E3 2011 Impressions: Sony

 

Going into this year’s Electronic Entertainment Expo, Sony had everything to lose. With the recent Playstation Network outage still very fresh in many people’s minds, as well as a lack of information and excitement for their next handheld device, Jack Tretton took the stage to excite the audience for the next wave of Playstation exclusives and products. From my point of view, I believe they did just that and even more.

Mr. Tretton started the show with an apology to developers and consumers for the recent PSN outage, which I felt was genuine and sincere. Many customers will still be upset about the attacks and downtime I’m sure, but it was a gesture that many companies would probably try to avoid.  Afterwards the show really started, with a lengthy demo of Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception; this was Sony putting its best foot forward, showcasing the title that will certainly “sell a few copies” in Tretton’s words. The multiplayer beta will begin at the end of this month, as well as a partnership with Subway to allow fans to unlock the full multiplayer before the game’s official release this fall. What then followed was another demo, this time for Resistance 3, which was shown in 3D. I’m aware that many people are simply not interested in the 3D technology being implemented in many of Sony’s first party titles; I, however, am very excited for this trend. I truly believe that 3D in games -- if done properly -- can add to the game’s enjoyment, as well as implement different gameplay features. Sony is the only company that's really pushing 3D in their home consoles, and are now making it easier for the consumer to play in 3D.

Sony announced that they will be releasing a 3D enabled 27-inch Playstation brand television that will come with two 3D glasses, a high speed HDMI cable and Resistance 3 for only $499 this fall. As a consumer that was an early adapter to 3D televisions, I realized that the price point was not realistic for many consumers. Sony is making a risky move in introducing this bundle, but I feel that at this price point, most gamers can now enjoy 3D movies and games that are being released for the Playstation 3. Sony is also trying very hard to “move” their Move accessories into people’s homes as well (I promise that’s the only pun I’ll use today... maybe).

After announcing that God of War PSP and Team Ico collections are releasing this September, we were shown several games with Move functionality that will be released in the future. NBA 2K12 and Medieval Moves were not very impressive in my opinion, but all negativity for the motion control technology was washed away in my mind when Ken Levine took the stage. The Creative Director at Irrational Games was there to showcase Bioshock Infinite, and to announce that not only will the PS3 version come with the original Bioshock on the same disc, but will also have Move functionality. Having a game like Bioshock Infinite include Move support improves the integrity of the motion control technology; I hope that more developers will see this as a sign that it’s not just a Wii ripoff. There were a few surprises at Sony’s press conference as well, with the announcement of a new Sly Cooper game and the inclusion of Street Fighter X Tekken for the next Playstation portable system among the most notable. The Capcom fighter will also include Cole MacGrath from the Infamous series as a playable character. Perhaps the biggest surprise of Sony’s show was the official announcement of their next portable system, the Playstation Vita.

So to start, I agree with the majority of people online; Vita is a really dumb name. However, if products like the Wii and Kinect have taught me anything, it’s that the name really does not matter. What really matters is the hardware, and the Vita is a very impressive portable gaming system from what we have been shown so far. Games like Uncharted, Bioshock and Little Big Planet are all coming to the system, and it seems like many developers and publishers are on board for releasing exclusive titles to the platform. Sony also announced that many titles will have cross-platform play between the Vita and the PS3 console. Near the end of the show Sony finally revealed the price points for their next generation handheld; $249.99 for the Wi-Fi version and $299.99 for the 3G version (The 3G will be provided by AT&T in North America). This is great news for Sony, who now can be very competitive with Nintendo and the 3DS; this may leave some people wondering which handheld is best.
 
 

Sony really was in a bad way before E3, and I feel that they now have gamers and retailers excited about the exclusive titles and new hardware that will be available by this Holiday season. We were shown that 3D and Move can be more accessible for consumers and is being embraced by developers and publishers the world over. The PS Vita was finally unveiled and at a price that is reasonable and competitive with Nintendo and their dominance over the handheld market. Jack Tretton was even cracking jokes throughout the conference, saying "Great news on Vita, but I can't believe Kaz made fun of my tie. I was tempted to break out that Ridge Racer line, but I like my job.” I don’t really think any one company “won” E3 this year, however I do believe that Sony is in a better position now than they were before the conference started. After all of the controversy that Sony has faced in the last few months, it’s definitely a step in the right direction.