David Jaffe: I Would Not Have Included Blu-ray in PS3

["Nerve-Damage"]

David Jaffe: I Would Not Have Included Blu-ray in PS3

When asked what he would change about the PlayStation 3, he responded, "I probably would have taken the Blu-ray out and sold it for less money." Of course, hindsight is always 20/20, but Sony certainly doesn't seem to view the inclusion of Blu-ray as a mistake. Jaffe didn't outright label it a mistake either, but he's the first Sony employee (to this editor's knowledge) to even question the need for Blu-ray.

Any developers (board members) want to chime in?

Interestingly, when Jaffe was asked about the possibility of one day starting his own independent studio, he seemed to embrace the idea as one he's already given much thought to. "I think it's a great idea and it's an idea that I've explored and will continue to explore," he said. "You never really know – Sony's been a great home for a long time and whether or not it's with an independent studio or staying within the walls of Sony, I always want to be able to contribute to Sony's [camp], but the specific way to get to that destination is under discussion right now. So whether or not that becomes a full fledged company or it becomes a more focused role within Sony, which is sort of all about these [smaller] games is sort of TBD at the moment."

Sounds like his bucking/prodding for a raise and probably top position over at the Sony Santa Monica Studio.

 

[almighty]

I honestly think he'll be eating those words in the next coming years when games are in there 3rd or 4th generation. Tell that to Koj who wants a 5oGB Blu-Ray disk for MGS4

 

[DJ12]

I think he'll be eating those words 2/3 days into the dev cycle of God of War 3

Still he is entitled to his opinion, and it's pleasing to see Sony are allowing him to express it.

 

[NovemberMike]

I think he'll be eating those words 2/3 days into the dev cycle of God of War 3

Still he is entitled to his opinion, and it's pleasing to see Sony are allowing him to express it.

I don't think he is doing GoW3.

 

["Nerve-Damage"]

I don't think he is doing GoW3.

From all indications he is…

The 2nd disc packed with GOW:2 (kind-of) hinted that he will be heading that up.

 

[NovemberMike]

For Jaffe, it's not just a matter of his enjoying creating smaller titles, but it also comes down to his realization during the God of War development period that he just can't do those big, epic titles anymore. "God of War was an eye-opener for me; all I did was live at that studio," he revealed.

From the interview.

 

[Sis]

I honestly think he'll be eating those words in the next coming years when games are in there 3rd or 4th generation. Tell that to Koj who wants a 5oGB Blu-Ray disk for MGS4

What would be told to Koj? I didn't think Jaffe said anything in regards to the necessity or benefit of having a Blu-ray drive included on the PS3; rather, I think he was making an observation about the price point.

In other words, if the price didn't have to go up with the inclusion of Blu-ray, I don't think Jaffe would have made the comment. I tend to agree with his reasoning, even though the Blu-ray drive is what led me to buying my PS3. I'm full of contradictions

 

[scooby_dooby]

I think he'll be eating those words 2/3 days into the dev cycle of God of War 3

Why? A linear game like that he can just slap on 2 discs...

 

[RobertR1]

What the hell does Kojima asking for more space have to do with the financial impact of Blu Ray in the price of the PS3?

He's discussing from a financial standpoint, not a technical one. I swear, some people are just waiting at their keyboards with itchy fingers waiting to pounce on anyone who says a thing bad about their beloved console.

 

[JardeL]

When asked what he would change about the PlayStation 3, he responded, "I probably would have taken the Blu-ray out and sold it for less money."

I don't think he meant Blu-Ray is useless for gaming , he just want cheaper PS3 , IMO ... He's complaining about price of PS3 and all of us know that removing Blu-Ray from PS3 will drop its price dramatically ...

BTW, its suprised me to see a dev did not respond to "What would you change about the PlayStation 3 ? " question like " Hell , CELL ", I'm used to it ...

 

[Deusp]

Since every generation has an upgraded media format, you can't really fault Sony for including it. In hindsight, it may have been smarter to use some sort of super-DVD, maybe a triple layer version like FVD, which has 15GB per disk.

Anyways, this is just moot. Blu-ray is in there and likely won't be a hassle 1 or 2 years down the road.

 

[Rainbow Man]

Any developers (board members) want to chime in?

Yes.

I like bluray. It makes for a nice and quiet console (similar transfer speeds require a tornado DVDROM drive like the 360's) and room for games to grow.

And I get to watch high-res movies too when decent titles appear.



It's not everyoen's cup of tea I guess but then again what the hell is?
peace.

 

[LogisticX]

Though I'm not a developer I agree with RainbowMan. The BluRay is a nice little addition which unfortunately ended up making the PS3 pricier than maybe it needed to be. Despite this, I would say that the good things outweigh the bad.

The biggest problem right now is the somewhat poor reception its been getting w.r.t sales... I think the concern PS3 owners should have is that once again Sony has a uniquely designed architecture that makes development costs go up but unlike the PS2, there are 2 other competitors selling more and better which could cause developers to opt into simply moving projects to other platforms. They may simply use the PS3 as a port machine thereby eliminating any real potential for games to get better like we've seen with the PS2.

To add to that, if barely anybody bothers to code specifically for PS3, the addition of BluRay really will be essentially useless for gaming purposes.

 

[SugarCoat]

Why? A linear game like that he can just slap on 2 discs...

it...is...alive!

 

[ninzel]

For an extra $50 over the cost of 360 Premium,I'm very happy they included it.

 

[quest55720]

For an extra $50 over the cost of 360 Premium,I'm very happy they included it.

Since there is no more 20 gig SKU it is 200 dollar difference for blue ray once again. I would of much rather sony have a 299/399 SKUs with out blue ray. Oh well atleast the customers in 2 markets rejected sony's outlandish pricing all in the name of using gamers to win a movie format war.

 

[crystalcube]

Oh well atleast the customers in 2 markets rejected sony's outlandish pricing all in the name of using gamers to win a movie format war.

Blu-Ray is not a movie format but media.
PS3 is expensive compared to the competition and it lacks a good library at the moment. Many people are going to buy PS3 even at current prices once the library start to build up.
In 2-3 years time when PS3 price is reduced the same Blu-ray will appear as good decision. Yes there are too many what-if scenarios, but someone has to take the first plunge ( including high storage media). Sony did it and also paid the price of slow initial sale. But with current library how good the sale could have been even with DVD ?

 

[quest55720]

Blu-Ray is not a movie format but media.
PS3 is expensive compared to the competition and it lacks a good library at the moment. Many people are going to buy PS3 even at current prices once the library start to build up.
In 2-3 years time when PS3 price is reduced the same Blu-ray will appear as good decision. Yes there are too many what-if scenarios, but someone has to take the first plunge ( including high storage media). Sony did it and also paid the price of slow initial sale. But with current library how good the sale could have been even with DVD ?

Not possible they had the market completely locked up 70%+ market share. The PS3 will be lucky to pass the 360 in 2 years time let alone get any where near the monster Wii. Also by the time the PS3 sells it the 360 will be the default platform for 3rd partys. Which means no special treatment for blue ray or the cell. The PS3 will essentially become a portstation with good first party games. The cost of blue ray alone cost them this generation. A 299/399 PS3 wipes the floor with every one but the Wii in japan.

The PS2 and PS1 had a much crappier library of games 6 months in but that did not stop them from selling. The PS3 had a good library for 6 months in it is price alone keeping people away.

 

[Sis]

But with current library how good the sale could have been even with DVD ?

The question is rhetorical, but I have to say: given the PS2 as an example, the sales would have been great. The PS2 launch had arguably even a worse launch library, but it had brand name and price point going for it. The PS3 only has brand name.

 

[Rangers]

For Jaffe, it's not just a matter of his enjoying creating smaller titles, but it also comes down to his realization during the God of War development period that he just can't do those big, epic titles anymore. "God of War was an eye-opener for me; all I did was live at that studio," he revealed.

Cue lazy developer comments.

Anyways, I suspect Jaffe just sees that on a personal selfish level, the high price has really limited PS3's market penetration and install base, and may continue to do so, and therefore, how many games he can sell into the base.

Nobody thinks Blu-Ray is a bad thing..if it was free. It's not, though.