PS Business Briefing 2006 March official info

[wco81]

How much rumble can they have on a battery-powered device?

I could live without the rumble for better battery life unless recharging those things are real easy and convenient.

But you will probably have to tether the controller and maybe have to buy some overpriced charging cable/kit like you do for the X360.

If you're going to have to pay, it would be nice to see someone come out with a cradle which is powered independently of the console so you don't hav to keep the console running to recharge the controllers.

Or alternately, just use AA batteries so you can pick up some cheap NiMH rechargeables.

Edit: Hopefully they're also using the newer Bluetooth standard, 2.0 EDR which not only is faster but uses less power.

 

[scooby_dooby]

How much rumble can they have on a battery-powered device?

I could live without the rumble for better battery life unless recharging those things are real easy and convenient.

But you will probably have to tether the controller and maybe have to buy some overpriced charging cable/kit like you do for the X360.

If you're going to have to pay, it would be nice to see someone come out with a cradle which is powered independently of the console so you don't hav to keep the console running to recharge the controllers.

Or alternately, just use AA batteries so you can pick up some cheap NiMH rechargeables.

Edit: Hopefully they're also using the newer Bluetooth standard, 2.0 EDR which not only is faster but uses less power.

you can switch off the rumble feature in the dashboard if you want to conserve battery life and really recharging is not a big deal. You can get a charger that only take a couple hours to finish, and you only have to recharge maybe once a month.

Or do what I do and buy a 48pack of AA's for like $10.

btw: i think the way 360 works is it continues to charge the batteries after you have turned off the machine, it's in sleep mode but continues to charge. I'm not sure as I don't use the play & charge kit...but that's what I've read.

 

[ban25]

It looks like the controller may have a USB connector for wired operation (there are 4 USB ports on the front of the console) and possibly charging:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/trojandan/14870390/in/set-350783/

How much rumble can they have on a battery-powered device?

I could live without the rumble for better battery life unless recharging those things are real easy and convenient.

But you will probably have to tether the controller and maybe have to buy some overpriced charging cable/kit like you do for the X360.

If you're going to have to pay, it would be nice to see someone come out with a cradle which is powered independently of the console so you don't hav to keep the console running to recharge the controllers.

Or alternately, just use AA batteries so you can pick up some cheap NiMH rechargeables.

Edit: Hopefully they're also using the newer Bluetooth standard, 2.0 EDR which not only is faster but uses less power.

 

[one]

Famitsu has streaming movies of the meeting
http://www.famitsu.com/game/news/2006/03/16/103,1142439330,50079,0,0.html

PSP
http://www.famitsu.com/sp/060315_psbreefing/060315_sce_psp.asx

PS3
http://www.famitsu.com/sp/060315_psbreefing/060315_sce_ps3.asx

Kutaragi says the backward compatibility solution is very expensive for them but they are commited to do it.

As for the HDD, it's still vague and flexible, probably intentionally, considering the market situation and competitors' move. Developers may have more detailed information under NDA, we'll see.

The exact quote (from 20:30, the audio part before it is probably masked by Famitsu for some reason) is like this.

... and also considering it'll become the environment where HDD is main as written here, we'd like to accellerate it. Now, about the HDD, we put it in the spec before with the English expression "detachable". But if we say "detachable" it's not clear where to target software development as it seems an HDD is present in some units and not in others. Though if we put an HDD with a certain size in all units from the beginning it will have tremendous cost pressure on us, and also it will be big pressure on soft developers as they have to develop games that exploit HDD, we'd like to bring down this threshold as low as possible.

One thing we want to make it clear today is, though personally I thought I'd give you more detailed talk, for starters we regard PS3 with the premise that it has HDD, let me tell you. It's not that there is a version that has HDD or that doesn't, we'd like you to develop software with the assumption that all PS3 have HDD, this is my request. Later, we'll deliver you various information when we announce the price and the SKU, but considering what the market is demanding, we think it's important that I tell you today that, for starters, HDD is the premise. I want you to understand it. Anyway, this HDD is standard SATA 2.5'' drive that is used in PC, so anyone who can use PC can connect it by themselves, or, we may put it in all PS3, I think it all depends on the market. But as a platform, I'd like to repeat, it's all right that you think it has HDD. In an environment always connected to the network it's unthinkable that it doesn't have HDD, so I assume you can feel secure to develop software.

... then he shows the "HDD is required!" slide. He says Linux is there not to make it like a PC, but for creators and developers.

EDIT: Oh, and I might add, there's no mention of the PS3 price or whatsoever.

 

[wco81]

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=7315210&&#post7315210

 

[Diamond.G]

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=7315210&&#post7315210

Where did they hear about a RAM upgrade from?

 

[ROG27]

klee is a journalist/insider

 

[wco81]

He's claimed in the past to work with a developer. Not sure if it means he works for a studio or does work for a company which is contracted by a studio.

He posted about the delay before yesterday but couldn't cite sources other than the old Variety story.

TIFWIW.

 

[Diamond.G]

So can anyone here talk to the RAM change?

 

[ROG27]

He also posts over at GAF...KLEEGAMEFAN

 

[Bad_Boy]

wasnt there a talk about a ram upgrade a long time ago, ill have to try to find it.

 

[Edge]

Edit: Hopefully they're also using the newer Bluetooth standard, 2.0 EDR which not only is faster but uses less power.

Yes it will be that, as per the specs released last E3.

 

[Tap In]

Famitsu has streaming movies of the meeting
http://www.famitsu.com/game/news/2006/03/16/103,1142439330,50079,0,0.html

PSP
http://www.famitsu.com/sp/060315_psbreefing/060315_sce_psp.asx

PS3
http://www.famitsu.com/sp/060315_psbreefing/060315_sce_ps3.asx

Kutaragi says the backward compatibility solution is very expensive for them but they are commited to do it.

As for the HDD, it's still vague and flexible, probably intentionally, considering the market situation and competitors' move. Developers may have more detailed information under NDA, we'll see.

The exact quote (from 20:30, the audio part before it is probably masked by Famitsu for some reason) is like this.
... then he shows the "HDD is required!" slide. He says Linux is there not to make it like a PC, but for creators and developers.

EDIT: Oh, and I might add, there's no mention of the PS3 price or whatsoever.

thanks for that

very informative

 

[wco81]

http://www.gamespot.com/news/6145981.html

Basic services for the PSNP will initially be free, like Xbox Live Silver. However, unlike Microsoft's entry-level online service, which doesn't allow gameplay, the basic level of PSNP will provide gamers with the necessary services and functions required for online gaming, according to Kutaragi.

Hmm online play will be part of the free basic service?

So what will they charge for then? MMO games and downloads?

Or maybe they will charge for video chat, rankings, friends list?

If they include the HDD or make it widespread, it should attract MMO games. That's about the only thing that would be worth paying for. This past year, due to games like WOW, game subscription revenues were up. But is that a trend or something unique to a handful of really popular MMO games like WOW? After all, Sims and Star Wars MMO didn't light the world on fire.

 

[Brimstone]

Where did they hear about a RAM upgrade from?

Well I hope it's true and Sony ditches GDDR-3 for the GPU, and goes with Rambus XDR instead. 512 MB of XDR for the RSX would be sweet.

 

[Diamond.G]

http://www.gamespot.com/news/6145981.html



Hmm online play will be part of the free basic service?

So what will they charge for then? MMO games and downloads?

Or maybe they will charge for video chat, rankings, friends list?

How could they get away with charging for rankings and friends list when those things are offered for free by their competitor?

If they include the HDD or make it widespread, it should attract MMO games. That's about the only thing that would be worth paying for. This past year, due to games like WOW, game subscription revenues were up. But is that a trend or something unique to a handful of really popular MMO games like WOW? After all, Sims and Star Wars MMO didn't light the world on fire.

That is a good question, one that probably won't be answered for a while.
Personally, I wouldn't be so quick to try to get WoW or most other MMO's on a console. My co-worker doesn't play anything else since WoW has came out, and he is an avid gamer... Seems like something that could hurt sales of other games if it took off.

 

[mozmo]

Personally, I wouldn't be so quick to try to get WoW or most other MMO's on a console. My co-worker doesn't play anything else since WoW has came out, and he is an avid gamer... Seems like something that could hurt sales of other games if it took off.

Unless console makers get a royalty on the monthly payments on mmo's, it's not a good thing for them, since as you have noticed, when people get hooked on mmo's that's all they play and their buying habbits on new games changes quite drastically. This is why i feel pc games have been suffering poor sales, because a large pecentage of pc gamers have shifted to mmo's.

 

[one]

These articles have slides for the wacky but interesting "4D" concept of CELL computing on PS3.
http://plusd.itmedia.co.jp/games/articles/0603/15/news121_5.html
http://itpro.nikkeibp.co.jp/article/NEWS/20060315/232603/?ST=newtech&P=6

When I saw satellite images of the Sony USA building that I searched in the internet, I thought why those taxis stopping there didn't start. It's because it's a still picture. In the world of game and movie, we assume they are moving. Why they don't move is, because the internet is still not "Live". If cars and people are moving, that's an amazing world. We want to target it next.

Realizing live world through the network is, if I paraphrase it, the world of 4th dimension. You can go to the past, and any other place. In the internet of today, it's prevalent even with scarce expressions. Making it a key of PS3 is my dream.

 

[Tap In]

OK

I was really diggin where Sony was going with this whole thing, HDD, online gaming service, WW launch etc, but this... this... 4d mumbo jumbo.... please.

 

[Avon_Implosion]

jeez, Ken, you..well, you've got ideas...some hella interesting ideas.