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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 NPD numbers for the PS3 have not been terribly impressive. Do you have any plans for improving these numbers, apart from staying the course?
With a number of previously-PS3-exclusive titles having gone multiplatform, are there any efforts to prevent this from occurring further, or is it of little concern to SCE? That is, should we expect to see more PS3-exclusives go multiplatform?
I like basketball!!1!
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!!!!
Where do I sign up to get the $1200 per system sitting on the shelf in January that Jack Tretton promised?
The PS3 has three major problems as I see it; lack of software, price, and lack of availability. The latter two of these three issues have been blamed on the fact that the PS3's Blu-Ray drive requires an expensive and scarce blue laser.
Given the problems that seem to have come with Blu-Ray, does it still look like including the drive in the system was worth it? And if so, was it worth it for the PS3, for the Blu-Ray format, or for both? What steps are being taken to remedy the problems in price and availability?
"You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
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.
Why is Best Buy discontinuing sales of the 20gB PS3?
Why should I shell out over $500.00 USD to purchase the PS3 when I can purchase an XBOX 360 and/or Nintendo Wii for the same price? Perhaps even buying the two of them and still paying the price of just the PS3. This is not meant to be a jab, just a legitimate questions.
I understand the strategy of never announcing price drops until they're imminent, but the PS3 is not even on many people's radar at the moment, because of the staggering price. The Neo Geo consumer hardware followed a similar price model. Are you even considering price drops on the PS3 hardware?
Ryan Fenton
@Mr Phil Harrison
There is this old conviction amongst some that Sony's tried to kill sprite based 2D games and is reluctant to let them be published on Playstation consoles.
Is there any truth to this?
Does Sony have a "stance" against on sprite based 2D games on the PS3? Can a game like Odin Sphere be published on the PS3?
Is there a chance that the policy of restricting access to PS3 graphics hardware (via the hypervisor) could be revised to encourage us homebrew developers?
When does the ps4 come out?
Browse at -1 to keep an eye out for abuses.
Now there is a question I have. Why is it that it's the year 2007, the PS3 is a "High Definition" system, and costs $500-$600... yet still only includes the same composite video cables people have been using since the NES 22 years ago?
Comment forecast: Bits of genius surrounded by a sea of mediocrity.
Sir,
Will Sony be offering up kernel patches and an RSX optimized OpenGL library for PS3/Linux?
While the PS3 has struggled against the Xbox 360 and the Wii in the gaming arena, its success with Bluray becomes more apparent every day. Sales of Bluray have quickly surged past those of HD-DVD with the PS3 receiving most of the credit. How will the PS3's success with Bluray impact those who want a system purely for games, specifically in terms of cost of ownership?
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
I was going to go with something snarky about the price of the PS3, but I've decided to instead make a more direct point.
I don't have an HDTV. As I understand it, the major selling point of the PS3 is its new HD graphics. I currently have no plans on getting an HDTV. So, sell me on why I should get a PS3 given that I have a 13" CRT TV. Would it still be worth it? Will I still be able to play all the same games that HDTV players can? Or will I have to suffer unreadable text or HUD elements that are too small to understand?
Or, can I hook up the PS3 output to my computer monitor using DVI? Right now I'm more willing to upgrade my computer monitor than my TV, so that might work for me, especially given that my TV is smaller than my computer monitor.
Honestly, the lack of an HDTV is the largest reason I'm uninterested in the PS3 right now. There are other reasons, of course, but I'm sure that they'll be brought up plenty of times by other trolls. Uh, I mean, other posters. :)
You are in a maze of twisty little relative jumps, all alike.
It has been stated many times that the PS3 is meant to last a full 10 years before being replaced with a new iteration of the Playstation brand. With the rate at which technology advances, how realistic is this plan?
While the adoption of HDTVs is on the rise, the current market penetration is still a small fraction. Many aren't inclined or perhaps capable of acquiring an HDTV, which is required for the full PS3 experience. What reason is there to choose the PS3 for an SDTV when the visual difference from the competition is negligible?
The PS3 is expensive, and at the same time is purportedly sold for less than it costs to make. Beyond the frequent debates over price drops and the formidable barrier $500-$600 presents to many gamers is a concern that the PS3 is ultimately doing more harm to Sony, specifically their bank accounts, than good. Is Sony prepared for the possibility that at the end of the console's lifetime, the PS3 will constitute a net loss?
All three systems are currently in a drought when it comes to top-class titles. Whoever pulls out of it first might gain significant momentum. Does Sony plan to try to capitalize on the situation, or do they feel it is better to let the games come out "when they're done"?
Many are concerned that while an interesting idea, Home will ultimately obfuscate the streamlined processes seen in other online services. How is Home addressing this concern?
Killzone made another appearance at the GDC, after having been mysteriously absent from E3 2006. Why is news for this title so rare, especially after having been so crucial to the presentation at E3 2005?
Those are my questions.
Thunderclone: ONE MAN ENTERS! TWO MEN LEAVE! ONE MAN ENTERS! TWO MEN LEAVE!
How long till there is a first party controller with "last-gen" rumble?
How can I be certain that putting a PS3 on my home network won't cause a rootkit to be installed on the other devices?
-q
Because, well, they're on crack over there at Sony.
Here's what I think the deal is: Sony thinks that stamping the Sony name on a turd will make it sell, and what's more, make it sell more for the turd with the competitor's name on it. For the most part they're right, because people typically go with what they know. Regardless, this made Sony believe that since the PS1 and PS2 were the most popular consoles of their respective generations, that people would just automatically go out and buy a PS3.
Sony felt that people would do this more or less regardless of income. I personally think that the line of reasoning had something to do with the idea that since people go out and buy their kids this shit on credit to shut them up, that it didn't matter that it cost literally twice as much as the prior generation of console. Furthermore, they believed that they would do it regardless of whether they owned an HDTV.
This of course has not really been the case. PS3s are sitting on shelves while you can't find a Wii anywhere, in spite of the fact that the PS3 is probably several times as powerful as the Wii. And of course, the Xbox 360 is also outselling the PS3, in spite of the fact that it was out months ahead of Sony's offering.
The composite video cable is the modern lowest common denominator. It was formerly RF, so everything came with an RF switchbox. The NES has component video output, but it didn't come with a component video cable. It came with an RF switchbox, because they knew that people would have that connection available. A component video cable is cheaper, and everyone has that input on their TVs now (actually my TV doesn't, but it was free; any TV I would buy would have at least S-Video input, and these days I'd probably be looking for component) so they ship with that cable.
What I don't know is what percentage of PS3 owners have HDTVs. I suspect that it is higher than any other console, even the Xbox 360. But I haven't been able to find any stats yet.
"You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
Is there any possibility of letting an 'OtherOS' have full access to the GPU, allowing accelerated and 3D graphics for homebrew developers?
People on the internet and in the tech media in general have been raking the PS3 and Sony over the coals for probably a good year now, with a noticeable backlash directed towards Sony's PR department. You've taken a lot of fire as one of the main figures in Sony's PR campaign, and I can't count how many times I've seen your name brought up here or on Digg in a negative light. The consensus seems to be that Sony's got a lot of work to do to win over the gaming public.
How, then, is Sony going to go about changing this mindset? There's still plenty of time to go from being viewed as the last place console to being a legitimate contender, if not the forerunner, but there's lots of ground to cover to do that. Are there any plans for this you'd be able to share with us, and any ideas on how long it might take before we see the PS3 in a stronger position than it is now?
On another note entirely, God of War 2 seems to be getting a more favorable reaction than any of the PS3 titles released thus far. Any thoughts on why that might be?
Goo goo g'joob.
In paticular, the Wii and the Xbox 360. As we all know sales of these two consoles have been above the PS3 in terms of numbers. As a gamer yourself (I hope) have you played either of these consoles and if so, what do you think about them? Anything they're doing right that Sony should adopt? Thoughts on where they're going in relation to your own console?
For those who seek perfection there can be no rest on this side of the grave.
What is your personal philosophy regarding the future of videogames as a genre? For example, where do you see games, in terms of social and cultural identification, 20 years from now, and how do you think the nature of the PS3 plays into the culmination of this overall vision?
Multiplayer Gaming (defined): Sitting around, discussing single-player games with my friends, at the bar.
Why does Sony consider it a good business move to alienate Europe with a half-year delay and neutered hardware, and why do you still charge more for this inferior product than the US or Japanese consoles?
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?
The PS3 has been identified by many in the industry as not being overly friendly to the developers. For instance the Ps3 takes up approximately 50 more megs than the Xbox 360, while containing weaker tools. The cell processor with it's independent memory has only stymied developers instead of made their life easier. At the same time this causes the consumers to have less games or weaker games available. The consumers are being asked to pay more for a similar system with more games available on it and the same as another system with their HD video attachment.
Who exactly are you aiming the PS3 for? The Developers are having a hard time with it, the consumers are asked to pay a higher price for a machine that has been proven to be on the same level as the 360?
In addition was there any consideration for developer buy-in before shipping the system?
Finally will there be any work made to bridging the gap between what the consumer ultimately wants and are getting? The buyer of a PS3 wants backwards compatibility which is being removed from the European release and possibly future American release. The buyer wants unique games, they don't exactly demand PS Home, they don't need Blu-ray movies, why is the PS3's target goals so different than the PS3's target consumer's goals.
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 spent $170 to play Katamari Damacy on the PS2. One of the strongest points of the Playstation platform has been some of the quirky and innovative games available on the PS1 and PS2. Some of the games I still play on PS1 and PS2 are those that focused on gameplay over story or random shooting (Bust a Groove, Hot Shots Golf, Katamari, Guitar Hero, Okami). Where are the unique, fun, creative games on the new Playstation platforms, and why don't companies take risks by creating low-budget, creative, and fun titles at a new system's launch?
You're only as smart as your brain.
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
What are you doing to support the people that want a gaming system, not a home hub, something never to be plugged into a network?
I was pleasently surprised at all the different things a PS3 can do. It can play music, show videos, show pictures, play games.
Why is it with 8 processors, it can only do these things one at a time.
I'd like to start it playing music and display a series of pictures and/or videos. It would be useful at parties.
I'd like to start it playing background music, turn off the music in a game and play a game, without listening to "call to battle" or whatever the track is, over and over and over.
One of the big things Sony touted with the SIXAXIS controller is the motion sensing technology (though I haven't seen it mentioned much in commercials). The debate over whether that was reactionary to Nintendo's Wiimote is a long debate, but it makes me curious- what other kinds of alternative gameplay mechanics have Sony toyed with for the PS3 controllers?
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?
When I bought my Wii I bought it knowing that the graphics would be bad, but the system was somewhat revolutionary due to the controller design. My question to you is why does the Wii need to be the only system with a innovative controller? Are you considering building an additional controller setup for the PS3 integrating those same (or similar) motion controlled features into your system? Granted this would be an added expense, but at least would offer the best of both worlds. And dont tell me the PS3 controller already has motion sensitivity; becuase, while it has motion sensitivity it can still not act like a pointing device.. which doesn't quite get it to the same level.
Am I lying when I tell you that im telling the truth? Or am I telling the truth when I say that Im lying?
Do you envisige a Euro version of the console that includes the EE processor?
From some of the rumours I've been hearing (BBC radio 1) quite a lot of individuals have canceled they're orders in the UK and instead opted for an American imports including the EE processor
to avoid any conflicts with some of the older PS2 game titles
(and yes I am aware that Sony will be punishing those individuals that choose to follow this course of action)
personally I'm holding off for the time being until some form of comparison can be made between the 2 different versions of the console in terms of compatibility for the PS2 (and I'm pretty sure someone on a website - probably linked to from slashdot, will be running with this eventually)
at the very least I would have liked to have seen some form of optional add-in board, even if it had increased the cost
e.g. release the minimal version of the PS3 without the board
and the max version of the PS3 (larger HD) with the board
(although at the moment only the max version of the PS3 will be released in the UK I believe)
Oh wow! Programmable pixel shaders! I remember when I were a lad, out on my bike. How I envied those other kids with programmable pixel shaders on their spokes. They were having so much more fun than me.
I only browsed at +4, but still:
The PS2 costs $129.99 USD and CAD which means the EE+GS (Emotion Engine + Graphics Synthesizer chip (prolly at least at 90 nm) - aka the CPU/GPU of the PS2) is also dirt cheap. At most it would be $50 USD to produce and I'm sure that's really exaggerated. Also the PS2 is still making money/units/games at least until this Christmas so the chips are still being produced.
(The actual question)
Why did the EE+GS get removed from the PS3 for Europe already and how soon (if that is part of the plan) before it gets removed from the PS3 in Japan and North America?
(More rambling)
It could not have been much of a cost cutting measure (time will fix the bluray laser cost) and in the eyes of many, it hurt the image and usefulness of the PS3. (One of Sony's promo videos at retail stores touts the PS3 as being the only next gen console designed with backwards compatibility.. worded someway to exclude the 360 and Wii)
We've seen how spotty backwards compatibility is with the 360 in software and how good the compatibility was with PSX games on the PS2 (clever Sega style use of the former CPU).. So it boggles my mind as to why that would be done...
Also kudos for being the most optimistic guy I have ever heard. You must be earning your keep from Sony with all the positive spin you can generate.
(I believe Mr. Harrison first joined Sony's SCEA branch in 1996).
Phil, if you could go back in time and give professional advice to your 1996 self, what would you say?
If you were to give professional advice to people interested in entering the industry today, what would it be?
Small potatoes make the steak look bigger.
Rumble has been defined as a "Last Generation Feature" and that rumble and motion sensing do not work together by SCE (despite the existance of the Wii Remote). Now with the settlement of the patent infringement issue with Immersion, it seems set to have a SIXAXIS controller with rumble. If this does happen, how are you going to get past the perception that SCE cannot make up its mind about what it wants? Customers wanting rumble so adding it in for their sake can't be used as a valid answer since the impression has been given that customers don't care about rumble. Also, if you're going to do this, what about every PS3 owner who has a rumbleless SIXAXIS-- Will you offer a program allowing them to trade-up for the better controller?
That is completely, utterly, and totally irrelevant to the conversation at hand.
The simple fact is that officers of a corporation should be held accountable for their utterances, and corporations should in turn share that accountability. If you can't trust someone to be a good corporate citizen, why would you hire them to be in a position of importance?
Neither I nor anyone else cares if Jack has been reprimanded behind the scenes. What we want is for Sony to stand behind the words of their officers.
"You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
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?
Considering my attach rate for the PS2 is, lemme check... 106, I'm the target consumer for what they need. Yet they'd rather go for the network gamer that has a high preference for a small number of games? (how many games does a WoW or the average CounterStrike player do?)
I can't seem to find any on the store shelves, and I check weekly.
Have you played it?
OSGGFG - Open Source Gamers Guide to Free Games
Obviously Sony places a great deal of value on the Open Source community at large, I mean, you (You as in Sony) are answering questions from people at Slashdot, and you've also worked closely with the Yellow Dog Linux group to create a stable release that runs natively on PS3 architecture.
;P
I'm just wondering what other sort of OSS initiatives are in the works? Can we see a scaled down graphics library with YellowDog for Homebrew Games? I think there is a huge amount of interest in being able to program your own games - I realize that Sony needs to protect it's interests and the interests of the larger developers out there, but don't you think the innovation with a smaller scaled down system would increase demand?
An answer not combed through with marketing and PR speak would be preferable
in girum imus nocte et consumimur igni
Last year, you (Phil Harrison) stated that regarding the Xbox 360's emulated back compatability, updated through firmware updates, you "don't believe that was backwards compatibility". Now the PS3 is being redesigned with emulated back compatability, which will be updated through firmware updates. What has changed Sony's attitude to software backwards compatability in the past year?
No kidding!!! What do you say at this point?