Sony releases its highly-anticipated PlayStation 3. But if history is any guide, consumers might be better off waiting a few months for the kinks to be worked out and the price to drop.
Consumers started lining up more than a day in advance to ensure they got this holiday's hottest item. Microsoft's Xbox 360 received the same treatment a year ago. But many consumers were quickly disappointed by the machine's flaws that still persist today.
The video game industry, dominated by Microsoft and Sony, has not been able to keep up with demand for their toys ever since the PlayStation 2. Since then, the demand has far outweighed the supply and the manufacturers have been forced to rush out the product and expedite the testing procedures in order to beat the competition.
The PlayStation 2 had minor glitches but started to catch up last year when Microsoft rushed the Xbox 360 out the door for Christmas sales and the units started overheating. The ConsumerAffairs.com database has almost 300 complaints about the Xbox 360.
"My husband purchased an Xbox 360 on the day it was launched," wrote Rebecca of Pennsauken NJ. "Since purchasing the system he has had to have it repaired three times."
Sony, which released the console last week in Japan, has already stated that its new machine has a problem, which is more than Microsoft has ever done. The gang from Redmond has simply let consumers twist in the wind, denying there is a widespread defect in the Xbox.
The PlayStation 3 is supposed to be backwards compatible with the older PlayStation and PlayStation 2 games. But according to a report in the Japanese daily Sankei Shimbun, about 200 of the 8,000 available software titles don't play as they're supposed to on the PS3.
Sony said it plans to offer a fix for the glitch later this month.
All 400,000 units being sold in the U.S. tomorrow should have a home before stores close and over the next few weeks and months those first units should reveal any of the glitches.
"There are always sorts of little problems at launch. ... It may take some time to make everything compatible, but I don't think it's a huge problem," KBC Securities analyst Hiroshi Kamide told Reuters.
The problems may not be huge but the price day certainly is -- $500 for a unit with a 20-gigabyte hard drive or $600 for 60 gigs.
Traditionally, the price for gaming consoles drops dramatically after the Christmas season.
Either way, consumers should be prepared for more possible glitches and, as with the Xbox 360, consider purchasing an extended warranty.
