From MSNBC:
Exec:
Change needed to ensure succerss of the PlayStation 3.
I am not sure about all the doom and gloom. Sony Corp has been on the rebound and is not relying on the PS as much as they were 3 years ago. BluRay in the PS3 is going to give Sony a competitive edge in the HD Optical market and strengthen their already strong studio support.
Sure, this is kind of surprising as it really looks like demotion through promotion, as well as it indicates that Sony realizes there were mistakes made with the PS3. I think Sony made the mistake of not taking the route of putting something out competitive in the same cost paradigm as the competition by either
1. releasing in 2005 with limited numbers and cutting whatever fat was necessary to reach that goal (e.g. no BluRay, no standard HDD, etc) or
2. ABSOLUTELY ensure LARGE 2006 quantities in all 3 major regions, cutting any and all fat that limits production (BluRay)
I don't see BluRay as a key to success for the console market this generation, and it also ties Sony down with a manditory HDD. CELL, XDR, RSX, GDDR3, Wireless, PS2 compatibility, Online, etc would have been a great console. Sony could have easily touched off within $50 of MS on retail, charging the PlayStation Premium, and probably forced MS into another poor position.
If Sony releases a console in quantities and in the general price range as MS they take the console lead this gen--and don't give it up. Now? Seeing the cost + production issues it looks lik 2008 at the earliest.
Another issue is software. Execs from Sony were saying at E3 2005 "The dev kits were out there and they are doing amazing stuff on them". Fast forward 18 months later. The PS3 launch is full of portware. Heavenly Sword and Motorstorm are 2007 titles now and all the big guns (MGS, FF, God of War, DMC, RE, SOCOM, etc) are a year off or more. Someone at Sony really needed to be beating the, "GUYS! We need software!" The "ride the PS2 an extra year" strategy was a short term win, but long term gamble that I think will have caused them significant market share damage (namely in the form of giving MS new life, not necessarily Sony losses).
I have not been a huge fan of MS's strategy. UE3 everywhere, while possibly annoying, seems to have been well calculated. The strategy seems to be simplly: next gen quality games FAST... and let the specialized X360 software hit center stage in late 2007 and beyond. Looking at MS's lineup it seems that next-gen titles have seen delays across the board: Oblivion was delayed, GRAW was delayed, Forza Motorsport 2 was delayed, Spinter Cell DA, Brother in Arms 3, Bioshock, Mass Effect, Too Human, Crackdown, on and on. It seems next gen titles are not only taking longer to developer but are also facing 3-6 month delays as a routine. Not all for sure (Condemned, PGR3, Kameo, Viva, R6 Vegas, Gears of War, etc seem to have made it on time) but it seems quality internal efforts have seen a lot of delays. While UE3 games are not incapable of avoiding such, it does seem that MS will have a larger library of next-gen quality games sooner than Sony will and largely in part due to the use of UE3. Epic hit a sweet spot in deploying when they did... they may have even been a year late at that.
Of which makes things all the foggier because a. Sony knew MS was pushing this direction b. had to know the state of their own development teams and c. were pimping UE3 at E3 2005. e.g. Rainbow Six Vegas--Sony had a chance to make sure this was a launch title, if not an exclusive if necessary (ala CoD2 on the X360). Instead Sony has seen a lot of quality multi-platform titles slide.
Sure, all launch pains, but lets not forget that the PS3 was to be shipped in Spring 2006
lol: ) and was said by Sony themselves that there was a chance for 2005 in an interview (oft quoted here at B3D in Summer/Fall 2005).
There is really no excuse for the current situation. The PS3 is a wonderful machine, has fantastic developer and publisher support, will succeed as a console with great software as well as robust media features, but it has a host of issues that should have been resolved. Things like online services and image scaling are just... shocking.
Change appears to be necessary. I am not sure dropping KK is a good move. I dislike him as I disliked Nintendo's Yamauchi (brash, a lot of hyperbole, out of touch at times) but also respected his ability to lead a division in envisioning and executing wonderful ideas that benefit consumers. The man is a geniuous, and while eccentric he is deserving of much appreciation from gamers everywhere. Ultimately being in charge means you are responsible for success and failure, so the software and hardware issues fall to him--even if unfair. e.g. The BluRay issue is as much corporate as an issue with KK.
As for no PS4... HA! Maybe it will be called something different, but Sony WILL have another console. That said they made it more difficult for themselves. A $350/$450 PS3 paradigm mimicking the 360 (same general gist w/o BR) and a better focus on software getting out of the door and I think Sony is right back on track for 100M+ in 5 years again. I think 100M in 5 years is going to be nearly impossible for Sony now and they have pretty much put MS in position for 40-55M this generation. Sony is in the hard position of A) guessing when X3 will be launch and B) deciding to either match the date OR wait a year. OUCH. Wait a year and you give up marketshare again, go head to head you run into the issue cutting your money making PS3 short.
And it will be hard to guage because I think some technologies are slowing--in particular in the end result we see on screen--as well as the cost reduction path will be getting fuzzy past 32nm. Will we get 16nm and 22nm with reasonable investments?
We should all hope for a PS4. For the same reason we should hope for a X3 and N6. Competition is good, especially with different takes on the market. Competition breeds excellence and means more, for less, for consumers as well as giving more priority to the people, developers, who actually make the games. A world with only MS/Nintendo is like a world with only Sony/Nintendo--not so exciting IMO.
