GDC - Sony Keynote 172
To be honest, I'm not really anticipating anything all that exciting being announced here. The big announcement (the delay) is already out there. There are no plans to have a playable version of the PS3 on the show floor. If there are any meaty announcements made, they're likely to revolve around games for the console. Even then, my hopes aren't that high.
Jamil was just introduced, and offers up the idea that the keynote will 'demystify the next generation of consoles'. Phil Harrison walks out, and offers up the idea of 'going beyond the box'.
The PS2 Report Card:
- 1m units hardware
- 1b units software
- 632 titles
- overall market, 60% ownership
- some markets over 85%
David Jaffe is introduced. The PS2 is nice, but it's 'Incapable of rendering 3-way sex scenes in realtime.' They're going to be doing AAA games on the PS2 for some time to come. God of War 2 will be available for play at E3. They show a clip from the game, which features a ton of the super-violent finishing moves we saw in the last game. At one point Kratos walks up a cyclops' chest with his blades, and then reaches into his eye socket to wrench his seeing organ free. Another clip shows the God of War slicing the wings from a griffon before leaping into the sky. Promises of more to come at E3.
PSP is their fastest growing format. They're lowering the prices on PSP dev tools, having shipped over thousands worldwide. Internet browser will be a focus, with a Flash functionality. A video camera is also upcoming, for a VOIP videophone/Wifi videophone. He hopes 'communication-based games' also becomes a powerful part of the PSP story. GPS receiver is also upcoming. He's hoping for some geocaching-style games, along with the more obvious uses. The camera and GPS are both going to be coming out in the fall, around late Sept/Early Oct.
E-Distribution. Going to be a download from a content server onto a MemoryStick. They're going to be offering PS1 content from an archive server, in addition to new games. The PS3 will also be interoperable with the PSP. PSP can be used as a media browser for content on the PS3 via wifi and USB.
Another new PSP Game, Loco Roco. Wow. Crack-addled. Some sort of blue balloon guy that rolls around...sort of like Gish? It stretches shape and moves around, sometimes budding off into multiple creatures in a side-scrolling format. Coming out this Summer.
PS3! An Apology with Ducks. A new 'duck' demo. This one is is underwater, with thousands of fish simulated in realtime (procedural animation). Lots of schooling behaivor. It looks nice, I guess. He goes on to talk about basic features.
They include:
- Full PS2 backwards compatibily
- Full Blu-Ray Support
- Legacy SD to full HD support
- Latest HDMI
- Broadband Network Connection
- Wireless Connection
- HDD Standard
He introduces some work from Ninja to show off ragdoll physics in a soldier man demo. They drop in a ton of soldier guys (over 1000), and then set off an explosion. Bodies fly, and bounce off of each other with appropriate screams. Laughs from the crowd.
Simon Hobbs from SCEE london, to show off a vehicle demo. Lots of shiny shaders and such. Still looks kinda jaggy to me, but then it's a demo. They shoot up the car, to show off the destruction of the model. It convincingly deconstructs, the hood popping open to show us the engine. It's not all that attractive, but speaks well to the physics of the console.
Blue-Ray. Some discussion of the ratio of content on the disc to memory in the system. A lot of discussion on the need for more space, given the amount of content going into new games. (graphics, performace, sounds, localizations). Can offer the publisher the chance to make one disc for all markets. They show a demo of the London from Getaway Future, a demo from back at the last E3. They 'need' Blu-Ray' in order to get all the sound and content onto the disc.
Another demo. This one's actually a game, but they want to focus on the tech. Dylan Jobe, producer of the Warhawk title. A hovering jet, an aircraft shooter title. They're using the term 'ambient warfare' to describe the general chaos and background fighting in the middle of a battlefield. Not only do they have that, but they render the clouds, waves, and light in realtime. Software rendering and Hardware rendering combine to offer up the shiny. Everything is anti-aliased and displayed in HD. Nothing is written in assembly, everything is done via higher level access to the PS3 chip. He promises that there will be a playable demo at E3 of the title. So...at least one then.
PlayStation Network Platform (not the final name). It's going to focus on Content, Communication, Community, and Commerce. Going to start with PS3 launch, basic service free. 'Open internet' business philosophy. Worldwide network and launch, co-designed by SOE. They'll provide all the basics. 3rd party servers can be made and connected to the network (MMOGs) if they're so inclined. Basic community services - account creation, lobby and matching, score/ranking, video/voice chat/text chat, friends lists and avatars. Shops to sell online content, both in and out of games. PS3 HDD can hold this downloaded material, and games can be launched directly. No Discs! Subscriptions, micropayments, etc. are all available. Next week, the SDK is heading to devs. End of June, the complete server-side will be available to devs, with September offering the final environment.
Formula 1 offering, another Demo. Video chat window overlaid over the game. Smack talk your friends while you play, with gestures, I guess. Email and friends can be accessed in the game. Invites to other games from within another game. The shop is also available in games, purchasing new cars/new tracks. The style of the shop can be adapted to the game, for a more integrated experience.
Yet another demo, for the title Motor Storm. Some folks from the developers, driving the car around kicking up dirt and making trails in the ground as it goes. Lots of complex geometry, along with stuff like visible welds on the vehicle frame. Persistent deformation of the gameworld, presenting gameplay challenges depending on the game involved. They'll be offering up a lot more at E3.
Another demo, CEO of Insomniac Ted Price. An internal demo of Resistance: Call of Man. Typical console FPS, with headcrabs and whatnot. They offer up more AI at a time, lots of cute physics stuff (nailbombs, black hole generator). Another title that will be shown in more depth at E3. 'Why they're working on the PS3'. Superior firepower, he sez. Blue Ray and the SPUs have been the most exciting things they've had to work with. Lots of room for content, lots of processing power, lots of room for stuff they've never been able to do before. The seven SPUs allow for a lot of extra stuff load balanced to the other processors. All that parallel processing and content == better games.
A 'sneak peak', a noninteractive demo for ooo something shiny. A future-tech world, lots of stuff going on in the background. Fifth element's flying car city. Has an art-deco looks almost like the buildings of Myst. Moving through the city high above, and then diving down into the misty depths of the city. Robots walking past, one some mission or other. Ratchet and Clank. This is the new Ratchet game. Looks pretty good.
Today. We make content for discs in stores. It's what the industry has done for 25 years. Creating network and communities of gamers. Fundamental shift in the planning, creation, production, and management of games. Future GDCs will be focused on network-based business as opposed to disc-based businesses. Revenue streams will be more complicated. Besides prepackaged media, there's also downloadable content, episodic content, in-game advertising (booo!), SOCOM 3 (39 Million hours of online play). Lots of commercial opportunity for the industry. Subcriptions also a source of income. (WoW bigger than Ireland) Mobile gaming as a possible addition to the network. Game object auctions (no comment on that), but yeah. Merchandising. Gotta sell those T-shirts. The Wheel of Fortune.
Building direct relationships with the consumer is their new big things. They're introducing an initiative for online content creation. e-Distribution is the key. www.playstation.com/beyond/
Live now, a place where devs and content creators can connect with Sony to do online stuff for the PlayStation Network.
Innovation grows the market -
- SingStar 4 million units in 2 years
- Eyetoy, 9 million in 3 years
- Buzz, 2 million in six months.
100M (Score:5, Insightful)
More editing: (Score:3, Funny)
Re:More editing: (Score:2)
Re:More editing: (Score:2)
And we wonder why only 10% of game developers are female.
Re:100M (Score:2)
Hah, I was wondering about that one. "Every PS2 owner bought 1,000 games?"
Re:100M (Score:2)
Re:100M (Score:1)
One more thing... (Score:5, Funny)
- What colour was his turteneck?
- What colour were his jeans?
- What was the "one more thing?"
Re:One more thing... (Score:2)
And Sony wonders why it has problems (Score:3, Interesting)
You would think that the "hot coffee" scandal would have taught people a lesson. That congressmen like to take notice of such statements because it easy fodder for them to use to please their red-state supporters.
Joke or not, I am surprised that Sony would allow such a statement be made that represents their future product/gaming platform.
Re:And Sony wonders why it has problems (Score:1)
Re:And Sony wonders why it has problems (Score:2)
Re:And Sony wonders why it has problems (Score:2)
Re:And Sony wonders why it has problems (Score:2, Troll)
Hillary Clinton does not have many red-state supporters.
Re:And Sony wonders why it has problems (Score:2)
Re:And Sony wonders why it has problems (Score:3, Informative)
Actually, she is BOTH a Senator AND a member of Congress. What she is not (among other things) is a member of the House of Representatives.
The Senate and the House together make up the Congress.
=Tod
Re:And Sony wonders why it has problems (Score:4, Interesting)
It's not a Troll, because first of all, this based on what I actually believe. Trolling is when you string people along with a fake comment because you want to watch them squirm. You say something that you don't believe that will get people riled up.
I actually think that the person who modded it Troll is a Democrat who figures I'm an evil Republican who hates Hillary Clinton because I'm an evil Republican. Actually, that's not true. I can't imagine voting for a Republican, I want to vote for a peace candidate and a civil liberties candidate. Hillary Clinton is pro-war and anti-civil liberties, so why are the Democrats pushing her? If the Republicans decide to throw the next election by putting up the worst campaigner they can find, she might squeak in.
I really want to understand the logic of her candidacy among ordinary people like the kind of people who moderate Slashdot. Give me a list of positive accomplishments she's done as Senator. A stirring speech opposing the War in Iraq or the Bush administrations massive infringement on our civil liberties something. If you are a Hillary Clinton supporter, understand that I'm either going to vote for a third party candidate or the Democratic candidate in the next election. Why should I vote for her?
Re:And Sony wonders why it has problems (Score:2)
She's not after your vote, or mine. For every vote she loses on the left, she wins ten more in the political mainstream, which has unfortunately taken a sharp rightwards turn under this administration. And I'll tell you what--I'll vote for her, if only to move the center back left.
Re:And Sony wonders why it has problems (Score:2)
Okay, maybe he doesn't have as much chance of getting the Democratic nomination, but I really think people overestimate Hillary Clinton's chance of winning a general election. (And if she does win, what then? Does the antiwar movement decide "to go along to get along?" Will she
Re:And Sony wonders why it has problems (Score:2)
Statement of Senator Russ Feingold on his Amendments to the Bankruptcy Bill [progressiv...tsfund.com]
Re:And Sony wonders why it has problems (Score:2)
I really don't think Schumer has any chance at all.
with out sex, we have no people (Score:2)
Those red staters really have it wrong, they should promote sex, because the more secret they keep
sex hidden and dirty and taboo, the less people duplicate. If they could have it their way, they would
outlaw sex totally , but that would mean no personal fun, and no families, which having a family would proove
you had sex.
They they could treble their cause and population if they relaxed, made it open, let it all out.
Meanwhile those isla
Price? (Score:5, Funny)
That way I can plan my budget and buy instant noddles in bulk.
Course, I know some fanboys who'd be willing to sign over a blank check to Sony Corp.
Re:Price? (Score:2, Insightful)
Re:Price? (Score:1)
Buy oatmeal (not instant) in bulk... it's cheaper and healthier than ramen. That's what I'm doing... I have to pay down my credit cards from last Christmas still, AND I have to save up for a DS lite and possibly the Revolution. It's a good thing they haven't been released yet.
Re:Price? (Score:2)
ARGHH! (Score:2, Insightful)
It does no such thing!
Re:ARGHH! (Score:2)
It does no such thing!
You're absolutely right. A more cromulent choice would be, "Innovation embiggens the market."
PS3 and Xbox (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:PS3 and Xbox (Score:5, Insightful)
Mistwalker Has My Attention (Score:2)
I hope this doesn't end up being his downfall
Re:PS3 and Xbox (Score:3, Informative)
If you actually think that it is just "Japaneese RPGs" that are holding the XBox 360 down you should really look at this:
(Top 100 selling games in Japan in 2005)
http://the-magicbox.com/Chart-BestSell2005.shtml [the-magicbox.com]
You're right in pointing out that several of them are "Japaneese RPGs" but you'll notice that the vast majority of big sellers in Japan could be described as games that Microsoft isn't interested in Developing, doesn't encourage other people to Develop for the XBox, and would not advertize for a third
Re:PS3 and Xbox (Score:1)
The marketing strategy microsoft adopted for the Xbox was "release more powerful hardware later, and win the console wars on superior specs." this obviously didn't work out so well, since they lost $4 Billion and came in a distant 2nd. (or 3rd, depending who you ask) Their only alternative this go round was to rush pr
That's an... interesting example (Score:4, Funny)
Low-polygon models have, um, nice personalities. But I'm pretty sure a PS2 can render a couple of paper bags in realtime.
The PS3 does everything! (Score:5, Funny)
It is odd to think that it has been 6 months since the first playable Revolution demos.
Re:The PS3 does everything! (Score:2)
Re:The PS3 does everything! (Score:1)
Re:The PS3 does everything! (Score:2)
Re:The PS3 does everything! (Score:2)
the ps3 demos where rigged to use a ps2 controller. does that equate to it being a demo of the ps2? nope. nintendo is putting alot of weight behind the revolution controller. thats good, but the controller is only as good as the system its attached to and the games that play on it. until we see all three, we havent seen anything really for either system.
Re:The PS3 does everything! (Score:2)
Re:The PS3 does everything! (Score:2)
Spore plz, k thx (Score:1, Offtopic)
PSP (Score:3, Interesting)
How about lowering the price on the frickin' PSP? I might consider getting one if it wasn't still two-thirds the price of an Xbox 360 in the UK! Get it down to the price of a DS and they might have another buyer...
Re:PSP (Score:1)
They annonced a price cut [tripod.com], a couple days ago.
Re:PSP (Score:3, Informative)
Re:PSP (Score:1)
So... uh, yeah... (Score:5, Funny)
So... what? Uh, yeah, does that mean we can look forward to Hot Coffee: Prostitutes of Rockstar?
You'd run a coffee store as a front for a brothel. Your purpose in the game is to lure in customers who are looking for "Hot Coffee". You tell them "We only sell lattes up here, you have to go to the back for Hot Coffee". You are also responsible for keeping the girls STD free, recruiting more whores, and making sure they don't run away to the cops. You must also budget money, for actually keeping up the coffee store front (making sure to keep prices artificially high so as to starve off a large crowd) and paying off any detectives who might come your way (or hiring goons to scare them off if they don't like cash.)
You win the game when you have control over all brothels in the game and your coffee store also turns a profit. Once you reach a certain point, you can start up a porn creation company, and use that as another front by letting people buy their way into porn shoot.
...please don't turn that into a game.
Re:So... uh, yeah... (Score:1)
Re:So... uh, yeah... (Score:2)
Re:So... uh, yeah... (Score:2)
Re:So... uh, yeah... (Score:2)
Re:So... uh, yeah... (Score:1)
Re:So... uh, yeah... (Score:2, Funny)
Except not at sea.
Nothing really new except confirming rumors (Score:2)
I think what most people are really interested in now is the price. I would imagine that will be announced at E3.
Re:Nothing really new except confirming rumors (Score:2)
Still, I'd be happy if I didn't hear another thing about the PS3 until they had a list of launch titles and a price. I'm tired of console hype with no substance. If Sony pulls a Microsoft and is all hype and no substance right up until the last 3 days, this is going to be a long 7 months of purple slashdot dupes and fanboy flamewars.
Re:Nothing really new except confirming rumors (Score:2)
well apparently it was announced, but as the person who is handling things on the software side of things, phil harrison didnt feel comfortable giving the final word.
we shall see...
Re:Nothing really new except confirming rumors (Score:2)
I kinda wish it were seperate though... That would open the possibility of different sizes, third party vendors, and price competition. They could treat the hard drives like memory cards.
Re:Nothing really new except confirming rumors (Score:2)
it could be an upgradable harddrive, but you have to buy the upgrades direct from sony... OR you can go and purchase your own. chances are they will go the route you suggest, because a peripheral like a harddrive is probably sold at cost
A piece of value (Score:2)
Re:A piece of value (Score:2)
My guess is that they are floating the idea of selling all PS3s without hard drives and selling hard drives more like memory cards.
Re:A piece of value (Score:2)
Re:A piece of value (Score:2)
Re:A piece of value (Score:2)
Some of the larger US websites have been speculating that PlayStation 3 would be shipping with an optional 60GB hard disc drive. However we can confirm this morning that all PS3 consoles will be sold with the HDD out of the box. Sony's president of Computer Entertainment, Ken Kutaragi, announced on Wednesday that all PS3 games are being developed to take advantage of the 60GB HDD.
Re:A piece of value (Score:2)
If I preorder a PS3, I want the damn system. I do not want some crimpled gimp that requires future upgrades to act as the actual product I bought.
Hopefully you've lear
Re:A piece of value (Score:2)
The PS3 will have a hard drive in some form, so you shouldn't need a memory stick.
I'm hoping that all PS3s ship without a hard drives, and that I can stick a standard 3.5" hard drive in it. The hard drive is really unneccesary unless you are going to take your PS3 online.
Re:A piece of value (Score:2)
$10/month to play Puzzle Bobble online is stupid.
Re:A piece of value (Score:2)
uhhhhh (Score:2, Flamebait)
uhh...so someone called Sony hasn't heard of compression?
now I know that huge compression can bog down a console, but if the PS3 is SOOO powerful it should be fine with 9GB of space!
Come on, sony's just making all these excuses about next-gen games as to why they need power overkill, DRMed blu-ray, and all the other junk that customers "demand."
Re:uhhhhh (Score:2)
A 1024x1024 texture compressed in a high-quality JPEG will eat up roughly 500kB,
so:
Re:uhhhhh (Score:2)
Th reason for blu-ray is to encourage blu-ray update over hd-dvd. Sony thought they could kill 2 birds with one stone here. Stopping the Microsofts Xbox 360, and Toshiba HD-DVD. This has been a common theme with Sony, being such a huge company with its finger in so many pies, it is
Re:uhhhhh (Score:2)
Wrong about what?
Almost all games could fit on a CD with minimal loss if the designers wanted to do it.
"Th reason for blu-ray is to encourage blu-ray update over hd-dvd.[sic]"
That is their primary motivation behind including Blu-Ray, however, Blu-Ray will help games. Most console games have cutscenes which will easily fill a 9gig DVD when converted to high-def, and in the future a lot of games will end up using single layer Blu-Ray because it will be cheaper than a dual l
Re:uhhhhh (Score:2)
Not talking about CDs!
Re:uhhhhh (Score:2)
Anyhoo, getting back on point... if you look at what PGR3 did with mapping giant textures to a cube and then bump-mapping t
I'll say... (Score:1)
Insomniac Put Me To Sleep (Score:2, Interesting)
Anyway, I thought the keynote was pretty good - it shows where Sony expects to expand its revenue streams, and the ideas behind Sony Networking platform seem like a good idea to me, though there were no details on how third party game servers will be
Re:Insomniac Put Me To Sleep (Score:2)
..parallel processing and content == better games (Score:2, Insightful)
Did they really say those words? Out loud, in front of a live audience?
Parallel processing and content == potentially better graphics, sound, animation, physics, etc. Sure. We like all that.
But it takes good ideas to make good games. Nothing more, nothing less.
Pseudo-interactive sequences where psychotic he-men gouge the eyes and wings off of myth
Scripted? (Score:2)
Linux on a hard disk (Score:1)
from http://www.linuxgames.com/news/feedback.php?identi ferID=8265 [linuxgames.com]
Nice Box (Score:1)
Damn cheap VDR platform.
http://hardware.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=06/03
PenGun
Do What Now ???
"The physics of the console"??? (Score:2)
What, like how heavy it is, how it bounces when you drop it? How does a physics demo show anything about the 'physics of the console'... it's just using processing power to drive its own physics system... it's not the physics of the system it's the physics of the coders...
Sure, the processing power of the system allows more physics to be used without a performance hit, but I'm sure the same could be shown on the XBOX 360... or maybe even the revolution.
Re:"The physics of the console"??? (Score:2)
Math Skills? (Score:2)
# 1b units software
Doesn't equate to 1,000 titles sold per PS2 sold? Or am I reading that wrong? 'Cause with less than 1,000 titles for sale and most of those titles not worth buying I can't imagine the average PS2 owner has 100 titles to their name, let a lone 1,000.
Why isn't SingStar available in the US? (Score:2)
What isn't Sony release SingStar in the US?
Re:Why isn't SingStar available in the US? (Score:2)
I've considered modding my PS2 to play European discs, but then there's still the PAL/NTSC problem.
Re:Why isn't SingStar available in the US? (Score:2)
Or do we have to wait until PS3 ships for us to hack it?
Downloading full games (Score:2, Interesting)
Microsoft and Sony keep talking about this but I honestly still don't think it's going to be possible for at least another five years.
The reason is not storage or ability to do that but more the restrictions imposed by ISPs, etc. Take a typical ISP in the UK - I'm with one that claims "unlimited" bandwidth. Rubbish. There are clauses that state that if I am extremely bullish over downloading then my connection speeds will be crippled.
Some are even worse. Take BT for example - They claim a fast 2MB conne
Re:Downloading full games (Score:2)
My plan gives me ADSL2+ at 24 megabit, with a limit of 40 gigs transfer during "peak" hours (8am - midnight), and another 40 gigs during "offpeak" (12am - 8am
Download each level you idiot (Score:2)
only 1 level, and pay say $2 for each new level. If each new level is only 30-60meg whats the big
deal.
Besides the big ISPs should get a clue and cache xbox content or partner with the Sony/MS to not
charge users for game downloads that way THOSE isps would be MORE popular, but if they dont have a clue
then some other ISP will and get the 3,000,000 subscribers!!!
One of the comments that struck me (Score:2)
Um.
Ah.
So that's why they built it.
At least they're admitting it.
Any truth to the rumor that MSFT Vista is being held back so that it can support Blu-Ray too? Or is it just the DRM?
Start JRPG, walk away for a month...you've won (Score:5, Funny)
I think TISM said it best..... (Score:1)
OOOOH OOOOH OOOOOOOOOH!!
Re:I think TISM said it best..... (Score:3, Funny)
This is Serious Mum (TISM) is an Australian band with a wonderful song "Everyone Else Has Had More Sex Than Me". They had a contest to see who could do the best video for their song. I suggest checking out the winner. It's wonderful.
Re:I think TISM said it best..... (Score:1)
Re:I think TISM said it best..... (Score:2)
Missing linky. (Score:3, Informative)
w00t! thanks, mod up! (Score:2)
Re:Playing into Jack's hands (Score:2)
Re:Playing into Jack's hands (Score:1)
Re:HDD confirmed? No, says Q&A! (Score:2)
here another report that states that it will. he did not confirm or deny anything, so i guess youre assuming that means it absolutely wont? who knows? sounds like sony has all the cards and it playing them close to their chest. we all shall know soon enough, eh?