14 DAY TRIAL // Jack Tretton is all over the news recently, news surrounding the PlayStation 3 of course, since he's the head of Sony Computer Entertainment America (SCEA). A recent interview with the man reveals that SCEA is confident in the PS3's success, since this is not the first time they've opted for the long run. In the same interview however, Tretton shows an optimistic attitude, again, towards the PlayStation brand, encouraging those who can't afford a PS3 to opt for a PS2.
Although Sony is looking at about ten years worth of PS3 fuss, since that's the console's established life cycle, every word coming out of Jack Tretton's mouth within his recent interviews reveal a very bright future for the machine and the company itself. That is, of course if everything they're planning to do turns out fine.
Speaking about the Playstation 3's future, Tretton confidently told MSNBC the following: "We're the only company that's gone out and had 10-year product lifecycles and sold over 100 million units - and we haven't done it once, we've done it twice." Very true. If Sony's right about this ten year life cycle for the PS3, why wouldn't it come on top eventually?
Tretton even explains why they always had their eye on the future when developing the PlauyStation 3, telling the interviewers that "in the case of Microsoft, they've taken the Xbox as far as it could go, and so if they wanted to remain in the business, they had to go back to the drawing board. As for us, we had the luxury of dipping a lot more into the future than maybe our competitors could because of the strength of the PlayStation 2."
Now, if you're looking for a great gameplay experience, no doubt all of the systems out there will provide that for you, whether it's casual play you seek, or hardcore gaming with around 400 games to go around, the Wii and Xbox 360 combined will do the trick. But you can't opt for two consoles in one if you're looking to get the full experience. Or can you...? Tretton thinks you can, by purchasing a PlayStation 2 console, if you don't have enough cash right now for a PS3:
"We realized that not every consumer is going to be ready for what the PlayStation 3 offers in the first year and I don't know that we expect or need them to be ready for it. We need them to be ready for it over the next decade. If price is an issue for consumers, and they want a diverse library and they want a more casual gaming experience, the PlayStation 2 is a great machine that addresses all of the above."
Lots of stuff said about the PS3 didn't exactly prove to be accurate, but as far as the PS2 is concerned, everything you've heard about its success is most likely true, including Tretton's statement above, so go on, get a PS2, it's worth it. This much we know for sure.