Sony Rides the Tech Collision

We're living in exciting times and Phil Harrison says the PlayStation 3 will be at the center of it.

Sony's Phil Harrison is clearly excited about the collision of technology we're about to go through. Harrison, who describes his job as bringing focus to Sony's global plans for the PlayStation 3, hinted last week during his speech at the Game Developers Conference at big changes ahead, changes that will affect how we play and how we get at our entertainment.

"We are at a unique point in technology history where you have four technology trends all lining up, like four big planets," Harrison said during an interview with Next Generation.

"You've got HD displays becoming mass market, must-have purchases. You've got Blu-ray discs becoming the pre-eminent standard for hi-def movies. You've got the establishment of a game format in PlayStation 3 that can have HD games and HD movies. And you've got the explosion of broadband and the continuing fattening of the pipe."

"Those four things are happening right now; it's a rich soil in which the future will grow."

Retailers may be wary of Sony's plans. There's every chance that as the company moves further along into digital distribution that they will be the ones to suffer. But Harrison is clear: games on discs are not going away - not yet at least.

"PlayStation 3 will continue to grow the market and will generate a bigger opportunity for everybody - retailers, developers, and publishers alike," Harrison said. He did, however, concede that over the coming decade Sony will be pushing online in a big way, delivering not only games but music and movies through fat pipes around the world.

These new services will help differentiate the PlayStation Network Platform from Microsoft's Xbox Live - two online strategies that have a lot in common. Both will offer downloadable content and let you talk to your friends in many different ways. Unlike its competitor, PlayStation 3 owners will also be able to play games online for free.

"But the biggest difference," says Harrison, "is that it's on PlayStation."

It's not only software that will look different once Sony's plans are in place. Like the PSP, the PlayStation 3 is envisioned as an ever-changing system that lets Sony update its functionality through downloadable updates.

"It's a static device from hardware point of view but it's a dynamic platform from a software point of view," said Harrison. "That is something we couldn't do on PS2 or PS1 so I think that will absolutely lengthen the lifecycle of the future assuming that the consumer finds those offerings compelling, and I think they will."

With the early-November global release date fast approaching, there's still the issue of pricing to discuss. Harrison sidestepped the issue, refusing to acknowledge whether Sony has even settled on a price internally. But with time ticking down, an announcement can't be far off.

Alex Wollenschlaeger
Editor, Kikizo Games