Kaz Hirai (SCEA) Interview - 1up/EGM

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question number 1:
Xbox360 is going to.. how about the PS3?

question number 2:
Xbox360 is going to.. how about the PS3?

question number 3:
Xbox360 is going to...
 
more of the same boring PR spin answers. When asked a tough question start by mentioning a positive, whether or not it answers the questions. ZZZzzzZZzzzzzZzzz
 
Could some kind person please post a copy of the interview? I'm stuck on some garbage 56k connection that can't connect to 1up (may the creators of AOL burn on a pitchfork).

The things I put up with for family. :)
 
No point. He says nothing. He's vague about future online plans; when asked if PS3 will improve PS2 during BC mode like PS2 did for PS1, KH replys "Did it? I never noticed"; he contradicts KK in saying they're not going out of their way to add computer-like facilities; and offers no instight into when it'll launch, where, with or without HD, etc.

The guy sounds clueless, and certainly isn't a good interviewee :)
 
Shifty Geezer said:
he contradicts KK in saying they're not going out of their way to add computer-like facilities

I don't know...he says where that makes sense it should be done, and admits that it is a very fine line. Kutaragi has been talking about a "computer", a new type of computer, not necessarily exactly like a PC today (though it's immediate embodiment from a OS point-of-view has its heritage in PCs - Linux - I got the sense from Kutaragi that he sees that as a first stepping stone, not the final arrangement).

Kutaragi has highlighted the shortcomings of PCs for a while now, at least as regards their position in the consumer electronics space/living room, so I don't think he simply wants to replicate them. He wants to shift the weight of computing in the home away from the PC.
 
The only interesting part

EGM: Microsoft's shown their hand with Xbox 360; we've seen everything their device is going to do in terms of like playing music through your iPod and PSP. Are these features...
KH: It can play music through the PSP, as well?
EGM: Yeah.
KH: Wow.
EGM: Yeah, it drew a lot of laughs when they put that slide up. [laughter]

Apart that is: "We dont know yet"...bla bla bla...
 
lol, that part about the xbox playing music through the PSP was pretty funny. I just loved his reaction to that one.

Anyway I think sony need to work on having a more unified vision from a PR perspective. It seems ot be all over the place with constant contradictions.

On one side he down played xbox live by saying "online isn't the end all be all". Yet he goes on to talk about DVI/HDMI, 1080p over 1080i as future proofing. Um, he should consider having a solid online service already established as 'future proofing" in the same sense.

Another thing regarding that is how he talked about the "importance of 1080p" yet he didn't know if they were making anything like that a standard. I really think we're not going to see many games that support this feature, and thus making it a useless checkbox much like 720p and 1080i support on the current xbox (or the rare ps2 game lil GT4). The same thing with dual DVI.

...and the whole making it a PC thing. he needs to investigate what the competition is doing more. I don't think he understood that MS isn't making the xbox 360 like a PC, they are using the PC as a file server (if that's what the user wants).

Still it was an alright interview, however not enough tough questions.
 
Oh well... thanks for the info though, everyone.

Seems to me like Hirai is playing dumb rather than a bad interview. He was pretty on the ball last i recall at E3. Also, the thought that any Sony official would just leave "and the Xbox 360 can play MP3s off the PSP..." at "wow" and not try to work some dig in or explain how their own is better stinks rotten. They have to be hiding something. One last big hurrah just before the Xbox 360's release to try and kill it with hype.
 
> "Um, he should consider having a solid online service already established as 'future proofing" in the same sense."

1080p is console side, and an online service is the server side, which can be upgraded at anytime without effecting the console. If you leave out 1080p on the console side, it's lost for the lifetime of that console interms of broad support, but an online service can be increased to whatever level over the entire console lifespan.

Hirai is right, content over a comprehensive online service, considering the Xbox Live! adoption rate is less than 10 percent of it's installed base. LESS THAN 10 PERCENT. Yeah, you read that right. CONTENT is king.
 
Qroach said:
He just wasn't prepared for that. Probably because they didn't plan anythng like that for PSP.
What is there to "plan" really? PSP masquarades as a USB-storage device to host machines, playing music from it is like playing music from any other USB storage device.
 
1080p is console side, and an online service is the server side, which can be upgraded at anytime without effecting the console.

I think that's in incorrect statment. An online service is "software" side. That includes game, console and server. If you don't' plan this out form the start, you simply won't be able to make it compelling. They could have added an oonline service to PS2, yet they didn't. I beleive that's becuase they didn't provide a soloution from top to bottom. If they do that again, it's going to be the same thing with PS3 (essentially non exsistant). Not having the hardrive there makes it tough to just "add" afterwards.


If you leave out 1080p on the console side, it's lost for the lifetime of that console interms of broad support, but an online service can be increased to whatever level over the entire console lifespan.

That's IF 1080p is supported in the games and IF the people with HDTV's have that functionality in thier televisions. Likely it won't be supported any more than 720p or 1080i is on the current xbox (infrequently).

You're trying to justify support for a feature a fraction of HDTV owners can use by saying only a fraction of xbox customers have bought into live? How is that a valid argument?

Hirai is right, content over a comprehensive online service, considering the Xbox Live! adoption rate is less than 10 percent of it's installed base. LESS THAN 10 PERCENT. Yeah, you read that right. CONTENT is king.

This statement doesn't make any sense. He is gaurenteeing you content at all. Infact he has no idea if 1080p will be a standard on PS3. If they weren't going to make it a standard with guarenteed content, then why both adding it in the first place.

let me reprhase what you said in a different direction.

Of the 12% of HDTV owners in america, how many have TV's that can utilize 1080p support? My guess is like less then .01 percent. LESS THAN .01 PERCENT. Yeah, you read that right.
 
What is there to "plan" really? PSP masquarades as a USB-storage device to host machines, playing music from it is like playing music from any other USB storage device.
Obviously to support that functionality on the PS3 Faf. otherwise i can't see why he'd be so suprised. regardless, he realized how easy it would be to do that so it's a moot point.
 
Obviously to support that functionality on the PS3 Faf.
Well I presume this type of software would most likely be provided by another branch of Sony actually (so not necesserily something SCEA needs to have all the details about as of yet) - but Archie might have more to say about that :p

Given all the hubbub of the PS3 as media center I would be surprised if it doesn't have media playback capability from external devices other then its harddrive.
 
Edge said:
Hirai is right, content over a comprehensive online service, considering the Xbox Live! adoption rate is less than 10 percent of it's installed base. LESS THAN 10 PERCENT. Yeah, you read that right. CONTENT is king.
Content IS king, but keep in mind that it's the Internet that can deliver a huge amount of content, and a comprehensive online package can reach and captivate your audience quite well.

While current online services and use of mass storage has been pretty shallow this generation (mainly depending on someone finding one or two games they want to play online), it's a much more influential point than, say, the difference between 1080i and 1080p. You do look foolish if you downplay a huge factor of "being online" and play up a feature that represents a minority OF a minority, tech-wise.

That being said, he seems to just be waffling and remaining purposefully vague, as Microsoft has put a huge amount of effort behind Live, and Sony doesn't have a solidified plan to start making feature-by-feature comparisons yet. Support for 1080p, however... Well that's something simple one can INSTANTLY stand behind feature-wise to laud, so... :p

Still if he's going to talk about "future proofing" and having things "in the box from day one," I wish they wouldn't downplay other features far more commonly accepted as important. They certainly don't need to try to feature-match Live with random commentary right now, but they should be able to SAY they're going to deliver the most robust online services they can because I certainly hope they are looking to DO so. (Especially if they're wanting to use the device as a broader computing device and media server, which they've been talking up.) Along that point as well, don't dismiss things like a small "in the box from day one" hard drive unless you HAVE a mass-storage solution you can talk up as well. At the moment, it would appear to be from flash cards which--while admittedly an extra expense is still not a bad thing, but we don't even know what features they'll actually be supporting through those cards. "Data reading" and "game storage" are accepted, but what else? ...and if not that, what other solutions? It's mighty hard to talk about future-proofing one feature at the expense of another, especially if other features are far more likely to be recognized as useful and applicable to the majority of consumers.
 
Well if it's included funcitonality on ps3, then I think SCEA would have ot be the ones to include that built inot the OS.

I agree though, I'm suprised why KAz was so suprised by this feature. it makes me think they aren't doing the same.
 
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