But what does it all mean? Weeks after the event, and with plenty of time to reflect, your pals here on the IGN PlayStation Team have decided to get together and make sense of it all. Did Sony continue the buzz it created at last year's show with the PS3? Did the PSP finally show the software we've been waiting for? Is the PlayStation 2 still the biggest and most diverse development platform out there? In the following article, we'll answer all those questions and more -- as we understand how Sony did and where its successes and failures will take it in the remaining year.
Surprises and Expectations
In last year's "battle of the press conferences," Sony undoubtedly took first prize. The worldwide unveiling of the PlayStation 3 was handled with a great deal of flare, had plenty of bells and whistles, and gave the promise of a very powerful gaming future. It would be hard for those who attended the event to deny that the Japanese first party made a very good account of itself. The tech demos, the game trailers... they were all extremely well done; the editorial staff here in the IGN offices couldn't wait to see what the future would hold.
Naturally, it's hard to follow up on a presentation like that and the 2006 version of the conference certainly didn't leave us with the same feeling. The presentation that everyone had been waiting for all year long started almost 45 minutes late -- a precursor to other time-consuming disappointments like the GT HD presentation that ran far too long (and honestly wasn't needed) and a Genji demo that didn't highlight the key new aspects of the sequel. It was also curious that popular titles from last year's show like Killzone and Devil May Cry 4 weren't shown in any capacity whatsoever, and that the PlayStation 2 software (of which, there are lots of strong ones) wasn't talked about. Oh, and what was the deal with the previously-Sony-exclusive Grand Theft Auto IV getting announced at the Microsoft press conference a day after Sony's?
Damaged expectations can be a powerful thing for sure, but as disappointed as we may have been with Sony's presentation, the information available there was actually better than most give it credit for. The most talked about revelation, of course, was the launch day (November 17, 2006) and the fact that there are two different systems available for purchase (a $500 model with a 20GB HDD and a $600 model with a 60GB HDD). While it really came as no surprise how expensive the system will eventually be, the fact that it was announced so early was a bit of a shocker. Admittedly, we all were a bit disappointed that the 20GB PS3 would lose wi-fi capabilities, HDMI support, and the card reader, but Phil Harrison told us later in an interview that those things can be added as options later.
On a more personal level, the editors at IGN were pleased to learn that a good portion of the titles that Sony had on display at its conference were also playable immediately following the event's ending credits. Cleverly concealed in media towers that we thought were used for display only, the titles on hand included Sonic the Hedgehog, Resistance, Heavenly Sword, and Warhawk.
In addition, these demos gave journalists their first official hands-on test with another new reveal -- the PlayStation 3 controller. Wireless, shaped exactly like the Dual Shock 2, and lighter in weight, the new PS3 peripheral offers apprehensive players the option they had been waiting for (last year's "Batarang" prototype gamepad wasn't received well to say the least). Speaking of the controller, its six-axis sensing system was a subtle but appreciated attempt at competing with Nintendo's Wii (yaw, pitch, and roll postures are detected with the controller, as are the X, Y, and Z acceleration info). It's just too bad that Warhawk was the only game at the entire show to actually use it.
But back to the good news -- we found it a definite plus that the hard drive, regardless of its size, will come standard on every system (meaning that the software won't have to be dumbed-down in HDD support for fear of a low installed based) and that it was confirmed once and for all that the Sony online experience will be absolutely free and support deep connections with the PSP handheld.
Case in Point
Sony's focus this year heavily revolved around PlayStation 3, its connectivity with PSP and the ways the PSP will continue to expand in the future. Much of the PlayStation 2 library at the show was left to its own accord and never really given a big push in any way, with the PS2 segment of Sony's booth being the most lackluster and basic area of the whole setup. Even the PSP section was far more impressive from a design standpoint. But while this may seem a bit curious, it also makes sense in that the current-gen games on display promise to be some of the best the system's ever seen and there really wasn't a need to wave gamers in their direction. Titles like God of War II, Okami, Guitar Hero II and Final Fantasy XII showed that the PS2 likely has its best year ever ahead of itself, and even though many of the titles are sequels to existing franchises, they're also some of the most loved around.
On the PSP side of things, it was very apparent that developers are starting to create games specifically designed and catering to Sony's powerful handheld rather than creating cheap knockoffs. While the first year or so of the system's existence saw a whole truckload of ports, games like Killzone: Liberation, LocoRoco, Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops and Ratchet and Clank: Size Matters show developers are creating titles that make perfect use of the PSP in ways that likely wouldn't work as well on a console. And add in Sony's continued promises for things like the PSP EyeToy, GPS add-on and more and we're seeing that Sony is really working towards establishing the PSP as a one-of-a-kind system that has content and features that no other platform does.
As for the PlayStation 3, it looks to have a very strong lineup coming down the pipe, but many of its forthcoming games are sequels to established franchises. The system's biggest and most talked about games are happily its original titles, however. Heavenly Sword looks like a killer action title with plenty of great weapons-based martial arts. Resistance: Fall of Man could do to first-person shooters what Ratchet and Clank did to furry animals. Assassin's Creed holds a ton of promise, and even though it's basically a re-envisioning of the same-titled game from the PSOne's launch, Warhawk can essentially be counted as an original title as well.
Each of the three systems looks to have found their own niche with regards to their most sought-after titles. The PlayStation 2 looks like it'll rely on already-established franchises for what will likely be the rest of its lifespan. The PSP is quickly gathering a large, promising library of titles specifically designed for the portable market, which is a great change of pace. And the PlayStation 3 looks like it'll offer gamers a nice array of sequels to popular games while using a handful of very promising and original games to carry the flag.
Patterns and Trends
This year's E3 demonstrated a very specific business focus by Sony and its third-party publishers tailored to take advantage of the strengths of each platform. The lineup of PSP titles is perhaps the most indicative of this readjusted focus. No longer does there appear to be an aggressive push for a ported console version of a game to the handheld; instead, developers are creating unique titles that take advantage of the system itself. LocoRoco is the probably best example of this, as the tilting and rotating environments really lend themselves to the sharp screen of the PSP. While it could be transferred to a console, its simple and addictive style of play really meshes well with the single Left and Right button controls of the portable.
Many of the PSP titles that were shown are also coming out with exclusive game modes, such as NCAA Football 07 or NBA 07, which will have unique features that the console versions won't include. Some titles are even focusing on completely different kinds of gameplay: Instead of being a first-person shooter, Killzone: Liberation is a third-person top down isometric tactical actioner. Taking this a step farther, many of the titles that were shown are also taking advantage of many of the network modes that weren't fully explored in the PSP's first year on shelves. Game sharing between PSPs is becoming much more prevalent in these newer games too, just as software that supports both ad hoc and infrastructure play.
While it may be starting to enter the twilight of its life, the PS2 still has life left in it by focusing on the genres that propelled Sony to the top of the industry. Big name sequels like Guitar Hero II and action epics like God of War II should satisfy the adrenaline addictions of most action fans. RPGs like Final Fantasy XII and sports titles like Madden NFL 07 are also poised to appear on the current generation system. Along with these bankable genres, developers are now beginning to really take advantage of every single trick that they've learned by working on the platform, and are starting to produce much higher quality titles. If the visual beauty of titles like Okami are what PS2 owners have to look forward to as the system gets put out to pasture, then these gamers are in for a treat indeed.
Although it's still a bit early to tell exactly what the focus for the PS3 will be, there are a few inferences that can be drawn from the launch lineup. The PS3 looks like it will definitely cater to fans of shooters, as there are at least three titles that should ship with the system on launch day -- Resistance: Fall of Man, Call of Duty 3 and Rainbow Six: Vegas as immediate standouts. This also appears to be backed up with two World War II-focused shooters at the beginning of 2007, with the arrival of Brothers in Arms: Hell's Highway and Medal of Honor: Airborne. The PS3 also appears to be focusing much more on bringing established franchises into the next generation instead of creating new IPs. At least twelve of the games in the launch window are a sequel to a current generation title or series.
As the systems are focusing more on individual strengths, Sony appears to be turning its attention to expanding its online presence for the PSP and next-gen. Sony tried to highlight multiplayer for the PS3 on the floor with 32-player matches of Resistance as its primary show piece. It also showed off various online options such as adding new content to games -- thanks to titles like My SingStar, players can download new music videos to sing along with. The PSP seemed to receive the majority of the online attention, as the handheld with the ad hoc and infrastructure support could be used to download demos, wallpaper and screenshots of various games. The press conference also showed off Sony's commitment to the portable system, highlighting their upcoming downloadable service of emulated classic PlayStation titles with a demonstration of Ridge Racer running on a PSP.
Connectivity
Now that's more like it. Sony and third-party developers have started to deliver on the promise of mass connectivity. Most PSP games now support one or more multiplayer modes, and a few even include every option under the sun. Take Field Commander, for instance. The folks at Sony Online Entertainment crammed it with every network option imaginable. You could play via local wireless connection just as easily as you could play online. Cooler still, you could hop into Transmit Mode (play-by-email) and play a leisurely game with players across the country.
Look at Syphon Filter: Dark Mirror and Killzone: Liberation. Both titles offer the kind of online experience that you'd expect from a console game. The PSP simply lacked this caliber of experience in the beginning. Sure, most games included one or two network modes. But none of them offered anything more than a few multiplayer modes. It all felt like an afterthought. Well, not anymore. It's growing and it's evolving, too. All Sony needs to do now is to keep it up. If things keep going in this direction, the PSP will most assuredly offer the most in-depth and comprehensive online experience of any handheld.
As for the PSP's connectivity with the PS3, it's a bit early to tell whether Sony is heading in the right direction. The fact you can use the PSP as a rear view mirror in GTA screams "gimmick" though, that's for sure. And if Sony delivers a similar style of connectivity for all its games, then yes, it's all hype and little substance. What Sony needs to do is make the PSP an essential tool for certain PS3 games. At the very least, it needs to make the connection bonus irrefutably cool. If not essential, then it simply needs to be worthwhile. Now, Sony also announced you could actually charge the PSP through the PS3. See, that's useful. Not entirely mind-blowing, but it's handy and helps solidify the sense of connection between the two systems. But, as mentioned earlier, it's way too early to tell whether Sony will deliver on its promise of cool, useful connectivity between the PSP and PS3.
There simply wasn't much in terms of PS2 connectivity at the show. Apart from the next chapter in the SOCOM series, none of the system's upcoming blockbusters use any kind of online functionality. Of course, games like Guitar Hero 2 thrive on multiplayer, but nothing really connects distant players. In terms of PSP to PS2 connectivity, Sony just didn't show much interest... at least not during the show. It didn't mention anything during its conference and apart from a few titles already on store shelves, there isn't much going on.
It really seems like Sony has focused on making the upcoming crop of PS2 titles single-player affairs. Look at two of the biggest games, God of War II and Okami. Both feature epic storylines, to start, and each seems destined for critical and commercial success. Yet you won't find online or offline multiplayer options in either title. They could have been implemented, sure, but it wouldn't have been felt considering the type of experience developers want to deliver.
During Sony's conference, Kaz stated that online functionality is essential to SCE's new strategy. As important as the air you breathe. Very big words from Sony. What it showed at the show looked impressive, especially the bit about it being completely free to the user. But at the same time, it didn't show much in terms of online play for its games. Yes, it's a safe bet most games will include support for 32 players, but it would have been nice to have this highlighted at the actual conference. It would have been infinitely cooler to have an array of titles on display already running.
Still, just knowing the PS3 will include a groovy account manager, ranking systems and a ton of downloadable content will suffice for now. Sony did show a slick interface that players can use to purchase music, trailers and content for games. It's evident that players will be able to purchase upgrades and equipment for games, though it's unclear how much it'll cost. Either way, the idea sounds very promising. And for now, that's about the only thing Sony needs to do: promise. This November, though, that simply won't cut it. Either Sony will compete with Microsoft and its Xbox Live service, or it won't. For now, it looks like it may just have what it takes to put up a good fight.
Future Prospects
The PSP's future is very bright with a large library of great-looking titles headed our way. Developers are finally creating content developed specifically for the system, utilizing its strengths, and that's a great thing. We're starting to see really robust multiplayer functionality included in many of the upcoming games, and that too is great. Sony will continue to bolster the device's already high-end functionality with additions like GPS and EyeToy, and being able to emulate PSOne games on the handheld will woo old-school PlayStation fans. In other words, it's a good time to be a PSP owner.
The PlayStation 2's future doesn't look quite as bright as it used to, but a handful of games headed to the system later this year or early next year will likely be the best the console's ever seen. There's not as much content headed its way, but what's coming looks better than ever.
As for the PlayStation 3, our Magic 8-Ball says to check back later. One major question mark surrounding the system is how well the PlayStation name brand will carry when it has a $500 or $600 price tag hanging from it. On the positive side of things, many developers are saying that the system may in fact be as powerful as Sony has been hyping all along and the first batch of games are all taking advantage of the system's strengths in one way or another, like Assassin's Creed with its absolutely fantastic visuals or Warhawk with its tilt control.
Sony may not have had the best or flashiest showing overall at this year's E3, but the future of the PlayStation family looks extremely bright. The PS2 is going out with a bang, the PSP is rapidly maturing and the PS3 holds a lot of promise. The next year is very likely to be an amazing time for PlayStation gamers.
| The Final Word on PC Dan and the PC team break down the pros and cons of PC's E3 showing. |
| The Final Word on Xbox, 360 Doug's team breaks down the pros and cons of Microsoft's performance. |
| The Final Word on PlayStation Jeremy and the PlayStation team analyze the aftermath of Sony at E3. |
| The Final Word on Wii Matt and co. break down the pros and cons of Wii's performance. |
| The Final Word on Nintendo Handhelds Craig's take on how the Nintendo handheld market fared at this year's expo. |
| The Final Word on Wireless Levi lays it all out on the performance of wireless at the big show. |