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[choplifter]

Thanks For Nothing, Ken

Feb 6 2006


The premise seemed so tantalizing; Ken Kutaragi, the 'Father of the PlayStation' and President and CEO of Sony's Computer Entertainment division, was giving an ISSCC keynote on 'The Future of Computing for Real-Time Entertainment'. Coming hot on the heels of the PlayStation 3's baffling no-show at CES, and just a few months ahead of E3 where I expect production schedules for the PS3 will be announced, I figured that Ken would give us something we didn't already know about the console....and maybe show us some real-life running hardware, to boot (pun intended). So I rolled out of bed at 4AM to catch a 5:30AM Amtrak-plus-BART combo to San Francisco....

....and was disappointed once again. I'll summarize Ken's thinly-disguised Sony commercial in four succinct bullets:

* The PlayStation CPU was really big and expensive when we first went into production, but thanks to Moore's Law and around a decade's worth of lithography shrinks, we made it really small and cheap.
* The PlayStation 2 two-chip set was really big and expensive when we first went into production, but thanks to Moore's Law and around a five year's worth of lithography shrinks so far, we've made them so small and cheap that we were able to combine them onto a single chip (Brian's comment: at the cost of imperfect backwards-compatibility).
* The PlayStation Portable CPU is really big and expensive in its first incarnation, but (nudge nudge, wink wink, know what I mean, know what I mean?) I bet you can guess what we plan to do thanks to Moore's Law and a few years' worth of lithography shrinks.
* I wasn't allowed to show you a Cell die shot, but here's some simulated screenshots of the incredible things it's going to do.....someday....really....trust me....

First there was Stringer's disastrous keynote at CES. Now this. Right on top of the scathing revelations about platform and development tools immaturity published by a promptly-fired Sony employee in the game development team. Granted, I'm no marketing wizard (although I used to be, at least in my own mind), I'm just a simple senior technical editor. Maybe I'm missing the brilliance behind Sony's perpetual smoke-and-mirrors stalling. But I've lost any excitement I might have previously had about Sony's next-generation console (and Blu-ray Trojan Horse). The PS3 feels like the latest in Sony's repeated sequence of promise-much, deliver-little products. And, given what a high percentage of corporate revenue and profit the PlayStation franchise represents, if I'm right then I'm glad I'm not a Sony investor. Or a customer. Know what I mean, know what I mean?

http://www.edn.com/blog/400000040/post/540002654.html

is the article writer

A.) an Xbot
B.) somewhat right

 

[SolidSnakex]

What a douchebag.

 

[hadareud]

at least he likes Monty Python

 

[Striek]

If hes not a Sony customer then why bother.....ugh.

 

[flarkminator]

If hes not a Sony customer then why bother.....ugh.

Well I think what he's trying to say is that he's no LONGER a sony customer. In either case he can blow it out his ass.

 

[ram]

If hes not a Sony customer then why bother.....ugh.

yeah - some people have to much free time.

 

[Doom_Bringer]

Sony needs to announce the date for the freaking conference. The wait is getting ridiculous.

 

[GeoramA]

Why would Sony unveil new PS3 stuff at a show no one cares about? Better off saving it all for E3 where everyone is watching.

 

[araganekyassuru]

Coming hot on the heels of the PlayStation 3's baffling no-show at CES

wha??

 

[jedimike]

Well, there's nothing that Sony has shown me so far of the PS3 that makes me want to buy one. But there's still lots of time left... I mean Spring doesn't start for another 6 weeks since the groundhog saw his shadow and all. I'm sure Sony can get it all put together for a glorious launch.

 

[Doom_Bringer]

Well, there's nothing that Sony has shown me so far of the PS3 that makes me want to buy one. But there's still lots of time left... I mean Spring doesn't start for another 6 weeks since the groundhog saw his shadow and all. I'm sure Sony can get it all put together for a glorious launch.

I don't think there is anything sony can show that will make you buy a PS3 xbot...

From my sheer entertainment value... top 10.

1. 360
2. Xbox
3. N64
4. NES
5. Atari 2600
6. Genesis
7. Dreamcast
8. Gamecube

...

 

[hadareud]

wha??

well maybe he meant no show as in nothing new, no playable demos, no new movies ...

But I don't think this article is really worth discussing. Just a bitter guy writing to feel better about himself.

 

[araganekyassuru]

I don't think there is anything sony can show that will make you buy a PS3 xbot...



...

BUT MAYBE PS3 WAS SONY'S CHANCE TO PROVE THEMSELVES FOR JEDIMIKE!!!

 

[HomerSimpson-Man]

I don't think there is anything sony can show that will make you buy a PS3 xbot...



...

Oh man, there is not way in hell I would place GC and N64 and not PS1/2.

 

[Vennt]

Kutaragi addressed a chip conference and talked about... chips???...

Hold the fucking presses :lol

 

[choplifter]

serious question:

at ISSCC 1999 the Toshiba-Sony CPU that would be called Emotion Engine a month or two later was revealed. Sony would not admit that it was for PlayStation2 but pretty much hinted that it was for next-generation computer entertainment. then in March, PS2 chipset and demos were revealed.

my question is, was ISSCC 2000 at all very exciting as far as Emotion Engine ~ PS2 info ?

 

[DopeyFish]

Kutaragi addressed a chip conference and talked about... chips???...

Hold the fucking presses :lol

old chips that is

 

[jedimike]

I don't think there is anything sony can show that will make you buy a PS3 xbot...

There's always a price... Kingdom Hearts I & II nearly had me.

 

[fly high ~ayunite~]

Boohoo. Ken probably knew he was coming and scraped the plans of real time demos & price details just to piss the guy off. He even sent his secret ninjas to kill his parents because he's soooo mean & just wanted to spite him!!!

 

[kevm3]

It's important for Sony to start releasing soon so as not to let the X-Box 360 build any more momentum. Also, isn't the PS3 supposed to be out in Japan BEFORE E3? So they need some show to introduce the games to the public and get them hyped up.

The longer Sony waits to release information, the higher the expectations people are going to have, so any disappointments will hit doubly hard. This tight-lipped, waiting game policy is one thing I absolutely hated about the N64 days and was one of the things that really pushed me over to the Sony camp. Now that Sony is basically doing the same thing is starting to agitate me to no end. At least give us a date for when the PS3 is to be introduced so we won't be left wondering.

 

[araganekyassuru]

well maybe he meant no show as in nothing new, no playable demos, no new movies ...

I don't know how anyone could be baffled that ps3 was a no-show at CES

 

[TimmehTims]

wtf how could they actually launch PS3 anywhere near Spring?

 

[hadareud]

I don't know how anyone could be baffled that ps3 was a no-show at CES

just think back before the show began, there was megaton atmosphere on the internets until about 1 or 2 days before.

Lots of rumors floating around and stuff. No one gave a shit about this slide then. Not that I do now.

 

[VictimOfGrief]

No PS3 in 2006?

That rumor again... oh gaf. :lol

 

[araganekyassuru]

just think back before the show began, there was megaton atmosphere on the internets until about 1 or 2 days before.

Lots of rumors floating around and stuff. No one gave a shit about this slide then. Not that I do now.

well he shouldn't bitch on Sony just because he believes everything he reads on the internet

 

[hadareud]

well he shouldn't bitch on Sony just because he believes everything he reads on the internet

Well, read my first post you responded to - of course I agree.

 

[DSN2K]

Know what I mean, know what I mean?

no :\

 

[Striek]

I don't know how anyone could be baffled that ps3 was a no-show at CES

Speaking of which....

Spent the last week working to get our presentation ready. A lot of the team was in this weekend cramming for the last minute deadline. We are sending off a bunch of footage to the outside editing house that is putting the video portion of our presentation together. Things are coming together quite nicely though I still wish we had another few weeks to prepare for this. But such is life I guess, I am sure things will go well. It is just an internal presentation right now, so I am not as stressed about it. If it were a public forum/announcement then I would be more of a wreck I think. But as it stands now I think we are in good waters for a solid showing next monday.

link

SCEA SM director. I think his blog (he referenced a "big conference next month" a couple of weeks ago) was posted here. There is an internal meeting today...I hope there is a public/press meeting, but who knows, the February event might just be this - totally internal.

Maybe some new media will be released soon for PSP/PS2/PS3 games though.

 

[Annoying Old Party Man]

I know it is off topic, but i NEED to know.
DSN2K, what match is that from?Which teams, and what happened?

 

[gofreak]

Lots of rumors floating around and stuff. No one gave a shit about this slide then. Not that I do now.

Not true, I distinctly recall trying to taper peoples expectations pre-CES, referencing that slide to boot. I'm not sure if there was so much an atmosphere of "megaton" before CES than there was one of confusion and uncertainty.

SCEA SM director. I think his blog (he referenced a "big conference next month" a couple of weeks ago) was posted here. There is an internal meeting today..

True. There are apparently big meetings happening internally today and perhaps through the week, and one's gotta guess they're PS3 related. But I wouldn't hold my breath for any public announcements from them..but they may be in the process of finally nailing strategy down, and these meetings may pave the way for PS3 to resurface afterward.

Anyway, I'm slightly beginning to wonder if we're seeing another "PS3 Premier" here (easy to forget, but for a long time a March 05 premier for PS3 was expected, as per a Sony "timetable slide" from 2004 - which never happened). The only thing that makes me think differently is that even if PS3 were launching as late as June in Japan, they'd need to start publicising it reasonably soon.

 

[Robobandit]

We will know nothing of the ps3 before E3, I'm betting.

Sony's going to need to back up their hype soon, otherwise I'm smelling another "emotion-engine" sized joke

 

[Kobold]

I don't think there is anything sony can show that will make you buy a PS3 xbot...

• 1. 360
  2. Xbox
  3. N64
  4. NES
  5. Atari 2600
  6. Genesis
  7. Dreamcast
  8. Gamecube

...

I didn't know owning a PS2 was a prerequisite for buying a PS3! Damn, I guess I can't get one now...

 

[hadareud]

I didn't know owning a PS2 was a prerequisite for buying a PS3! Damn, I guess I can't get one now...

I knew there was a dirty secret hiding behind this friendly avatar

 

[Vince]

old chips that is

Yeah, the theme for ISSCC '06 was only named "Multimedia for a Molibe World". I mean, why on earth would he talk about Moore's Law scaling their high-end ICs down to a size and power level that could be used in, like, mobile devices?

For the author: ISSCC is only dedicated to solid-state cirtuit and System-on-Chip design engineers; why the hell wouldn't he show off PlayStation3 games? Ken... you have nothing. I'm sure Killzone and MotorStorm would have fit nicely between the presentation on Fractional Flocked PLLs and Millimeter-Wave ICs in Silicon

 

[Moeed]

I thought they were going to show something at TGS but only heard about the big floor booking at CES and everyone assumed it was PS3.

 

[Cpl_Cain]

:lol

Awesome blog post.

 

[Niko]

What are the chances of Sony going all the way from last E3 to this E3 without any real new info on the PS3?

 

[DCharlie]

Why would Sony unveil new PS3 stuff at a show no one cares about? Better off saving it all for E3 where everyone is watching.

naaa, they are going to debut the system in some mall in the ass end of nowhere - did you see the other post?!

 

[MassiveAttack]

What are the chances of Sony going all the way from last E3 to this E3 without any real new info on the PS3?

Right around zero.

 

[choplifter]

Right around zero.

Playstation Festival 2006 with PS3 playables + demos, HERE WE COME :lol

 

[Any1]

One thing i've noticed about this coming gen is how Sony hasn't been able to overshadow the competition with the promise of their upcoming console, like they did to the Dreamcast. I just don't get the feeling people are holding off buying a 360 for the PS3 icoming out later this year.

But then again, MS seems to be doing their damndest to keep from taking advantage of this rare opportunity by having so few 360's available. So even if people aren't holding off buying the 360 because of the PS3, they still can't get their hands on one right now, which has pretty much the same effect.

 

[teiresias]

How can anyone that has any business actually going to ISSCC think it would be the venue for Kuturagi to roll-out a launch plan for the PS3? I swear, the bots are getting really desperate and ridiculous.

 

[Wollan]

One thing i've noticed about this coming gen is how Sony hasn't been able to overshadow the competition with the promise of their upcoming console, like they did to the Dreamcast. I just don't get the feeling people are holding off buying a 360 for the PS3 icoming out later this year.

You haven't?

 

[Elios83]

How can anyone that has any business actually going to ISSCC think it would be the venue for Kuturagi to roll-out a launch plan for the PS3? I swear, the bots are getting really desperate and ridiculous.

QFT

 

[Mrbob]

One thing i've noticed about this coming gen is how Sony hasn't been able to overshadow the competition with the promise of their upcoming console, like they did to the Dreamcast. I just don't get the feeling people are holding off buying a 360 for the PS3 icoming out later this year.

Things are a bit different now. Even though PS2 is kicking ass, virtually every game nowaday is released the same time on PS2 and Xbox. With the PS2 so many companies held on making Dreamcast games it gave Sony a major edge. 360 is going to get nearly all the same games as PS3 from western developers, and then some with better western support, that gamers don't need to wait for the PS3 in USA and Europe.

 

[Bebpo]

We will know nothing of the ps3 before E3, I'm betting.

So the Japanese gamers will no nothing of the PS3 until the day it goes on sale in April/May/June? I guess it's possible...but not likely.

 

[Bebpo]

One thing i've noticed about this coming gen is how Sony hasn't been able to overshadow the competition with the promise of their upcoming console, like they did to the Dreamcast. I just don't get the feeling people are holding off buying a 360 for the PS3 icoming out later this year..

I don't remember much of the gaming community holding off on buying DCs for the upcoming PS2. Everyone I ever knew on the internet and in real life had a DC. It was hugely popular with amazing games.

 

[MassiveAttack]

360 is going to get nearly all the same games as PS3 from western developers, and then some with better western support, that gamers don't need to wait for the PS3 in USA and Europe.

Nearly all the same except for the exclusives from Factor 5, Guerilla, Zipper, Insomniac, Naughty Dog, Sucker Punch, Incognito, Ninja Theory, Evolution Studios, Bigbig, Ready at Dawn, Sony Santa Monica, Team Bondi, Team Soho, and a dozen others.

 

[LAMBO]

It's important for Sony to start releasing soon so as not to let the X-Box 360 build any more momentum

I don't think Sony should release any info until MS has 360's in stores. Might as well hold that info until March when there's some 360 games comming, and hopefully some systems to buy.

 

[EmCeeGramr]

There's always a price... Kingdom Hearts I & II nearly had me.

THANK GOD YOU DIDNT TAKE THE PLUNGE