Sony says: ‘The competition is irrelevant’

[NeoDeity]

http://www.mcvuk.com/newsitem.php?id=454

Aug 26th by Johnny Minkley and Dave Roberts
In six days’ time Europe will experience the biggest hardware launch since PlayStation 2 in 2000, with Sony insisting that any competition with Nintendo is ‘irrelevant’.

And after a hard year for the High Street, PSP brings with it what the trade hopes will be a long-awaited turning point in the fortunes of the market and the promise of a bumper Q4.

Despite shortages, Sony’s handheld has already launched to great success in Japan and the US. And while delays have pushed back the release of the system in PAL territories until September 1st, the £179.99 unit is expected to prove a sell-out.

With the final part of the global launch jigsaw almost in place, backed with a massive £10m cross-media marketing campaign, SCEE expects its dominance in the home console arena to drive its debut handheld system to success, dismissing the challenge of sector leader Nintendo.

“The idea of a handheld rivalry with Nintendo is an irrelevance,” VP of studios Phil Harrison insisted to MCV. “Those formats don’t appear in our planning. It’s not a fair comparison; not fair on them, I should stress. That sounds arrogant, maybe, but it’s the truth.

“Nintendo knows its target audience, because it has really narrowed that down; and it’s pretty much defined by a boy or girl’s ability to admire Pokémon.

“With the DS, it’s fair to say that Nintendo stepped out of the technical race and went for a feature differentiation with the touch screen,” Harrison continued. “But I fear that it won’t have a lasting impact beyond that of a gimmick – so the long-lasting appeal of the platform is at peril as a direct result of that.”

But Wedbush Morgan analyst Michael Pachter believes there is enough room for both systems in the market: “Longterm, I see DS expanding Nintendo's demographic upward to the high teens,” he told MCV. “I see Sony’s PSP expanding the ‘mobile’ demographic to the 30s. Both will expand the overall market by providing an outlet for gameplay beyond the home or office.”

The face of the enemy

Sony may be dominant in the home console field, but it has a long way to go to match Nintendo’s handheld achievements...

Game Boy Range
Total global hardware sales (as of 9/04): 176.8m
GBA
Total global sales: 67.7m (inc. SP)
Total PAL sales: 15 million (inc. SP)
Nintendo DS
Total global sales: 6.65m
Total PAL sales: 1.3m (inc. 300k in UK)

Big hitters at launch

While its movie and music playback features will prove a draw, PSP’s ultimate success is dependent on its game content. MCV highlights a trio of titles carrying great expectations...

GTA: Liberty City Stories (Rockstar)
A dream title for SCEE to have in the launch window, retail has been briefed to expect Rockstar’s original, fully 3D adventure to release in October. And with early reactions bordering on the hysterically positive, this has ‘system seller’ written all over it.
Ridge Racer (SCEE)
An integral part of the PlayStation story, Namco’s latest Ridge Racer offers the definitive arcade petrol-fuelled experience.
WipEout Pure (SCEE)
Another title synonymous with Brand PlayStation, Sony Liverpool has conjured another fast and furious, future perfect racing thriller.

Don't hurt me I'm just the messager. :wtf:

[n1n9tean]

once this slow period end the PSP will PWN...mark my words. Alot of thos DSs will be sold or traded in for PSPs. You have to forgive each new system because they all suck as far as a game library goes the first half year or so. PSP is no different and will be no different than what PS2 has become.

(^a wee-little display of fan-boyish-charm....but true nevertheless.)

[Viper]

^The same is said for DS though. Most of it's powerhouse titles are not yet here either and it's crushing the PSP in Japan, pretty equal in the states and unknown yet in PAL but has a 1.3 million unit head start.

Those sentiments by Harrison are pointless because if technology dictated sales and market share, the PS2 would have failed to both the GC and Xbox.


I don't see either being a truly dominating platform over the other in the global market.

[pac4life]

I think in the end the DS will come out on top...thats what it seems like...and i own a PSP and no DS, i love my psp dont get me wrong, but i can name about 10 games on the DS this year when i get one i will buy, and 1 on the PSP. That reason alone is why gamers are choosing it over the psp in japan. However, every market is different. Only time will tell.

[Mach]

Horribly biased news article.

[SuperLuigiBros]

He said that thing about the touchscreen being a gimmick...well most of us know that if it were a gimmick then the novelty wouldve worn off by now, and it sure hasnt. Hell, the funs only just beggining. Also, was this written by someone at Sony? Cause if it was then they should be focusing on the good points of the PSP instead of baggin the DS (Perhaps there isnt enough nice things to say about the PSP)

[Z]

"Europe will experience the biggest hardware launch since PlayStation 2 in 2000" ?! Plus GTA?! saying 'wow' is an understatement!

no matter how you look at it, PSP's finally Euro launch is good news. about DS 'crushing' PSP in Japan; well, PSP was selling 4:1 there. Nintendogs raised DS sales five folds and made it now 2:1 for DS. another thing is that 1 million unit sales- although good- aren't really that huge of an atvantage. Reggi (Becker's waitress alwyas comes to mind lol) said DS sold 5mil world wide while making a comment on PSP sales. I found that strange since Sony have announced breaking the 5 mil units sold as well. in fact, I was the one who wrote the news in the main page. so having rather similar sales over all while PSP is not released in a major teritory turns heads.

also, why do I see only 1.3m units sold in Europe as not as good as it should be? it would be interesting to see how long will PSP take to reach a million there despite having DS more wide spread. it is also inteesting to see that the 1 million difference can be looked at as the Europian sales.

about the touch screen being a gimmick; that doesn't necessarily mean it is a bad gimmick. a gimmick is a very simple function. a gimmick can also prove to be fun. yes, DS touch function is a gimmick and yes, it is fun.

about the power difference;of course tech specs aren't the only selling reason but it does have a hand in it. multifunctions also have a hand in sales, and so on. just like with the touch gimmick, we can't dismiss any advantage for any system.

I don't see either being a truly dominating platform over the other in the global market.
although that may be, wich show that the two are indeed targeted and marketed differently, it is still too soon to judge.this explains Sony comments about Ninty handhelds being irrelivant. we need at least a year for any new system to see if it really lloks successful or not. almost any new system will have promising sales, but let the launch craze die up and see how the general masses handle it. X2 will have good sales, as will PS3 and Rev respectively. a good launch isn't an indicator of a system's success. Dreamcast had one of the best launch sales in console history.

finally, I don't see why the ignorant views of wanting one system to die over another. these are two different systems that are clearly not on the same page. it is like saying 'I hope monitor sales will kill TV sales'. you will never play a plumber game on PSP, and you will never play SOCOM on DS. chose your handheld.

[Phoenix]

Horribly biased news article.Of course it is. There were no intentions on it being balenced.

PSP not competing with DS? Bullshit. If every last gaming forum out there (unfortunately) has at least one "DS or PSP?" thread, they're directly competing. Sony can keep their attitude about Nintendo catering to the younger kids and Sony appealing to adults, but all that does is keeps them from making business decissions that would hurt DS success and leave themselves open to Nintendo's. Maybe that's why they're losing to the DS in worldwide sales. Arrogance only makes you SOUND good.

[koten]

The way I see it, Sony's blind arrogance and stupidity will eventually lead it to failure. Just because they lead now doesn't mean they always will. It's a leason they'll have to learn, just like Nintendo had to.

[Bloodman]

Yes Sony, Pokemon, which is why you're losing.

[Xtreme Nemi$i$]

Oh my fucking god.....That's fanboy talk. I thought the Sony reps weren't dumbasses but rather marketing strategists. Boy was I wrong, it seems they're just like Rockstar.


about the touch screen being a gimmick; that doesn't necessarily mean it is a bad gimmick. a gimmick is a very simple function. a gimmick can also prove to be fun. yes, DS touch function is a gimmick and yes, it is fun.

Yes, it's definately a fun gimmick but remember it's just a function of the system; games don't have to revolve around it. Many titles do but many don't as well. Most games I think (coming out and present) are just going to use it as a simple tool to allow new possibilities, but not as the main part of the game. Some games that it's good for revolving the main gameplay around are the likes of WarioWare, Kirby: Canvas Curse and puzzle games like Meteos and such, as well as games that include mini games in them like Super Mario 64 DS. Games such as Mario Kart and Animal Crossing use only the reular buttons for the main gameplay and the touch screen and mic functions at different times. Then there are games like Metroid Prime: Hunters which, for the most part, revolve equally around both. The same thing goes for the double screens. Some games use the feature of having two screens in different ways. Some use them both a lot and some only use one for the most part. Some people use them both for innovation and some people make their games basic. It's a developer system, like Reggie has said before. You don't have to use the features if you don't want to, it just opens up even more options. This makes it a gimmick that will last, proving this statement by Sony wrong:

“With the DS, it’s fair to say that Nintendo stepped out of the technical race and went for a feature differentiation with the touch screen,” Harrison continued. “But I fear that it won’t have a lasting impact beyond that of a gimmick – so the long-lasting appeal of the platform is at peril as a direct result of that.”

[Too Slow]

Yeah SOny SUCKS!

[Tael]

Sony doesn't suck, they're just stupid sometimes.

[NanoNils]

Wow, this is beyond arrogant. Ironically enough, this is exactly what the preteen audience gladly devours. People who have not yet assured their manliness/adulthood, will desperately look for status symbols that make them feel like they are.
Sony probably knows this all too well.

[Phoenix]

Sony probobly knows Nintendo's not what they claim it to be, but why would they let their "hardcore" 13 year old consumers know that?

[NanoNils]

Exactly what I'm getting at.

[OutlawAdidas]

Wait, Pokemon isn't on the DS, so how can he explain why the PSP is getting served?

[Phoenix]

Cheating?

[Kevin]

I remember when DS and PSP came out, I didn't really care about either, but I was pretty much positive that PSP was going to sweep the floor.

Shortly thereafter, I played the Metroid Prime: Hunters demo, and while it was a cool little tech demo, the touch screen seemed like a gimmick to me. After that, my friend brought a PSP with him to Spring Break, and I thought it was so cool (even before seeing a game for it... yeah, I'm a mindless consumer) and I wanted one very badly. I almost bought one, but I saved money instead.

I know I made the right decision, because so far I've been alot more interested in the DS titles that are out or that are coming out. Sure Gran Turismo and GTA are coming out for the PSP, which are stellar games... but haven't I already played THREE iterations of GTA and two of GT?

At first the touch screen was a gimmick for most games, because devs didn't have any brilliant ideas on how to use it, but now it's obvious that it's a great feature.

[Danji]

Wow, this is beyond arrogant. Ironically enough, this is exactly what the preteen audience gladly devours. People who have not yet assured their manliness/adulthood, will desperately look for status symbols that make them feel like they are.
Sony probably knows this all too well.



Uhh...when's the last time you looked at the price of a PSP? Everyone I know who has a PSP is over 17. See, the PSP requires a steep $250 in the states (not steep to me but I'm not in the demographic you listed) and I don't see any pre-teens buying it at the price let alone the PAL price. Also, how many Pre-teen gamers do you know who actually read the headlines in gaming news that isn't covered by Gamespot or IGN?

The people you are talking about don't exist.


All Presidents and Lead Developers are douche bags when it comes to doing interviews. Downplaying competitors, dissing other companies, and acting like they are god on legs and thusly anything they/their company makes is the best product on the market. Here's a list of as many gaming related douche bags I can think of.

Reggie, (ms guy, shit I wish I could remember his name right now), Kutaragi (at times..), Itagaki, Mikami, Shigeru Miyamoto. Whatever.

In any case, the point was that these people are paid to be immature and horribly biased in public. They may or may not be the same in private but that's impossible to tell for people like us.

But, you see, we aren't paid to be horribly biased douche bags. So why be? Can you really be so caught up in liking your console more or disliking the other so much over who makes it that you have to point out ridiculous bad points on it. These companies could, in fact, give no less a damn about the consumers feelings as long as they don't affect their purchases. They don't care if you enjoy it as long as you keep buying and thusly you shouldn't like any company but instead their business practices.

I hate sony's legal battles against the UK importers but I like how they make consoles. I like Nintendo and how they are trying to not run into a graphical brick wall and are instead trying to find other ways of producing fun in a game. I don't like Xbox, but I'm not an ignorant dick about it.

So seriously. When shit like this comes up, nobody should be happy but nobody should say "Sony's a bunch of dicks" because that's redundant. They are trying to be. Much like MS and Nintendo are sometimes. "The PSP only plays for 2 hours!" Reggie Fils-Aime. "OMFG Xbox live owns!!1" that MS guy.

Ok, that was a joke. I didn't feel like looking for some asinine comment from that guy right then and still don't so I'm leaving it like that.


Peace people

update: "Developers Developers Developers Developers!" -Steve Balmer

[koten]

Uhh...when's the last time you looked at the price of a PSP? Everyone I know who has a PSP is over 17. See, the PSP requires a steep $250 in the states (not steep to me but I'm not in the demographic you listed) and I don't see any pre-teens buying it at the price let alone the PAL price. Also, how many Pre-teen gamers do you know who actually read the headlines in gaming news that isn't covered by Gamespot or IGN?

The people you are talking about don't exist.


All Presidents and Lead Developers are douche bags when it comes to doing interviews. Downplaying competitors, dissing other companies, and acting like they are god on legs and thusly anything they/their company makes is the best product on the market. Here's a list of as many gaming related douche bags I can think of.

Reggie, (ms guy, shit I wish I could remember his name right now), Kutaragi (at times..), Itagaki, Mikami, Shigeru Miyamoto. Whatever.

In any case, the point was that these people are paid to be immature and horribly biased in public. They may or may not be the same in private but that's impossible to tell for people like us.

But, you see, we aren't paid to be horribly biased douche bags. So why be? Can you really be so caught up in liking your console more or disliking the other so much over who makes it that you have to point out ridiculous bad points on it. These companies could, in fact, give no less a damn about the consumers feelings as long as they don't affect their purchases. They don't care if you enjoy it as long as you keep buying and thusly you shouldn't like any company but instead their business practices.

I hate sony's legal battles against the UK importers but I like how they make consoles. I like Nintendo and how they are trying to not run into a graphical brick wall and are instead trying to find other ways of producing fun in a game. I don't like Xbox, but I'm not an ignorant dick about it.

So seriously. When shit like this comes up, nobody should be happy but nobody should say "Sony's a bunch of dicks" because that's redundant. They are trying to be. Much like MS and Nintendo are sometimes. "The PSP only plays for 2 hours!" Reggie Fils-Aime. "OMFG Xbox live owns!!1" that MS guy.

Ok, that was a joke. I didn't feel like looking for some asinine comment from that guy right then and still don't so I'm leaving it like that.


Peace people

update: "Developers Developers Developers Developers!" -Steve BalmerI agree and can understand most of what you said, but if you think Shiggy is a douchebag then you must not really know much about him. He has never once said anything negative about anyone.

[Phoenix]

Reggie's obnoxious with stuff like that, but he's not really below the belt like Kutaragi and a few other Sony executives are.

[Danji]

I expected to get comments on roughing on Balmer there. Guess not.

Oh, I know. They aren't all on the same level of douche-baggery but I still think that Shiggy is one. I was very close to rebuying a gamecube when he said that Mario 128 was STILL coming out on it last year and my hopes were high for E3. Now I have to get a DS to get a real mario game..

The whole point was they can all be dicks at times and we shouldn't be.