Remember Sony's Betrayals Past

So many people are focused on hw great Sony's message is right now, and rightfully so. My only concern is remembering what the PS3 was at launch compared to what it is today. Sony has been known to take away things they promised in the past.

Remember how the PS3 was backwards compatable? Remember how you could install Linux on it? Remember how they had a terrible online outage a coupe years ago?

I'm not saying that Microsoft is doing better. I'm just saying that Sony could still impose these restrictions later.

PSVita memory card prices are a more recent reminder to not trust them. :/

That said: I already preordered a PS4 and I'm excited about it!

I do remember that, I also remember how I never used Linux on my PS3 or the Backwards Compatible..ness.
As far as I can tell, I could be wrong, haven't read that much but: the PS4 is not Backwards Compatible either and I can't install Linux on it.

So they can't take that away.

@zeforgotten: Fair points, but I'm just saying, they could take away something you DO care about.

Remember when that one huge company said something to make people buy their product but then things turned out differently? Who was that again? Ah right, every major company in the history of consumerism ever.

Eh, most gamers are naive sheep with no long term memory. Sony and Microsoft have to only do minimal tricks to herd them back into the pen, no matter how many times they have bitten them.

@mrredwine:

If they took away the ability to play games, then sure but that would be a bit stupid.
There's not really much else I care about with my gaming console.

Also remember how peopel were compensated for the Online Outtage as well?
Sony aren't bad at what they do. nobody really suffered, hell, I had fun play PS3 games while everyone else was bitching about not being able to get on the PSN Store.
Local multiplayer is still a thing

Well, I had one of those backwards compatible ones ...

I've still got a bad suspicion about hard drive size, and if the controller light bar eye combination for this thing.

500gb hard drive, but can be upgraded with any HDD like the PS3. Hopefully this includes SSD.

Backward Comatable: No one seemed to care about losing that and that was making the system more expensive. (doesn't affect PS3 games)

Linux: IDK anyone who did this, what was even the point? Oh yeah, homebrew.... (doesn't affect PS3 games)

Online Outage: Because they got hacked? How is that SONY's fault?

Anyone can take away anything. Living in fear of that is a terrible way to go through life though. For the record they could also add something I do care about. They added a lot more features then they took away on the PS3 so net gain, we're all winners.

@mrredwine: You're freaking out over nothing. Either this is a bad attempt at a troll post, or your speculations are unfounded. They removed BC because it was cost effective, and as a consumer, we got a more price-friendly console. They removed Linux because that was a massive hole in their console's security.

I'm going to be playing Devil's Advocate here, let's say that they did take something away... What could they take away that would you be freaked out about enough to make another post on these forums about?

This seems to indicate there's no PS Camera in the Box, but both it and the DS4 will cost $60.

Most things have already been said, like why those things happened. But none of those things made me regret buying a PS3 and I think that's the main issue.

Sony is in a far different position now then it was with the PS3... At the time, the PS2 was the absolute king of gaming and it was so succesfull that Sony decided to spend billions in R&D for the PS3. Fast forward to 2013 and Sony has had a several bad financial years, a colossal security breach of PSN and they had to work hard to get where they are now after the somewhat disastrous first two years of the PS3. They removed BC and the cardreaders back in the day to save production cost (allowing them to lower the price of the system somewhat) and Linux because it turned out that it was a major weakness in the console's security. I'm not too worried that they will take something away this time.

Throughout the entire reveal process for the PS4, Sony seemed to be pushing the idea that they understand they made mistakes with the PS3 and learned from them. I think that's why that reveal was so strong last night. It's not because of the specific policies (though those were pretty fucking nice). It's because, at least in my opinion, Sony gave the impression that they listened to their audience and understood what it wanted. It would have been just as easy for them so have a slightly less restrictive version of Microsoft's policies and call it a day. But they didn't. They didn't go out there foolishly confident; they went out there proudly and prepared. I don't think that they will repeat their mistakes of the past with this console. It's a step forward for them and for the industry.

Well "betrayal" is a little much, but I guess I can see your point. There was the very recent example of the Vita where they decided to charge exorbitant prices for memory cards (which microsoft got away with too) but I like to believe that they aren't going to do that again.

I didn't pick up a PS3 until Uncharted 2 came out. Only then did I start getting blu ray movies. All sony stuff but, they had to win back my money.....I still have my Sony mini disc player and look at it from time to time to remind me it's never a sure thing. ...sigh... Mini disc were so cool and it was Sony.

That's like reminding people they could get hit by a bus on the way to work.

Yeah, it might happen, but it's completely pointless to waste your time thinking about it.

'Betrayal'. Wow.

I wouldn't necessarily call these betrayals. PSN being down was due to circumstances beyond their control, mostly. Linux being pulled was due to rampant abuse of the OS to enable practically illegal things to be done with a PS3 (and I'm typically pro-Homebrew but I still think there's a line that shouldn't be crossed with it). Backwards compatibility support got dropped everywhere by this point, so Sony isn't alone to blame.

P4A's region lock is the closest thing to what you're talking about and you don't even mention it! They straight up retracted one of their system's selling points and as you say imposed a new restriction later on. Still it was only for one game and it's not entirely on Sony. Actually it's completely on Atlus/Arcsys given that the delay was the real problem.

Betrayals? Really? What's next? They change the color of a thumbstick and we start going all Godwin?

Seriously, this hyperbole shit is getting old.

At first Sony and I were just casual acquaintances. We'd see each other in the bus going to work or pass each other in the break room. Slowly, we realised that we has similar tastes in stuff, so I took a chance and invited Sony over for some beers. We were inseparable after that. Hanging every weekend, cookouts, concerts... we even rented a summer house together! Then Sony fucked my wife.

Thanks for reminding me, OP.

It was probably an exception to the rule made due to the some weird localizing a Atlus/Arcsys collab. issue. It was a little inexcusable that Europe had to wait as long as they did, though, but again that was probably beyond Sony's control and more so in the hands of the Atlus/Arcsys and localization crews.

I don't think P4A even set a precedent to always region lock, though, because as far as I know Yoshida tweeted yesterday that PS4 will in fact be region-free.

Yeah because so many people used linux, such a betrayal.

There's nothing to say they couldn't do that, but their whole message so far has been that they realised their mistakes with PS3 and are taking great pains to make sure it doesn't happen again. I don't think we have much to worry about.

I doubt the DRM will be stuff that is added later, there will still probably be online passes by some games companies, *cough* EA *cough cough*.

2 points you fail to mention.

1. Sony said from the start with the PS£ that Backwards compatabiliy wouldn't last forever and that if you wanted it, you had to adopt early. Not their fault you didn't listen.

2. Linux was taken away because it was used as a backdoor for the console. It was a case of being given nice things and then having a select few ruin it for others. Also, who actually used Linux on the PS3? 1% of the user base?

Remember how Microsoft also was hacked a ton? Remember how Xbox live always goes to shit around christmas? Remember how we have to pay for fucking netflix?

I agree to an extent. If any company has shown disregard for their customers in the past then it is Sony.

However, in the last year they have had a complete change of leadership and the Sony that we have seen presenting the PS4 is a company that seems far more chastened then the hubristic company that presented the PS3.

My own opinion is that they have seen the correlation between their arrogance, anger from customers and the resulting fall in profits and are showing signs they've learnt from it. They've tried every other trick in the book and I think that now they are going to try to actually being a customer (and in the case of the PS division, developer) friendly company - especially now they have seen the consumer reaction towards Microsofts new policies. In fact they've barely had to change anything in order to capitalise on that - just simply promise not to introduce any further DRM to their new system.

we are not trusting Sony we are trusting Adam Boyes.

And?

None of the things you've mentioned really mattered. Those who bought a backwards-compatible PS3 still had a backwards-compatible PS3. It wasn't disabled. I see it as a prize for them being early adopters. Few people put Linux on the system. Don't download the patch that disabled that and you still could.

Does this somehow mean that after the first year Sony's going to drop the RAM they put in the system from 8 GB to 4GB? I highly doubt it.

And how does this not apply to MS, Nintendo and any company in the whole world?

I remember when they betrayed me with Battle Arena Toshinden 2.