Joystiq

Sony UK boss: What PS4 does is more important than how it looks

Jessica Conditt — Mon, 25 Feb 2013 20:00:00 EST

When Sony revealed the PlayStation 4, it didn't reveal the PlayStation 4 - at least not physically. Sony didn't show off the actual PS4 hardware, aside from the DualShock 4 controller and a revamped PSEye, and a few viewers considered this a cop-out. There was "a bit of cynism" from fans following the conference, even though Sony presented more important things for a next-gen system, PlayStation UK managing director Fergal Gara told Video Gamer.

"It's much more important to see what the damn thing does," Gara said. "The shiniest piece of black, green or purple plastic ever, you know, whatever, so what? It's not the most important thing."

After all, "a box is a box," as Gara puts it. However, if the PlayStation 4 is striped in shades of metallic black, green and purple, it could very well matter. Good luck making that color scheme work in any living room.

Sony UK boss: What PS4 does is more important than how it looks originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 25 Feb 2013 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sony would consider bundling Vita with PS3

Richard Mitchell — Mon, 01 Oct 2012 20:37:00 EST

While it hasn't confirmed any concrete plans to do so, Sony would at least entertain the idea of bundling the PlayStation Vita together with the PlayStation 3. Sony would "have nothing against [a bundle] whatsoever," Fergal Gara, managing director of PlayStation UK recently told CVG. Fergal added that it could conceivably happen as early as this Christmas, if Sony wanted.

Such a bundle would be a natural candidate for games that feature crossplay functionality, he said, and could also include PlayStation Plus, which now functions across both devices. With Sony trying very hard to push the interconnectivity between Vita and PS3, a bundle would certainly make sense, and it sounds like Sony (at least in the UK) isn't opposed to the idea.

Should the concept come to fruition, the only question is whether or not consumers feel the same way.

Sony would consider bundling Vita with PS3 originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 01 Oct 2012 20:37:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sony UK: Vita price cut timing 'still under discussion,' not this year

JC Fletcher — Mon, 01 Oct 2012 10:30:00 EST

Leading into a holiday season against an increasingly successful 3DS and even a new iPhone, Sony still isn't considering cutting the price of the PS Vita. PlayStation UK managing director Fergal Gara told Eurogamer that while Sony is considering a price cut, it won't happen until next year at the earliest.

"We always aim to establish price cuts," he said. "So the question is not so much if, but when." Rather than drop the price, Sony is opting for bundles in the UK, "for example wi-fi Vita plus LittleBigPlanet at the £200 price point. There's the wi-fi product again plus FIFA 13 plus Uncharted Golden Abyss plus LittleBigPlanet at not much above the £200 price point."

Timing on an official price cut, and not just an effective one that throws more things into the box, is "still under discussion," Gara said. According to statements made by Worldwide Studios head Shuhei Yoshida at Gamescom, Sony is working on reducing the cost to produce the Vita, and will only drop the price once that is achieved.

Sony UK: Vita price cut timing 'still under discussion,' not this year originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 01 Oct 2012 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sony: Retail still important in wake of Gaikai purchase

Richard Mitchell — Fri, 06 Jul 2012 16:40:00 EST

While Sony has made a substantial investment in the Gaikai game streaming service - to the tune of $380 million - the company is still committed to retail, Sony UK's Fergal Gara told MCV. Fergal noted that UK retail is undergoing "a bit of a readjustment," referring to the trouble that retailers like GAME have suffered recently.

Still, despite the issues being faced at retail, Sony plans to continue leveraging brick-and-mortar - the company will use retail to demonstrate Wonderbook, for example. He added that he hopes retailers, and not just specialist retailers, will stay committed to stocking games as well, especially considering that the next generation of gaming hardware is right around the corner.

Of course, Sony is intent on creating a new cloud service, so it will be interesting to see how the company's next offering will fit into the retail structure. One example to follow might be that of GameStop, which makes a substantial chunk of change selling redemption tokens for digital goods at its many retail stores.

Sony: Retail still important in wake of Gaikai purchase originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 06 Jul 2012 16:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sony VP in UK and Ireland talks Vita pricing, says bigger memory cards on the way

Mike Schramm — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 23:45:00 EST

Sony's Vice President and Managing Director from the UK and Ireland, Fergal Gara, talked with Eurogamer at the PS Vita launch last night in London, and said there's a lot more in store for the new handheld console. The current pricing and memory concerns are the results of "early days."

On price, for example, Gara says that the system is priced as low as Sony could get it on launch day, "not a lot above an iPod and a hell of a long way below a good tablet." Given the hardware included, Gara says Sony "priced it as attractively as we could afford to, frankly," with an eye toward creating a lasting product over the next few years.

Gara also admitted memory is a concern, with hefty downloadable games filling memory cards up quickly. Having learned from the Japanese Vita release, he says, Sony is already securing memory, chips and deals to release bigger cards in the UK, and presumably in North America as well.

Sony VP in UK and Ireland talks Vita pricing, says bigger memory cards on the way originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 22 Feb 2012 23:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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