http://www.kotaku.com/gaming/sony/more-ps3-downgrades-on-the-way-179863.php

He' s back. The connected PS3-party wet blanket who brought us covert info on the PlayStation 3 has dug up some dirt from a phantom insider who claims the PS3 may see even more downgraded specs. From lower clock speeds to an external power brick to who-knows-what-else, one thing we know for certain is that we sure as hell won' t be getting what was promised at E3 2005.

More dirty insider talk after the jump.

Red says: got any interesting news?

Phantom Insider says: sure

Red says: then let' s start it up

Phantom Insider says: Fully functional PS3 betas still do not exist

Red says: hmm

Phantom Insider says: Despite that we have seen a number of downgrades

Red says: clock speed?

Red says: remember it was going to be 3.5 ghz?

Phantom Insider says: And now we have been told that the powersource might be an external 400 watt unit after all

Phantom Insider says: instead of internal as promised

Red says: interesting

Phantom Insider says: The current designs despite having vents all over the place apparently still cant dissipate the heat to sufficient levels

Phantom Insider says: And yields on 3.2 Gigaherz CELL processors are too low

Red says: they can' t produce them in mass supply still?

Phantom Insider says: so the final release might run only at 2.8 gigaherz

Red says: what have you heard about the rsx?

Red says: why would that be downgraded?

Red says: it as already somewhat weak

Phantom Insider says: RSX is finished and has been finished for quite a few months now

Red says: hmm

Phantom Insider says: we know what it can and cannot do

Red says: yea?

Phantom Insider says: I won' t comment any further

Red says: hint?

Phantom Insider says: No

Red says: come on, this is anonymous

Phantom Insider says: I can' t tell you more

Phantom Insider says: I do not want to lose my job

Red says: does it bode well for the ps3?

Phantom Insider says: Last time we had a lot of internal emails coming in from Sony

Red says: hmm not surprised

Red says: you were the first to blow the lid off things

Phantom Insider says: They were looking for the sources of the delay and dev problems leaks

Red says: lol

Phantom Insider says: i cannot risk it

Phantom Insider says: I am sorry

Red says: no probs

Red says: one thing

Red says: were the units at e3 2.8?

Phantom Insider says: yes

Phantom Insider says: and had 2 gigs of ram

Phantom Insider says: dev kits ya know

We' ll consider this rumor and speculation for now, but if these downgrades pan out, I expect some folks will have an even harder time justifying that $600 investment. Michael McWhertor

dont need more anti-Ps3 commens round here. That anonymous guy could be the dog down the street, so take this with a grain on salt.

*laughs*

Well, i myself have previously mentioned the possibilty of an external power supply (ala 360) and possible reduced clock speeds. The low yield was reported on in March but has stayed rumour with no factual basis, and the possibility of a reduced clock speed is still real. Unlikely but possible if they CAN' T manufacture enough working chips.

An external power supply (ala 360) is almost definate. It would reduce the heat in the console itself, and it would free up much needed space. An external power supply would probably be a good thing rather than a bad thing.

I don' t believe that the E3 demos were running on kits that had 2GB RAM in them. It' s not that far fetched, but i don' t believe it. If Sony still haven' t got CELL right then the launch could be delayed again, but with the exception of the external power supply, im not believing a word of this until i hear it from a relieble source.

(Microsoft execs fall out of their chairs laughing hysterically)

I heard people say they think the PS3 will be silent like the PStwo, what do you think? is it likely?

I heard people say they think the PS3 will be silent like the PStwo, what do you think? is it likely?

Have you ever heard a Boeing 747 roar past your bedroom window?

hahahah Tiz, Spot on - my ALienware laptop running a 7800gtx has 7 fans on the bottom and a vent that chucks out 70c hot air - by todays standards teh PS2 is very low tech, there is simply no way, and no way to get a 400w psu inside a standard case of any sort.

Also vents will play a very important part! Will be interesting to see if the " core" ps3' s run colder as htey have less in them and could have more vents = more reliable.

Well the core model will be slightly smaller, so i doubt it' ll be any cooler. I don' t mind if it has an external power supply, but i don' t want it to be noisy or to overheat. It' s almost certain to be noisy, but we' ll have to wait and see if it has heat issues (ala 360).

Put it this way, i doubt, even as stupid as some of their decisions have been, that Sony would release the machine with any MAJOR flaws.

The thing will turn up, late or not, and it will have some awesome games that even hardcore " fanboys" (eugh!) will secretly pine for, just as Sony' s do for some of Microsoft and Nintendo' s games. You won' t be able to play MGS4, VF5 or FF13 on any other console, so it' s time people lightened their grip on Sony' s throat.

Have you ever heard a Boeing 747 roar past your bedroom window?

Every time I power up my ps2

I was almost expecting an external brick, especially with the (yes i know unconfirmed) leaks about a lack of finalization on the hardware. Although, look at all the other unconfirmed information we' ve gotten, for instance,

http://games.kikizo.com/news/200604/020.asp
" Sony' s French boss, George Fornay, reportedly said during a radio interview with Generations Europe 1 this week that the PlayStation 3 would cost between €499 and €599 , according to an article at Next Generation. "
" For a while, earlier this week, it seemed that Sony officials in Europe were starting to talk numbers, but the company has since insisted that the stories circulating are inaccurate."

And then at E3...
http://games.kikizo.com/news/200605/036.asp
" The console will come westwards soon afterwards. The PlayStation 3 will launch in North America, Europe and Australasia on 18 November in the same two configurations for $499/€499 (£341) and $599/€599 (£409). "

I' m starting to trust " insider sources" more than I am Sony itself

Only one thing in that article is remotely accurate. Cell yields aren' t good, but thats a given right?

ORIGINAL: Dyack

Only one thing in that article is remotely accurate. Cell yields aren' t good, but thats a given right?

No, that' s not true. The bad yield was, and still is, rumour!

Downgrades are always an option with Sony and when they announce them they go something like this " It doesn' t matter - it has just enough power to render entire universe in realtime so more power could hurt the realism"

This is a Rumour so some of you shouldn' t get THAT excited - it' s quite common on forums to believe anything you see or read and scream about it to everyone you know forgeting the " it' s a rumour" part.

MAjik - I think that Sony are the innovators of the industry when it comes to hardware flaws :)

PSX - first version had to be flipped upside down to work right,

PS2 - a well organised set of hardware flaws with dualshock2 controller

PS3 - this systems seems like it' s not only flawed from most angles (heat,size -smaller than the things they try to put inside , controller with no rumble) but it' s price seems like a flaw itself and it' s actually the kind of flaw that makes every other flaw even more significant.

PS3 - this systems seems like it' s not only flawed from most angles (heat,size -smaller than the things they try to put inside , controller with no rumble) but it' s price seems like a flaw itself and it' s actually the kind of flaw that makes every other flaw even more significant.

Sony: " yes we charge extra for flaws, so do you want extra flaws with that?"

-I' ll have all controller and system flaws - and I' ll have those supersized
-OK.that would be 599 sir, anything else?

-oh I' m sorry I only have 499...
-No problem sir, for 499 you can get all your flaws and still supersized but your HDD will be smaller.

-cool, thanks a lot :)
-thank you ...next please

Launching a sophisticated piece of electronics equipment isn' t easy, and trying to fit everything into a small-ish case (bear in mind how big standalone Blu-Ray players are) and keep it cool is nigh on impossible without breaking the bank.

The thing will launch with problems, just as 360 did and as some Wii' s (maybe just the controller/sensor bar) will undoubtedly do.

If you want to avoid this kind of stuff then just do as Gangsta is doing and wait until a revised model is released.

Flawed hardware is hardly worth discussing because it' s pretty much a given that as things get more complex, more problems will arise. What IS worth discussing is the likelyhood of the damn thing being " downgraded" or not.

I think the sales won' t take a hit as long as they downgrade specs that casual gamers don' t think of. Numbers and stuff isn' t usually what the average buyer have in their minds.
I don' t mind the downgrades mentioned so far since the PS3 still seems capable of giving us great gaming expreriences.
I would like to see a lower price to reflect the downgrades though.

The thing will launch with problems, just as 360 did and as some Wii' s (maybe just the controller/sensor bar) will undoubtedly do.

I agree but N is known for flawless systems since launch day.there are no proved problems with any of their systems.It is unfortunately different for MS and Sony.

I' m not sure but If I remember correctly DC and Sega' s other systems were pretty solid as well.

I would like to see a lower price to reflect the downgrades though.

Yeah price ...the only thing Sony keeps upgrading so well :)



PS3 games at E3 were all running on " downgraded" devkits so if it stays that way it won' t be noticable in software.

I' m still wondering if PS3 can match or maybe even has more power than 360?

We' ll get to know that in 2007/8 I guess.There are no sources I would trust with this - just as many " developers" say PS3 is the king or performance as those who say 360 is way beyond what PS3 can do.

and the HDMI out port ensures that users will be able to view Blu-ray movies and games at their highest possible resolution (1080p aka 1920 x 1080). Without the HDMI output, your max resolution will only be 720p (1280 x720).

So for people who buy core package,you reso will be 720p at max.
So basically you wont have true HD if you buy core package,so stop talk about core now people.

actually HDMI has nothing to do with 1080p - it can be achieved with component cables - HDMI however, is the only truly digital connection with better quality - the difference in quality is noticable but not jaw-dropping.Another thing that makes HDMI important is being future proof.In 2012 (if all goes as planed) you won' t be able to watch blue ray movies in HD on any other connection.

You should also keep in mind that Core 360 , while lacking , has nothing to do with " core" PS3 when it comes to gaming.Both PS3 versions have all gaming features (HDD,Wireless controller,HD resolution).

True HD 1080p? sounds like kutaragi :)
PS3 games are mostly at 720p so I wouldn' t focus on it too much.

For me gameplay is always what is most important. If the PS3 will bring great gameplay through great software, then I will eventually buy it.
If it doesn' t bring that then screw it.
Watching movies, surfing the net, listening to music, or watching photos isn' t what I' m looking for in a game console. PC' s can do it, with more freedom to a better price.
Ultimately, this of course means that I' m getting the Wii first hand.
My second choice, the PS3 or the 360, will be determined by what gameplay they bring.