via Games Industry


Kaz Hirai, president and CEO of Sony Computer Entertainment, has called into question the lifecycle of rival consoles, pointing to the continued success of the PlayStation 2 as evidence that Sony is backing the PS3 for at least ten years.

While sales figures may show that Nintendo and Microsoft are ahead of Sony in regional hardware sales, Hirai said this generation is a marathon, not a sprint, and it's too early to call who will win the console war.

"I know some people have been talking about who will be number one in this generation, and what have you, but before we get into that question, what about the lifecycle management?" said Hirai in an exclusive interview with GamesIndustry.biz.

"We certainly don't do the consumer the disservice of basically saying that the consoles have gone by the wayside because we have a new one. Right now, a prime example? PS2 is nine years into it. Where's the Xbox? Where's the GameCube?

"Same thing with the original PlayStation. At some point we looked around and asked what happened to the Saturn? Where's the N64? So if we're doing that, let's compare apples to apples, and for me, because we're on a ten-year lifecycle, unless we're talking ten years it doesn't really make that much sense to me," said Hirai.

It's not just about the first party success. Hirai pointed out that looking back from ten years will show how the industry has changed, how third-party publishers and retailers have been able to benefit from the growth of the home consoles.

"It's really a matter of looking back after ten years minimum and asking what you've actually accomplished in terms of the installed base, in terms of the business that you generated for the internal first party studios, in terms of the business you've generated for the third party studios, in terms of the business you've generated for the retailers.

"And that's when you actually look back and say, 'Yes, this platform was successful, it wasn't successful, it was so-so,' - whatever the case may be.

"So we're still only two years into the PS3, and I think the true test is really like the situation we find ourselves with PS2, where nine years later and 130 million units later we can look back and say, 'Yeah - it's been a pretty successful platform.'"

The full interview with Kaz Hirai, where the Sony boss answers the same questions pitched to Microsoft's Don Mattrick, can be read here. ...

via Joystiq


We somehow managed to get Gran Turismo creator Kazunori Yamauchi to slam on his brakes for a moment today and talk to us about his flagship racing franchise. According to the Polyphony Digital boss, his studio is focusing a majority of its efforts on Gran Turismo 5 Prologue. In fact, he confirmed that the proper, disc-based Gran Turismo 5 might not even roll out before 2010.

In the meantime, Polyphony will continue to expand Prologue with additional cars, tracks, and features. Yamauchi couldn't speak to specific plans, but mentioned that an new update is planned for the near future.

With all of the work his company is putting into the next console GT installment, Yamauchi tells us that it hasn't forgotten the long-delayed Gran Turismo 4 Mobile for PSP. He confirms that the game – originally announced at E3 2004 – is still actively in development, although it isn't planned for release until after GT5. That would be 2011 for those with pen and calendar in hand ...

via Joystiq


We somehow managed to get Gran Turismo creator Kazunori Yamauchi to slam on his brakes for a moment today and talk to us about his flagship racing franchise. According to the Polyphony Digital boss, his studio is focusing a majority of its efforts on Gran Turismo 5 Prologue. In fact, he confirmed that the proper, disc-based Gran Turismo 5 might not even roll out before 2010.

In the meantime, Polyphony will continue to expand Prologue with additional cars, tracks, and features. Yamauchi couldn't speak to specific plans, but mentioned that an new update is planned for the near future.

With all of the work his company is putting into the next console GT installment, Yamauchi tells us that it hasn't forgotten the long-delayed Gran Turismo 4 Mobile for PSP. He confirms that the game – originally announced at E3 2004 – is still actively in development, although it isn't planned for release until after GT5. That would be 2011 for those with pen and calendar in hand ...

via Games Industry


Nintendo's Katsuya Eguchi has revealed that future iterations of the Wii remote could have MotionPlus technology built-in, reports our sister site, Eurogamer.net.

As revealed at E3 earlier this week, the new MotionPlus add-on currently exists only as an extra peripheral that slots into the bottom of the regular Wii remote. However, that could change in the future.

"As to looking at whether or not it will be an attachment or built in - we're always looking at how hardware should evolve and where we should take it," Eguchi said, speaking at an E3 developer roundtable.

Nintendo is still to decide if MotionPlus should be integral to Wii remotes, or if "it might be good to keep it as an attachment we only use for certain software".

"Unfortunately I don't have a definite direction to give you today, but it's something we'll be looking at," he said.

Earlier in the Q&A session, Eguchi dismissed suggestions the Wii MotionPlus add-on is designed to do what the Wii remote was supposed to do in the first place. Responding to a question from an IGN journalist, he said, "Of course, you always want more, and as we were working on the title we thought it would be nice to have more than what we had.

"But we're not dissatisfied with [the original Wii Sports] at all. We're very happy with what we did." He added that he's confident the original Wii Sports offers a "very good experience" for players.

In the future, Eguchi observed, MotionPlus could be used in more complex sports games. It would be possible to track the movement of a tennis racket head, for example, so you could pull off top spins or slice. "But we have to ask ourselves, is that easy to play? Is that something we want to do just because it's realistic?"

Nintendo is keen not to "alienate" players, continued Eguchi, and wants to "appeal to wide audiences" as well as serious gamers. That means offering "a low difficulty hurdle at the beginning, then finding ways to add depth to the game and keep everyone happy".

He concluded, "People who are really good at gaming can of course move on and challenge themselves to do these things that are built into the game, or to try things out on their own." As the saying goes (or rather is literally translated), "We want a gaming experience where 'the more you bite, the more flavour you get'." ...

via Eurogamer


Sony is to launch a budget range of PS3 games in Europe in a fortnight's time.

The Platinum range will kick off on 1st August at GBP 19.99 / EUR 29.99.

Initial first-party games will be Resistance: Fall of Man, Heavenly Sword, MotorStorm, Uncharted: Drake's Fortune and Ratchet & Clank 3.

Virtua Tennis 3 from SEGA and Assassin's Creed from Ubisoft will be the first third-party titles, followed by WWE SmackDown vs. RAW 2008 "later in September".

SCEE boss David Reeves said "ten further titles" from third parties would then arrive "between September and the end of November".

"If you're a longstanding PS3 owner with gaps in your collection – or perhaps you've just joined the family – the PS3 Platinum range is your chance to pick up some of the very best games at a wallet-friendly price,” added Reeves in an accompanying statement.

"With great titles spanning a huge breadth of gaming experiences, this August is a great time to be a PS3 owner." ...

via Eurogamer


The PS3 Trophy system could be heading to the PSP, according to Buzz! Master Quiz producer Emerson Escobar.

He was talking about rewards in the PSP quiz game during the GameSpot Live E3 2008 Stage Show, before he unveiled rather more than he probably should have.

"The cool thing is it isn't just getting the gold medal," began Escobar. "We've also implemented a trophy system. Let's say you answer a question within one second, you get a lightning finger trophy.

"If you answer a question within half a second, you get a supersonic trophy," he added.

However, when asked directly about Trophies on PSP, Escobar reportedly grinned, laughed sheepishly and said to "check back with us later". ...

via Eurogamer


Sony has updated the PlayStation Store again.

This time Elefunk leads the stampede. This is the PSN puzzler where you build a bridge and then get as many elephants over it as you can. It costs GBP 4.99 and we'll be bringing you our thoughts on it very soon.

Also on the Store is a demo for Naruto: Ultimate Ninja Storm. Sounds unexciting, but it is a PS3 exclusive and it does look splendid.

On top of those are trailers for Ragdoll Kung Fu: Fists of Plastic, Siren: Blood Curse, and Ratchet & Clank Future: Quest for Booty.

Head over to Eurogamer TV to watch those right now. ...

via Computer and Video Games


Sega has released a new video and eight new shots from Bleach: Dark Souls, an action fighting game based on the popular series on Cartoon Network.

The studio promises that the game will reveal story plot points for the series, include multiplayer action via wi-fi connection and allow players the chance to play one of the forty four characters included from the series.

Having never seen the show, we can't tell whether the screenshots look accurate or not.

It simply looks like a 2D fighting game, but uses power-up cards and power crystals to customise a 'spirit card deck'. So toss in a collectable card game with the fighting as well.


Screenshots
Trailer ...

via Computer and Video Games


SCEE has confirmed that the 80GB PS3 will be launched in the UK on August 27 for £299, while the 40GB console is phased out.

"We have been listening to our customers and are pleased to be able to answer one of their key requests," said David Reeves.

"There is more downloadable content than ever before, with the emphasis moving towards user generated content, something clearly seen this week in LittleBigPlanet.

"When you add this to the already compelling entertainment offering on PS3 ... the extra storage becomes invaluable."

Bigger hard drive aside, the new console will don the same feature set as the 40GB SKU, so no PS2 backwards compatibility. Soz.

Sony will phase out the 40GB model too, so don't expect to see those at a reduced RRP, unless it's in the second-hand section. ...