14 DAY TRIAL // This is definitely one of the best Jack Tretton interviews we've heard in a while, as the President and CEO of Sony Computer Entertainment America (SCEA) dishes out some interesting and optimistic prospects, as far as the PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 2 are concerned. Worth noting right from the start is that Tretton still believes in outrunning the competition within the 10 year-life cycle, as far as the PS3 is concerned, while Sony is expecting even higher demand for PS2 units this year than in 2006.
The interview up on msnbc.msn.com reveals that Tretton is confident in the PS3's success, since this is not the first time Sony opted for the long run. This time however, Sony is looking at ten years worth of PS3 fuss. And, without any platform exclusives, not even the best developed console can make it in the wild. But wait! Who said the PS3 didn't have some exclusives lined up for it?
"We've got 19 exclusives, and again, I think that's something that's a pretty amazing feat in the first year of a platform's lifecycle" reckons Tretton. "And they're not just games that are exclusive for the sake of exclusivity, they're games that are built and differentiated for the PlayStation 3 and just couldn't be done on any other platform."
They just love showing off that fancy PS3 don't they...? Eh well, let's just leave it at that for now, since this is the first time in ages a Sony President touches this many topics. As for big titles such as Metal Gear, God of War and Final Fantasy, which are due out next year, Tretton feels it's not exactly bad they couldn't be launched any sooner:
"The beauty of this business is that it isn't all about one day, it isn't all about one title, or one month. I think there's a tremendous amount of software for the holiday season - 160 games coming out on PS3 alone for this holiday, on top of the 200 games that have already been out there, so there's more than enough great software for consumers to sink their teeth in for the holidays. [...] there's some absolute blockbusters coming post-Christmas. So, hopefully, a lot of people go out and buy the hardware and enjoy the great software that's available for this holiday - but I think they also have some great software to look forward to in the first quarter of 2008."
So they'll be out after Christmas and during 2008, so what? It's still part of the life cycle and if gamers know what's good for them, they'll get a PS3 early enough to enjoy a title as soon as it hits the market. That's the bottom line here really, so let's just hope Sony produces the promised goods.