Phil Harrison
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Sony has 40 e-Distribution projects in pipeline, PS3's new focus?
It's on. Sony looks to takeaway Microsoft's edge -- you know, Xbox Live Arcade -- by aggressively pursuing developers who will create downloadable titles that suit PlayStation 3's hardware. Here's Phil Harrison's take on Sony's new strategy:"[What] we've seen on other systems tend to be retro 2D games, and we're pushing the 3D capabilities of the PlayStation 3. Plus, the fact that every PS3 has a hard disk drive means that we're not restricted by the size of the download, and that has a huge impact on the kind of game design that you can do."But is this what our $600 console was built for? Is it too far out to imagine Sony (and Microsoft) slipping into a pattern; buttering us up with little e-Distribution titles all year long, and then releasing a couple big-budget franchise sequels during the holidays? Downloadable games are a nice bonus, but the novelty seems to be attracting a disproportionate amount of our game companies' attentions. How far off is the PS3 Jr., a console with no optical drive, tailored solely for the e-Distribution era?
PS1 catalogue on PS3 not yet playable
Speaking with 1UP, Sony's Phil Harrison detailed plans to make most of the PlayStation (PS1) catalogue available for download on PlayStation 3 -- in addition to PSP. Harrison confirmed that a few titles will be available at launch, including Twisted Metal and Syphon Filter. The catch is you'll have to play them on your PSP, since PS3 currently lacks PS1 emulation software.Once the patch is distributed though -- Harrison hopes by year's end -- each PS1 download will be playable on both PS3 and PSP, allowing us to enjoy treasured classics and rarities on-the-go and on the big screen. Just be warned, PS1 games will not be enhanced for your 1080p display.Note: Actual PS1 discs will be playable at launch.
Phil Harrison defends Blu-ray format, smells like gas
Uh-oh! Phil Harrison is opening his mouth again. Time to put PS3Fanboy on spin cycle! Wait... he's actually pretty believable here. In an interview with ThreeSpeech, Phil said that certain PS3 launch titles are already nearing the point of filling the 25GB capacity of Blu-ray discs. This was in response to the notion that Sony was pushing Blu-ray only as a means to go head-to-head with HD-DVD. Next year, Harrison plans, the discs will be 50GB standard and even then "I'd expect that we'll be getting close to that in the fairly near future as well." Meaning 50GB games! Dang. How's about some compression, man? That's just an assumption, but maybe the large sizes are before any compression is done?Well, what about the claim that other current-gen systems are still using DVD's, Mr. Harrison? "DVD is not sufficient capacity to power the kind of data consumption, or to feed the data consumption needs of Cell and RSX. It's got nothing to do with movies. Just purely as a gameplay device, we need Blu-Ray to supply the kind of data that PS3 games use." Ah, indeed, indeed. That's easy to say, but we'll find out in mid-November if it's true. We'll close with a long, nifty quote. Take it, Phil. "It's not just, as you say, about movies -- it's about 7.1 audio, it's about animation, it's about high resolution textures. If you have a graphics chip capable of displaying the textures in a high enough resolution, the designers would want to exploit that benefit creatively. Don't take my word from it -- there was a great quote from a guy from EA who said that whenever there's a new disc format, you always struggle to think how developers will fill it, but they always do. I suppose that game development is like gas, it expands to fill the available space. Once you have that technical capability, the creative desire to exploit it follows very quickly thereafter." Yes. Game development is like gas.
Hands-on with the PlayStation Network
It's not really fair to judge the PS3's online component before, like, the console is actually released and gamers start putting it through its paces, but it's still interesting hear Eurogamer's take on a pre-launch version of the PlayStation Network, courtesy of some exclusive face time with Sony exec Phil Harrison. From the site's extensive coverage of many aspects of the service, the most noticeable theme is that Sony seems to have been closely watching the successes and failures of Xbox Live, and is serious about its promise to meet or exceed all of Live's capabilities. Therefore, many of features that 360 fans have become accustomed to -- consistent UI, multiple methods of communicating with friends, and downloadable content -- are prominently featured in the Network experience, with other aspects -- namely a full web browser, multitude of game-specific mini-stores, and pricing in real currency as opposed to "points" -- clearly designed to one-up Microsoft's offering. Other nice touches here include the ability to create a master account and regulated "associated" accounts (helpful for parents looking to police their kids' usage), a global "Wallet" with which you make all micro-payments (including those required by third-party publishers), and of course, an upgradable OS that leverages the hard drive on both versions of the PS3. Downsides? Unlike Xbox Live, the first iteration of PlayStation Network doesn't let friends communicate while playing a game; even though you'll get a notification of new messages during gameplay, you have to exit the game in order to read them and respond. Also, it's still not clear if / how Sony will implement player rankings a la Live's leaderboards, which is a feature that naturally-competitive gamers have come to expect. All-in-all, though, it sounds like Sony has put a lot of thought into the usability of this increasingly important aspect of the console experience, and assuming that the company is able to overcome potential shortages, lack of rumble, and other well-known nitpicks, the PlayStation Network looks poised to attract the same fervent following as XBL.[Via PS3 Fanboy and Joystiq]
PS3 Online Service -- the details we've wanted for a year
We just know that everyone's been asking "PS3's online service... how's it work?" among other, less kind statements (but still thinking about the same thing). Well, quite a few people have sent in this tidbit of filet-mignon-quality information. Let's start with more general statements, then we'll attack the actual online service and how it works. Let it be known: "the PS3 is designed from the ground up as an online device - unlike the PS2, which suffered from a number of major problems on that front" (but the PS2 service had more active members than XBox Live! Of course, that was from the sheer number of PS2's out there...). Read on, noble warriors, and see the magic that awaits you in November...
Kutaragi says: "We don't care," masses arch a brow
Kutaragi was recently asked whether rival consoles will hinder the success of the PS3 by MCV. Kutaragi, being a man not only of few words but of well-worded words (this was an excellent example, don't deny it!), he responded "We do not care." Yeah! Awesome. But... we do, don't we? Oh yeah, well, Mr. Kutaragi, how about you explain the difficulty of producing Blu-ray drives! "Right now, it is an issue, because we can't manufacture enough blue laser diodes for our PlayStation 3s. But we will resolve that." Good to know. We're counting on you.Another head of Sony, Phil Harrison, was available to discuss launch titles, since Kutaragi wouldn't divulge any info on them. Phil, take it away. "Resistance: Fall of Man and Genji are definite PS3 launch titles ... We're at a fluid time when games are in final QA but not out of final QA. But we're close." Cool beans. So what does this prove? Sony is unmoved by the competition, have told us (not promised!) that they will resolve the diode issue, and have told us (not promised, though it surely sounds like one) two launch titles fo' sho'. Sounds good, eh?
The three heads of Sony speak -- region free PS3!
Phil Harrison... Kaz Hirai... Ken Kutaragi... no, they do not comprise the three heads of the mythical Cerberus, but they do comprise the three heads of a real-life corporation that rivals such mythical beasts: Sony. Game|Life got to interview them all in one night and a couple of interesting tidbits came out. Here they are: Phil Harrison believes there's no North American price drop because the $599 is a "magic price point". Basically, it's the price people will buy at that gives Sony the greatest marginal profit (or if manufacturing costs are still more than the price, the lowest marginal loss). The Playstation 3 is region free for games, but not movies. So you can grab a PS3 from Japan if you really, really want, but you'll have trouble playing local movies. This is also good news for import junkies, especially among fighting game fanatics (less translation to deal with). Oh, this also includes downloadable games. Kaz Hirai and Ken Kutaragi both leaned towards "no" as to the inclusion of component cables in the box. Alone, each point is kind of "meh", but add them together and you've got a bevy of PS3 common knowledge. It's surprising how these more common points are overlooked, so while many may have heard these, there will be some who were wondering about these and, well, now they know.[FYI: if the link to Game|Life doesn't work, just hit refresh. That worked for me!]
TGS 06: PS3 XMB gets very sexy
We all know the PlayStation 3 will have the same XMB as the PSP. However, there are some very pretty improvements. Phil Harrison demoed the console's photo ability and it is absolutely beautiful. Unlike the PSP, the PS3 can manipulate your photographs and make them appear as physical photos in a 3D environment. With upgradeable firmware, the PS3 will be able to have even more functionality as well.The browser will also have multiple tabs, a la Firefox. The console will also support one universal login for online games (according to the 1UP Show). Hopefully, the improvements made to the XMB on the PlayStation 3 will find their way over to the PSP in a future firmware version.
Yowzer! 100 PS3 titles in development
If you want to get technical, Sony has over 190 titles in the works across all consoles (PS3, PS2, PSP), but Phil Harrison confirmed to Famitsu.com that 100 are for the PS3. While this may seem like Sony has moved on to the next-gen system, we must recall that the PS2 is still getting some massive titles released into next year (Final Fantasy XII, God of War 2). Who would ever completely drop their previous console right after the next-gen edition is released, anyway? Oops! Nevermind.So what does Phil Harrison recommend for us? He didn't actually "recommend" anything so much as recite the obvious: that Resistance: Fall of Man is garnering a lot of attention in the U.S. and European and White Knight Story is gathering steam worldwide. We'll just say those are the games he wants us to watch out for. Lots of gaming, coming our way!
Dubious rumor: Gran Turismo HD to ship without cars or tracks
Clearly, it's the most ridiculous thing you've ever heard of. In fact, the mere suggestion that a premier racing game would be released without vehicles or courses (arguably two of the most important elements in such a game) is so beyond what is defined as "ridiculous", things like tap dancing unicorns and flying kangaroos can actually gaze at said suggestion through a telescope. That reason alone is worth marking this story as a rumor, though it's certainly not the only one. If we're to believe the forum-posted translation of the latest interview in Famitsu, Kazunori Yamauchi has big plans in store for his beloved automotive franchise -- big plans composed of teeny tiny transactions.Gran Turismo HD will supposedly see release in two versions. The first, entitled Gran Turismo HD: Premium, amounts to nothing more than a demo of, you guessed it, Gran Turismo 5. The 30 included cars and two undoubtedly exciting tracks are rendered in pristine PS3 glory and are meant to give you a solid idea of what Yamauchi and friends are putting together for a full release in 2008. Two more tracks and 30 extra cars can be purchased and downloaded for this version. If you prefer purchasing a full game instead of an extended prologue, perhaps Gran Turismo HD: Classic would be more your speed. Or perhaps not.Though the Classic moniker may stem from the fact that you're getting a high resolution PS2 game, you may distinctly recall the original game actually giving you hundreds upon hundreds of cars for your $50. Not so with this version. Every car and every track may be purchased and downloaded from Sony's online network. The interview mentions a price of 50-100 yen per vehicle ($0.43 - $0.85) and 200 - 500 yen per track ($1.71 - $4.26). Being generous and sticking to the low end of the scale results in $408 spent if you want all 750 cars and all 50 tracks (roughly what you got in Gran Turismo 4). Moving up on the scale approaches values that surpass what you paid for the PS3 (newsflash: a lot) to begin with.Is any of this true? 1UP's Luke Smith points to a more utopian quote (his version actually gives you one car!) by Sony's Phil Harrison that seems to match up with this story: "Imagine Gran Turismo shipping on a disc with one car and one track. And then you can browse, online, a dynamic circuit of vehicles that's growing every day because either the car manufacturers are adding new vehicles or we're adding new vehicles. And you can see a specific-type car that's being called up and say, 'I think I'll play with that one. Let me download and play it.'" Seems more likely that the quote created the story. Until Sony confirms (unlikely) or denies it later this week, consider this an entertaining vilification of the microtransaction and nothing more.
Sony's Phil Harrison's foot seeks his mouth again, misses
So, all this talk about format wars and console wars has everyone riled up, but what about the next-next-gen wars? We're talking PS4, XBox720, Wiiiii(?)! Maybe we aren't thinking about that yet, but Phil Harrison, the man behind Sony's worldwide studios, definately is. He said that "I'd be amazed if the PlayStation 4 has a physical disc drive," which really makes this console war useless. Who cares about HD-DVD or Blu-ray if in 5 or 10 years (depending on how long the PS3 actually lasts as an upgradeable system), we drop media storage discs entirely?Even if that were true and we got everything we needed over some kind of broadband (movies, games, etc)... that would kind of stink. Download times may be excessive and even the hardest core of gamers and movie watchers will end up needing more hard drive space. Not that buying an external hard drive would be a pain. All of that is fairly moot, though, as one thing will lead this movement: price. Would it be cheaper to download games and movies from a Sony-based PS4 website? By all means, it should. That doesn't mean it will. What does everyone think about the possible move away from discs? Would it bode well, fare poorly, crash the internet as we know it?
Phil Harrison boasts PS3's progress
Phil Harrison has reassured us lately that more than 100 games are in development for the PS3. Not all are launch titles, of course. He reiterated the fact 10,000+ dev kits have been shipped and the company is in full swing for the November launch. This isn't exactly breaking news, but to hear him say as fact the rumors and speculations going around is sort of nice. Especially about the negative press on Blu-ray, he countered: "Right now there are more than 100 Blu-ray movies available today, in the US. More than 100 games are in development, and all the major third-party publishers have pledged their strategic support for the platform."About the developers, he said, "Developers now have final hardware in their hands, though there will be some upgrades to the operating system - there's nothing unusual about that. The new controller is now in developers' hands, so all the pieces of the puzzle are there." All the pieces, except the OS upgrades. Whatever. Here's an interesting bit about the developers: they have working PS3 Blu-ray drives, so they can burn their games onto Blu-ray discs and check 'em out that way, as opposed to running the games off the hard drive or some other media format. At the Tokyo Game Show, we'll see how well the Blu-ray versions stack up. Hopefully some developers will have a decently running beta of a game off of the final hardware and such.
Sony's Harrison: Everything fine here, nothing to see
Sony's Phil Harrison spoke to the Guardian and said that the PlayStation 3 is definitely on track in the gaming community with more than 100 titles currently in the works:"More than 100 games are in development, and all the major third-party publishers have pledged their strategic support for the platform."Harrison continues to douse any other potential flames by saying, "It's all going well. We are in full swing, from a developer point of view, and over 10,000 development kits have been shipped. Developers now have final hardware in their hands, though there will be some upgrades to the operating system -- there's nothing unusual about that. The new controller is now in developers' hands, so all the pieces of the puzzle are there."
Sony's Phil Harrison arrogantly denies arrogance
Phil Harrison, big boss of Sony Computer Entertainment, sat down for a short session with Joystiq's Conrad Quilty-Harper and cleared up a couple of the more embarassing quotes from other members of Sony. About Sony's arrogance, he said: "There's always going to be a risk when you are market leader for ten years that we start to lose perspective; and we have to make sure that we don't lose perspective." He then reassures Conrad Sony is not being arrogant, but are always in the spotlight and any quotes will be dissected into whatever spin is being sought.About the statement "Microsoft is copying Sony"? Phil claims the quote was taken out of context, which is kind of hard to do when it was practically verbatim. Even so, as being the leader in the industry for about ten years, not only is it easier to get more hate than praise (if you think bashing President Bush is bad now, imagine how it would spiral out of control in four more years!), but it's also easier for the leader to get an inflated ego. As such, less people may support the PS3, but saying Sony's arrogant? Taken out of context, indeed. Really, this interview with Phil Harrison did not seem to clear much up at all except the people at Sony really believe in what they say. But should we?[via Joystiq]
Sony's Phil Harrison: "I don't think we're arrogant"
At the end of the final keynote of the Develop Conference in Brighton, Jennie and I walked up to Sony Computer Entertainment big boss Phil Harrison, with the intention of a) thrusting a Joystiq t-shirt into his hands and b), asking him two questions on the topic of the company's perceived arrogance. What he said is below, but the most interesting part for me was what he said off-tape.What would you say to the suggestion that Sony is being arrogant?There's always going to be a risk when you are market leader for ten years that we start to lose perspective; and we have to make sure that we don't lose perspective. But I don't think we're arrogant, I think we have to recognize that we're in a highly competitive industry and that anything that we say will be eternally editorialized by professionals and consumers alike. So we're always in the spotlight.
Sony gets realistic, but remains confusing
More PR strangeness from Sony: Niall O'Hanrahan, a representative of Sony Computer Entertainment in Ireland has added his words to the boiling pot of Sony sound bites. Speaking to the Irish Times, his words offer a slightly more pessimistic tone. Regarding tasks that Sony has set itself with the PS3, O'Hanrahan said "we have a marketing challenge from now until launch. This is not a done deal. It will require a lot of effort from us." He also referred to the extra competition that the PS3 has to face due to its role as more than just a game console: "Competition is now not limited to direct competition. We compete with MP3 players. We noticed at E3 that games for PCs are back."It's nice to see someone from Sony remaining realistic about the challenges the company faces as it tries to sell the PS3 to early adopters, especially considering the jolt that the value of the PlayStation brand must have taken after the console's price was announced. However, we have to point out an obvious contradiction in his words. Wasn't it Phil Harrison that said a few days ago that the PS3 will make the PC irrelevant? Who are we supposed to believe: Phil's harsh words for the PC, or O'Hanrahan's word of warning about PCs being "back" (in town)?
Phil Harrison sez PS3 will make you ditch your computer
Once again, we're hoping something is missing in translation here, but we've got the latest from the trenches in Sony's never-ending hype war of attrition; Phil Harrison, Vice President of Sony Computer Entertainment Europe, apparently told Spiegel, the following, which was translated from English to German, then back as the following (which we cleaned up a tiny bit): "We believe that the PS3 will be the place where our users play, watch films, browse the Web... The PlayStation 3 is a computer. We do not need the PC." Seriously? We translated the page a few different ways and times, same result. Do you really mean to say the PlayStation 3, which, granted, will run a flavor of Linux, will make us drop our PCs off at the corner because it can browse the web and play back movies? Phil, c'mon, work with us here. As long as you and your cronies are going to keep on making these crazed, bombastic Sim Wong Hoo-like statements, we're gonna keep reporting it; and then our kind readers are gonna think we're all hating on Sony and stuff, but really we're trying to expose the folly of what's really at hand. Seriously Sony, Phil, Ken, you guys need let the product stand on their own two feet. We're gonna suggest the Nintendo method on this one; enough with the superlative language and let the product sell itself.[Via VideoGamesBlogger]Update: thanks to our dear, sweet German speaking audience (yes, we're read internationally -- who knew?) it's becoming increasingly glear that our translation-bot didn't facilitate an accurate quotation here, (surprise, surprise). Essentially the answer Phil gave was along the lines of using the PS3 to attack some of the more commonly used PC functionalities, and that Sony's emphasis is on entertainment, not just gaming. Ok, that's cool, but that's still a helluva money quote.
Phil Harrison: the PlayStation 3 will kill PC
Oh no he didn't! Yes gamers, he did. In a recent interview, Phil Harrison of Sony stated that PC gamers will find themselves without a viable platform once the PlayStation 3 hits the shelves. When he wasn't defending Sony against "copy-cat" allegations concerning the new controller and Nintendo, he had this to say: "We believe that the PS3 will be the place where our users play games, watch films, browse the Web, and use other [home] computer functions," said Harrison. "The PlayStation 3 is a computer. We do not need the PC."One thing is for sure: with the price of the PS3 being closer to a PC than a home console, it better damn well perform like it. Now whether it's going to be killing off the personal computer as we know it (for gamers, at least) is debatable. The PC has always staved off the threat of videogame consoles, so it's hard to imagine that a system with so much ground to cover could show up and take out a platform that's been historically healthy throughout the years.Think you'll be getting rid of your PC when the PlayStation 3 comes out in November?
Sony picks Wii as running mate vs Microsoft
It seems supporting Nintendo has become the popular trend among next-generation console makers. After Peter Moore rather surprisingly considered Nintendo Wii as the second console of choice (alongside an Xbox 360), Sony's Phil Harrison shot back by telling GamePro, "I think Peter Moore is exactly right. I think Nintendo will be the second system consumers purchase after PlayStation 3."As our tipster pointed out, if Nintendo was everyone's second console of choice, wouldn't that make it the top-selling console with the most market share? Regardless, statements like these are sure to put Nintendo's corporate offices in good spirits.[Thanks, Sense; image inspired by Dueling Analogs; via Gamasutra](Update: pointed link back to original source.)
Phil Harrison's media Q&A video from GDC
Can't get enough Phil Harrison in your life? Check out this video from the media Q&A following his GDC keynote for 20 minutes of Phil-y love (and maybe a few furtive glances from Kaz Hirai sitting in the background).We just love how Phil "swerve[d] a couple of the questions" regarding the hard drive and other hardware-related issues, but we also like how he managed to clarify those questions regarding "content offerings" that will be charged at a "premium," though he did say that there were "no plans to charge for [multiplayer gaming] at the moment."But, yeah, Mr. Harrison wasn't as combative in his answers as some media outlets portrayed him, which is another great step for platform executives who tend to make rather grandiose statements and fiery claims. If you want to see as well as hear the Phil handle all comers, this is one of your best chances yet. We'd love to hear it all clearly in English at E3, too.[Thanks, Fan; video courtesy of Jean-Baptiste Su of Citizen Valley]
