Sony says "no" to the PS2+HDD+Modem bundle rumors.

http://www.coremagazine.com/news/5771.php3

Rumors have circulated for months suggesting Sony plans to release a new version of the PlayStation 2 featuring built-in hard-drive and Ethernet capabilities. To put things into perspective, Sony\'s chief technical officer Shinichi Okamoto recently addressed the issue in Japan. According to Okamoto-san, while technically possible, releasing a new version of the PlayStation 2 with bundled hard-drive and Ethernet components isn\'t financially viable. While he wouldn\'t rule out the possibility in the future, Okamoto-san said Sony has a responsbility to market the hard-drive and Ethernet as peripherals to the 20+ million PlayStation 2 owners already worldwide.

I don\'t even know why Sony is trying anymore.  Their HDD plans will not be successful.  It is impossible to make the HDD sell well enough to get a lot of support from developers.  They should just forget those ideas, release the modem alone for like $35, and have their online games be online only to the extent that the Dreamcast games were or THPS3 was.  I wonder how big of a flop FFXI will have to be to make Sony realize this.

I think you may be right.  I know I don\'t want to consol game online.  I want to console game ALONE damn it!  Why the **** would I want someone casting like Knights on me the minute I join up on FFXI?  Screw that.  Give me a frickin\' one player game without movies all the frickin\' way through.

I just want to school all of you in Street Fighter and Tekken!

i loved online gaming with Dreamcast. I don\'t see how PS2 online would fail, especially with FFXI on its way. It\'ll be interesting to find out.

Supposedly Sony is not worries becuase they are so sure that FFXI will pull in enough support.  I mean, dang it, I\'ll probably get it just so that I can play FFxi.  I\'m sure there is a bunch of us out there willing to do so.  But I\'ll still be prepared for all those "told-ya-so\'s" that seem so eminent.

I\'ve heard alot of sides to this topic, whether it be in magazines, online, and even at the software store I frequent much...

I say, if you have\'nt played a game online with the Dreamcast, you missed out on something, not the idea of gamming online, but the idea of gaming online in your living room while loafing on your couch wearing as little as a Cheezy-Puff stained t-shirt and your color-coded-brown-for-back-yellow-for-front-bvd\'s.

Gamming online isn\'t for everyone, but it is pretty cool! And as for the HDD. Bring it on, I aint\' got much better to waste my money on anyway.

Hmm.. I think it would have been a good idea to have those bundles.

But hey.. It aint over yet.
Stores might still bundle HDD+BBA on the side with a new PS2. Still a possibility.

Oh and he didnt rule out the bundle, he said ” While he wouldn\'t rule out the possibility in the future”

Cheezy-Puff stained t-shirt and your color-coded-brown-for-back-yellow-for-front-bvd\'s.

Thats a pretty graphic description...



But it just about says it all...

[Paul2]

How about only bundle with the network adapter (the $40 buck modem)?  I think Sony should bundle it with the network adapter and don\'t worry about the HDD.  In that way, they don\'t have to fear of selling the ps2 for $300.

Originally posted by Paul2
How about only bundle with the network adapter (the $40 buck modem)?  I think Sony should bundle it with the network adapter and don\'t worry about the HDD.  In that way, they don\'t have to fear of selling the ps2 for $300.

Presently concieved use of the network adapter would require use of the HDD.  No use having one without the other.

I  honestly couldn\'t care less about the HDD. I just wish the modem would come out so i could start playing people online.

Originally posted by Dolbytone
I think you may be right.  I know I don\'t want to consol game online.  I want to console game ALONE damn it!  Why the **** would I want someone casting like Knights on me the minute I join up on FFXI?  Screw that.  Give me a frickin\' one player game without movies all the frickin\' way through.

I will assume that that is directed at the fact that FF games tend to have CG throughout, for key storyline advances.  Well, no offence, but if you don\'t like that, don\'t play the game, just play one of the many other (and IMO, crappy) non CG roleplay games.  Summoner for instance, has virtually no CG.

I like FF games the way they are, I play for a few hours, get rewarded by lvls, and plot advancement, and then I get my 1 minute break of eye-candy, that can deal with really cool things like a battle scene, or "wide perspective" scene.

No one will be twisting your arm to play online, either.  Don\'t play MMORPGs online if you don\'t like em.  It\'s dumb to play them and complain about them in ways that don\'t make sense.  I\'ll be very surprised if someone casts the Knights on me within the first hour of playing, let alone minute.

Originally posted by Dolbytone
I think you may be right.  I know I don\'t want to consol game online.  I want to console game ALONE damn it!  Why the **** would I want someone casting like Knights on me the minute I join up on FFXI?  Screw that.  Give me a frickin\' one player game without movies all the frickin\' way through.

Yeah but playing Timesplitter 2 online in a major multiplayer frag fest would be cool

or competing in SSX or NBA Street against some friends would equally rule

how about Gran Turismo 4 !!!!

[videoholic]

I agree Ddaryl.  I end up playing my PC games more than my PS2 games simply because I can play online.  Until Logan gets old enough to play, I ain\'t got no one to play so I end up not playing it much.  I want online so I can school some people with my crappy game play. Man I suck.

Although I\'m not too keen on paying for the service.  I wish they would just throw up an add before entering each game or something.

Some good online sports games would be nice. Tekken online would be really cool. To bad it isn\'t possible with the current technology. Maybe TTT2 or T5 will have online play.