PS3 Fanboy

Enter Echochrome, one of the most interesting and engaging new titles popping up at this year's E3. "Least graphics, most game play is their angle," said Sony's Phil Harrison, as he introduced Echochrome in the midst of Sony's E3 keynote. In addition to our earlier description as, "Jenga blocks, plus stick figure man plus acid," game play seemingly bears a distant resemblance to games like Crush (PSP) and the upcoming PC release Portal. Echochrome looks like it will have players assembling the game world to steer the stick-figure hero to his end goal. An orchestral score keeps an ambient atmosphere, which should help for those ultra-tricky sections that will be sure to induce cold sweats. Ah, the intense pleasures of a great puzzler. Echochrome certainly looks promising and the fact it will arrive on both UMD for the PSP and the PlayStation Store as one of the "more than 80 first-party games available" makes it all the more desirable.

If there's one thing we love about Sony's Philliam Harrison (what, you mean Phil isn't short for Philliam?), it's that he's always available to answer questions for whatever reason. These are interesting questions, so we'll go ahead and summarize the Q's and the A's below. Enjoy!

If you could go back in time, what would you tell your past self?

Phil said: "the professional advice I'd give myself is to "think bigger"...I would have encouraged him to be more ambitious, bigger scale, more aggressive in changing the way games were made and also to have invested more heavily in creating online experiences - however experimental, however unsuccessful."

Where do you see gaming, socially and culturally, in 20 years?

Phil responds thus: "I hope that videogames and electronic forms of interactive entertainment continue to expand to new audiences, all the time. Linked to that, I want to see videogames given more credibility as a mainstream form of entertainment through appropriate cultural commentary and criticism." We all do, Philliam, we all do.

So... encouraging or discouraging "homebrew" games?

Phil? "Let me first say that Homebrew is sometimes a misused term and so for the purposes of this answer I will exclude pirates and hackers with illegal intentions from the definition." He goes on, "I fully support the notion of game development at home using powerful tools available to anyone. We were one of the first companies to recognize this in 1996 with Net Yaroze on PS1...we will do our industry a service by providing opportunities for the next generation of creative and technical talent." But remember, guys, piracy isn't allowed and Sony will do what they can to prevent that.

Does SCE grow concerned over the loss of multiplatform titles?

"We have the widest selection of meaningful exclusives on PlayStation 3 - by virtue of our own investments in our development studios and strategic support of independent developers and publishers...Within SCE Worldwide Studios we have the largest platform-dedicated development resource in the industry - with more people, and more teams, dedicated to making games exclusively for PlayStation 3."

What're you going to do about all the negative Sony press?

Phil replies: "We absolutely have a lot of work to do but I'm convinced we have the right strategy - and recent announcements like Home and Little Big Planet have resonated very positively with our audiences around the world, including some commentators who had been previously critical of us." He also goes on to discuss the mistakes Sony has made and apologizes for them. He also mentions that positive word-of-mouth is far more impressive than any PR firm can do. So as people enjoy the system, they'll grow comfortable in talking about it and recommending it.

So... price drop?

We're not even going to quote. Because the answer is no. What'd you expect? Feel free to drop some comments on what you think of all this -- we feel he's a pretty competent guy and answered all these reader-submitted questions with the greatest of Sony style. Take that as you will.

Before we even get into the awesome list about what Phil Harrison spoke about, we have to quote the original article's opening sentence because it's so inspiring: "PS3 may have cemented its place in history as the most successful home console launch ever in the UK, but Sony World Wide Studios boss Phil Harrison says that there has never been a product launch like it in any sector." Bragging rights, anyone? No? Too selfish and rude? Okay, well, still. Fantastic.

Harrison's statements can be split into three long quotes, which we'll summarize below because we know you've got other stuff to get done. Right?

• 165,000 units sold, equating to £100 million worth of business over the course of 2 days. He said: "This not only makes it the most successful games hardware launch, we think it is the most successful consumer launch of a product in the UK."
• Sony is dumbfounded by their own success: "We have been in the office scratching our heads trying to think of a consumer product that has achieved that level of consumer sales in such a short period of time. If anyone can think of a UK product launch that has raised this amount of business in such a short period of time I'd love to know because we can't think of one."
• Out-of-stock? Paychecks coming in? Says the Phil: "We are already seeing across Europe out of stock situations where retailers re re-ordering. It was always our strategy to have a good supply. There's never been a launch of a console in Europe that's had a million pieces of hardware sold in or available. We've kept some back in order to continue to supply the market."

Good stuff, Phil Harrison. What do you guys think? Was the launch a failure, or was the media quick to hop back onto the Sony-hate wagon and cover the failure of launch events and not the actual sales numbers/data/facts?

Making an appearance at the Virgin Megastore on Oxford Street, Phil Harrison gave a speechy-speech about the importance of the European market and how he gets all warm and fuzzy inside to see people waiting to get their greasy claws on the see-every-piece-of-dust-and-fingerpint PlayStation 3. We'll just list his quotes that were worthwhile. Why? ...Because. Every speech has highs and lows, you know?

• "The fact that we've got the launch here with more consoles shipped on day one that we've ever had in our history is a compliment to the importance of the European market." Well, the extra months to stockpile the Emotionless PS3's probably helped!
• "I've seen PlayStation 1 and PlayStation 2 launched on Oxford Street but this is the most meaningful for me personally, because I think it's so important not just for our industry but for UK consumers - the fact that they're going to get the best machine with the best software support, the most Network service and the firmware update." Eh, give or take on the software support and network service. But yeah, the PS3 definitely has the firmware update!
• "They had to wait, and I feel really bad about that. But I'm hoping we can make it up to them with the quality of software that we've got coming out." He refers to HOME and LittleBigPlanet, insisting their announcement was coincidental and not meant to build up some European launch steam.
• "The fact that people are prepared to invest their time, their money and their passion in queueing up to be part of a launch is great - and it kind of makes all the hard work worthwhile. It's not just for people in the UK, it's for the guys in Japan who make the hardware, it's for the people who make the software, and the thousands of people who are part of the PlayStation story." Aww, that's a nice note to end on. We're part of a story!

That's about all he said that we're going to mention. Actually, we didn't leave all that much out. Did anyone go to the Oxford Street launch? Was he there in person or was it a video or something? Not sure how that works since Georgia isn't the biggest attraction for important corporation personalities.

Yeah, ever since the announcement, a lot of the press-related folk and small-time bloggers have all raised their hands and asked in a query-chorus (where we all sing a question in very high-pitched, reverent voices): How will you present to us this Beta, oh Sony, father of PS3? Phil Harrison had his notecards ready and tossed a few super-sized quotes our way.

PHarr... hmm, we're going to go with that (pronounced "Fahr"... closer to "Ffahr" though). Anyway, Pharr said: "We haven't announced the specific invite mechanic but it will be a closed deployment with a capped number of users and then we'll extend that through the summer. When we go live with the service we'll actually have gone through a number of betas before we get to final deployment in the fall." What's also interesting to note is that within Sony itself, testing bugs and glitches is pretty easy to manage because when online, one tester can bring another Sony member to the glitch and show them exactly what is wrong. We'll probably be doing that, too, if they miss anything (which everyone always does).

Pharr also was ecstatic that everyone else was ecstatic about all the announcements at GDC, but we've been over that already. Can we put this GDC thing behind us now? We'd like to get more info on the Beta, but that'll depend if we get invited or whatnot. Let's move on to bigger things, like... screenshots? May as well.

This is basically a big PR move with Sony and ThreeSpeech and this Tom Kiss fellow took a lot of very nice pictures for us to gawk at. What a swanky pad! We'd love to sit around and play games at ThreeRooms. Without further ado, we present the knowledge gained at this event.

• Phil Harrison took a picture of everyone in a room, popped the memory stick into a PS3, turned on HOME, and in a matter of seconds, he had placed the picture into a frame and it was sitting on a shelf in his personal HOME-space. Pretty neat.
• In another room, he put up a Bravia TV (figures it's a Bravia, huh?) and made a Casino Royale trailer play on it, with proximity-related audio. Oh, then he picked up the TV and threw it down a set of stairs. Not in real life... that would make Nick angry.
  
• Tom Kiss took some video of Phil and three other guys playing LittleBigPlanet. It's still cute.
• The lobby size of 64 users in HOME is likely to not change, since that's pretty crowded when text bubbles are popping up everywhere.
• Here's a biggie: Remote Play from any wireless hotspot in the world will be available with the 1.6 firmware update. That means anywhere you go with a wireless connection, you can get any video, music, or photos from your PlayStation 3 right onto your PSP. Oh, that's hot.

That's about it. Check out Tom Kiss's (kisses? oh, someone please smirk) article and scope out his pictures and videos

I'm on Spring Break. I'm in Las Vegas, sitting in the Mirage hotel after enjoying some Craps... what better time to admit to you guys that I'll still be bringing you the news? Albeit... 3 hours earlier. Or later... something. I don't really understand how that will work out -- but the amount of postings will be the same. I love you guys that much. With that in mind, more Phil Harrison stuff!

This is actually part two of an interview we covered the first part of yesterday -- where Blu-ray will ensure the PS3's success or some such. We'll make a general compilation of his points and you can check them out in more detail for whatever you're interested in.

• Phil says that Sony has always concentrated on user-oriented strategies as is being seen with Little Big Planet and user-generated content (what?)... he cites developers taking big risks with projects like Shadow of the Colossus and God of War, Loco Roco, among others. He says that such games wouldn't have come out of a more conservative marketing strategy, or a multi-platform game.
• Background compatibility: Phil says "calm down". It's all there -- the entire PS-One catalog and an ever-increasing software emulation of PS2 titles. Over 1,000 PS2 titles so far.
  
• Phil is very confident that Sony will remain the market leader this console cycle. But if he wasn't confident, that wouldn't reflect on Sony very well, would it? Sony may just stay on top, but by a much thinner margin, if we could place our bet.

That's mostly it. Like we said, you can check out the article and read the full interview if you'd like to hear more about any of that, but that's pretty much a superb summation. Anybody have any games I should play for you while I'm here? I'll let you know if I win (or how fast I lose).

The challenges of the PS3's first few months are in the past. The age of bashing Sony is coming to an end as they get the ball rolling on the right side of the mountain (the side that, arguably, goes downward... imagine a 2D mountain. The right side is downhill, so it's easier to roll a ball. They've been pushing the ball up the left side... that's hard. Get it?) and start busting out some great ideas and some even greater games. Games are the emphasis now, Phil Harrison said. "It's all about software now, it's not about hardware. It's all about services, it's about the way the industry is changing and the way we hope to be taking a leadership position in that change."

Phil also responded to his own fantastic keynote address: "We're taking some pretty giant steps forward... The keynote here at GDC was a very, very significant moment for the evolution of PlayStation 3." He also talked about why he titled his speech "Game 3.0" and what it means for the industry: "It's something that as a platform holder we have a responsibility to grow the market, and to try and push the market. What I wanted to do here at GDC was paint a picture for where this industry should, I believe, move - which is to empower the user with user-created content. That's what I was referring to with the Game 3.0 aspect to my presentation. I hope the industry debates it and challenges it and takes it to another level beyond what we have imagined. We're just trying to kick off the debate; we're not trying to own it or control it."

Well said, Philly H. User-created content is going to be huge this console cycle, what with the internet taking over the universe in the guise of SkyNet and Time magazine labeling the collective "You" as person of the year... it's important to be narcissistic this year. What do you guys think? Is this where the industry is headed? Or should they concentrate on making fun toys instead?

We've been slowly releasing details from yesterday's bloggers meeting with Phil Harrison. One of the biggest points of discussion (unsurprisingly) was Home. There are still a lot of questions that we had, and Harrison was quite candid about the upcoming "Game 3.0" project:

• Considering the wild support of Home at GDC, why didn't Sony reveal this information earlier? According to Harrison, the idea might have been "too complex to explain" so close to the PS3 launch. It might have been "misunderstood" during a busy launch period. Also, Home simply didn't have the polish it needed to be shown at the PS3 launch. With that in mind, Harrison would have made "no adjustment on the PS3 launch."
• The world of Home will never get too big: additional worlds will spawn when a certain one has become too full. Through matchmaking services, Sony will attempt to place you in an environment you're most likely to have fun.
• Home's arcade games were originally going to be based in Java to make it as easy as possible for indie developers to get content ready. However, they moved away from the language for better performance.
• When asked, "will this sell PS3s?" Harrison quickly answered: "Yes. It's another reason to play PS3 every day."
• Like Nintendo, Sony believes this will attract non-gamers. They've attempted to make the interface as easy as possible. Yes, the characters are in a 3D environment, making it "not 100% accessible."
• Gamers that don't want to use Home are still free to use the XMB for PS3 navigation. "It's still an important interface." Most of the features of Home can still be accessed from the XMB--you simply lose many of the social interaction aspects.
• Home is nothing like Second Life, according to Harrison. The similarities end at both having 3D characters in 3D environments.
  
• The "PlayStation focus" of Home will be what keeps the community together. "PS3 owners all share a love of digital content." Expect the sharing of music, video and game content to be what keeps PS3 owners connected to Home.
• No touching! Your digital avatars in Home will not be able to touch each other. You will, however, be able to jump on each other in LittleBigPlanet.
• Like Nintendo Mii, your digital avatar will be available for use in other games. However, it won't be too easy, says Phil Harrison. Not only does the character model have be exported, but the animation system will need to be moved as well.

It's clear from the enthusiasm of the individuals in the room that everyone's interested in Home. The public beta is going to be available soon, and those of you with PlayStation Network accounts will want to pay attention to your inbox: you may be getting an invite (they're figuring that out, though).

Some UK residents have felt angered by Sony's pricing scheme in the PAL territories. At £425 (~$820 US), European users are paying quite a lot to get a chance to PLAY B3YOND. One reason for the price hike? The government-imposed VAT, which makes up for up to 20% of the cost. "The money doesn't go to Sony," Harrison reminded.

While the availability of a 20GB model would have certainly alleviated some financial pressures on European buyers, it simply wasn't possible: retailers said they only wanted 60GB versions. Considering the numerous retail schemes that have popped up in Europe, color me unsurprised.

This is an undeniable truth of the gaming industry: it's all about the games. Sony's multimedia approach to PS3 is certainly novel, but many have felt that Sony has neglected its gamers by abandoning high-profile potentially exclusive games, such as Grand Theft Auto IV and Assassin's Creed.

Phil Harrison put it quite succinctly: "There wouldn't have been an economic sense in keeping GTA as an exclusive." When exclusive deals are made, someone has to pay for the potential difference in install base and sales. Considering how the PS3 install base won't be as large as the Xbox 360's for a while, the economic ramifications of such a deal would've cost Sony quite a pretty penny--and considering how they're losing money on every PS3 sold, it didn't seem too worthwhile.

Sony seems to be taking an approach that's been long-familiar to Nintendo fans. Harrison notes that Sony will have a "greater investment in first party [games] than third." Sony maintains the largest collection of development teams, and certainly it has some truly significant franchises: Ratchet & Clank, God of War, just to name a few.

Sony discussed the number of people that were actively interacting with the PlayStation Network services in yesterday's bloggers meeting. According to Sony, there are about 500,000 PSN accounts open in the North America. However, according to recent sales data from VGcharts.org, one can see that there are about 1.3 million PS3 systems out there: shouldn't more PS3s be connected to Sony's Xbox Live alternative?

Phil Harrison was quick to point out that the 500,000 figure represents PSN sign-ups only. You can still use the PS3's online capabilities without ever registering for Sony's online service by uploading music to your console, or by using the Internet Browser, or by downloading a firmware upgrade. The goal of Home, however, is to increase PSN sign-ups, and have people become increasingly involved with Sony's robust online services.

Microtransactions are going to be huge in Sony's upcoming Home. The service, which will be included in a future required firmware upgrade, will rake in the dough through three "revenue channels":

• Object/item sales, such as new furniture.
• Games/premium items
• Advertising/B2B: in-game ads and other sponsorships may become common.

The revenue from Home will cover the cost of moderation and upkeep of servers, undoubtedly. However, one wonders if the "democratization" of this virtual economy is going too far. Buying a virtual couch is novel in certain ways, but where will the trend stop? Harrison, during the blogger's meeting, noted that "you can buy a better view, you can buy a better sunset."

At Sony's blogger event tonight, Phil Harrison addressed the issue of parental controls in the world of Home. Home will not only utilize the in-system PlayStation Network parental controls, but will offer you the ability to delete users from your view ... instantly. So if some prick is attacking you with flying dongs, you'll be able to have them disappear from your world at a push of a button. "I wish I could have that in real life," Phil Harrison joked.

Phil hasn't given his speech fo' realz yet, but someone got a hold of a copy of it, or listened in on a rehearsal (do you think they have rehearsals or just wing it?) or something and have compiled a list of key... notes about the speech. Here's what's important:

• March 8th is the big firmware update. It includes:
• More refined PS Store frontend
  
• PlayStation Network "integrity enhanced"
  
• Wallpapers from pictures
  
• Ability to change background colors
  
• Sony Connect Store for music and movies added to the PS Store. Hundreds of trailers/full films/songs
• Videos and mp3's available for download.
  
• Playstation Card option in PS Store enabled.
  
• Playstation Lifestyle- Similar to my space/youtube. User generated content and experiences are the key.
  
• + more.
• Removal of Emotion Engine chips will come stateside and to Japan in April. Upscales certain PS-One and PS2 games to 720p/1080i.
• Game announcements: Warhawk in June/July, Heavenly Sword delayed, Killzone 2 and Metal Gear Solid 4 in late 2007.
• New PS-Store stuff being added on the 8th include:
• Tekken 6 trailer
  
• Lair demo & (new?) trailer
  
• Rainbow Six Vegas demo
  
• EA: Skate trailer
  
• Battlefield Bad Company trailer
  
• Warhawk demo
  
• Virtua Fighter 5 demo
  
• Virtua Tennis 3 demo & trailer
  
• GRAW 2: trailer
  
• Mortal Kombat 2 game
  
• Killzone 2 trailer... demo to come in May

May we just say one thing? "Superfantabulous!" Sounds like a kickin' keynote address, except for the Heavenly Sword being delayed thing. But that's so all the first-party and semi-first-party games get their own time to shine instead of competing with one another. What do you guys think? Badass or assbad?