Why Sony Needs a 'Major Nelson'

Microsoft's 'Major Nelson' and executive Peter Moore have been visible representatives of the 360 console for well over a year now. 'Grandfather of Gaming' Shigeru Miyamoto and asskicking Reggie Fils-Aime have have preached the Wii concept through good writeups and bad name jokes. Sony ... well, Sony has Ken Kutaragi, Phil Harrison, and Kaz Hirai. They say helpful things like 'we don't care', and 'disks won't matter', and (my personal favorite) 'the PS3 is a computer'. RPG Site has a compelling argument stating that Sony needs a Major Nelson to cut through this crazy executive talk, and reconnect the company with real gamers. From the article: "While it's not something that appeals to every group of people that play games - the casual market and kids, for example, the existence of these people allows the part of the market that is most opinionated - the core gamers, those who have a very clear opinion on what they want and what is good and bad - to interact with somebody who can actually bring about change. Hell, on a lesser note, it even gives the fanboys someone to worship."

Comments

Re:I'll Take 100+ Million Consoles Over FUD

[Irish_Samurai]

A) Astroturfing shouldn't be done as an AC. I know - I employ astroturfers as a job function.

B) Read my previous post on why Sony should worry about its fanbase. While completely anecdotal - it is nonetheless the truth about a growing contingent of Sony gamers.

C)Sony does need a human voice. The targeted demographic for game machines is now the 25-30 year old grouping. We have enough disposable income to make these purchases and also have the biggest interest in them. We use blogs and 3rd party information sources to evaluate our purchases. The days of big media dictating consumption are coming to an end. Second wave gamers(read:people who had PS1's during their early teens)look up to their older siblings and hip media (read:non large corporation) sources for information.

While I can understand your references to previous attempts at FUD and misinformation, this is not the case on this turn. The field is wide open. Nintendo is betting on evolving gaming with a novel, and unfulfilled, interface with a lower price. Microsoft is offering a unified online experience with next gen resources. What does Sony have to offer to differentiate itself? Final Fantasy XIII?

Let's be real here. While Sony and Nintendo haven't released product yet, making all of these discussions academic at best, there is a real reason for concern. Microsoft has a head start. Nintendo has a better price and unique functionality to overcome it technical (in the relative) shortcomings.

First party development is not significant. Almost all games are cross platform. It would be a bad business decision to do otherwise. Final Fantasy games are exclusive, but they are changing their formula with their last (next) PS2 outing- FF XII, what are the reprocussions of that move? We don't know.

There are too many variables up in the air to call out the naysayers as fools, they have legitimate arguments this time. This is an admitted Sony fanboi saying this.

From the press that I have read, and the information I have been able to gather through my own research, Sony's saving grace may be that a significant chunk of Japanese 3rd party developers don't want to give Microsoft an advantage in their national video game market.

Let's let it play out before we begin the vitriol.

Re:Best Sony PS3 Quote Ever:

[DrXym]

Good. If I spend $500 on something (or $400), I want something that can do more than play games. As the PS3 looks from all impressions to be able to play music, pictures, and video clips, and to stream them throughout the house if you wish and have a web browser, and play HD content, and support bluetooth & USB devices, and still be a kick ass console, I'd say the thing is going to do very well. I expect that Sony intends to gain revenues not just from games but from bluray disks, and music & video downloads, so it's not a dumb idea either assuming they don't screw it up.

Note that the XBox 360 can do some of these things too, but its been crippled to make Windows Media Center look better. At one point it was being touted as a digital media hub but it's really a slave to Windows Media Center for a lot of its functionality such as video content. Perhaps Sony really are trying to make the PS3 the hub, and they don't have an albatross like WMC to think about when they do it.

Nintendo fan(boys) claim Wii is strictly a games console but even it has some aspirations to do other things, for example it has a browser and a photo / video clip viewer. It doesn't mean that doing one thing it is somehow better than either the 360 or PS3. Even Nintendo people think of it as an enhanced Gamecube.

It's Already Happening

[LKM]

how long before these phrases start having cameo appearances in XB360/Wii/PC games?

Check out "Contact" on the Nintendo DS (or click here).

Re:I Agree

[vertinox]

Sony does need a human face.

I have to ask this... Why?

If they games are fun and the PS3 doesn't break easy and doesn't have bugs that causes freezes and lockups or have massive DRM lockouts on things you've purchases legit, then why do we need a public spokes person?

The casual gamer doesn't care and it is only a few hardcore gamers that watch the press conferences.

I've said this before and I'll say it a again... No matter how well you do at E3 nor how many millions you dump into marketing campaigns... If your games are boring and the system has to be sent to repair shop every 6 months, it won't change this fact.

Even then, what Sony needs isn't a real person. They need an icon like Mario, Master Chief, or Sonic.

No is going to buy a PS3 because some friendly happy human face danced around on stage screaming "MASSIVE DAMAGE! RIIIIDDGEEE RAAAACEEER!"