Worst console launch ever?

[desultadox]

The Playstation 2 launched with 300,000 units after 1 million consoles had been pre-ordered. Its #1 launch title was Tekken Jag Tournament. Launch units had difficulty playing most DVDs and the few that they do play all look terrible (thanks to software decoding).

The Playstation 3 launched in the US with about 150,000-200,000 units after Sony initially promised 2 million units worldwide (with the majority heading stateside). This time they launched with Resistance: Fall of Man, which supposedly is pretty good. But the next best things are Genji 2 and Ridge Racer 5 Version 3.0 (AKA Ridge racer 7), both of which are arguably pretty pathetic. Launch units overheat in somewhat mild circumstances, have issues playing innumerable backward-compatible games, downscale image quality on all but the latest HDTVs, and require updates to play some launch titles for the current generation.

Other notable mentions include the Xbox 360 with its red ring of death launch units, and the Sega Dreamcast for having a small portion of launch games give sound errors depending on the disc they were published on. In the end, these 2 didn't seem to compete with Sony's blunders.

So which do you think was the worst console launch ever?

 

[Star Fox]

I was going to vote for 3do, wtf is up with the Sony h8ing?

I hate Sony too, but it doesn't mean I think they are solely responsible for sucky console launches...

Heck, I liked the PS3 launch...

...but I guess that's just because I got 5 systems and tuition for my first year of college.

 

[Mabrito]

How did u manage to get 5?

 

[Star Fox]

Hired 2 guys, and I was there with my dad and his friend.
I was #17, they were #22-26 (at Best Buy).

 

[Torn]

PS3. I liked Tekken Tag! PS3 has no games of interest (for me anyway) at all. I don't recall PS2 having near as many system issues as we're hearing on PS3 (or X360 I might add!).

 

[VoodooChi|d]

What a horrible thread... I know it's popular to hate Sony right now but c'mon...

 

[Torn]

Yeah, the 360 really should be an option. This is just flame bait for the Sony fans...I smell a lock coming soon. Or not.

 

[ClearM4]

This is another thread that needs a lock.

 

[Erasmus354]

The fact that you even mention the Dreamcast launch along side the 360 and PS2 / PS3 is despicable. I got a 360 at launch so I am not a !!!!!! by any means. However any one who remembers the launch should know that the Dreamcast had one of if not the best launch of any console ever. Soul Calibur, Sonic Adventue, Crazy Taxi, NFL 2k, there were an amazing number of great games in a number of different genres. Not to mention there was *gasp* availability!

 

[TwistedMetalGear]

I don't know if Toy Commander was a launch game, but it had a demo when the DC was launched... and oh man, that was one of the most fun games I have ever played.

DC had everything going for it, it was literally a home arcade. I hate that it had to fail in the long run.

edit - And what was wrong with the PS2 launch? I don't remember lines or anything? I did pre-order at TRU, but it involved no lines at all, I just randomly decided to pre-order one day and I walked right into the store and did it. It's not like people formed lines for the damn pre-order like they did with the PS3.

That alone proves how bad the PS3 launch was compared to the PS2.

 

[Psychotext]

I'm not sure if this counts as the worst launch ever... at least numerically. Arguably we're looking at about 350k consoles "worldwide" if the numbers are to be believed - Does anyone know how that stacks up against the competition in the past? I agree with what others have said though, should have been more options.

 

[K600]

If you can't handle the heat, stay out of the kitchen. Some of you might not want to admit it, but this has been one of the sloppiest launches of a mainstream product that has ever occurred in the United States.

Broken promise after broken promise, revision after revision to the launch numbers, undeserved hype, defective units (Already)...the list goes on. This system was not ready for launch.

 

[Jerome36]

If you can't handle the heat, stay out of the kitchen. Some of you might not want to admit it, but this has been one of the sloppiest launches of a mainstream product that has ever occurred in the United States.

Broken promise after broken promise, revision after revision to the launch numbers, undeserved hype, defective units (Already)...the list goes on. This system was not ready for launch.

I have to agree. If you're enjoying your PS3 that's great, but you gotta' admit Sony dropped the ball. I know they wanted to get this thing out before the Holiday season, and I don't blame them. Giving Microsoft another Christmas without competing with them, would have been bad... but it's obvious they could have used another 2 or 3 months before they should have launched this thing.

The PS2 suffered from some pretty good shortages, and there was an eBay craze then as well. The early launch systems also suffered from hardware issues, like the laser lense thing. Eventually Sony will get things sorted out with the PS3, with more units, revised hardware, etc., just like they did with the PS2.

 

[The King of Pants]

The PS2 had a rough time but the worst i felt was actualy Christmas a year later in termes of shortages of both hardware and accesories.

The PS3 has problems at least that bad now and i'm guessing there will be supply problems till summer at best.

 

[FitzRoy]

You do realize that your poll is a choice between two sony consoles, but there are tons of other consoles, right? Or are you asking "Which of these consoles had a worse launch?"

Fail English?

 

[The18thLetter]

You do realize that your poll is a choice between two sony consoles, but there are tons of other consoles, right?

Exactly.

You mention other "notable" choices but yet... didn't put them on your poll.
Suspect?

 

[Lord Nassirbannipal]

As far as I'm concerned, only the PS1 and DC had decent launches.

 

[K600]

The problems with the Dreamcast launch had little to do with hardware, for those of you who are wondering. Apparently, there were some problems with the new format (GD-ROM) and a few manufacturers managed to ship corrupted/blank disks.

The problems persisted throughout the entire life of the system, actually. They became more rare, but certain titles like PSO (Which came out long after launch) initially had problems as well.

The Xbox and Gamecube had decent launches, but the Xbox launch hardware was typically unreliable and failed eventually (Typically not outright though). The Gamecube was amazingly sound from a manufacturing standpoint...looking at the internals of that thing were damned near artistic from an engineering perspective.

 

[desultadox]

The fact that you even mention the Dreamcast launch along side the 360 and PS2 / PS3 is despicable. I got a 360 at launch so I am not a !!!!!! by any means. However any one who remembers the launch should know that the Dreamcast had one of if not the best launch of any console ever. Soul Calibur, Sonic Adventue, Crazy Taxi, NFL 2k, there were an amazing number of great games in a number of different genres. Not to mention there was *gasp* availability!

You won't find a bigger Sega or Dreamcast fan than me, buddy. I just wanted to be fair, the DC did have a small issue at launch. I couldn't just hate on Sony completely. Like I said, the minor issues with the Dreamcast and other consoles pale in comparison to the atrocities of PS2 and PS3, which is why they weren't options, because if anybody picked them, they'd just be Sony !!!!!!s/other console haters.

 

[desultadox]

You do realize that your poll is a choice between two sony consoles, but there are tons of other consoles, right? Or are you asking "Which of these consoles had a worse launch?"

Fail English?

Other consoles launched successfully.

Fail common sense?

 

[Naldo]

Exactly how does having an insane demand and vast media attention for your system constitute as an unsuccessfull launch?

 

[desultadox]

Supply shortage, product malfunctions/bugs, little software support and lack of quality software... Shall I continue?

 

[Ubermouser]

You seem pretty hard to please.. I'll bet that even if Sony met the demand of the Playstation 3, you'd still be on these boards crying about how you wouldn't be able to make a couple thousand dollars of profit on ebay.

I'm taking no sides in this, however, as I plan to buy a console (if at all) next year Christmas, when the consoles have all shown their true colors, and the PC has had a chance to compete.

 

[LeviathanZERO]

You seem pretty hard to please.. I'll bet that even if Sony met the demand of the Playstation 3, you'd still be on these boards crying about how you wouldn't be able to make a couple thousand dollars of profit on ebay.

I'm taking no sides in this, however, as I plan to buy a console (if at all) next year Christmas, when the consoles have all shown their true colors, and the PC has had a chance to compete.

So according to you, people buy hardware and not software?
Its pretty obvious they are incredibly lacking in the software department right now.
A system launch with no good games to play seems pretty unsuccessful to me.

But then again, I remember how great the Dreamcast launch was, so I am biased.

 

[TheToE!]

If you can't handle the heat, stay out of the kitchen. Some of you might not want to admit it, but this has been one of the sloppiest launches of a mainstream product that has ever occurred in the United States.

Broken promise after broken promise, revision after revision to the launch numbers, undeserved hype, defective units (Already)...the list goes on. This system was not ready for launch.

QFFT!

 

[himmy]

For those crying that the two choices are Sony systems, you need to face facts. They have had two horrible launches in a row. They will most likely still be #1 for market share, but you have to admit these are two bad launches, and the PS3 is even worse.

The OP did not in any way make this into a hate Sony thread, his post was done in a completely mature and thought out manner.

Stop crying about it.

 

[VoodooChi|d]

The 360 launch was bad (shortages, 30% defect rate) as was the Dreamcast launch (titles shipping without content on them)

There was an article on some gaming site I just saw talking about the worst launches... these 2 were both included...

 

[LeviathanZERO]

Some Dreamcast launch titles
Soul Calibur, Sonic Adventure, Jet Set Radio, Power Stone, Hydro Thunder

Some PS3 launch titles
Genji: Days of the Blade, Mobile Suit Gundam: Crossfire, Ridge Racer 7, Resistance: Fall of Man

Btw, whats this titles shipping without content crap?? I never heard of anyone ever having that happen, and not like it would be easy to just go back to the store and get it exchanged. Oh well, I had 23 DC games before 2001, and they all had content.

 

[FitzRoy]

For those crying that the two choices are Sony systems, you need to face facts. They have had two horrible launches in a row. They will most likely still be #1 for market share, but you have to admit these are two bad launches, and the PS3 is even worse.

The OP did not in any way make this into a hate Sony thread, his post was done in a completely mature and thought out manner.

Stop crying about it.

Yes, they are not great launches, but the worst launch ever in the history of consoles? Couldn't disagree more. Here's a snippet from wikipedia on the Atari Jaguar, which not only launched poorly, but failed altogether after two short years. There are all kinds of shitty consoles throughout history that had terrible, irreconcilable issues that doomed them.

Initially, the system sold well, substantially outselling the highly hyped, and publicized 3DO, which was also released during the holiday season of 1993. However, the Jaguar could not shake the perception of having poor games after several dismal launch titles. It finally had its first hit game with Tempest 2000, and other successful games like Doom and Wolfenstein 3D followed. The most successful title was Alien vs. Predator which is often considered the system's defining title.

Through its lifetime, the Jaguar had an overall low number of titles due to being difficult to develop for. This was due to serious bugs in the released hardware (such as a memory controller flaw that could halt processor execution out of system RAM). Customers complained the Jaguar controller was needlessly complex, with over 15 buttons.

Is the PS3 inherently flawed like the Jaguar to the point that no one will develop for it? Is a lackluster initial lineup in any way indicative of future potential? The answer is no, and that's why this thread as a POLL seems like pointless flamebait, because despite pointing out the lackluster launch content, you seem to think that a system as complex as the PS3 should have an utterly perfect launch despite having additional major features over competing systems in the following areas:

1. digital video output
2. running linux on the HD, opening the door for unlimited console and arcade emulation
3. high definition movie playback out of the box

The 360, in my opinion, had comparitively lackluster titles at launch, had all kinds of hardware issues, not to mention a lower than 30% backwards compatibility rate, is incapable of the above three things, and you're telling me that it doesn't at least deserve to be on the poll as a choice? This thread is unquestionably flamebait and deserves to be locked with a warning to the OP.

 

[Psychotext]

30% defect rate

Back it up or don't use a specific number...

(By the way, I'm not arguing, it may be that high but it seems that you've picked an arbitrary number)

 

[desultadox]

As stated in the original post, I do think the Xbox 360 had a substandard launch. However, I blame the "shortages" on retailers overselling pre-orders mostly, not really on Microsoft. They couldn't meet demand because they had no way of anticipating it. The difference is that Sony initially promises a huge estimate and then delivers a fraction of it. That's when I'm glad to put the blame on the actual manufacturer.

As for systems like Jaguar and 3DO, they never had the name to accumulate enough hype to really disappoint people. Sure they had issues, but for something to be called the "worst," I expect it to affect many more people than the niche group interested in the Jaguar and 3D0 ... or the CD-i.

Is the PS3 inherently flawed like the Jaguar to the point that no one will develop for it? Is a lackluster initial lineup in any way indicative of future potential? The answer is no, and that's why this thread as a POLL seems like pointless flamebait, because despite pointing out the lackluster launch content, you seem to think that a system as complex as the PS3 should have an utterly perfect launch despite having additional major features over competing systems in the following areas:

1. digital video output
2. running linux on the HD, opening the door for unlimited console and arcade emulation
3. high definition movie playback out of the box

The 360, in my opinion, had comparitively lackluster titles at launch, had all kinds of hardware issues, not to mention a lower than 30% backwards compatibility rate, is incapable of the above three things, and you're telling me that it doesn't at least deserve to be on the poll as a choice? This thread is unquestionably flamebait and deserves to be locked with a warning to the OP.

Yes, the PS3 is inherently flawed similar to the Jaguar to the point that some developers will not develop for it. This was true of the PlayStation 2 as well (Team Ninja (after DOA2 port, From Software, etc.). Is a lackluster launch lineup indicative of future potential? of course not. But can you explain to me what future potential has to do with the quality of a system's LAUNCH?

1. Digital output is unnecessary for high-def gaming.
2. The emulation you seem to be speaking of is illegal. Besides, has anyone actually had any trouble running emulators off of even the original Xbox?
3. The PS3 supports a [so far] failing high-def format. if it played audio cassettes out of the box, that wouldn't impress me either.

Xbox 360 launch titles were rated, on average, higher than PS3 launch titles on GameSpot (I know it's just 1 site and not necessarily an accurate one, but still). The PS3 has some serious issues with backward compatibility itself. Finally, we're not calling a console a flop based on what they do and don't do. The problem is when the manufacturer says it will do something that it won't. It's not that Xbox doesn't do those things because of a design flaw, it's just not meant to do them.

FYI: A post that says something you disagree with isn't necessarily flamebait, unless you make it so.

 

[Darakian]

I think people would care more about emulating the 16 bit era (and before) more than xbox games. Anyway the ps3 has the power of the play station name. It will make money (over it's lifetime) thus it will be a success.

 

[desultadox]

I think people would care more about emulating the 16 bit era (and before) more than xbox games. Anyway the ps3 has the power of the play station name. It will make money (over it's lifetime) thus it will be a success.

I know you're just giving your personal opinion on it; obviously that's not necessarily true. Furthermore that's not exactly what the thread/poll was about, but since you mentioned it... Sony pretty much spent all the profits from the PS2 so far (which took years before it was even a positive number) on the development and launch of the PS3. So while it was enough to keep Playstation alive for at least another generation, I don't know if Sony could consider it a "success." They really need to look at everything they did right with the Playstation 1 and do it all over again. With the PS1 Sony knew they had an uphill battle, so they made their console better than the competition. Nintendo used cartridges, so Sony one-upped them with CDs and Sega's Saturn was VERY similar to the PS2 in terms of hardware complexity and development tools, so Sony's system was far simpler. This is what led the original Playstation to success and it seems that since then, Sony has only regressed to make huge mistakes while their rivals consistently one-up them. I don't hate on any particular company for no reason, but it's hard to ignore Sony's recent blunders.

EDIT: PS - I think you misunderstood me about the emulation thing, I meant that people played older games emulated ON the original Xbox, not emulated Xbox games.

 

[magoo]

World gone crazy.

 

[Kahnvex]

The only (semi) recent consoles I'd like to see emulated on PS3 are the PS1, and PS2...

wait for it...

with some graphical enhancement, thankyaverymuch.

Although technically illegal, I'd be lying if I said that the advent of using the PS3 for a super emulation machine (up to roughly saturn/N64 levels) doesn't have me salivating. those are the only 2 systems my modbox doesn't do well/at all.

I'll be excited if they eventually add cleanup processing for PS1/PS2 That would be perfectly fine in my book.

/On topic, I'll go on record as saying besides the Jaguar, Lynx, and Turbografx16, this is the console launch I've had the absolute LEAST interest in. I wanted a jaguar more than I want a PS3.

I have been totally turned off by the spectacle of the entire affair.

 

[Darakian]

snip

Sorry I got that emulation bit mixed up. Must have read it to quick

Anyway the folks at sony are not idiots, they have a business model and I am sure the ps3 will be in the green by the time the system dies. I highly doubt it would have gotten the go ahead by stock holders unless there was a plan in place to make money.

 

[Lord Nassirbannipal]

As stated in the original post, I do think the Xbox 360 had a substandard launch. However, I blame the "shortages" on retailers overselling pre-orders mostly, not really on Microsoft. They couldn't meet demand because they had no way of anticipating it.

Then surely you can put the blame on Microsoft for the hardware issues and botched backwards compatibility, and I think we can put two and two together and figure that Microsoft could damn well anticipate that there would be more of a deman than 350,000 360's at launch.

Look, I don't disagree with you. Both the PS2 and PS3 had rather sloppy launches, but excepting the PS1 and Dreamcast, nearly every console launch has been plagued by a lack of AAA titles, production shortages, and hardware issues. If you're going to snipe at the PS2 and PS3, then by no means should the NES be absent from your list. You talk about the PS2 and PS3 not having many units available, but Nintendo used to intentionally create shortages to increase demand(I believe Sony did this as well with the PS2, and it worked both times, but I digress), the NES had all of one must-have title when it launched(and this was North America, Japan didn't even get it at launch), and there was the notorious "blinking red light error"(akin to the PS2's disc-read error) and cartridges not being read because of shoddy and flawed design/manufacturing of the cartridge slot. The SNES had, again, all of one must-have title, and was found to be incompatible with several american tv's. The Saturn had, you guessed it, one must-have title, Virtua Fighter, and even that one only really caught on in Japan, not to mention, it made programmers want to kill themselves.

The PS3 has some issues with backwards compatibility, but a lot of them happen to be with PS1 games that didn't play correctly on the PS2, either, and it looks as though most of the issues can be fixed with firmware updates. It still blows the 360 backwards compatibility out of the water. The Wii may be BC with all Gamecube titles, but that's because it's basically a GC with online capabilities and a fancy controller. The Wii also has only one must-have gave, and that's one of Nintendo's flagship titles(which is also available on the Gamecube, I might add). The PS3 only has one must-have title right now, but I've been over that.

If you think that the PS2 and PS3 had the worst launches ever, then that's fine. You're entitled to your opinion; however, there are other consoles that pretty much meet the same criteria.

 

[Kahnvex]

What about the OG game boy? Horrible screen, bad castlevania game, avocado colors, blech!

let's put that puppy on a pike as long as we're skewering things!

 

[Firebot]

The Jaguar and 3DO were niche systems at best, launching at a time when the market was becoming oversaturated with systems claiming to be the new real 'nex-gen' system while Nintendo and Sega held 90% of the marketshare between themselves. When I think of poor launches, both don't even come on my radar as they were never worthwhile systems to begin with. 3DO was more in line with NeoGeo as a niche high priced system, while Atari Jaguar was made by Atari...both were never expected to do much anyways.

PS2's launch might have been bad and technically worse then the PS3, but it didn't really matter since it's only competition was the Dreamcast, and the hype machine alone would ensure that the PS2 would easily outperform any launch glitch.

Likewise, it was fun to make fun of the overheating issues with the XBox 360, and all those launch consoles failing, but in the end, no matter how you look at it, their launch was a success simply on the fact that they launched a year ahead of the PS3. That in itself was a major coup for Microsoft and put all the pressure on Sony. Both systems' launches did not affect their long term success.

This is not the case for the PS3. XBox 360 has been out for a year giving the same performance as the PS3 at a bigger bang for the buck, and Nintendo has the most revolutionary console system in over a decade, and targetting a much bigger audience. Sony has a TON to lose with this launch especially since they are also putting their life on the line with the BlueRay, and IMO the PS3 will become 3rd in the North American market out of the 3 consoles. Sony and Final Fantasy fans will not be able to keep this one afloat forever, and the hype machine is on Nintendo's side right now, not Sony.

If the Nintendo Wii even remotly takes off like what happened with the Nintendo DS (remember how it was downplayed as a gimmick and useless underpowered handheld at launch?), then Sony is going to be in a world of hurt. Sony is trying to kill 2 birds with one stone (getting both the next gen DVD and gaming market), but is trying to do it with a giant boulder and just launched it from right over their head...

 

[FitzRoy]

As stated in the original post, I do think the Xbox 360 had a substandard launch. However, I blame the "shortages" on retailers overselling pre-orders mostly, not really on Microsoft. They couldn't meet demand because they had no way of anticipating it. The difference is that Sony initially promises a huge estimate and then delivers a fraction of it. That's when I'm glad to put the blame on the actual manufacturer.

*Gasp* A company explicitly lied or exaggerated about a forecast for their own benefit? Holy cow, that never happens! By the way, you've selectively left out the compatibility issues and hardware issues that I mentioned, which is plenty to warrant the 360 being on the list.

As for systems like Jaguar and 3DO, they never had the name to accumulate enough hype to really disappoint people. Sure they had issues, but for something to be called the "worst," I expect it to affect many more people than the niche group interested in the Jaguar and 3D0 ... or the CD-i.

The Jaguar was extremely hyped and it did disappoint a lot of people (mostly, the people who bought it). It was the most powerful console at the time it was released. The reason you think it is a "niche" is because it FAILED. And it FAILED partially because it was launched with faulty hardware and a fifteen button controller. The issues that you are lambasting the PS3 launch for are cupcakes compared to this, especially when you consider how consoles are being made to do a hell of a lot more than just games these days, which was all the Jaguar had to worry about.

Yes, the PS3 is inherently flawed similar to the Jaguar to the point that some developers will not develop for it. This was true of the PlayStation 2 as well (Team Ninja (after DOA2 port, From Software, etc.).

A few is not the same thing as the majority. Not comparable, Jaguar was a much worse scenario.

Is a lackluster launch lineup indicative of future potential? of course not. But can you explain to me what future potential has to do with the quality of a system's LAUNCH?

It's to point out that lambasting the launch is kind of stupid and pointless criticism, because it has little bearing on the outcome. But instead of just having a thread where you voiced your opinion on how bad the launch was, you made a community poll whose only outcome is a sony console, even though historical facts seem to indicate that the 360 or Jaguar launch were at least below the PS2 in terms of launch quality.

1. Digital output is unnecessary for high-def gaming.

A technicality defense that does not address the benefit of going digital with large resolutions on a digital display. Almost every new digital tv has a digital port. The 360 will never be able to take advantage of it because they chose to cut out the cost and support hassle. Having analog cables also opens the door for snake oil brands to charge you up the butt for "quality" component cables. Digital is perfect, there is no difference in cable quality unless you have a defective cable or incredibly long links.

2. The emulation you seem to be speaking of is illegal. Besides, has anyone actually had any trouble running emulators off of even the original Xbox?

First of all, you are completely wrong here. You can dump pcbs or cartridges that you own and play them legally on an emulator. Emulation is not inherently illegal, although many people do take this route and consider it invaluable and ethically sound. Second, you know you're grasping when you start bringing up legality, followed by a "besides.. they work okay on the xbox," which, by the way, a lot of people don't have.

3. The PS3 supports a [so far] failing high-def format. if it played audio cassettes out of the box, that wouldn't impress me either.

Time will tell, but it has many times been speculated that all blu-ray needed to take off was the PS3. And as more people get them, it probably will. Lastly, it's not about impressing you specifically. You are in the minority. Unwavering brand loyalists don't decide the outcome of things. Consumers do. Because consumers look at the facts and decide what the best value is, and right now, demand is for the PS3 in part because of those three things I pointed out that the 360 can't, CAN'T, offer.

FYI: A post that says something you disagree with isn't necessarily flamebait, unless you make it so.

It's flamebait because the facts state that the 360 and Jaguar (possibly more) were at least worse than the PS2, but weren't included. You were either ignorant to the facts, or your explicitly made it impossible for the community to choose anything but a sony console.