Slashdot Log In
Ask Sony's Phil Harrison About PS3 and Games
Posted by
Zonk
on Mon Mar 19, 2007 01:21 PM
from the everybody-be-cool dept.
from the everybody-be-cool dept.
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.
Related Stories
[+]
Games: Sony Keynote Offers Hope For PlayStation 3 Fans 361 comments
Once again, the stage was set for Sony to try to get some good will directed towards its next-gen console. Recent weeks especially have seen PR frustrations and setbacks for the company. Today was Sony's day to deliver: and in my opinion they did with flying colours. By the end of the keynote attendees were laughing and clapping with glee at the goodies that the company is going to be bringing to the PlayStation 3. Finally, finally, there seems to be a light at the end of the tunnel for the console. Read on for my notes on the keynote, as well as links to other coverage of the event. Note the first: There may finally be a great reason to buy a PlayStation.
[+]
Games: An Evening With Sony Computer Entertainment 253 comments
Thursday evening, senior Sony representatives such as Phil Harrison (President of Sony Computer Entertainment Worldwide Studios) and David Karraker (Head of SCEA's PR division) sat down with the posters from a bunch of websites, looking to ease relations between the company and their customers. Along with folks from The San Jose Mercury News, Joystiq, Kotaku, and MTV, we discussed a number of the issues raised in the comments here on Slashdot the day before yesterday. My goal in going to the event was to make sure that your concerns were heard. Over the last several months, I've heard many complaints leveled against Sony and their products, and I was hoping to bring back some answers. To be honest, I walked away not fully satisfied. Read on for answers to some of the criticisms you, the readers, have leveled against Sony in the last several months.
[+]
Phil Harrison Answers Your Questions 185 comments
Right around this time last month, we asked for your questions to pass on to President of Sony Computer Entertainment Worldwide Studios Phil Harrison. With the launch of the PlayStation 3 console in Europe, Mr. Harrison has had kind of a full month. He still found us the time to answer your questions, and today we have them to read. Below are his very thorough responses to the questions you posed, ranging in subject from the European delay to the public perception of SCEA. Make sure to give them a look, and many thanks again to Mr. Harrison for his time.
[+]
Games: PS3 Firmware Update, Heavenly Sword Demo This Week 72 comments
PlayStation 3 owners are getting a couple of new toys this week. The official Sony blog has announced that the US will see firmware update 1.90 within the next few days. Gamasutra has further details on the patch, which includes a number of functionality improvements: "Ability to rearrange games on the XMB, Option menu now includes 'eject disk', Press triangle to eject games/CDs/movies in the XMB, XMB backgrounds, Change the folder classification, Emoticons, Change CD output to 44.1/88.2/176.4kHz, Force 24Hz output for Blu-ray over HDMI, Change PS3 video settings in-game, 'Bit Mapping' in the 'Music Setting', Save AVCHD type animations from a Memory Stick, Change settings like upscaling while playing PS and PS2 games, Add bookmarks, Web browser security function in the browser's tool section." Indications are also that a demo for Heavenly Sword will be coming soon. Europe is getting it this Thursday, with no firm word on a US date yet.
Offsite: 1up Interview
Offsite: Wired Interview
Offsite: Gamasutra Interview
This discussion has been archived.
No new comments can be posted.
Ask Sony's Phil Harrison About PS3 and Games
|
Log In/Create an Account
| Top
| 472 comments
(Spill at 50!) | Index Only
| Search Discussion
The Fine Print: The following comments are owned by whoever posted them. We are not responsible for them in any way.
(1)
|
2
Retaining PS3 Exclusives (Score:5, Interesting)
Are Sony and MSFT relevant? (Score:4, Insightful)
(Last Journal: Thursday November 08, @06:56PM)
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?
Re:Are Sony and MSFT relevant? (Score:5, Insightful)
I find it curious that you neglected to mention that Nintendo operates a service that does the exact same thing, though. In fact, Nintendo's online service is almost EXCLUSIVELY for buying things - at least Sony and Microsoft have online gaming.
Cha-ching (Score:5, Funny)
mod parent up please (Score:5, Insightful)
(http://www.hyperlogos.org/ | Last Journal: Wednesday July 18, @08:19PM)
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...
mod up (Score:5, Insightful)
(http://demoni.ca/)
Re:Controllers (Score:5, Interesting)
(http://www.foobarsoft.com/)
Blu-Ray and availability (Score:5, Interesting)
(http://www.hyperlogos.org/ | Last Journal: Wednesday July 18, @08:19PM)
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?
Competing with XBox Live (Score:5, Insightful)
(http://www.foobarsoft.com/)
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?
20gB PS3. (Score:3, Interesting)
Good enough for $600? (Score:5, Interesting)
(http://www.securityzone.org/)
When are we going to see a price drop? (Score:5, Interesting)
Ryan Fenton
Sprite based 2D games (Score:5, Interesting)
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?
Linux PS3 3D games dev (Score:5, Interesting)
I have to ask (Score:5, Funny)
RSX and Cell development (Score:5, Interesting)
(http://www.daduh.org/ | Last Journal: Friday July 20, @11:20AM)
Will Sony be offering up kernel patches and an RSX optimized OpenGL library for PS3/Linux?
Homebrew (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Homebrew (Score:4, Funny)
(http://www.hyperlogos.org/ | Last Journal: Wednesday July 18, @08:19PM)
Re:Homebrew (Score:4, Funny)
No HDTV, Why Should I Get a PS3 (Score:5, Interesting)
(http://www.xenoveritas.org/ | Last Journal: Monday September 24, @04:04PM)
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. :)
Long Term (Score:3, Interesting)
(http://matoushin.blogspot.com/ | Last Journal: Tuesday May 24 2005, @09:28AM)
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.
Rumble (Score:5, Interesting)
Oblig: Rootkit (Score:5, Funny)
-q
Full GPU access for homebrew (Score:5, Interesting)
I don't think this has been asked yet... (Score:5, Interesting)
(Last Journal: Thursday August 11 2005, @05:50PM)
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?
Philosophy of gaming... (Score:5, Interesting)
(http://www.ericbarker.com/ | Last Journal: Wednesday October 10, @08:43PM)
What inspired Sony to alienate Europe? (Score:5, Interesting)
Mistakes (Score:5, Insightful)
Who is the PS3's target? (Score:3, Interesting)
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.
Where's the Innovation and Fun? (Score:4, Interesting)
(http://www.molrak.net/)
Gaming System (Score:5, Interesting)
8 processors, limited functionality (Score:5, Interesting)
(http://code.google.com/p/crylib/wiki/CryLib | Last Journal: Tuesday June 15 2004, @12:55PM)
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.
"Alternative" gameplay controls (Score:5, Interesting)
(http://www.tukaro.com/ | Last Journal: Monday September 17, @12:54AM)
What is your connection to games (Score:4, Insightful)
plans for a Europe EE version of the console? (Score:3, Interesting)
From some of the rumours I'v