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Sony to PSP Owners: Just Adapt

Posted by Zonk on from the company-is-always-right dept.

Cymoro writes "In an article Gamespot posted recently Ken Kutaragi, Sony Computer Entertainment president, was quoted in a japanese business magazine about the PSP square button defect as saying "There may be people that complain about its usability, but that's something which users and game software developers will have to adapt to." Apparently, flaws are a feature."

36 of 142 comments (clear)

  1. Good quote... by keiferb · · Score: 2, Insightful

    "I believe we made the most beautiful thing in the world. Nobody would criticize a renowned architect's blueprint that the position of a gate is wrong. It's the same as that."

    Yeah... but what if the gate didn't work? Besides, isn't saying something is 'wrong' a criticism?

    1. Re:Good quote... by dmauro · · Score: 5, Funny

      When in L'Acadamie, I pointed out a small flaw in Michelangelo's David. The unimpressed guy next to me said "meh, what did you a expect, a mass produced consumer device made by Sony?"

    2. Re:Good quote... by ZephyrXero · · Score: 5, Informative

      This sounds like classic Sony to me. Do note, I say this as a fact and not an opinion... Look at the original PS1 design with the ventilation on the BOTTOM of the console...or the way 1 in 10 or the first edition of the PS2 accidentally bumpped the laser's lens and DVD/CD against each other, ruining both game and system..... They'll change it, it'll just take a few months. To call the PSP's design "perfect" is a fairly wrong use of that word too.

      --
      "A truly wise man realizes he knows nothing."
    3. Re:Good quote... by tibike77 · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Well, if the building would get mass-produced, and in 0.6% cases (see article) the gate would stick open or close... and in some other cases would squeak and be a bit harder to open/close... then I'd say that overall, we have a small problem.

      Now, if you chose to not use that gate anymore (maybe use it more carefully, less often, etc) OR if you chose to bash the head of the architect with a 2x4 instead - now those are completely different choices.

      Analogies apart... for god's sake, it's a BUTTON. If you KNOW the switch is not directly in the middle, just damn push the outer part of it, where you know the button's pressure sensor (switch) is ! Or, if you're so unhappy, take it apart, move the "hole" in which the button is a few milimeters and be happy about it (and have a funny-looking handheld, but, hey, that's the trade).

      --
      By reading this signature you agree to not disagree with the post you just read.
    4. Re:Good quote... by Black+Pete · · Score: 4, Interesting

      I passed this quote around the office, and one guy mentioned that it reminded him of the Falling Waters building, which is apparently the most gorgeous building in the world but has so many issues that pretty much nobody wants it.

    5. Re:Good quote... by Black+Pete · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Analogies apart... for god's sake, it's a BUTTON.

      Exactly. How else do you propose to play the game?

      If you KNOW the switch is not directly in the middle, just damn push the outer part of it, where you know the button's pressure sensor (switch) is !

      Which is quite easy to keep in mind while playing those fast 'n' furious button-mashing action games, no doubt.

      Or, if you're so unhappy, take it apart, move the "hole" in which the button is a few milimeters and be happy about it (and have a funny-looking handheld, but, hey, that's the trade).

      OK... that's taking the fanboy thing a bit too far... Sony should've been the one who did that (after all, the top guy himself agrees it is a design flaw), so it certainly shouldn't have to be up to me to fix their flaw.

      What's next? "The UMD drive isn't an issue, just duct tape it shut between game sessions, and don't whine about the sticky residue"? Or: "Just get a freaking hamster if you really care about batteries that much!"

    6. Re:Good quote... by tibike77 · · Score: 4, Insightful

      And another (small but vital) piece of information: you completely neglected the fact that the speaker is Japanese.
      I'm not aware of your personal experience with Japanese manufacturers, but I can tell you this (which is afaik "public knowledge"): a Japanese will always do whatever it takes to "save face".

      This means that yes, on some small degree they will admit that something is wrong, but will also try to explain to you that this is the best possible solution that he could come up with, and announce nothing will be done to change it. Soon after, a solution will appear, and be presented with as small "attention attracting" as possible. That's just the way it works - you will get a better product soon, just don't rub it in too much, it's offensive.

      Again, personally, I believe this to be (overall) a superior system to the "western" one, where sometimes blame is admitted but nothing gets done.

      --
      By reading this signature you agree to not disagree with the post you just read.
  2. Quote... by mooniejohnson · · Score: 5, Insightful
    From the article: "I believe we made the most beautiful thing in the world. Nobody would criticize a renowned architect's blueprint that the position of a gate is wrong. It's the same as that."

    If the gate refused to open sometimes, killed a couple people, or was in an area where someone couldn't enter the gate, they sure would. And they'd have the gate fixed. Why shouldn't they fix a gaming handheld, for crying out loud?

    --

    Elmo knows where you live!

  3. RIP PSP by Mmm+coffee · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Reasons the PSP died:

    1) Shorter battery life to the DS
    2) Load times on a portable don't work
    3) Crappy design...
    4) ...And a company behind it that tells the users to put up with the crappy design.

  4. "Flaws are a feature" by kingsmedley · · Score: 3, Insightful

    I rarely find myself defending Sony in any matter. But this time, at least Mr. Kutaragi is willing to admit the PSP has a problem, and can offer a logical explanation for the engineering compromises that led to this design.

    Now I'm looking forward to his explanation about the UMD launching mechanism "feature".

    --
    Must... think up... something... clever!
    1. Re:"Flaws are a feature" by Ayaress · · Score: 2, Insightful

      He's not admitting the system has a problem the way I see it. He's basically saying the system is fine, but there's a problem with the users.

    2. Re:"Flaws are a feature" by Black+Pete · · Score: 4, Insightful

      I'll sacrifice my mod points because I just had to respond to this...

      It's one thing to admit that there's a problem. It's another thing to refuse to fix the problem.

    3. Re:"Flaws are a feature" by Raverrn · · Score: 2, Informative

      Quote from the article:
      "There was a clear purpose to it, and it wasn't a mistake."

      That's not how most people admit to a mistake, at least not where I live. Sounds more like he's being a pompus ass.

    4. Re:"Flaws are a feature" by coaxial · · Score: 3, Insightful

      But this time, at least Mr. Kutaragi is willing to admit the PSP has a problem, and can offer a logical explanation for the engineering compromises that led to this design.

      He is offering an explanation, but it is not admission of a problem at all, because in his mind, there is no problem. The article directly quotes him as saying, "The button's location is on purpose. It's according to specifications. This is something that we've created, and this is our specification. There was a clear purpose to it, and it wasn't a mistake."

      Even his explanation is weak, since it's not so much of a limitation of the technology, but one of stubborness on his part. ("I didn't want the PSP's LCD screen to become any smaller than this, nor did I want its machine body to become any larger.") He had to choose between something slightly larger (we're probably talking about probably less than centimeter here) that works, or something the exact size he wanted that doesn't. He chose the later.

      I will not buy a PSP because I'm not going to shell out that much money for a knowingly defective product.

    5. Re:"Flaws are a feature" by Black+Pete · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Did no one RTFA?

      How about this part? Quoth the article:

      Kutaragi acknowledged that the button is less responsive than the others, in part because it's so close to the PSP's 480x272 screen.

      Now, that's about as close as he's allowed to admitting that there's a problem with the PSP. After all, he can't come out and directly say, "The PSP has a design flaw", especially since it hasn't been released anywhere else other than Japan yet.

      He's not stupid. He knows there's an issue with that button, but the best he can do at the moment is put such a spin on it so that it's not "really" a problem. He waves it off by saying we shouldn't focus on any flaws because it's so "beautiful". It's just something we'll have to "adapt" to. Spin, spin, spin.

  5. Lift Up Ye Mighty Gates by AtariAmarok · · Score: 4, Funny
    "If the gate refused to open sometimes, killed a couple people"

    I only approach these kind of gates with a tranq gun in hand. You never know when they might chomp you.

    --
    Don't blame Durga. I voted for Centauri.
    1. Re:Lift Up Ye Mighty Gates by flonker · · Score: 2, Funny

      Obligatory Link for the few who haven't heard of Eric and the Dread Gazebo.

  6. Weaslease to English translation: by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    Weaslease to English translation:

    "We screwed up the design, but we can't figure out how to fix it, so live with it, you ungrateful fuckers."

  7. Who appointed you Netcraft? by AtariAmarok · · Score: 4, Funny
    Mmmm coffee confirms...

    I know BSD rhymes with PSP, but who died (heh) and appointed you Netcraft?

    --
    Don't blame Durga. I voted for Centauri.
  8. adapt this Sony by fearanddread · · Score: 5, Insightful

    People not buying Sony's flawed product is something Sony will just have to adapt to.

  9. Sony by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

    Yeah I can see Sony's point. I mean, why would I want a console that had working buttons? Sony is right here. They're always right. I mean come on, the mp3 format didn't catch on at all. They were right about that too.

  10. Off to the right? by Dr.+Mortimer · · Score: 5, Interesting

    If the button mechanism had to be placed further to the right than the button itself, why didn't they just make the PSP more wide by that small amount of distance? It probably wouldn't have increased the width by a noticable amount.

    If it was produced to specifications, then I have some questions for whomever forced those specifications all the way past the play-testing phase.

    1. Re:Off to the right? by Cthefuture · · Score: 4, Insightful

      I didn't want the PSP's LCD screen to become any smaller than this, nor did I want its machine body to become any larger.

      That's why. It sounds like one of those things that someone just gets "stuck" on. Like a broken record. "I will not compromise on that." To the exclusion of everything else, even usability. Pffft, that's how crappy products get made. We're probably talking about making the PSP 2mm wider or something.

      Sometimes we get so far down inside a project that we can't see what is going on. It's good to sometimes to step back and evaluate your position to make sure you don't have blinders on.

      --
      The ratio of people to cake is too big
  11. They're planning on an update. by hal2814 · · Score: 2, Funny

    They're going to get rid of that whole side-talking thing. Oh nevermind, we're talking about a different system.

  12. .6% are flawed by supersuckers · · Score: 2, Insightful
    Nikkei Business reported that, to date, .6 percent of the 800,000 shipped units have been returned to Sony for repair.

    So, less than 5000 of the units have been returned for repair. Does anyone have any numbers of how this compares to other consoles, especially the Nintendo DS? I honestly have no idea. I will, however tip my cap to nintendo for promising to fix any dead pixels
    1. Re:.6% are flawed by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Informative

      0.6% of the products were not broken, .6% of the people who bought one were annoyed enough (or had the button stick PERMANENTLY) to complain to Sony asking for a new one.

      You can see for yourself how the buttons line up here:

      http://www.gamesarefun.com/consoles/psp/square.jpg

      Having talked to people who own the console, when pressing right on the pad you can hear grinding on the side, the square button is less responsive than the other buttons and meets resistance about 2/3rds of the way down with an audible click. If you try to push over the pad, eventually the button gets stuck, and apparently can get stuck beneath the screen just by pushing straight down.

      This hardly new information, it's just that the major media is finally starting to pick up on it. Not owning up to a mistake that could be fixed by extending the unit an eighth of an inch or removing around two vertical columns of pixels is not only stupid, it's asanine.

    2. Re:.6% are flawed by _KiTA_ · · Score: 2, Interesting

      This is because Sony is just refusing to TAKE anything but the most extreme cases. For instance, you have to have more than 7 dead pixels in a 1 cm square area for them to accept it as a problem and allow you to return it. With stupid, self-serving policies like that, I can see why only 0.6% of them have been returned.

      Fact of the matter is, if you read any Japanese gamer BBS, the PSP's defects are *extremely* widespread and rather bad. Analog sticks fall off. The drive launches discs like a ninja star if you hold the console incorrectly. That's presuming the drive will even close properly -- some of them are warped and will not snap shut all the way. The screens have bubbles, dead pixels, and dust in them. Buttons, not just the Square button, but all of them, stick on a regular basis. And there appears to be an OS bug with the device -- it looks like it doesn't clean out it's streaming buffers when discs are changed, which leads to music, at the very least, becomming rather messed up if you switch games.

      So yeah. Sony can claim only 5000 machines were defective and needed repair, but these are jerks that are saying that an obvious design flaw is a feature (and since they're geniuses and we're just peons, we should shut up and accept it) and jerks who said that the battery life of the darn thing was "6-8 hours" (more like 2-3)... so I wouldn't trust anything out of their mouth that's not backed up with a lot of supporting data.

  13. Oh, I'll adapt alright... by the_skywise · · Score: 2, Insightful

    I'll buy something else. (Oh wait... I already have... It's called the DS)

  14. Form Follows Function by illuminatedwax · · Score: 2, Interesting
    Nobody would criticize a renowned architect's blueprint
    I beg to differ.

    --Stephen

    --
    Did you ever notice that *nix doesn't even cover Linux?
  15. Mistranslated by Mitaphane · · Score: 3, Insightful

    "The button's location is [architectured] on purpose," Kutaragi added. "It's according to specifications. This is something that we've created, and this is our specification. There was a clear purpose to it, and it wasn't a mistake."

    I see. I'm sure the translator made a mistake what Kutaragi really said:
    "Production was already done by the time we knew of the design flaw. We are too lazy to go back and do something about it."

    Just like Lucas has ALWAYS knew that Star Wars was going to be a 9 part series and Wachowskis ALWAYS knew The Matrix was going to be a trilogy.
    Brilliant!

    --
    -Shawn "If the Name Don't Rhyme It Ain't Mine" Conn
  16. Just another overinflated ego by Treeluvinhippy · · Score: 2, Funny

    You just can't talk to artists

    --
    >
  17. Hey, wait a minute by MarkGriz · · Score: 2

    Isn't this the same Ken Kutaragi of Father of PlayStation Admits Sony Mistakes fame?

    Looks like the Sony board of directors bitch-slapped him good after giving that interview. Glad to see he's back to his good old self again.

    --
    Beauty is in the eye of the beerholder.
  18. Weird priorities by jgoemat · · Score: 3, Insightful
    Kutaragi acknowledged that the button is less responsive than the others, ... Because there isn't enough room to put the square button's detection switch directly underneath, it's off to the right, making it less responsive--and sometimes causing it to stick.

    I didn't want the PSP's LCD screen to become any smaller than this, nor did I want its machine body to become any larger.

    So how the system looks is more important than how it plays games? The PSP couldn't be 1/8 inch wider to make it work flawlessly? That's just too big? This is crazy. Why would you purposfully design a flaw into your product?
  19. could it be culture thing? by gorlop · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Could this be a Japanese thing? It makes me think of Nintendo's comments about online gaming not being important regardless of the evidence. The Japanese will make an problematic or unsuccessful product and put all the blame on the consumer. "We didn't make a mistake but you are very stupid." I think an American company would approach this issue much differently. Not sure I would like that either.

  20. Re:Now why does that sound familiar? by The+Evil+Couch · · Score: 2, Insightful
    How long do you think before we see an article on "Father of the PSP admits Sony made mistakes"?

    Well, being that he's a high-ranking corporate figure in Japan, he's not going to, unless it's in conjunction with him retiring. His response is classic corporate Japanese. He's not going to admit to screwing up, publically. He'll just tell his engineers to fix it as quietly as possible and then when people stop returning units say, "Well, that flaw wasn't that bad after all, was it?"

    --
    The World's Worst Webcomic!
  21. Re:Nintendo Fanboys by Raverrn · · Score: 2, Insightful
    Not to mention create more than the small percentage of "new" games instead of repackaging old ones that were you paid for once already

    The only game like this on DS was Marri 64, and I do believe it has quite a large number of extra features. I hadn't beaten the game when it first came out, however, so it's all new to me. As for old games on the Advance system, I sure there are a few, but none come to mind, the system was so full of new ones.

    I'd also like to see you twist your DS and see what happens. More than likely it'll break in two instead of just pop the disk out

    Tried it. Nothing happened.

    I am yet to get my hands on a live PSP so I can't really comment on the button issue (and I'm sure most of you are in the same boat.)

    I do not own one, no. However, a good friend of mine (despite my warnings to the contrary) was one of the people who bought one off Ebay for 500+ dollars. It's got 17 dead pixels and the disc shoots out with a slight twist, although he dosen't like me to do it. The square button, while not a problem yet, is a design error they should have caught early and fixed early. There is NO excuse for putting somthing that blatantly wrong into the system.