New Ken Kutaragi interview (1) @ PC Watch

[TheChefO]

Well it worked for the 360 and PS2 so I don't think it will go away. I don't mind the bundles since you're going to buy a game anyways, although the bundles often don't come with the games you want.

yes but as far as I know there wasn't any bundle >$300 last gen. The concept is sound but with the already high pricepoint I don't think it would work at this point, especially in light of Sony marketing ps3 outside the tradition games console mold. Including a game at those prices would go against the image Sony is trying to portray.

 

[Johnny Awesome]

KK is a nutcase. I remember when zealots like Vince were going on about how there would be 4 cells in PS3 doing all the graphics work and it would be out in 2005. LOL. Here we are a couple years later and it still isn't on the market and the games don't look any better than X360 games. It's hilarious.

 

[scooby_dooby]

So the obvious question is: What can your 'PC' do exactly?

I think this interview is mostly KK thinking out loud, I think he's only half serious on these claims.

 

[Johnny Awesome]

You say "claims" most say "lies". LOL.

 

[RobertR1]

Wow, I've never read a transcript and come away with the thought "I have no idea what this guy is saying...." Thanks Kent!

Why don't ask him why the head of PR for the PlayStation brand just stepped down?

 

[TheChefO]

Wow, I've never read a transcript and come away with the thought "I have no idea what this guy is saying...." Thanks Kent!

Why don't ask him why the head of PR for the PlayStation brand just stepped down?

good question - anyone have an inside scoop/link?

 

[DemoCoder]

I think the success of the mod-scene community has shown that slapping Linux on a console and opening it up to homebrew or open source software can be a powerful and exciting for many people. If Sony allows homebrew, even homebrew that can't access the advanced functions of the PS3, it would still be a big win. Installing MAME without needing to modchip your box would be a huge advancement and would be a killer feature. The PSP 1.5 firmware machines are practically MAME-portables if you look and see what people are actually running.

 

[Powderkeg]

Its funny that people like to dismiss KK as some kind of nutcase .. but what he's accomplished with PS vision so far exceeds what most people will ever achieve in several lifetimes, and reached goals that even industry heavy-hitters would envy.

So did Van Gogh, but that didn't mean the guy wasn't a total nutcase.

 

[Powderkeg]

Well it worked for the 360 and PS2 so I don't think it will go away. I don't mind the bundles since you're going to buy a game anyways, although the bundles often don't come with the games you want.

It worked on the PS2 and Xbox 360 because no matter what bundle you got the basic console was exactly the same.

I can think of a few console/home computer hybrids from the past. I even owned a couple. They all failed at the strategy in the end. Turned out that some people just wanted a PC, and some people just wanted a game console, and very few wanted a high dollar gaming system that underperformed as a PC.

 

[Bad_Boy]

So did Van Gogh, but that didn't mean the guy wasn't a total nutcase.

So whats your point? hes a genious but a nutcase?

 

[rabidrabbit]

So did Van Gogh, but that didn't mean the guy wasn't a total nutcase.

That's really not necessary, KK is not a nutcase by any means. He's very outspoken in his visions, and often his statements directly translated from his native language read funny, but I see him as a man with maybe a bit too far fetching plans, or at least too far fetching for the good of standard corporate PR.
His PS2 era statements were more about the general direction of the Playstation platform, not necessarily that of PS2.
Though I admint his talk of PS2 and "jacking into the "Matrix"" were a bit too far out there but at the same time, I have a felling he doesn't take himself too seriously either in these grand future visions
NOt necessarily the best PR, but entertaining.

 

[TheChefO]

So whats your point? hes a genious but a nutcase?

I'd say nutius

 

[Naboomagnoli]

This reminds me of a conversation I had a couple of days ago with TheChefO regarding a PS3 that could perform PVR and gaming tasks simultaneously. With an 8-SPE version of Cell and some extra memory, you could definitely multitask a lot more - combine this with big hard drives and a method of accepting TV feeds and you have that very set-up. Although he refers to PC's becoming out of date after a couple of years, KK's comments still don't specify what performance aspect he had a view of improving. I for one expect (read "hope") that he was referring to non-gaming improvements.

 

[TheChefO]

This reminds me of a conversation I had a couple of days ago with TheChefO regarding a PS3 that could perform PVR and gaming tasks simultaneously. With an 8-SPE version of Cell and some extra memory, you could definitely multitask a lot more - combine this with big hard drives and a method of accepting TV feeds and you have that very set-up. Although he refers to PC's becoming out of date after a couple of years, KK's comments still don't specify what performance aspect he had a view of improving. I for one expect (read "hope") that he was referring to non-gaming improvements.

Yeah I don't think he'd be foolish enough to "upgrade" the game requirements of ps3 before jumping to ps4. Also the sentiment that ps3 will have a 10 year lifespan is a bit garbage in the argument for why it should be acceptable to charge more for the unit, because as everyone here knows the likelyhood that a ps3 that was bought on launch day and lasts for 10 years is a bit rediculous.

 

[thenefariousone]

I think the homebrew community is a very vocal but very small group. Sony has no real interest in this group. They are only doing a few things to give the illusion of being on the side of the mod-scene.

At the end of the day, Sony would much rather sell you that "MAME feature" than allow you to do it for free.

I think the success of the mod-scene community has shown that slapping Linux on a console and opening it up to homebrew or open source software can be a powerful and exciting for many people. If Sony allows homebrew, even homebrew that can't access the advanced functions of the PS3, it would still be a big win. Installing MAME without needing to modchip your box would be a huge advancement and would be a killer feature. The PSP 1.5 firmware machines are practically MAME-portables if you look and see what people are actually running.

 

[TheChefO]

At the end of the day, Sony would much rather sell you that "MAME feature" than allow you to do it for free.

...or a monthly access fee

 

[skilzygw]

Regarding the MAME feature. We all know the developers and publishers would hate that sort of thing. And who is creating the content for the PS3 these same people. May not be the best idea to openly embrace piracy, you may find new content hard to come by.

 

[Powderkeg]

So whats your point? hes a genious but a nutcase?

How about this:

The only difference between eccentric and just plain crazy is personal wealth.

 

[Sonic]

He is definitely not crazy or a nutcase. He is a man with a vision who has been given the funding to realize that vision. Kuturagi's vision for the PS3 is a little out there, maybe even far fetched. That doesn't mean it is a bad vision.

It is definitely a huge risk for Sony to take on and one that has a good chance of costing billions. Sony has put faith in Ken Kuturagi, so if the PS3 bombs then blame other members within Sony, not KK.

 

[DemoCoder]

I think the homebrew community is a very vocal but very small group. Sony has no real interest in this group. They are only doing a few things to give the illusion of being on the side of the mod-scene.

At the end of the day, Sony would much rather sell you that "MAME feature" than allow you to do it for free.

Irrelevent. If Sony allows unsigned code to run, they can't stop any arbitrary Linux app from being ported. Even if Sony creates a program for people to publish signed apps for a small fee (as opposed to full fledged games), it would be succeptable to homebrew. There's simply no way Sony can vet all code.

Now, there have been rumors of Sony opening up the PS3 platform, and if this is true in anyw ay, even cheap publishing, it will blow the doors off the platform. Even an innocuous program like a Tetris clone, if Sony signs and publishes it, could be have a purposeful bug inserted to allow it to be used as a bootloader for unsigned homebrew code.

In short, if Sony takes any course other than keeping the platform closed to only 1st and 3rd party developers, they are effectively opening it up.

As for homebrew being small but vocal, it's only small because the only way to play homebrew is through technically arcane procedures or worse, getting your hardware modified. That would all change if installation is as simple as point and click and download.