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Ask Sony's Phil Harrison About PS3 and Games
During GDC Sony made an effort to answer questions directly from the gaming community, taking steps to put aside the problems of the past several months. Today, we have a chance to take another step in the right direction with the company. Phil Harrison, President of Sony Computer Entertainment Worldwide Studios, has been the face of the PlayStation 3 here in the United States since before the machine launched. He's agreed to answer questions from the Slashdot community about the PlayStation 3, the console since launch, and their recent announcements about LittleBigPlanet and Home. I've linked a trio of other interviews he's done recently below, to give you an idea of topics that he's already covered. I'm sure there are plenty of questions we might ask that have yet to be put forward in a public forum. So - feel free to ask away. One question per comment, please, and keep in mind that Mr. Harrison is here to answer questions about the PS3 and games only; any other Sony-related questions are outside the scope of this interview. The highest-rated comments will be passed on, and we'll post his answers as soon as we get them.
The wii's sales have been meteoric, despite the "superior technology" of the PS3 and XBox 360. My question is, have Sony and MSFT completely underestimated the penetration, and demand for, HDTV, and are you both feeling that now?
On a standard set Wii titles look better than the last gen, and offer an new, innovative, and most importantly fun experience. On a standard set, a PS3 is a $600 PS2, and a 360 is a $400 Xbox.
Also, wrt Live, Home, etc: do you really think gamers are so eager to install stores under our TVs?
Do you have any vision for the online experience, other than as a way to get my credit card number?
I don't need no instructions to know how to rock!!!!
Do you really think you can compete with XBox Live?
Last generation, XBox Live really blew people away and has set the standard for console connectivity. It will be 6 years old this November. Microsoft seems to have learned from it and has enhanced it for the 360 (like achievement points), and will be introducing it for Windows. Nintendo, sadly, doesn't seem to have learned and will be using "friend codes" again on the Wii, with reports that each game will use different codes.
How well do you think your offering will be able to compete with XBox Live? While there is a price associated with XBL, making a service free doesn't make up for what may be lost. From what I know the PS3 doesn't seem to have the same focus and commitment that Microsoft has. And while some of your ideas are quite interesting (like the Home concept), I have to wonder if it will be seen as being as well developed and integrated as XBL is at this point.
Do you think you can beat XBL this generation, or do you think you might be relegated to playing catchup?
Comment forecast: Bits of genius surrounded by a sea of mediocrity.
It's high time we started holding companies accountable for the wild ramblings of their representatives.
Anyone who believes in fairness and honesty has a moral obligation not to purchase anything from Sony until many helpings of $1200 are released to many people out there. Which of course we know will never happen...
"You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
If someone manages to get homebrew games running on the PS3, will there be firmware updates to stop this kind of development, to protect your software developers, or is homebrew something you are planning on and even encouraging? How does this strategy differ from your strategy with PSP homebrew?
Whether or not there is some sort of god, I'm not supposed to say/god is a word and the argument ends there-Smog
Now that you have a few months with PS3s in the hands of consumers and plenty of reviews to pour over, what mistakes did Sony make in the design of the system?
Here's their standard sales pitch:
1. Cell processor, capable of incredible graphics and physics simulations
2. Blu-Ray, so you can watch movies at 1080p and listen to their excellent surround
3. Backwards compatibility.
While none of these claims are false, they all come with some limitations:
1. The Cell processor is difficult to program for, so don't expect games to use it fully for at least a couple of years, if ever.
2. You need a 1080p tv and a mid-to-high-end surround receiver to get the full experience of Blu-Ray
3. BackComp - It's limited, but it's there.
Frankly, your question was rather soft and almost looks like an astroturf. You might as well have asked "Please praise your system and tell us how good it is." I have no idea how you're getting moderated up.
I second the request to mod this up. I'd like a straight, non marketting response to the ridiculous showboating Sony's been doing lately. This remark especially emphasizes the idea that Sony thinks consumers are a bunch of morons.
-- sudo.ca
No offense intended, but for someone of your age and with your career, I don't expect that you play many videogames yourself. If I am correct, then what do you draw on to make decisions regarding the direction of the PS3, a product directed at customers who are notoriously passionate about their hobby?
As a PAL gamer frustrated by the lack of availability of more niche titles, I have a large library of both PAL and NTSC-US PS2 games. With the removal of the Emotion Engine from the PAL PS3 and the move to software emulation, is there any possibility that Sony might be able relax region restrictions on PS1 and PS2 games? The inability to play half of my game collection on such an expensive piece of hardware is a significant barrier to entry for me.
I was just wondering if you saw any parallels to Sony in it's third generation and Nintendo in it's third generation. It seems that you marketing strategies have sort of become the same and that Sony is suffering the same accusations of hubris that Nintendo did. Nintendo in their third generation stuck with a proprietary media format, assumed that their brand loyalty would carry them to the lead in the console war. This as you know allowed Sony to take the lead with thier innovative marketing strategies (which seem to have all but disappeared). Nintendo was just coming off losing market share to the genesis, just as Sony has just come off losing market share to the Xbox. If you do see parallels, how do you intend to avoid the beating that Nintendo took in their third generation? If you don't see an parallels, how do you explain the similarities that I described above?