PS3 Development Difficult On Purpose, Sony 'Official' Leader Despite Lack Of Recent Success
Eurogamer has some quotes from SCE honcho Kaz Hirai that cast light on Sony's philosophy concerning programming for the PS3, and why making game design easy isn't necessarily a good idea. Let's grapple with that idea first:
Hirai also addressed the complex architecture of the PS3, which developers have openly struggled to get to grips with."We don't provide the 'easy to program for' console that [developers] want, because 'easy to program for' means that anybody will be able to take advantage of pretty much what the hardware can do, so then the question is what do you do for the rest of the nine-and-a-half years?" explained Hirai.
He picked God of War to show gameplay changing during long life of the PS2, and said that sort of learning curve will be the same with PS3.
"So it's a kind of - I wouldn't say a double-edged sword - but it's hard to program for, and a lot of people see the negatives of it, but if you flip that around, it means the hardware has a lot more to offer," he said.
I follow his logic but don't know enough about programming to really dig in. It does seem that creating a machine that will be great in the long term would be a good idea, but only if it manages to make it to the long term. The PS3 may be limping, but it's still moving forward - so if in a few years the PS3 really hits its stride, its painful and drawn-out childhood will be quickly forgotten.
Then again, if your roadmap for the future includes a concept like "Make programming hard so programmers won't be any good at it for years," doesn't that make you a massive asshole?
Kaz also claimed that the PlayStation brand is the "official" industry leader. Here his logic is even shakier:
"This is not meant in terms of numbers, or who's got the biggest install base, or who's selling most in any particular week or month, but I'd like to think that we continue official leadership in this industry,"
Well, I'd like to think I'm a billionaire, but when the neighbors are eating caviar and I'm eating guv'ment cheese, that might not be the most believable declaration. Science fact: despite what your CEO likes to think, selling the most games and having large install bases... those make you a leader. Blind optimism, while cheery, does not.
Hirai: We're the "official" industry leader [Eurogamer]
tiny dancer
Posted to Hot Stuff, Miscellany on 20 January 2009
· Comments (10)
Other stuff like this: kaz hirai, playstation, ps3, psp, sony
"This is not meant in terms of numbers, or who's got the biggest install base, or who's selling most in any particular week or month"
Umm yes, yes those things matter!How the feck can they not? Those are the only things that define who is the "official" leader.
That is PR at its highest! What?
So it's a good idea to limit what developers can do so you get a fake sense of continued growth and achievements for the next 9 years! I really don't understand this at all with that PR spin. Isn't it a good idea to let developers do everything the hardware offers? It has a lot more to offer only because it doesn't allow you to do it easily in the first place! I like the PS3 and all but Sony really needs to face the truth and stop all this crap by bending the truth.
This would make me wait at least 7 or 8 years before I buy a PS3 so that I can get the most out of it when it's at its full potential. Who buys stuff that make you wait years before you get the most of what it has to offer? Geez...
What a pile of elitist shit. "We designed our console to suck on purpose so the riffraff wouldn't have an easy time for it. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm off to crawl back into my cardboard box and have luncheon with the queen!"
hahahhaa @zeta "luncheon with the queen". sorry, that just made me laugh :).
on the other hand, while he may have said it in a really stupid way, i can understand what he's trying to say. They made the PS3 the best they could, even though the developers wouldn't be able to take advantage of all it has to offer yet. I'd much rather have a system that will still be putting out top of the line games than one that starts to look dated in just a few years. Don't bash the ps3 for this guy being an idiot. it's really quite an amazing little machine. (says the girl who never plays the PS3 in the house :P)
Sony fails at being exclusive somehow... *ouch*
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/2/2a/IIM.jpg ......
Heh, I loled hard reading that one.
I really didn't want to go there but this seals it. Sony thinks they are some hot exclusive club. The arrogance is amazing.
My family used to buy Sony products. After a dud TV, dud DVD player, and a PS1 that ended up being part of a class action lawsuit over a defective motor assembly, we're done.
So, now I'm supposed to buy a PS3 tomorrow to play sub-par ports of games on the Xbox 360 until developers get past the learning curve...8-9 years later?
Sony needs to get a clue. They're like a washed up popstar that used to be hot back in the day but is now just creepy and weird from years of people stroking his/ her ego.
I'm waiting for Sony to start selling oxygen tents for the PS3. Or more realistically one of the PR folks getting all coked up again and spouting a bunch of non-sequitor PR speak.
"Yes consumer, we want the games to suck."
Their appeal has become more.... selective.
Developing for the PS3 sucks so much time and resources, all of which are never taken into account at the start of a project (they are NOW, of course, as developers realize 'oh sh**...this is way harder than we expected').
But I agree with the previous comment. Unless you make the PS3 your lead sku, it basically ends up being a sub-par, and often ineffective, port. That's just my experience. ;-)