Sony's Harrison: Everything fine here, nothing to see
by Joystiq Staff 
{ Aug 3rd 2006 at 6:55PM }
Sony's Phil Harrison spoke to the Guardian and said that the PlayStation 3 is definitely on track in the gaming community with more than 100 titles currently in the works:
"More than 100 games are in development, and all the major third-party publishers have pledged their strategic support for the platform."
Harrison continues to douse any other potential flames by saying, "It's all going well. We are in full swing, from a developer point of view, and over 10,000 development kits have been shipped. Developers now have final hardware in their hands, though there will be some upgrades to the operating system -- there's nothing unusual about that. The new controller is now in developers' hands, so all the pieces of the puzzle are there."
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
OmahaGTP @ Aug 3rd 2006 7:00PM
Hmm, who should I believe?
http://technology.guardian.co.uk/weekly/story/0,,1835502,00.html
Loque @ Aug 3rd 2006 7:02PM
I call bullshit
JPRacer @ Aug 3rd 2006 7:04PM
It's one thing to have all the pieces of the puzzle but now you must solve it, good luck...
Marty @ Aug 3rd 2006 7:05PM
how many development kits have been sold?.... Just kidding!!!
It is hard to tell what is really going right and wrong in the world on Sony, they should really worry if they have their customer base behind them!
Kayzai @ Aug 3rd 2006 7:05PM
Hahahahahahaha.
Sony need to start acting or thinks are about to go pear-shaped!!!
Marty @ Aug 3rd 2006 7:09PM
OmahaGTP. Who should you believe!?!?!?! You should believe those who were honest enough to tell you about the real history of Japan!!! If it weren't for Sony, the truth about the time the world was almost taken over by giant crabs in feudal Japan would never have seen the light of day.
That alone is worth the $600!!!!!!
Kayzai @ Aug 3rd 2006 7:17PM
Sony need to start acting or things are about to go pear-shaped!!! - Doh
Gosh, I just checked #01's link above. I didn't think things were this bad for sony....WHAO!
Robert Summa @ Aug 3rd 2006 7:21PM
Uhhh, fyi, Omaha's link is the same that I'm referring to in the story, that if you click the links provided, you will go to.
X @ Aug 3rd 2006 7:22PM
You've been warned...
,
bv @ Aug 3rd 2006 7:22PM
It's still alot of conjecture based on a system that hasn't released yet. As much as I despise Sony and the dissapointing presentation they gave at E306, I have faith that they will come through with a decent system by November, albeit expensive as hell.
Runciter @ Aug 3rd 2006 7:22PM
Wow Robert, did you read the Guardian article or am I reading PS3fanboy? You picked just about the only positive parts of the article to quote (and it is a pretty lengthy article).
jonathan @ Aug 3rd 2006 7:31PM
well he is right about one thing, developers do have the new controllers
http://www.cbs2.com/video/?id=22801@kcbs.dayport.com
saw this report yesterday out here in Los Angeles, surprised that Joystiq didn't pick this up...
obo @ Aug 3rd 2006 7:42PM
Yeah, the story is totally different in tone than Robert's post.
Although, despite picking out most of the good news from "Ol' Off-the-record" Harrison, this gem got left out:
(Jez San, author of StarGlider and founder of the now-defunct Argonaut Software, and an investor in a company developing a major PS3 game, Heavenly Sword,) says: "I think the combination of a next-generation games machine and a next-generation DVD payer that plays full high definition movies is very compelling, despite the huge price.
"Remember, price is just a function of time and volume. It doesn't matter what the PS3 comes out at, it's what it gets down to, over time, that's important."
otakucode @ Aug 3rd 2006 7:52PM
Man... he sounds like Baghdad Bob...
Anonymous Rep @ Aug 3rd 2006 8:14PM
@ Robert Summa -
That was the point Omaha GTP was making. In your entry, you cherry picked the comment by Harrison. When you actually click on the link and read the article, there is a LOT more than just what you said - and it's not all glowing and positive.
The Guardian article points out some of Sony's stupidity as well. "For example, Kaz Hirai, president and chief executive of Sony Computer Entertainment America, recently told PlayStation Magazine: "Every time we go down a path, we look behind and [Microsoft is] right there - we just can't shake these guys. I wish that they would come up with some strategies of their own, but they seem to be going down the path of everything we do."
It's a remark that Hirai might have got away with in an earlier age, but it was instantly dismembered online. Microsoft was first to put a hard drive in a console, and pioneered with its Xbox Live community building (or both Microsoft and Sony are following the Sega Dreamcast). Microsoft was first to do a global console launch, which Sony is emulating. Microsoft offered two versions of its Xbox 360 console - which Sony said was a bad idea - but there will be two versions of the PS3, and so on."
And this gem about the cell: "The Cell does, in theory, offer supercomputer-type power, as Kutaragi claimed. However, doubts were raised about its suitability for games playing, and whether software developers could actually exploit its power.
This point was made by star programmer John Carmack, co-creator of Doom, who famously called the Cell chip a "pain in my ass". According to a breathless Forbes magazine cover story, Holy Chip!, the Cell "runs at least ten times as fast as Intel's most powerful Pentium. More important, Cell boasts a staggering fiftyfold advantage in handling graphics-intensive applications that will define the next generation of visual entertainment (tinyurl.com/metvd). Odd, then, that it can't seem to drive the PS3's graphics - Sony eventually turned to nVidia for a PC-type graphics processor similar to the one used in the Xbox. The reality still seems to be a little short of the hype."
So, Robert, we realize that this is a blog and not an actual news source most of the time - although those of us who cannot get to some shows that you guys do appreciate the news, and those of us in the trenches do still send in tips as news that we hear from time to time. Just keep things in perspective - what one person sees a positive Sony comment in an article, another person can see negative Sony comments - in the SAME article.
Robert Summa @ Aug 3rd 2006 8:20PM
The reason I singled out Harrison is because the story itself is nothing more than a summation of events with other quotes coming from analysts (and frankly, i'm tired of hearing what analysts have to say).
I understand you guys' concerns, but Harrison's quotes were the only real "newsworthy" part of the story. I feel like the rest of it is something we've all heard before, only this time it was in one nice package.
The whole thing, is definitely a good read. I just feel that Harrison's comments were something we haven't heard before.
tactics @ Aug 3rd 2006 8:28PM
yeah, sony lying? yeah... that's something we've never heard before.
-"superfan" tactics.
Derbeste @ Aug 3rd 2006 8:32PM
Wow...I really have to agree with many of the posters above.
You really took this article out of context, Robert.
It ALMOST seems like you are catering to your PS3 Fanbase because they've whined about the amount of negative articles concerning Sony.
It almost seems.......political.
Joystiq,
You don't have to skew the news to prove your not biased. The reason there are so many negative Sony posts here is because there is a lot of negative sony NEWS right now. Nintendo and Microsoft have had their eras of negativity (just ask an MS fanboy how he feels about Vista right now). Sony was BOUND to have one sooner or later.
Sony is not going to die from this. They made be third, but they will NOT go the way of Sega. There is no need, then, to sugarcoat things in an attempt to keep some of your readers happy (and coming back to Joystiq).
Derbeste @ Aug 3rd 2006 8:33PM
Note...I wrote my comments BEFORE I saw Robert's explanation.....though I must respectively state I still wonder if there is some appeasement going on.
AoE @ Aug 3rd 2006 8:33PM
Robert, I for one don't mind the choice of quote, if nothing else it's nice to finally hear a Sony repsonse to all the negative news, even if it is just spin; I wouldn't expect more than that from any rep of any company.
TC @ Aug 3rd 2006 8:37PM
Admittedly though, at one point in the article they berate the cell processor for not being able to handle the PS3 graphics, and state that Sony had to turn to Nvidea instead for a graphics card, which seems to suggest the writer doesn't really know his onions.
I think the main sticking point is the price, and not that of the top end model. I think the core package should really come in a bit lower, so if you really want in on the PS3 experience it doesn't price the poorest out of the market, even if most people could afford the premium pack.
But hey, at least this console war is going to be a bit more interesting than ususal, with all three players pushing their own boundaries a bit further than usual.
John @ Aug 3rd 2006 8:41PM
Well he's half right anyway...:
Sony's Harrison: ...nothing to see here
Robert Summa @ Aug 3rd 2006 8:57PM
Guys, trust me, I'm a gamer like you. I love all the platforms and all I want are good games to play.
I'm just lucky enough to be a journalist at the same time and get to see and write about the things that I love.
I certainly have no "agenda" or "bias" toward anyone. I just want good games. All I am doing, or anyone else here at Joystiq, is reporting what is going on in the industry.
I see these "Joystiq hates Sony" or "Joystiq loves Sony" comments all the time, but I choose to not say anything for the most part. Trust me, Joystiq loves video games. We don't care who makes them.
To continually say we have any sort of bias is just rediculous. And, as far as I know, Sony doesn't sign any of my checks, and neither does any other video game company.
And before you start with the Joystiq is not journalism, I'm actually a journalist at a paper in NYC and have been a "real" journalist for about 5 years now. Joystiq is just as much a journalistic outlet as any other site.
I'm not trying to attack anyone, but just trying to set the record straight, so to speak.
gozirah @ Aug 3rd 2006 8:59PM
Sugar coating? Appeasement? You guys are tipsy. The news item refers to a brief statement by Harrison, and then tongue and cheeks it with the "nothing to see here", indicating the blogger's incredulity. Drinky drinky too muchy.
AoE @ Aug 3rd 2006 9:03PM
@TC "I think the core package should really come in a bit lower, so if you really want in on the PS3 experience it doesn't price the poorest out of the market"
Wow, I wish I lived in your world TC... I know people who couldn't afford the first xbox, at $300 when it came out, same thing with the 360, which of course has a $300 core model. Yet sony's core model is going to be $200 more than that. I'm guessing any gamer out there for whom $300 is a struggle will find $500 to be only exponentially more so... Just because you and I can afford such expensive toys doesn't mean everyone can; and if you're not sweating a $500/$600 price tag, then you're nowhere near the bottom of the gamer cash-flow barrel.
AoE @ Aug 3rd 2006 9:05PM
Ack! disregard that, I read your statment wrong, I am an ass >_
ktaria @ Aug 3rd 2006 9:06PM
Whatever, where can I get the T-shirt? :P
TC @ Aug 3rd 2006 9:17PM
@AoE:
No problem, mistakes happen! I'm off for a swim in my money pit now but my butler will respond to any further discourse ;-)
pixelator @ Aug 3rd 2006 9:23PM
Can you smell that? It's the hot, feverish breath of a thousand screaming Nintendo fanboy Sony-haters.
That's the crowd Joystiq panders to.
TC @ Aug 3rd 2006 9:36PM
@Pixelator
I can't smell anything through my PC. Must be time for an upgrade :-(
olanarchangel @ Aug 3rd 2006 9:42PM
I wish everybody here could make up their minds on what they want. Anytime bad news about Sony is posted (i.e. most of the time), everybody gets up in arms about how the Joystiq writers are so biased against Sony, and how they're Microsoft and Nintendo fanboys, and how they should burn in hell.
Why, then, the sudden change of heart with this article? All the anti-Sony writing in this article is old news, stuff Joystiq has already written about (yeah, imagine that, Joystiq covering something before somebody else. And here I was under the impression they were always the last ones to write about everything.), so they skip right to the new stuff, and it's a problem? What the hell do you want? When the latest news is bad news about Sony, you get angry because they're anti-Sony, but when the latest is something positive (or at least not negative) about Sony, you call it biased? How the hell can you even say that? Last time I checked, bias is reporting news in such a light that it supports one side of the issue. All I see is Joystiq giving us the story, just the way it is.
Joystiq, you've got at least one reader who isn't about to start saying you aren't journalism because the news doesn't say what I want it to.
pixelator @ Aug 3rd 2006 10:02PM
You've been a "real" journalist for 5 years and you can't spell 'ridiculous'?
obo @ Aug 3rd 2006 10:06PM
"The whole thing, is definitely a good read. I just feel that Harrison's comments were something we haven't heard before."
Robert, I hadn't heard most of the things in that article before, especially someone saying what Jez San said. I guess that's why I was put off by the difference between the tone of your post and the content of the story.
And olanarchangel, it's funny to see that when you can go back through Joystiq's archives and see the times Vladimir or Chris Grant defend Joystiq because it _isn't_ journalism, it's a blog, as though the two were mutually exclusive. I agree with you and with Robert there - Joystiq is journalism, the bloggers are journalists. But Joystiq's public faces don't seem to have a consensus on the issue, much less its audience.
obo @ Aug 3rd 2006 10:07PM
pixelator, "real" journalists have copy editors.
I guess "bloggers" don't, to answer what I just posted. ^o^
apoc06 @ Aug 3rd 2006 10:10PM
A few points of clarity.
1. The hard drive is Sony's idea. they just left it out of the included box to keep the price down.
2. Online gameplay has been around for eons. Neither Sony nor MS pioneered this. Sony announced a "live" type of community before the ps2 launched. It just never materialized, and MS capitalized on both of Sony's vaporware-ish features.
3. The Dreamcast was the first console with a "global" launch, not the Xbox360.
4. Finally, multiple SKU consoles have been around since the 8bit generation. Albeit peripherals where different then, I remember Nintendo gave people the option of buying a power pad, a robot, two controllers, etc.
'Copying' is a word that you shouldn't lightly throw around unless you know your history well. Everyone does it.
Robert Summa @ Aug 3rd 2006 10:11PM
Copy editors and spellcheck.
I said I was a journalist, not a perfect speller. We can't all be right all of the time, sadly.
apoc06 @ Aug 3rd 2006 10:12PM
Sorry... a minor correction: the hard drive was Nintendo's idea. 64DD? It was Sony's idea to include it in the hardware expansion bay.
nick @ Aug 3rd 2006 10:22PM
I keep seeing that 10,000 dev kit number mentioned, but rarely do you also see, that those 10,000 kits were distributed to just over 200 developers. So obviously some developers obviously (maybe internal Sony studios?) received a large number of dev kits. It's not like it 10,000 different developers.
obo @ Aug 3rd 2006 10:27PM
apoc06, if you're counting the 64DD, then you may as well count the Famicom Disk - both were magnetic media, not HDDs. Sony's PS2 HDD was the first time a hard drive was an official system peripheral.
apoc06 @ Aug 3rd 2006 10:36PM
Re: Carmack's comments... the cell is great at graphic processing. Everyone knows this. However, the Emotion Engine was the exact same way. It was great at graphics and could beat most GPUs of its time easily. Unfortunately, Sony decided to make the EE perform quadruple duty. It had to process the graphics, the game engine, process the AI, and process the physics. The result? The least powerful console of its generation.
Sony did the right thing this generation by including a dedicated GPU. The PS3 /could/ operate fine w/o the RSX. The first realtime demos of Unreal Tournament 2007, Fight Night and Metal Gear Solid4 were done completely on the cell, remember?
The cell could handle everything on its own, but it would suck and everything would take a performance hit. Besides, now it doesn't have to. They are correcting the PS2's biggest design conceit/ fault; why blast them for it?
bobman2007 @ Aug 3rd 2006 10:51PM
@apoc06:
Dreamcast did not have a "global" launch. It came out on Nov. 27, 1998 in Japan (source: Wikipedia), and no one could forget that it came out in the US on 9-9-99. Europe did see a release on Oct. 14, 1999, only a little more than a month after the US release.
apoc06 @ Aug 3rd 2006 11:11PM
Hence the quotation marks. It was marketed as a "global" launch.
It's one of those industry buzz words. Sorta like "launch window", and a "tall" drink from Starbucks.
The xbox360 launch staggered across two/three months.
Darth Pixel @ Aug 3rd 2006 11:21PM
Xbots and Wiibots are so scared of Sony. It's almost funny.
Don't worry, guys, PS3 won't be the only platform to have great games.
bobman2007 @ Aug 3rd 2006 11:29PM
I still don't understand. I don't remember the Dreamcast being marketed as a global launch. Even though the Xbox 360 launch staggered across two/three months, the Dreamcast staggered across almost a year. That's how it was back then for most consoles since the NES, heck, the NES in Japan (or Famicom as it was called) came out almost two years before the North American release in 1985.
oldschoolgamer @ Aug 4th 2006 12:43AM
Het Darth Pixel, if Sony wasn't worried about the the 360 and the Wii, they wouldn't be releasing until next year which is probably when they needed to release their system. Why should MS be afraid of the PS3 when they are in the lead? And why should Nintendo be afraid when they clearly have more interest from a consumer point of view. Even the DS has sold more systems in a relatively short amount of time than the PS3 will probably sell within 2 years.
KawF @ Aug 4th 2006 12:59AM
I love that guy from the Guardian... It's like he was high, up on a cloud, all the while he was writing that article...
"Odd, then, that it can't seem to drive the PS3's graphics - Sony eventually turned to nVidia for a PC-type graphics processor similar to the one used in the Xbox."
Ok... really? Sony should invest time in writing their own sotware-based 3D renderer, with all the bells and whistles that OpenGL allows, just becuase they COULD run it on the Cell BE? Really? And you're not doped up on crack? Sorry... but why the bloody hell would someone throw away money like that when you can use an "industry standard" 3D rendering chipset from a well known, and well liked, source like nVidia. Achipset optimesed for the task, and fully tested, from day 0.
He's basically advocating that Sony should have made the PS3 even MORE expensive. Crack-head.
Basically... they let the escaped mental patients into the news-room.
Micrsony @ Aug 4th 2006 1:53AM
Why I’m going to buy a PS3.
First off just so no one points it out to me. I am a ps3 fanboy, but that is just because developers chose to make all the games I like for the Playstation consoles. If the games I like were on the Xbox I would buy it. Anyways here is a list of reasons why I am going to buy a ps3.
The ps3 is a really great deal when you think of what you are getting. Regardless of whether or not you like a blue-ray player you’re still getting one of the cheapest next-gen movie players on the market. It going to cost $650.00 CAD for me, and the Xbox 360 is $450.00 CAD. Even if I do get the HD-DVD add-on from Microsoft I don’t think they are going to be selling it at too much of a loss so my guess is it is going to cost $199.00 USD, or about $239.00 CAD In the end that’s pretty much the same price as the PS3 if not even a little more.
I think that the ps3 should come with a headset like the Xbox has, but It’s not a major loss. It would help increase the usage of the online service I think though. The ps3 controllers don’t need batteries and I like the idea of just charging them with usb. The ps3 has a pretty cool user interface and web browser, and I think it is a nice touch. Their online play is going to be free, or pretty close to free, and I will enjoy the savings there. Anyway you look at it you are going to get a good deal if you buy a ps3.
Technology wise the ps3 is packed full! It has a next-gen movie player, blue-tooth, a little small, but an ok hard drive, wireless lilt controllers, (which I think sucks compared to the good old Dual Shock.) Pretty seamless integration between your media, I.E. photos, movies, music and web browser, and the cell processor that is arguably comparable to 3 3.0 ghz intel cpu’s. Yes I think you have to agree that there is a lot of high end tech in the ps3.
When you talk about the quality of games that are coming out for the ps3 vs. the xbox, It’s really a personal issue. I like the Japanese style of game over the North American football of shooter. Halo is a great game and I’m sure the other games coming out in the next year for the xbox will be great also. However, in my mind they do not compare to FF, MGS, and GT or even the game that Nintendo makes. When you face the facts the Xbox 360 at this moment has great games but nothing yet that is better then the ps3 or even the Wii.
What I don’t like about the ps3 is the cost, it’s very expensive. (But I also think that the xbox 360 s very expensive.) See with the Xbox I could use what was left from a pay check and skip the phone bill a few pizzas and there’s my new xbox 360. With the PS3 I’m actually going to have to save up for it and plan ahead to buy it. I think in the end it will be worth it though. In the last generation the PS2 lasted a little over six years, the same with the PS1 before it. The Xbox lasted 4 years before the 360 came out, and Microsoft has all together abandoned it. Sony is going to lose 2 billion on the PS3 in the next little while. I don’t think they are going to be already working on the ps4, and if what Sony say’s is true and the PS3 last ten years there is going to be strong support for my investment. I could see people buying a new Xbox 720 for four to five hundred dollars in 5 years. Giving the ps3 the largest game library in 5 years or so, currently more PS2 games will sell this year than Xbox, Xbox 360, PS3 and GameCube games combined. This all leads me to believe that I will have a better chance of great games and the PS3 sticking around for the long haul.
As far as everyone saying that Sony is being arrogant, well…they are being arrogant. I think they should stop that. Any ways those are some of the reasons I’m going to buy a PS3 It’s just my opinion you can take it or leave it. In the end it doesn’t really mater. If Sony Goes under I will still get to play my great game on a different console, but for now they’re all on the ps3.
Psaakyrn @ Aug 4th 2006 4:00AM
I don't understand something. 10,000 development kits shipped, but only 100+ games in devemopment? Meaning only 1% of all kits are being used, or 80 companies bought 100 kits each? Ok, so maybe 75% of all kits are used for educational and testing purposes, which might explain where the discrepancy is..
[anti-sony-movement]No, they've a high breakdown rate like PS2![/anti-sony-movement]
Consoles @ Aug 4th 2006 5:38AM
"Xbots and Wiibots are so scared of Sony. It's almost funny."
Funniest quote all week. Brought tears of laughter to me. Thank you... you funny!!
The thing is with Sony burning like Rome I don't think the fanboys for Nintendo and Xbox have anything to be scared of. You being a Sony fanboy will enjoy paying $100 per game on a questionabley reliable blu ray disc. After of course you refinance your house to buy the PS3. LOL!!!!
Ridge Raccccccer!!
KawF @ Aug 4th 2006 6:34AM
*Sarcasm on*
Yes.... each company needs only one devkit if even that per game... On AAA titles, you usually don't need more than one programmer. Not even that many even. Games create themselves nowadays...
*Sarcasm off*
A more realistic number would be at least one kit per developer (person) and sometimes even more to set up build-farms etc. Then a few or more to run long-time tests on. And a bunch to run play-testing on. And a few more for dynamic reallocation within the dev-team.
For each title/game.