Online info should surface today

[Siraris]

I thought that the LGC started later this week, but looks like it's going on right now. Jamie MacDonald, VP of Sony Worlwide Studios is giving a keynote, and it's entitled: Developing for a Networked Experience.

Hopefully this will be more informative than Ken's keynote.

Anyone hear anything yet?

[xbdestroya]

GDC isn't public though, so we may not be hearing anything for some time from the show.

[Siraris]

GDC isn't public though, so we may not be hearing anything for some time from the show.

Aw, true. What a disappointment :(

[cliffbo]

perhaps kikizo will have something...

[venomv]

Well we can hope for some leaks in a day or two.

[masteratt]

Topic titles of late are becoming quite mis-leading lol

:mad:

[EvilTaru]

Well we can hope for some leaks in a day or two.

Knowing Sony and their strict adherence to NDAs, NOTHING will be leaked. I doubt people like Nao or DeanoC would say anything. :P

[xbdestroya]

Well neither of those two is even there anyway.

DeanoC said NT's presentation wasn't NDA'd though, so hopefully some of the other presentations won't be either.

[venomv]

Someone may sneak some cameras in. It has happened before.

[solidsnakejej]

Well it looks like they announce the gamer's day event (http://www.kotaku.com/gaming/playstation-3/sonys-last-prelaunch-presser-204758.php) for Oct. 19. We will probably finally learn every thing then.

[Garfunkel]

something will come out of it for sure, the rumor and speculation created from the event will drive the media insane

[EvilTaru]

Well it looks like they announce the gamer's day event (http://www.kotaku.com/gaming/playstation-3/sonys-last-prelaunch-presser-204758.php) for Oct. 19. We will probably finally learn every thing then.

It's going to be awesome. I can't wait. ~_~

[Bsack]

does anybody know whether or not you will need a PS3 to download the PS1 titles to your PSP? sorry maybe I'm asking this in the wrong forum, but I didn't wanna make a thread in the PSP forum.

[masteratt]

^No, you only need an online enabled PSP as far as I am aware.

[Z]

there are even talking about downloading some PSP apps with your PC. then, you can move the files to PSP via USB. this is in case you don't have wi-fi and such.

[VG Aficionado]

Sony Spins Online Wheel of Fortune (http://www.next-gen.biz/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3926&Itemid=2)
By Colin Campbell

Speaking in London earlier today Sony Computer Entertainment’s worldwide studios vice president Jamie MacDonald outlined the company’s revenue models for the PS3 era, dubbed the ‘wheel of fortune’.

Image In his GDC London keynote, Macdonald said that developers and publishers must embraced new revenue streams offered up by digital distribution and emerging trends. The wheel of fortune features a dial of opportunities including network sales, subscriptions, episodic content, game object sales, merchandising, in-game ads and mobile sales.

The company has been touting its wheel of fortune internally and to development partners in recent months, in an attempt to ease fears that the cost of producing next generation games is getting out of hand.

Package to Network

Macdonald used his keynote to advise developers on new planning models. “The increasing costs of production and the move from a package to a network model mean that developers large and small must change how they operate. Games like Heavenly Sword are staggeringly complex. They take more people and more time to produce.”

He said that developers must move away from vertically integrated models, and embrace outsourcing and partnership models. “It’s no longer feasible, over the life of a platform, to sustain large teams covering all aspects of development,” he said. “We are becoming more like the movie business. If you look at the end credits of a movie, you’ll see many, many companies involved in a single project.”

He stressed the importance of the network experience which must offer “the four Cs, which are content, commerce, communication and community”. He added, “Developers must embrace more complex and multi-faceted relationships with customers, advertisers, services and more. These are a different set of relationships that developers must get their heads around.”

Outside Entities

He said larger developers must get used to working with outside entities, while smaller devs would need to specialize and “find their place in the ecosystem”. But he stressed that smaller, online-only projects are also a way or developers to create a niche for themselves. Sony’s eDI initiative aims to drive online content to PS3, in much the same fashion as Microsoft’s Xbox Live Arcade. “We are encouraging companies to bring those great ideas out and to innovate outside traditional genre models,” he said.

Sony is stressing that new revenue streams can no longer be viewed as potential ‘extras’ but as integrated parts of a game’s business model. Developers and publishers, explained Macdonald, must now view themselves as service providers rather than creators and sellers of single products.

[ddaryl]

^^^^

That's a good read, it shows that Sony is really looking forward and trying to help find and encourage developers to embrace new ways of doing business. Sadly it translates into finding new ways to milk money for customers, but that capitalism, and there is no denying the extremely high costs of making games.

Outsourcing, and partnerships with "specialty" developers are the future, and these models will be further developed this generation.

[section]

As it was as a keynote for developers there were sadly no new technical details announced.

[VG Aficionado]

Sony exec predicts end of the road for discs (http://www.gamesindustry.biz/content_page.php?aid=20115)
Ellie Gibson 12:05 03/10/2006

Majority of content to be provided digitally "in five years' time"

Jamie MacDonald, VP of SCE Worldwide Studios Europe, has told GamesIndustry.biz that he believes digital distribution will overtake discs within the next five years.

Speaking after his keynote at GDC London this morning, MacDonald said the industry is currently experiencing a "paradigm shift" as the cost of games production increases and there is a move toward a "network-centric world". This, he argued, will have significant implications for the way developers make games, the revenue streams they are able to exploit and the way products are delivered.

"In five years' time, my belief is that the majority of content won't be delivered on disc. That has many implications for developers and the way we organise our industry," MacDonald said.

"It also brings with it great opportunities because it means you can touch your consumer in many different ways and at different times - it's not just a one-off relationship where a consumer buys a disc from the store.

"In terms of object sales, episodic content, in-game advertising and merchandising, there are many, many opportunities to have a relationship with the consumer - which is a great challenge to us as developers because that's not what we're used to."

This is not the first time a Sony executive has predicted the end of the road for disc formats. Back in August, Worldwide Studios president Phil Harrison said he would be "amazed" if the PlayStation 4 featured a disc drive - causing some observers to question the validity of launching the new Blu-ray format with PlayStation 3.

But according to MacDonald, "The thing about Blu-ray discs - and this is the crucial thing - is that not any time soon will you be able to download the amount of content you need for a big triple-A title down a typical 2, 4 meg broadband connection. That's not going to happen now or in the next year.

"So Blu-ray is absolutely needed for the high definition content in the games that we'll be producing. The network-enabled world, for the initial period, is much more about updated content, object sales, but also titles which are not these blockbuster titles."

The full interview with Jamie MacDonald will be published on GamesIndustry.biz later this week.

[yoshaw]

Here's a minute by minute breakdown of the Sony GDC London Keynote.

GDC London: Sony's Macdonald On 'Developing for a Networked Experience'

The keynote at today's Game Developers Conference London is being given by Jamie MacDonald, Vice President of Sony Computer Entertainment Worldwide Studios, on 'Developing for a Networked Experience' with relation to the PlayStation 3, and Gamasutra has full coverage.

9.06am GMT - The room is rapidly filling, with proceedings likely to get under the way in the next few minutes.

9.14am - Jamil Moledina, the Executive Director of the Game Developers Conference, is now introducing Jamie MacDonald, noting the Sony exec's background at both Criterion and at Sony's London Studio, where he worked on the EyeToy, SingStar, and The Getaway franchises. MacDonald takes the stage.

9.15am - MacDonald's intro discusses the next-gen problems common to all - the increasing cost of production, a shift from package-centric to network centric gaming and development, and strategies for success. He cues up a trailer movie from Ninja Theory's extremely impressive-looking PlayStation 3 exclusive Heavenly Sword.

9.18am - MacDonald notes - "the richness of the experience... is quite staggering" for Heavenly Sword, referencing the Andy Serkis motion capturing for the title. He comments: "It takes more people, more time to create the next generation experience." But MacDonald notes the "many new revenue streams" now coming online.

He points to in-game advertising having an annual growth of 75% up to 2009, rising to $562 million for the U.S. market. Wireless games are also growing around 50% yearly, and online games are growing around 40% annually in addition.

But he expresses concern that small or medium developers will have a "quite stark" future in some ways - it's "unlikely that small or medium developers will be able to fund whole... projects", and will find it "increasingly difficult" to find third parties to fund games in a traditional way.

9.21am - MacDonald comments that small or medium developers are "no longer able to be a vertically integrated operation" - it won't be possible to make projects from scratch with the kind of scale of conventional console games.

But how about larger publishers? He notes that the "current model is for most development to be done in-house", but if you continue this model, it becomes difficult to sustain this model over a platform lifecycle - you're "betting the farm" on specific projects. MacDonald comments: "It will be very difficult to sustain this model" for traditional gaming when production teams are getting so much larger.

9.23am - MacDonald highlights the move to "a network-centric world", naming MySpace, digital purchasing via iTunes, and IPTV - referencing that music downloads are forecast to be 27% of the market by 2009. Broadband penetration is forecast to be 60% in the U.S. and 55% in Europe by 2009. Of course: "PlayStation 3 is network enabled out of the box."

In creating and servicing "a network of game communities", MacDonald chuckles as he references his boss Phil Harrison's quote that there need to be "the biggest fundamental change" to game development ever in order to service this new networked market.

9.27am - The Sony exec calls this change "a double whammy", referencing both the increasing cost of production alongside the "need for a fundamental ship in our business model" to cope with the new network-centric world. He believes that "all developers will need to change" to meet these challenges - but how?

Firstly, he references the example of "a larger developer/prime contractor/IP holder", the bigger fish out there, who will "work with multiple outsourcers - large, small, and individuals" - but the key is that "it's not a monolithic group of people" who just shift from one project to another. They will also need to diversify their revenue streams, he suggests.

The organization also changes significantly, he suggests - structurally, there will be business affairs, QA, and legal departments among others - needing to manage relationships with multiple external companies, rather than just having all these things monolithically held in-house.

9.32am - As a smaller developer, what's to be done? MacDonald notes that it's important to have insource relationships with larger developers, sharing technology and tools, sharing production pipelines, or working on smaller network-only projects - for example, Sony's E-Distribution Initiative (EDI) for the PlayStation 3, the Xbox Live Arcade equivalent for the PS3.

He then specifies the objectives of EDI - "to drive the direct delivery of content to consumers through PS3 and PSP's Network Platform", and targeting new developers through lower barriers to entry. "We're talking about shortform works of content, and we really want to encourage innovation." EDI was devised to allow developers "...to work on those great ideas that they've had but have been told will never work as a AAA 20-hour game."

9.35am - What are the implications for smaller developers? MacDonald notes that they may be able to form symbiotic relationship with larger developers or publishers, reconfigure their teams to match the new reality, and adjust their talent profile.

He also commented: "When you watch a major movie, and see the credits roll... just watch the number of small companies which have contributed to the making of that movie", clearly seeing the game industry as diversifying in a similar way.

9.37am - How about diverse revenue streams? MacDonald comments that the package-centric revenue model is well-known and straightforward, but it's a one-off relationship with the consumer. However, with a network-centric model is more diverse, because there are "more opportunities for interacting" and therefore more opportunities for revenue.

MacDonald brings up the 'Wheel Of Fortune', an on-screen diagram, including many factors feeding into a central revenue section, as well as 'Packaged Media' - including 'Game Object Sales', 'Mobile Gaming', 'Subscriptions', 'Network Sales', 'Episodic Content', 'Merchandising', and 'In-Game Advertising'.

He briefly commented on the 'Game Object Sales' question, referencing: "If you're playing Gran Turismo, and you want some new wheels - or if you're playing a soccer game, and you want a new stadium", then these virtual assets can be sold online - it's unclear whether the latter example is also something Sony is considering for a PS3 title.

9.42am - MacDonald is discussing the impact of a network-centric model on the game development timeline, noting that there's a new paradigm including new feedback, QA, and update releases, as opposed to just finishing a game and then starting a new one - constant updates will be needed.

He comments: "We haven't had much experience of providing services to our consumers" - for example, organizing tournaments or competitions, and notes the need for a "more entrepreneurial mindset" in game developers' everyday lives.

9.44am - The Sony exec states: "The overall pool of talent needs to increase" - overall, we need more good developers. But "we also need to diversify the profile of the talent that we use" - we need to look at people who can focus on service provision, account management, those who "can bring a level of sophistication which perhaps we haven't had" from the film and TV industries.

Another conclusion? "Resource allocation needs to be more flexible" - instead of just having 100 people to make a game, the industry needs to work more with specialist companies to create a final product - ending up with "a more diverse ecosystem".

What does this ecosystem look like? Another wheel, this time of resources, including large development organizations in the center, bordered by freelancers, service companies, specialist production shops, technology providers, small development houses, within both local and international boundaries.

9.48am - But what is Sony doing about this? MacDonald explains that Sony Worldwide Studios is "reaching out to the film and TV industries" to identify the best talent to work with Sony's game titles. He comments: "Is a [movie] director of photography appropriate to work on a game, and how much do they earn?" The answer is that they earn far more than Sony normally pays, but they don't want a full-time job. But they've worked it out, and it has proven successful.

Sony also has "long established external development relationships", and also notes that Sony has been "outsourcing complete titles and parts of titles" - referencing both Kuju and Relentless as companies that have developed parts of the SingStar, Buzz, and EyeToy franchises.

He finally references the Electronic Distribution Initiative again, commenting that it's "early days yet" for the service, but Sony has great hopes of "being able to encourage new talent and innovative ways of creating games" with it.

9.52am - MacDonald wraps up, noting that the development community is entering a period of profound change - "It's not going to be easy, but I for one am relishing the prospects" of developing high-end titles like Heavenly Sword. We move on to the Q&A session.

There were a couple of questions, the only notable one of which is a pointed one about whether Heavenly Sword uses the networked method of development - using multiple external companies, film-style.

MacDonald seems a little disconcerted by the accusatory tone, but comment of Heavenly Sword's development method: "I would say it expresses [networked development] quite deeply". He also adds: "The things I have been talking about today are a call to action as much as anything else."

http://www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/news_index.php?story=11099

[Z]

although I don't agree, that coincides with Harrison saying he would be surprised if PS4 had a physical game format.

[VG Aficionado]

A while ago I thought that PS4 could have a 6x or faster 200 GB Blu-ray drive for backwards compatibility and PS4 games although online distribution would be almost mainstream by the time it's released.

[Z]

I don't doubt online getting much, much better than it is today in both penetration and speed, but I doubt going online exclusive even 20 years from now. you have to think about the potential millions of users that do not have online access or unwilling to go online.
my guess is that they'll start making two versions of games; the first will be physically distributed and the other will be online ditributed and will be about half the price of the physcial copy.

[masteratt]

Valve already does this. They release games through Steam and through Retail.
Steam version usually gets 20% Discount and of course you don't have to leave the house ;)

[yoshaw]

Here's Part1 of the GamesIndustry interview with Jamie MacDonald. Some very intriguing Question Answers in there. Nice read.

Until last year, Jamie MacDonald was best known as the founding director of SCE London Studio - which in turn was best known for producing innovative titles such as EyeToy and Singstar. But in late 2005, SCE Worldwide Studios was formed, and MacDonald was named vice president of the new European division.

Arguably, it's not the easiest time to be a Sony executive, with the PS3 launch, the threat of stock shortages and the delayed arrival of the console in Europe to contend with. There's also the issue of the "paradigm shift" which MacDonald believes the industry is currently experiencing, as he explained in his speech at GDC London yesterday.

GamesIndustry.biz caught up with MacDonald after the speech to find out more, and to discuss the issues of digital distribution, online gaming and whether Sony has any lessons to learn from its rivals.

-------------

GamesIndustry.biz: For anyone who missed your GDC London speech, can you summarise the message you wanted to get across?

Jamie MacDonald: The key point is that the games industry is facing two distinct challenges. One is the increasing cost of production and the implications of that for developers large and small. But also, the fundamental shift in going from a package-centric world into a network-centric world, and what that means in terms of product delivery and service provision - but most importantly, the new revenue streams and opportunities.

So, essentially, I was saying that all developers need to come to terms with that, and change the way they do business. Small developers must come to terms with the fact they're not going to be able to be a vertically integrated development operation any more; they're going to have to work with other, larger developers as specialists.

Larger developers are going to have to come to terms with the fact that they can no longer have teams which produce a disc-based title and then forget about it. In the network-centric world, release is just the beginning of one's relationship with the consumer, not the end. We need to embrace change and exploit those opportunities which the network-centric world presents.

You seemed to be suggesting that the industry is now going through a bigger shift than it's ever experienced before...

I would say so, yes. From an organisational point of view and from a revenue point of view, and a content delivery point of view. They're all horrible expressions, but I'd say it's a paradigm shift, it really is.

Going back to the 16-bit era, certainly for PlayStation 1 and PlayStation 2, content's been delivered on disc and that's it. In five years' time, my belief is that the majority of content won't be delivered on disc - and that has many implications for developers and the way we organise our industry.

It also brings great opportunities, because it means you can touch your consumer in many different ways and at different times; it's not just a one-off relationship where a consumer buys a disc from the store.

In terms of object sales, episodic content, in-game advertising and merchandising, there are many, many opportunities to have a relationship with the consumer - which is a great challenge to us as developers, because that's not what we're used to. It's that service provision which, again, is not something we've done in the past.

You mentioned there that you don't believe content will come on discs in five years...

It will do, but at the moment, probably 99.9 per cent of content comes on disc. My supposition is that in five years time that will be the tipping point. But these are all forecasts. I just know it's happening; exactly when, I'm not sure.

To be honest, I think content will always come on disc to some extent. For example, you can still buy music on vinyl and some people like that. I think there still might be people in 10, 20 years time who for some reason still like having their content on disc.

Why launch a new format like Blu-ray if we're already so close to the point where most content is being distributed digitally?

The life cycle of the console, historically, is what, five or six years? And that's the timescale that we're talking about. The thing about Blu-ray discs - and this is the crucial thing - is that not any time soon will you be able to download the amount of content you need for a big triple-A title down a typical 2, 4 meg broadband connection. That's not going to happen now or in the next year.

So Blu-ray is absolutely needed for the high definition content in the games that we'll be producing. The network-enabled world, for the initial period, is much more about updated content, object sales, but also titles which are not these big blockbuster titles... More short-form gaming.

On the subject of networking, would you agree that Sony has lagged behind Microsoft in this generation with regard to getting consumers playing games online?

If you have a look at the numbers, especially in the United States, far more people have played online on PS2 than they have with the competition. So, no, I wouldn't really accept that.

But, for example, if you asked gamers to name an online service, wouldn't the majority be more likely to say Xbox Live than mention Sony's service?

The approach that Sony took with PS2 was really much more exploratory. We left it to the individual publishers to decide what kind of consumer offering they wanted to bring in the network space.

PlayStation 3 is network-enabled out of the box. We are now in a broadband era in a way that we weren't five or six years ago, and our view at Sony is that now is the time to really embrace the network role.

By the time the PS3 launches, Microsoft will have had a 12 month head start - but you'll have had 12 months to learn from what they've done. What lessons will you take away?

To be honest, and I'm not just saying this, but we concentrate on what we want to do and what we think will be a compelling consumer proposition. We don't respond to the opposition.

So you're not worried about Microsoft?

Worried's the wrong word. I think we'd be foolish not to take account of our competition; we do take account, and we always have done. but from our point of view, it's about creating great platforms and great software to be played on those. We've shown with PlayStation 1 and PlayStation 2 that if you do that, the consumer likes it.

http://www.gamesindustry.biz/content_page.php?aid=20152

[Carlos]

So, the industry is changing in more ways than one, including game development. This could mean that there will be bigger budget developement, and more pay to designers, and artists, programmers, and coders.

I'm having a hunch, that in the next few years, we're going to have that "industry crash" again, because of companies falling off the radar because of budget, or money. This will mean that companies will have to acquire smaller devs in order for the industry to prosper, and evolve. Its already happening, but we're seeing a surge of indies coming out of nowhere, and making online content, which is where the money is coming from, if you're a small time developer.

[Z]

This could mean that there will be bigger budget developement
I think the new developments are meant to lower game-making costs. :)

[Applefiend]

To be honest I think we know all we need to know about online.

There isn't much missing info at all.

[Z]

some won't be satisfied till they see the actual layout, design, colors, icons, etc.

as for me, I am hardly waiting for the launch of the Cell Monster itself!

:)

[masonite]

Worried's the wrong word. I think we'd be foolish not to take account of our competition; we do take account, and we always have done. but from our point of view, it's about creating great platforms and great software to be played on those. We've shown with PlayStation 1 and PlayStation 2 that if you do that, the consumer likes it.

a mature voice in the the middle of a console war. just what i wanted to hear. now if only microsoft could follow suit...

[EvilTaru]

a mature voice in the the middle of a console war. just what i wanted to hear. now if only microsoft could follow suit...

MacDonald is a pretty smart man, EyeToy was damn popular in Europe, I think he has great instincts in terms of knowing what gamers will like and won't like, and I'm certainly glad Sony is giving him the opportunity to become a more important part of the team, I look forward to see the positive contributions he makes to the Playstation brand.

[masteratt]

If you have a look at the numbers, especially in the United States, far more people have played online on PS2 than they have with the competition. So, no, I wouldn't really accept that.

Wow =-o! I know like 15 people with Xbox Live and only like one person who plays PS2 Online so this from my perspective is a rather pleasent surprise!

[Raijin]

Wow =-o! I know like 15 people with Xbox Live and only like one person who plays PS2 Online so this from my perspective is a rather pleasent surprise!


To be frank, there's some PR bs here...

[masteratt]

So Sony just lies about numbers when they are behind(?)

They also did that with the PSP's sales. Obviously I don't care as long as the product meets my standards but I see it as a bit pointless if that's the case.

[frosty]

No it isn't. Check the #'s yourself. Granted 90% of the #'s are attributed to SOCOM, but they are there none the less.

[masteratt]

Cool...How?

[frosty]

PS2 Online Users Hit 1.5 million
Sony officials have reportedly announced that the number of PS2 online users have reached 1.5 million worldwide – twice the number of Xbox Live users.

Although there are seven times more PlayStation 2 consoles in the world this figure is still surprisingly high considering the relatively low-key marketing of PlayStation 2 online titles, compared to Xbox Live

[Chrome]

I thought it was common knowlege that PlayStation 2 had more online players than Xbox Live.

Thats why Microsoft have never claimed to have the most online console players . ;)

[ded5850]

Are you surprised? For every one Xbox sold, theres like 5 PS2's sold. Does it really surprised you that they'd have more people online?

[frosty]

Not to mention PS2's online being free and all.

[LaLiLuLeLo]

yeah. that too. if not for lack of a unified network structure it'd be undisputed champion, and microsoft wouldn't realyl have a clear advantage or 'feature'.

[masteratt]

Just the marketing brainwashed my tired little brain.
All this fuss about Xbox Live and hardly anyone mentioning PS2 online made me think that.
Also my local game shop stopped selling PS2 network adaptord after few months. But then slim PS2s came out but there was still like a months time wher you could not get a hold of a network adaptor or a Slim PS2.

[LaLiLuLeLo]

and don't forget the time when they, instead of dropping ps2's price, just bundled it with the network adapter.

[yoshaw]

Here's the 2nd part of the Gamesindustry interview. Part1 is on the previous page. Another set of intriguing questions. :thumbl:


In the second part of our exclusive interview, SCE Worldwide Europe VP Jamie MacDonald discusses what Sony thinks of the PSP's performance so far, how he reacted to news of the European PS3 delay and why he believes the new console is worth the asking price.

GamesIndustry.biz: Were you disappointed to learn that the PS3 is going to be delayed in Europe?

Jamie MacDonald: I was gutted. Absolutely gutted. Like many people, I was looking forward to having a PlayStation 3 under the Christmas tree. But, you know, that's a privilege that the people in the United States and Japan are going to have. It's just unfortunate we couldn't do that in Europe. So yes, of course I'm disappointed.

What would you say to consumers who like Sony and want to buy your products, but perhaps feel that because they're in Europe they're always last in line?

European consumers have shown that historically they don't mind that, because they end up buying as many PlayStations, if not more, than the US and Japan. In Europe, it doesn't seem that the release of our platforms after the US and Japan - in the long run - affects how consumers feel.

Do you think the delay will make much difference to your chances of winning the next-gen battle?

If we were sitting here in five years' time, I don't think we'd really think about or notice that PlayStation 3 was four or five months later in Europe. I think in the long run, PlayStation 3 will succeed because of the great product it is and the great software we make for it.

What do you think of the Wii-60 concept - the suggestion that for the same price as a PS3, consumers could pick up a Nintendo Wii and an Xbox 360? Is that something that concerns you?

To be honest, I haven't heard that... I suppose the challenge that we have is to make sure people aren't comparing like with like. A PlayStation 3 console comes with a Blu-ray disc player in the box, it comes with an HDMI connection in the box, and it comes with a hard disc drive - so the kind of entertainment experience you can get with a PlayStation 3 out of the box really is unique amongst the consoles.

It's not a case of either or; there is no other console that provides that high definition experience with a built-in Blu-ray disc player and the HDMI connection. It isn't comparing apples with apples.

So those elements are what makes it worth the extra money?

I think if you compare it with other consoles, adding on all the extras you need to get a similar experience, it would end up being more expensive than a PlayStation 3. So I think PlayStation 3 is excellent value for money, given what you're getting.

Moving on to the issue of software, do you think the gaming audience is changing? Are we likely to see more titles like EyeToy and Singstar from Sony?

Those are two products which my studio has been responsible for, and we expressly developed those products because we wanted to broaden the appeal of PlayStation. I think in general, that is our approach at PlayStation - we want to create products and have a platform which appeal to everybody.

Clearly, if you do your consumer research, in the first six months of the console the profile of the early adopter is different to that of the person who buys the console four years into its life cycle. From our point of view, we want to attract consumers both across the whole population and over time - so it's not just we're going for our 14 to 21 year old males, and that's it.

If it's anything like the previous consoles, then yes, that will be the main, hardcore, early adopter audience. But I think we've shown with EyeToy and Singstar that we want to appeal to the whole family.

PlayStation remains a strong brand, but do you think that Sony has a bit of an image problem at the moment? Specifically, with regard to the hardcore gaming community - there have been complaints about the high price point, comments from executives which some perceive as arrogant, the delayed launch... How do you deal with that?

We'd be foolish to ignore a consumer perception of that. But from our point of view, really, when we started with PlayStation 1, we didn't have any brand equity at all other than it was Sony.

So we built up the PlayStation brand from scratch, and we did that by creating a great platform and a great product. My view is that our approach should be, if we create great platforms and great games, then the rest will follow.

How much life do you think there is left in the PS2?

Well, if it's anything like PlayStation 1, another five, six years. I would say we're probably around about the half way mark. So there's an awful lot of legs in PlayStation 2 yet, and it's still the best-selling console in Europe by a country mile - it dwarfs the competition. And in Japan, and in the US as well.

How do you think the PSP has performed so far?

The PSP has hit all our targets. We're really pleased with it as a platform. We had a great launch, and it's selling as well as we expected.

What about the UMD movie format? Has that turned out as well as you'd hoped?

At PlayStation, we always want to create open formats, and we were happy to offer the UMD as an alternative format for the PSP. It's not our core expertise, but there you go. To be honest I don't know the numbers in terms of films, but I think you'll find in general the market for movies on discs of any type is not particularly great at the moment.

What about the PSP's software range? With titles like Nintendogs, Brain Training and Animal Crossing selling in huge numbers, the Nintendo DS seems to be outdoing the PSP in terms of games...

Again, I think it's unfair to compare PSP and DS. They're aimed at different consumers, they have different price points, and as I say PSP is selling exactly to our plan.

DS is selling really well, I think it's a great product with some great software. From our point of view, it's growing the market for handheld devices, which is a good thing.

Finally, which PS3 software titles are you most looking forward to?

Well, all our launch titles from Europe - Motorstorm, Heavenly Sword, F1... They're all really exciting. We have two or three titles in the pipeline which haven't been announced yet, which we're very excited about, but unfortunately I can't talk about that now.

I think the launch line-up, for Europe, the US and Japan - things like Resistance: Fall of Man, Genji - they're all looking great and playing really well. To have that kind of line-up for a console launch is really unprecedented.

http://www.gamesindustry.biz/content_page.php?aid=20189

[masteratt]

Ladies and gentleman, welcome to Sony:
I think if you compare it with other consoles, adding on all the extras you need to get a similar experience, it would end up being more expensive than a PlayStation 3.Here we have a little subtle jab at MS and their fetish for add-ons.

if we create great platforms and great games, then the rest will follow. Here ladies and gentleman is a quote so Godly that when you read it you can't help but to smile. All hail!

Well, if it's anything like PlayStation 1, another five, six years. I would say we're probably around about the half way mark.Here ladies and gentleman is the thing that makes us love Sony- Dedication and care towards their customer. They are not saying "fuck u assholes, buy our new product" they are here to support every console they have out there.

That ends a short tour around the mind of Sony.
Join us again, thank you and good morning/evening/night :)

[Z]

lol

yeah, I really love their transition between console cycles. they never just cut you off or leave you out in the cold. it always feels seemless.

I also like his responses. I hate it wen some make stupid childish remarks in intervies.