Sony’s upcoming PlayStation 4, alongside Xbox One from Microsoft, is expected to bring in the next generation of gaming when both of them arrive later this year. Already the war of words between Sony and Microsoft has started to gain momentum, following up to the eventual release. However, Sony has a bit more to share about its PS4, with the company detailing the PS Eye integration for PS4.
Sony Computer Entertainment president Andrew House, only recently, spoke to The Guardian about the company’s upcoming PlayStation 4 and discussed how the console is looking to focus on developers and consumers, just as the company did in the old days with the first PlayStation and PS2.
“I see our approach on PS4 as really taking Sony Computer Entertainment back to our original roots,” House stated. "When we first launched with the PS1 and certainly the PS2, the goal was to give the consumer more choice, and lots of flexibility at a time when the delivery mechanism of games, on cartridges, placed a lot of restrictions on the industry. And also, by shifting to disks, to give developers – and particularly smaller ones – the chance to take risks and build a business. I think you're seeing exactly those kinds of principles applied to PS4."
He added that the company needs to strike a very careful balance with release of PS4 so as not to damage any kind of relationship it has with its fans and developers. “We're a game publisher ourselves, so there's a certain argument for us that there should be something of a model for content-creators to participate in second sales. Having said that, however, the consumer sees ownership as a very key benefit when purchasing a physical product.
“And the flipside of the argument is that retailers will tell you that the vast majority of trade-in value gets immediately repurposed into new purchases of games, and those people in turn generate word of mouth and create more interest,” House added.
On a similar note, House also revealed that the PS Eye was originally set to be bundled with the PS4, but the idea was later dropped to keep the price down at $399. And although it provides “great consumer experiences,” according to House, Sony will not be “forcing that purchase on the consumer.”
As far as support for developers and fans is concerned, House stated that the company currently has “a new development environment, that developers are telling us is significantly easier to make great games for, and we've undertaken a significant amount of outreach to smaller developers.”
“And the net result is that we're seeing a lot of developers coming out of the mobile space, and I think that's a tremendously positive trend for console gaming. Essentially, we have access to a whole new set of talent in gaming that we didn't have before,” House said.
The PS4 is currently set for a fall 2013 release.
