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Sony's Scott Steinberg: no 'senior citizen' gaming happening here photo

Like your console gaming experiences hardcore, with nary a Wiimote in sight? The latest from SCEA's Scott Steinberg ought to be music to your ears. In a recent interview with GamesIndustry.biz, Steinberg addressed issues such as future plans for the PS3 and why Sony is uninterested in reeling in the "senior" demographic.

Direct from the interview:

"I think the notion of that controller is a non-trivial point that you've brought up, that control and that familiarity is like comfort food - from my perspective, we lead, we don't follow," he said. "And as a brand, Nintendo's got their thing, and we're not trying to get the senior citizen group to get into gaming, we're looking to convert the PS2 owners and the tens of millions of installed base that were playing DVDs and playing games on their PS2, to now play Blu-ray movies and Blu-ray games with their PS3."

I'm glad Nintendo's doing what they're doing, I really am. It's been tremendously successful for them, and I also like the idea that my parents may come to understand a little of why gaming is so essential to me (and maybe come to like it themselves). On the other hand, I like gaming with a controller that I don't have to wave my arms all over the place to use, and I like games that are directly marketed to me: a gamer that's spent a long time gaming and can understand and enjoy more complex structures. It seems like there's room for both.

Still, Sony earns some support from me by not being wavered by the tremendously successful business plan that Nintendo has in place. I hope sticking to their guns can earn them what they want in the long run. Is the Wii the way to go, or will you stick it out as Sony unveils their long term plan?

[Via GamesIndsutry.biz -- Thanks, ActionBastard]


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23 comments | showing # 1 to 23

pendelton21's Avatar - Comment posted on 08/04/2008 11:19
pendelton21
I still smile every time I think about my ultra-conservative, church-going, uptight grandma playing with her recently-purchased Wii, and trying to get all her friends to buy one.
MrSadistic's Avatar - Comment posted on 08/04/2008 11:21
MrSadistic
Old people around the world, up yours.

I mean it's great that someone's Grandma gets to have a little fun with current technology, but it's not cool if it's something I consider a "hobby".
king3vbo's Avatar - Comment posted on 08/04/2008 11:26
king3vbo
Eat all the old people, shove them in the oven
Eat all the old people, show them that you love 'em
Eat all the old people, mmm they taste like veal
A sandwich is a sandwich, but your grandpa is a meal
Leathersoup's Avatar - Comment posted on 08/04/2008 11:27
Leathersoup
I just had a mental image of a bunch of senior citizens at the coffee shop trading friends codes. :)
Takeshi's Avatar - Comment posted on 08/04/2008 11:28
Takeshi
That pic made my day.
Y0j1mb0's Avatar - Comment posted on 08/04/2008 11:45
Y0j1mb0
LMAO..GREAT PIC.
Prince Ghidorah's Avatar - Comment posted on 08/04/2008 11:53
Prince Ghidorah
"We lead we don't follow."

Is that what you're doing with the PS3? Leading?
CelicaCrazed's Avatar - Comment posted on 08/04/2008 12:03
CelicaCrazed
They should focus on the Alzheimer market. Customers would buy the same game three times over. Sony could even market to non-PS3 owners who don't remember they don't own a PS3. Maximum profit!!

Ok, I think I'm being a douche....
ceark's Avatar - Comment posted on 08/04/2008 12:16
ceark
sounds good to me. I like that PS3 is not a console focused on dumbed down games.
D Sane's Avatar - Comment posted on 08/04/2008 12:24
D Sane
I own both so I don't have to make a choice. I have the PS3 for me when I wanna do some serious gaming and the Wii for when friends come over and want to play Smash Bros. and drink screw drivers. It works out all around. Now if the 360 would just quit stealing exclusives from PS3...
Cyberxion's Avatar - Comment posted on 08/04/2008 12:34
Cyberxion
My take? I loved the PSX, and I enjoyed the PS2. I'm the kind of person that ought to be an easy sell when it comes to the PS3, right? Fuck no. I'm not going to buy one. At least not for the reasons Sony thinks I ought to.

Sony seems to think that they deserve to sell the PS3 through to people who bought their previous consoles, independent of whether or not they have enough unique product on the shelves to justify those sales, and that's ridiculous. To me, brand loyalty is something I reserve for developers and publishers. A console is only as good as the games available for it after all, and if there aren't enough exlusive games to justify the purchase, then whether or not I bought and enjoyed their previous console means jack shit.

And while ancillary features are appreciated, they've never factored in to my decision to buy a console even the smallest bit, and they never will. I didn't buy a PS2 because it played DVDs, and I won't buy a PS3 because it plays Blu-Ray flicks. Call me old fashioned if you must, but if a console isn't home to at least a small handful of games that appeal to my tastes as a gamer, then I'm not going to buy it. That it's loaded up with extra bells and whistles isn't going to change my mind a single bit.

Scott Steinberg needs to get in touch with reality. The PS3 is a fine system, but right now it's leading jack and shit, and jack just left town. That's not to say that they ought to follow Nintendo's lead, but that maybe they ought to analyze what worked for them the last two generations and try to do some of that. Whatever they're doing now aint working for me.
TrailerParkJesus's Avatar - Comment posted on 08/04/2008 12:38
TrailerParkJesus
I think I heard somewhere that out of all the demographics, senior citizens spend the most money, or have the most dispensable earnings. So yeah...
Alexradl's Avatar - Comment posted on 08/04/2008 12:40
Alexradl
There are still tons of PS2 owners who haven't made the leap to the one of the current gen systems. Sony still hasn't secured that market. It's a great strategy but, they need to rethink their PS2 support if they want PS2 owners to upgrade to a PS3.

I'm definitely glad Sony is sticking to what they do best.
RJG's Avatar - Comment posted on 08/04/2008 12:46
RJG
"We lead, we don't follow."

Ladies and gentlemen, introducing the SIXAXIS! You can use it to play bowling!

Yeah, great job leading there guys. Next thing you know you'll be rewarding people for completing certain tasks during games with things like "achievements". Can't. Fucking. Wait.
Anus Mcphanus's Avatar - Comment posted on 08/04/2008 13:05
Anus Mcphanus
I think it's stupid that Sony expects people to go out and buy a PS3 just because they owned a PS2. No one is going to buy a PS3 just because it's the next playstation and Sony need to stop pushing that idea and give people more legitimate reasons to own one.

On the plus side at least they aren't dumbing games down for the oldies
Corak's Avatar - Comment posted on 08/04/2008 13:31
Corak
"senior citizens spend the most money, or have the most dispensable earnings. So yeah"

Um I don't think that is entirely true, most if not all the senior citizens I know and deal with on a daily basis at my job are on fixed incomes. Fixed incomes do not allow for a lot of spending unless they have a nice pension or retirement fund. I'm not saying that they couldn't afford it but from previous experience teenagers and young adults normally have the most disposable income.
MechaMonkey's Avatar - Comment posted on 08/04/2008 15:28
MechaMonkey
!old people--
DemonEyes23's Avatar - Comment posted on 08/04/2008 15:47
DemonEyes23
sony all the way here. Theres about 4 to 5 games on the wii that hold any interest over me and all of them have only basic motion controls that could have been left out ie i dont like waggling i play games to relax when i want to move around i go to the park or running.
Dexter345's Avatar - Comment posted on 08/04/2008 15:48
Dexter345
If they want to stick to true Sony fashion though, now that they've said this, they have to go and do the exact opposite.
DemonEyes23's Avatar - Comment posted on 08/04/2008 15:48
DemonEyes23
On the up side my mom wants a wii...she will use it for wii fit for maybe a couple of months if that and then i'll steal it and buy super smash bros thus solving my problem of not wanting to throw down 250 for the only game i really really want
Cyberxion's Avatar - Comment posted on 08/04/2008 16:28
Cyberxion
@ Dexter345

Rumors say that they already are. ;)

@ DemonEyes23

What is it you're trying to say boy? Is Timmy caught in the well?
BattyAdroit's Avatar - Comment posted on 08/04/2008 18:15
BattyAdroit
@Cyberxion: How will the market survive without you?

thank god it works for me. Sony dodged a bullet.
Cyberxion's Avatar - Comment posted on 08/04/2008 20:15
Cyberxion
@ BattyAdroit

Ah, right. I forgot that the validity of one's opinion is directly proportionate to his influence on the market.
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