First Sony PlayStation 3 in-store kiosk spotted!
By Ryan Block 
posted Oct 1st 2006 3:15PM
posted Oct 1st 2006 3:15PM
[Thanks, Iboro Ekpo]
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Wow! That's a giant kiosk. I'm not seeing any SIXAXIS controllers though ;(.
I think we're expected to worship it like an idol.
That's a good observation Will.
Is all that really neccessary? What a waste of space.
Clarence...
What the frig would YOU use the space above the display for? How is this 'wasting' space? The store isn't using ANY vertical space in the middle of the store so this isn't 'wasting' any space. This way Sony is getting advertising visable throughout the store.
But of course, you must be a marketing genius to make such a definiative statement.
is the black air-condition-like furniture on the floor = PS3? :)
No controllers...is it mind controlled?
someone probly stole them already
freaking huge...where's the controllers?
And... No one's gonna ask where this was?
-Taylor
Walmart or Best Buy? --> There, I ask it, Taylor.
HOLY COW!!! That thing is monsterous!!! Imagine walking up to that! must be a large air conditioner behind there
this just screams obelisk from 2001: A Space Odyssey
Nice choice of font. Are they going for the idea to remind everyone of Spiderman - 3 ?? Looks the exact same. And I believe they are the production company...hmm...
The font also caught my eye when i saw this picture (there's not much else to see, tbh). It looks exactly like the Spiderman font.
So uhh... yea, is this in the US or Japan?
So that's how big the power adapter will be...
MmM.. I dont know about anyone else but I'm already opening up some space next to my 360 for that.. well open up a new room for that.. which ever comes first..lol
FYI, according to Gizmodo, this kiosk only plays videos, which would explain the absence of controllers. yup.
so that means we (at least for me) have to look UP, like worshipping something, when watching the PS3 video? Look at the screens, they are over and above the highest game racks/shelves at the back! The system itself is what's at my eye level.
The good thing is the demo TV is big enough to see even from a distance.
Videos only.... weak. If I want to see videos of what a PS3 can do, I'll look online, not go to some giant "2001: A Space Oddyssey" obelisk at a Walmart to watch monkeys (err, idiots and PS3 fanboys) hoot, holler, and beat the ground with sticks in excitement.
This is supposed to be in "Akiba". I forwarded this to Engadget after I saw it posted by Emotep on the AVS forum.
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=730657
I, for one, welcome our giant, black, monolithic, Playstation 3 overlords...
That is the funniest comment that I have seen on the internets. The fact that it is for Simpsons nerds is just awesome. Well done.
so is the real ps3 contained in those GIANT ps3s at the buttom of the display?
UUh, What an amazing phallos. The flat tv (Sony Bravia X-series?) design tho looks cool!
Obviously, since it only plays videos, those are DVD players housed in PS3 cases.
And as for the size...it's obvious there are 19 midgets in there, flipping switches and pressing buttons, so the thing keeps playing (You'll realize that there are 19 because they need to take breaks/brakes, and have someone else take their place, but they can't leave the kiosk, and they, being smaller than your average person, get tired twice as fast). And as for the minifridge looking thing, that obviously is a ventilation and air conditioning system, so they don't die from suffocation or heat strokes.
It could also be that you can put in drinks from outside, then when closed they can take them from the inside (like a 2-way mail box).
I think the point of emphasizing its largeness has to do with the whole "turn an insult into a compliment" philosophy. Kind of like how geek turned from an insult into a cool word. In sony's case, they want people to change their perception on how we value the size of gaming consoles..
I must say Sony has been in hot water recently wat with all those battery recalls and ps3 production problems but... they have struck back magnificently by producing a black bomb shelter, seriously, that thing should be way smaller if they want to capture the video game market
Am I the only person in the world who doesn't have a deep hate for Sony and everything it does?
If this was on a public sidewalk I'd think the size would be a problem, but this is in a freaking store - where bigger than life posters and ads abound.
Nope. I'm with you. Too many screaming weinies on the "anti-Sony" bandwagon as it is.
soccerdude21490, we already established that theres an aircon inside that stack.
So is that the jagnormous power supply in the bottom cabinet?
That looks very satanic.
I bet the kiosk is that big to house the cooling units needed to keep the PS3 cool. ;)
Any of you guys ever see 2001 A Space Oddesy? >_> I'm just sayin. . . We should put some monkeys next to this thing and see what happens.
The fact that it only plays movies makes me think they might be hiding something.
If you take away all that junk add stuff above the screen and just have one of them, it's just a bit wider and taller than the ps2 one... But LOL that thing won't even fit into my local games store. And the my other games store they would have to use a crane or something to get it into the second floor!
Hey Wilfred, STOP SPAMMING engadget with junk
Yeah, just making me feel even better about deciding against the PS3.
The picture was taken from a low point, to give the appearence that it's monsterous. I doubt that it is really that big. but it does look like it goes to the roof, Like a beacon, so you can see the PS3 from the other side of the store.
I sure love those LCD's though.
kei brought up a good point. Get an appointment with an orthopedist first.
Nice LCDs though. I should pick one up if the picture quality is as good as it looks. Does anyone know?
wow, sony really is on the ropes these days. hmmmm.
Citadel ?
Just let me know when Mr. Breen is spotted and I'll get my gravity gun.
I like the way they have a miniature glossy PS3 inbetween the screen and the great big actual size PS3 at the bottom of each side! :P
Now I can clearly see from across any store which isle to avoid.
But I have to admit, I like the mini fridge.
i feel sorry for the kid doing minimum wage working at best buy who has to spend hours following a paper diagram for setting up this damn temple of a kiosk..
I work at a Best Buy in Montana, and I heard our GM talking to one of the other managers, they were saying that we have a PS3 kiosk in our warehouse in the back, it's supposed to go up next week!!!
yeah i agree, why is everyone hating on the PS3. If it is bc of price, 360+the HD-DVD player is only $20 cheaper. What a bargain! Also they put the display up to make it big and attract peoples attention. Not all people follow technology and video games like we do, imagine walking into Best Buy or Wal Mart or wherever and seeing this. You are going to walk over and see what it is. Its simple marketing.
Okay, I'll bite.
The 360+HD-DVD drive may be $20 cheaper than the PS3. But not everyone wants a HD-DVD drive, and I'll assume that most people that buy a PS3 wont take advantage of the bluray drive (dont buy disks, dont have a display that takes advantage of the resolution). Both the 360 and the PS3 are gaming machines, and I truely believe that most people see and buy them as them as such.
Now I'm in no place to say that adding bluray was a mistake--only time will tell on that front. We'll see if the larger disk will lead to better games by developers; We'll see if people flock to a "cheap" blueray player; We'll see if the lack of rumble and $500/600 price tag scares people off. At this point, commenting on the success or failure of the PS3 is entirely speculation.
Well, they must have abtained their HDMI CABLE separately because Sony will not be including this needed accessory in the box. Sorry, just venting.
over hyped bloated monstrosity...very symbolic of PS3
That is symbolism regarding Sony's ego...
this is pretty old now.. like 3-5 days old. Too bad there isn't one of those anywhere near me :(
Yowza.
I wonder if those screens are running 1080p. If not, the system's strengths are decidedly less apparent. If so, It'll cost a fortune to build these all over the country.
That's because it is the "Spiderman" font, Sony has distributed all of the movies (i.e. DVD packaging, advertising, etc.); in other-words they hold copyrights on it.
evan, one doesn't need the hddvd addition to the xbox 360, you can just get the xbox, and guess what, play the xbox.
Alot of people dont care about HDDVD/Blue Ray, Plus alot of people dont want to buy blue ray or hddvd discs until one fails or the either.
It's about choice, you get no choice with the ps3
for those in wonder, the system is only there for the viewing. You'll have to buy one to play it before launch. C'mon now, what idiot would allow playable titles on a free ps3, before the actual launch? Think now people.
I will worship that as a god the moment I come across one...
Now that it is a large, overblown, intimidating monolith of a game console, I want it more.
i think the idea here is that if they surround the ps3 with huge things, it won't look so huge itself.
gosh, i like technology, but i wouldnt worship it...somethings wrong if you put something like the ps3 above everything else, even God...
as for my thoughts on the ps3, i think it will appeal to the mass market despite its $600+ tag, for males, much like the way lower class women buy $1000 dollar purses and jewelry; people will go head over heels to waste their money on stuff they cant realistically afford, just to be the object of their freind's envy for a short time...
needless to say, i dont think there is anyone who cant live without a PS3 on launch day/christmas. I say to everyone, keep your heads on and dont make a foolish decision, wait for the prices to come down at least few hundred dollars, and maybe then consider. If enough people do this and sales are considerably less than expected (not likely), it may happen sooner...
Considering how big their actual system is I didn't expect Sony to still have a case of penis envy against the XBOX, but apparently i was wrong
Regarding the font issue:
In case you havent noticed, the adopted PS3 font IS a bite from the spiderman movies, in fact the FIRST spiderman movie. This has been recognizable since the first images of the PS3 rolled out. And to my dismay, its a good font for spiderman, but a terrible font for the PS3. Really sad they couldn't drum up a new one. If you want to go back even further, the first time I saw this font was on the Smashing Pumpkins 1979 ep. Which is where I believe Sony originally saw this font, but thats something we'll never be able to know.
Sony overcompensating for something maybe???
Seeing this Kiosk just makes me want to buy a PlayStation 3 even more. As if I didn't already have enough reasons for getting one.
Im surprised no one is playing it. i would expect there to be fist figths and moshes to get to it or even touch the kiosk
"And yes, we still want one."
No Wii don't.
they just do that to make the console look smaller
If this story is 3-5 days old like people (plural for that guys protection), then Engadget -- and its sister sites >_< -- need to get more bloggers.
That's a walmart. And yes, it is mind controlled.
I know the PS3 has blu-ray capabilites but can it also do hd-dvd? Just wondering.
its huge but hey wouldnt u wanna go up to it and see what it was if u saw something that big in a store. hell i know i would. looks great
haha, so you can't even play the damn games? gg once again, sony.
The hardware is besides the point I think. Sony should really team up with Google and kick start their online gaming world. It makes some sense for both companies. Sony can make good hardware, even if it looks like the PS3 is a debacle, but software doesn't seem to be their strength. Google on the other hand could really create a cool online gaming universe for Sony and both could compete with Microsoft.
......the large display must represent the even larger pricetag :/
LOL this is histerical, its GIGANTIC and i hate to say it quite ugly... but perhaps the size is to make it look smaller (the ps3) ... this looks like something the xbox1 would have had LOL.
The fact is at launch the game lineup is gonna be super lightweight on the ps3, and the ps3 is also under ALOT OF BAD press... and is over priced.
And no it isnt overpriced by 20$ its over priced as a gameing machine by around 200$ ... the fact is its supposed to be a P-L-A-Y-station!!! The fact is that HDDVD is ahead of Bluray 11 to 1 (up from 8 to 1 .. 2 months ago) ... so lets see... sony's known for crashed media, Betamax, SACD, UMD, MD, (hell even Memory stick could be considered a failure in comparison to things like SD) and sony is trying to force us to have bluray (THE LOOSING FORMAT CURRENTLY AS PER MONTHLY SALES >>> MEDIA AND HARDWARE!)
It comes down to choice, and for game players we just want a good game machine the wii and 360 can both do that, and for media people they aren't forced into bluray especially considering blurays current uptake, and sonys past history of media formats
The minute I noticed that the kiosk had no controllers, and even if it did the screens are in an unplayable height, I can't help but think that Sony is hiding something. I personally believe that the PS3 units aren't even playing the video. MS had playable 360 kiosks running months before launch (over 1yr ago), and Wii will soon have playable kiosks and already had them at E06 and other game shows. If Sony doesn't even have a playable system 2 months before launch the system is not going to be in time for the Christmas season. If Sony does happen to release some units for Christmas get ready for an absolute nightmare as far as defective hardware and overheating issues.
I hope this kiosk is located in the US because not only would that be a waste of advertising (the Japanese market will buy poo with Sony's name on it) but last I checked the Japanese are obsessed with small and sleek technology. But then again Sony did happen to advertise the PS3 in Europe at a Soccer game after they announced that Europe would not be getting any consoles and after MS announced soccer exclusivity to the 360.
Oh yeah, gotta love that Spiderman 3 text on the side...So why doesn't the monolith also have some Blu Ray propaganda all over it?
Can I hook it up to my furnace to help heat the house this winter?
Funny how the first Xbox was made fun of for its size and now having a sleek George Foreman Grill playing games in your living room is uber-leet.
i for one welcome our playstation 3/Sony overlords.
but honestly that is a little rediculous.
they clearly forgot it is about gameplay.
sony will possibly fail with the PS3
giltronic
Back when the PS2 was advertised, Sony showed us a future ad for PS9 which had mind control capability.
With the lack of controllers does this mean that they have already developed this technology?
Well, even if the PS3 does suck I can take solace in knowing that there will be another console soon in the series of Play Stations -- Wait, so it will be PS4, XBox 720, and the Wii-Wii?
Yeh the kiosk is large, but the ps3 is tiny. So, you want a computer that's got a processsor that's not available in any other computer yet (the cell processor), more powerful graphics than (nearly) any other computer, completely hi-def ready including blu-ray drive, wireless enabled etc. And you want it to be half the size of any other desktop (excluding Mac mini)...But you want to pay the same amount as you would for an average-to-good desktop.... looks like Sony have got the perfect thing for ya! ... hush ya moaning engadget - the ps3 is not oversized and is definately not overpriced. Ali.
I can't believe you are comparing a PS3, a gaming platform, and movie watching platform for those who don't already have a DVD player, to a fricken computer. Sure it can wipe the floor with its Cell processor, but for all practical applications, it is not a computer. Neither is WebTV (yes, I am comparing PS3 to WebTV). It is a specialized system made for a specific purpose. When I want to download music, do I turn to my 360 (aka: Would I turn to my PS3)? No. When I want to type a word document, am I going to boot up my Blu Ray player? No.
If I want an average to good desktop, I am going to want to do more than play (whatever great launch titles are coming out for PS3)? You bet.
Okay, here's an honest rebuttal to your fanboy response.
The PS3 is NOT tiny, if you want to compare it to the 360, but it is if you want to compare it to, say, an elephant.
http://www.engadget.com/2006/08/17/ps3-xbox-360-form-truce-for-photo-spread/
I do like the Cell processor, but the graphics in computers are moving so quickly these days, at launch, the PS3 won't have graphics as fast as whats currently on the PC market. You honestly want to spend 30 bucks or more on a Blu Ray disc at this point? For such a proprietary format shoved down your throat, you really are in a bind. What if Blu Ray fails? At least the 360 gives you the choice that if you want to watch HD-DVD's you can then buy the player, but if you don't, keep your 200 bucks. Wii was smart enough not to even put a DVD player in their system. Who DOESN'T already have a DVD player at home?
Oh, if you want to check out some computers smaller than the PS3 (smaller than the Wii) http://computershopper.com/roundups/200610_go_micro_1
And yes, you can build a great desktop for about what you would pay for a PS3.
Great i love it!
Oh MY GOD... let's just be a monk in the TEMPLE...
This is at a new Bic Camera that opened in Kawasaki. A new Mall named Lazona with 300 plus shops just opened with Bic Camera being an anchor.
The display doesn't look that big in person and you wouldn't really notice it unless you knew what PS3 is. I couldn't see what sort of cables were used, but I don't think it was at 1080p.
Sony must be feeling....inadequate.
that looks like it would be a good instore set upfor linked multiplayer games.
so inside that tower is a air con unit? rigggghhhhhhhhttttt and its only playing movies :| so this thing is going to run hot while just playing movies :| or maybe im misunderstanding...
Well at least when they take down these kiosks they could donate them to a homeless shelterso they can live in them...
Where was this? In the US or japan because Japan already has a couple kiosks.
Meh.. the camera is lower than eye level (the TV's are probably right at most people's eye level) throwing the perspective off and making it look bigger than it really is.
I mean how big do you think those TV's are? Most kiosks are 19" LCD's.. those look maybe slightly bigger..
Not a big fan of what Sony has done with the PS3, but I'm also not a big fan of retarded comments from knee-jerk internet tough guys.
MS really did their research this time around. They came out with a powerful system (not so powerful that it costs a thousand dollars...maybe we should all just work harder or get two jobs, LOL) that is modifiable like a computer. The fact is that no matter how powerful consoles are because PC's will match them in 6mos to 1yr. However, even if the cpu/gpu are equal, a dedicated gaming console will have more available processing power.
ANYWAY, a kiosk that doesn't work and the bottom line being just about everyone has a negative reaction towards it means that the kiosk sucks. Sony rips on Xbox more powerful hardware and price and says its all about games. That strategy actually seemed to work. It truly is bizarre that Sony is now taking the old MS strategy in overly powerful hardware and no games with the PS3 and PSP. The PSP is getting rocked by the DS and the PS3 will in my opinion get rocked by the 360. Let's face it, Nintendo will never be the market leader again.
I still don't think the systems are even functional. No controllers and the consoles are fit pretty tightly into that glass casing. With a 9 core processor (granted only 7-8 are functional) it has to be generating more heat than the 360. You know, I haven't seen as many air vents in the case as the 360 either. Is there? Anyway, how is the system supposed to breath?! Sure the monolith structure might appear larger than it actually is, but it doesn't help to have built-in giant replica system underneath the enclosed "actual?" systems.
Sony and PS3 are blowing it.
what kind of double standards do we have going on here...
I clearly remember the original XBox as "z0mg huge micro$oft is teh taking over!"
Now it's okay to be dominated by $ony?
This place has turned into the "sony-haters" / "microsoft-haters"
network. This thing will only be in japan, the ones in the us will be a
lot smaller due to the fact that people in america break crap for no
reason.
Maybe the reason it's playing movies right now is because they don't
have any playable demos this early. We still have around 50 days til
this thing hits the streets, I think they're just giving us a quick
peek.
Some of you guys out there hate for the sake of hating.