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How are analysts handling Karraker's departure?
They're worried, honestly. Though some may say PR people are a dime a dozen in any industry, Karraker had a lot of history at Sony and his recent departure from the team is going to make it a difficult holiday for Sony, says analyst Michael Pachter. Karraker always made himself available for questions and comments, putting himself forward especially after the shaky PS3 launch and subsequent waves of negative press. Can someone fresh really fill the shoes of that man?Michael Pachter isn't completely sure. "The other PR people at Sony are quite competent, but it would help to strengthen the team with someone as good as Dave to handle the schizophrenic press over the next 6 months." Just because we always refer to ourselves as "we" doesn't make us schizophrenic! Although we don't consider ourselves press, either. As to further boost Sony's fears, Pachter also claimed that the few PS3 exclusives and pricing disadvantage relative to other consoles will make this one difficult holiday for Sony. Things will shape up in Spring, he said, "with the release of Grand Theft Auto 4, Gran Turismo 5, and Metal Gear Solid 4." We bet so, too!
Dave Karraker leaves Sony Computer Entertainment America
Dave Karraker, current Senior Director of Corporate Communications, is leaving SCEA. In an e-mail sent to members of the press, Karraker stated "I am saddened to leave such a great group of people, but I have been presented a global opportunity near my home in an industry where I have previous experience that I feel I must pursue." His position with the company ends this Friday. He will be moving on to Skyy Spirits.We at PSP and PS3 Fanboy are saddened to see you go, Dave. You've been so incredibly helpful in providing the answers that our readers have been looking for, and we wish the best of luck in your future endeavors.
Dave Karraker leaves Sony Computer Entertainment of America
Dave Karraker, current Senior Director of Corporate Communications, is leaving SCEA. In an e-mail sent to members of the press, Karraker stated "I am saddened to leave such a great group of people, but I have been presented a global opportunity near my home in an industry where I have previous experience that I feel I must pursue." His position with the company ends this Friday. He will be moving on to Skyy Spirits.We at PSP and PS3 Fanboy are saddened to see you go, Dave. You've been so incredibly helpful in providing the answers that our readers have been looking for, and we wish the best of luck in your future endeavors.
PR director Dave Karraker leaving Sony
Dave Karraker, Sr. Director of Corporate Communications for Sony Computer Entertainment America, has announced that he'll be leaving the company on Friday to take a position with Skyy Spirits. In an email to Joystiq and other media outlets, Karraker wrote, "I imagine you media sleuths will be unearthing this news soon, so I wanted to send you a personal email to let you know I have made the very difficult decision to leave Sony. I am saddened to leave such a great group of people, but I have been presented a global opportunity near my home in an industry where I have previous experience that I feel I must pursue."Karraker has been our go-to guy on Sony stuff since last September. Entering into some less than optimal circumstances, he's always managed to answer our questions while sailing the previously iceberg-bound Sony PR ship to calmer waters. We'll miss you, Dave.
PS3 can handle complex AI, says Karraker
If you haven't been up to date on the "he said, she said" of the industry, a producer working on the newest Splinter Cell game came out and said the title (a 360 exclusive) could never be on the Wii or PS3. The former due to graphical limitations, the latter due to its inability to handle AI effectively. Sony's Dave Karraker begs to differ and issued this rebuttal: "PS3 can more than handle AI, as you will see with Heavenly Sword, which has hundreds of on-screen enemies with different AI routines at one time thanks to the power of CELL."We don't think the PS3 would have any trouble handling complicated AI processing or whatever technical jargon you want to toss in there. This is sort of interesting, since graphics were the last thing to get bashed on the PS3, but that topic seems to have silenced itself. Now we're moving on to AI? Eventually devs are just going to have to accept the possibility that, while architecturally different, the PS3 and 360 should be able to handle almost everything identically.
Sony kinda denies rumble coming to the PS3
Man, Sony must really love teasing us: just a couple days after we got word that rumble-enabled SIXAXIS controllers were leaking out to developers, Sony's director of corporate communications Dave Karraker told GamePro that the company has "not added rumble [to PS3], and have no announcements regarding this feature." That's a non-denial denial, if you ask us -- way to be sly, Sony. Karraker also confirmed that updated SIXAXIS controllers with refined motion-sensing features were shipping out, but characterized that as "part of the normal development and evolution of controllers." Here's hoping the SIXAXIS evolves itself a rumble unit sooner rather than later.[Via PC World]
Blu-ray is justified, says Sony
Will this story be construed as flamebait? Some may think so, but we think it's just a way for Sony to reach out to consumers and say "hey, see, the investment into a new storage medium, Blu-ray, was worthwhile after all!" See, Project Gotham Racing 4's developers came out and said they were not going to include different times of day for their tracks -- not because they couldn't, but because they were unable to fit the texture data onto the DVDs for the game.Dave Karraker took the opportunity to jump into this announcement with one of his own: "Next generation games simply need more space on the disc to contain all that high-definition content. Take a look at Lair, for example, already pushing 25GB of content, and that is a first-generation title." While it's still hard to really differentiate between the games on the two competing consoles in terms of sheer graphical ability, there is a pretty telling gap between the different options available to a game with a lot more free memory space to fill. What do you guys think? Is Blu-ray a justified investment, or would DVD's have been good enough (would you want to have 3 discs for Lair)?
Confirmed: $100 price drop, new 80GB PS3 coming August
The PS3 is now $499, effective immediately. In addition, a new SKU will come out in August, ringing in at $599. It will include the previously exclusive-to-Korea 80GB PS3, as well as the full retail version of Motorstorm.While it is interesting that Sony is moving back to two SKUs, the new $599 package doesn't sound particularly enticing. Motorstorm is a fantastic game and the extra 20 GB is nice, but paying an extra $100 for it seems a bit expensive. How does it tickle your fancy?[Thanks Myke C!]
SCEA aware of porting difficulties, requiring "re-engineering"
We have a love-hate relationship with these kind of articles, lest they deter into all-too-familiar fanboy territory (wink wink). Regardless, they still are fascinating reads on technology and where our beloved full-time job hobby is headed. Gamepro recently questioned a developer tasked with high-profile PS3 ports from Xbox 360 code and the response was unsurprisingly, "nobody wants to touch that issue right now." Can't say we blame them. It's becoming increasingly complex a situation, with console exclusives falling by the wayside as publishers strive to get the most out of their investment. Professing love for one platform over another just doesn't seem like it would make things easier for anyone. An article by Dr. Dobbs Portal that ran in March, delivers an in-depth dissection about how much longer the learning curve is when it comes to developing for the Cell and how much more fruit the Cell can bear once established and competent developers get through the crux of utilizing its potential.
Sony vows legal action against hackers and pirates
SCEA has declared that they will "actively pursue" legal action against hackers that attempt to crack the PS3 anti-piracy software. This announcement arrives just after recent news that hackers were close to completely cracking the PS3 anti-piracy software found in firmware versions 1.10 and 1.11. Their progress on the crack would allow pirated PS3 games to boot, but they still were not playable. The homebrew community is also still waiting in the wings, as even this latest attempt still prevents any type of homebrew gaming on the PS3 console. Obviously, SCEA hopes to stalwart further progress and deter hackers from completely subverting the anti-piracy measures completely, because saying "please" just doesn't carry the same weight as legal action. Dave Karraker, SCEA spokesperson says, "the best we can do as a company, is to make our security that much stronger and aggressively pursue legal action against anyone caught trying to use an exploit in an illegal manner." The pirates who want to burn and run copied PS3 disks? Yeah, they're bad. Bad, bad. Spankings all around kind of bad. And if you're thinking of doing it, you shouldn't. Go find someone to deliver a spanking for even thinking such thoughts. On the homebrew front, we're kind of indifferent. Now, we're stepping out on a very thin limb here, but maybe, just maybe if Sony was a little bit more organized in lining up a steady stream of content for thirsting PS3 owners, we wouldn't have hackers so interested in cracking the PS3 for homebrew. What do you think?
Estimated layoffs at SCEA were "totally off base"
Earlier, we reported that up to 100 employees were laid off by SCEA. It appears that these figures were incorrect, and "way high." In a statement to GameDaily, Dave Karraker noted that less than 50 employees were let go. Government regulations require a company that lays off more than 50 individuals to issue a WARN notification -- something Sony did not have to do in this latest step in their corporate restructuring."We had a number of different department shifts in restructuring throughout the company, but nothing that's different from what we would typically have," Karraker explained. "The stuff that's been going on and has been going on since I started, back in September, is just continual shifts and changes within departments that's nothing unusual for any company on a regular basis."According to GameDaily's findings, the lay offs affected a variety of departments, including Consumer Service, Finance, Business and Technology, Operations, 1st and 3rd party test, Marketing and Sales. Karraker refuted the claims, and made note that such layoffs are part of "normal business practice."
SCEA lays off 80-100 employees [Update]
Sony's game division was first reported to be undergoing restructuring back in April and now, we're catching word that layoffs have begun. Two months back, only Sony Computer Entertainment Europe (SCEE) was going to have to bear the brunt of restructuring by eliminating up to 160 jobs. Now, word is coming in about 80-100 layoffs from Sony Computer Entertainment America (SCEA). Apparently, much like an "American Idol elimination episode," teams were split amongst between those being asked to leave and those likely asked to take on the other team's workload. Severance packages were provided but no one was asked to "finish out the rest of the day," instead being told to come back after hours or ask management to collect their belongings. SCEA's PR man Dave Karraker, told Kotaku earlier that "it was necessary to analyze our current business and to restructure the company as necessary," which more or less validates the layoffs as a necessity. No official word from SCEA on if more layoffs were planned or what potential gaming fallout may occur from this restructuring.[Update: When asked if PS3 sales were the direct cause of the SCEA layoffs, Dave Karraker declined and said, "this move is not wholly related to any one product in our portfolio." So there you have it.]
Dave Karraker's attempts to restore Sony's PR
GamePro sat down with Sony's head PR guy Dave Karraker to have a general discussion about Sony and the state of their public relations. When Karraker joined Sony last September the company was misstepping with regular amusing consistency -- and the executives didn't help. Since then, Sony still ends up in less than ideal situations on a regular basis, but Karraker has made himself available to answer questions, sometimes with spin, but at least there isn't the Sony wall of dumbfounded silence.Karraker speaks about adjusting media and public perception of Sony saying, "Access and education are the two things I talk about most over here. We want to be as accessible as possible and provide as much information as we can so media can properly cover our products and give the gamers all the news they want and need. That focus will never change. At launch of PS3 we gave an amazing amount of access to media. Kaz, Jack, and Peter must have done hundreds of interviews. That kind of access hasn't stopped, and in fact, I think it has increased with the amount of contact we have on a daily basis from folks in the blogging community."The piece covers a wide array of general topics and gives a little bit more insight into Sony's PR, and having any insight into how Sony's PR works is better than none. Of course, the fantastic coincidence here is we contacted Karraker about the interview to see if he wanted to respond or clarify any statements, the message bounces back, "I will be out of the office starting 05/18/2007 and will not return until 05/31/2007. I am currently out of the country on business and vacation ... I will not be checking email on a regular basis." He does leave information for other contacts, but come on, that's so biased of GamePro to unleash this interview when Karraker is on vaca. Bias, BIAS! Media conspiracy against Sony anyone?
The challenges of being Sony's PR man
Dave Karraker has quite possibly the roughest job of any PR director in SCEA history. Having come to the company only two months before the tumultuous PS3 launch, Karraker had quite an insurmountable task to face: combat the growing negativity surrounding the PlayStation brand and convince a questioning populace the value of an expensive $600 console. In an interview with GamePro, Karraker admits the job isn't easy. However, he thinks that the console's future success is nearly guaranteed: "I am pretty sure if you asked just about any real gamer out there if they would like to have a PS3, their answer would be a resounding 'Yes!'"Negative perceptions of PS3 can be seen within our own comments section, where Xbox advocates preach about the so-called downfall of Sony. This kind of attitude seems self-perpetuating on the internet, especially when internet media incorporates the negative spin into their reporting: "I think a lot of this goes back to the proliferation of the Internet, where a very vocal minority can make a lot of noise and potentially alter perceptions of the masses, whether they are accurate or not. A lot of this, naturally, is driven by the media who seem focused on taking swipes at us lately, without taking in the full picture."So what can Sony and Karraker do to help gamers start understanding Sony's approach to the next generation of gaming? The games and hardware should speak for themselves. "A lot of the perceptions are not justified and seem fueled by people who don't have all the facts or have some kind of axe to grind. I think you would be hard-pressed to find anyone who wouldn't say PS3 is an amazing piece of technology."
Sony admits "lack of new software" to blame for slow PS3 sales
PLAYSTATION 3's performance at retail last month was surprisingly sluggish -- even more so than predicted. So what does Sony have to say about their admittedly disappointing showing? They don't seem too surprised. "PS3 did see a dip in sales in April that we attribute mostly to a lack of new software in the market," admitted Sony's Dave Karraker.The future should prove much brighter, as proven by Sony's incredible Gamers Day (which didn't include other high-profile games that Sony is working on). "For the remainder of this fiscal year, we expect a flood of new games for PS3 totalling more than 100 titles across all genres, including Heavenly Sword, Lair, Uncharted: Drake's Fortune, Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction, LittleBigPlanet and many more. We feel strongly that this robust library will help drive hardware sales in the upcoming months."Too bad none of those games are coming out soon. A look at the release calendar for next month reveals a total of eight games.[Via GameDaily]
It's official: 20GB is no more
PlayStation 3 is now officially 599 US dollars--and only 599 US dollars. In a move that surprises absolutely no one, Sony has officially discontinued the cheaper SKU. Dave Karraker told GameDaily BIZ: "Due to the overwhelming demand for the 60GB model from both retailers and consumers, we have ceased offering the 20GB model here in North America. In addition to the larger internal hard drive, the 60GB PlayStation 3 features added storage media slots and built-in Wi-Fi not found in the 20GB system. Based on retailer and consumer feedback, we have decided to focus our current efforts on the more popular 60GB model."
Last gasps of a dying format [Update 1]
Sony handled movie UMDs terribly, so it comes as no surprise that movie studios and retail stores are becoming reluctant in supporting the format. Recent exceptions, like Borat or Casino Royale, got me thinking: When will the last UMD movie be released? A trip to Sony Style lists "Stomp the Yard" as the last UMD available for pre-order, with a release date of May 15th. Amazon has a few other UMDs listed, but with release dates set in the year 2025, it's very likely that these UMDs have been canceled. In any case, it's painfully obvious this is the last year we'll see new UMD releases. Does anyone still buy new UMD movies, or do you simply buy them when they're on clearance? [Update 1: The ever-lovable Dave Karraker has sent us an e-mail, stating "There is absolutely no truth to the rumor that we are discontinuing the UMD format for PSP."]
Black Friday leads to a 280 percent sales increase
The PSP has been on a roll lately. The launch of PLAYSTATION 3 a few weeks ago increased PSP sales by 30 percent. The Black Friday boost was even more stellar: sales have gone up another 280 percent, according to Dave Karraker, in a statement to GameDaily. Like Martha Stewart would tell you, the PSP is an awesome holiday gift, and it appears early holiday shoppers know that. Of course, the Black Friday price drops certainly didn't hurt at all either: systems were selling for as low as $150. Considering how system sales exploded with a lower price, imagine the gain the PSP would get from a permanent price drop. Why not, Kaz?
Your Week in Nintendo - 11/6/06 - 11/12/06
Welcome to a new feature at DS Fanboy -- where we recap the stories you don't want to miss. Top stories are chosen based on relevance and reader support. For the week beginning Monday, November 6th and ending Sunday, November 12th, Your Week in Nintendo brings you: 5) Elite Beat Agents arrivesAt last, the Elite Beat Agents are here to set things right. It's been one of the year's most anticipated titles, and now we can barely take time away from playing it ... unless, of course, we're talking about it. 4) Two great tastes Just in time for the Wii launch, Nintendo drops a gift from Twilight Princess into Animal Crossing: Wild World, though it won't be revealed until the 17th. 3) The debate rages onThis time, it's not the fanboys arguing about the merits of the DS and the PSP -- it's Sony's Dave Karraker comparing the media hub that is the PSP to Nintendo's handheld gaming system. Who knew being about the games could be so wrong?2) Things are looking good on the DSNew footage from Dragon Quest Monsters: Joker had fans stumped -- it looks so good, some mistook it for a Wii title! It's good to be reminded that it's not all about stylus-based fun with the DS. Nintendo's innovate handheld is powerful, too. 1) Apple v. Nintendo -- fight! Our favorite handheld dukes it out with the MacBook Pro for the title of Time magazine's Gadget of the Year.
Sony of America responds to PS3 shortage
Dave Karraker, a big name at Sony Computer Entertainment America, sat down with IGN to respond to the influx of terrible Sony news plaguing the multiverse. We'll summarize the key Q&A below. The 500,000 unit statement is completely true. The North American numbers (400,000) is just below what the PS2 launch had available and is higher than the initial Xbox360 numbers. There will be 1-1.2 million PS3's by the end of December in the US. Sony is still confident in the 6 million fiscal year end mark. Why? They believe the production of the blue laser diodes will grow more efficient over the next couple of months and drastically increase supply. Sony does accept the fact this error has damaged their image, but remain steadfast the PS3 will sell through its entire inventory. As Karraker said, "Any time you push the envelope as far as we are pushing it, there are risks. However, at the end of the day, when people see how advanced this system is, the snags we may have encountered along the way, will quickly fade into the past." Hope so! You can check out the other pieces of the interview if you would like, but most else is just filler or not quite as pertinent to the shortage itself. We've got to stay strong! Sony isn't giving up, so we shouldn't give up on them either. Let's try to give 'em a little love, whaddya say?
