Wish List 2008: What We Want From Sony


Recommended Posts

Gamers are a fickle lot. As good as things are now on the console front, there is definitely room for improvement. With that in mind, we?ve compiled a list of our biggest peeves, potential tweaks and suggestions for each of the three console manufacturers. From interface additions to in-game features, nothing was off limits. It?s not like we have to foot the bill, anyway. Read through them, think it over and then let us know what you?d like to see. Send us your suggestions, and we?ll incorporate them in a future readers? wish-list feature.

What would we like to see from Sony in 2008? Frankly, a lot. In the age of online connectivity and gaming, Sony seems to be lagging behind in a few key areas. While its online features are available out of the box at no cost to users, the old ?You get what you pay for,? saying applies in a lot of disappointing ways. Fortunately, things are looking up for PlayStation 3 owners, with a host of new things heading their way in 2008. Here?s our wish list for 2008, in no parPlayStation HomeStation Home

Our biggest wish for Sony in 2008 is for it to get PlayStation Home up and running. While we?re a little concerned that it might be a little too ambitious for its own good, the idea of having a unified area that combines friend interaction, media capabilities, games, Trophies and more is something PlayStation 3 owners?and all gamers, really?should be excited about. It?s a pity the thing isn?t available now?it was originally slated for release before end of year 2007. Sure, it might be a little silly spending time decorating a virtual apartment while real-world homes stagnate, but customization fiends probably wouldn?t have it any other way.

blockquote><p>[center][img]<a href=http://www.gameinformer.com/NR/rdonlyres/3B943F8C-DBE2-Cross-game chatting62/pause.jpg' alt='pause.jpg'>

Cross-game chatting

Sure, if your buddy is playing Ratchet & Clank and you?re busy exploring the jungles of Uncharted, you can always pick up the phone if you want to chat. At this stage, however, you shouldn?t have to. Sony obviously believes in Bluetooth communication?the PlayStation 3 has supported headsets from day one, and Sony packed one in the retail version of Warhawk. Unfortunately, without much of an overarching online strategy, each of the games on the PS3 feels like a separate island. Why not build a little bridge and at least let peoplRedesign the XMBile playing different games?

Redesign the XMB

We?ve already stated our love for the Cross Media Bar?so why do we want to mess with a good thing? Simple. The thing is almost too naked for its own good. Firmware version 2.00 let people tinker with themes, and while it?s a step in the right direction, it?s definitely only a step. What do we want to see? More. More options, more bells and whistles, more things to tinker with. All PS3s shipped now support wi-fi Internet, so having a handy signal-strength indicator seems like a no-brainer. Once Home ships, people might want to have easier access to their accounts?especially if Sony listens up and adds a Gamerscore-like tally. The Information Board is a nice idea, but it needs to be expanded. We propose a floating box with RSS feeds, weather reports, friend status and store updates. Of course, we also want it to be strictly optional. If you?re a fan of vanilla, have at it.

homepage.jpg

Text-size options

Hey, Sony?not all HDTVs that support 1080p are the size of billboards. It seems strange that users can tweak the brightness and typeface of the PS3?s on-screen text, the size iFaster patch implementations aren?t as young as we used to be. Help us out.

Faster patch implementation

While we?re happy Sony continues to have necessary updates and constantly adds new features, when there?s an update for the console, we know we?re in for a long night. Downloading the updates alone takes quite a bit of time, and we?ve heard from a few folks (this is unconfirmed) that it?s because you?re not actually downloading a patch for the current system software, but you?re downloading the entire system software package. Uggggh. After you?ve finally downloaded the file, you have to then install it ? which takes enough time to make you ask ? is the PS3 really the super powerhouse Sony says it is? What Downloading and installing games, demos, videoses in the background? Is that too much to ask for?

Downloading and installing games, demos, videos

Background downloading seemed like a no-brainer when Sony finally added the feature to the PS3, but it is still clunky. When you download a file in the background, it puts the file in a weird capsule, which has to be manually installed afterward. Call us crazy, but where?s the auto-install process? Why have it gift-wrapped with a post-download installation step? The PlayStation 3's Cell processer is powerful enFix Bluetooth dropsht against disease, but it can't install software in the background? Really?

Fix Bluetooth drops

People have been reporting problems with the Sixaxis? Bluetooth controllers since the day the PlayStation 3 launched. There are fewer things more frustrating than heading toward the finish line on the last lap and suddenly, inexplicably veering sharply into a wall because the controller crapped out. Unfortunately, the best we get from Sony is a tepid, ?It?s not us, it?s you,? excuse.

?There are always going to be environmental issues that we cannot completely control,? Phil Harrison told us earlier in the year. ?I don?t know if it?s something that?s going to go away for everybody forever. Having said that, there are always improvements to the handshaking and the protocols that maintain communication, and I?m sure that they are being worked on to be as good as they possibly can be.?

IR remote supporttill exists, these excuses aren?t good enough. We wish you?d fix this in 2008, Sony.

And while we?re at it?

IR remote support

We don?t expect Sony to cry ?uncle? on the Bluetooth front, but it would be great if they?d wiggle just a little. For users looking to consolidate their remote controls, having a PlayStation 3 in the mix is a pretty good obstacle to complete freedom. While Bluetooth-capable universal remotes do exist, they?re far more expensive than their IR counterparts. If Sony doesn?t want to manufacture yet another PS3 rev.?and who could blame them, at this point?why not do what it did when the PlayStation 2 launched? Give user

Better store layoutt could stick into one of the system?s myriad USB ports? It?s not the most elegant solution, but neither is duel-wielding remotes.

Better store layout

Shopping in the PlayStation Store is like going to a mall designed by Nick ?can?t comb his hair? Nolte. Kicking people to a Web site may seem like a great idea, but having the same interface for both computer and console users doesn?t work all that well in practice. The site is needlessly complicated and confusing to navigate, it?s hard to tell what?s new and it?s just an overall mess. You have a few nickels to rub together, Sony. Hire someone to make a store interface designed for people who arAllow more PS2 peripherals (all of them)center]store.jpg[/center]

Allow more PS2 peripherals (all of them)

Speaking of the PlayStation 2, that system had a lot of great peripherals, didn?t it? Unfortunately, Sony seems to bear a grudge against many of them. While some of them work (The Guncon 2 does, provided you?re using composite cables on a CRT), a lot of others simply don?t. We understand that companies want us to buy new controllers?some shaped like guitars, for example?and that hardware specs and technology has changed with the times, but why not officially support legacy peripherals? Sony could reFix the PSP storeith an accompanying firmware update to get things rolling. Of course, with the shift away from backwards compatibility, this is probably going to remain a wish.

Fix the PSP store

The PSP is a pretty nifty little piece of hardware. You can watch movies on it, play a ton of great games and even use it to remotely access your PlayStation 3. If you?re particularly patient, you can play PSOne games on it. We?re not the most patient crowd here. If you?re a PSP owner, there?s no good reason why you shouldn?t be able to download things from the PlayStation Store without using your PS3 or PC as a go-between. When you have enough storage space on your Memory Stick and a solid wireless connection, that should be all you need.

Whew. That just about wraps up our major Sony complaints. By this time next year, we might be up to firmware version 3.00 and many of our nitpicks could be long-forgotten. We?ll believe it when we see it. Don?t worry?Nintendo and Microsoft are coming soon. What do you think? Did we miss anything that drives you crazy? Send us an e-mail at feedback@gameinformer.com. We?ll take the best ones and use them in an upcoming readers? choice wish-list feature.

Source: http://www.gameinformer.com/News/Story/200...6867.htm?Page=1

Hopefully we get the majority of these in some shape or another over the next year (Y)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Some of the things mentioned there are stupid. For example, I for one, have never had a problem with the blue-tooth remote. Another thing is downloading with the PSP. Have you ever tried to download a PSP update on the PSP? It's ridiculously slow....because it only has 802.11b! Not a good idea to have someone download a 100mb file on the PSP. Other than that, most of the other ideas I agree with.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

BD Profile 2.0

Blockbuster PS1 games on the store (FF7 / 8, Soul Reaver, Tomb Raider 2, Resident Evil, Crash Bandicoot).. gimme something to buy instead of Q-Bert.

Some of the so-called "heavy hitters". Do what you gotta do to make sure these get out, they run well, and look good. Send the engineers you had over at Epic to Konami, SquareSoft, and Capcom.

Question: for the wants listed in the OP, how much more OS memory will those take, and therefore take memory away from games and make them play even worse?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Question: for the wants listed in the OP, how much more OS memory will those take, and therefore take memory away from games and make them play even worse?

So true. Sony is doing a lot to try and get the memory footprint lowered. The only thing I really see them doing is adding a limited in-game XMB with a better messaging system. They should also add the clock to the upper corner like the PSP in the XMB

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I could careless about Home, I really think its a flop but that's just my opinion.

There's only one thing I want and that is in-game XMB, I really want to message people while I'm playing a game. I absolutely hate having to exit the game to message someone, then loading up the same game...

Clock in the corner would be a welcome addition, how about weather and stuff like that? :D

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Dear Santa, all I want this Christmas is Sony execs to please STFU and start delivering on all the broken promises and stuff they offered moons ago. I know I'm not the best gamer in the world but we deserve better games than Lair and the like, decent frame rates, in game XMB, 16:10 support, VGA support, cheaper Blu Ray movies, controllers that never lose sync while you're dealing with a boss in R&C or any other game for that matter, the ability to increase the XMB text size, a real matchmaking feature and the ability to respond to a message while you're playing a game. I know my wish list is way too big for you but I'll give you another year to work it out. :happy:

p.s: mom says to stay away from her lingerie or she'll kick you where it hurts the most you old perv! :rofl:

:santa:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Dear Sony, my wish is simple and managable, a $259 PS3 (Based on the 60GB version, but no HDD necessary as I could add it myself) that includes 1 Dual Shock 3 controller.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Why would Sony ever remove the hdd from the sku? :blink: They'd be in the same predicament that Microsoft is in now...

They won't.

Their policy of allowing you to install ANY laptop hard drive you want though (MS is locked to official MS branded hard drives) would be interesting if their was a "core" model PS3.

But their won't be a "core" PS3. It isn't Sony's wishes - They've said in many articles they prefer going down the route of cramming everything into the one box.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Why would Sony ever remove the hdd from the sku? :blink: They'd be in the same predicament that Microsoft is in now...

To reach the $259 price tag I proposed. Don't get all tensed up, it's just my wish.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

They won't.

Their policy of allowing you to install ANY laptop hard drive you want though (MS is locked to official MS branded hard drives) would be interesting if their was a "core" model PS3.

But their won't be a "core" PS3. It isn't Sony's wishes - They've said in many articles they prefer going down the route of cramming everything into the one box.

...except an HDMI cable.

Plus, since so many games install onto the hard drive (per Sony's directive - "act like all SKU's will have a hard drive"), it wouldn't make sense.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

...except an HDMI cable.

Plus, since so many games install onto the hard drive (per Sony's directive - "act like all SKU's will have a hard drive"), it wouldn't make sense.

Cost saving.

Why chuck in an HDMI cable when the majority of consumers still run on SD tv's?

(that's what Sony will be thinking, not me - I wouldn't of minded an HDMI cable ;))

In the end it only cost me ?8 for one.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

This topic is now closed to further replies.
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.