Jack Tretton talks about the PS3 'disaster' (and Home beta)
by Andrew Yoon 
{ Dec 17th 2007 at 7:00PM }
SCEA boss Jack Tretton is a man with a plan. In a lengthy Q&A with Dean Takahashi, he says that in spite of all the bashing the PS3 has received in its first year, he's confident of his plan. Takahashi used the word "disaster," to wish Tretton replied: "If we have 67 percent growth over last year in our revenue, and if 45% of all software sold is on our three platforms, I'll take that kind of disaster all year long."Many criticize PS3 for its Swiss Army Knife approach to electronics. But ultimately, the PS3 is a gaming machine -- something Tretton is quick to reiterate. "I think gaming is always going to be the key. The platform that's perceived to have the best games, the most innovative games, is going to be first and foremost. And then I think the value proposition. I don't think it's all about price. I think a lot of it has to do with value: what are you getting for the money that you're spending, and is that of interest to you. And I think price matters, but not price for the sake of price."
Finally, when asked when the general public can play with the delayed Home, the SCEA boss offered a vague timeline. It's been continuously pushed, so we won't be too surprised if we're still talking about Sony's online offering at the same time next year. "Sure, we're looking to do a beta in the first quarter of calendar 2008. And then we're not 100 percent sure on when the full-blown release will be in terms of an actual date, but obviously following the ... data."
Read the complete Q&A here.
[Thanks, Terry C.!]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
jeremy price @ Dec 17th 2007 7:22PM
there you go... all you kids that whine week after week about home can shut up at least for a few weeks. It's not coming soon and there is your proof!!!
Solace @ Dec 17th 2007 7:51PM
wishful thinking, but do you honestly think that this is going to shut them up? they'll just find something new to complain about (price is too high, not enough DLC, too much DLC, blahblahblah)...
i hope you're right though....
B1gC72 @ Dec 18th 2007 4:23AM
dude they're not gonna shut up, Q1 2008 starts in 2 weeks. they'll whine more if anything.
Ciaran @ Dec 17th 2007 7:38PM
Lolz, +1
Da @ Dec 17th 2007 8:31PM
This is a terrible interview. The questions just bash sony and state false fact without any source.
Tretton does a great job of holding up though, kudos.
kentuckyfried @ Dec 17th 2007 8:43PM
Dean Takahashi is so biased in his "news-reporting"...just a total 360 fanboy.
Shinogu @ Dec 17th 2007 9:12PM
That's Tretton's job for you. I thought I heard that name Dean T. somewhere before. Hrm.
Sora57 @ Dec 17th 2007 11:34PM
Jack Tretton did a great job during this interview. The interviewers were clearly biased against the PS3, but he consistently and professionally revealed their Bullsh*t as just that. Some of their questions were good and tough, and so were his answers. But the interviewers also revealed how amateurish they are.
Professional journalists don't make up crap to "probe" an interview subject-- they present documented facts and ask for a reaction/response. Interviewers: 0, Jack:FTW
BananaBoat @ Dec 18th 2007 1:37AM
Yeah, the interviewers are biased, and not us, the readers of ps3fanboy. That musssssst be it =P
Vohaul79 @ Dec 18th 2007 2:24AM
Very poor journalism. Acted clueless during the HD vs BR part of the interview, as if they could just make up things about HD's dominance and Jack would just go along with it. So poor they couldn't even ask a real question about it when repeatedly asked to do so....I mean...um...durrr...
Trenton came across as very calm and professional. All in all this is a nice example of why blogging journalism often gets viewed as being in professional. Like recieving questions from a high school newspaper reporter. All in all spouted off random & inacurate anti Sony news. Good job Jack, for being generous enough to sit for the length of the interview..
Lee Richards @ Dec 18th 2007 4:25AM
"there are also people out there now that are getting ready to call this battle between the HD-DVD and Blu-ray for HD-DVD. Is that beginning to look to you guys like a mistake that you went with Blu-ray instead of HD-DVD"
WHAT!?!?!? HD-DVD is getting its arse kicked all around the world. What is this guy on??
Alex @ Dec 18th 2007 8:07AM
Isn't it sad that the biggest claim to fame for the PS3 is that it has a Blu-Ray player in it. Even PS3 commercials now barely show games anymore in them they show you all the "pretty" Blur-ray movies you can watch on its system. That must make for an interesting day in Best Buy. Hey kid want to buy a PS3 instead of a Wii? Nah I don't need a Blu-ray player thanks.
Lee Richards @ Dec 18th 2007 8:12AM
Must be a pretty dumb kid if he/she doesn't know that that PS3 is an accomplished games machine also.
Sora57 @ Dec 18th 2007 9:50AM
@Bananaboat
Did you read the source interview? Very biased. I also own Wii and appreciate the the Xbox360 for what it is. Doesn't change the fact that the interviewers were ill informed (or lying) and amateurish.
Brodiesan @ Dec 18th 2007 9:55AM
Hey Alex, I don't know what commercials you're watching but the ones over here (Europe) all show game footage. The Ratchet & Clank and Uncharted ones spring to my mind immediately.
Anyone that claims that the PS3 is not a games console (as well as everything else) must seriously have their collective heads in the sand. As Tycho over at Penny Arcade said (about Burnout Paradise): "The 360 version quite simply doesn't have it in the performance department. It runs, and well, but once you've played it on the PS3 you start to notice performance dips and lost frames that used to just fade into the background. "
Sounds like the tables are turning as non-ported games for the PS3 are just as good (and in this case, better) than their Xbox360 counter-parts. I make this point to counter yours because: "Everyone knows the 360 is a games console". And oh my, a "Blu-Ray player" apparently (according to one of the most respected commentators in games media) has trumped the 360 (in this instance).
I have multiple consoles and I respect and acknowledge the virtures of all three of the "next" gen machines. Yes, I prefer the PS3 to the Wii or the 360 but I'm not an over zealous fruitcake that goes around making specious claims about the others.
It's the people that:
a) Go on to PS3 forums and cackle about "poor sales", "bad framerate for ported games", the shortcomings of a fledgling online service, state that it's "just a blu-ray player!" and bemock: "look how much you spent on your console!"
or
b) Go on to Wii forums and make derrogatory claims that their weapon of choice is "two GameCubes glued together" or "made for kids" or "just a fad and a gimmick that will be cast off as soon as people wake up and realise they want high-def graphics"
or
c) Go on to Xbox360 forums and snigger at the high failure rate of the hardware, how it's now peaked and will "soon be left behind by the PS3", how you have to pay for online services and how Halo 3 (which Edge magazine gave 10/10 I might add) is "boring" and "just another FPS for the 'PC-in-a-box'"
... that I can do without.
Gaming is about games. And if you classify yourself as a gamer it's unlikely you only game on one platform. I think rivalry is a good thing and debating the virtues of each platform is a healthy endeavour but I still can't understand the need for self-confessed gamers to slur other games machines. If you don't like the PS3 that's fine. People on a PS3 forum don't want to hear about it. Trust me, you're not going to change our minds and you only qualify in making yourself look immature and spiteful.
Ghaleon @ Dec 18th 2007 9:54AM
It's not a value if you're getting stuff you're never ever going to use in the console.
themax @ Dec 18th 2007 11:57AM
The interviewer is the same guy who at the announcement of the changes in BC for the Europe release said that the the European PS3 had no BC AT ALL. The guy's credibility is iffy at most. And his question's to Jack were loaded and on-sided. Despite all the REAL reporting about the HD DVD/Blu-Ray war he managed to probably pick the one instance of HD DDVD selling well to hit Jack with a question about HD DVD winning. I don't know why Jack gave this guy the time of day, when he was already reporting false information from the get-go at the Euro launch.
Sora57 @ Dec 18th 2007 4:08PM
@Brodiesan
Whoa, got a lot off your chest, huh? BTW, I agree 100%.
moparful99 @ Dec 31st 2007 2:07PM
Hmm makes you wonder. People criticsize the ps3 for being to expensive, sony lowers the price. People say no good games, sony pours exceptional games on us. We dont need blu-ray, blu-ray is leaving hd-dvd standing. This negative stigma surrounding the ps3 is unbelievable. People love to hate the ps3. Why? because sony dominated the console market for nearly a decade. Sony has consistently innovated and created high quality products. There is a reason I am a sony fan, sony listens! Every single complaint about the ps3 has been answered quickly by sony. We are only one year into the ps3 and sony has remedied every single fault of the system. How can you not be impressed by a company of this caliber? I could sit here and slam the 360 all day but I'm not going to add to the mud throwing competition that seems to be a product of this "console war" 07' was the 360's year, 08' will be ps3's year...