"Sony unveils PS3 specifics"
Despite dropping a bomb earlier in the day in the form of a reduced profit forecast linked partly to the costly launch of its PlayStation 3, Sony exuded confidence Thursday afternoon as execs released more details about the console’s launch next month.
“Today what we hope to do is wrap everything up into a nice neat package,” Sony Computer Entertainment America President and CEO Kazuo Hirai told a crowd of journalists and other industry folk.
Standing in front of a wall-sized display erected on the first floor of San Francisco’s Dogpatch Studios, Mr. Hirai kicked off a presentation that included lists of software available at launch and demonstrations of the console’s multimedia and online capabilities.
Expect some 22 games at launch, Mr. Hirai said, including three first-party titles: NBA 07, the samurai-themed Genji: Days of the Blade, and the futuristic shooter Resistance: Fall of Man. Those games will retail for $59.99 each.
Other titles set to be available at launch include the World War II-era Call of Duty 3 and Marvel Ultimate Alliance—loaded with iconic comic book characters including Spider Man and Captain America.
The PlayStation 3 will hit Japan on November 11 and the United States six days later. The console comes in two flavors—$499 and $599. Sony recently said it was cutting the price on the low-end PS3 in Japan only (see Sony Cuts PS3 Price).
“The only thing left to wait for is November 17,” Mr. Hirai told the crowd. Hopefully there weren’t any European gamers in attendance—Sony recently pushed back its European launch date to March 2007 (see Sony Delays PS3 in Europe).
The company unveiled final details on peripherals as well. Wireless game controllers will retail for $49.99, while Sony plans to sell a $24.99 remote control for the PS3’s Blu-ray drive.
Sony will also start hawking a $14.99 adapter to connect memory cards from older systems like the PS2. The high-end model of the PS3 features ports for connecting CompactFlash, SecureDigital (SD), and Memory Stick media.
Online Option
Given the success of Microsoft’s Xbox Live network service—this week Redmond said Live now has some 4 million subscribers—gamers and other industry watchers have waited for details on Sony’s long-expected offering.
The company trotted out Sony Online head John Smedley to address just that. Mr. Smedley demonstrated the PlayStation Store, a four-panel design looking curiously similar to an online music store associated with a certain popular digital music player.
A large spot at the top for displaying featured content dominates the store. It also includes side windows listing new content and top downloads. The lower chunk of the screen includes tabs for featured titles, demos, and downloadable games.
Sony has already deployed servers around the world and its network service is ready for the PS3 launch, Mr. Smedley said. Developers can build store functionality into their games, he added, demonstrating the use of a refillable digital wallet to purchase content.
Highlighting the use of the digital wallet by parents as a way to offer and control game purchases made by their children, Sony President of Worldwide Studios Phil Harrison said downloadable first-party games will be no more than $14.99. A demo of Motor Storm, one of the first titles to be sold via the new service, will be available on November 17.
“I really want to see it road tested,” ABI analyst Michael Wolf said of the network service. “Once the light switch goes on, there are a million boxes [connected].”
Multimedia Menu
Many PS3 watchers have waited for details on the console’s interface and multimedia capabilities. Using a controller to wirelessly boot a PS3 from across the stage, Mr. Harrison ran attendees through the console’s menu.
Similar to that used on the company’s PSP handheld, the PS3’s entry screen features a horizontal bar populated by icons dubbed settings, photo, music, video, game, network, and friends. Select an icon and a column opens up below it, containing appropriate additional choices.
Mr. Harrison demonstrated a slide show feature in which the PS3 displays stored images on screen as white-bordered photographs spilling down onto a white background. When connected to the Internet, the console lets owners download videos. Mr. Harrison used the console to play trailers for the upcoming Sony Pictures films Casino Royale and Spider Man 3.
The console also comes with a web browser, he added. Launching a browser featuring a YouTube video of Mr. Hirai, Mr. Harrison opened another window set to google Browser windows are displayed as separate panes on the screen.
Returning to the PSP, Mr. Harrison demonstrated the portable’s ability to wirelessly control its console sibling. Via Wi-Fi, Mr. Harrison then continued to play the Casino Royale trailer on the PSP. “It’s a very cool feature,” he said, offering the possibility of access anywhere Wi-Fi is available.
Mr. Harrison did not clarify whether the wireless interface using a PSP worked on both versions of the new console. Only the high-end PS3 ($599) features built-in Wi-Fi.
Closing the event with the same level of confidence that he carried into it, Mr. Hirai gushed on Sony and the PS3’s long-term power. “We are absolutely and completely focused on leading the industry into the next digital decade,” he said.
The next-gen console leader won’t be determined for some time yet, but Sony’s certainly doing all it can to woo gamers and dominate the living room.
Comments
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mark