‘The competition is irrelevant’ - Phil Harrison

[*NormalGamer*]

www.mcvuk.com/newsitem.php?id=454

‘The competition is irrelevant’

Aug 26th by Johnny Minkley and Dave Roberts

In six days’ time Europe will experience the biggest hardware launch since PlayStation 2 in 2000, with Sony insisting that any competition with Nintendo is ‘irrelevant’.

And after a hard year for the High Street, PSP brings with it what the trade hopes will be a long-awaited turning point in the fortunes of the market and the promise of a bumper Q4.

Despite shortages, Sony’s handheld has already launched to great success in Japan and the US. And while delays have pushed back the release of the system in PAL territories until September 1st, the £179.99 unit is expected to prove a sell-out.

With the final part of the global launch jigsaw almost in place, backed with a massive £10m cross-media marketing campaign, SCEE expects its dominance in the home console arena to drive its debut handheld system to success, dismissing the challenge of sector leader Nintendo.

“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.

“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 Pokémon.

“With the DS, it’s fair to say that Nintendo stepped out of the technical race and went for a feature differentiation with the touch screen,” Harrison continued. “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.”

But Wedbush Morgan analyst Michael Pachter believes there is enough room for both systems in the market: “Longterm, I see DS expanding Nintendo's demographic upward to the high teens,” he told MCV. “I see Sony’s PSP expanding the ‘mobile’ demographic to the 30s. Both will expand the overall market by providing an outlet for gameplay beyond the home or office.”

The face of the enemy

Sony may be dominant in the home console field, but it has a long way to go to match Nintendo’s handheld achievements...

Game Boy Range
Total global hardware sales (as of 9/04): 176.8m
GBA
Total global sales: 67.7m (inc. SP)
Total PAL sales: 15 million (inc. SP)
Nintendo DS
Total global sales: 6.65m
Total PAL sales: 1.3m (inc. 300k in UK)

Big hitters at launch
While its movie and music playback features will prove a draw, PSP’s ultimate success is dependent on its game content. MCV highlights a trio of titles carrying great expectations...

GTA: Liberty City Stories (Rockstar)
A dream title for SCEE to have in the launch window, retail has been briefed to expect Rockstar’s original, fully 3D adventure to release in October. And with early reactions bordering on the hysterically positive, this has ‘system seller’ written all over it.

Ridge Racer (SCEE)
An integral part of the PlayStation story, Namco’s latest Ridge Racer offers the definitive arcade petrol-fuelled experience.

WipEout Pure (SCEE)
Another title synonymous with Brand PlayStation, Sony Liverpool has conjured another fast and furious, future perfect racing thriller.
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“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.

“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 Pokémon.

“With the DS, it’s fair to say that Nintendo stepped out of the technical race and went for a feature differentiation with the touch screen,” Harrison continued. “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.”

NG: I can respect his opinions, but who does Harrison(not George Harrison of Nintendo, mind you) think he is? He must forgot the fact the DS still has a worldwide lead over the PSP.

[KazeYoukai]

He's probably just pissed that Resident Evil is coming to DS instead of PSP, or something. Not to mention that the PSP is really experincing a drought of good games (as a PSP owner, I know). Also, with Blizzard thinking of developing for the DS, it has a bright future. GTA doesen't do that well in Japan because of the Government cracking down on it and what not, so it'll probably not be the "system mover" they really expect.

Finally, this guy is just an idiot who refuses to look at the facts.

[Leverish]

kazeyoukai said:

He's probably just pissed that Resident Evil is coming to DS instead of PSP, or something. Not to mention that the PSP is really experincing a drought of good games (as a PSP owner, I know). Also, with Blizzard thinking of developing for the DS, it has a bright future. GTA doesen't do that well in Japan because of the Government cracking down on it and what not, so it'll probably not be the "system mover" they really expect.

Finally, this guy is just an idiot who refuses to look at the facts.

I agree completely.

I agree with the second person about them doing equally as well. To me, the DS is a better gaming system, the PSP is a better portable multi media center.

[Jason-RN]

kazeyoukai said:

He's probably just pissed that Resident Evil is coming to DS instead of PSP, or something. Not to mention that the PSP is really experincing a drought of good games (as a PSP owner, I know). Also, with Blizzard thinking of developing for the DS, it has a bright future. GTA doesen't do that well in Japan because of the Government cracking down on it and what not, so it'll probably not be the "system mover" they really expect.

Finally, this guy is just an idiot who refuses to look at the facts.

Bingo. I think this guy is trying to shrug off the fact that the DS is selling better, getting better games, etc. The only problem is that by shrugging it off, he looks like an idiot.

[KazeYoukai]

Bingo. I think this guy is trying to shrug off the fact that the DS is selling better, getting better games, etc. The only problem is that by shrugging it off, he looks like an idiot.

Yup. Sony is losing the handheld war, and can't admit it.

People say you should worry about Nintendo. It's Sony I'm more worried about. I honestly want to kick some of their reps sometimes for what they say.

"PS3 is not for households"

Okay Ken, what's it for, offices?

Also, I see the PS3 making the same mistakes Nintendo did with the 64:

An expensive system to develop for with a high priced storage medium.

[Jason-RN]

kazeyoukai said:

Yup. Sony is losing the handheld war, and can't admit it.

People say you should worry about Nintendo. It's Sony I'm more worried about. I honestly want to kick some of their reps sometimes for what they say.

"PS3 is not for households"

Okay Ken, what's it for, offices?

Also, I see the PS3 making the same mistakes Nintendo did with the 64:

An expensive system to develop for with a high priced storage medium.

I completely agree. Sony has made a lot of odd comments lately, especially about the PS3. They seem to think that PS3 is too good for the average consumer... I have a feeling this'll end up being a huge problem for Sony once PS3 launches.

[Pilgrim John]

O-HO! Sony's future lookin' a little shaky there? Good. Yeeeeees, excellent.
Sony, as I've claimed before, has absolutely no idea what the hell a 'video game' even is. If you don't believe me, then why does Sony keep calling the PS3 a "multimedia home entertainment system" instead of what it SHOULD be-- a "gaming machine"? People may claim that "Well, uh, Nintendo might have Mario and Zelda, but Sony has Final Fantasy and Soul Calibur."
Sony's main problem is that it doesn't have the first-party lineup that would rescue it from a huge collapse like Nintendo had during the 32-bit era. Mario 64, Ocarina of Time, and Starfox 64 were huge news when they were released. So, even though the N64 didn't sell as well as PSone, Nintendo survived it.
Kaze Youkai, you're right: Sony's just throwing a temper tantrum over the fact that third-parties are beginning to abandon them in favor of its competitors. Resident Evil is mosying on to DS, which means no PSP release. The PS3 is SO powerful, that third parties will have a hard and pricey time trying to bring a game onto the console. Shinji Mikami has already expressed his hatred for Sony, and more third parties are moving away--why was Super Punchout included in the GCN debut of Fight Night Round 2? Why were Mario, Luigi, and Peach playable in the GCN edition of NBA Street Vol. 3? Because Sony kept screwing everyone!

[Leverish]

zer0 said:

O-HO! Sony's future lookin' a little shaky there? Good. Yeeeeees, excellent.
Sony, as I've claimed before, has absolutely no idea what the hell a 'video game' even is. If you don't believe me, then why does Sony keep calling the PS3 a "multimedia home entertainment system" instead of what it SHOULD be-- a "gaming machine"? People may claim that "Well, uh, Nintendo might have Mario and Zelda, but Sony has Final Fantasy and Soul Calibur."
Sony's main problem is that it doesn't have the first-party lineup that would rescue it from a huge collapse like Nintendo had during the 32-bit era. Mario 64, Ocarina of Time, and Starfox 64 were huge news when they were released. So, even though the N64 didn't sell as well as PSone, Nintendo survived it.
Kaze Youkai, you're right: Sony's just throwing a temper tantrum over the fact that third-parties are beginning to abandon them in favor of its competitors. Resident Evil is mosying on to DS, which means no PSP release. The PS3 is SO powerful, that third parties will have a hard and pricey time trying to bring a game onto the console. Shinji Mikami has already expressed his hatred for Sony, and more third parties are moving away--why was Super Punchout included in the GCN debut of Fight Night Round 2? Why were Mario, Luigi, and Peach playable in the GCN edition of NBA Street Vol. 3? Because Sony kept screwing everyone!

I actually think that was more, because they wanted to make up for the onlineless Gamecube version. I think EA is still on the PSP side. Compare Madden for the DS and Madden for the PSP. The DS version got no where the same amount of care!

[Jason-RN]

nintendonerd said:

I actually think that was more, because they wanted to make up for the onlineless Gamecube version. I think EA is still on the PSP side. Compare Madden for the DS and Madden for the PSP. The DS version got no where the same amount of care!

I'm pretty sure that was the main reason for the extras. EA knows that the lack of online modes in the GCN versions of its games are causing the GCN versions to not sell as well. So, EA teamed up with Nintendo to offer an incentive for buying the 'Cube version.

[gamefreaks365]

Sony is running off the assumption that the PlayStation name is enough to sell a system. In all fairness to Sony, it is. The fact that it can sell a system with its name doesn't mean it can win the 'handheld war'. As Nintendo has proven, selling the GCN with its name, that doesn't equate to a proven success record. Sony needs to release more exclusive content (i.e. not ports from PS2) on their system and stop with all this multi-media functionality crap. I don't care about a web browser. I don't even have a wireless router!