Tretton has giant enemy crabs defeating Nintendo DS
Yes, we've already done a post on GameDaily's interview with SCEA's executive VP Jack Tretton, but now there is a second part where he discusses the PS3 price and its "mainstream" appeal.
However, before we get into the second interview, the crew at DS Fanboy points out this interesting quote from the first Tretton interview, "If you look at the adoption rate of the DS over the first 17 months, not only does it trail the PSP but it also trails their other platforms ... They're potentially losing some of their core audience and they're not really expanding beyond that."
Nice try, but the Japanese sales figures clearly show the devastating DS smackdown on the PSP, which makes the graphic at right well deserved.
What's interesting to note about the second interview is how the message regarding the PS3 has changed. Tretton says, "We don't expect nor do we need everybody to embrace the [PS3] technology from day one. But I think what we're saying with PS3 is that this is the machine that is going to drive gaming for the next ten years and this is the machine that you need to own and that will be valid and up to snuff from a technology standpoint for the next decade."
The marathon approach is probably the best posture for Sony to take regarding the PS3 launch, given that it will take at least a year for Sony to develop any semblance of a good foothold in the market -- and that's if consumers eat up every PS3 on the shelf. Of course, the Xbox 360 will have a two-year head start by that point and the Wii will attempt to saturate the market in the coming year with a more consumer-friendly price point. Will publishers buy into Sony's long term approach of investing in a console that will take a year to really get up and running when there are viable alternatives?
Tretton's own words might make you think otherwise: "I think the publishers, God bless 'em ... I think if you look at their best interests or what they'd like to see, they'd like us to give the machine [PS3] away because they're not interested in whether we're able to generate revenue or not; they just want to sell as much software as they can. And I think as a consumer we'd like to get it for free or 99 cents and that's just not realistic."
Neither is the belief that the PSP is defeating the DS, but Tretton obviously doesn't need to deal with reality. Would somebody please get Dave Karraker, SCEA's new PR guy, up and running to spin a viable and realistic message for the company suits to follow?
