PS2 Modem Delayed Till Spring

Hmm, that's a bit of a blow. Mind you, online play didn't manage to save the Dreamcast, so it's not the be-all and end-all.

 

Here's a link to a message from a guy purportedly from SCEA on Usenet:
THPS3 Supported ethernet adapters/modems...
Take it as you will...
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"The internet is a place where people from all over come together to
bitch about movies and share pornography."

 

As an owner (the few, the proud) of a DC BBA, It's really because of lack software that doomed online DC play - keep in mind that the death of the DC was almost a foregone conclusion at that point. Also, Sega tried the sega.net angle; they saw online play not as a killer app, but more as an attempt to sell ISP services and the like.
I think it will be different with the GC, Xbox, and PS2 onlijne strategies; I'm hopeful that this will be a very succesful endeavor for someone, hopefully the xbox, but I think someone will DEFINITELY be succesful in exploiting the online capabilities of their console. I think this development posted here has to be a setback for Sony, but we'll see....

 

While making networking part of the standard hardware does not guarantee success, not making it part of the standard hardware makes failure almost certain.
Within a year you'll probably see something like 2 or 3 % of PS2 games actually supporting internet connectivity, and over 50% of XBox games doing the same.
We'll see.

 

Actually, a big benefit of the PS2 is the lack of a need for a modem. You can connect to the internet using the USB ports if you have a modem for them.
The XB requires that you pay for the modem with the console. The PS2 allows you to use one of your own. I would say that if you have cable modem, the PS2 offers just as much as the XB in that respect.

 

quote: Actually, a big benefit of the PS2 is the lack of a need for a modem. You can connect to the internet using the USB ports if you have a modem for them.[/quote]
Yes, it potentially reduces costs if you happen to have a spare USB modem sitting around, but most consumers do not. Not bundling reduces uptake of the unit considerably. You will not have a 1:1 uptake ratio, unlike the XBox (obviously).
For developers/publishers not bundling the network unit completely reduces the potential of the market & the value of supporting it.
It's an uphill battle for Sony to entice people to buy modems for the PS2 (whether theirs or a USB one) combined with getting developers/publishers to support it with titles.
Same with the HD unit - I've already mentioned there are titles going to the XBox purely because of the HD unit being built in.
Major add-on peripherals have a nasty habit of flopping big-time in the US & elsewhere for console manufacturers.
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Nothing In Particular
[Edited last by BrianB on October 18, 2001 at 01:11 PM]

 

Look at all the add-ons sega had for the Genesis, did any of them make it to the holy land that is mass market? Nope, hell they barely made it into the hardcore market. Again, if you want to support something with your console it must come with the console. MS was definetely smart by throwing the whole bag in with the Xbox, HD, Ethernet.

 

It's going to be interesting to see how the THPS3 online stuff works out. IMHO it doesn't seem like an obvious choice for online play either... Be nice if all 3 major players would allow cross-platform online play on titles which it is possible (GC, XB, PS2) but I doubt this will ever happen. Halo should be pretty cool online, but I think I'll wait for a PC version (which maybe unlikely nevertheless).

 

The Xbox deserves kudos in this area. It's the only machine of this generation that has any chance IMO of being a successful online console platform.
Having said that, I still can't even get broadband where I live, and us dial-up folks are the majority. Maybe next generation will be different.
-Dan
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"I'd rather have a bottle in front of me than a frontal lobotomy.

 

I didn't mean that the PS2 and XB were equal in the fact that they will have equal online gaming markets, but rather that you don't actually need to buy the modem for the PS2. If you do buy one, you could buy a compatible USB one and then also use that for your PC.
Not including the modem for the PS2 does chop the market down, but my hope is that only the REALLY good games will utilize it, which means REALLY good online features (hopefully).

 

And you could have your own vert doubles competition.
-Dave
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DVD List
"The page you are looking for is here no more. Quoth the Raven, 'Nevermore.'"

 

I have to admit... Although I have my reservations about the X-Box, I will definitely get one if it ends up being the premier online gaming venue...
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View Dr. Grall's DVD collection

 

remember too, that just because xbox launches with a modem, its probably going to be some time before they actually put it to good use..case in point again is teh DC coming with a modem, and not utilitizing it until like 1 year later..i predict that when PS2 adapter is available in Spring, xbox will be beginning to show online play, and PS2 will follow shortly thereafter, but by that time..xbox will be dead.
ohh well...
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- Jason
My DVD Collection | My Home Theater
"what ya got here is two people dragging a third..."

 

Also, MS is making a whole online system for gaming. PS2 allows you to play without it. Game reviewers have had THPS3 for a while online with cable or DSL.
MS also isn't releasing an online game until next year. The XB can do networks, but so can the PS2 and you don't even need a network (just a few TV, PS2s, copies of the game, and firewire cables and a hub).