Sony arrogance is unreal...

[GhaleonOne]

http://games.slashdot.org/games/05/08/2 ... 34&tid=233
http://www.1up.com/do/newsStory?cId=3143180

This has been all over the news today, but Sony's Phil Harrison made some rather arrogant comments about the DS/PSP competition. The arrogance of his statements are off the wall. The main quote that I find really stupid is:

"But I fear that it won't have a lasting impact beyond that of a gimmick - so the long-lasting appeal of the platform is at peril as a direct result of that."

If you're going to make a comment like this, back it up. The sales figures state otherwise. I don't have US sales figures offhand. I know the DS has it beat overall, but the PSP narrowly has the lead for 2005 only. This is because it outsold the DS monthly for a while, but it's lost that recently, and the DS is outselling it even here now. In Japan, I do have sales figures, and the DS is most certainly in the lead:

Last four weeks of sales:

http://www.gamesarefun.com/news.php?newsid=5470
http://www.gamesarefun.com/news.php?newsid=5444
http://www.gamesarefun.com/news.php?newsid=5407
http://www.gamesarefun.com/news.php?newsid=5355

And with the upcoming lineups, the DS definately has the lead for the Christmas season. There's just too many big games coming between now and the end of the year. The PSP has GTA, and some crappy ports.

The second quote from Harrison:

"Nintendo knows its target audience, because it has really narrowed that down; and it's pretty much defined by a boy or girl's ability to admire Pokemon,"

This is great. I guess Jump Superstars sales boosting the DS to over 2.5 times it's average sales in a single week doesn't matter, because Nintendo only caters to Pokemon fans. Honestly, the DS had a crappy lineup at launch. So did the PSP. Each had like a game or two. But the upcoming lineups are very different. Castlevania, Mario, Mario Kart, Nintendogs, Jump Superstars... the lineup for the DS is just so much better this season.

It's not even about the DS/PSP war though. I'm just sick of Sony's America branch period. It's arrogance is garbage. They seem to think anything 2D on the PS2 is crap. They make -Dragon Diamond- damn hardware. I used to like Sony. I bought a PSOne before I bought an N64 years ago (course, this was before the N64 had come out, but still). I bought the PS2 at launch. The PS2 hardware is pure -Dragon Diamond-. I fought with the damn thing for 2 years. Half the time it wouldn't even play some games, and rarely played a DVD or PSOne game. Eventually, it just died on me, and I had to buy a new one. All this time, Sony refused to fix it. Between their -Dragon Diamond- hardware, their arrogant attitudes, and their anti-2D stance in America, they need to get off their high-horse. I won't be buying a PS3 at launch. I learned my lesson with the PS2. I'll wait until the kinks are worked out and they have some games I care about.

[Khan]

The only reason Sony is doing so well is because of the popular name and large amount of third party support. Nintendo DS is doing great, I'm not worried, DS is getting a lot of great games and Resident Evil Deadly Silence.

[Monde Luna]

That was a great article. Phil Harrison really is arrogant and he knows it. Nintendo always has and probably always will have a good following. Nintendo might not always produce the "hottest games of the year" but they produce a lot of great well rounded games. Not to mention games with cult followings such as Lunar, Zelda, Mario *anything* etc etc etc.

“The idea of a handheld rivalry with Nintendo is an irrelevance,” VP of studios Phil Harrison insisted to MCV. “Those formats don’t appear in our planning. It’s not a fair comparison; not fair on them, I should stress. That sounds arrogant, maybe, but it’s the truth."

what a load of crap

[Dark_Fairy]

My friend has a little philosophy about those type of people...but it's not appropate to post here.

Anyways...another reason why Nintendo probably sells more is because it was the first gaming company. People were used to the older ones so they wanted to buy the new systems and games.

Most people think Atari came first, in fact I remember on an old Who Wants to be a Millionare the first question was something like what was the first gaming company and like 90% of the audience said Atari.

Ok back on topic, most people know and like Nintendo so of course they are going to buy it more than Sony products. In fact my friend's brother (same friend with the philosophy) won't even play Playstation or X-Box games. He is strictly all Nintendo.

[drumlord]

Anyways...another reason why Nintendo probably sells more is because it was the first gaming company. People were used to the older ones so they wanted to buy the new systems and games.

Most people think Atari came first, in fact I remember on an old Who Wants to be a Millionare the first question was something like what was the first gaming company and like 90% of the audience said Atari.

Ok back on topic, most people know and like Nintendo so of course they are going to buy it more than Sony products. In fact my friend's brother (same friend with the philosophy) won't even play Playstation or X-Box games. He is strictly all Nintendo.

If that point were true, then GameCube would be the most popular system this generation and it isn't by a longshot. Plus, as far as that Millionaire question goes, there's a difference between being the first video game company and the oldest. Nintendo has been around since long before video games existed, but unless my history is wrong (and it could be), Atari was making video games first.

[Alunissage]

I distinctly recall playing on an Atari in 1983. When did the NES come out?

Of course, I also played Pong in the 70s, although that was kind of a one-trick pony.

[Lunar Eclipse]

It's not even about the DS/PSP war though. I'm just sick of Sony's America branch period. It's arrogance is garbage. They seem to think anything 2D on the PS2 is crap. They make -Dragon Diamond- damn hardware. I used to like Sony. I bought a PSOne before I bought an N64 years ago (course, this was before the N64 had come out, but still). I bought the PS2 at launch. The PS2 hardware is pure -Dragon Diamond-. I fought with the damn thing for 2 years. Half the time it wouldn't even play some games, and rarely played a DVD or PSOne game. Eventually, it just died on me, and I had to buy a new one. All this time, Sony refused to fix it. Between their -Dragon Diamond- hardware, their arrogant attitudes, and their anti-2D stance in America, they need to get off their high-horse. I won't be buying a PS3 at launch. I learned my lesson with the PS2. I'll wait until the kinks are worked out and they have some games I care about.

That's been precisely my gripe for the longest time. Yeah, Sony has plenty of games, and I guess it really is all about the games when it comes down to it. However, I think it's just bad business to sell faulty products and not take responsibility for it. Only a few of my friends still have their original PS2s thanks to the shoddy design. Then, on top of it all, I think the way that they badmouth Nintendo is just plain rude. Okay, they're a competitor. We get it. Your business is doing well. Do you really have to keep calling their systems "kiddy" just because you have a lot of "mature" titles? And for the record, "mature" games are actually quite immature in my opinion. But whatever. They'll just keep on doing whatever they feel like doing as long as people keep buying their consoles, I guess. That's the worst part of all.

[WD RPG WD]

My PS2 broke a year ago after 1 year of owning it.... Just have my Xbox now.

[GhaleonOne]

I distinctly recall playing on an Atari in 1983. When did the NES come out?

'85 in the US, but I believe it was around for at least 2 years in Japan before being brought over here. Nintendo was making games for Atari, Intellivision and other systems and the like here before the NES though. Donkey Kong being the foremost of those. Nintendo has been around for over 100 years though, just not as a video game company. They did toys and cards and the like prior to video games.

[Spirit Icana]

Meh, this isn't anything new, although I can't recall Nintendo ever spouting nonsense like this to it's competitors throughout the whole GCN/PS2/Xbox generation.

Bill Gates has stated earlier in the year that he believes Nintendo will be a "niche'" player next generation (consoles). Nintendo has touted about the competition being all about the latest technological developments in the area of sound/graphics and lacking a true leap forward in terms of interface. It's just how these marketing guys work. I admit to being a Nintendo Fanboy in all it's glory, but I do criticize the company often in a number of it's decisions. Personally though, I think Nintendo has the best philosphy going into next generation.

These "gimmicks" Mr. Harrison is talking about is giving birth to a very intuitive alternative to the PC mouse that many FPS fans will love. The Nintendo DS game, Meteos, runs at a pace that just isn't playable with the D-pad, mouse, or an analog stick. It's software like these that finally spark the defination of a BRAND NEW VIDEO GAME and Japan is apparently digging it.

As Satoru Iwata, President of Nintendo, so nicely mentioned before the two handhelds launched in Japan last year: "Sony just doesn't understand the handheld audience too well" (not a direct quote). In regards to the PSP, people don't want to wait for a game to load while they also wait for their train to come pick them up. Even at home, battery life is a concern for those playing the graphic/FMV heavy PSP titles. The UMD's thing really isn't worth it, especially for the price each disc is sold at.

I believe the PSP got some good steam here in North America at launch, and a bit after, simply due to the "gimmicks" of it's UMD movie playback, a flashy bright screen, and a spec sheet that rival it's recent console generation counter-part. Personally, I like to look at people as blind when seeing/hearing about them dish out their $250 bucks for a handheld that will only be used to get a crowd to look over their backs for a day or two; it's just not worth it right now. And besides, I think the DS is a great direction video games should be taking right now on the portable side of things. I could write an essay about the games that look astounding and ready for release this holiday season in regards to the Nintendo DS, but I'll stop here.

I have nothing against Sony really, but I don't really like their stance on video games. I wish to see more creativity bloom for the next several years; which is why I'm excited to see where Nintendo's next generation console, code named "Revolution," will be taking some game titles starting next year.

[GhaleonOne]

Good points. I agree with pretty much everything you said actually. I'm really interested in the Revolution as well. I hope it really is a "revolution" in terms of games.

[Silver Phoenix]

Apparently Ken Katarugi (sp?) also has a very conceited view concerning PlayStation versus other consoles. I forget what part of Sony he commands, but he is the head of something in Sony Japan. Forgive my lack of info, but I remember reading quite a few "I get what I want, and my system is better" type responses during interviews, or even boasting during conferences.

[Lunar Eclipse]

Yeah, I recall reading about Ken Kutaragi's response to the complaint that the leftmost button on the right-hand side of the PSP could easily get stuck. Instead of apologizing or suggesting that it might be fixed in an upcoming model, he pretty much said that his original design was unquestionably perfect and would not be changed. Bleh.

[DragonmasterDan]

Apparently Ken Katarugi (sp?) also has a very conceited view concerning PlayStation versus other consoles. I forget what part of Sony he commands, but he is the head of something in Sony Japan. Forgive my lack of info, but I remember reading quite a few "I get what I want, and my system is better" type responses during interviews, or even boasting during conferences.

He's the head of the Playstation division, he helped design the system and its successors the PS2 and the PSP (and the PS3 for that matter). Sonys press conferences are kind of funny among their claims in this years conference when summarizing the history of the PS2 before unveiling their PS3 tech videos were that the PS2 first system ever to be backward compatible with the PS2 (keep in mind the Atari 5200 and 7800 had that in the 1980s) the first ever DVD based system (that honor goes to the Nuon) among many other ridiculous statements.

[Silver Phoenix]

He doesn't just need to eat some humble pie, he needs it slammed into his face with a swift kick to the ass at the same time.

[Rune Lai]

“The idea of a handheld rivalry with Nintendo is an irrelevance,” VP of studios Phil Harrison insisted to MCV.

We had a good laugh around the office about this today (and considering where I work that's saying something). Sony can't discount the Nintendo DS. They still don't have the killer app that is going to make the masses run out and buy their system. The hardcore people who really wanted one already have one.

Then there is the Nintendo DS with something like Nintendogs which has been the #1 ranked game at Gamespot based on user traffic since it was released. Four people in my department took what little time they had in their 70-80 hour "crunch time" workweek to run out and buy Nintendogs so they could go spend their dinner breaks playing fetch and training virtual puppies. The game is striking across demographics and going beyond the hard core audience and I think Nintendo will do very well by it. The DS has its first killer app. The PSP just has nothing that compares to it.

That's not to say the PSP won't do well. But it can't discount the DS. Nintendo may have lost ground in the console war, but it's still the handheld king.

[localflick]

“The idea of a handheld rivalry with Nintendo is an irrelevance,” VP of studios Phil Harrison insisted to MCV.

I'm still amazed by this quote. Is his power animal the ostrich? You can't ignore Nintendo's portable dominance. The Gameboy has overcome every other handheld that ever came out. The only system that even came close was the Game Gear. The Atari Lynx, Turbo Express, and more recently NGPC were never as popular, and I think it's partially because there was no killer ap. Personally I think the PSP might be this generation's Game Gear, but it doesn't have a killer ap yet, and might just become this generation's Lynx. Then again, with the pricetag maybe it's a Sega Nomad.

The touchpad adds a lot of incentive to develop for Nintendo's system since there's so many new untapped possibilites. Even games like Castlevania use it to show the map as you play. It makes me think that every game that makes you toggle between the gameplay and a status screen is old and outdated. On the PSP you'll still need to switch back and forth like they did back in the old days before innovations like Nintendo's DS touchscreen brought. But I guess Phil Harrison thinks that's irrelevant too.