Sony's policies

[Rukawa]

http://ps3media.ign.com/ps3/image/article/636/636028/ps-meeting-2005-fun-with-slides-part-iii-20050722101620539-000.jpg

http://ps3media.ign.com/ps3/image/article/636/636028/ps-meeting-2005-fun-with-slides-part-iii-20050722101605259-000.jpg

Anyone can explain the old Sony's policies, what wrong with the previous policies
how about MS and Nintendo's.
I heard developer dislike Nintendo policies.
Can we expect more developer support PS3 than PS2 ?

[Z]

well, here are the negative moves on PS2:
Sony, like Ninty, must approve a game before and after the dev works on it. MS only approves at the beginning.
every Sony section (SCEE, SCEA, SCEJ, SCEK, etc.) has their own standards and requirement. for games releasing world wide, a publisher need consent of the Sony branch for eatch region. that is why some games aren't released in some areas. also, games like The Getaway and Darkwatch have nudity on PAL teritories, but are censored out for the NTSC. really now. SCE is ultimatly one company, one approval should be enough.
PS2 documentations were initially underwhelming. many aspect about PS2's archetecture were left unmentioned, and many of the few documentations were in Japanese. these were given world wide- practically useless.
and other such pointers.

as for what Sony did positevly for PS2 was that for starters, it made licensing for PS2 actually cheaper than for PSOne.

for PS3, many, many things changed. Sony teamed up with the best to deliver the best; nVidia, IBM, Toshiba, Rambus, plus other companies like Korean and such.
also, PS3 devkits will come with the best toolsets in the world. each and every PS3 kit will come included with UE3.0, Havok, Ageia, Collada, OpenGL, ProDG and other SN systems toolsets. that is very exciting because every dev team in the world, no matter how small they are, will have access to the best ever made from day one.
Also, Sony will provide assistance and documentation beginning very soon with documentation for the Duck demo.

to be honest, you'll be hard pressed trying to find anything Sony is doing negatively this time around. personally, I am interested in what exactly "unique global policy" mean. I hope that includes one-time multi-region project approvals.

[rpgamer_2k5]

I expect Sony to be alot more friendly in the publishing authorization process which will allow us to see alot more games appear worldwide. I hope this means that more games will include English subtitles and PAL compatibility. Then we can import games that won't come to our side. :)

[Z]

open-region ala PSP? hope so, though doubt it will hapen

[Domination]

2D side scrollers anyone? This was one of Sony's main problems. They would not, for any reason, OK any title on their platform unless it had some sort of 3D style. This turned away many some small developers that were just getting started, which could have resorted to many exclusive 3D title later on down the line, not to mention them alienating fans or average consumers more accustomed to such content.

[rpgamer_2k5]

That is true, Sony was against 2D side scrollers and I really wouldn't mind seeing alot more 2D games appear on the PS3. :D

[hell0]

i want more 2d fighters for PS3 and online.

[rideboy]

u guys mean on the ps2? abes oddysey was a fully 2d sidescroller on the ps1, same with abes exxodus.

[rpgamer_2k5]

u guys mean on the ps2? abes oddysey was a fully 2d sidescroller on the ps1, same with abes exxodus.
No we're talking about the PS3. I want to see some nice 2D games on the PS3, probably a few using the 2 1/2-D (layered) graphics. With the huge 512mb of RAM, rich textures and what-not will be possible. The PS2 will not feed the users that want next-generation 2-dimensional games. :bigpimp:

[Teh Roxor!]

I heard developer dislike Nintendo policies.

Back in the NES days, Nintendo had many brutal policies. They lightened up a little after that, but until the release of the Gamecube they were still not developer friendly.

[GUNDAMSEED]

Hell it's SCEA that sucks when comes to 2d games. I import alot of games from japan and most of them are 2d. SCEJ lets almost any type of game come on PS2 . latest game i import is a 2d shump call Mushihime by cave.

SCEJ rules but SCEA sucks and i mean really sucks .

[MediaStream]

Back in the NES days, Nintendo had many brutal policies. They lightened up a little after that, but until the release of the Gamecube they were still not developer friendly.

Developers always bitch about passing final approval.

It's really not much different today than it was in the past. Shiping a N64 game was no different than shipping a Dolphin game for me a year ago.

The bitching almost invariably comes from developers who don't bother to read or plan for the platform's TRC/lot check and then have to change/redo interface screens or art work at the last minute when they are trying to finalize their game.

[Domination]

Hell it's SCEA that sucks when comes to 2d games. I import alot of games from japan and most of them are 2d. SCEJ lets almost any type of game come on PS2 . latest game i import is a 2d shump call Mushihime by cave.

SCEJ rules but SCEA sucks and i mean really sucks .

I read that a lot of them didn't make it over here because of that, which is silly. We almost didn't get Viewtiful Joe, but I guess they saw the strong demand for the title that they probably said, "to hell with it".

[Applefiend]

MS only approves at the beginning.

Dunno if this is a good thing. If they had taken a look at Advent Rising and kicked it back for a couple of months to reduce the amount of enemies onscreen adversly affecting the frame rate, and asked them to properly play test the thing and fix the scripting activation problems, they would have had a major classic on their hands.

Opportunity lost indeed.

And "me too" for 2D games. 2D shoot em ups, Neo Geo/Capcom style 2D Fighters, retro compilations, gimmie gimmie.

[Junox50]

Sony didn't want Megaman 8 on PS1 because it was a 2d side scroller, but then when Capcom put the game on the Sega Saturn they changed their minds, feeling the competition. But they had to ensure that the PS1 game had something different from the Saturn's, so they sold it with an added booklet that I believe contained pictures and info of all the Megaman baddies. It seems kind of silly when you think about it.

[Grandia]

I'm glad Sony is making changes for the better. Get a great online system and change the controller, and I would be one happy owner.

More efficient? So is that why they set up that new development subsidiary that oversees all SCEI first party development? I think Phil Harisson is in charge of that one.

[F089/H]

Good Info,guys!

[Z]

about 2D games, I am all for some crazy 2D action like Alien Hominied. and let us not forget PSOnes Simphony of the Night. but I think that, at for the first batch, every one will be focussing on what the new system can do. we want to see what we are paying and waiting for. 2D games are fun, but you can run them on any system out there- including cell phones. look at all those 'meuseum' and 'retro' collections being released by the likes of Namco, Tecmo and Midway. the old-school games still have fans, but if there is nothing really groundbraking or shocking to see for the very first time, I don't get excited. I enjoyed playing Ys: Ark of Napishtim on PS2. the PSP's version is an exact duplicate. and so was the original game that came out on whatever system (if I am not mistaken). the thing is, as I was waiting for PS2, PSP and now PS3, I never-not even once- said I can't wait to play, say, Street Fighter on the latest and greatest system. I never once thought about any fairly simple 2D game on PS3. becasue those games could be played today- and yesterday for that matter. I want things impossible today. I want to see new breaches in technology. I want to see them pimpils in a character's facial model! I want what MGS2 and FF10 did for PS2. I want a game that brainwashes me and paints PS3 all over me. looks like MGS4 will be one of the MAJOR PS3 pushers!

to get an idea of what I mean, look at the trailer for X2's game Every Party.

[Rukawa]

Can anyone give me examples of Ninty brutal policies
I wonder why a lot developer jump to PS1

[Z]

first off, Ninty refused to use optical disks for N64. for devs and gamers, disks are cheaper to use and buy. but for Ninty, old cartridges are more expensive-thus good for business. another thing is licesnign. Ninty had some hard rules for licensing, not to mention very exensive. that wasn't strange, since they were the No.1 video game company with the lead platform. they could vertually do what they want. Many say Ninty's huge mistake was vanity. they were cocky, so to speak. Sony came along with much cheaper disks and far cheaper licensing and requirements policies. also, Sony is world renowned for how they do business. Fortune magazine put up the best five companies int eh world to work with. Cockacola and Sony were amongst the first three.
many publishers and devs had 'issues' with ninty but they had to deal with it. after all, the only other option was Sega and their ever more disappointing performance. that is why many immediately jumped on Sonys new 'easy' platform; PSOne. full out suppoert from Squareenix and making FF exclusive was, without a doubt, Ninty's biggest blow and the markets biggest surprise.

Ironically, Ninty asked Sony for an opical drive for their system. something went wrong and Ninty walked away. they soon went to Philips and made the ill-fated CD player (I forgot its name). Sony realized there wasn't anything keeping them from launching a system on their own. besides, consumer electronics is their specialty after all. you know the rest.

[Domination]

Actually Nintendo turned Sony down after the two had come to an agreement. I believe the reason was Nintendo not wanting a partnership with Sony after realizing their dominace on the gaming market. I had a topic in the General Discussion room awhile back about this. I'm not sure if it's still there or not.

[F089/H]

yeah I remeber that Z Just think if things had kept on going that way!

[Z]

I smirk at the thought of what would happen if the teamed up. will Sony will show its technological muscle or will Ninty confine it to traditional gaming? would Sony be a prime game developer and produce the wonderful titles they do now like GT, J&D, R&C, SOCOM, etc. or will Ninty projects be enough? would Sony have ever made a Mario game? would Ninty have gone online and DVD compatible with Cube? aaaaahhh the questions keep on coming. when will I get to fixing my alternate future machine? it broke up when I tried to use it to see PS3 future. couldn't handle the heat, I guess.

[OutlawAdidas]

Actually Nintendo turned Sony down after the two had come to an agreement. I believe the reason was Nintendo not wanting a partnership with Sony after realizing their dominace on the gaming market. I had a topic in the General Discussion room awhile back about this. I'm not sure if it's still there or not.



The reason wasn't Sony's dominance in the gaming market because they wasn't involved at that time. Nintendo saw that in the contract they misread something, and that something gave sony said that sony would get alot more of the profit from their partnership. So nintendo wiggled their way out of it and then at a presentation, instead of sayin they partnered with Sony, they said they are partnering with Philips. It was a big slap in the face to Sony. So they decided to go with their original idea and stuff. Thats when they started to grow

[Domination]

The reason wasn't Sony's dominance in the gaming market because they wasn't involved at that time. Nintendo saw that in the contract they misread something, and that something gave sony said that sony would get alot more of the profit from their partnership. So nintendo wiggled their way out of it and then at a presentation, instead of sayin they partnered with Sony, they said they are partnering with Philips. It was a big slap in the face to Sony. So they decided to go with their original idea and stuff. Thats when they started to grow

Not Sony's dominace, Nintendo's dominace. :aim;-]:

[OutlawAdidas]

^ i guess I misread that. You are forgiven ;)

[Darkon]

Nintendo dropped Sony because Nintendo was not willing to relinquish (sp) control over software licensing although Nintendo later on went back Sony try to re-negotiate and see if Sony would still after the embracing way they got dumped by nin at Consumer Electronics Show continue to manufacture the Snes's sound chip which Sony continued to do but as far continuing there partnership on a CD based system both Sony and Nintendo tried to re-negotiating several times but finally Norio pretty much said to Hiroshi and co to go fuck themselves and rest is history

[KnightRiderX]

Not Sony's dominace, Nintendo's dominace. :aim;-]:

makes sense. Outlaw, why would u think that dom said Sony's dominance. of cause its obvious that if Sony was dominating, then Ninty will wanna partner with them, but since Ninty is dominating, its very clear to hold on to that dominance.:shifty:

[OutlawAdidas]

makes sense. Outlaw, why would u think that dom said Sony's dominance. of cause its obvious that if Sony was dominating, then Ninty will wanna partner with them, but since Ninty is dominating, its very clear to hold on to that dominance.:shifty:



Oh I'm sorry, I read many posts aday, do alot of work for the site, I mis read something and now I'm gettin flamed. Way to go buddy. make me feel bad

[KnightRiderX]

Oh I'm sorry, I read many posts aday, do alot of work for the site, I mis read something and now I'm gettin flamed. Way to go buddy. make me feel bad

Sorry about that. got a little carried away. Keep up the good work.:headbang:

[raVen]

I thought nintendo broke the deal with sony because they didnt want to use cd's...

[Z]

perhaps Mario got greedy; he wanted CDs because there were cheraper to make, but didn't want to share any future profit with the one allowing him to use that. actually, now that I think about it, maybe it is all for the better. Ninty went with Philips, so perhaps if Sony did everyhitng Ninty wanted, they would have ended up like how Philips did with that agreement. another thing is Sony and Ninty are so different. one is obsessed by kiddy games and the other is a tech and design freak. if there is anything available today, Sony won't be doing it. they always look for things unavailable today and make them. by that, anyone )sony or otherwise) would be confied with what ninty wants. Sony wants the future. to give an example how the vision of the two differ, compare PS2 to Cube. now compare PS3 to Rev. I think a better match would be Sony and MS, if only MS realized the potential of the gaming industry back then...

[rpgamer_2k5]

Z, I don't think 'kiddy' games is a correct word to use. Nintendo tends to aim for family oriented games which a kid and an adult would like to play. :D

[Z]

kiddy, family they're the same really. a kiddy game can be played with the family and a family game can be played by a kid. and to tell you the truth, I don't really care if that idea is correct or not. for me, that genre is nonexsistent. you could imagine what happened to me when I saw the 'next-gen' title Every Party for X2. actually, no you cant...

[rpgamer_2k5]

Hmm..you are correct; family games are reducing in numbers but they still reap alot of profit. Also the Revolution should have a good number of adult games like the Metroid series under their belt. We'll just have to wait and see the software library that will be present at launch.

[Z]

family games are reducing in numbers but they still reap alot of profit.
yes, diversity is good. in fact, I think Ninty is making so much profit because the others don't focus on this genre. this will also be repeated on Rev. kiddy games is somewhat neglected by others and that is where Ninty has an advantage. I am merely stating my own opinion that I couldnt care less if Kiddy games disappeared tomorrow.

Revolution should have a good number of adult games like the Metroid series under their belt
hehe, I don't concider Metroid to be an adult game. there are those kiddy games that want to make the kids feel 'big'. these games may have guns and what not, but the design direction is still targeted for kids, for example, look at the dragon-ske;eton thing's design in metroid and the main hero itself. Shadow the Hedgehog and the new Zelda anyone?

[GTShotoKen]

hehe, I don't concider Metroid to be an adult game. there are those kiddy games that want to make the kids feel 'big'. these games may have guns and what not, but the design direction is still targeted for kids, for example, look at the dragon-ske;eton thing's design in metroid and the main hero itself. Shadow the Hedgehog and the new Zelda anyone?

You mean games like Ratchet & Clank, Jak & Dexter, and Sly Cooper?

Come on Z...you left that wide open man.

I don't know about the Metriod comment. I mean the metriod franchise has always been exceedingly more popular among adults than kids, mainly because it makes you think more than most games. When it comes to the art direction...you have got to be kidding me Z; I know you can do better than that.

Now I definitely agree with you on Shadow the Hedgehog (Sega has some explaining to do), and Zelda...that is a really good question. Windwaker is quite obvious, but when it comes to Ocarina of Time and Twilight Princess; Nintendo blurs the line quite well so I can't really agree or disagree with you.

I know one thing though, the Zelda franchise is still considered to be some of, if not the best, series of games ever made. I would rather have kiddy games of the Zelda quality than many of the mediocre "adult" titles that many devs make.

I think what you are saying Z could apply more towards any kid playing any adult titles. I'm playing Socom so now I'm "big". You see where I'm coming from?

Well anyways, I wonder what unique global policies Sony is cooking up? I'm still just glad that Sony is giving such massive developer support this go around.

Do you think it is sound for the PS3 to have region free games like the PSP? I mean wouldn't a problem occur if you have a PSP game that is of a different region code and you want to use the connective features with its PS3 counter part?

(I would use emoticons to help out but I still don't see any dialog boxes that lets me add emoticons within my post)

[Domination]

You mean games like Ratchet & Clank, Jak & Dexter, and Sly Cooper?

Come on Z...you left that wide open man.

I don't know about the Metriod comment. I mean the metriod franchise has always been exceedingly more popular among adults than kids, mainly because it makes you think more than most games. When it comes to the art direction...you have got to be kidding me Z; I know you can do better than that.

Now I definitely agree with you on Shadow the Hedgehog (Sega has some explaining to do), and Zelda...that is a really good question. Windwaker is quite obvious, but when it comes to Ocarina of Time and Twilight Princess; Nintendo blurs the line quite well so I can't really agree or disagree with you.

I know one thing though, the Zelda franchise is still considered to be some of, if not the best, series of games ever made. I would rather have kiddy games of the Zelda quality than many of the mediocre "adult" titles that many devs make.

I think what you are saying Z could apply more towards any kid playing any adult titles. I'm playing Socom so now I'm "big". You see where I'm coming from?

Well anyways, I wonder what unique global policies Sony is cooking up? I'm still just glad that Sony is giving such massive developer support this go around.

Do you think it is sound for the PS3 to have region free games like the PSP? I mean wouldn't a problem occur if you have a PSP game that is of a different region code and you want to use the connective features with its PS3 counter part?

(I would use emoticons to help out but I still don't see any dialog boxes that lets me add emoticons within my post)

Well...I don't. one thing about the PlatStation is its variety of genres. Not to say others don't follow in their own way, but there seems to be a different focus in the way they follow.

For instance, Nintendo has other geners but they main focus is dedicated to family and kids, which is not always a bad thing. But it limits the consumer base.

The Xbox is more a an hardcore platformer to leans little towards the family and younger consumer base.

The PlayStation is somewhere in the middle.

BTW, on the reply page, there is a icon above the 'respond window' in the shape of a smiley. click on it and it'll pull up a second window for a limited number of emoticons. You can either use those or scroll to the very botton of that second window and open up the more advance version. Some don't always match my taste, so I go Here (http://community.the-underdogs.org/smiley/gallery.htm) for an even wider selection. :aim;-]:

[Z]

You mean games like Ratchet & Clank, Jak & Dexter, and Sly Cooper? you could put them in the same group, but I was talking about Ninty games.
to comment on Zelda and Metroid; obviusle Metroid is a big name. and Zelda, well, there aren't enough pages to talk about THE game that started it all. Zelda is the only Ninty franchise that I respect. I admire the design, the innovation, the style, etc. especially of the older games.

having said that, yes, the newest Zelda is a kiddy game. all Metroid games are kiddy. but does 'kiddy' mean 'bad'? of course not. maybe we differ in what we mean by 'kiddy'. for me, that is a whole genre. that is a specific art direction. it is the look and feel of a game. you know what? I don't have 'adult' games or 'mature' games. for me games ae games. I make my own set of genres and put the games in each one. for example, I see Conquer (or what ever its name is, that X2 fuzzy mature game) as a kiddy game.
I'm playing Socom so now I'm "big"
lol. if a game or genre make you 'big' or a 'child' that would make us poor little kids ourselves. only a little kid, or someone who need help, would be that self counsious. we are gamers; we play games. don't prevent your self from playing ANY game you want in fear of what would that game make you look like. I used to love all these kiddy games when I was a kid. now, I don't really feel like playing a game when the first thing they tell you is "look for your mother" (Ark the Lad people!). or "find the treasure of happiness that will make all the people in the world dance for ever". come on now, get real. I am humiliated for playing one game; Salor Moon Dress Party! other wise known as FF10-2. but I had to, it had FF in it. now that is an experience I still have nightmares from! if only I could go back in time...

you may have noticed that in my previous post, I didn't talk about mature games or adult games or whatever. like I said, these are nonexistant for me. my little brother loves GTA. my mother liked the game. she has fun in simply riding anycar she feels like. my little cousins just finished God of War. I also get a real kick playing that crazy Monkey Ball game. talk about underpressure, lol

[GTShotoKen]

Well...I don't. one thing about the PlatStation is its variety of genres. Not to say others don't follow in their own way, but there seems to be a different focus in the way they follow.

For instance, Nintendo has other geners but they main focus is dedicated to family and kids, which is not always a bad thing. But it limits the consumer base.

The Xbox is more a an hardcore platformer to leans little towards the family and younger consumer base.

The PlayStation is somewhere in the middle.

BTW, on the reply page, there is a icon above the 'respond window' in the shape of a smiley. click on it and it'll pull up a second window for a limited number of emoticons. You can either use those or scroll to the very botton of that second window and open up the more advance version. Some don't always match my taste, so I go Here (http://community.the-underdogs.org/smiley/gallery.htm) for an even wider selection. :aim;-]:


I know where the minds of the different console giants stand and I whole heartedly agree. http://community.the-underdogs.org/smiley/happy/smile.gif

Actually, Z has said the same thing on other occasions, but the second part off his last post was pretty off.

Off color statements like Metriod and Zelda being games made to make little kids feel "big" are pretty off putting and very immature.

Sony has been the premiere company for me when it comes to games and I share some of the same feelings as Z, but statements like that are just pointless. http://community.the-underdogs.org/smiley/happy/coo.gif

There is no point in making off-color comments about some of the most beloved and revolutionary game series out there just because they are apart of the Nintendo family.

I mean the same things he said can be, and are directly relatable, to some of the same games the he charishes from Sony like Ratchet & Clank or Jak & Dexter.

I hope you see where I'm coming from and thank you for showing me the emoticon site. That was a tremendous help

:Edit: My bad Z, I didn't know that you were responding too.

I hope you see where I'm coming from.

I know what you mean Z and I mostly play the same games that you do and I see what you mean, but your remarks were still unecessary.

Well back on topic...

I'm still just glad that Sony is giving such massive developer support this go around.

Do you think it is sound for the PS3 to have region free games like the PSP? I mean wouldn't a problem occur if you have a PSP game that is of a different region code and you want to use the connective features with its PS3 counter part?

(I posted this before but just in case these comments got overshadowed by my post)

[Domination]

The reason wasn't Sony's dominance in the gaming market because they wasn't involved at that time. Nintendo saw that in the contract they misread something, and that something gave sony said that sony would get alot more of the profit from their partnership. So nintendo wiggled their way out of it and then at a presentation, instead of sayin they partnered with Sony, they said they are partnering with Philips. It was a big slap in the face to Sony. So they decided to go with their original idea and stuff. Thats when they started to grow

I ran across a new artical that goes a bit deeper into the Sony, Nintnedo merge. I may post it when I find some time.

But I think the most surprising out of that artical was the MTV strategy. It was originally done for the first PlayStation.

[GTShotoKen]

Are you saying that Sony did a marketing campaign for the PSX like Microsoft did for the 360?

I'm trying to think of what would have happend if Sony and Nintendo would have merged.

I think the world is better of the way it is now.

[Domination]

Are you saying that Sony did a marketing campaign for the PSX like Microsoft did for the 360?

I'm trying to think of what would have happend if Sony and Nintendo would have merged.

I think the world is better of the way it is now.

Well, instead actually telling you, I'll just quote the artical:

Sony Computer Entertainment America wasn't taking any chances with its new baby. The most impressive trick in its launch salvo was to sponsor the 1995 MTV Music Award, bringing the system to the attention of millions upon millionsof young adults - aka the target demographic. (We would be remiss if we failed to note that Microsoft shamelessly adopted a similiar strategy for the Xbox 360 annoucement.)

Here's the small piece of the Sony, Nintendo merge:

But perhaps the Super NES most impressive features was its DSP sound chip, which allowed for audio quality that represented a massive leap over the FM synthesis and wavetable noise of previous consoles. Even now, the Super NES sound chip remains the goad standard for cartridge-based consoles.

And the company that provided this musical dynamo? Sony. Sony's gaming division was headed up by a man named Ken Kutaragi, who took an intertest in the runaway success of the NES and convinced his company to enter the market. Many speculated that the DSP chip that powered the Super NES was a Trojan horse, with the ultimate intent of giving Sony a back door into the lucrative business of console manufacturing. Console gaming is definitely a risky business, as countless would-be Nintnedo-come-latelies have learned, but the potential benefits of creating the next NES couldn't have been lost on the consumer electronics giant - especially since it was feeling the sting of having the "walkman for games" market swiped from under it nose by Nintendo's Game Boy.

If indeed the Trojan horse theory is correct, then Kutaragi must have been gratified when Nintnedo and Sony strengthened their partnership by annoucing plans to creat a CD-ROM add-on for the Super NES. At the time, the CD-ROM was a fairly new technology that offered a significant boost in storage space over the traditional ROM cartridge most consoles used. While CD drives were expensive, the media itself was far cheaper than cartridges. Both NEC's TurboGrafx's-16 and the Genesis had the own CD peripherals on the way, and Nintendo had no interest in being left behind.

Sony would provide a CD-ROM drive that Super NES owners could attach to their existing system, and Nintendo in turn would manufacture a conbination SNES with the CD-ROM built in called Super Disc. Furthermore, Sony would have the worldwide rights to manufacture the CD-based games for the system - bad news for Nintnedo, which had built its massive empire on the profits reaped from its licensing and manufacturing system. So perhaps it's not surprising that Nintendo decided to back out of its contract with Sony and on the eve of the Super Disc's announcement, forge a new deal with European electronics giant Philips. Many speculated that this was nothing more tha a game of high-stakes brinkmanship, with Nintnedomerely feigning intertest in Phillips in order to renegotiate a more favorable deal with Sony. But if that was the case, it was a filed bluff. Sony never blinked.

The fallout wasn't pretty - Nintendo's betrayal of a Japanease company in favor of a foreign interloper was a betrayal of the nations's unspoken corporate insularity. Meanwhile, Philips' CDi was hardly a cutting-edge gaming rig, with a library mainly consisting of edutainment. Nintnedo willingly licensed it precious flagship properties to tiny European development houses that promptly unleased such games as The Legend of Zelda: The wand of Gamelon and Hotel Mario on unsuspecting games. In other words, everybody ended up a loser except maybe Nintnedo, which was able to maintain control of it precious profits.

Sony, for its parts, decided not to take Nintendo's double-cross lying down down. It pressed ahead with plans for the Super Disc, which it renamed PlayStation. The specs were largely unchanged from those drafted with Nintendo's cooperation, and Sony's console would retain the ability to play Super NES games. Meanwhilem the CDi turned out to be a horrible disppointment of a console, plans for a Philips-manufactured SNES add-on fizzled, and Nintnedo still had to rely on Sony for production of the Super NES DSP.

Unsurprisingly, the two companies shock hands and made up. The result was the announment of a mishmash monstrosity of a system , with promised support for SNES carts and both PlayStation and CDi format discs. Nintendo showed off impressive tech demos for the system a console of Trilobyte's cutting-edge FMV adventure The 7th Guest, but in the end, the delays and disputes were the undoing of the format. Sega's Genesis CD add-on had failed to make significant inroads in the market, and Nintendo decided that the disc-based media was too expensive and flimsy to bank on. The PlayStation died a quiet death, and numerous games planned for the system were either scrapped or scaled back. For instance, Squar's Secret of Mana was remade as a standard Super NES game, and the creators later complained that they'd been left with a glitchy adventure suffing from obvious holes where entire portions of the games had been excised.

Nintendo forged a deal with Silicon Graphics to creat an ambitous 64-bit system called Project Reality, and Philips did its best to drum up intertest in the CDi (with little success). Meanwhile, Sony refused to back down. Under Kutaragi's direction, the PlayStation was reimagned as a powerful 3D-capable machine with no connection to its Nintenso-oriented roots. The project was rechristened PlayStation-X and reborn as a solo Sony venture.

[GTShotoKen]

I never new about all of these happenings that went on in the background of yester-year's gaming world.

This is a very interesting article indeed. http://community.the-underdogs.org/smiley/happy/naughty.gif

1up for the great read Domination. http://community.the-underdogs.org/smiley/happy/wave.gif

[Episode_Eve]

You mean games like Ratchet & Clank, Jak & Dexter, and Sly Cooper?

Come on Z...you left that wide open man.

I don't know about the Metriod comment. I mean the metriod franchise has always been exceedingly more popular among adults than kids, mainly because it makes you think more than most games. When it comes to the art direction...you have got to be kidding me Z; I know you can do better than that.

Now I definitely agree with you on Shadow the Hedgehog (Sega has some explaining to do), and Zelda...that is a really good question. Windwaker is quite obvious, but when it comes to Ocarina of Time and Twilight Princess; Nintendo blurs the line quite well so I can't really agree or disagree with you.

I know one thing though, the Zelda franchise is still considered to be some of, if not the best, series of games ever made. I would rather have kiddy games of the Zelda quality than many of the mediocre "adult" titles that many devs make.

I think what you are saying Z could apply more towards any kid playing any adult titles. I'm playing Socom so now I'm "big". You see where I'm coming from?

Well anyways, I wonder what unique global policies Sony is cooking up? I'm still just glad that Sony is giving such massive developer support this go around.

Do you think it is sound for the PS3 to have region free games like the PSP? I mean wouldn't a problem occur if you have a PSP game that is of a different region code and you want to use the connective features with its PS3 counter part?

(I would use emoticons to help out but I still don't see any dialog boxes that lets me add emoticons within my post)
It would seem feesible to implement region free code. Perhaps they arranged the inclusion for future customer usage (connectivity) back when they were developing both systems (PSP & PS3). I mean it would only make sense, right?

[Episode_Eve]

I never new about all of these happenings that went on in the background of yester-year's gaming world.

This is a very interesting article indeed. http://community.the-underdogs.org/smiley/happy/naughty.gif

1up for the great read Domination. http://community.the-underdogs.org/smiley/happy/wave.gif
Yeah it is a nice read. Even though I knew the history, seeing it all together is refreshing.

[GTShotoKen]

It would seem feesible to implement region free code. Perhaps they arranged the inclusion for future customer usage (connectivity) back when they were developing both systems (PSP & PS3). I mean it would only make sense, right?

Yea it makes since in that regard, but I think it all depends on how Sony sees it affecting sales in the different regions.

If there is one thing that I am hoping, it is that Sony's new policies attract upcoming developers to the PS3.

I am always interested in what new talent can do in the industry, especially when it comes to modders who break into the industry.

[saxdawg00]

Sony Computer Entertainment America wasn't taking any chances with its new baby. The most impressive trick in its launch salvo was to sponsor the 1995 MTV Music Award, bringing the system to the attention of millions upon millionsof young adults - aka the target demographic. (We would be remiss if we failed to note that Microsoft shamelessly adopted a similiar strategy for the Xbox 360 annoucement.)
And look how it backfired on them....

[Domination]

I think that maybe they were focused too much on what Sony was doing that they kinda presented this presentation a little too late. Don't get me wrong, I think with the MTV showing, they managed to grab a few eyes. But this already being their second console with little different from the last caused a few concerns.

Now, I still can't say much about their chances of success after that MTV special, since we really don't know. But i do feel that they should have made a bigger noise. Whatever turns up later in its launch, I do have to give them credit on the software side. It seems much better than the last console.