Sony's Harrison on Sony Arrogance 136
Joystiq had the chance to exchange a few words with Sony's Phil Harrison at the UK Develop Conference. They asked him some hard questions about the crazy comments that have been coming out of the company since E3. From the article: "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." After the tape was off he snarked that he hadn't been asked very nice questions. Poor guy, having to answer questions that aren't 'How awesome is the PS3 going to be?'
Dear Zonk (Score:4, Insightful)
You are not a journalist nor a competent editorial writer. Please post your snarky comments (in response to others' snarky comments) in the comments section like I'm doing, so that they may be voted "+5, Taking potshots at the market share leader in a given field."
Re:Dear Zonk (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Dear Zonk (Score:1)
^^ Phil Harrison (Score:5, Funny)
Dear Anonymous Fanboi, (Score:5, Insightful)
I don't give a damn if they're #1 or #100, frankly I don't like Sony due to all the crap they've been pulling of late like the rootkits.
And I'm sick of fanbois who act like "oh no, our precious Sony! they gave us the Playstation, you can't criticize them!"
Face it: Sony sucks. And I don't care how good their games are, or even if the PS3 lives up to the hype. I won't buy it because I won't endorse the things Sony has done. They "promise" not to use the patent that kills our ability to rent (or even loan!) games to others, but don't explain why they hell they bothered to patent it if that's true (umm, yeah, so our competitors can't sue us for infringing upon it when we're not, umm, going to do that! suuuurrre....) or how we can ever trust them again after the rootkit?
Dear Anonymous Flamebaiter (Score:2)
This is not something I expect to read in a "Score:5, Insightful" post.
You are not forced to buy Sony's product. By not doing so you send exactly the right signal. However, the way things work is that each individual makes this choice for themselves. If Sony's sales drop as a result and they make huge losses, then the market has adequately expressed disapproval.
I suspect what's really annoying people round here is that we all know perfectly well Sony's going to do just fine with t
Re:Dear Anonymous Fanboi, (Score:1, Insightful)
Funny, when I was arrested for hacking back in my college days, that excuse didn't cut much ice with the prosecutor's office. Why is Sony entitled to a break? I guess if you're a huge multinational corporation, the rules are a bit different, huh?
Re:Dear Anonymous Fanboi, (Score:2)
How do you know his intent ?
So instead of giving control of infected machine (that did not belong to them) to a third party, they simply intended to seize control themselves. Yeah, they're still burglars, but they tried (and failed) to relock the front door after they were done, so they're good burglars who just were too stupid to succeed in locking the do
Re:Dear Anonymous Fanboi, (Score:1)
This whacky world sure be whacky and wierd.
* Alright, so I'd just be in a normal jail having horrid things done to me.
Re:Dear Zonk (Score:2)
Re:Dear Zonk (Score:1)
Or "borrow" your neighbor's open 802.11x connection. Or just fire up the ole stand-by dial-up connection.
Re:Dear Zonk (Score:1)
Re:Dear Zonk (Score:1)
To Sum Up (Score:1, Insightful)
And this is...news?
Re:To Sum Up (Score:2)
Not about the PSP, they're not. (Score:4, Interesting)
Re:Not about the PSP, they're not. (Score:3, Insightful)
UMD was always an odd duck (Score:2)
If they were really smart they would have built a transcoder that downsampled DVD's to fit on a memory stick and play on the PSP, then convince the Sony movie studios not to sue themselves. The media division still has a little too much pull to let that happen, I guess.
Re:UMD was always an odd duck (Score:1)
Have you stopped beating your wife? (Score:2, Insightful)
"We're not arrogant" yields, "see?! Seeeeee??"
"Ok, we're arrogant" is just as stupid.
I can't imagine how joystiq figured that'd be a useful question, except in the context of badgering Sony. Why he'd set out to do that intentionally is clearly up for debate. When you're a hammer, everything looks like a nail, I suppose.
So, joystiq, "have you stopped badgering Sony?"
\harv
-
no sig today, maybe tomorrow
Re:Have you stopped beating your wife? (Score:1)
Now, I'm about as much of a Wii fan-girl as you're ever going to find, but I think that Mr Harrisson handled that interview with class and more civility then Joystick deserved.... I think Phil may have just got a new greese rag in the form of a t-shirt.
Re:Have you stopped beating your wife? (Score:5, Insightful)
I don't see that as badgering Sony. It is asking relevant questions. Had the question been "Why are you so arrogant" it would have been a different story. The questions were asking for responses to accusations, not accusing in themselves.
It's not that way at all (Score:1)
Have you stopped r00ting your customers? (Score:3, Interesting)
Well, Sony have given some world class stupid answers lately. I think the ones that did the most damage were.
Now that was arrogance.
Is it surprising if their other business interests get tarred with the same brush? I know it changed my mind a
Re:Have you stopped r00ting your customers? (Score:2)
Re:Have you stopped beating your wife? (Score:5, Interesting)
Re:Have you stopped beating your wife? (Score:2)
One "zonked" tag to go please (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:One "zonked" tag to go please (Score:5, Insightful)
Bias is excess negativity (Score:1)
Nor has there been any bad news either - yet all we see are articles re-hashing old issues people have with the PS3. There are plenty of similarily content-free positive news bits about the PS3 as well, since as game announcements and interviews with people like the makers of Warhawks. A lot of that is in fact more newsworthy than a stupid attack interview that tells us nothing, yet you
Re:One "zonked" tag to go please (Score:5, Interesting)
Compare that to MS who while not great did show a wide variety of games and had some good announcements (GTA no longer exclusive to PlayStation for one).
Then there was the "little guy", Nintendo. A fantastic showing of tons of games that got tons of press. People were interested in much of it. Wii Sports, Mario Galaxy, Metroid Prime 3: Corruption, Red Steel, Wario Ware: Smooth Moves, Super Smash Brothers Brawl, and more. Name 7 big upcoming games off the top of your head for either other system.
I've gotta say, I thought the PS3 would be a scarce but big hit with great graphics. Now I'm starting to get much more interested as it seems the PS3 will be overpriced with great graphics and a fair helping of "what are they doing now."
Well there's a story (Score:3, Interesting)
Well now that you mention it, there was an interview [ign.com] with the same Warhawk developers that were the ones that stated they got the controllers just a few weeks before E3 - in the interview it said the statement had been misconstrued; Sony in fact had let them know about the tilt feature much earlier but had only delivered physical controllers with the tilt sensors built in a few weeks before E3. The exact words:
Actually, Incognito has secretly been working with
Re:Well there's a story (Score:2)
Re:Well there's a story (Score:2)
So, in other words, Sony had been working on the tilt feature ever since Nintendo announced the Revolution controller, but only got it working recently, and only managed to eak out prototypes mere weeks before E3.
Which is pretty much what everyone already knew; Sony rushed to get a copy-cat controller out immediately after Nintendo announced the controller for the Wii.
Notice how no one has ever said "oh, yeah, Sony was working on this before the Revolution controller announcement." Instead it's always
Perhaps (Score:2)
Re:Perhaps (Score:2)
Yeah, $600 is just the cheapest PS3 you can buy if you wanna, you know, actually be able to make use of those nifty HDTV features. The HDMI port cannot be added to the $500 one.
Yeah, yeah, I know - "only for Blu-ray movies" and "Sony says you won't need to yet." Except Sony has already told us that the PS3 is really "a cheap Blu-ray player" and I don't exactly want to get a movie player that'll be effectively useless in a couple of years when HDMI is required.
While $600 may not be the cheapest PS3, it
Misinformation (Score:2)
It's pretty odd how this particular myth continues to persist, despite numerous corrections on this very subject from myself and others in every Sony story.
In fact you can watch Blu-Ray movies at 1080i using the component output of the PS3. You may even be able to do 1080p, that is less certain due to AACS... But no matter, the point
Re:One "zonked" tag to go please (Score:3, Interesting)
This isn't a negative story. This isn't a story at all. This is 100% content free. The non-biased thing would be to ignore it.
And that's my comment on your comment on zonk's bias for posting an article about a Sony exec's comment on joystiq's question about the feeling that there was arrogance percieved in Sony execs' previous comments. Write a blog post about it. It's sooooo relevan
Re:One "zonked" tag to go please (Score:2)
That's right - people are already pre-ordering them in droves. And they're happily paying a lot more than $600 for the privelige.
Re:One "zonked" tag to go please (Score:2)
Re:One "zonked" tag to go please (Score:2)
New Zealand, one of the most pro-american countries in the south-south-west pacific.
Re:One "zonked" tag to go please (Score:1)
$599 is fine (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:$599 is fine (Score:1)
And they are NOT planning price drops for a 1-2years....
What if the price drop 1.5years later is 399-499
What then pray tell? 2-3 more years till the magic 200$ price tag making it 4-5years into production?
Re:$599 is fine (Score:3, Interesting)
On the one hand, you're right. I think MS should have done that. Just put all the console up for bid in one giant eBay auction and let people pay what they are willing to.
That said, it doesn't have to be that way. I bought TWO PS2s on launch day in a major metro area for the launch price without having to sit in line from 2:00 AM or something. I could have easily done the same for the 360 launch or the XBox launch without any problem.
But with the PS3 instead of having a choice of trying on my own or payin
And $500 is better (Score:3, Interesting)
$500 is also very expensive, no need to raise the figure any to complain about price.
That said, I totally agree with your point. Pretty much all through December I don't think a 360 sold on eBay (any model) for less than $800 - Sony I think is just
Re:And $500 is better (Score:2)
The problem with the PS3 is not that it is a $600 gaming machine. The problem is that it is a $300 gaming machine that is being sold for $500-600.
Don't give me any shit about the movie companies not using
Misinformation (Score:2)
It's pretty odd how this particular myth continues to persist, despite numerous corrections on this very subject from myself and others in every Sony story.
In fact you can watch Blu-Ray movies at 1080i using the component output of the PS3. You may even be able to do 1080p, that is less certain due t
Re:Misinformation (Score:2)
No, no you can't. Blu-Ray movies with ICT activated will ONLY display in full HD over HDMI. Anything else and it'll degrade it down to DVD quality[1], making the extra cost for the PS3 completely worthless. It's not worth cheaping out on $100 (which won't even buy you two PS3 games anyway) when all you'll accomplish is making your PS3 become worthless in a few years. See the Wikipedia article on Blu-ray [wikipedia.org] and a HDTV Canada article on the ICT itself [digitalhomecanada.com].
There's no reason to criple your PS3 by getting the che
Yes, yes you can (Score:2)
They are not enabling ICT now. They will not as long as the dominant Blu-Ray player is the $500 PS3 which cannot do HDMI. By Buying the $500 P
Re:Yes, yes you can (Score:2)
They say they won't enable the ICT now. However, Sony also said they'd never bundle a rootkit with CDs.
The ICT will be enabled at some point, and $100 seems like a small price to pay to ensure your PS3 won't become severly crippled at an unknown point in the future.
Doesn't matter if they do (Score:2)
That's exactly why ICT is not on today.
Re:Doesn't matter if they do (Score:2)
Two, If you think Sony cares about you or your purchase past the point where you cough up $500, you haven't been paying attention.
Think of it this way. If the ICT will never be implemented, the $600 SKU is a red herring and a rip-off. If the ICT is implemented, the $500 SKU is a red herring and a rip-off. Someone is getting screwed, and that is absolutely consistant with So
Still doesn't matter (Score:2)
There is an "unofficial" announcement of a pact between all studios - on the HD-DVD and Blur-Ray side.
But even if there were not it doesn't matter, for the reasons they are doing so have already been outline by myself. The motive is as clear as day - sales. If you wish to propose some alternate theory about how studios have suddenly taken a dislike for money all of Slashd
Re:Still doesn't matter (Score:2)
The thing you're constantly forgetting is that Blu-rays with ICT enabled will still play on the $500 PS3 - just at the lowest HD resolution, which is ever-so-slightly greater than DVD resolution.
When the ICT becomes enabled, all ICT discs played in a $500 PS3 will turn the $2500 HDTV the PS3 is hooked to into nothing more than a $500 low-def TV. But they'll still play. I don't think the studios will care that they're screwing over people with the crippled PS3 when they activate the ICT - they'll still b
What you forgot (Score:2)
But they will look like hell compared to the other 1080 discs. People will notice the difference; It is easy to see. They'll buy a new disc and say "why does this look so poor compared to my other Blu-Ray discs?" Then they will return and/or complain.
The thing you're really forgetting is if people do not notic
Re:$599 is fine (Score:1)
Re:$599 is fine (Score:3, Insightful)
But to how many buyers? 50k? 100k? The Xbox 360 had a pretty weak launch as it was. If Microsoft had sold it at $600 retail, it would have been plain embarrassing.
The eBay market can give the impression that hardcore gamers are willing to pay a lot for a new toy, but it's not entirely accurate. If money was not a concern to gamers, people would have purchased the $300 360 Core system (which was readily a
Re:$599 is fine (Score:2)
Re:$599 is fine (Score:2)
So Sony is charging more for a console than the vast majority of current console shoppers were willing to pay.
that wasn't much of an interview (Score:2)
Re:that wasn't much of an interview (Score:2)
Directly related to their products? The PS2 and even the PSP don't make for interesting news any more, and we still have months before the PS3 is anything more than vaporware. Beyond that, there are very few questions about the PS3 that wouldn't be answered with either "We already answered that at E3" or "You'll have to wait until $COMPANY_SHOW to find out." The only new things Sony has b
General Motors execs used to sound like that (Score:4, Funny)
Company spokesman says company is doing fine (Score:3)
Re:Company spokesman says company is doing fine (Score:2)
Don't get me wrong, I'm glad people are finally moving away from softballing everyone. But I'd think that in that situation, an emotionally driven comment like "well those were positive questions" is completely understandable.
There are valid reasons to be upset with So
Here we go again. (Score:3, Insightful)
News flash: Jeff Minter is Nobody [tri-bit.com]. Film at never.
(His two famous games are a Robotron ripoff and a sequel to someone else's game which is essentially a graphics upgrade and a speed boost. Most people have to look him up online to even come up with another one of his games. C'mon. Arrogant means to exaggerate your own worth in an overbearing manner, and here's some guy who has released 40 games, the sum total of which don't outsell even one game in the Playstation2 Top 100, talking about Sony's full of it because he doesn't like their new price line? Pots and kettles, man.)
Re:Here we go again. (Score:2)
Admittedly when I said hi to phil harrison on wednesday night he blanked me, so i guess I won't get any sony party invites soon unless I tag on with someone else.
Re:Here we go again. (Score:2)
Well, he is from the 1980s. He might also be much loved by the fans. He was not much loved within the industry. Game thieves never are.
I remember with fondness disassembling GridRunner on the VIC-20 by hand...
Okay. Go grab the demo from his webpage. You'll be surprised to learn that it's just enemy behavior from Centipede and Galaga, without the mushrooms or enemy formations that made the other two games good, and with a screen saver for a back
Re:Here we go again. (Score:2)
Generally speaking, you should check before correcting people. Jeff Minter wrote Gridrunner++, which is why he's selling it on his web page.
but I'm still no wiser as to the type of games you play or write. The resume section is blank.
Perhaps you should read the blog a third time. It discusses what I do for a living. Also, there are several categories on my blog about the games I write for fun. I'm the guy who ran the T
Re:Here we go again. (Score:2)
We both agree that Jeff is not important in the great scheme of things. But you think ad hominum attacks are invalid, and it is the points he/you/I make that are important :-)
We disagree that Jeff is not famous. He was one of the most famous british developers in the 1980s, and the "legend" label reflects that (legend can be a polite way of saying has-been). It allows the possibility of a comeback (c.f. Pete Burns) I think of
Re:Here we go again. (Score:2)
Ad hominem attacks are by definition invalid. I only make them at Jeff because he pisses me off.
We disagree that Jeff is not famous.
I never said he wasn't famous. I said he was nobody. There's a big difference. Other famous nobodies include Renee Zellweger, Anne Heche, whatever this month's boy band is, Al Roker, Renee Zellweger, the guy from the original Highlander movie, any man in a porn with Ron Jeremy, the logical inverse of Samuel L Jackson (because
Re:Here we go again. (Score:2)
Jeff Minter is a human xerox machine.
Having now looked at Gridrunner++ I can say I am disturbed by the amount of copied content (not game mechanics) in it. The sound samples sound like a remix of defender sound effects, and the graphics include characters redrawn from at least galaxians, asteroids, tempest, 1942, and commodore and atari logos. I think that is inappropriate for a game released in the 2000s that is not a work of satire. Also the .exe st
Re:Here we go again. (Score:2)
Oh. Also, no, it's not a crowded market - Brain Training's implementation is shite, and neither of the other two pure-sudoku games out there do anything other than the core game at 3x3, with fewer than a thousand puzzles each.
He was nominated for "Development Legend" status at the Develop Awar
Re:Here we go again. (Score:2)
I didn't. Well, not you. I did call Jeff some names, but unless you're him, you don't need to worry about that. Unless you mean where I said you weren't an industry professional, but, well, you aren't, and that's not an insult; I'm not an automobile industry professional, by counter-example.
But just because he is publishing it doesn't necessarily mean he coded it.
It's almost like you're trying to give me opportunities to insult the man.
Re:Here we go again. (Score:2)
- You don't like ad hominem attacks when they're directed at you, but you're perfectly prepared to sling them liberally in the direction of Mr. Minter. This appears to be a common theme in your line of reasoning.
- You accuse Jeff Minter of being a "nobody", and yet I'll wager that far more people in the industry have respect for him than have even heard of you.
- Y
Re:Here we go again. (Score:2)
I can't decide whether it's more amusing that you'd say that after resorting to the same, or whether it's just that you can't sort out the difference between an accusatory blog post and a discussion. I'm fine with ad hominem attacks. I am not fine with their being used to support arguments. The difference is enormous.
This appears to be a common theme in
Re:Here we go again. (Score:2)
Re:Here we go again. (Score:2)
Er, I don't, and moreover I never used the word fanboy. I said nothing about the PS3 at all. I just commented on my opinion regarding one man's media tirade. Where is this coming from?
Well, the last time I looked at the consumer market I saw a fickle group that is more than willing to jump on whatever the "hot" trend is.
Have another look. The PS2 is outselli
Re:So who is talking about the pot and the kettle? (Score:2)
So, mr. AC, perhaps you could explain to me what's arrogant about that? And, perhaps you could gather together the gonads to use your account when you ans
If they REALLY want to ask tough questions... (Score:5, Insightful)
Quoth Phil Harrison to Spiegel Online: This was part of his response to a question relating to the tilt controller, specifically wanting a response to those who thought they stole the idea. My question is two-fold: First, what are you hiding? It should be easy to relate the design process that ended with having a tilt controller (needing a feature now that they can't have dual-shock would have been more than sufficient). However, you simply called the allegations "stupid" and tried to move on as quickly as possible.
My second question (and the most pressing): Why are you LYING to the public about Sony's achievements? And before you get upset about the question, let me point out my proof:
So to conclude, you may not think of yourselves as arrogant, but your words and actions say otherwise.
Re:Arrogant? (Score:2)
Re:Arrogant? (Score:3, Insightful)
The facts are that the best hardware does not lead to the market leading position (something Sony should know
Mario 3 was $75 (Score:2)
Melissa
Thanks for playing FUD (Score:3, Insightful)
Nintendo hasn't "given up trying to compete technologically", they never did in the first place. Nintendo is about games, not marketing numbers or CPU/GPU power like Microsoft or Sony. Anyone remember the PS2's "emotion engine"?
As for calling the Wii controller a "gimmick" or even a "pointing device", you don't even know what you're talking about.
Re:Thanks for playing FUD (Score:1)
Nintendo games are polished, finished and just work
And so is the hardware
Re:Arrogant? (Score:2)
Until then...
Remember the SONY BMG rootkit on CDs. Remember that the PSP is a locked down, closed platform. (For at least the first 72 hours after an OS upgrade is released, that is.)
Sony is not your friend. Giving Sony your money will not make them your friend.
It just makes you their bitch.
Confusing the enemy (Score:1, Redundant)
It's hard to forget, I would never ever buy anything from... Sony/BMG.
Sony games I have no issue with in that regard.
If your brother robbed a bank, would it be OK for me to arrest you? It's not fair to punish different divisions of a company that have little to do with each other just because one made a terrible blunder.
Remember that the PSP is a locked down, closed platform.
More so than the DS? What other handheld with even the sales of the PSP (a distant second to th
Re:Confusing the enemy (Score:1, Funny)
Since the early 90's Sony's corporate culture has been that marketing sells a product and that the product's quality is not important; which is a drastic change from their culture in the 80's, this took time to fully accomplish
Re:Confusing the enemy (Score:3, Funny)
Best efforts?
If you try to drop your PS2 onto the ground, and miss, I think it says more about you than the PS2's quality.
All consoles are locked down (Score:2)
Pot...Kettle...Black? (Score:5, Informative)
60-70% of the Japanese retail find your competitor more interesting/capable.
65-70% of the Japanese develoupment houses interest rests with your competitors.
65-75% of Japanese consumer market interested in buying your competitor's product citing the #1 reason as "cost" against your product.
And in Famijitsu, THE japanese gaming mag...you are pulling 5% more popularity in Japan than the Xbox 360... (* That right there alone should be causing panic!)
Sources:
http://www.next-gen.biz/index.php?option=com_cont
http://www.next-gen.biz/index.php?option=com_cont
Competitor (Score:2)
As for Famijitsu, it's hard to believe the stated figures when the actual sales results are so low. Polls can be rigged, sales figures are much more concrete and indicitive.
Re:Pot...Kettle...Black? (Score:2)
As I always point out to my friends, perception is an impotant part of the gamin
Re:Arrogant? (Score:2, Interesting)
Re:Arrogant? (Score:3, Insightful)
What, and a seven-way processor isn't a gimmick?
Re:Arrogant? (Score:2)
I don't think it's a terribly bad idea, and it certainly isn't a gimmick. Sega advertising the Saturn as having 3 CPUs when the PlayStation only had 1 was a gimmick (it may have been true, but the PS was clearly just as powerful).
As for the 7 processor thing, that is pure business. Each cell has 8 SPUs. By only enabling 7 of them, they can sell all the processors that would otherwise be worthless for the PS3 because a defect killed an SPU. They do it strictly for yield numbers. This is just like Intel sell
Re:Arrogant? (Score:2)
I was just reading about that, actually. Enabling only 7 of the cores is a great idea from a business perspective - costs are already going to be high enough with the BD-ROM. As well, the marginal benefit of 8 over 7 just isn't that great.
What I was trying to get at with "gimmick" wasn't really numerological at all, it was just an attack on what I see as a sexy, overengineered solution over pratical computing. I don't doubt that multithreaded applications are the wave of the future and that an engineer wh
Re:Arrogant? (Score:2)
I'm sorry, I didn't quite understand that. Please restate your response in the form of the source code to a non-trivial 3d game that takes full advantage of 7 processors, or the words, "I am Tim Sweeney." Thank you.
Re:Arrogant? (Score:2)
How is that a troll? Mod up! (Score:1, Redundant)