E3 2004: Sony Press Conference
From price cuts to PSP revelations, SCEA's Tuesday morning press conference covered it all. Get the scoop inside!
Published: May 11, 2004
E3 2004 is yet to even begin, but we already have no doubt in our minds that Sony Computer Entertainment America will be blowing us away with top-notch hardware and software for the remainder of 2004 and onward. The entire PSX2.com sat snuggly in our seats on Tuesday morning as SCEA President and CEO Kaz Hirai and company pitched at us their plans for the PlayStation 2, PSP and beyond.
Hirai kicked things off by generally elaborating on why the PlayStation 2 and its predecessor have and continue to dominate the gaming industry, with unmatched numbers in terms of their presence in households and to which specific age groups. As first mentioned by Andrew House at the GDC 2004, Hirai reinforced the plan for a 10-year PS2 lifecycle, with a specific bullet noting the "overall health of the industry is riding on it."
The first big shocker came with the announcement of the PlayStation 2's price drop to $149.99. Effective immediately, the cut applies to both the standard console sku and the advantageous PS2 combo pack, which includes the console, a Network Adapter and a copy of ATV Offroad Fury 2.
Simply a price reduction is not enough to ensure a fruitful future, and taking into account such, Hirai provided a rundown of the "AAA" first party PlayStation 2 titles slated for Q4 2004 and Q1 2005 releases. These included Gran Turismo 4 (November 2004), Killzone (November 2004), The Getaway: Black Monday (Winter 2004), Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater (Winter 2004), and God of War (Q1 2005). 2004 was also deemed the "year of the platformers," as noted were the upcoming releases of Sly 2: Band of Thieves (September 2004), Jak 3 (Holiday 2004), and Ratchet & Clank: Up Your Arsenal (Holiday 2004). The PS2's biggest title to hit this year, Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, was referred to as the most promising, specifically described as being a "platform-defining franchise."
Up next on Hirai's "to mention" list was the EyeToy. Although it was mostly praised for its innovation, a handful of future titles with compatibility with the camera were mentioned, including SEGA SuperStars, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, "AntiGrav," and a game that appeared to include the primates from Ape Escape (or at least one giant one).
What followed was a very promising look into the online future of the PlayStation 2. Hirai's on-screen graphs provided us with the numbers and cold facts, yet what really drove the message home was the video footage that succeeded. The seamless clips of PS2 games that will somehow encompass the online world included some known titles like Gran Turismo 4 and Killzone, as well as ones that were not though of of being Internet-ready, namely Mortal Kombat: Deception and Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater. Wrapping up the online talk was an appearance by Ted Price, President and CEO of Insomniac Games, who revealed the capabilities of Ratchet & Clank: Up Your Arsenal by staging an online game between 8 players, who also happened to be members of the Insomniac staff. A full-blown list of Up Your Arsenal's online featured were illuminated on the screen, which included six online battlefields, up to eight simultaneous players, multiplayer online and offline, 2-4 player split screen, community support (such as chats, buddy lists, and so on) and 60 Hz real-time voice chat.
The climax of the presentation featured the highly-anticipated revelation of the PlayStation Portable (PSP), its impressive specs and unbelievable potential. With the sleek handheld in hand (and on times in stand), Kaz Hirai elaborated on the overall innovation of the PSP, and precisely made note of its specifications, which include 32MB (Main) + 4MB (EDRAM) memory, built-in stereo speakers and ports for headphone, microphone, controller(s) and DC Out 5V. He continued by pointing out the numerous peripheral plans for the unit; some truly shocking revelations were a USB camera, GPS and Keypad. An action-packed video was run to give us a peek at future PSP titles - certain games we caught sight of included PSone classics such as Ape Escape, Twisted Metal 2, Metal Gear Solid, and more. Don Mattrick, President of EA Worldwide Studios, took the stage to give us and confirmed the presence of four EA franchises of the PSP: NBA Street, NFL Street, Tiger Woods PGA TOUR Golf and Need for Speed: Underground. To educated the audience on the true power of the PSP's format, the Universal Media Disc (UMD), flooring presentations were made: scenes from the Spider-Man 2 movie, a trailer of Square Enix's current CG work, Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children, and a clip from alternative rockers Incubus' (a personal favorite of ours) video for "Megalomaniac," all played normally and on the PSP to prove a point. Concluding the PSP presentation was the unveiling of its worldwide release dates: Q4 2004 in Japan and spring of 2005 in North America and Europe.
Painting a clearer picture of the future was talk of Sony's "connected future" and the current state of Cell processor. Many minds were filled with wonder when an on-screen slide showed the possibilities of PlayStation 2-to-PSP and PC-to-PSP in terms of music, movie, photo and "book." SCE President Ken Kutaragi then took the mic and proceeded to further enhance our speculations of the PS3, specifically noting the possibilities of a database on par with both games and movies. The first Cell-based prototype, he said, would be revealed in Q4 2004.
The Sony Press Conference is only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to SCEA's presence at E3 2004, as we'll have the honor of giving the PSP and future blockbuster PS2 titles a test run in the days that follow. Keep it here!
Hirai kicked things off by generally elaborating on why the PlayStation 2 and its predecessor have and continue to dominate the gaming industry, with unmatched numbers in terms of their presence in households and to which specific age groups. As first mentioned by Andrew House at the GDC 2004, Hirai reinforced the plan for a 10-year PS2 lifecycle, with a specific bullet noting the "overall health of the industry is riding on it."
The first big shocker came with the announcement of the PlayStation 2's price drop to $149.99. Effective immediately, the cut applies to both the standard console sku and the advantageous PS2 combo pack, which includes the console, a Network Adapter and a copy of ATV Offroad Fury 2.
Simply a price reduction is not enough to ensure a fruitful future, and taking into account such, Hirai provided a rundown of the "AAA" first party PlayStation 2 titles slated for Q4 2004 and Q1 2005 releases. These included Gran Turismo 4 (November 2004), Killzone (November 2004), The Getaway: Black Monday (Winter 2004), Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater (Winter 2004), and God of War (Q1 2005). 2004 was also deemed the "year of the platformers," as noted were the upcoming releases of Sly 2: Band of Thieves (September 2004), Jak 3 (Holiday 2004), and Ratchet & Clank: Up Your Arsenal (Holiday 2004). The PS2's biggest title to hit this year, Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, was referred to as the most promising, specifically described as being a "platform-defining franchise."
Up next on Hirai's "to mention" list was the EyeToy. Although it was mostly praised for its innovation, a handful of future titles with compatibility with the camera were mentioned, including SEGA SuperStars, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, "AntiGrav," and a game that appeared to include the primates from Ape Escape (or at least one giant one).
What followed was a very promising look into the online future of the PlayStation 2. Hirai's on-screen graphs provided us with the numbers and cold facts, yet what really drove the message home was the video footage that succeeded. The seamless clips of PS2 games that will somehow encompass the online world included some known titles like Gran Turismo 4 and Killzone, as well as ones that were not though of of being Internet-ready, namely Mortal Kombat: Deception and Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater. Wrapping up the online talk was an appearance by Ted Price, President and CEO of Insomniac Games, who revealed the capabilities of Ratchet & Clank: Up Your Arsenal by staging an online game between 8 players, who also happened to be members of the Insomniac staff. A full-blown list of Up Your Arsenal's online featured were illuminated on the screen, which included six online battlefields, up to eight simultaneous players, multiplayer online and offline, 2-4 player split screen, community support (such as chats, buddy lists, and so on) and 60 Hz real-time voice chat.
The climax of the presentation featured the highly-anticipated revelation of the PlayStation Portable (PSP), its impressive specs and unbelievable potential. With the sleek handheld in hand (and on times in stand), Kaz Hirai elaborated on the overall innovation of the PSP, and precisely made note of its specifications, which include 32MB (Main) + 4MB (EDRAM) memory, built-in stereo speakers and ports for headphone, microphone, controller(s) and DC Out 5V. He continued by pointing out the numerous peripheral plans for the unit; some truly shocking revelations were a USB camera, GPS and Keypad. An action-packed video was run to give us a peek at future PSP titles - certain games we caught sight of included PSone classics such as Ape Escape, Twisted Metal 2, Metal Gear Solid, and more. Don Mattrick, President of EA Worldwide Studios, took the stage to give us and confirmed the presence of four EA franchises of the PSP: NBA Street, NFL Street, Tiger Woods PGA TOUR Golf and Need for Speed: Underground. To educated the audience on the true power of the PSP's format, the Universal Media Disc (UMD), flooring presentations were made: scenes from the Spider-Man 2 movie, a trailer of Square Enix's current CG work, Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children, and a clip from alternative rockers Incubus' (a personal favorite of ours) video for "Megalomaniac," all played normally and on the PSP to prove a point. Concluding the PSP presentation was the unveiling of its worldwide release dates: Q4 2004 in Japan and spring of 2005 in North America and Europe.
Painting a clearer picture of the future was talk of Sony's "connected future" and the current state of Cell processor. Many minds were filled with wonder when an on-screen slide showed the possibilities of PlayStation 2-to-PSP and PC-to-PSP in terms of music, movie, photo and "book." SCE President Ken Kutaragi then took the mic and proceeded to further enhance our speculations of the PS3, specifically noting the possibilities of a database on par with both games and movies. The first Cell-based prototype, he said, would be revealed in Q4 2004.
The Sony Press Conference is only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to SCEA's presence at E3 2004, as we'll have the honor of giving the PSP and future blockbuster PS2 titles a test run in the days that follow. Keep it here!
