Sony cutting jobs

[Bunk]

That's exactly it Merusk. I figured most people who wanted a 360 would already have on, so to see it still outselling the PS3 surprised me but at the same time made me somewhat happy since I'm hoping to see Blu-ray be still born. (I don't like having a product shoved down my throat.)

Bought my 360 last month. Was waiting for the new version for the HDMI output, as Schild mentioned. The HD-DVD thing was no big deal to me, as I figure we are a good year or two from the formats sorting themselves out anyways. Plus I don't buy many mainstream DVDs - the stuff I buy isn't typically available on either yet.

Oh yea, and honestly the two main other reasons I went 360 - GTA4 will be on it, and Mass Effect.

[HaemishM]

Just because it fails at selling me something, doesn't mean it fails to entertain.

It entertains YOU, but it's an ad, not cinema. Since we are talking about Sony folks (possibly marketing folks) losing their jobs, entertaining you obviously was a side effect of a failed product. I'm sure those folks will feel good that they made your tickle box jiggle.

I don't care what those folks think? Did the BMW ads make you want a BMW or did they make you want to be Clive Owen?

Neither. They also didn't make me want to stab the art director responsible through the throat with a spade either. So it was an expensive wash. I'm not a big fan of that type of "advertising" in general. It's for creative directors who failed to break into the film business or who are trying to break into the film business. It sucks as advertising.

[WayAbvPar]

Does anyone else get the feeling that, whenever the PS3's "dominance" is questioned, Schild suddenly tans and sprouts a green beret?

You know, something like this...

This needed to be quoted for posterity.

[sigil]

Part of being Clive Owen was driving the BMW like a badass. The BMW was a tool.

This could have been a ad for Tampax. Beautiful ,but a wasted  effort.

Wait!  It's just like the PS3!

I kid . . .

[schild]

Does anyone else get the feeling that, whenever the PS3's "dominance" is questioned, Schild suddenly tans and sprouts a green beret?

You know, something like this...

This needed to be quoted for posterity.

I agree, since it has nothing to do with what I'm talking about.

[Sir Fodder]

This is Living is an awesome ad. I'm sorry.

Maybe you meant to say it's an awsome piece of film or "ahrt"? As an ad its worse than a failure, it only highlights that Sony is out of touch and arrogant.

The partisanship is cute. 

[Righ]

Basically, ads fail completely on me. That's why I think ad blocking on the internet is for assholes. :)

One might say that you're not in the best position to be impartial on this matter. Also, the Sony ad was cinematic bile.

[schild]

Basically, ads fail completely on me. That's why I think ad blocking on the internet is for assholes. :)

One might say that you're not in the best position to be impartial on this matter. Also, the Sony ad was cinematic bile.

Wrong, Closer was cinematic bile. this was 7 minutes of gorgeous cinematography.

[Miasma]

I was transfixed by the ad and watched it with rapt attention but only because I was trying to figure out where it was going with all the people and events, then it wound up going nowhere.  The ad was so powerfully disjointed that I'm pretty sure it deeply wounded my psyche somewhere, the injury has yet to manifest itself and I dread the day it bursts forth.

[schild]

I was transfixed by the ad and watched it with rapt attention but only because I was trying to figure out where it was going with all the people and events, then it wound up going nowhere.  The ad was so powerfully disjointed that I'm pretty sure it deeply wounded my psyche somewhere, the injury has yet to manifest itself and I dread the day it bursts forth.

That's the sign of good art.

[Chimpy]

I was transfixed by the ad and watched it with rapt attention but only because I was trying to figure out where it was going with all the people and events, then it wound up going nowhere.  The ad was so powerfully disjointed that I'm pretty sure it deeply wounded my psyche somewhere, the injury has yet to manifest itself and I dread the day it bursts forth.

Sounds like you had an experience akin to watching a Beckett play.

[Miasma]

The only thing I can compare it to is the movie Seven.  Very good, extremely strong film - but I really wish I had never seen it.

Edit: Though it was of course only a shadow of Seven's power.

[Strazos]

It was dumb. It wasn't about anything. It would have been cool as a film short or something....

But it was supposed to be selling a PS3. How is this campaign supposed to accomplish its goals?

[croaker69]

I dunno to get people talking about the ad and mention PS3 over and over on the interwhosit?

 

[Signe]

I kind of liked it, too. 

Please don't hit me. 

[Righ]

Wrong, Closer was cinematic bile. this was 7 minutes of gorgeous cinematography.

Gorgeous cinematography? It was abstract and faux-arty without every providing the visual treats of Lynch, the dark comedy of Gilliam, or the personal honesty of Godard. Its like painting a piece of canvas bright red and calling it modern art. Shite.

[Yegolev]

GTA4 is going to be on PS3 as well.

[Roac]

How is this campaign supposed to accomplish its goals?

It was an accurate representation of the product.

[Wolf]

Wrong, Closer was cinematic bile. this was 7 minutes of gorgeous cinematography.

Gorgeous cinematography? It was abstract and faux-arty without every providing the visual treats of Lynch, the dark comedy of Gilliam, or the personal honesty of Godard. Its like painting a piece of canvas bright red and calling it modern art. Shite.

Thank you. Just when I was about to go all caps on the thread :)

[DraconianOne]

I kind of liked it, too. 

And me.

[Engels]

You know, if they'd just left off the 'This is living' tag line at the end of the segments, and just put up the PS3 logo alone, the whole campaign would have been cool in its bewildering goals. But with that silly tagline, it veers off the cliff into artsy fartsy territory. Grand statements always put people off.

[schild]

Grand statements always put people off.

Just do it.
Get in the game.
The more you know.
Challenge Everything.
A mind is a terrible thing to waste.
Where do you want to go today?
Think Different.
Solutions for a small planet.
A diamond is forever.
Be all you can be.
Reach out and touch someone.
We try harder.
When you care enough to send the very best.
Rising.
Do more.
Where good things happen.
We Mean Business.

They sure do.

[Engels]

See, for the most part, those catch phrases remain focused on the product itself.  Although "Just Do It' is of course an exhortation to seize the day, it doesn't tell the viewer what 'reality' is. The PS3 ads paint a picture, then tell the viewer that that is life. Its a fine distinction, but one that for me crosses the line from 'look how this product could change your outlook' to 'Our reality is better than your reality', the stuff of pretentious artistes all over.

[penfold]

Insofar as they are watched, and discussed, I don't see the adverts as a failure. A failure would be an advert you didnt remember or a campaign you never noticed.

[Yegolev]

What can Brown do for you?

Personal favorite:
Some days are better than others.

[WindupAtheist]

The PS3 will go down as one of the biggest fuckups by a major player in the history of the console market.  Nintendo went from literally owning almost the entire market in the NES era, to having some real competition from the Genesis, to being peckerslapped by the PS1, to third-place bitchdom after Microsoft entered the fray, but at least that was something of a gradual fall.  Sony just screamed "You're not buying a game console, you're buying potential!" and dived off a fucking cliff in one generation.

[Murgos]

The magic 8-ball says, "Too early to tell, you're fucking nuts."

[Miasma]

I've heard it's basically selling at the same rate the 360 did when it first came out, despite being more expensive and having fewer games.  They'll probably do just fine once they actually get some decent games.  As soon as they do at least a $100 price cut a whole lot of people are going to say "yeah, fuck it, I'll get one".

Also the market for video gaming has changed since the SNES days, it's now big enough to easily accommodate three successful platforms, especially since one of them is trying to get non-typical gamers.

[Yegolev]

The problem is that the 360 library has large gaps that can only be filled by something not a Wii and like a PS2 but better.  That would be the PS3.  Yes, it's currently potential but it will only be a miss if MicroSoft somehow manages to suddenly have more than three RPGs in its lineup.  GTA4 being cross-platform from the get-go (IIRC) will save the 360 from taking a big schlong in the ass this holiday season.

You know what I really want to do is use these three consoles to make a Super Cassanova Frankenstein Console.  Basically it would be a PS3 that used the 360 controller and had a light-gun.  Not strapped to the 360 controller.  I might say it should also have XBL but I'm hoping that Home will be better than XBL and I have a wait-and-see attitude.

[Hayduke]

I thought the ads were entertaining, but not stellar.  I certainly wouldn't seek it out.  And it didn't make me anymore enthused about the PS3.

I'm surprised the PS3 is still doing so poorly.  And part of me still thinks it's going to turn it around someday.  A lot of people absolutely revile Sony but I just don't think schadenfreude is enough to carry this console generation.  Once it gets stuff like MGS, Final Fantasy, and Devil May Cry (you know, games which make me want to put my balls in a blender but for some reason are insanely popular), and has a less astronomical price maybe things will return to normal.

[schild]

Yea. I know. Why would MGS, Final Fantasy and Devil May Cry be popular. They totally suck.

What are you smoking? I hate MGS in every way imaginable and I'll still play MGS 4.

[Oban]

I am apparently a bad person and so will be avoiding the PS3 and obtaining a DS shortly.

[Riggswolfe]

Once it gets stuff like MGS, Final Fantasy, and Devil May Cry (you know, games which make me want to put my balls in a blender but for some reason are insanely popular), and has a less astronomical price maybe things will return to normal.

Well, MS already has Devil May Cry coming to the 360. If I was MS I'd go to the MGS and Final Fantasy guys and lay down a check big enough for them to retile their entire dev house in solid gold and say "we just want it on our console too."

[Hayduke]

Yea. I know. Why would MGS, Final Fantasy and Devil May Cry be popular. They totally suck.

What are you smoking? I hate MGS in every way imaginable and I'll still play MGS 4.

I understand why they're popular, in fact I even admitted as much in my post.  They're console sellers was my point.  I just don't have any interest in them.  My post was more about how I think when the big titles come out though PS3 will regain it's position.  Probably not as dominant a position as it had the last two generations, but much better than it's doing now.

[Murgos]

X360 doesn't have RPG's (Yet, coming soon hopefully) and doesn't have platformers.

That's enough reason to get a PS3 and/or a WII right there.