Perhaps if Sony Japan had listened to Western concerns, the PS3 might have had a better time of it when it launched over here. According to PS3 developer Insomniac, Sony Computer Entertainment Japan has always had a hard time paying attention to outside markets, which has led to problems in the past. However, SCEJ apparently listens now, which is nice.
"The challenge has always been that the [PS3] operating system (XMB) has always been developed in Japan, and at first it didn’t seem like it reacted to the US and European markets," says community manager James Stevenson. "But now it seems like there’s a far better feedback loop in place, which I think was the biggest issue.
"The example that stands out was when they did the update to the look of the XMB -- version 3.0 I think. They boxed out everyone’s names and it became really clunky-looking and the community started complaining. I feel like that feedback really made it over to Japan, and that’s something they’re trying to get addressed.
"Two years ago, or a year-and-a-half ago, I don’t feel like there was that kind of response. I now really think that the development group that’s working on PSN is really listening to the community more, and listening to development feedback. So that’s a good thing in the long term, and that was the biggest thing I’m glad to see has been fixed."
This generation, Sony has often struck me as a company that likes to bury its head in the sand and act like complaints simply didn't exist. I hope that, in time, Sony will learn some humility and realize that things don't just succeed if you slap the PlayStation name on it and hope for the best. Actually listening to complaints is a solid start.
Contest:
10:20 AM on 10.29.2009
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But hey... At least we got sparkles, right? right?
We've seen that expanding your audience is a good thing so why doesn't Sony stop trying to cut into Nintendo's casual market and be the first guys to go after the blatantly obvious markets in other countries they're all ignoring. Most of those people would start calling you their new God if you just made games fairly priced.
Asia and Europe however need to be heard as they are Sony's biggest markets, where people tend to have a bit more sense.
You basically just said that Americans buy Xbox 360s so they don't look like terrorist communists.
That's genius.
With your argument you've simultaneously disregarded the vast success of the Wii and the DS in the US which, last time I checked, were Japanese games systems.
I suppose i sort of said that, yeah. But it's the only reason i can think of that the majority of gamers in a particularly patriotic Nation could buy an inferiour product which costs them more in the long run and uses old technology to trick them into thinking it's "a generation ahead" of the competition???
But I'm happy that my region is far less swayed by the IT'S FUCKIN' AMURKIN GAWD DAMMIT!! Purchase reasoning.
Saying that, I'd LOVE a big ass Ozone tearing gas chugging American muscle car, but not a weak ass american shooter box console.
Did i ever tell you i'm a genius?
@manasteel88
I agree, except for their stubborn refusal to bring more Mother/Earthbound games to the west, like we've been begging for. Can anyone fill me in on Nintendo's reasoning for that?
Sure, its late, but far from over.
Get a UMD transfer converter add on, made and out there.
Get PSP ads made etc.
I do love my Sony products, in an almost creepy way, but it's just compounded by my complete HATRED for Microsoft products.
Was playing Eyepet today, and the difference between 360 and PS3 userbase clicked in my mind. I'm really enjoying the change from normal games, being a bit silly and interesting, where as 360 users that I know would instantly dismiss eyepet as "ghey".
The main consoles this generation are for totally different people.
oh and Nintendo guy, I can guarantee you that if there was a choice between the wii and a not-as-good Amurkin equivalent, the Yank one would be on top in the USA. I'd put money on it.
Sorry Sexy but your perception of America is weird. Far weirder than your Sony empire fetishes I must say.
@HEL105
Basically NoA wants to rescript some parts for lawsuit reasons and NoJ doesn't want anything to be changed and would rather other countries get no Earthbound than a rescripted one. It's understandable because of how much work that Ape put into writing each line of dialogue and considering that NoA well... Doesn't want to get their asses sued.
Understandable but still annoying...
I get lazy in the afternoon and like to troll a bit. It's fun fanning flames.
Oh and I believe 99% of the worlds problems are caused, instigated or worsened by amurka.
Watching your homeland turn into little-amurka doesn't help...
"oh and Nintendo guy, I can guarantee you that if there was a choice between the wii and a not-as-good Amurkin equivalent, the Yank one would be on top in the USA. I'd put money on it."
But last generation the PS2 sold much better than the XBox in the US! Evidence of two equivalent consoles going head-to-head and the Japanese console doing better than the American console in America.
I'd keep your money in your pocket if I were you. It's safer there.
"The main consoles this generation are for totally different people"
That's a pretty good summise, though not entirely infallible, but I'd go along with that. It's just a shame that in your head, the 'other' people are idiots without a clue, and your people are all amazings. That, my friend, is totally stupid. I come from a PC background and yes, the 360 was the console that finally got me to give consoles another go. I don't think the PS3 would of swayed me, despite its undeniable awesomeness. But then, if you assume that you can't get 'different' games, or - as they often seem to me - 'artwank' games on the 360, then you are also wrong. And you know it.
Western attitudes and culture obviously don not mix well with that, and Japanese companies are changing but not at the pace us westerners would like.
And that is the first time I heard america buys more MS products because it is american... Japan buying more Sony products because it is japanese, on the other hand, is a pretty old explanation.
fuck japan.
Then you fail at thinking.
I don't know anyone who bought a 360 because of nationalism. Cars, maybe. Game systems, definitely not. The reason so many people own an "inferior" system (which is just childish, trying to pull that off as fact) is because, when the "next generation" rolled around, the Xbox came out sooner than the PS3, and even when the PS3 did launch it was relatively worthless and expensive. I'm not saying that the 360 is still more likely to draw more consumers today, but I'm saying that that's why a bunch of Americans coincidentally own the American product. When it came to buying time, the American product had a lot more to offer.
And yeah, if you want to be taken seriously you really shouldn't generalize the population of an entire nation, especially one 300,000+ people in size. Even with you and Jim representing here on Destructoid, I don't think every Brit is a pompous asshole (one of you two is a lovable pompous asshole).