Sony Online Entertainment Future Vision

[one]

http://www.gamingsteve.com/archives/2005/04/sony_online_ent.php

Sony Online Entertainment Future Vision

Today I went to the Games & Mobile Forum where a few interesting little items were revealed to huge audience of 307 people (that was the actual attendance).

John Smedley, President of Sony Online Entertainment, started the conference off with his keynote address and revealed quite a few interesting tidbits.

First the foremost, Smedley revealed that the PS3 will allow online microtransactions (just like the Xbox 360) and these transactions will become more commonplace in the near future.

Smedley then described a future where you could play an online game via your PSP, PS3, PC, and cell phone where you would be able to play the same game utilizing the same character on all platforms. The graphics and experience may be slightly different – for example, you would only be able to perform inventory management of your character on the cell phone version of the game while the PSP, PS3, and PC versions would play the same but have different graphic engines. However, it was important to note that these online games would not be separate games, they would all be the same game, using the same character, across different platforms, where you can play with the same people online. He also said we should expect to see this sort of gameplay within the next six months.

As for selling items within Everquest via Station Exchange, Smedley said that they were still figuring out the exact pricing but expect the Station Exchange to be live in June. He also warned that SOE programmed extensive monitoring tools which will alert SOE if players are excessively camping certain creatures or treasures and may ban these people from EQ.

As for new online chatting interfaces, Smedley explained that they were working on a single text and voice chat interface which would work across all platforms and games (PS3, PC, PSP, Everquest, etc.). So rather than having to leave Everquest to chat with your friends playing an online game on PS3 you could chat across platforms and games within a single interface. No timetable was given for this technology.

All in all it was an interesting keynote to see where SOE is planning on moving in the future.

 

[mckmas8808]

This is the most exciting thing that I have heard in my life!!! OK not really but close. I thought they should wait till E3 to disclose this great information.
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MFLB VAPORIZER

 

[function]

This is the most exciting thing that I have heard in my life!!! OK not really but close. I thought they should wait till E3 to disclose this great information.

That's pretty much bang on what Microsoft started talking about a little over a year ago.

 

[Andy]

Really I could have sworn Sony talked similar things years ago before PS2 was launched.

 

[j^aws]

Really I could have sworn Sony talked similar things years ago before PS2 was launched.

Sounds familiar...they also talked about Cyber World (<-- needs a name change, meh!) during last E3...

 

[function]

Really I could have sworn Sony talked similar things years ago before PS2 was launched.

Perhaps they did. But talk, as they say, is cheap and Sony have made no real effort to go down this road untill now.

MS on the other hand have already implemented Xbox Live, where I can contact my friends playing other games, and where I can use my PC to check stats, arrange matches, setup tournaments etc. They also already have a system for delivering content online through microtransactions (even if you think 2.99 for a golf course isn't small enough to be considered a microtransaction, you have to admit that the infrastructure is there).

Coming into the next generation, I'll be able to be playing a MS game on my MS Windows PC (possibly over Xbox Live for PC), bring up MS Messenger and talk to my friend playing on his MS Xbox 2 over his Xbox Live account and .. well, do whatever.

Anything else you want to build from there is probably up to developers. We've already seen the days of PC and DC owners playing each other online, downloadable minigames to DC VMUs (where you play a different, complimentary version of the game for the different hardware), people using PCs to manage console online games and GC and GBA owners linking up for a number of reasons.

Sony aren't talking about anything new here IMO. Infact you could argue they're already lagging behind (particularly wrt Microsoft).

 

[gurgi]

Yeah, we already could have been playing online games with people playing on other platforms (PSO comes to mind as a perfect game for this), but we haven't really seen it. I guess DC quake3 had some mutual servers.

The technology is already here, the rest is all just PR-speak till it actually happens imo.

 

[mckmas8808]

They did talk about this years ago. I swear they said almost everything that M$ said a few years back. Why can't many people like IGN and Gamespot remember this?
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Chevrolet nomad specifications

 

[one]

Yeah, we already could have been playing online games with people playing on other platforms (PSO comes to mind as a perfect game for this), but we haven't really seen it. I guess DC quake3 had some mutual servers.

The technology is already here, the rest is all just PR-speak till it actually happens imo.

Final Fantasy 11 shares the world between PC and PS2.

 

[-NakedZ-]

^^ The first game that utilize this was I believe NFSU.

- Z

 

[wco81]

XBL messaging features don't offer much more than what instant messaging clients give you.

Sony talked about an AIM client for the PS2 (as well as email and browser) as well but they never delivered. Talk is indeed cheap.

In this case, I bet they would unify all these different platforms in games like Everquest, where they're collecting subscriptions from you.

But will third-parties do it? Will EA allow people playing their games to commuicate with people playing games by other publishers?

Will EA even allow online game play between PS3 and PSP versions of the same game? Will Sony allow it?

 

[Carl B]

What I find interesting is that they talk about cell phone gaming in terms that seem complementary to traditional console and mobile gaming, rather than adversarial. Does Sony not feel that cell phones will begin to crowd the mobile market at some point? Even more surprising, from their talk, are they perhaps set to even embrace it? To release games themselves in that area? Someone point it out if I'm missing something here.

 

[gurgi]

I doubt it's even possible with Xbox360. MS seems very protective of thier service, and they are very controlling about the whole thing. I don't think they'd let a developer host thier own games, let alone where ps3 or revolution customers are playing. And I doubt even more they'd let ps3 or revolution customers play on an xbox live hosted server.

 

[Spidermate]

Really I could have sworn Sony talked similar things years ago before PS2 was launched.

Perhaps they did. But talk, as they say, is cheap and Sony have made no real effort to go down this road untill now.

MS on the other hand have already implemented Xbox Live, where I can contact my friends playing other games, and where I can use my PC to check stats, arrange matches, setup tournaments etc. They also already have a system for delivering content online through microtransactions (even if you think 2.99 for a golf course isn't small enough to be considered a microtransaction, you have to admit that the infrastructure is there).

Coming into the next generation, I'll be able to be playing a MS game on my MS Windows PC (possibly over Xbox Live for PC), bring up MS Messenger and talk to my friend playing on his MS Xbox 2 over his Xbox Live account and .. well, do whatever.

Anything else you want to build from there is probably up to developers. We've already seen the days of PC and DC owners playing each other online, downloadable minigames to DC VMUs (where you play a different, complimentary version of the game for the different hardware), people using PCs to manage console online games and GC and GBA owners linking up for a number of reasons.

Sony aren't talking about anything new here IMO. Infact you could argue they're already lagging behind (particularly wrt Microsoft).

Maybe that's true, but even you have to admit that at least they a looking into changing the pass solution which I'm sure you and others complained about not working for their last system. So instead of complaining about it, why don't you ask yourself this instead: What would you rather them do?... a) set on their butts using the same online service or b) do something to change it?

It doesn't really matter who copies what. As long as problem is corrected is the concerned issue. I'm sure you must have witnessed something very similiar coming from all three competitors before this news came about.

 

[blakjedi]

the "SonyWorld" vision is excatly like Xbox Live except XBL is here now...

eventually the differences will become meaningless... like us debating which IM client is best.... they all basically do the same thing and I use trillian myself

 

[wco81]

Inter-game communication is overrated for me anyways.

My online sessions are short. I go in, play my games, log off and turn the console off. Don't want to hear the fan. Can't imagine how noisy the next gen consoles will be.

What would be useful is if these console messaging systems interoperate with regular computer clients. I know MS will connect XBL with their MSN Messengers.

Hopefully Sony does something similar but support for cross-platform clients like AIM. Or have web sites which can show the status of your friends. EA does that but it's not dynamic, you have to update the page.

EA uses AIM logins anyways. They should just connect EA Messenger to AIM.

 

[archie4oz]

Really I could have sworn Sony talked similar things years ago before PS2 was launched.

Perhaps they did. But talk, as they say, is cheap and Sony have made no real effort to go down this road untill now.

MS on the other hand have already implemented Xbox Live, where I can contact my friends playing other games, and where I can use my PC to check stats, arrange matches, setup tournaments etc. They also already have a system for delivering content online through microtransactions (even if you think 2.99 for a golf course isn't small enough to be considered a microtransaction, you have to admit that the infrastructure is there).

Coming into the next generation, I'll be able to be playing a MS game on my MS Windows PC (possibly over Xbox Live for PC), bring up MS Messenger and talk to my friend playing on his MS Xbox 2 over his Xbox Live account and .. well, do whatever.

Anything else you want to build from there is probably up to developers. We've already seen the days of PC and DC owners playing each other online, downloadable minigames to DC VMUs (where you play a different, complimentary version of the game for the different hardware), people using PCs to manage console online games and GC and GBA owners linking up for a number of reasons.

Sony aren't talking about anything new here IMO. Infact you could argue they're already lagging behind (particularly wrt Microsoft).

Actually this is just a small part of what they were considering... The Station Exchange *is* a big deal since it's legitimizing auctioning of in-game assets and skills (which has been going on, but a low-key manner that's general frowed upon by the game provider)...

 

[DudeWheresMyXbox]

I doubt it's even possible with Xbox360. MS seems very protective of thier service, and they are very controlling about the whole thing. I don't think they'd let a developer host thier own games, let alone where ps3 or revolution customers are playing.

That would have been accurate in 2003. Things have changed.

The addition of LSP (Live Server Protocol) made it possible for third parties to host their own servers, even running their own service in parallel with Xbox Live. Among others, EA used it for their first wave of Xbox Live games last year.

 

[gurgi]

I doubt it's even possible with Xbox360. MS seems very protective of thier service, and they are very controlling about the whole thing. I don't think they'd let a developer host thier own games, let alone where ps3 or revolution customers are playing.

That would have been accurate in 2003. Things have changed.

The addition of LSP (Live Server Protocol) made it possible for third parties to host their own servers, even running their own service in parallel with Xbox Live. Among others, EA used it for their first wave of Xbox Live games last year.

Well that's good to know. I know EA made a big stink about it, and I was under the impression MS made an exception for them simply because they are such a big player. I didn't know that any xbox developer now has this freedom.

 

[function]

Actually this is just a small part of what they were considering... The Station Exchange *is* a big deal since it's legitimizing auctioning of in-game assets and skills (which has been going on, but a low-key manner that's general frowed upon by the game provider)...

I wasn't meaning to say that's all you could do, just trying to show that there's already a rapidly growing movement towards interconnected game "experiences" that are going beyond the bounderies of a single game or platform, sometimes offering different sides of the same experience.

Do you know how Sony are going to make their money with The Station Exchange? Simply by adding value to existing products/services, or charging a user fee or sales tax? It's interesting that they're moving to legitimize a practice that has gone on for years.

[edit] Never mind, I went to the station exchange website! Pretty cool. [/edit]