GAF machine
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Gotta hand it to the Kutaragi. That bastard had vision even though it almost sank the company.
I happen to think it raised the company to an unprecedented level. A CELL-powered neural network-based AI for entertainment was his overarching vision, but under that was the vision to stand up streaming services on PSN (his vision too). Take PS Now for example. Before PS3 became a tangible thing, Kutaragi said it would vanish and become nebulous:
"But Kutaragi isn't standing still. He's already at work on -- that's right -- PS3, a much stronger and, more significantly, stealthier PlayStation. "PS3 will totally disappear as a console, as a shape," he says." -- Ken Kutaragi
He also gave a timeframe for when that happening would occur:
02:51 -- He's talked a lot about networks, but he says he's not happy yet with the quality of network services that are on offer.
02:52 -- It will still take time to realise the dream of real-time video and so on - perhaps in ten years time, this will be real. Therefore, while the gaming hardware in PS3 may be called overkill, this hardware is necessary. -- Eurogamer
From the outset, PS3 was engineered with streaming in mind:
"However, what many people forget is that PlayStation 3 already streams gameplay over IP and, in some respects, cloud is a natural extension of that... How does it work? Sony has libraries that encode the framebuffer into video - it's a process that is hived off to SPU... A single SPU is capable of encoding 720p at 30FPS at 5mbps, so it's 'just' a matter of finding the CPU resources." -- Eurogamer
and Kutaragi gave the company a glimpse of its streaming future almost a decade in advance. So when the opportunities to acquire Gaikai and snatch up Onlive's portfolio of 140 patents presented themselves, they were no-brainers for SIE and the rest is history -- just as Kutaragi envisioned:
"Sony has developed brand new PS3 hardware to power its PlayStation Now streaming service, revealed earlier this month at CES in Las Vegas. Sources who have been briefed on the project suggest that the new PlayStation 3 consists of eight custom console units built into a single rack server. It's the new PlayStation hardware that everyone will have access to, but few will actually see." -- Eurogamer
His overarching vision also covers consoles (and their peripherals) and how they function in the network era too. Those who were/are involved in shepherding the company (from CEO down to consultant) know this and if you find that hard to believe, listen to Andrew House and Mark Cerny (timestamped):
then consider the words of Kutaragi and John Kodera (successor to Andrew House who stepped down after a brief stint as PS CEO to pursue his passions on the network side for PS5):
"As a matter of course, I have the vision of Playstation 4, 5 and 6, which will merge into the network." -- Ken Kutaragi
"In the future, broadband will connect all appliances - console, TV, phone, PC, everything. Then exclusivity means nothing." -- Ken Kutaragi
"We're no longer in a time when you can think just about the console or just about the network like they're two different things."... Sony sells the hand-held PlayStation Vita, but Mr. Kodera said that when it comes to mobility, the company doesn't want to limit itself to a single dedicated device. "We need a broader perspective than that because so many things are now connected via the internet," -- John Kodera
- Kutaragi's overarching vision gave rise to every PS branded streaming service (past and present) which along with PSN (a foundational component of his vision) has elevated the company to unprecedented heights.
- PS5 will be much closer to Kutaragi's network/console vision than PS4/pro were. I suspect PS5 may be a microcosm of a PSN server for multiple devices (including other PS5s) at home and away, tethered to DualSense over private/public networks.
- PS5 will be much closer to Kutaragi's network/console vision than PS4/pro were. I suspect PS5 may be a microcosm of a PSN server for multiple devices (including other PS5s) at home and away, tethered to DualSense over private/public networks.
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