for ever more. I am ATRAC, Thee lord and master."


No, I mean it. Get one of those Net MDs and see for yourself. I am sure this is the same kind of crap that Sony will pull off with the PSP when it comes to downloadable content.

I don't know what Sony have done/are doing regarding MP3 playback on the PSP, I think I read somewhere you could just drag and drop MP3s to it, but I don't know. But there is now native MP3 support on all new model portable music players (ie no forced conversion to ATRAC). I heard there may be firmware updates for old players doing the same thing, but I don't know for sure.

They got it wrong, sure. But now they have fixed that problem, and fixed it while the market is still relatively small. They haven't lost yet by a long shot. Maybe they will in the end, maybe they won't. But it's by no means decided yet, it's early days still. The failure of MD was nothing to do with this though. It was more to do with the fact people had upgraded all their music collections from tape & vinyl to CD and weren't about to do it all over again for MD. This was also in the earlier days of the net, when fewer people were interested in downloading tracks and putting them on a player. By the time people were interested, flash card players and hard disk players had arrived.

As for the UMD films, yeah, I tend to agree that they may well not be a big thing, except for people who travel a lot. Perhaps if it could be connected to a TV to playback on a big screen? I don't know if this is the case. Suppose it also depends on the price. Then there's the competition from Blu Ray and HD DVD as well. Probably just stuck movie playback on so people couldn't complain "it's nice, but they could have had movie playback..."


zimeon:

I see what you're getting at there. I don't agree, but perhaps that's because I'm the sort of person that would make claims like that Sony guy made, if I was put in his position. If you don't have confidence in yourself/your company/your product, who else is going to have confidence in it? Sometimes you'll end up looking stupid. But sometimes you'll end up saying "hey, look, I was right!"

Regarding the advert, I haven't seen the one you are talking about. Was it a Japanese advert? The ones that have been shown in the UK (and I presume the rest of Europe) are completely different style to how that sounds, some of them really are quite good. Without having seen it, I can only guess, but I'd have thought an advert claiming the PS2 will make your family happy, give you a beautiful wife and healthy children etc would have its tongue firmly in cheek

Personally, though, I reserve my disrespect for the people who do things like buy something they don't want or need just because its cool, rather than the companies which willingly accept their money for doing so. If you're that weak minded, you deserve to lose your money, IMO.


In general, I can't really be bothered to argue this stuff anymore. It's my opinion that Sony are no better or worse than their rivals. I think Kutaragi's comments were certainly arrogant, but I don't get angry at them, I find them rather amusing. I like seeing people running these massive businesses actually have some personality, and being willing to say stupid shit like that. Probably, as I said to zimeon, because I'd do the same in their position

Kutaragi hasn't quite yet caught up to Yamauchi in my favourite arrogant businessman charts yet though.

[dave4shmups]

"Well what else did you expect from Sony: World Famous Makers of Craptacular Hardware???"

I'm gonna have to agree with noob; the simple fact of the matter is that other consoles don't have the number of problems that Sony one's do.

[zimeon]

If you don't have confidence in yourself/your company/your product, who else is going to have confidence in it?

I get your point. Quite true, but still, there are nice ways to show your confidence and there are not so nice ways. I guess a bloated-up self confidence has sort of always pissed me off...

Fact is, I can quite imagine this Sony's arrogant attitude is planned. Showing you're so absolutely sure you're the best probably convinces people, as does all the commercials with smiling happy families (yes, that was Japanese commercials). I'm just mad that it works. Clothes manufacturers showing hot sexy scantily clad women in their ads virtually always sell more clothes, effectively outmanouvering the manufacturers who spend budget on making fine clothes only (and not financing ads). Not my idea of how capitalism should work.
Now Sony actually makes fabulous game machines too, but their brainwashing techniques in effect almost crushes the other game makers, which I, as a gamer, do not approve of.

I agree with you that stupid people who fall for such ads basically deserve to lose their money, right. But still, when more - so-to-say - honest companies like Sega almost dies because of Sonys supereffective and not-so-honest campaign, it hurts my heart. And sometimes you don't know you're affected. Especially not kids. And quite much of Sonys TV commercials was for kids.

But now that you mention it, everything that's pissed me off with Sony is stuff that I've seen/experienced in Japan. So I guess I'm biased.

[dave4shmups]

I don't think this guy was arrogant in admitting this flaw; just incredibly STUPID! Seriously, if word of this leaks out to retailers, all hell may break loose.

Or maybe he was plastered when he said all this-how sober can you be when admitting something like this starts to sound like a good idea?

In any case, I see noob's point now that I've thought about this more. I'm really ticked at Sony right now. EVERY piece of hardware they come out with is riddled with problems. Even the new PSTwo's have had reports of laser blowouts, and not just modded ones. And if that happens to my Asian PSTwo, then I am officially DONE with Sony gaming hardware for good!

Boy, I just can't WAIT for the PS3 now!!

[dave4shmups]

"If you've really had so much trouble with Sony hardware, it's you that is unlucky not everyone else that is lucky."

I'm gonna disagree here. Do you all really think that people have nothing better to do in their lives then make up stuff about how Sony hardware is shoddy?! I owned a modded PSone for a whole week before the thing wouldn't read discs anymore. And I treat my consoles VERY well; I make sure that they are not all bunched together, to give them room for the heat they produce, and I also keep them dust free. I didn't take walks with the PSone every day and repeadedly throw it on the ground every few minutes.

And you don't have to try that hard to break Sony hardware. The lid on my PSTwo feels like it's made out of friggin' tissue paper, and that if you push it up one centimeter too much it's going to snap off.

As far as other Sony equipment goes, the company is living off it's name as far as I'm concerned. My mom got a small Sony radio/tape/CD player for Christmas last year. The thing won't even PLAY CD's if they have so much as a spec of dust on them. Meanwhile, my 11 year old Magnovox Stereo will read just about any CD.

So to sum, is it really "nerds" on online forums who are the problem, or is it the mainstream who behave like sheep, continually pumping money into companies who monopolize and churn out sub-standard products?

[zimeon]

Just to add my five cents to the "Sony crap hardware"...

I have a first generation jap PS, second generation jap PS2. None of them has ever showed any trouble. One condensator (?) on the jap PS boiled over when I used a bad quality voltage step-down adapter. I changed the net adapter to a 240V one (for about $30) many years ago. But the CD reader had been smothered with condensator fluid, the lens was a bit filthy, so eventually I changed that one to ($50). It's worked flawlessly ever since. The machine is 10 years old.

PS Dual Shock controllers, however, have showed problems. Three out of three have showed tendencies of shutting off the analog controllers in the middle of everything when rumbling. Weird. But that's it. No buttons have failed, nothing has broken.

And that's a lot more than you can say about the Dreamcast controllers, that break is you look at them. The analog buttons on all four of my controllers are broken. They are a joke. Saturn controlpads are still on top.

Personally, none of the Sony products I have (except the Dual Shock controllers) has been any trouble. Ever.

[Ghegs]

PS Dual Shock controllers, however, have showed problems. Three out of three have showed tendencies of shutting off the analog controllers in the middle of everything when rumbling. Weird. But that's it. No buttons have failed, nothing has broken.

My controllers do the same, but only with certain games. One time (during Front Mission 3, I believe) the controller wouldn't stop rumbling and the game just froze. Not really an issue though, since normally I turn vibration off anyhow.

Aside from that, I'm very pleased with my PS2. Got it in 2001, modded in 2002 and works like a charm.