The Sony Press Conference came and went on Monday. We've had a solid day to digest everything and discuss our reactions to the PS Vita, 3D TV bundles, and the plethora of other Sony-related announcements.
Click ahead to read what we thought, but more importantly, let us know what you thought about Sony's big E3 conference by leaving a comment or writing a cBlog.
Matthew Razak
As much as I try not to be excited for Vita I can't help it. I don't have the cash, but man that price point is only 50 bucks above where I wanted it to be in my head and is totally acceptable. 3D bundle is awesome too. I still can't get behind Move though even though Sony really, really wants us to. The only thing that tempted me was the Bioshock Infinite having it.
Hmmm what am I forgetting. There was something... hmmm oh yea.
OH MY GOD SLY 4!!!!!!
Jordan Devore
Right there with you. I have to admit, the games looked good, the price is right, and the Vita will be a perfect compliment to what the 3DS offers. It'll be difficult to find legitimate reasons not to want one as we move closer to launch.
I just hope Sony and all of the third-party developers don't get too caught up on bringing direct PS3 experiences to Vita. Many of us want wacky shit, or even just games that can be realistically played in small chunks of time. Or, you know, new stuff entirely.
Maurice Tan
I'm not in the market for a handheld. I never play my DS Lite, only play my iPod Touch to really keep up with current affairs, and I don't travel enough to need one. Having said that, the Vita looks like a great handheld at a fantastic price. I did almost fall for the 3DS hype and bought one when seemingly everyone I knew was buying one, but with the European prices I'm glad I didn't.
Sony did a good job positioning Vita. It offers exactly the great cross-platform and online functionality that people who already use a PSP/PS3 all the time will eat up. People who only have a PS3 will have more reason to buy a Vita than a 3DS because of all the cross-platform stuff -- although they also get mostly the same kind of games as well. And handheld fans who never touch their PS3 will have more reason to do so in the future. It's not for me, but I still want one.
Other than Vita, the Move showings were underwhelming but they went through it fast enough to communicate to us: "Yeah we know, this is not for you and you don't really care, let's move on." The 3D was ok, nothing too overblown and they offer a pretty competitively priced PlayStation branded 3DTV with two-player 3D co-op sans split-screen. For those games that support it, at least. As for the games themselves, it was a solid showing with enough exclusives to keep the fanboys happy and an apology for the PSN debacle. Personally, all I want is Uncharted 3 and the God of War PSP and ICO/Shadow of the Colossus HD packs to be honest.
Tyler Jones
Sly 4 is the answer to my prayers.
I have previously remarked that my ideal handheld would be just like a PSP without the analog nub and would only play 2D games. That being said, the PSV is really, really impressive technically. It's coming closer to directly mimicking current console tech than any handheld before it, whereas the strength of handhelds used to be in differentiating themselves from the home experience. I predict it will do well, especially if the option to move your save between PS3 and PSV is widely implemented. But like Jordan Devore says, wacky stuff is really going to sell it for me.
Maurice Tan
Ugh, let's not call it the PSV please. That's also the name of one of Europe's better soccer teams ;(
Geoff Henao
Like Matt, I don't wanna be excited for PS Vita, but it has so much potential. Sony made a great move by shooting video from behind the shoulder to show how the game actually looks on the screen - there was little to no glare, resolution was amazing, and there was no lag. At the same time, I wished they had backed off from this angle a bit to show live feed from the full screen. The price range ($250 Wi-Fi/$300 3G) is more than reasonable. I found it funny that the AT&T exclusivity was met with mixed reactions; being an iPhone owner, I can understand the concern.
Despite how excited I am for the PS Vita, the PS3 section of the conference didn't have that "WOW" moment I was hoping for. Uncharted 3 looks AMAZING, but that was to be expected. I read a comment somewhere about how they were surprised no new IPs were announced, and I have to agree. However, Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time came out of nowhere and it was so stylistic and gorgeous. It's definitely the best cel-shaded game I've seen for this generation.
Bob Muir
Forget all the shiny, HD games, that PS Vita price tag was the real star of this conference. I only wonder why they hesitated to divulge this price several months ago, because as Penny Arcade put it, if I were Sony, I'd be rubbing that $249 (or $299) price point all up in Nintendo's face. It doesn't hurt that the games actually look to be worthwhile, unlike so much of the PSP's library. And a touch screen on the back -- that's so superfluous I can't help but love it. Here's hoping everything pans out. Well, and here's also hoping that AT&T announcement was a bad dream.
All that 3D stuff though? I don't know who's going to actually buy such an expensive set-up. You have to be a hardcore Sony devotee to subscribe to the lifestyle they're selling.
Geoff Henao
I almost forgot: The PS3 exclusive stuff (Battlefield 1942, Bioshock 1 on disc) is amazing. BD-rom has so much extra space, it's great to see developers actually take advantage of that and not charge the consumer extra for it.
Maurice Tan
You do have to be hardcore for ALL the stuff, but the individual offerings are good enough for consumers, I think. I don't need a Vita or a 3DTV, but I can probably afford to save up for Vita if I felt I needed one at the end of 2011. Besides, it doesn't hurt to get into 3D gaming now and then have a big library by the time the public at large picks up on 3DTVs. Whether they ever will with this generation of 3D though, that is another matter entirely.
But ehm, what are we going to do with our UMD library?
Geoff Henao
Maybe Sony will implement a digital download code for the UMD games you bought. You know, like the same process they did with the PSP Go. ;)
Bob Muir
I remember Sony hinting at some way to turn your UMDs into digital games for PSP Go, but they never got around to actually implementing it, so people who switched were shit out of luck.
Samit Sarkar
Like Microsoft's press conference, I think Sony suffered from a lack of any true "megaton" announcements. (Perhaps the biggest surprises were a new Sly Cooper game, and that Irrational is working on a PS Vita title.) But as an avowed NGP/Vita skeptic, I must say that I think Sony hit it out of the park with the stuff they showed off for the new handheld -- especially the price. I didn't think there was any way that it would sell for less than $299, so to see them firing a clear shot across the bow at the 3DS with the low-end Vita model is spectacular. The Vita/PS3 interoperability looks like the kind of functionality that gamers have been dreaming about for years: the moment when the guy paused Ruin on his Vita and then picked up right where he left off on the PS3 got loud cheers from the audience. The name... well, it is what it is; I'm sure we'll just get used to it at some point, like we did with "Wii." But assuming that most of the software we saw actually launches with the handheld, Sony is likely to see more success -- at least initially -- than Nintendo has seen with the 3DS thus far.
I was disappointed by the lack of non-Move or -Vita new IP, though. Sony's PS3 software lineup for 2011 was already a known quantity, so it would've been nice to see something new, even if it wouldn't be launching until next year. All things considered, I feel like Sony did what they had to do: namely, address the PSN outage, and then have a good enough press conference to make people forget about it.
Niero
Good enough. In Jack Tretton's speech he said that the company was "humbled" by the hack, but I don't feel they've had any real humble words to share thought their battle with hackers. The company just continues to make reassurances instead of apologies, and today's was a half-one at best -- and it came from the American president. It at least felt like he was speaking to consumers. Kaz Hirai's video statement felt like he was addressing a board room of investors. They were slow to get their blog going and they're going to be slow in learning how to have more transparency with their customers. They're doing damage control with the finesse of the Reagan administration.
Josh Tolentino
Like most everyone else here, that Vita price tag was whatnot my loins stirred up, ironically because despite Sony, Hollywood, and Nintendo's best efforts, I'm not into 3D at all. Which puts the Vita, a platform that practically trashes the 3DS, specs-wise, at the advantage, since I dont' care about the 3DS' prime gimmick. Add to that the fact that the 3DS' early lineup hasn't proven spectacular... yet.
Plus, being one of the few non-Japanese that gives a crap about the PSP's software lineup, reports that the Vita will be backwards compatible is icing on the cake.
All they need to do now is announce a new Monster Hunter.
Samit Sarkar
I don't know, I feel like what we got out of Sony regarding the PSN outage was as good as we could have hoped for. Tretton addressed it in the proper fashion, I think: mentioning it and thanking customers for their patience and support, but not dwelling on it. I mean, I don't think we were going to get a straight-up "we're sorry" out of them -- the Welcome Back program is basically their mea culpa here. Clearly, nobody is ecstatic that this happened in the first place, but at this point, I don't think Sony would've won anybody over (or regained lost customers) with a flowering, on-their-knees-begging-for-forgiveness apology on the stage.
Bob Muir
I was still rooting for an awkward, hour-long Japanese bow.
Niero
Why shouldn't we have expected a straight-up answer? It does only everything, right?
Fuck that, it was just above a canned response and everyone knows it. Full transparency and frankness is what responsible companies and people do. If you ever accidentally poison and kill your girlfriend's poodle don't tell her you were humbled by it. The difference is the line between good and great. From Sony, I expect great. It wasn't.
The welcome back program? Good enough as well. What they should have done is given people store credits, not a canned set of games they already have.
Two missed opportunities to undo brand damage wasted. Nobody went above and beyond here, and that makes it forgettable. It could have been a golden moment.
Max Scoville
Got to play the Vita. Pretty sure I'm gonna buy one, and that's saying something since I am one broke motherfucker. Didn't think the games they showed off were incredible, but the price point is pretty reasonable for what it is. I think the double-sided touch pad opens more new doors for gameplay than anything I've seen in a while. It's innovative than 3D, and a lot less gimmicky than motion controls.
Also, I think I'll save the fifty bucks and pass on the AT&T 3G version. Seriously. Sony must have their fingers in their ears AND their heads up their asses to go with that.
As for Sony's actual press conference, I face-palmed less than a minute in. Sony actually manages to make me less excited about their products with how they present them. The presser could've easily conveyed the same amount of information in half an hour less. Also Jack Tretton looks a bewildered Jack Nicholson with seafood allergies.
Contest:
8:15 AM on 06.08.2011 | 
I suppose the latter two will be saved for TGS, but still, it's a shame. With Disgaea 4, Twisted Metal, WKC2, inFamous 2, Uncharted 3, Resistance 3 and Ratchet and Clank still to release this year they've still got more games lined up than Nintndeo and Microsoft, but it would've been nice to add a few more to the list.
Vita was nice. The price was even better.
Sony's conference was probably my favourite, it was disappointing but it provided the most games that I'll actually be interested in playing and can only access on that platform.
The conference basically consists of one thing, the PSVita price announcement. In this area, they literally hit a homerun like they haven't hit since the release of PS1 and PS2. It's an unbelievable price point for what they are offering, and a substantial game changer. A+ for Sony. That announcement will be shaping the way portables develop for the next 2 years.
Can't wait for the Vita though!
The Vita is priced right, which is good, but as Microsoft and Nintendo, there was no new IP. This year E3 is being lack luster for my likening.
At this point, the only people still dwelling on the PSN outage are Microsoft fanboys. It's done, get over it. No matter how bad you want this to kill Sony, it's not, and things are pretty much already back to normal.
...but really without Vita, how horrible was that conference? It was one awkward moment after another.
...I expect it to be reflected in Sony's bottom line.
And what the hell is up with PS3 stopping your music when you want to do ANYTHING else. I started a tune, wanted to check trophies and my music stopped because of the sync. It has 8 cores for God's sake!
Also, with a simple, yet solid change to the entire PSN friend sytem, they would've totally blown me out of the water.
All in all though, even though MS's presentation was seemingly more exciting, watching Sony just gave me that DAMN loyal feeling I've had since I was 13 and got my PS1. And as strange as it seems, GOW, ICO/SoTC and MGS HD remakes have just knocked UC3, Dark Souls, and all the other NEW games down my wished list. So thanks! :D
Other than Sly Cooper and the EVE FPS though, we've known about the rest for well over a year. The worthwhile portion of the PS3 segment could have been 5 minutes long, the rest was just a rehash of the same shit we already.
They were talking about a TV for fuck's sake. That's how you know they brought nothing to the table.
I'm not cutting their show slack because they had inadequate security and git hacked fir being assholes. That shit put me to sleep.
I wasn't impressed by what was offered, but that isn't to say that I refused to take it. I took it, and I'd take it again.
Had I already played the games that they were giving out? Yes.
Did I currently own them? No.
Would I rather that were giving out copies of Demon's Souls?
Hell yes, even though I own it I would happily take a digital copy of it, and I would love to think that more people would hop into the game as a freebie, completely unaware of its nastiness, and then proceed to get ganked until they went back to whatever it was that they were playing before.
Good, not great. Solid all around. The Vita price point definitely hit a sweet spot but I agree about knowing how UMD transfer is handled before I would trade my PSP in. Sly 4 is awesome, but more new games would have been better. Don't push 3D on everyone this heavily
Also, @DeadnBuried: I don't know about some of the titles you mention, but Agency was recently revealed to have been canceled, if I remember correctly. Only within the last few weeks. I'm disappointed, too. Looked like it could have been pretty awesome.
The vita seems really interesting, and once we get some more details, like the battery life of the thing, I may even be tempted into getting one. other than that, the TV bundle looked good, but you can get the same stuff off newegg for much cheaper.
Oh yeah, and nice move Jeremy.
also verizon android wifi hotspots for the win on PSVita!! screw at&t's broadband definition and data caps.
You using "gay" that way, not anything you said about video games, I mean.
@DeadnBuried I think they did announce a cross chat system during their presentation.
I don't mind that there weren't a MEGATON of surprises, since the games we know about are so goddamn awesome.
that tv package is cool but boy is it ugly. no thanks to the psp go shaped tv.
I thought Sony had the best balance, though. They talked about 3D for awhile, which some people actually are interested in, then Move for awhile, especially pertaining to FPS. BioShock supporting Move fully might just push me into getting the Resistance 3 Move bundle.
No real surprises is always kind of a disappointment, other than Sly Cooper, which was great, but it's been kind of Sony's strategy to do reveals outside of E3 so that things don't get lost in the mix. I am slightly concerned about the lineup with 2012, with so many franchises releasing titles in 2011, but both Sony and Nintendo pay just as much attention to TGS as to E3, like it or not.
The Vita presentation was definitely the highlight, of course, with a lot of solid games, and the price was the homerun. Honestly, that made my E3 by itself. I want more details, but I'm 3/4ths sold.
As far as people whining about how Sony addressed the outage issue, some people are never going to be satisfied. Everything they could possibly had done would have been wrong. Really, get over it. Also, all the whining about 3D, or Kinect, or Move, or Nintendo's latest gimmick is so annoying and selfish. You don't like any of that? That's perfectly fine. I don't either. But SOMEONE out there obviously does, so act like an adult for a minute, and accept that everything doesn't have to cater to your desires. The whining and bitching about those things have gotten FAR more annoying than the products themselves.
First they wanted to watch what kind of effect Nintendo's 3DS pricing would have on the market. And second because they don't want to give Nintendo enough time to restructure their pricing-plan. Simply put "Marketing is War!".
Being the diehard Nintendo fangirl I am, I was scoffing at their confidence in the PSVita to dethrone the DS's supremacy in the handheld market... and then they announced the price.
Touché, Sony. Touché.
Damn , I can't stop laughing!
If I had my way, the Vita would run on sprint.
Better than calling it the NGP, which is also the name of ANOTHER portable. There's only room for one NGP in my life, and that's the Neo Geo Pocket.
Even just $5 to every PSN account would have completely bankrupted them. It's not just free money - that money has to go to the publishers who put that content up.
I agree with the consensus that Niero's complaint is pretty unreasonable.
Blasphemy!
He's the founder of destructoid.
Though I do agree his complaint is a bit naive.
@B-Radicate I watched an interview with Jack Tretton on GT couple days back (post presentation), and when asked about Agent, he said something along the lines of "it's somewhere in development definitely" (not an exact quote, but basically he said it was still being worked on, nothing about cancellation). I know you said "Agency", but the person you were replying to said Agent. Hope I didn't get all of this wrong :D