Interview | David Hine (SCENZ)

The chaos of E3 is well behind us now and everybody has had time to recover and absorb the overload of news and unveils.  This year’s event produced 3D handhelds from Nintendo, hands free motion control from Microsoft and a little bit of everything from Sony. We went to speak to local Sony boss David Hine about his E3 experience.

Gamefreaks: So tell us your general impression of this year’s E3.

David Hine: There’s always a buzz about E3.  Whether it’s the announcements, getting your hands on the newest games, hardware or just the spectacle of it all. Though I have to say, there was nothing especially ‘out of the park’ this year. Most of the announcements had already been made. For me, this year was about delivering on the promises of 3D and motion controlled gaming.

GF: Did you have a good look around the show or did you stick to the PS3 floor?

DH: It’s an interesting time for an exhibitor at E3 as you have to work hard to maximise your time at the event but also develop and re-establish relationships – I was lucky enough to catch up with David Cage (Heavy Rain), Steven Ter Heide (Killzone) and Bruno Velazquez of God of War fame – all of whom would be familiar to Gamefreaks readers.  For a small country like NZ, it’s events like this that enable you to lay the ground work for future developer tours and interviews.

This year saw the biggest group of NZ media and retailers attend E3.  So most of my time was taken up with demonstrations, presentations and interviews.  However, I did get a short walk on the floor and checked out the latest and greatest from all the developers.

GF: Was there one game or presentation that sticks out in your mind?

DH: I’ve got two:

Kevin Butler – he’s gold. If you don’t know him check him out on YouTube.

Portal 2 – for two reasons.  Firstly, the game looks amazing and secondly, given that he has been outspoken in the past, it was great to see Gabe Newell come on stage at the SCE press conference.

GF: A lot of the big titles were announced before E3 this year. Is there some strategy behind that or is it just too hard to keep a secret these days?

DH: Probably a bit of both.  Everyone is looking for the next big story and internet, blogs and email are so pervasive, it’s a wonder anything is a secret these days.  But perhaps like a good PR plan, by releasing the news in a drip-feed fashion, you’re able to give each announcement a chance to shine and not be lost in the melee that is the E3 media circus.  That’s why I said that E3 this year was more about delivering and demonstrating rather than the big whiz-bang announcements of previous years.

GF: Gran Turismo 5 and MotorStorm Apocalypse are both stunning looking racing titles – did you get to take these out for a test drive?

DH: I wasn’t that busy!  These two games are sensational and for entirely different reasons.  MotorStorm is incredible – a real feast for the senses….and in 3D it goes to a whole new level.  Personally, Apocalypse is my favourite MotorStorm to date.

Then GT5.  What can I say except “it’s coming… finally!”  It’s everything that you’d expect from Gran Turismo and so much more.  It really has something for everyone.  It includes WRC, NASCAR, Go-Karting, damage, head tracking (with a PSEye camera), Optional 3D and, what I’m looking forward to the most, the Top Gear Track.  It’s insane.  And I haven’t even mentioned the number of cars, tracks, weather… and the list goes on.

GF: What about PlayStation Move – do you see motion controlled gameplay taking over or will it be incorporated with traditional gameplay.

DH: Motion controlled gameplay has been around for almost 10 years – since the launch of EyeToy on PlayStation 2. So it’s fair to say we’ve had a bit of experience in this space.  For motion controlled gameplay to be successful, it needs to be incorporated into traditional gaming and be applicable to a range of gaming genres.  Using motion control technology must make sense and be a natural extension to the game experience for the user….from simple arcade games to sports to platformers, action/adventures, RPG or a shooter.

After all there is only so much you can do by waving your hands around!

GF: What about PlayStation Plus – are you happy with the way PSN is going? Does Sony feel pressure to match the success of Xbox Live?

DH: The PlayStation Network is going very well.  The connection rate is superb and as more and more content gets added, it’s become a very compelling source of entertainment.  It’s already been announced that Sony Computer Entertainment is making it easier and cheaper for people to develop their own games and publish them on PSN. And it just keeps getting better: TVNZ Ondemand, Video Download Service (coming soon, no date as yet for NZ), Vidzone and PSN Cards. Of course PlayStation Plus is also a welcome extension to the offering – $89.95 for 12 months giving you around $350 in added value content (or $26.95 for 3 months).

And there are many more developments to come.

GF: How are PS3 sales tracking this year and do you expect 3D to be a big driver of console sales?

DH: PS3 console sales are performing strongly too.  Content is King and 3D games will certainly be an initial driver for 3DTV sales this year (GT5, KZ3, Motorstorm).  Demand and sales for 3DTV’s has been very promising – but they’re still very small compared to total TV sales.  For someone wanting to enjoy 3D in the home, the PS3 is really the only logical choice as a 3D player (for movies and games).  However, being a 3D player is one of the many reasons to purchase a PS3 (and it’s a growing list of reasons – a Blu ray player, photos, music, internet browsing, TVNZ Ondemand, Free Music Videos, PlayStation Move…)

GF: With each of the platform holders set to have their own motion controllers on the market soon, do you view 3D on PS3 as the biggest differentiator between the console and its rivals?

DH: I’m sure any potential buyer will understand the enormous value that the PS3 offers.  3D is only one differentiator for PS3. There are 115,000 3D players in the market already because the PS3 is ‘future-proofed’.  More and more people are also starting to get the most out of their HDTV and enjoying Blu ray movies and PS3 is without a doubt the best value BD movie player in the market.

GF: Do you expect your competitors, specifically Microsoft, to follow your example and get into the 3D space?

DH: 3D and BD?  You might want to ask them that.

GF: Obviously motion gaming is getting a big push this year. What do you see as the fundamental differences between PlayStation Move and Microsoft’s Kinect?

DH: PlayStation has almost 10 years experience of motion control gaming, going back to PlayStation 2 and EyeToy. With EyeToy, we were the first gaming company to use camera-driven, no controller, motion driven play. However, we have moved on because we learnt there is only so far you can go in controller-less gaming.
Through our experience with EyeToy, we also learned that there were a limited amount of games that you can develop and play by waving your hands.  The PSMove controller delivers speed, pin-point accuracy and high levels of responsiveness – better than any motion controlled device in the market.  This delivers a more in-depth and immersive experience.  The controllers are also really intuitive and easy to use, which means that anyone from a gamer to your grandmother will enjoy using them.

From our research and experience, we also know that people like to hold something in their hands in whatever game they play…and our controller gives rumble feedback for a more interactive and realistic experience.

And importantly, Move offers a wider range of games to suit different people. Hardcore gamers will love games like The Fight, Socom, Sorcery and Killzone 3 while games like Sports Champions, Move Party and TV Superstars offer fun for all the family. And for social and party players there are great games like, Buzz and SingStar Dance.

At the end of the day, PlayStation Move is yet another great feature of PlayStation3.

GF: How do you feel about Microsoft trying to muscle in on your casual gamer market? Do you think they are at risk of turning their back on their core fans?

DH: They’ve tried before with a singing game and a quiz game.  However, PlayStation Move has a range of games that we know will keep all PS3 owners entertained, including core gamers with the likes of Socom, The Fight, Killzone 3 and Heavy Rain. Plus third party titles with exclusive content like DeadSpace2 and Medal of Honor.

GF: PS3 hardware’s performing strongly but how do you feel first party PS3 software’s doing?  Microsoft’s Aaron Greenberg boasted that Halo 3 has outsold the Uncharted and Resistance franchises combined.

DH: Since the launch of PS3, we have launched a lot of successful new IP… MotorStorm, Resistance, Uncharted, Infamous, Heavy Rain, Little Big Planet.  Add to that some of our franchises making their foray into next-gen, Ratchet & Clank, Killzone, God of War, GT5.  That’s quite a healthy range of PS3 exclusive titles and we’re always developing new IP and pushing the boundaries in game development.

GF: Everyone likes to rattle on about a PlayStation price drop – what are your thoughts on this?

DH: With everything that you can do and enjoy with a PS3, I think there is an immense amount of value in the PS3 both now and in the future.  It’s more than gaming; there is literally something in it for everyone.