SONY CONFIRMS DUAL SHOCK 3 CONTROLLER
Confirming the rumors that have been spreading across the ‘net for the last few days, at their press briefing for the Tokyo Game Show, Sony Computer Entertainment President Kaz Hirai confirmed that that vibration feedback would be coming to the PlayStation 3 in the form of the Dual Shock 3 controller.
The new controller looks identical to the current Sixaxis controller and will be hitting retail in Japan this November with the United States and Europe following in the Spring of 2008. No price has been quoted at this time.
This is great news for PlayStation 3 owners who have been sorely missing the feature – though I’m sure some who purchased multiple controllers may feel a little burned by the move. Even better news was that in addition to future PS3 games supporting vibration feedback, Hirai noted that some games in the existing PlayStation 3 catalog could have the feature added via downloadable updates.
60GB PLAYSTATION 3 DISCONTINUED
Rumor confirmed. In an update to our earlier story regarding Sony’s plans for the 60GB model of the PlayStation 3, following somewhat conflicting statements by numerous Sony executives, it has been confirmed that the 60GB model of the PlayStation 3 is heading off into the sunset.
Gamespot is reporting that in an interview with VGTB, SCEI president Kaz Hirai officially confirmed that the 60GB model has been discontinued;
“From a hardware perspective, the $499 price adjustment we did for the 60GB version for the American market, we’re no longer in production for that product. Once that product is gone from the retailer shelves, then we’re back to a $599 SKU only, so it’s not like we have a two-price strategy in the US market. We found out very early on how consumers react to having just one SKU as opposed to two.” – Kaz Hirai
Based on that statement and subsequent confirmations from SCEA’s chief communications officer Dave Karraker, it now appears that the price drop on the 60GB model is basically a sale price designed to clear inventory of the existing 60GB model stocks prior to the introduction of the new 80GB model.
For those of you wondering why Sony would discontinue the 60GB model rather than just using it in the new bundle, my guess is pretty simple – it’s due to the removal of the PS2 “Emotion Engine” chip. Sony could ill afford the consumer lawsuits and retail confusion that two 60GB models with different features would cause. Further, having to differentiate between the two 60GB models on the shelves (until the “original” 60GB model supply would run out) would also bring much more attention to the removal of the Emotion Engine chip.
Bottom line is this – if you want a PlayStation 3 that includes hardware based backwards compatibility, you better hurry and get one of the $499 machines before stores run out. It’s a little sad to see, as since the price drop the sales of the PlayStation 3 have apparently seen huge increases – enough so that it’s been listed as the #1 selling item in Amazon.com’s video game department for most of the last week.
KAZ HIRAI AND DAVID REEVES PROMOTED
Yes, that’s not a misprint – Sony has promoted SCEA president Kaz Hirai and SCEE president David Reeves to executive vice presidents of Sony Computer Entertainment’s corporate executive group. According to an article over at Gamespot, in addition to their current duties, Hirai and Reeves will also be getting more involved in the corporate strategy for Sony Computer Entertainment.
Apparently, someone at Sony really likes it when you make an ass out of yourself in front of you customer base. That’s really the only thing I can think of that would explain this, unless the idea was to move them a bit further away from the day to day operations of both SCEA and SCEE – if that’s the case, then I think it’s a brilliant move on Sony’s part.
You can check out the Gamespot article here while asking yourself if making some outrageous claims at work on Monday will result in you getting promoted as well.
KAZ HIRAI SLAMS MICROSOFT
QJ.Net is reporting that in a recent interview with Playstation Magazine, Sony’s Kaz Hirai slammed Microsoft for “copying” everything Sony does – which is kind of surprising given the direction Sony has taken with the Playstation 3 and the features it incorporates;
“Every time we go down a path, we look behind and they’re 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. If you look at their strategy in other business areas as well, they tend to do that.” -Kaz Hirai
I don’t know about you, but that quote kind of cracks me up given how Sony is aping Microsoft’s Xbox Live service, Nintendo‘s controller designs and the like and more. To be fair though, as PSM showed us all recently, the technology being used by the Playstation 3 controller is nothing new for Sony.
Hirai apparently followed those comments with a dig about the external Xbox 360 HD-DVD drive and the confusion it could generate for consumers;
“And the other thing is, you take a look at, for example, the fact that we incorporate the Blu-ray drive from day one. You’re not going to be asking me, ‘So, talk to me about this Blu-ray add-on that you have. Does it work for games? Is it just for movies?’ That’s exactly the kind of pitfall you fall into if you launch something that’s too early, too premature…” -Kaz Hirai
At least on that end, depending on how you look at it, Hirai has a valid point. While I and many people I know prefer the idea of deciding if we want to pay the added expense of a HD-DVD drive with the 360, there are very few questions regarding how Sony can use the Blu-ray player. I’m sure there are people out there who prefer the idea of having everything built in from day one… I’m just saying I haven’t met many of them yet.
You can check out the QJ.Net story here for more details and the “current” issue of PSM for the full story.
KAZ HIRAI DEFENDS PLAYSTATION 3 PRICE
CNN Money has an interview with Sony Computer Entertainment America president Kaz Hirai. The article focuses on the high price of the Playstation 3 and the two different versions of the system, The view Hirai took of the PS3 and what the big picture is was this;
“I think when you look at what we put into the box – Cell, Blu-Ray, backwards compatibility, the ability to go online – I think it’s a very compelling package for consumers, the totality of what we bring to the table makes it a good value for consumers.” – Kaz Hirai
“What we’re presenting to consumers is future-proofed. It’s not going to fall by the wayside.” – Kaz Hirai
The most disturbing part of the article came when Hirai had no answer for the most serious concern regarding the lack of HDMI output on the lower end Playstation 3.
“The lack of an HDMI output could have future ramifications on the system, though. Some observers have questioned whether Blu-Ray movies will be playable on the PS3 once motion picture companies enable copy protection on the discs.
Hirai said it was “too early to speculate at this point” about such problems.” – CNN Money Article
Too early to speculate? they ship in roughly six months, they’re pushing the fact that the system plays Blu-Ray movies as a major selling point, and yet they can’t guarantee the lower-end model will even be able to play Blu-Ray movies sometime after release?!
That’s a serious oversight and one hell of a ballsy statement to make. How exactly is something “future proofed” if you can’t even speak about the viability of a major function of the console which is based on a technology you control?
Read the CNN Money article here and shake your head along with me.
NYLatenite's Gamer's Paradise 