成人快手

A whole new world?

• Darren Waters
• 7 Mar 07, 09:37 PM

The great things about video games is that it is perhaps the only creative art form that continues to push the boundaries that define it.

At the Sony press conference today the firm unveiled a title being developed by a new company called Media Molecule.

Its first proper title LittleBigPlanet is perhaps one of the most dazzling demos I've seen in the last 10 years.

The concept is simple - build your own levels/worlds with a very simple tool set and with extremely cute characters and then play in that world and share it with others online.

It has been done before but never with such panache, never with such charisma and such ingenuity.

The game has a visceral feel - thanks to a great physics engine - and it also has an abundance of character.

Sony has a huge hit on its hands here although frustratingly it won't be available until the Autumn - and then only in demo form on the PlayStation network.

I'm guessing that Sony wanted to get something of the game into the hands of users as soon as possible.

The response to the game in the conference hall was ecstatic - this is an industry that has "seen it all before" but many left with the sense that LittleBigPlanet was something special.

The community aspect of the game is also interesting - users can comment, favourite and play other gamers' levels.

It taps into the vision Sony has of community experiences through gaming - a service they are calling 成人快手.

Essentially it is Second Life meets video games - but more importantly it differentiates Sony's online offering from Microsoft's.

It is three dimensional, interactive and incorporates social networking functionality.

After seeing a demo of 成人快手, I have to say that Xbox Live now looks a little last generation.

Has Sony pulled a rabbit out of its hat?

Possibly. Now if only they could make the machine more affordable.

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Has Sony lost its way?

• Darren Waters
• 7 Mar 07, 05:15 AM

Phil Harrison, Sony's head of worldwide studios, has just delivered a press conference ahead of his keynote session at the GDC on Wednesday.

I can't tell you what he said because everyone had to sign a non-disclosure agreement which holds until tomorrow.

Bonkers? Welcome to Sony's world.

Much of the talk here before the press conference was about a new PlayStation 3 feature Harrison was expected to reveal and whether or not it can lift what has been a pretty moribund launch period for Sony.

Sony's point of view of course is quite different - they would argue that the console was a launch smash hit, that it had a great reception from fans, and is the best piece of gaming hardware in history.

But most neutral observers would agree that the launch of PS3 has been somewhat flat and more worryingly believe that if Sony does not get its act together soon it could be in danger of losing its position as the console king.

So what are the problems?

The company's inability to deliver on its promises is well documented. The PS3 was over-hyped and talk of a global, simultaneous roll out and of the HD era "starting when we say so" made the company look a little arrogant.

But once the machine was out of the factory and in the shops many felt that the natural order of things would see Sony once again dominating the industry.

But the firm continues to stumble.

The launch line-up of games has been average, and key titles are still on the distant horizon.
Europes look to have been treated shabbily and the company has even been falling out with its own core audience.

Sony also faces competition from a rejuvenated Nintendo and a slick Microsoft. It is all so different from the 1990s when the market was in a fractured state and ripe for the taking.

Recently Sony Computer Entertainment America and enormously popular blog because the website printed a rumour that Sony didn't want published.

Sony threatened to black ball the site but quickly relented once they realised what fools they were looking and the negative press it was garnering.

The company also took a big hit when the pricing for Europe was announced. Everyone had been expecting a figure of 拢425 but once confirmed the figure seemed more real, and just, well, expensive.

Two weeks ago when Sony issued information about the of the PS3 in Europe the press release made it sound as though Europeans were being handed some hobbled piece of vapourware.

The release said: "Rather than concentrate on PS2 backwards compatibility, in the future, company resources will be increasingly focused on developing new games and entertainment features exclusively for PS3, truly taking advantage of this exciting technology."

Er...what?

Perhaps they ought to have pointed out that more than 1,000 PS2 titles will be able to be played on the PS3. Surely that's good news and not the management speak which seemed to be trying to hide really bad news?

The biggest issue Sony faces is a creeping apathy that is surrounding the firm. Even if things are not all that bad, there is a perception taking root that the company is in trouble.

And the sad thing is that the PlayStation 3 itself is a really great machine - or at least it will be once Sony stops rolling out updates that it should have incorporated into the machine at launch.

Can Sony stop the rot? Is it game over?

Hardly.

Christmas 2007 will be a bloody battleground. Microsoft can afford to cut the price of Xbox 360 further and while a price cut for PS3 is inevitable, Sony does not have the deep pockets of its competitor from Redmond.

Can Xbox 360 stay ahead of the pack? Can Nintendo's Wii prove to be more than just a party game? And will Sony recover its position?

I'll get back to you.

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