A little more than a week ago
we asked our readers to list some questions that they’d like to ask Sony Computer Entertainment of America.
Dave Karraker of SCEA was kind enough to answer some of those burning questions that we all had about our favorite PlayStation products. We asked about rumble, the PlayStation Network and the future of the PSP. Read on for the answers!
KZU: Sony created the SixAxis and EyeToy respectively, with the desire to bring a new level of gameplay to the console market. Should PlayStation 3 owners expect further innovation from a corporation that has made its name in making high-end, innovative consumer products and are there other official accessories planned for the PlayStation 3?
Dave: Absolutely. You can expect many more innovative accessories and services for PS3, as well as our other platforms. We have always been a technology-driven company, focusing on building systems that stand the test of time and don’t get abandoned after just five years. We have taken some grief over that recently, with people saying we “over-engineered” the PS3. But, ten years down the road, when the PS3 is still relevant, people will look back and say that we made the right decision to include so much forward-looking technology in the box.
KZU: Now that Sony and Immersion have settled, is rumble going to eventually make it’s way to the PlayStation 3 SIXAXIS controller?
Dave: We are currently in discussions with Immersion on how we can incorporate their technologies into our products. No word on when that will happen.
KZU: Regarding the XMB, are there plans to allow users to customize their backgrounds similar to the PSP?
Dave: Yes, we are currently exploring numerous options that allow people to make their PS3 experience more personalized.
KZU: Many users are hoping for cross game messaging(voice and/or text) in the future. Are there any other future XMB features that you can tell us about?
Dave: We are still just scratching the surface of what we hope to do with the XMB and the PlayStation Network. Rest assured we are listening very carefully to gamers and are investigating ways to implement the features they really want. I think you saw this most recently with the implementation of background downloading from the PlayStation Store.
KZU: This is a question that comes up often amongst various internet forums; where is the PlayStation Store pre-paid card and when can we expect to see it?
Dave: It is definitely in the works. No word on when it will be rolled out just yet. Naturally, a lot of planning and strategy around any pre-paid card would be heavily influenced by the PS3 download service that is in the works for other types of entertainment content beyond games.
KZU: Many PlayStation 3 users find the PlayStation Network and PlayStation Store are pretty good as it is, but what do you guys plan on doing in terms of getting more downloadable games and add-on content for games onto it?
Dave: You will see many more third party downloadable games soon, including original titles for the PS Network. Also, this summer is when you will start seeing more robust add-on packs for the games that came out at launch.
KZU: Some users are concerned about the small choice of third party game demos available and the delay of some demos in certain regions. Can we expect to see more demos from third parties and the region delays sorted out in the near future?
Dave: Yes. We were delayed on getting more third-party game content on the PS Store early on, but that should be ramping up very quickly in the next few months.
KZU: As mentioned, the PlayStation Network is pretty great, but many users are left confused by the lack of what many feel should be standard. Things such as no headset support have left online gamers slightly frustrated. Does Sony have any plans on standardizing features such as headset support, leaderboards or even requiring every developer to make their games PSN enabled in some form?
Dave: If you were at GDC you would have heard these topics come up often. Luckily, we had many of the answers in the service called “Home.” As the community hub for PS3, Home will include many of the features you described above and will encourage game developers to include more robust online elements to their games, including advanced communications. Remember, many of the third party games at launch were ports from games already in the works on other platforms. It takes a while for developers to get ramped up on everything they can do on PS3. Just now, we are starting to see people really thinking beyond what was possible in the past.
KZU: DVD and PS2/PS1 game upscaling- Are there any hopes of this making its way to the PlayStation 3?
Dave: We don’t have any news about this at this time.
KZU: Is the PlayStation Home beta trial gong to be open to everyone worldwide?
Dave: Eventually, yes. But, first there will be smaller scale betas for select groups.
KZU: Will LINUX ever be able to ACCESS the PS3’s RSX for 3D acceleration?
Dave: I don’t have any information on this.
KZU: After the last firmware update, we’ve noticed that when viewing the the file information for downloadable games, there is a mention of expiry dates and usage rights. Is this in preparation for subscriber content and perhaps downloadable films?
Dave: This is all part of the legal process of downloadable content. It is not necessarily a precursor for upcoming changes in functionality or services.
KZU: What does the future hold for the PSP? Are there anymore plans for PS3 & PSP integration?
Dave: We just announced the price drop on PSP which saw a really good bump in sales. We have also announced that we are looking to launch the entertainment download service this year, in addition to God of War coming to the platform. Thanks to Remote Play and the direct wi-fi connection, PS3/PSP integration is something developers can take advantage of right now. I would think as we start looking at this next generation of software you will see more and more game makers taking advantage of it.
KZU: What are SCEA’s views on international online play for the PlayStation 3? Will this be an integral part of future releases due to an increased usage of internet around the world, and the higher stability of the Playstation Network?
Dave: Right now, we are focused on enhancing the features of the PlayStation Network, listening to gamers on what they want most. Online gameplay is incredibly important, so we are looking at all the different options we can provide to make the gaming experience more exciting and interactive. You can expect many more announcements in this area very soon, particularly with the launch of Home.
KZU: Can you tell us anything about the Ti-Vo like functions Phil Harrison hinted at a while back?
Dave: It is no secret that with an internal hard drive in every PS3, the system could be used like a Tivo device. However, we have no announcements regarding such a service at this time.
KZU: Many users enjoy the PlayStation 3 web browser. But there are some concerns such as incompatibility with various Java and Flash based websites. Is the web browser in the PlayStation 3 upgradable, and will it happen?
Dave: The web browser in PS3 is upgradeable, along with almost all the software components in the system. You can expect us to continue to enhance the browser with added functionality throughout the PS3’s lifetime.
KZU: Can you tell us anything new about the game, Eight Days?
Dave: Nothing new to share on that game.
KZU: Of course you can’t tell us much about Killzone, but we’re looking forward to seeing it at E3 this year!
Dave: We got a really great reception to the Killzone video we showed at GDC this year. It was basically a tech demo that showed the particle lighting and other features, but I think it really showed where we are heading with Killzone. E3 will be the big coming out party, however.
Thanks Dave!
And a big thank you to the readers who have submitted such great questions. We’re sorry that not all of them could be answered but hopefully Dave will have more info to share with us in the near future.
