A Quick Look Back, A Strong Push Forward

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I hope you’re enjoying our official SCEA blog. Personally speaking, it’s great to finally have a place where we can talk candidly about the things we (and you) care about. While it’s no substitute for a one-on-one conversation, I’m excited to have a chance to listen and talk with you here. With that said, everything communicated in any form these days has to be considered an “on-the-record statement” so as much as I’d like to, I can’t completely throw my corporate hat out the window.

From where I sit, this industry has the most passionate consumers of any I’ve ever encountered. For some, gaming is a way to kill some time, for others it’s a favorite hobby, but for many it’s a way of life. As a gamer myself, I fall somewhere between a low to mid level enthusiast mainly because of free time. My day job is ironically eating away at my gaming time, although lately I’m finding the PSP has helped me reclaim some of this lost time on long plane trips.

For twenty one years I’ve worked exclusively in the industry. The last twelve have been with Sony Computer Entertainment. It’s been just over six months since I became President and CEO here and I can assure you that gaming is clearly my life. Now that we’ve got the hardware to drive the business, we’re putting all our efforts into insuring that we help create the best games possible for you to enjoy. My pledge is that we will continue to put you first and foremost, to understand what you really want from us. In fact, this blog is one way that I’m hoping this happens.

In 1995, when we launched the PlayStation, the majority of the gamers were twelve to seventeen year old boys. 2D platform, fighting, racing, and sports games were the norm. Platforms were born and died within five years maximum. There was minimal difference between hardware platforms. We here at Sony championed 3D graphics, CD based technology and a more mature diverse library of games. We believed that our platform had a lifecycle that should survive well beyond the traditional five years. Some of the initial criticism we received was that the hardware was a bit pricey, the system was hard to develop for and the early software line-up needed some work. When we introduced PlayStation 2 in 2000 we received much of the same criticism. When we introduced DVD based storage we were told that CD had more than enough capacity to store game data. In a few short years DVD had all but replaced CD and that storage capacity was being squeezed by the development community. In 2006 the song remained much the same. Most of you know what transpired: 100 million PlayStations and thousands of great games later, the PlayStation had a ten year run and could still be selling today. PlayStation 2 left our original success in the dust and shows no signs of stopping anytime soon.

We fully realize that past success is no guarantee of future success, but it does give you some perspective. We have to bring the games to market that will showcase what the PS3 can do and ultimately entertain you like no other games have. We need to provide proof of what the PS3 can do for you and work tirelessly to improve the value and justify your investment. At the end of the day, it’s always been about the games. To push the boundaries of gaming beyond where they currently lie takes a great deal of risk. I think all the hardware manufacturers are doing that in some way. We could have easily produced PlayStation 2.5 at a slightly increased price over the older model, and driven some nice profits and marginal innovation for a few years but that’s not how we got where we are today. You have to gamble and make major investments in the present that will pay dividends in the future.

We’re working hard to put the best tools in the hands of the development community so they can take you places you never imagined possible. We have more than 15 games coming from our own internal studios alone this year for PS3. Our third party partners will weigh in with a host of great games giving us more than 100 titles by year end on that system alone. At our Gamer’s Day event a few weeks back, we announced 18 exclusive games for PSP. This year, PS2 owners will get a little something for everyone with games like Buzz! and Singstar. Oh, and you certainly can’t forget the PlayStation Network. Right now, we are working on a slew of games and game packs that will be offered through the PlayStation Store in the coming months, including Warhawk, which personally speaking, is the PS3 game I’ve been playing most lately.

We are heading into one of the biggest shows of the year for the videogame industry. E3 is only a month away. Everyone here at SCEA is working very hard and is dedicated to pushing the development envelope to show you not only new stuff for games like Heavenly Sword, Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune and Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction, but also a few surprises we have up our sleeves that no one has seen. You can check in here for updates as we head into the show, and I will be sure to report back once E3 begins.

So, that’s it for now from me. I really hope you enjoy our new blog. I think it is a great way for us to share information and for you to communicate back with us. I look forward to hearing your thoughts and posting more here in the weeks to come!

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311 Comments

  • Nice work Sony. This is first time i visit this site and it is very cool, this is what you(and we) guys needed.
    Can’t waith for this years E3!

  • I personally think Sony is well leveraged given the scope of the PS3’s goals which I believe for this generation means giving consumers the one stop device for: high definition media, games and connectivity. The PSP, PSN adds to the PS3 experience and the interconnection between the 3 is going to be something to behold- IF executed properly. We’re only 7 months into the life of the PS3 and granted, some things may have gone smoother and more quality games could’ve come out, I believe overall Sony is delivering well given the larger scope, and basically starting many components of the vision from the ground up, even more so. I will continue to support Sony because I believe in the PS3 hardware, the games and their vision- and I sincerly appreciate that Sony didn’t just go with a PS 2.5. It takes giant and brave moves such as including the Cell and BD drive and HDMI to push the industry forward, and the consumers will be brought forward, even if some are kicking and screaming about the price.

  • Awesome to see this website getting a strong start. I love my PS3 & PSP.

    Currently playing: Loco Roco, Guitaroo Man Lives, Lumines 2, Resistance FOM, MLB 2K7, Oblivion.

    Cant Wait For: Heavenly Sword, Drakes Fortune, Lair, Little Big Planet, Parrappa The Rappa 3 (Gotta Believe)

    Games id like to see on psn: Parappa 1 & 2, Frequency & Amplitude, Um Jammer Lammy, Rez.

  • Hey Jack,

    You may have sold another truckload of PS3’s with just this one little blog post! See how easy it is? Just imagine how many you will sell when you come back here and announce something concrete, like a new game, or HOME going live! Doesnt GOOD PR feel, well, GOOD?!?!?

  • Yes, on the topic of E3, are there any plans to post videos and demos of things on the showfloor to the PSN so PS3 owners can get a taste of what’s coming up? It’d be a good way to generate some pro Sony hype.

  • Yes, lets keep the playstation brand going strong!

  • Thank you very much of this blog.
    Being rumored everyday it is very important to have a good source of information. I think this blog will be.
    I’m from Russia where PS consoles are very popular. I’m almost 35 years old but I play my PS consoles (they are psp, ps2 and ps3) with pleasure with my 6 years old kid. And I’m sure that PS3 is the most innovative, technologically advanced and simply best gaming device in the world. And reading analysises and prognoses published at mass media I sometimes get scared of the level of ignorance of articles’ authors or rude misinformation in them.
    I hope this blog will shed the light to the real situation, clear and explain advantages of Playstation3 to ordinary users and potential customers of the console.
    I hope there will be a day after another great game release when I can say to my forums opponents and unbelievers – Hey people! Stop fighting! Get PS3 and welcome to the club =)

  • im so excited to see what announcements you make at e3, and im also enjoying the warhawk beta!

  • Nice to see Sony is making an effort to communicate with us the consumers!

    I expect great things from this blog, specially with E3 just around the corner!

    Im

  • Wow, a visit from The Man himself! I’m impressed. It’s great to hear from the minds behind the entertainment so this blog is great. Been a PlayStation supporter since before PS1 even came out, and that’s been a great 10 year relationship and PS3 is a great continuation of it.

    Keep it up and show off what you guys do so well – games! And let’s try to get some of them out soon, the wait for many of them is unbearable!

  • I love this, being able to hear directly from you guys about what is going on.

    I’ve always been a Playstation enthusiast, ever since my parents got me a PS1 for christmas way back when. Waking up early in the morning so I could play some Crash Bandicoot before heading off to school…

    To be honest, I was a bit scared for the PS brand when things started to take shape for this generation. While the PSP had a pretty good start, it kinda puttered along for a bit, while the DS started to release some good games. Recently, the number of incredible PSP games have been on the rise, but I still don’t think that the PSP has that one defining game, the one you MUST own if you own the system. (Like God of War for the PS2)
    One thing I would love to see, is more of a use for the Music and Video parts of the PSP. I would love to be able to turn on my PSP and listen to a game’s soundtrack, by accessing it from the Music menu. (DJ Max Portable 2, an import rhythm game, is one that comes to mind that would be awesome if it could do that).

    The PS3, likewise, had me worried for a while. I got a lot of guff from my friends for buying one, especially when there was no real reason to own one. I always had to come up with excuses for my $600 purchase, and “I’m a fanboy” was usually the best I could do. Resistance is still the only game I own (unless you include PSN titles). I can see that good things are on the horizon. PSP-PS3 connectivity. LittleBigPlanet. Home. Those are great, but I think that losing all those exclusives was bad. Especially when I read every week about how “game a” is going to be scaled down to fit on the 360. Having exclusives like FF13, MGS4, etc… WILL sell PS3s, and I think you know that. So, why not fight a little to keep them exclusive?

    Well, that’s just some 2 cents from me. I still love the PS brand. I’m more than happy with my PSP. I’m patiently waiting to be happy with my PS3. And I’m looking forward to what you’ve got to show me.

    PS… PSP redesign, I think it’s a good idea. If it’s as good as the rumors say, I’d probably pick one up.

  • Hey Jack! Great to see that sony has a blog up and going..I’ve been a loyal PS gamer since PS1. I’ve also been a early adopter of all three systems..So until this blog was annouced I was getting a little worried from an early adopters standpoint..I was worried Sony still had some of the arrogance that was displayed at E3 05..That sony maybe didn’t want to acknowledge some of the issue’s their customers are experiencing with the PS3 (lack of games, support, etc.)..It’s nice to see Sony trying to understand their consumers again..We want the PS3 to thrive..It’s also great to see that you know we are starving for games..The 1st part line-up is looking great..But with 3rd party developers like Ubi pushing games back, then saying they (Ubi) will wait for the install base to grow before releasing titles. But with not many games out the install base stays small, and developers run in the other direction..Its a vicious cycle and it’s hard to sell systems that way..What happened to companies (again UBI) taking risks? We all know that Sony took a huge risk with the PS3, why can’t 3rd party developers do the same? I agree with some of the other posters here. If Sony locks down some 3rd party titles like MGS, FF that would help reassure potential new buyers of the PS3. New consumers would see that the PS3 will have more than just 1st party development going on, and that will give them confidence in their purchase..Also here in the states the PSN has improved greatly over the past couple months..However network speeds/issues and lack of NEW content are hurting it when compared to that other “live” service..I have confidence PSN will improve, but it needs to step it up to battle the already established “live” service..Hopefully with the fall releases the PS3 market share will increase, getting that playstation brand closer to it’s rightful place in the console market..cheers!

  • Mr. Tretton,
    all we people hope that you guys will give us good news about 3rd party exclusive tittles like Metal Gear Solid 4, Final Fantasy brand, Namco Bandai games and others…. Get smart, don’t let microsoft steel playstation historical brands.

    Also, PSN community wants a firmware that allows in-game access to the XMB. It will help us to send and read messages, invite gamers and other functionalities.

    Thanks for the attention. Hope you read this.

  • I’m very pleased to see you post Mr. Tretton. I’m glad I got to learn much more about you and glad to see you really enjoy gaming a lot, just like me and others.

    Anyway, I’m a big time fan of the PlayStation brand and wouldn’t be gaming now if it didn’t exist. I’m glad Sony Computer Entertainment did not make a PS 2.5, and went straight to the next level, which is why the PS3 hardware is far from disappointing me. I’m very glad PS3 went with blu-ray, instead of sticking to DVD. I’ve been very pleased with the PS3 hardware, and I’m excited for what’s in store for the future. I cannot wait to see many of the surprises you have for PS3 and PSP.

    Keep up the good work Mr. Tretton and I’m very proud to support PlayStation for life.

  • Godfather_of_gaming

    I hope u guys bing PSN quickly to the PSP as soon as possible. Also make the PSP Media Manager free, hell..ti sohuld have been free the with your PSP purchase.

  • I’ve got a few intro industry questions to ask, Jack.

    Why, in an industry that is over 10 years old, is it that these machines launch with about 10 titles? Put another way, what is the largest and second largest bottlenecks to video game creation?

  • There are a great many people who would say that you just blew smoke out your ***, but I am not one of them. Some people say that you lie, but I don’t believe that. No, you don’t tell us gamers everything (as you said everything said is on the record so you can’t say everything you want to) but I do believe that you are being sincere when you say you want to tell us a great deal that you are just not allowed to. That right there is what has made me a fan of Sony’s gaming devision. You truely seem to understand how gamers feel and try very hard to understand what we want to happen with games, and as a result I have seen some very high quality stuff from you. All of that being said, I thank you whole heartedly not only for providing us with great systems and games, but also for not compromising your games and systems quality/performance to make a few bucks extra. I willingly put down my $600 for my PS3 at launch because I believe in your idea that systems should last more than 5 years, and I don’t regret it one bit.

  • I like jimparis’ Idea of putting out tech demos. Its sort of superficial, but if you don’t want to disclose info on 2nd and 3rd generation games brewing, then real-time tech demos from the Playstation Store would be a pretty nice way to show you’re not blowing smoke when you say how powerful the PS3 is.

    Also, Godfather_of_Gaming is 100% right about Mediamanager. There’s really no excuse for not including *something* on the PC to manage the PSP. iTunes is probably the single big reason why the iPod is so successful, and until recently, that thing only did music. PSP is a far more complicated device, but its users have to suffer through a folder interface to manage it.

  • Nice Post, Mr. Tretton.

    Way to rub it in that you’re playing Warhawk and I’m not, lol. Oh well, you are the CEO, fair enough I guess.

  • wat to go and rub in that all the cool people are in the warhawk beta…..lousy beta… wish i was in….

  • PLEASE READ!

    Mr. Jack Tretton, I really hope you are reading this. It’s very very important (obviously, you know this a million times better) that Konami must bring out Metal Gear Solid 4 this November. Please do everything possible in order to make it happen and Im sure Mr. Kaz Harai is looking into the matter as well.

    Also, please get Killzone PS3 out the same day or around the launch of Halo 3 which is to be released on the 25th of September of this year (just reminding you).

    Also, what happened to the PSP version of Gran Turismo? Please tell Polyphony Digital to hurry or they are just going to take their time with it.

    Make your mark this E307 :)

  • take my advice, for the upcoming games..try and do this

    1 make our ” home character” be able to be used in games, like in warhawk…uncharted…killzone…. sports games……anywhere , its a great feature..its addicting, and of course all the stats will have to appear on our ” home” for everyone to see

    2 more ps1 games on the psn, the good ps1 games… including gt, doom, darkforces, diablo, ff 7, vagrant story….

    3 music, movies on the psn, i cant believe with all the studios and power sony has… they have not done it yet, it would be great to purchase movies for the psp on the psn……

  • I posted this on patrick’s blog, but i’ll re-post cause i need jack to see my comments:

    Hi Jack, great work with this blog. I congratulate you guys on this. I have one concern though, and i hope you and jack both see this. The problem is communication to the general public and casual gamer. Only the Hardcore will see this blog, just as only the hardcore knows pf the true potential and connectivy of the ps3/psp. Sadly, we’re not the ones buying new systems and our influence can only reach so far. What I’m saying is, you and I and everyone here knows all the capabilities the ps3 “currently” has, and even at this stage, it blows the competition offerings out of the water. An aggressive ad campaign and outreach must be taken by the company if a true turn-around is expected. you’ve got all the functionalities there, the public just needs to know about it. How about brouchers and tutorials outlining the upscale and dnla abilities be sent out to the general public based on demographics (i know u have the tools I work for the company that provides them to you). Just yesterday i had to tell some ps3 friends of mine about some of the new capabilities of 1.8. these were all launch owners, as soon as i told them, they were wowed and immediatly began to spread the word. that’s all it took. what about an agrressive ad campaign on tv, quickly outlining the functionalities with a quick link at the end pointing to a web site that outlines all current and future functionalities, right now that can mostly be found on forums and thats not good, cause the average gamers don’t go there. have many more suggestions, but please, get the word out there.

    ps. jack what’s ure warhawk beta sig, so we can see how good u are and test u :p

  • i think sony doesnt have enough first party hit titles,
    there are some hit titles like TEKKEN, but think again… TEKKEN is made by a third party game company, it always could end up going multi-platform,
    dont say it cant, Microsoft has lots of money to buy lots of exclusives from the ps3, but microsoft cant do anything if sony has first party HIT titles,

    what SONY needs is first party HIT titles that covers all genre’s,
    example:
    -fighting games
    -arcade racers/sim racers “i know ps3 will have GT5, but the more the better”
    -lots of first party shooters
    -flight combat games,
    -RPG games
    -sport games

    if SONY has lots of good first party must have HIT titles that covers all genre, than SONY will always be safe on every new playstation they release, because if they have lots of must have first party titles, no company cant rip it off from SONY,
    so SONY wont have to worry about games going multiplatform again,

  • Thank you, Mr. Tretton, for your time and sharing your thoughts with us about the history of the PlayStation brand. WHile it’s true that the PS3 has huge potential for the future, in order to realize that potential, a hard look at the present needs to be taken.
    I absolutely understand that the games take time, and I would much rather them come later and be extremely polished than to rush it out half-baked. But your user-base needs something in its place to tide them over. The firmware updates are a great step. However, as many people have already said, the PSN is absolutely lacking. I like the idea behind Calling All Cars but I absolutely will not drop $10 without being able to play a demo of it.
    The biggest lost opportunity I’ve seen to date so far has been with Sony’s Gamer Days and its complete lack of presence on the PSN. During E3 last year, Microsoft managed to release dozens of trailers and handfuls of game demos simultaneously with its unveiling at E3. Sony finally had some great press coverage at Gamer Days but in my opinion completely missed the opportunity to carry it forward by failing to put these trailers and demos up in a timely fashion.
    I’m not picking on Sony like many have done. I bought the PS3 (and every version before that). I also bought the 360 and the Wii because I am a gamer and I feel each platform has something to offer. However, the only game I still own for the PS3 is Resistance, whereas I have about 40 games for the 360 and a half dozen for the Wii. Since the first- and third-party retail games will take time, please start offering a bigger selection of games for download through the PSN. PSN and further multimedia capabilities (through firmware updates) are where the PS3’s immediate hopes lie until the lineup of games on the horizon begin to appear.
    Thanks again for your time and your ear,
    Tavin.

  • at post 16, i agree with you on the psp. however they need a new version with another analog. they also need to lower the price on two year old system and by more than 30 bucks. and thirdly i went through three that froze up (i think) while updating, waited until the battery died each time and the first two bricked themselves. and the third one bricked for no reason at all after about a month. then i quit the handheld. i can take it up the keister so many times without getting sore

  • Jack,
    I can tell that in your position, you clearly care. You have the insight to see the gaming sector through this time of maturity in the PS3 life cycle. I hope your E3 plans are as big as I’ve been reading. Keep the big guns tightly guarded, 1st and 3rd party. You are doing great on building hype for Killzone, even without seeing a single bit of actual game code! Bring back the slick SONY brass that has always made your company highly revered. Good to hear from on of the bigs in the world of SONY. Let’s get Phil or Kaz on here now giving us the RIIIIIIIIIDGE RACERRRRRRRRRR shpeel lol. Heres to a great future!

  • Looking forward to E3 and the surprises. I like surprises. :D

    I also think that PS3 is the right way to go. A PS 2.5 would have been less of a gamble. But if you don’t dare to gamble you won’t win much, That’s the beauty of it. Just take a look at the PS1 and PS2 and their success despite hardships.

    They were also groundbreaking for their respective generation no matter what anyone says.

  • Jack,
    What about in game XBM?

    Thanks,

  • Please keep posting these blogs. They are great. I like how you have different people blog. its awesome. keep up the great work and keep listening to us as you always have. Sony together with its consumers can almost reach perfection.

  • You mentioned Heavenly Sword, whihc i’ve been keeping an eye on at Ninja Theory’s forum as it has everything i want in a game, however you didn’t mention Killzone. Will it’s showing me nothing more than a trailer or a full demo? Obviously i doubt we can know i’d just like to see how well it’s coming along.

  • i love and use all the features you put in the ps3, its the best console ever made, thank you for the blue ray, im glad sony didnt do the mistake of not using it, also i love how free we are to upgrade the ps3 hard drive,

    great heat managment, the quality of the system is the best ever, GREAT JOB! especially to the people that designed the ps3 to be what it is today

  • I think it is incredible that the President of SCEA took the time to do this.
    It shows they are clearly committed to the PS3 and its fan base and are trying to understand and address our concerns. I look forward to E3 like every other fan and I cant wait to see what it will bring.

  • i want 2 play music and games at the same time please

  • Remember the PS2 tech demo with the dance from FF8. Everyone said it was impossible. Compare that scene with God of war 2, MGS3, FF12. PS2 has surpassed what I think even Sony themselves thought was possible. Playstation-hardware has never been about comparing number, the complex hardware makes them more organic, long-living, potent machines that survives for many year. Compare PS2 against Xbox. Xbox is technically more advanced, but survived 3-4 years!!!

    My concern about PS3 is the Playstation Network. When you are talking on Gamers day and showing those nice videos for the press. Why do I have to sit by my PC and hunt down those trailers, when it would be easy for you to fill up the store with HD-videos. I believe in the future of PS3, but I would really love to be able to watch those trailers with my friends on my HD-set, fueled by my PS3, with a steady streams of HD-trailers of upcoming games.

  • My biggest obstacle from jumping on the PLAYSTATION 3 “train”(, which seems to be an amazing “train”,) is the price of entry. I just don’t have spare $599 US Dollars( plus tax).
    I’m not sure if you’d be willing to risk the extra losses of a PS3 price drop, but I do believe( and can personally confirm for most gamers in my residential area ) that more people would buy a PS3 with the lower price.
    Adding “more value” to the price probably, won’t do a thing about the sales number seeing as it’ll cost you more eventually and virtually be the same financial burden for a consumer as before.

    I do believe that the losses will be worth it, now that the PLAYSTATION 3 is getting high quality software at retail and now via the PlayStation Store. The number 1 game, no doubt or debate about it, that people would buy a PS3 for is Metal Gear Solid 4. If you can keep that title exclusive to PS3, than you probably could take advantage(…alongside a price drop…) of the software titles like Ratchet&Clank: ToD, Warhawk, Lair and Killzone 3.

    As a hardcore PlayStation fan since Day 1 and a large supporter of the Sony PlayStation brand, I wish you guys at Sony Computer Entertainment good luck with this uphill battle that you will be facing this generation.

    Sincerely, Stephen Perteet AKA MrDaBucket (MDB)

  • The only way I know to sum up what I want this blog to be, as well as what I want from Sony “PR” in general, without going back into a previous comment I made, is this:

    -Make me want to keep this button #1 on my firefox links bar.
    -Make me want to hit this site up numerous times a day, as I may miss something if I don’t.
    -Make me want to come HERE to check out what’s going on with my beloved PS3 and PSP(yes, you too PS2 games…), BEFORE running through Joystiq, 1up, and IGN. I know everyone get’s their exclusive items, but just make yours with a bit more butter and texjoy seasoning- so to speak.
    -Make me want to send link after link to my friends letting them know about what cool stuff is going on in the PlayStation realm, and even tempting them to sign up here as well.
    -Make me want to send you guys my comments, concerns, and requests knowing that SOMEONE is listening, and SOMEONE is taking me as a fan seriously.

    You guys are great. You’re SONY for crying out loud! You deliver top notch electronics, top notch films, and top notch games, so we really expect nothing less than the bar you have set.

    However, it DOES upset us, your fans, when we are DYING for you to do something, and you don’t seem to make much notice, or don’t seem to care. Everyone cried and went on about the PS3 controller design, and you guys fixed it. Why can’t we see more reaction to consumer feedback like this? We BEG you guys to “fix” the PSP, to emulate certain features of XBL, to play more fair with other video/audio formats, and to change countless other things that aren’t worth the time to post as a comment. We see next to nothing from these requests and widespread complaints other than “we don’t see a need from the consumer” from you guys in interviews.

    The point is, it’s great that you guys want us to know you’re listening. That’s what this blog is for, so that we can communicate with each other better. Just because you are listening though, does NOT mean that we trust you will USE the feedback we provide you. That has yet to be proven, and that is what I believe is the ultimate outcome of this blog.

    Communicating with your fans, exchanging ideas, and then taking action upon them. Not only will you strengthen the PlayStation brand through quality, but you will restore and strengthen the link between you and your customers on a personal level- and THAT is what I think is REALLY important this generation.

  • Mr. Tretton,
    First I’d like to applaud your taking the time to post. As others have said, it feels honest and genuine and not watered down by having to carry the “company PR line”.

    That said, please allow me to be equally honest and genuine. As a member of your original Playstation’s target demographic (17 when it was released), I’ve enjoyed gaming on the Playstation and Playstation 2 for many hours.

    However, the PS3 has a huge uphill battle. I can’t site the source at the moment, but I seem to recall someone from SCE commenting that the plan for sales of the PS3, initially, was going to be brand loyalty. That’s all well and good, but what I feel Sony has failed to realize is that the Playstation’s brand loyalty was made by its gaming library and its exclusive games. Playstation, unlike Nintendo or Sega, never had a “mascot” to rally behind and that was one thing which help it break through the mold and gain substantial market share in the mid-90s. There was no need to wait for the next “good” Mario or Sonic game – there was a library of good all around games on the Playstation.

    Now, however, you’re losing exclusive titles and publishers which kept interest in the Playstation brand. When I hear people say that the future of the PS3 hinges on Metal Gear Solid 4 and Final Fantasy 13, I cringe. That’s it? Two “big name” third party developers who haven’t jumped ship? Where did everything, and everyone, else go?

    That, however, isn’t where the problems end. As you’ve alluded to in your blog post, the use of CDs and DVDs were revolutionary, however, what you decline to admit is that when you used them, they were both “standardized” formats. There were no competing standards to CDs or DVDs. Blu-Ray is not a standardized format. Far from it. There is quite the possibility that Blu-Ray could go under just as there’s the possibility that HD-DVD could go under. Investing in a player of a media format that isn’t the industry standard is risky, at best.

    Finally, if these two problems weren’t enough, the fact that SCE didn’t develop a solid online gaming platform in tandem with the actual PS3 is appalling. Sony has known for years that players want quality multiplayer with the ability to see their friends online, join their friends in games, and communicate with the community as a whole. Yet the lack of a solid multiplayer component still makes the PS3 feel like it’s playing catch up to Xbox Live – a service which has existed for nearly 5 years!

    I want to see Sony succeed because I feel competition in the marketplace is good for all consumers. However the PS3 feels like a very risky purchase right now, especially given its price tag and the fact that your once exclusive publishers are jumping ship to cross platform develop.

    I suspect my comment will get me flamed or pegged as a Microsoft fanboy, and nothing could be further from the truth. As someone who grew up gaming and watching as gaming went from simple Atari 2600 to the behemoth industry of today, I want to see the brand I spent 12 years playing continue to be strong in the industry. But sometimes I feel like Sony has lost their way, trying to give us a great “digital convergence” device rather than a solid gaming console with a solid multiplayer gaming component.

  • Jack thats awsome that you actually write and tell the future of the PS brand. I can’t wait for E3, and thats the time to go all out and show what Playstation is all about.

  • Thank you Jack for your comments. I am also really excited about this open communication it can only bring good things. I can’t wait for E3 this year to see what you guys have up your sleeves. I love my PS3 and it has been running like a champ since I got it. My HDTV loves the PS3 too. More HD content is never a bad thing. My PSP is with me everyday also and I love it. My PS2 is still chugging along and will probably never get rid of it. I still have my Atari, Nintendo, Super Nintendo, and N64.

    Keep up the great work Jack, I know I made the right investment.

  • If you want us to really believe that you actually care about what we think, make a post about the most relevant features that the users have requested and tell us how these things are going.
    Or if they are possible (In the future? Is it being developed? etc)

    I know, you don´t want to say anything because the competition reads…but at least talk back individually to the users that sent the features you liked the most or at least the ones that you think are worth mention. I mean by email.

    I have received a couple yesterday and it truly made my day =)

  • @Captiosus: Great post my friend! A+

    Please guys, the more well-thought and well-composed entries we have like this the easier it will be for Sony to realize what our needs are, and be able to act upon them accordingly.

    Please stop with the “lower da price to $300 man cuz i dont have da moneyz” posts and start really thinking about the big picture and what it is you want from Sony in the end.

    I’m not saying you need to type up an MLA format word document and email it to them, but if you’re going to use this blog as a medium try to be a bit more specific in what you need, and go beyond the obvious items like price and rumble etc.

  • One thing I would like to see is the blog updated by secion IE PSP section, PS3 secotion, and – for now – PS2 section. (Until after Persona 3 is released anyway!)

    It’d be nicer than having to scroll higgledy piggledy through all the news to find what I’m looking for.

  • @Jack Tretton

    Well I appreciate your honesty, and admit to some “hinderance” in the future of the PS3. This what I believe me & ‘us’ gamers want to hear. Diverse yourself from other PR representatives and take a honest approach to the public. Tell us whats REALLY going on, and dont try to sell us by telling us what we WANT to hear. If your diverse yourself as a honest speaker you will do something no other gaming titan has done so far.

    Thanks for the read, man ;).

    P.S: get in touch with the higher powers and get the original Shadow Hearts team (Nautilus) back to gether and make %/#& Shadow Hearts 4 a PS3 exclusive! The series deserve better! Look into it. The series have a potential equel of Final Fantasy’s following. Blow the bad sales! The game had a bad sales compaign. Now get out there and get in talks with Azure!

    But i can still hope this one of your E3 surprises ;(.

  • Why are you even making SUGGESTIONS here?

    Nothing you people are saying is really relevant and will most likely be ignored. Make your ideas heard WHEN THEY’RE NEEDED. It’s like wandering into a shop and going “HEY GUYS THE WALLS SHOULD BE GREEN HONEST I SAW IT ON TV SERIOUSLY GUYS”

    Jack – great post, its really nice for you to clear bits and pieces up. I’m sure the PS3 will pull through nicely just like the PS1 and PS2!

  • If I were you I’d cook Killzone PS3 for as long as it takes. That games has to slap all anti-Ps3 journalists across the face!

    Although dont make us wait like, “duke nuke’em forever” long. lol

  • let me just say that this blog is awesome. in regards to the “look back and see what we have done” theme of todays post, all i have to say is bravo! I can remember when my older brother and I first played a playstation 1 at a friends house all those years ago, we decided to get paper routes and get up at 3:30a.m. everyday for a year in order to afford our first playstation. That was many years ago.

    Since then I have been a playstation customer through and through. I waited in line for the ps2 and have been the proud owner of a ps3 since December. If there is one thing that I have come to realize is that the games seem to take a little longer to come out. I accepted this as the price of admission for the ps2, waited, and had some of the greatest videogame experiences of my life. My feelings are no different with my ps3. I know the games will come out soon and once again accept this as the price of admission. I guess in my older age I have gotten a little bit more patient. I can see this fall and winter as a great time for sony and an even better time for me and my ps3. All though I’m not too sure how excited my wife will be about all of my gaming ;)

  • Why do I constantly have the feeling that Sony is “almost ready” to do something grand but that “something” never happens? I keep waiting to see a ton of PSOne games available for download, I keep waiting to see Movies/Music available for purchase/download, I keep waiting to see the PSP brought into the Playstation Network on its own (ie. PSP Store), I keep expecting to see timely trailers/demo released, I keep expecting to see EVERY downloadable game accompanied by a demo, I keep waiting to see all the features in the rumored “Firmware 2.0” implemented, I keep waiting to be blown away… I bought on potential. I’ve gotten _some_ return with treats like Resistance, MotorStorm, PSP+DLNA over the internet, Warhawk Beta, etc but when will we see some more “WOW!” things? Why are Japan, Europe, and the US _so_ drastically different in content offerings? I have friends in Europe that can’t get PSOne games for their PSP yet. Why? I guess after months of being told what’s coming, what I’m _really_ expecting to happen this holiday season is that instead of having all my concerns addressed, I’ll likely get a few goodies and a new and improved deadline of when to expect some more. I have faith in the hardware, I _want_ to believe in the company, but I _need_ to see some more action.

  • Excellent post, Mr. Tretton.

    While I’ve loved the years my PS2 has given me, I have to say that I was put off by the PS3’s bumpy start and the egotism that surrounded it. If you and your company embraces the earnest tone and clear enthusiasm of your post, you’ll have no problem bringing more people like myself in to share that love of gaming.

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