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GDC 2007: Sitting down with Sony photo

I just got back from a very different kind of event with Sony. Well, maybe event is a strong word, it was more of a sit down with just a few of us gaming journos and some of the biggest names in Sony -- Phil Harrison, David Karraker and others.

It was an incredible discussion because we were allowed to be as open as possible and ask whatever we wanted. Sony, especially Phil, was very honest with us -- or as honest as they could be. Like I have been, I want to break down all the big news in a series of points. Hit the jump for the full disclosure. 

As far as dealing with the community and negative reactions, Sony is aware and they are working hard to change it. 

Key points:

• Brian Crecente sat right in between David and Phil and looked like about as uncomfortable at first as possible. After a while, the ice slowly melted away.

• A developer for Warhawk gave Crecente a pair of brass balls.

• Phil said that your avatar in Home may be used in the future in PS3 games.

• The reason for Game 3.0 was simply to give a label to what is happening in the industry. Phil hopes that Game 3.0 will start a great debate. He wants to establish an idea and unify thinking.

• Sony is taking parental controls in Home very seriously. Users will be able to block out certain people, voice chat and the screen.

• Sony will have moderators within Home to keep the peace, so to speak.

• As far as public spaces within Home, there will be soft and hard caps, much like in chat rooms.

• For the arcades inside Home, Sony had originally planned to have them be Java-based.

• There are three basic revenue channels for Home: object and item sales; advertising; B2B.

• Phil said that he believe Home will sell PS3 consoles. He says it's another reason to use and sell the console.

• Their job is to make the interface within Home as accessible as possible.

• Phil said Second Life and Home are not the same, far from it.

• Sony says they have over 500,000 registered players online and have sold through more than one million PS3 units.

• They do not know how big a download Home will be.
 
• There will be no collision between avatars in home. But, players will be able to, according to Phil, surf down stairs with a couch.

• You will be able to buy not only places to live and things inside those places, but also environments. Phil used the example of ducks flying in a "V" outside your window or a sunset.

• Sony says they can overcome negative press by being innovative and offering the best they can. Phil says what really matters are sales, not headlines.

• Phil says the reason you see PS3s in stores is because their production level is high, not because demand is low. He says the PS3 has outsold the PS One, PS2, and Xbox 360 during the same time.

• Commenting on the claim Blu-ray has been hacked: Phil clearly stated it has not been hacked and that there was no evidence whatsoever that suggested it had.

• On the loss of exclusives: Phil says Sony's focus has shifted to making sure there was enough money in first-party development. They've drastically increased the budget for this.

• Phil said having GTA come out for the PS3 and 360 at the same time wasn't a big deal. 

• With respect to only having the 60GB PS3 for the U.K. and Euro launch: Phil said that was a request from retailers.

• David Karraker calls booth babes, "hostitutes."

• Sony said this will be a big year for the PSP and that the design will stay the same, but that the way it interacts with the consumer will change.

• The Warhawk people don't think that the game should be full price (it's downloadable now). 

• There are discussions about a Warhawk beta taking place. 


Continue: More Sony stories





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49 comments | showing # 1 to 49

Jayeugene's Avatar - Comment posted on 03/08/2007 21:13
Jayeugene
I think they can turn it around this year and really show off what they are good at... selling.
El Fajitas's Avatar - Comment posted on 03/08/2007 21:14
El Fajitas
Curse the PS3 and its rising appeal! I don't have that much monies. This is also better news from Sony than their usual fare. I hope they change their image around...
gamehunter101's Avatar - Comment posted on 03/08/2007 21:18
gamehunter101
finally song is gaining ground
Ignignokt01's Avatar - Comment posted on 03/08/2007 21:19
Ignignokt01
Still not interested in Home. Once again, Sony forgets the PS3 is about playing games, not a Virtual Chatroom where you can customize your virtual house. Not to mention its probably got ads and shitloads of microtransactions useless 'furniture, houses, and environments'
Zecahrai's Avatar - Comment posted on 03/08/2007 21:19
Zecahrai
Nice nice. They have cooled my cold heart with a warm tropical song.

Or was it cool my warm heart with a....
Brad Rice's Avatar - Comment posted on 03/08/2007 21:21
Brad Rice
So wait, PSPv2 will be coming out?
iRaf 's Avatar - Comment posted on 03/08/2007 21:21
iRaf
pretty key points there.
iRaf 's Avatar - Comment posted on 03/08/2007 21:23
iRaf
sony is almost doing something right.
Foxtoid's Avatar - Comment posted on 03/08/2007 21:27
Foxtoid
less talk, more walk
xrayne446's Avatar - Comment posted on 03/08/2007 21:27
xrayne446
think about this, the playstation 3 is ahead of its time. imagine if it released fall of this year. it would be loaded with heavenly sword, resistance, final fantasy XIII, motorstorm(completed), killzone, possible metal gear four and a slew of perfected sports titles, ports, and playstation online games.
it would come with a completed "home" app, FREE online (best qoute on this post="And remember this kids, playstation network is FREE, as in free beer")
a bluray dvd play, and probably 100 dollars less.
there would have been enough systems at launch and they would hve been able to polish the cell technology to perfection.
also the eyetoy would be fully functional and the sixaxis would have vibration (dispute would be over)

and yes, this rising appeal is killing me, but it was going to happen sooner or later, sony has become the videogame equivalent to Satan, but i think it just got its wings. sony didn't get it right in the beginning beut after some time, the wrinkles will smooth out, and thier system should live up to its promises....because, come on, these guys made ps2! i guess thats worth something.
(and yes, i double posted)
brucie97's Avatar - Comment posted on 03/08/2007 21:29
brucie97
Yawn.. Just come out already and blow everyone away.. It feels like the day after the Super Bowl. Everyone is ready for the Pro Bowl (the march firmware update), and then the wait and speculation until the draft (E3), and then the dreaded wait and more speculation until finally the season starts. Somebody please hit the fast forward button or at least mute! (Too bad I can't stop reading the news!)
cjpkiller's Avatar - Comment posted on 03/08/2007 21:39
cjpkiller
well the ps2 was stomped on right when it came out, and thats what happened to the ps3... sony got their shit together and totally raped the dream cast... and now they've got their shit together with the ps3, or are at least getting it together
sony isn't necessarily satan, Microsoft has done equally bad stuff, albeit not in the gaming world.
even if home doesnt turn out to be all that and a bag of chips I'm more than willing to have a giant dtoid house party every week on home. hell I'll even buy one of those premium pads for it. I am hoping that the ps3 will pick up sales (they technically sold more ps3's worldwide this last week than the 360 did, but not by much, go check that previous posting of the wii sales numbers, look at the data, and then go look at the data now.)


microsoft and nintendo will probably have counter killer apps to home so you can expect stuff to just get better and better. compatition is a good thing. the future looks bright. I'm glad sony is turning their rep around, assholes are never fun.
PiKo's Avatar - Comment posted on 03/08/2007 21:44
PiKo
Sony's excuses are becoming very creative!
RskimB's Avatar - Comment posted on 03/08/2007 22:32
RskimB
"electro lemon says:
03/08/2007 22:17
Zecahrai-
No, its warmed your cold heart with a cool island song!
Fuck it, we'll figure this out after we Free Hat McCullough. "

damn my memory what is that from again?
cravecase's Avatar - Comment posted on 03/08/2007 22:37
cravecase
I might just be sipping the Haterade, but I thought that Summa and the D'toid posse loathed Second Life and all that it represented. Well, how does Home differ from Second Life aside from the fact that it's produced by Sony?

And, yes, my bitterness might be due to visions of myself a year from now dropping $5 on microtransations for drapes to match my wallpaper in my apartment.

Well, as long as Summa's doing it, I'm in!
OrangeTimer's Avatar - Comment posted on 03/08/2007 23:03
OrangeTimer
"A developer for Warhawk gave Crecente a pair of brass balls"

-Nice touch... but he doesn't need those ;)


"The reason for Game 3.0 was simply to give a label to what is happening in the industry. Phil hopes that Game 3.0 will start a great debate. He wants to establish an idea and unify thinking."

-Because talk is cheap... but the ps3 isn't. ha HA! Take that you dead horse.


"Phil said Second Life and Home are not the same, far from it."

-This is good. SL has user created content... and the internet spawns great evil... and furries. *shudder*


Aex's Avatar - Comment posted on 03/09/2007 00:21
Aex
"For the arcades inside Home, Sony had originally planned to have them be Java-based."

Wait? Does that mean they are not Java-based anymore? Or that they are? I'm hoping for the later, because that is an excellent way to get community support, supporting indie developers with a language that is free to use.

"Sony said this will be a big year for the PSP and that the design will stay the same, but that the way it interacts with the consumer will change."

Color me excited.
Legend_McNasty's Avatar - Comment posted on 03/09/2007 00:58
Legend_McNasty
as far as if sony had came out the same time as the 360 and if pigs could fly, they did'nt they messed up big time and now they are trying to regroup. the 360 has at least 5 millin plus and growing i know people that changed to the 360 just cuz of sony's bungling. and even if they did come out at the same time none of those games would even be ready, they had 2 years atleast to get ready for launch and they still did'nt get any great games ready. i'm not gettin a ps3 and i won't even notice.......maybe if they came down in price i would think about it
aka Bitter's Avatar - Comment posted on 03/09/2007 01:17
aka Bitter
What about the games??
Milofo's Avatar - Comment posted on 03/09/2007 01:25
Milofo
PS3
Get some good games on it first then we'll start talking of a purchase.

PSP
I find it hard to believe that it can dethrone the DS when most of its games are ports. Lower the price and MAYBE we'll talk.
SubOrbital's Avatar - Comment posted on 03/09/2007 02:02
SubOrbital
Summa = Sony's lapdog. honest my ass. This checklist still doesn't make me think Sony are going to do anything to topple Microsoft or Nintendo. And frankly, I'm sick of their excuses, no matter how creative. The more BS I hear from them, the more I regret buying this hunk of PS3 junk.
Aequitas's Avatar - Comment posted on 03/09/2007 02:31
Aequitas
I'll wait and see how PS3 owners react to Home when it's not merely an interesting concept, but something readily available to them. The early days of this will be absolutely critical for Sony to get right - too many microtransactions for lamp shades or in-game (kinda) ads and players will be turned off. But tastes are fickle and change rapidly, so who knows. It'll be fun to watch.
bleep's Avatar - Comment posted on 03/09/2007 02:40
bleep
Yeah I heard that Crecente had balls.....Rob be honest did you feel Sony was sitting down and talking openly with gaming journos, or just pandering to the great power that has become Dtoid. They know what influence the ROBOT has and now want to make sure they are getting a "warm fuzzy" in these pages here...?
xrayne446's Avatar - Comment posted on 03/09/2007 02:42
xrayne446
suborbital:
i would advise you as of this instant to take you "hunk of junk " ps3 and give it to some poverty stricken young child who would readily appreciate it. this will hopefully prevent you from repeatedly shitting all over it, and summa for giving it a chance. now go play with your vibrating wiimote. that wasn't an insult, i play with mine all the time.
bulldogk9's Avatar - Comment posted on 03/09/2007 03:32
bulldogk9
[QUOTE]Sony said this will be a big year for the PSP and that the design will stay the same, but that the way it interacts with the consumer will change.[/QUOTE]

What the h-e-double-hockeysticks does that mean?
Mxyzptlk's Avatar - Comment posted on 03/09/2007 03:57
Mxyzptlk
I still don't buy Home being a system seller. People aren't going to drop $600 to play around in a 3D chat room unless there are games. It's going to be the titles that brings people to the system. They've got to convince people that it's worth spending $200 more than the 360 for a PS3. Blue-ray can't do that alone, remember how long it took to convince the average person to switch to DVD? Most of them waited to see if it would get immediately replaced by a better format. The majority of people are going to do the same thing with Blue-ray/HDDVD for at least the next few years. Until there's titles that absolutely blow away what's seen on the 360 or there's a major price drop, they're going to be trailing Microsoft.
waff1e's Avatar - Comment posted on 03/09/2007 04:14
waff1e
suborbital: agreed. some people have VERY short memories when it comes to how badly Sony have scewed gamers.
Pangloss's Avatar - Comment posted on 03/09/2007 04:22
Pangloss
@Mxyzptlk:
agreed. I couldn't give two shits about these things like Home, Wii Weather, etc. I'll look at buying a PS3 when there's more to play than Resistance. And unfortunately, Sony's always gonna be trailing the 360 as far as games are concerned.
SubOrbital's Avatar - Comment posted on 03/09/2007 05:02
SubOrbital
xrayne446: Yep, at least the WiiMotes do vibrate! lol. And as for the poverty stricken kid? They don't count. They have no money and therefore have about as much influence on the video game industry as Sir Cliff Richard. But being charitable I would give it to them, not to play games, but to sell it so they wouldn't be poverty stricken but filthy rich! Well, maybe not filthy rich. I think that ebay buzz has passed. But alas, what a charitable mind you have!
Ballistic90's Avatar - Comment posted on 03/09/2007 05:25
Ballistic90
I really don't think that Home will be of any interest to much of Sony's established user base.
rob91883's Avatar - Comment posted on 03/09/2007 06:58
rob91883
Sounds like good news, but so did E3 05.
Snaileb 's Avatar - Comment posted on 03/09/2007 07:40
Snaileb
"Sony said...."

bhive01's Avatar - Comment posted on 03/09/2007 07:43
bhive01
I agree with Snaileb
bhive01's Avatar - Comment posted on 03/09/2007 07:45
bhive01
Phil said, "Second Life and Home are not the same, far from it."

Brandon says, "Phil is lying through his teeth. This is complete bullshit because hardcore gamers (his audience at the moment) hate Second Life, but in reality this is exactly what they have created. Third Life TM."

DoctorEuphony's Avatar - Comment posted on 03/09/2007 08:32
DoctorEuphony
like sheep to the slaughter....


but hey, if you think a 3D chat saves your 600 doorstop, and possibly 3 other games, go right ahead.
DoctorEuphony's Avatar - Comment posted on 03/09/2007 08:33
DoctorEuphony
that should read 600 DOLLAR doorstep. i need caffiene
bhive01's Avatar - Comment posted on 03/09/2007 08:49
bhive01
doorstop made sense to me, more than doorstep anyway
SpencersGifts's Avatar - Comment posted on 03/09/2007 09:15
SpencersGifts
Jesus Im still upset because he said that blue ray hasent been hacked and theres no proof. Wtf?! There was a video floating around showing it BEING hacked.

This is why I hate sony. Not becuase they have a bad product, or because they cant make good games. Its because they lie out their asses and the normal everyday gamer doesnt know any better, because their to be sucking the asshole of sony to hear what their really saying.

Yes sony will have kick ass games, jesus its sony! but home is not one of the; if I wanted to play sims Id pop in my sims cd on my PC.

I cant wait for someone to hack the HOME application and have either porn sprays everywhere or make naked skins. Good times. And you know the worse part? Your still going to be stuck playing with idiot 14 yearolds... sigh
Azrael's Avatar - Comment posted on 03/09/2007 10:17
Azrael
SpencersGifr: Er... "a video floating around the web" can hardly be called "evidence" theres another one just like that showing Gears of War in the PS3 remember?

None of the other points you mention are exclusive of sony there will be a sims game for the Wii and both Wii and 360 feature avatars, if they invented a Mii talk channel who exactly do you think you will be talking with, Harvard Scholars?

Azrael's Avatar - Comment posted on 03/09/2007 10:26
Azrael
Oh! and unless you havent noticed, theres 3 good games for the PS3 as we speak (4 if you are into Gundam Musou)

-Resistance
-Virtua Fighter 5
-Motorstorm (which has great online play in the Us version)

Tekken 5: Dark is not exclusive, but pretty good anyway

Ps network
Fl0w
Tekken 5

The PS3 is no longer a Paper Weight at least.

In the NEAR future things are looking pretty neat this year in order of appearence. (possible)

-Oblivion
-Warhawk (battlefield 2 (pc) for the ps3)
-Calling all cars.
-Tekken 6
-Killzone 2 (Black with multiplayer and vehicles)
-Metal gear Solid 4
-Final Fantasy XIII (Japan)

Not to mention a bunch of MultiPlatform titles such as:
-Assasins creed
-Star Wars force unleashed
-Darkness

Etc.

Sharpless's Avatar - Comment posted on 03/09/2007 13:00
Sharpless
I hate Sony. They're arrogant, out-of-touch morons.

However, they're starting to win me over. They still need to work on their PR, but they're finally starting to do things that are interesting and potentially worth buying a PS3 for. Unlike most Nintendo/Microsoft fanboys, I want Sony to convert me. Come on, Sony. Prove me wrong. Please?
Maclintok's Avatar - Comment posted on 03/09/2007 14:03
Maclintok
I look at Home, then I look at the line-up of 360 games for the rest of the year. Ya, I'll happily stick with my 360 for now.
Pistolaero's Avatar - Comment posted on 03/09/2007 14:54
Pistolaero
Yeah, because Home and the 360 Game Line-up are so alike...

Not being able to buy all three consoles because you lack the funds is excusable. Those who can but choose not to because they think a certain system is better than the other should think twice. All current consoles have their strong points and their weak points, but most important, all three have amazing exclusive game software for each. Not buying a certain console means you are depriving yourself of some good games, no matter which console you decide to skip.
Knives's Avatar - Comment posted on 03/09/2007 14:57
Knives
@azrael
Harvard scholars are overrated UNAM FTW!! =P


PS3 is getting better, but not its not for me yet, i don't like racing games or fighters that much.
Azrael's Avatar - Comment posted on 03/09/2007 15:10
Azrael
-Knives: Whoa ! UNAM? well, since we are in the subject UDG FTW!

(not really but is my school -sigh-)
Monolithic's Avatar - Comment posted on 03/11/2007 01:06
Monolithic
I always knew Sony wouldn't let any one down.
Spitfire747's Avatar - Comment posted on 03/14/2007 17:58
Spitfire747
The PS3 had a....meh launch. But right now there IS NO DEMAND. FACE IT. It sold about 1.3 mill at launch, and it has scraped along since then.
Rpg_Worshiper's Avatar - Comment posted on 03/14/2007 21:39
Rpg_Worshiper
Kingdom Hearts 3
Devil May Cry 4
The entire Final Fantasy series
Possibly more Dragon Quest titles
God of War 3
Burnout 6
Virtua Fighter series
and many many more games are sure to be coming to the PS3. It's time to stop looking in the past and realizing what will come in the future.
DOLEMITE187's Avatar - Comment posted on 03/16/2007 18:51
DOLEMITE187
i only play sega saturn...and snes...: )
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