Phil Harrison to give GDC keynote on Game 3.0
by Ross Miller 
{ Jan 25th 2007 at 5:25PM }
Sony figurehead Phil Harrison has been announced as a keynote speaker for this year's Game Developers Conference. Harrison's speech, entitled Game 3.0: Developing and Creating for the 3rd Age of Video Games, will purportedly define the term Game 3.0 and show how Sony Worldwide Studio will "demonstrate some exclusive insights into its development of products and services that will help define future growth in the video game market."We're curious to see how Harrison defines Game Ages 1.0 and 2.0, as by most accounts we're in the seventh generation of console games and we're not sure where he divides the lines. Chances are the ages correspond with each PlayStation iteration (remember: generations don't start until Sony says so). Semantics aside, we'll be happy if Harrison's speech is more interesting than Kutaragi's Tokyo Game Show debacle.
Harrison is the second of three speeches to be announced, with Shigeru Miyamoto being revealed as a keynote speaker earlier this week. Other notable speakers include Square Enix's Ichiri Otobe who will be giving a Serious Game Summit GDC keynote Monday, March 5.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Sidepocket @ Jan 25th 2007 5:36PM
Oh god, more Sony "full of itself" goodness.
I hope this gose waaaay better than last years GDC speach by him.
Phil: Are there any questions? Yes!
Crowd Person: We cannot see the PS3 graphics on the smaller main screen, please put it up on the two bigger screens!
Phil: I can't.
Crowd Person: Why?
Phil: Because the small screen is the only HD compatable screen and the other two normal deff will not work on the PS3.
Audience: BOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
*Phil is bedazzled*
OMFG I wish I recorded that with my camera. Priceless on Phil, that is when I knew Sony was in big trouble. :3
dsub @ Jan 25th 2007 5:38PM
My guess would be that Game 1.0 was the age of 2D gaming from the Atari on through to the SNES/Genesis era. The era that followed was Game 2.0, which was the era in which 3D gaming came into fruition from the Saturn/PSX/N64 to the PS2/XBOX/GCN, so we are now in the third era of gaming, for Game 3.0, which now has moved gaming to a global playground thanks to online play and digital distribution...or maybe by Game 3.0 he'll talk about the 4D capabilities of the PS3 and games that play themselves like Afrika.
But, since it's sony and they are big-headed egotistical types...Game 1.0 was probably PSX, Game 2.0 was probably PS2, and Game 3.0 is PS3...who knows...
Arno @ Jan 25th 2007 5:37PM
Playstation 3. Game 3.0
Get it? Sony is the future and such.
Tom @ Jan 25th 2007 5:42PM
More like firmware 3.0, which is what PS3 will be up to by the time GDC starts
Retro Otaku @ Jan 25th 2007 5:42PM
This is the seventh generation of games, not the third. Phil is apparently under the impression that video games began with the PSOne.
OrganicShadow @ Jan 25th 2007 5:50PM
I gather he means more along the lines of the birth and baby steps of gaming primarily revolving around 2D and sprite based games, followed by 3D games and online taking over, and then Game 3.0 being "Where do we go from here?"
No, not followed by 4D or the myriad of other old and "totally 2005" jokes. Probably followed by centering around multicore programming, the Cell, CPUs and GPUs becoming multicored in the PC market as well, yatta yatta yatta, and then onto this generation of gaming defining exactly what the 3rd age will be etc.
I highly disagree with people declaring "online" as the highlight of the 3rd age of gaming. It's been around since what, Doom? It's just refined now, not the keystone. Is it making games cinematic and over the top? Some argue that as the wrong direction for games, so I would say that it isn't where everything is going. Maybe it's just getting games into the maintstream? Getting them out of their juvenile image? Their immature and testosterone-fueled stereotypes? Adults playing? I think that the 360 and PS3 do their share of accomplishing that just as much as the Wii does.
Gaming should finally get out of the shithole it's been in since it's conception and finally get the respect and recognition it deserves, instead of lawsuits, pope spit and greedy politicians with sand in their vagina's using it to get votes.
JJ @ Jan 25th 2007 8:51PM
Whats wrong with firmware tom? The 360 is where its at due to firmware.
Even the Wii has had firmware updates.
Firmware is good in my book if its expands functionality
alexanderwales @ Jan 25th 2007 6:10PM
I find it doubtful that someone from Sony would stress online capabilities, especially in the face of how shit the PSN is compared to XBL. No, I think he'll focus on games becoming integrated into the media experience, much in the same way that the PS3 is trying to be the all-in-one solution to your media center.
copa @ Jan 25th 2007 6:13PM
I suggest that Phil announce a significant price reduction strategy, or else he won't have to worry about Game 4.0.
AoE @ Jan 25th 2007 6:29PM
OrganicShadow, actually online gaming existed before Doom was a twinkle in Carmack/Romero's eyes; MUDs had already been around for more than a decade. But that's beside the point because playing Doom online, much like MUDs, was purely the realm of geeks. Yes we've had online games for decades, yes we've even had online consoles for more than a decade (and by that I mean you could play networked games)... HOWEVER, again... up until this generation, playing online was the realm of geeks. Right now though? Right now we've got record numbers of people playing WoW on PC, record numbers flocking to XBox Live, and I assume Sony's online service will fare similarly well.. WiiConnect24 probably not so much though thanks to those friend codes. Either way though, the amount of gamers online PC or otherwise is such an order of magnatude higher than it was just a few years ago that I'm sure we can safely call it a new era in gaming.
Marty @ Jan 25th 2007 6:27PM
@8 LOL!
Sloar @ Jan 25th 2007 6:34PM
While I love to play video games, I have to admit that I laughed out loud when I read OrganicShadow's comment. Seriously, do you think that by being a gamer we should be respected? No offense, but that's like saying I should have had respect when I was playing with my action figures as a kid.
Regarding your angry legislator comment, maybe you wouldn't have such a bad temper if you didn't play GTA so much...
MoonfirePewPEwPEw @ Jan 25th 2007 6:37PM
#8 won the topic, no other comment will surpass that. Might as well close the comment section now.
Bruce Wayne III @ Jan 25th 2007 6:47PM
I'd rather listen to Phil than e.g. listen to a guy like Peter Moore. He is all about bragging. Just a marketing guy. Phil has - like it or not - hands on with an amazingly large group of studios.
Anyway, looking forward to see what GDC info we'll get.
joe smith @ Jan 26th 2007 1:53PM
Harrison is as big a dick as Kutaragi. Count on this to be a pile of steaming "Sony is the god of games" BS.
Chris @ Jan 25th 2007 6:49PM
Aren't we beyond joking about the price?
In all seriousness, I plan to either buying the 20gb ps3 model or the 360+hd-dvd. And the ps3 winds up being cheaper. Im a gamer+movie fan.
Trolls.
Sensai @ Jan 25th 2007 7:29PM
'Aren't we beyond joking about the price?'
Who's joking?
And if Sony gets away with it's arrogance this generation...it will be a sad day for gaming. No, I don't wish to see them fail, but I do want them to learn to be humble.
Look at what happened with Nintendo with the 64 and the GC; the fall from grace. Now, they're back in the game and (according to some) putting up a damn good fight.
C'mon, Sony. Do that. Go the way of the Nintendo.
Don Jose @ Jan 26th 2007 7:49PM
"I'd rather listen to Phil than e.g. listen to a guy like Peter Moore. He is all about bragging. Just a marketing guy."
Rofl-fucking-mao! I'll just file that under "pot and kettle."
On another note, why is anyone from Sony still allowed to speak in public?
SonicRift @ Jan 25th 2007 9:21PM
Here's hoping Game 3.0 is an abstract concept, a feat to achieve, what we're working toward, and not referencing HD as the next step up from 3D.
troc 59 @ Jan 25th 2007 9:40PM
You never see Phil's hands in this photo, cus they're trying to hide that Manhattan-sized pee spot in the front of his pants which instantly developed as soon as he heard 360 was getting U.T. lol!
samfish @ Jan 25th 2007 11:23PM
If this is going to be another one of Sony's arrogant and off putting, Ann Coulter-esque "we're so great, you peons!" speeches, I *REALLY* hope that he has to immediately follow Miyamoto...
Grunge @ Jan 26th 2007 12:53AM
Off topic, but is Will Wright speaking at the GDC again? Except for his use of the word "um" he's one of my favorite people to listen to.
Steve @ Jan 26th 2007 3:06AM
I've been wrong before, but I've got the feeling that there's going to be comedy and yet more bad press for Sony when Phil's done wowing the crowd with potential.
edo @ Jan 26th 2007 3:09AM
I hope this time he'll do better than last E3. The moment when he announced sixaxis as 'the new technology' is the most embarassing moment in videogames history. OK, maybe it's new for him, but not for me. Played it since 1998 with my GBC.
Tom @ Jan 26th 2007 7:49PM
JJ, I never said there was anything wrong with firmware updates. "3.0" is appropriate for a firmware version, but Sony's to use the phrase "Game 3.0" just sounds snobbish, almost as if they believe their new system is still relevent.
Tom @ Mar 5th 2007 12:44PM
Er, actually Game 3.0 doesnt refer to generations - he sees game 1.0 as games provided on cartridge, game 2.0 as games move onto disk and game 3.0 when games can start to be delived without optical media (i.e. the Playstation store).