Sony UK boss: We're not known for a 'patch-patch mentality'

by Ludwig Kietzmann { Nov 10th 2008 at 10:32AM }

We feel just a tad sorry for Sony UK's undoubtedly and overwhelmingly busy managing director, Ray Maguire. Oh, it's not because he believes that PlayStation 3 is finally hitting its stride, soaring to new peaks while competitors start the slide downward. "It's nowhere near even halfway through its lifecycle, and I could argue that some other competing formats are on their way down right now," Maguire recently told GamesIndustry.biz.

No, it's because in his dignified defense of PlayStation Home's sluggish construction, he reveals a very depressing truth. "We have to make sure that things are born at the right time, that the infrastructures are right and are tested, and that they actually work," he explained. "It's one of the things that PlayStation has been known for - a plug-and-play mentality, rather than a patch-patch mentality." In confessing that the service's extended development period is due to "getting it right" before "getting it out quick," it's apparent that Maguire has been missing out on LittleBigPlanet.

Trust us, Ray, it's flipping brilliant. Don't let the firmware updates, game patches, nebulous moderation or server outages put you off.

Tags: Home, LittleBigPlanet, Patch-Patch-Mentality, SCEE, Sony

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

Dirty @ Nov 10th 2008 10:38AM

Patching is ok with me, so long as the developer doesnt ship a game out with the mind-set of "oh the game has problems but we can always patch it later"

E.J. @ Nov 10th 2008 3:15PM

Welcome to this generation's game development cycle. Almost every game that comes out now has a title update waiting for it on Day 1.

Popfrogs @ Nov 10th 2008 5:56PM

So basically, you're saying "don't be Bethesda". I concur.

MatthewRex @ Nov 10th 2008 10:39AM

It seems like every time I boot up my PS3 there's a "patch-patch" needing to happen. I wonder what the hell this guy's talking about?

copa @ Nov 10th 2008 10:45AM

I think what he's trying to say, diplomatically, is that Sony is not very good at online services or network infrastructure, and that's causing a lot of delays and problems in products like Home and LBP.

LittleBigPlanet is going to be awesome in six months, because it will be actively supported by the developer. But laggy online play, missing online co-op level design, and a delete-the-baby-with-the-bathwater approach to protecting copyrights has really crippled the launch.

Once they get a seamless online play-and-share infrastructure going, the experience will be phenomenal. But that's going to take... yes, a lot of patching.

J.Goodwin @ Nov 10th 2008 11:22AM

Yeah, no kidding. It wouldn't be so bad if the patches weren't 150 megabytes and took half an hour to download and install.

MatthewRex @ Nov 10th 2008 11:30AM

I mean I really do like my PS3, but it really does seem that every time I turn it on, SOMETHING needs to be updated. It kinda ruins the idea of casual "pick-up" gaming.

umm....hello??? @ Nov 10th 2008 12:17PM

makes me appreciate the $50 MS charges me for a seamless online experience....I love my PS3 just as much as my x360, but the patching is annoying, especially when you have to download and THEN install it.

MS just "works"....amazing--wish they could do that with their OS for computers. ;)

warlock7 @ Nov 10th 2008 3:30PM

@umm
At least my PS3 starts. My fourth 360 died on Friday with yet another RROD!

I guess that you all forgot about getting credited for he downtime that we all experienced around the Halo3 launch?!?! But that's no surprise.

ExMcCloud @ Nov 10th 2008 10:42AM

I've been dealing with this LBP, and Socom BS for weeks but maybe I had it mmixed up....Maybe they were dealing with me.....Maybe they were perfect from the get go and its my fault I dont see it.....Ah! That has to be it!

And that arrogance and failure to see wats really going on is wats killing you Sony fire that guy immediately..........Wow this guys a Douche

jonjon72 @ Nov 10th 2008 10:46AM

I can live with patches and glad that they are available however I do have an issue with PSN servers. Perfect example of getting what you pay for. Take the release of Socom for my PS3....buggy to say the least, even after it was beta'd. Downloaded the beta for COD: WAW last week. No server issues. Running and gunning within minutes.

I will gladly pay a yearly fee to play on line. Picked of GOW2 and Resistance 2 this weekend. Guess which I've been playing on line? ;)

browntown @ Nov 10th 2008 10:52AM

ive been playing online games just fine on my ps3. My 360 hasn't been used ina while cuz i need to get another 12 month gold card, but don't want to spend 50 bucks and then only play a couple times a month. Ive also had a bunch of problems with halo 3 and not being able to join a party with my friends. Both services have problems, remember last year in december, my friend couldn't get online for a while.

Vcize @ Nov 10th 2008 11:19AM

"Both services have problems, remember last year in december, my friend couldn't get online for a while."

The major difference being that when MS had problems, they actually fixed them, whereas Sony just keeps doing nothing about it. Gears 2 and GTA4 have both dropped on the 360 since then, both of which sent more people online opening night than PSN has ever seen, and both ran without even so much as a hitch as early as the very hour they were released.

Meanwhile, every big game or big firmware update just brings the PSN to its knees. Time after time from Orange Box to RSV2 to GTA4 to Socom to LBP. And not only is it not getting any better, but it appears to only be getting worse.

Mr Khan @ Nov 10th 2008 11:02AM

Sony ate the patch-patch fruit

/reference

Jakka ( The Order of Haters of Balance) @ Nov 10th 2008 11:05AM

I wish Sony would just stfu...especially after they've ruined LBP...

Ayrkain @ Nov 10th 2008 12:03PM

I'll take a thousand lame Sony comments over the crap that Epic has been spewing.

http://www.bingegamer.net/2008/epics-capps-make-game-endings-dlc/

j.howlett @ Nov 10th 2008 11:10AM

the sony guy talking about home is in charge of what MM does and upgrades to firmware

deaftly @ Nov 10th 2008 11:10AM

Hi Sony,

Please stop talking.

kthx

[playwhutyalike {C.E.P}] @ Nov 10th 2008 11:12AM

Hey, can you pass me what you're smoking?

Oh, it's crack? Um......

Ah, fuck it.

kaneda @ Nov 10th 2008 11:13AM

Man, I realize now that I defend sony so often that I'm sure I'm pegged as a fanboy, but you do realize that unlike Live, on PSN, 3rd party devs have to host and administer their own servers, right? So LBP's server problems are MM's fault not PSNs fault? Though I guess technically, Socom is a Sony IP so maybe it is Sony's fault in that case.

This is the price of free online play. Unfortunately, if you only have a PS3, there is no alternative.

Mr Khan @ Nov 10th 2008 11:15AM

Does Media Molecule run the servers, though?

I assumed MM was a rather small studio in the scheme of things, and that's why they needed to get on board with someone like Sony to get their vision out there. I figured this would be running on Sony's servers and time

Correct me if i'm wrong

Jakka ( The Order of Haters of Balance) @ Nov 10th 2008 11:17AM

Maybe I'm listening to wrong fanboys but the "price to pay" is often enough advertised as a "feature"...

kaneda @ Nov 10th 2008 11:22AM

Well, free online play is a feature. But in this case, what we are describing is decentralized 3rd party servers that might be sluggish and may go down from time to time, which I don't think is advertised as a feature. I am happy about free online, dont' get me wrong. MS is the only game in town that charges to play online aside from MMO's, but they charge for the same reasons, I'm sure. It's not like server issues only happen on PSN. Wii has them, and many PC games have server issues when they first come out are not p2p.

@Khan. to tell the truth, I am only 60% certain that LBP has their own servers. I can't find a source. I do know for a fact that both Warhawk and MGS4 run their own servers as I have to forward non PSN ports on my firewall to get them to work right. And the whole Konami ID thing as well.

jonjon72 @ Nov 10th 2008 11:20AM

Live has been up and running for years. Never had a problem with it on my original xbox. Everyone knows that Live had a big problem in December 2007. That was its first and last major issue.

Browntown, if your having problems with connecting with friends on Halo 3, that might be a problem with you or your friends router. I had a similar issue with an older model until I upgraded. No problems with Halo3 and I play that game regularly along with COD4, Burnout Paradise and (once I am done the campaign) GOW2.

Hey, I love the fact that PSN is free and was one of the selling points when I bought the system. However, after spending some time with it, it can be so much better. I think most people would agree.

Kgg @ Nov 10th 2008 11:35AM

Firstly... this is kinda dissapointing Joystiq, this "news" is only here so that people can complain and/or defend..... but even though i am dissapointed about this (please oh please don't turn into flame-baiting G4.com) i have to say that i really don't mind at all... i LOVE LBP... its AMAZING.... i'm using it for my friggin school exams.... sure it wouldave been ok to play with other people online or create levels with my friends online but i really don't NEED it... its a fantastic game in itself... i can't believe those people that is saying it is broken... and for socom, well it hasn't released yet in Norway so i cannot say but i liked the Beta so i'll try it out no matter how much problems people are reporting... and just look at Resistance 2: 60 players online at the same time with no lag... no lag what so friggin ever... thats a shining example that it's not as bad as you are saying, same with MGO, i have had minimal problems with it... yes i know i am a Fanboy and i love my ps3 and Sony will keep getting my money as long as they don't turn into microsoft (Yes if you're wondering i'm also a PC fan, but there is a distinct difference between a computer and a console.... but i see the hypocrisy)

Jakka ( The Order of Haters of Balance) @ Nov 10th 2008 11:42AM

"Firstly... this is kinda dissapointing Joystiq, this "news" is only here so that people can complain and/or defend..... "

Controversial articles = Hits = Profit

sure... @ Nov 10th 2008 12:11PM

@kgg,

It's one thing to be a fanboy, however it's one thing to be
delusional. It's almost like listening to Shane on the 1up "I hate
this but can't stop listening for some strange reason" podcast.

The joystiq podcast is MUCH better and actually honest, minus all the
pretentious bullshit.

There is no comparison between "issues" with XBL and issues with PSN.
I was a beta tester for XBL back in the day and by all accounts it
was more stable in it's beta and subsequent launch than PSN was and
still is. You get what you pay for and the proof is the pudding.
Sony can run it's mouth all day long about this that and the other,
they always have they always will. However back in a place we call
reality, XBL charging me $50 a year is well worth it for a much more
stable user friendly service as live.

Corbo @ Nov 10th 2008 11:47AM

"I could argue that some other competing formats are on their way down right now."

Yes, and I could argue that black is white and promptly get myself killed on the next zebra crossing .

I'm trying to think of a pun involving patches, leading to eye patches which leads to pirates, so I can make a joke about the PSP's constant anti-homebrew firmware updates but I've got nothing.

Slaziman @ Nov 10th 2008 11:59AM

Don't worry, your metahumor is good enough for this guy.

Ayrkain @ Nov 10th 2008 12:11PM

Actually, they're not doing firmware updates to stop piracy. They've moved on to hardware updates.

OMGOMG @ Nov 10th 2008 11:57AM

I'm sorry, but this just reaffirms my purchase of the 360 and XBL. I'd much rather pay a yearly fee with very little hiccups. Outside of the huge boom of people that went online last Christmas, LIVE has had little to no problems.

On the other hand, looking at Metal Gear Online, SOCOM, and now LBP, Sony seems to be dropping the ball.

Rask @ Nov 11th 2008 12:29AM

If the patches are delivered in a very convenient manner , download fast and require very little input from the user, I don't really see a problem with them.

Microsoft has nailed all 3 of these aspects with their backend service so I'm happy with the 360 experience.

FSK405K @ Nov 10th 2008 12:08PM

I guess he must be referring to the Wii, since Gears of War 2 and Left 4 Dead both release this month.

[playwhutyalike {C.E.P}] @ Nov 10th 2008 12:16PM

I don't own a PS3 and I don't dislike the system, I just hate it when company figure heads talk out of their b-holes.

I am also a Silver Live member. Just as long as I can purchase entertainment, I don't give a shit about co-op play (as in getting my ass kicked constantly) so, hey, a PS3 would fit nicely in my household.

Ultra-Tram @ Nov 10th 2008 1:16PM

Patch-Patch Mentality? Do I need one of those dancing mats for that?

joeymoto @ Nov 10th 2008 2:08PM

Do the patches come with chicken rings?

Dan CiTi @ Nov 10th 2008 2:37PM

If HOME does lead to PS3 piracy, It'll be the best thing ever. The only reason people like the 360 so much is that it came out first and it's so easy to pirate for. I probably wouldn't own a Wii if it weren't for the Homebrew channel stuff.

marvin69 @ Nov 10th 2008 3:52PM

Who here really pays $50 for Live?
In the three years 'paying' for Live I've spent maybe $20 total. Just keep your eye out for MS point deals and you can rack-up enough to pay for a year and the XLB games you may want. I did this year buying only five games.