I'm sure most of you had heard about the newest codename for the upcoming Playstation console "Orbis." For those of you who haven't there are two big rumors associated with this new name. First off there will be zero backwards compatibility for Playstation 3 games. Secondly there will be a lock out for used games. Now, before I get started and go off the deep end, I will begin by stating that I have always been against Sony and everything they do. I find little to no pleasure in anything they do. They have repeatedly reminded me why I have always stuck by Nintendo throughtout the years. So if this comes across as a little coarse towards Sony, it's supposed to.
I'm confused. I always thought that Sony tried to keep up with the market. They've seemingly looked at all the things that made their competition successful and done the opposite. The numbers don't lie. The Wii is 100% backwards compatible with the GameCube, the Xbox 360 is about 80% backwards compatbile with the Xbox and the Playstation 3 is...well who knows? Some consoles are with PS1, some with PS2, some with Blu-Ray it's too much to figure out. And look at the numbers. Nintendo has a huge lead in sales while the PS3 is waaay behind. I'm not saying backwards compatibility is the reason for it, but it helps. I've heard some say they won't be buying a PS4 to play PS3 games. I get that. But why keep both consoles around. People seem to trade in their old consoles to get a price break on new ones. Why give up your PS3 if all those hundreds, if not thousands of dollars you spent on games are now useless? Heck backwards compatibility should be standard in this era. It's been done since the Game Boy Color! Every Nintendo handheld has been backwards compatibile with the previous and Nintendo is the industry leader.
As for used games...I don't even begin to comprehend it. I get that they're trying to kill GameStop. But considering they are the leader in game sales locking out your biggest distributor is a killer in and of itself. If GameStop stops selling their games and hardware, they are done. And they would alienate alot of the consumer base.
Call me a cynic, but I sort of hope these rumors come true. I will enjoy watching Sony crumble. I of course wouldn't be buying the console anyway, but for every one they sell I'm sure there are 5 people who boycott the system for these reasons. If either holds true for the new Xbox console, count me out on them too. I'd love to hear every one else's thoughts on this one though. Another review is coming soon too!