Q&A With SCEA- Dave Karraker
A little more than a week ago we asked our readers to list some questions that they’d like to ask Sony Computer Entertainment of America.
Dave Karraker of SCEA was kind enough to answer some of those burning questions that we all had about our favorite PlayStation products. We asked about rumble, the PlayStation Network and the future of the PSP. Read on for the answers!
KZU: Sony created the SixAxis and EyeToy respectively, with the desire to bring a new level of gameplay to the console market. Should PlayStation 3 owners expect further innovation from a corporation that has made its name in making high-end, innovative consumer products and are there other official accessories planned for the PlayStation 3?
Dave: Absolutely. You can expect many more innovative accessories and services for PS3, as well as our other platforms. We have always been a technology-driven company, focusing on building systems that stand the test of time and don’t get abandoned after just five years. We have taken some grief over that recently, with people saying we “over-engineered” the PS3. But, ten years down the road, when the PS3 is still relevant, people will look back and say that we made the right decision to include so much forward-looking technology in the box.
KZU: Now that Sony and Immersion have settled, is rumble going to eventually make it’s way to the PlayStation 3 SIXAXIS controller?
Dave: We are currently in discussions with Immersion on how we can incorporate their technologies into our products. No word on when that will happen.
KZU: Regarding the XMB, are there plans to allow users to customize their backgrounds similar to the PSP?
Dave: Yes, we are currently exploring numerous options that allow people to make their PS3 experience more personalized.
KZU: Many users are hoping for cross game messaging(voice and/or text) in the future. Are there any other future XMB features that you can tell us about?
Dave: We are still just scratching the surface of what we hope to do with the XMB and the PlayStation Network. Rest assured we are listening very carefully to gamers and are investigating ways to implement the features they really want. I think you saw this most recently with the implementation of background downloading from the PlayStation Store.
KZU: This is a question that comes up often amongst various internet forums; where is the PlayStation Store pre-paid card and when can we expect to see it?
Dave: It is definitely in the works. No word on when it will be rolled out just yet. Naturally, a lot of planning and strategy around any pre-paid card would be heavily influenced by the PS3 download service that is in the works for other types of entertainment content beyond games.
KZU: Many PlayStation 3 users find the PlayStation Network and PlayStation Store are pretty good as it is, but what do you guys plan on doing in terms of getting more downloadable games and add-on content for games onto it?
Dave: You will see many more third party downloadable games soon, including original titles for the PS Network. Also, this summer is when you will start seeing more robust add-on packs for the games that came out at launch.
KZU: Some users are concerned about the small choice of third party game demos available and the delay of some demos in certain regions. Can we expect to see more demos from third parties and the region delays sorted out in the near future?
Dave: Yes. We were delayed on getting more third-party game content on the PS Store early on, but that should be ramping up very quickly in the next few months.
KZU: As mentioned, the PlayStation Network is pretty great, but many users are left confused by the lack of what many feel should be standard. Things such as no headset support have left online gamers slightly frustrated. Does Sony have any plans on standardizing features such as headset support, leaderboards or even requiring every developer to make their games PSN enabled in some form?
Dave: If you were at GDC you would have heard these topics come up often. Luckily, we had many of the answers in the service called “Home.” As the community hub for PS3, Home will include many of the features you described above and will encourage game developers to include more robust online elements to their games, including advanced communications. Remember, many of the third party games at launch were ports from games already in the works on other platforms. It takes a while for developers to get ramped up on everything they can do on PS3. Just now, we are starting to see people really thinking beyond what was possible in the past.
KZU: DVD and PS2/PS1 game upscaling- Are there any hopes of this making its way to the PlayStation 3?
Dave: We don’t have any news about this at this time.
KZU: Is the PlayStation Home beta trial gong to be open to everyone worldwide?
Dave: Eventually, yes. But, first there will be smaller scale betas for select groups.
KZU: Will LINUX ever be able to ACCESS the PS3’s RSX for 3D acceleration?
Dave: I don’t have any information on this.
KZU: After the last firmware update, we’ve noticed that when viewing the the file information for downloadable games, there is a mention of expiry dates and usage rights. Is this in preparation for subscriber content and perhaps downloadable films?
Dave: This is all part of the legal process of downloadable content. It is not necessarily a precursor for upcoming changes in functionality or services.
KZU: What does the future hold for the PSP? Are there anymore plans for PS3 & PSP integration?
Dave: We just announced the price drop on PSP which saw a really good bump in sales. We have also announced that we are looking to launch the entertainment download service this year, in addition to God of War coming to the platform. Thanks to Remote Play and the direct wi-fi connection, PS3/PSP integration is something developers can take advantage of right now. I would think as we start looking at this next generation of software you will see more and more game makers taking advantage of it.
KZU: What are SCEA’s views on international online play for the PlayStation 3? Will this be an integral part of future releases due to an increased usage of internet around the world, and the higher stability of the Playstation Network?
Dave: Right now, we are focused on enhancing the features of the PlayStation Network, listening to gamers on what they want most. Online gameplay is incredibly important, so we are looking at all the different options we can provide to make the gaming experience more exciting and interactive. You can expect many more announcements in this area very soon, particularly with the launch of Home.
KZU: Can you tell us anything about the Ti-Vo like functions Phil Harrison hinted at a while back?
Dave: It is no secret that with an internal hard drive in every PS3, the system could be used like a Tivo device. However, we have no announcements regarding such a service at this time.
KZU: Many users enjoy the PlayStation 3 web browser. But there are some concerns such as incompatibility with various Java and Flash based websites. Is the web browser in the PlayStation 3 upgradable, and will it happen?
Dave: The web browser in PS3 is upgradeable, along with almost all the software components in the system. You can expect us to continue to enhance the browser with added functionality throughout the PS3’s lifetime.
KZU: Can you tell us anything new about the game, Eight Days?
Dave: Nothing new to share on that game.
KZU: Of course you can’t tell us much about Killzone, but we’re looking forward to seeing it at E3 this year!
Dave: We got a really great reception to the Killzone video we showed at GDC this year. It was basically a tech demo that showed the particle lighting and other features, but I think it really showed where we are heading with Killzone. E3 will be the big coming out party, however.
Thanks Dave!
And a big thank you to the readers who have submitted such great questions. We’re sorry that not all of them could be answered but hopefully Dave will have more info to share with us in the near future.
Feel free to leave your praises or concerns in the comment box.
There are 38 Comments to "Q&A With SCEA- Dave Karraker"
I would like to thank Sony’s Senior PR Manager Dave Karraker and the members that submitted the questions. Thank you all, we hope to bring you more question and answer sessions soon.
Im happy he responded, but it feels like i didnt come out with much. Almost every answer he sugar coated or said wait till HOME. That is in October. What are we getting between now and October?? Also, not making developers make games support voice chat is ludacris. SONY ANSWER QUESTIONS!! I wish Sony would say an answer instead of just saying we have nothing to say right now, or you’ll have to wait for more info. We just waited after yall said that last time.
great interview!!.. I have seen a lot of people complaining that they are not getting a lot of features for the ps3 right now, but i think it has to be that way. If sony is saying ps3’s lifetime is about 10 yrs, they can’t come up with everything on the first year. My guess is that they are building an online experience with the playstation network and HOME WAY BEYOND what xbox live is. THey are just being very carefull on what they are doing to deliver the best. Ps3 is going to come out great, and actually, sony is trying to ammend all the mistakes they did with the PSP, so this is going to be a hell of a great couple for the upcoming years
Quick translation:
We will never see DVD or PS1/PS2 games upscaled or any sort of RSX access in linux…what a tease, I use linux on my ps3 and it does work, I can play video, but at least 2d access would improve video playback a LOT.
Well, to be honest Phil Harrison already answered both questions. They are working on DVD upscaling (he has not mentioned anything about PS1 or PS2 games though) and there will be no support for RSX, Its a close platform. I do hope homebrew (user generated) applications become a commodity.
Here are new features of the PS3 that will make the PS3 more profittable.
1) Allow the PS3 to act as an access point for the PSP, so the PSP can be networked for browsing or onling gaming. This is not the same as remote play, as the PSP would be able to run PSP games and go online or use the PSP’s own webbrowser. The PS3 will just act like a bridge, using it’s own internet connection (via a regular access point or wired connection) as an access point for the PSP. This is possible because it is very similar to remote play, just that no content from the PS3 is pushed to the PSP.
2) Overhaul the webbrowser. Many sites don’t show up because the netfont browser does not support all the xhtml standards nor css. Also, when you use the gamepad, up left right down buttons to go from link to link on a webpage, sometimes the link pointed to at doesn’t actually point at the correct link (sometimes a previous link or a different link – this is a bug).
3) Make the PS3 able to play any region PS2 and PS1 games. People bought the games, why restrict what games play on what machines? A lot of people imported their PS3, or purchased a PS3 to play in a region that doesn’t sell PS3.
4) Make all PS3 able to play pal or ntsc DVDs. They can be region locked, but allow region free DVDs able to play whether they are NTSC or PAL. Currently the HongKong PS3 allows this, but make it so the US and Japanese PS3 able to play PAL. Why? Because many people burn their DVD’s (making them region free), and the PS3 should not restrict what camcorder they used to record (PAL or NTSC or even software converted to different format). Asking any PS3 to play any region DVD is probably pushing it, but if this is
possible even better (using the same concept… I purchased or imported this DVD, why restrict what PS3 I can play it in?)
5) Release a SDK allowing people to make programs that show up on the XMB. You can still restrict access to the blueray or the GPU,
but allow basic applications to run, so people can do more with their PS3. Sony can still make a profit releasing blueray and games using the GPU, so this is not a bad idea. Even better, allow these developers to sell their programs via the playstation network. Sony can take a cut, but in this case allow access to the whole machine. Don’t put a big pricetag on the SDK, make it freely available. The more people make programs to sell on the PSN, the more Sony makes via a cut of profits. If using PSN is not possible allow people to download them from other websites, and allow a SDK so other people can purchase or register (Sony can take a small cut) using their PSN id.
6) The PS Home thing is great, but before releasing it, allow people a globe like the folding at home globe, and put their home on the
map of the globe (if they opt to do it), and allow them to customize and build it to their likes. What will most likely happen is that users
will start mapping their city and their buildings and submitting them to Sony.Pretty soon you have a virtual earth made by PS3 users.
But for this to succeed, you must make lots of big default building blocks for the dumb users, then allow advanced options for those who
are good at 3D manipulation.
7) Allow PS3 users to send PSN credits to each other, so they can buy and sell stuff (kind of like paypal).
the XMB interface. (It could even accept DTV or HDTV signals so you can use the XMB to watch hi def tv). I am not sure if the
USB2.0 can handle the bandwidth for HDTV though.
The following are advanced stage development, but if the money is there, it should come soon.
1) Make the PSP able to video chat with PS3 and connect to the PS3 id users. This will start the process of using the PSP as a portable “iphone” using the internet ip protocol. Later make it PSP to PSP as well, then you have a real “iphone”. People call each other using
their PSN id. If this works out, a dedicated “walkman” phone could be an option, but PSP2 is better (you can play games).
2) Make a webserver option on the PS3. People can host their own website on the PS3 harddrive. Sony would be the DNS, using the logged in PS3 PSN id to check the ip address and allow people to enter “psnid://joeblow” or “http://joeblow.psnuser.com” in the webbrowser. Of course, the “psnid://joeblow” would only work on PS3’s webbrowser, while “http://joeblow.psnuser.com” will work
with any browser in the world. The second option is better. Even better is allow a user to register a domain name and then use
sony as the DNS. Since whenever the PS3 logs in, Sony would know the ip, they can update their DNS to reflect the correct ip.
(similar to dyndns, but sony does it automatically for you). The next stage would be to make the PSP host the webserver on the memory
stick, so you can go mobile with a PSN for your PSP as well, then it becomes a PSPphone + webserver. This is important because
in the near future each mobile phone will probably have a webserver built in, might as well start the revolution now and lead it.
3) Buy up or license those transparent glasses technology that has a HUD to show video on the lens. Then offer this for sale to
people to plug into a PS3 or PSP2. The glasses can come in different resolutions (NTSC, PAL, 720p, 1080p, etc) to reflect different
pricepoint. Manufacture them in China to make them affordable, and you can lead the next hot tech commodity.
The following are profit oriented and pretty neat…
1) Make PS3 able to download PS2 games and run from the harddrive. So you can sell not only PS1 games, but PS2 games as well.
(If you can buy PS1 and PS3 games online, why not PS2?)
2) Make a portable PS2 like the PSP, and sell it cheap, allow it to accept 4gb memory sticks then start asking the developers to
put their PS2 games on the PSN so people can download them onto their 4gb memory sticks. Then you have about 2000 ps2 games
to make a profit from. It would sort of be like a second cousin to the PSP’s own UMD +PS1 games.
Cool ideas but. PSP is basically a PS2 an as for your DVDs, I don’t think Sony is going to ship any DVDs. It’s all Blu-Ray.
Good to see several of my questions have been answered.
Thanks for the info.
FAKE YOU USED OTHER SITES WORDS IN THERE! I FREAKING CAUGHT YOU AND WHEN I LEAVE A COMMENT LETTING EVERYONE ELSE KNOW YOU DELETE IT! WHY WOULD A SENIOR PR GUY SAY WE MAKE PRODUCTS THAT LAST MORE THAN 5 YEARS WHEN ASKED ABOUT ACCESSORIES!?!?!? THATS HARDWARE SO ATLEAST FREAKING FIX SOME STUFF.
^^^^
What the hell is wrong with this kid. Someone needs to get him away from his computer.
hey, just wanted to leave a random comment. Playstation 3 online ID: Flya7 please add me to your friends list.
Playstation ID: Flya7
feel free to add me. i always accept
Hello Guest_6340 there is nothing fake about Dave Karraker, hopefully someday you will get to ask him questions or perhaps kick him out of the office just so you can settle in.
Good read, and good for the site hope you get more and more responses for big names in the future.
later KZU.
What a shame come this fall I’m going to have to go into a cave with high-speed internet with my PS3 to do everything there is to do. Warhawk, Lair, Heavenly Sword, Home, Drakes Uncharted, just to name a few lol.
I think what is really missing is:
1.) Compatability for playlists (m3u files etc)
2.) Div X support (this would be great and help turn the PS3 into a media centre)
3.) DVD upscaling (ideally with region free playback so all my dvd’s work!)
4.) Better online messaging, access within a game to the XMB
5.) Wallpaper
Do those and the PS3 is really doing well.
Good features, all. Here are a couple of mine to add to the pile/discussion:
1) Some sort of sorting method for videos and HDD games (and possibly extend it to enhance the existing photo sorting capabilities). This can either take the visual form of a directory structure or category tags. Directory structure doesn’t necessarily mean that the files are in actual filesystem directories, it could all be virtualized. An advantage of the category tag idea is it could be implemented to allow multiple tags per video/game.
2) Change the way the PS2 Memory card reader works. Make it show up along with the virtual memory cards in the list, allow individual saves to be copied to-and-from it as if it was a virtual memory card, and allow it to be selected for a slot again as if it was a virtual memory card. This way not only can you continue your old PS2 game-saves on the PS3, but any new progress you make in the game isn’t then locked inside the PS3 never to be usable on a PS2 again.
3) Update F@H to be configurable to constantly run in the background with a very low priority (like it does on PC/MACs). That way it continues to crunch using spare clock cycles when playing non-cpu-intensive games, playing CDs, watching videos, etc. Yes it would crunch slower then but one wouldn’t need to shut it down and then later restart it every time one wants to use the PS3. The very low priority would be so it doesn’t interfere with games. If the game is using the internet and F@H finishes a work block, then allow it to pause until the game is over so sending and fetching work blocks doesn’t introduce game lag.
That last one is still a bit rough, as I’m still thinking through some details. But, I though it is good enough for public comment (and public outcry towards Sony & Stanford to implement it some how).
[...] KillZone Unit had a nice Q&A session with David Karraker, the PR wizard at Sony Computer Entertainment America. [...]
Hi all, before you all start, I’m over in England and found this interview pretty good. But does anyone know when the servers will all be connected up? When I play Motorstorm, I can only log on to Europe or Australia. I can’t wait to play against the world. Apart from that, I think the PS3 is an awesome bit of kit plus I managed to talk the wife into letting me get a 46″ HD tv, so it all looks fantastic.
And can someone send me a message? Dasildon is the name. I just want to know if it works with you guys over there.
After reading all of the above, I feel I’ve made the right choice by sticking with Sony. Good on them.
By the way, it`s 10:40 am over here, not what the site states!
Hi Dasildon, sorry no one was awake to answer. There are a few games that already allow cross continent gaming. No word on when that’s going to happen for Motorstorm but we do know it will be possible with Resistance very soon.
Thanks Clinton514.
I’ll have to search out these games. The magazines over here don’t tell you things like this and £50 is a lot of money for a game.
I’ll just have to keep thrashing the Aussies (they a bit easier than the europeans!)
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[...] Dave Karraker, Sony Computer Entertainment of America’s PR boss, was interviewed by Killzoneunit one of the first questions that came up was: “Now that Sony and Immersion have settled, is [...]
Hello
great interview!!.. I have seen a lot of people complaining that they are not getting a lot of features for the ps3 right now, but i think it has to be that way. If sony is saying ps3’s lifetime is about 10 yrs, they can’t come up with everything on the first year. My guess is that they are building an online experience with the playstation network
PS. Great book. I just want to say what a fantastic thing you are doing! Good luck!
Bye
P.S Also this video is helpful guide on how to download games to your console http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SRcnBU_To6w