GameInformer's Peter Dille interview ...

[JardeL]

GI: One thing Cory Barlog from the God of War team mentioned at the God Of War II launch event was that God of War III will have rumble capabilities. I was wondering when we’ll start having controllers with rumble in them.
Dille: Well, as you guys know Sony and Immersion settled a lawsuit. The companies are talking about what ways could that technology manifest itself in PlayStation products going forward. No announcements to make yet, but when we do, it’ll be sure to be big news.

GI: Is there a potential for people to–I mean I have a PS3, Kato has a PS3, I bought controllers and they’re expensive–is there any way that Sony will have some sort of a replacement program where you can get the controller that you really want, which is the one with rumble in it?
Dille: Well we don’t have a controller with rumble yet, so there’s no replacement plan. Again, the conversations with Immersion are forward looking, but your question is something I really can’t address because there’s no product that features it outside of the existing controllers with PS2.

I think this statement confirms rumble for PS3 ... I wonder if they'll replace current controllers for free ...

GI: One thing you’ve been doing a great job with, and I commend you guys, is patching the system with new features such as Folding. One thing a lot of users are waiting for is the ability to stream music, pictures or video from their home computers. Is that something we may see?
Dille: I won’t address those two specifically but what I’ll tell you is we probably have a long list of things that the marketing department has said lets prioritize these. The same time the engineering team in Japan have their own lists and they’re working on as many as they can as fast as they can. I think as you said, they have a pretty good record of pumping out these firmware upgrades fairly regularly, so they’re trying to check them off the list as soon as they can. I think it’s safe to say we know what gamers want, we’re listening, we’re trying to address them as soon as we can, and hopefully we’ll get to everyone’s wish lists as quick as possible.

GI: There’s been some talk that some third-party publishers have games ready in the chute but have held back in releasing them until the install base for the PS3 grows. Is that something you anticipated when you released the system or is that more of a surprise.
Dille: First of all, I haven’t heard that. Any specifics? It’s sort of counter-intuitive, because the question suggest that, first of all you have to take a step back and say most third parties are doing cross-platform development, so that suggests that they’re holding back a 360 SKU and a PS3 SKU, and if that’s the case then that speaks to our position in the marketplace as a force to be reckoned with . Because they’re forgoing the headstart that we gave Microsoft, and if they want to wait for us I guess that’s good news from our perspective.

GI: Some of the talk is like with Ubisoft and their Rainbow Six title, which is a SKU that’s already available for the 360.
Dille: I hadn’t heard that they were waiting. That’s an economic decision that a publisher makes, and they’re entitled to make those decisions. I think our focus, I think this event hopefully communicates it, we feel that we’ve got the horsepower to drive each of the platforms. If you talk about PlayStation 3, we’re not going to rely on the third parties to come up with exclusive content, we’ve got 15 games that are just shipping this fiscal year, so that doesn’t even include Resistance which will still be relevant, Motorstorm which will still be relevant, it doesn’t include the content you’ll find on the PlayStation Network. 15 Blu-ray games that we’ll use to differentiate the PlayStation experience across every genre you can think of, from RPG, to shooter, to racing, sports, action, and then stuff that defies being put in a box, like LittleBigPlanet, SingStar, Eye of Judgment—I challenge anyone to offer that type of lineup on any other system, so again I think third parties can make the decisions they need based on how they run their business.

Hmm never heard about it ... Is this true that 3rd parties pushing back their ready games ?.. What's the point of it ?..

Rest of the interview on ; [ http://gameinformer.com/News/Story/200705/N07.0518.1518.01359.htm ] ...

BTW , searched & found nothing about this interview , lock & delete if already posted ...

 

[Cheezdoodles]

The point of holding back and delaying the release of a game on the PS3 right now can be explained in one word, userbase.

With the PS3 not doing exactly great in terms of sales, and with fairly low amount of people actually owning a console, what one would hope to achieve with such a delay is to get a bigger installed userbase when you release it, so that you can potentially get more sales.

Sales data tend to show, that game sales die down very fast after the first 2 months, even with new people constantly buying the console, i guess the lack of "hype" factors in.

 

[Todd33]

Sounds like they have no confidence in their game then. When GRAW and Oblivion shipped on the 360 the userbase was small. Good games sell and keep selling. Oblivion on the 360 is still on the top 10 list for the 360. If a publisher has a good game then release it (less competition now) and let it keep selling for the next year. Resistance is doing just that now.

 

[Gradthrawn]

I think this statement confirms rumble for PS3 ... I wonder if they'll replace current controllers for free ...

If you all recall, the PS1 had 2 big controller revisions (PS Controler -> Dual Analog Sticks -> Dual Shock). I know I didn't get a free replacement. Nor do I recall any replacement program initiated by SCEI. I don't see why they would do it now. It wouldn't make any sense, IMO. Its going to be a whole new product to replace the previous controller design, the same way the Dual Shock replaced the Dual Analog Sticks controller and so on.

 

[Titanio]

I think it's a double-edged sword delaying for reasons like that..you seriously run the risk of your game being 'old' by the time it finally is released, and fewer still being interested, than if you'd released earlier to perhaps a smaller userbase.

I'm more inclined, in cases like R6, to think that they need the time to polish the game up to standard.

 

[JardeL]

I don't get it , PS3 needs more games [ except price drop ] to increase userbase , right ?.. It creates a paradox to delay ready games , imo ...

" Small userbase > game delays + few games > weak sales + small userbase > game delays ... " ...

 

[dobwal]

I don't get it , PS3 needs more games [ except price drop ] to increase userbase , right ?.. It creates a paradox to delay ready games , imo ...

" Small userbase > game delays + few games > weak sales + small userbase > game delays ... " ...

Third parties aren't concerned with pushing console sales that Sony's job. Its not just the userbase that third parties are looking at, it is also sales of other high profile games and attached rates. Resistance sold pretty well but there are other high profile games aren't garnering the numbers of sales expected.

 

[Cheezdoodles]

Not only that, but as far as third party developers are concerned, the best result for them, financially, would be to see the PS3 crash and burn and stop being produced.

In fact, for third party developers, the absolute best result would be just 1 console having 100% of the market. No more ports, or learning different architectures and what not.

 

[acaeus]

Not only that, but as far as third party developers are concerned, the best result for them, financially, would be to see the PS3 crash and burn and stop being produced.

In fact, for third party developers, the absolute best result would be just 1 console having 100% of the market. No more ports, or learning different architectures and what not.

I agree to a certain extent. however, whoever buys a Wii would not be necessarily interested in getting a PS3 and/or xbox 360 instead.

To a lesser degree the same happens with the Xbox 360 and the PS3. The reason I've got the PS3 (about amonth ago) remains the same: it just fits the home threater a lot better (more silent, slicker, blu-ray). Besides to a casual gamer like myself, oblivion and motorstorm will keep me busy for quite a while.

So, in short, having different console types and brands possibily brings new customers. Perhaps not enough to cover the costs of porting (R&D), but it helps the gaming industry overall IMO.

 

[JardeL]

Not only that, but as far as third party developers are concerned, the best result for them, financially, would be to see the PS3 crash and burn and stop being produced.

This does not explain the situation... If that's the case then why do they make games ?.. Making games and pushing them back increases costs , right ?.. They spend a lot of money to make the game , pushing back means no returns , no income ... That doesn't make sense , imo ...

 

[dobwal]

This does not explain the situation... If that's the case then why do they make games ?.. Making games and pushing them back increases costs , right ?.. They spend a lot of money to make the game , pushing back means no returns , no income ... That doesn't make sense , imo ...

Games typically garner most of their new game sales and profits within the first 6 weeks following release. It doesn't take long before the used versions of the game to show up in the numbers and price dropping comes at the expense of profit margins.

The bigger a console's userbase the more one can sell at the outset of release. I don't know how much potential is lost when you delay release for a game who has an existing released port on a rival console. There has to be diminishing potential the longer you delay, but I have no idea how that plays out.

 

[PARANOiA]

If you all recall, the PS1 had 2 big controller revisions (PS Controler -> Dual Analog Sticks -> Dual Shock). I know I didn't get a free replacement. Nor do I recall any replacement program initiated by SCEI. I don't see why they would do it now. It wouldn't make any sense, IMO. Its going to be a whole new product to replace the previous controller design, the same way the Dual Shock replaced the Dual Analog Sticks controller and so on.

If I remember correctly, the Dual Analog controller came out about three years or more after the PS1 launched. The concept of replacing the PS3's controller six months after launch and expecting me to pay for it is disgusting IMO - and another thing keeping me from jumping in.

I'm sure it won't be a "necessary" feature - but hey, neither are HDD's, and we all know about the "tard pack"

 

[Gradthrawn]

If I remember correctly, the Dual Analog controller came out about three years or more after the PS1 launched. The concept of replacing the PS3's controller six months after launch and expecting me to pay for it is disgusting IMO - and another thing keeping me from jumping in.

I'm sure it won't be a "necessary" feature - but hey, neither are HDD's, and we all know about the "tard pack"

6 months after launch would be May 17 (NA launch, that is). I could understand your point if the new controllers actually launched a week ago. Unless you have some evidence to suggest it will be launching this month, or anytime in the next 6 months, for that matter? Additionally, comparing an optional rumble feature on a controller to an optional HDD is rather... strange, IMO. Their purposes and the effects of their absence seem far too varied, to me at least.

 

[PARANOiA]

6 months after launch would be May 17 (NA launch, that is). I could understand your point if the new controllers actually launched a week ago. Unless you have some evidence to suggest it will be launching this month, or anytime in the next 6 months, for that matter? Additionally, comparing an optional rumble feature on a controller to an optional HDD is rather... strange, IMO. Their purposes and the effects of their absence seem far too varied, to me at least.

RE: the new PS3 contoller - yep, however I'd guess it'll be out by the end of the year. Certainly I'd wager it'll be out by 2009 - the same as the DS arguement you've put forward. And it's about two months from Australian launch for me, by the way - so if you feel comfortable with parting your cash because your launch was further away, good for you. I'm simply expressing that for me, it's a negative.

And re: the HDD - I'll grant my comment was a little facetious, and has little to do with the discussion... Only that the view of something in gaming being "optional" usually - certainly in this case - means "non-optimal", particularly when the interview basically states that rumble was promised since it improves the gaming experience.

Cheers

 

[goonergaz]

Third parties aren't concerned with pushing console sales that Sony's job. Its not just the userbase that third parties are looking at, it is also sales of other high profile games and attached rates. Resistance sold pretty well but there are other high profile games aren't garnering the numbers of sales expected.

3rd parties make money from consoles selling, Sony lose money.

Why do you think 3rd parties wouldn't want to sell consoles?

Surely as there seems to be a lack of games being released at the moment NOW is the time to release any games being held back, or they could wait until they're up against a load of AAA titles, but that would be silly.(IMO)

 

[Cheezdoodles]

3rd parties make money from consoles selling, Sony lose money.

Why do you think 3rd parties wouldn't want to sell consoles?

3rd parties doesn't make money from consoles selling. They make money if console owners buy their games.

3rd parties doesn't want to sell consoles, they want to release their title at such a time when the sales will be good because of the already installed userbase.

 

[BoardBonobo]

3rd parties doesn't make money from consoles selling. They make money if console owners buy their games.

3rd parties doesn't want to sell consoles, they want to release their title at such a time when the sales will be good because of the already installed userbase.

So in actual fact they do make money from consoles selling. The more sold the bigger the userbase ad infinitum...

 

[Gradthrawn]

RE: the new PS3 contoller - yep, however I'd guess it'll be out by the end of the year.

When have you ever known Sony to move that fast?

And it's about two months from Australian launch for me, by the way - so if you feel comfortable with parting your cash because your launch was further away, good for you. I'm simply expressing that for me, it's a negative.

Ah, you're in the Outback. I see why that would be aggravating if it did launch this year. But again, when have you ever known Sony to move that fast? Closer to 2009 seems more likely, and that would be 1.5 to 2 years after launch in NA/JP, and about a year to 1.5 years after the AU launch. If that's still too close for you, I'm sure they would be more than willing to delay the release of the DualShake3 over there to make you feel better. That way, you won't get it until 3 years after your launch.

And re: the HDD - I'll grant my comment was a little facetious, and has little to do with the discussion... Only that the view of something in gaming being "optional" usually - certainly in this case - means "non-optimal", particularly when the interview basically states that rumble was promised since it improves the gaming experience.

Cheers

"Promised," that will turn things sour real fast. But that's neither here nor there. I think I better understand what your point and disposition are. To me, it's simple. I bought a controller (controllers, actually) without rumble. I would hope a new controller is more optimal than the previous one, as I would expect any new product replacement to be. The fact that I bought one that is not as optimal as the new one is neither here nor there, I already knew what I was buying. I would not have some expectation of compensation if a new product did something more than my current one. I would be far more apt to be angry if not having the new product actually prevented me from using the console, or severely limited my ability to use it in the future. For you, it seems, you don't want to buy one that you know will be outdated, because you know you're going to want to get the new, improved one. I guess it's the difference between early adopters and those that wait for the 2nd (or later) generations of products, after they've been refined and improved.

Oh, and FYI, according to Wiki, the Dual Sticks were released 2 years after launch. And the Dual Shock was released only 7 months after the Dual Sticks! That article has not been verified, however, so far as I can tell.

 

[Arwin]

I think the best time to launch the controller would be to launch it together with MGS4. Hideo is one of the most prominent developers to want vibration back in, and MGS4 is the most highly anticipated PS3 game. So if you want to get the controller out to as many people as possible, that would be the time.

Alternatively, they could release a simple vibration add-on that you can clip or strap on wherever you like ... That could be useful in a variety of ways.

And then take a bit longer to develop the real next sixaxis. But sooner = better as there will be fewer people who have invested in the 'old' controller.

In the meantime though, man I can't wait for a PS3 Loco Roco with motion control!

 

[rabidrabbit]

Alternatively, they could release a simple vibration add-on that you can clip or strap on wherever you like ... That could be useful in a variety of ways.

Oh yea baby! A wireless bluetooth vibrator.
That would be so much better than a rumble that's built in a controller.
In racing games, you could put it (under!) your butt, under the sofa cushion and it would feel so much more like driveing than if it were rumbling in your hands.
In shooters you could attach it in your chest, and feel the impact when you're being shot, or even place multiple vibrators around your body so the the impact would be felt where your game character is being hit.
In rhythm games, you'd attach it on your neck, so that it makes your head nod in time of music
The possibilities are unlimited. I dare even not think about "Home" and if the vibrator could be made to vibrate remotely over network