Solution to PAL PSN delays coming 'in the next six months'
by Jem Alexander 
{ Feb 5th 2008 at 11:00AM }
In an interview with Screen Play the Managing Director of Sony Electronic Entertainment Australia, Michael Ephraim, was asked to comment on the ridiculous delays between releases on the PAL/Australian PSN versus the US/Japanese PSN. Ephraim confirmed that the issue was the fact that all content needs to be localized for all the European languages (no change there, we've known that for months). "We're in an online space, it's a global community," he says. When pressed that "digital distribution is supposed to break down geographic barriers," Ephraim responds that "there are discussions and we have identified that. We have been very vocal about it and I think you will see an improvement over the next six months on this issue." Should we take this to mean that a global online store is coming within the next half a year? Not impossible, but let's be realistic - we'll probably see European content lag become much shorter within that time frame (or, hopefully, nonexistent) rather than an entire global PSN Store.
Doesn't mean we can't cross our fingers for one, right?
[Via Kotaku]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
TinyTim121 @ Feb 5th 2008 11:17AM
I surpose the biggest problem with a global PSN store will be that there will be language and control clashes. I mean, don't Japanese love Circle to be te action button while Americans love the X? Personally, i don't mind which button is the action button
But yeah, i would definatly like there to be very little to no lag in the updates to the Playstation Stores. I don't know much really about updating online stores, and i won't pretend i know everything either. But i do know its something that needs to be resolved. I would love to have played DMC4 the same week my amercian buddys were talking about it.
Popfrogs @ Feb 5th 2008 11:22AM
Personally I think the solution is to offer English-language versions first then localized versions later. Most of Europe is somewhat familiar with English to start with.
Laurens Holst @ Feb 5th 2008 4:18PM
I think the O vs. X control change is handled by the OS… I have a Japanese PS3 and every game I bought here (in the Netherlands) uses the O button. Very confusing when using Remote Play with my European PSP :).
But anyway, I doubt that that makes the big difference. Even if PS3 developers would have to deal with this, it would be an insignificant change.
~Grauw
Joe @ Feb 5th 2008 11:25AM
WOW this would be big. There is some things I want off the other servers and I could be able to buy them that would be great. I hope this will turn out to be true.
lee @ Feb 5th 2008 11:27AM
sony knows theres a problem this is proberbly why they let us breach the terms and conditions by making fake accounts for other regions. no one i no has been banned for doing it and i no that lots of people do do it.
p.s i have UK, USA and Japan accounts
TinyTim121 @ Feb 5th 2008 11:29AM
Yeah, Popfrogs, but i mean like, the American PSN store got DMC4, Skate and other games a week, sometimes two weeks, before the EU store.
Now both American and EU store offer English-Language versions.
And every USA and EU demo both, in my oppinion, play the same. So why can't the EU and USA get the same demos on the same day like xboxlive?
Langauge wise, i think the only clash would be if i wanted to download GT5: Prologue, because i want that game so bad, yet half of it's in Japanese so i'm waiting till April for the US fully English version.
Popfrogs @ Feb 5th 2008 11:39AM
I see what you're saying, and I'm sure there are other localization issues other than just translating the 3 lines of text from PixelJunk Monsters. I guess Sony just needs to hire more people or something.
TinyTim121 @ Feb 5th 2008 12:08PM
Yeah. I think it's stuff to do with downloading times, because when it comes to broadband, the UK's fastest speed currently on offer is 24MB although typically the fastest people will get is about 8MB. French surfers are enjoying around 24MB as standard. (That was taken from a 2006 source though)
And Japan's speed is so fast they can watch television on the internet!
So perhaps that is one of the biggest troubles with the Localisation; the content needs to be able to run smoothly down a lower speed broadband connection from it's highspeed source...or something lol
Laurens Holst @ Feb 5th 2008 4:47PM
TinyTim121: Sorry to say, but I’ve never heard so much bullshit in my life :). This has absolutely nothing to do with bandwidth. All that matters is that perhaps for the average UK user it will take a little longer to download, but the demos/videos will play just as well.
~Grauw
TinyTim121 @ Feb 5th 2008 5:35PM
Laurens Holst: If you read my first post, which you did as you replied, i did say i do not know much about updating the online stores, all i know is that it is an annoyance, so apologises if my theory isn't very accurate.
Regarding your "bullshit" claim, yes, i know it will take the average UK user longer to downlaod. But if say a million UK users, all downlaod the same demo at the same time, it could crash the server. This is espicially true if a global PSN store was made, as then multiple users will download a demo the second it comes avaliable, and multiple users have different bandwidths, different nationalitys ect. it could create a lot of problems for the servers.
THIS IS WHY it could perhaps be a problem with downlaoding times or downlaoding in general.
TinyTim121 @ Feb 5th 2008 5:23PM
If this has 2 comments from me saying the same thing apologises...when i pressed add comments they weren't appearing so i just re-typed it roughly from memory
TinyTim121 @ Feb 5th 2008 5:30PM
huh?
I typed a responce to Laurens Holst twice cuz it wudn't appear now i type that i sent two replies and it appears? =S
If this one appears (lol it probs won't now)
I was saying that different download speeds may one way or another affect the stores themselves.
E.g. If 1 million UK users download a demo the second it is released it could create a backlog due to the low Bandwidth. This in turn could create problems to the server. So to counter this, the UK stores need a week or so to prepare the server for heavy backlog ect. for new demos so now new errors are created. If sony made a global store, multiple users with multiple bandwidths could create problems for the server thus affecting the stores quality.
This wasn't exactly what i typed in the first 2 responces with a bit of luck they'll appear. But thats breifly what i meant.
Steve Childs @ Feb 6th 2008 4:31AM
doh!
"all that would happen is that it would take longer to slow down" should read "all that would happen is that it would take longer to download".
Bob @ Feb 5th 2008 1:21PM
Why dont they just give you a option for the language on the PSN store and make it global so everyone gets everything at the same time ?
sparced @ Feb 5th 2008 1:33PM
One of the strong arguments I had with myself about purchasing a PS3 three weeks ago was that I would be treated a hell of a lot better by Sony than Nintendo. Reading the previews about Wii games online only to have months delay for the full title in Europe almost extinguishes any desire to own them.
Missing out on a few demos and stuff doesn't bother me. I've had it worse.
chris.westermann @ Feb 5th 2008 1:56PM
Even though I live in North America, I think it is rediculous that PSN games in Europe take so long to arrive, and then some games get there first before North America (like all the Playstation Eye titles). I mean, if all games were consistently delayed in Europe then fine, language is the issue. But when some games are just released there first, and others in North America are first, its no excuse.
Look at PixelJunk Monsters, there is little language involved in the game and there is no voice work that exists in the game. There is no reason why someone who is bilingual could not translate all the text in PixelJunk Monsters in a weekend. And don't get started about other cultural issues. I think the US is the most prudish of all countries while Europe is a very liberal society. If something is released in the US I find it hard to believe that any EU country would be offended by the content (unless they claim there isn't enough nudity or sex in the game). And its not like any EU country has strange issues with something like pubic hair or tentacles or certain unlucky numbers like Japan and other Asian countries. Sony has dropped the ball on this, and the fact its going to take 6 months to reslove? I would be irrate if I lived in EU.
Vincent @ Feb 5th 2008 3:56PM
So true.. It's not even much of a language problem, what if the EU speaks English or Japanese? They are still forced to wait for EU release and can't purchase content from either PSNs. This is like back in the days of region-locked games, but in a more subtle (and cruel) way.
Let's hope for a global PSN indeed!
Chowley @ Feb 5th 2008 4:29PM
Bloody good post to be honest. Gave me a laugh as well. Its all a bit silly but im not going to get worked up over it, im used to being shafted, have been playing games for 14 years 12 in europe, 2 in australia. Ahem.... Well used to it. :p
Oz has it worse than us.
flubba @ Feb 5th 2008 4:16PM
But there seem to be other issues as well, both the Heavenly Sword and the Ratchet & Clank demo were fully localised when they were realesed in the US shop but europe had to wait anyway.
hyperugly @ Feb 5th 2008 2:51PM
"Move to Japan or America."
TinyTim121 @ Feb 5th 2008 6:06PM
Laurens Holst: Like i said in my first comment, whchc you read as you replied, i don't really know completely how the online store works or stuff.
What i said about bandwidths is how perhaps the problem could be something to do with the EU's low bandwidth that makes it LAG a week behind the US or JAP stores.
If sony made a global store, and a million users all downloaded a demo day it was released, and different users have different download speeds and different regions, it may cause some faults to the hosting server, perhaps creating a massive backlog.
While i don't have any hard-statistical-chart to back up my "Bullshit" claim, i just said it may be why the EU store is lagging behind the US and Jap. Because the average EU bandwidth is slower tahn everyone elses, it coud be linked to why the EU store is reciving delays.
Again...i don't know for sure...just an idea
Steve Childs @ Feb 6th 2008 4:18AM
Its nothing to do with Bandwidth, nothing at all. As the above chap said, all that would happen is that it would take longer to slow down. It wouldn't crash the server, Sony I'm sure are quite capable of building a beefy server. Besides that, the bandwidth at the server farm would be the restricting factor, not the broadband speed at the PS3 end. And the server farm bandwidths are no different in the UK to anywhere else in the world.
Oh, and I run a web development company, so unlike you, I do know something about what I'm talking about.
The main problem will be the translation of the packages before they go up onto the EU store. The US and Japan stores only need one language (perhaps 2 in Japan's case), but the UK store probably needs English, French, German, Italian, Spanish, Portugese, Swedish, Norwegian etc.. I don't know how many languages they support, but its going to be rather a lot.
Really what they should do is upload the English version at the same time as they release it in the US, but either hide it from people who log onto to the EU shop and don't have the shop in English, or show it there but say its not available in their Language.
I mean, Pain was released in the US in November, its still nowhere to be seen over here. That is pathetic.
Btw, to the person who said they had accounts in all 3 stores - well done, because now you can't open an account in another store without adding a credit card registered to that area. So I can't open an account on the US PSN store without a Credit Card issued in the US!
Besides which, downloading stuff off the American store can lead to updating issues, as owners of Warhawk have found out.
Earl @ Feb 5th 2008 11:47PM
It would be nice if they could do that
mint400 @ Feb 6th 2008 12:29PM
the amount of languages to translate to barely affects localization time. large translation companies have a world-wide network of translators and it usually takes every translator the same time to complete the job. as psn games are rarely text-heavy it wouldn't take a week to get one done.