Sony's David Reeves Comments by Ellie Gibson

It's the recession innit so people don't want to be spending £300 on a games console when they can pay half the price for a competitor's system and play 90% of the same games on it. It's as simple as that.

Sony need to drop the PS3 to below the "magic" £200 price point if they want sales to pick up. In the current economic climate it doesn't really make much sense to be selling your console at twice the price of your competitors. Sony need to be more competitive even if it means taking losses in the short term.

Sometimes, it's really like Ellie takes the questions out of my head and asks them. She's like a psychic Paxman with nicer hair.

Also, "Heavy Rain is a good example. That will be, de facto, an exclusive; we haven't just given them a paper bag full of cash, we've built up a solid, long-term relationship."

So now it's a CONFIRMED FACT- They gave Konami a paper bag full of cash to keep MGS4 exclusive*

*May be a complete lie I made up based on twisting his words

But there are people who come in having done their research, thinking, 'PS3 has got all the games, it's free to go online, it's got a Blu-ray player. I know I'm not going to have to ring up the customer careline saying I've got three red lights.'

Harsh but fair.

Good interview although I cannot remember Eurogamer ever giving Microsoft such a grilling.

Nice grilling article there, I like.

More of this and less "celebrity" nonsense please.

Yeah really good interview - especially liked the question on why it costs more for a download than it does for a retail copy, shame Reeves skipped the question though...

Get Ellie to do the next Age of Conan interview please kthxbye

David Reeves: It's still possible, but it's going to be later rather than sooner.

Eurogamer: Not this year, then?

David Reeves: No, I'm not saying that. You didn't give me your timeline - whether it's minutes, weeks, months or years...

Eurogamer: Is it minutes, weeks, months or years?

David Reeves: There is no timeframe.

LAWL

Great interview, some tough questions asked which he appeared to struggle with (or basically ignore!)

Loved the "I heard some kind in GAME say..." bit, some proper market research there!

Why did you ask him questions in relation the US/NPD figures? That makes no sense. He's here for Europe where things are much closer. That's just ridiculous.

I'm going to ask the Sony US man about the Sony Japan figures in how the consoles doing in the US? Get a clue! And they've never grilled Microsoft like this.

"I was not aware of that... How do we anticipate how much the retail trade is going to discount? That's an art, not a science. It may be that we have to have differential pricing. "

Endwar at £39.99? Since when has the RRP been almost £40 for ANY PSP game? Try again.

I should point out, other than that wrong use of the statistics, it was a good interview. Asking the hard questions, even if the guy dodges them, is most welcome. I'd like to see the same with Nintendo ("Why are most of your games wank and the VC criminally missing some console classics? Are you going to update the Mii channel? Or Update anything?!) and Microsoft (Whats the fail rate now? When can we guarantee Jaspers for everyone? How much is exclusivity costing you?) for a good new years grilling.

Surprisingly good answers with minimal bashing. Great questions too!

I wish EUROgamer would live up to their name and finally ask the question about the unavailability of the Playstation Store in most of Europe...

You see, Europe isn't only UK.

brilliant. i look forward to some MS comments or MS execs interviews.

I imagine it must be quite uncomfortable at Sony right now as they are not used to losing.

Last year I could think of £300 of a reasonable price however this year its a fortune.

Good interview. Nice to see a gaming industry executive not acting like an adolescent twat for a change.

Economic recession in the world, right? Still, didn't the MS X360 division post a profit? (Wii division surely did.)

This guy seems to be Sony's Prime BS Guy That Can Still Look Sensible.
He was asked about numbers GTA4 sales in the US. He ignored that and went on to talk about sales in Europe. He didn't give any figures. Can we get the figures and view them alongside what he said?

He was also just talking out of his backend about iTunes and boxed products. Boxed products 'normally' lift up the price of the comparable digital version. Not the other way around.

But there are people who come in having done their research, thinking, 'PS3 has got all the games, it's free to go online, it's got a Blu-ray player. I know I'm not going to have to ring up the customer careline saying I've got three red lights.'

Right. If I had done the research I would probably just go for a PC. PS3 does not have all the games, the PS3 game library is smaller than the X360's - fact. However, there are many good recent multi-platform games.
Free online. Good.
Blu-Ray player. Good. If I was interested in Blu-Ray movies and if I had a HD TV. Which would probably be unlikely with the groups of people he pointed out in the start of the article.
He also takes a cheapshot at the X360. Anyone with any knowledge would know that the RROD problems are now quite alot fewer and far between, especially with the new Jasper machines. Someone who would ahve done their research, as he puts it, would also know that.

A stellar interview. Reeves was evasive, but seemingly very honest, even though the questions were tough. Perhaps SCEE aren't doing so bad?

"But there are people who come in having done their research, thinking, 'PS3 has got all the games, it's free to go online, it's got a Blu-ray player. I know I'm not going to have to ring up the customer careline saying I've got three red lights.'

But I WILL have to call them if I get a the ol' blinking yellow/red light combo...

good interview, but on that Game store question... Consumers are idiots and they don't research shit, they go in an buy either the Wii, because their kids/mates have it and they want it. or the Xbox because it's cheap and has all the games anyway. (well, apart from a couple that is). Just today I had a colleague at work banging on about that he bought a PS3 for his son (who turns 6 in a couple of weeks... yeah). this bloke thinks he's always right but when I told him that the PS3 had no backward compatibility he turned slightly purple... hm, that's the research out the window then ey.

Sony have to lower the price, otherwise they are not going to break even anytime soon, or make a profit.

Good interview, Ellie gave ol' Reeves a bit of a grilling and he held his own pretty well considering.

To be honest, i think sony (europe at least) are happy with their progress, and while not as great as their competitors the number 1 aim in business is to turn a profit and have a solid business model which they seem to be achieving, Obviously once this financial year is over, and they are profitable, you can expect them to start upping the pressure on their competitors.

Also he didn't act like a twat as i have become so accustomed to all the consoles execs acting, so +100 points.

actually i am surprised i just wrote all that... times must be changing indeed!

That was pretty good, and some decent questions that I think have been swirling round many people's heads of late. But there was too much evasion, when he disagreed with quoted figures he (or the PR person with him) didn't counter with any figures from Sony, and there were a couple of answers that were absolute bollocks. The comment about 'hearing' someone in Game buying a PS3 'because it has Home on it and I've heard of that' - rubbish. Doesn't sound even slightly believable. Also the answer about the iPhone - that didn't make sense at all.

But generally OK.

"You talked about people going into stores - I've heard people in GAME say, "But this one's got Home. I've heard of that, I'll buy that." I don't know how many people buy PS3 because of Home, but I'd like to think it's a lot."

I seriously doubt anyone would buy a PS3 for home.

Nice interview though, pretty civilized altogether. Would have liked more of a kicking on PSN or it's lacking support here though.

"David Reeves: In March 2008, we were a long way ahead of Microsoft. We launched PS3 six months later [in Europe] than the US, we launched 18 months later than Xbox 360 and we were beating Microsoft in terms of installed base - so that came true."

Genius.

Good interview overall, as usual form Ellie.

I wish she had asked the question specifically about EndWar. £40 is incomprehensible. Is it Sony or Ubi that's driving that price point?

"I don't know how many people buy PS3 because of Home, but I'd like to think there's a lot of barefaced moronic suckers in the world."

"Endwar at £39.99? Since when has the RRP been almost £40 for ANY PSP game? Try again. "

Very expensive and over-priced, but Sony don't set the prices for 3rd party content, it's the publishers who set the prices. Perhaps your point should be aimed at Ubisoft not Reeves and SCEE.

" I don't know how many people buy PS3 because of Home"

I'll take a wild stab in the dark and and go with no one.

" but I'd like to think it's a lot."

LOL

Spekingur, someone who did their research would merely have a look at the RROD thread on the forums here to know the problem is still prevalent.

Decent interview with some honest answers at least implied by Mr Reeves. Sony need more like him and Yamada and fewer like Kaz.

"Straws! Lovely straws! How short and slightly out of reach you are! Yet, grab at them I must!"

Sony do still have some arguments on PS3 - yes, it's more powerful and yes it plays Blu-Ray. But how many people who don't read Eurogamer every day know about the red ring of death? Microsoft have done an amazing job of keeping that PR disaster quiet. In the meantime, Sony did far too little, far too late to make their latest console a success and now they might be living on borrowed time.

Sony's steadfast refusal to drop the price of the PS3 is insane. They're like a kamikaze pilot, flying to their doom.

I said this before, and I'll say it again. Reduce the price to £200 and I will buy. And so will millions of others. Carry on down this path, and you'll end up as the next Matsui. Or even the new Amstrad.

With people getting shitcanned left, right and centre, you'd have to mentally ill not to drop the price.

I've said this before but it goes ignored everytime, next time EG have an interview with a Sony exec please give us prior warning. I'm sure there are a lot of questions PS3/PSP owners want answered and most of them have little to do with console wars shit. Would like to see the distinct lack of communication with SCEE addressed for a start. PSN cards? Games on US store, not on the Euro store? Virtual region locking of Home? That interview told me little.

I really hope they do put a bit of focus into Mr PSP too. Its not just all about the PS3.

I like the fact that Sony gain exclusives by good relations rather than cash. unlike some other company.

Yes, they are quite angelic, as mega-corps go ;)

but we've got blu ray and free online.................
but we've got blu ray and free online.................
but we've got blu ray and free online.................
but we've got blu ray and free online.................
but we've got blu ray and free online.................

Could Eurogamer be anymore hostile !!! Wow

Sony's refusal to drop the price to GBP200/€300 really surprises me. They invest serious money in games like KZ2 and LBP but then hinder proper sales of those titles by building a wall in front of their potential customers - the current price of the system simply doesn't work. It must be extremely frustrating for devs like Guerilla to release a game that many people won't be able to buy/play because Sony refuses to do now what they're sooner or later will have to do anyway.

'David Reeves: I was not aware of that... How do we anticipate how much the retail trade is going to discount? That's an art, not a science. It may be that we have to have differential pricing. '

Try going into shop dude:)

"Spekingur, someone who did their research would merely have a look at the RROD thread on the forums here to know the problem is still prevalent."

Err...no. It's hardly as active as it used to be and remains mostly dormant. You should ask psycho as he's the only one that keeps a cross forum record of all machines declared dead.

Which part of "the industry isn't recession proof" did some of you not understand? The price will drop with the lowering of manufacturing costs. And no company would jeopardise their current sales by projecting their pricing strategy just because of a little internet anxiety.

Hey Evil,

'I like the fact that Sony gain exclusives by good relations rather than cash. unlike some other company.'

Yes, I see what you mean, I consider the Kaz interview the epitome of good relations. LOL

"We don't provide the 'easy to program for' console that [developers] want, because 'easy to program for' means that anybody will be able to take advantage of pretty much what the hardware can do, so then the question is what do you do for the rest of the nine-and-a-half years?" explained Hirai.

"But how many people who don't read Eurogamer every day know about the red ring of death?"

Well, 60% of customers in the first year as I read it (I own a 360 - my third - and like it very much, so don't let your head explode).


Anyway, good interview I thought. Some tough questions, met with some relatively candid answers (quite honet commentary about console pricing and not being able to afford some paid-for exclusives).

No doubt this thread will decend into childish nonsense, and then we will wonder why interviewees in the future aren't as frank.

Xerx3s, next you'll be telling me that the rate of failures is acceptable...

:)

"Could Eurogamer be anymore hostile !!! Wow"

Nothing wrong with strong questioning, so long as it is applied evenly to all comers.

"Xerx3s, next you'll be telling me that the rate of failures is acceptable..."

Thats just a strawman.

The initial failure rate WAS unacceptable.
The current failure rate is NOW much reduced.

** sigmagoat
Could Eurogamer be anymore hostile !!! Wow

****


Thats exactly how that interview came across to me.

I have to say I really cant see the PS3 being a 10 year machine TBH. Unless they mean that it will be around for that long and co exist with the next Sony console whenever that may be released.

I guess if we are to believe all this about it being practically untapped in terms of power then perhaps it could be but I dont really see any evidence of that right now. Its a great machine and Im glad Ive got one but Im not convinced its got any more metal than my 360.

We'll see I guess but I wont hold my breath........

that was a decent read. its good but did feel the questions was well tough he would say 1 thing then next question would question him on what he said seconds before like about K.H being ignorant .

and another thing i noticed was he wasnt securing anything down with dates which should keep the hype train from speeding up again.

and anything he didnt know he didnt know which was nice he didnt make up stuff or fact or dates for it he was honest

he was very fair in my veiw he did have small pops at MS red light comment was in there but then again thats a fact you can comment on because it is true didnt seem to go over the top.

i think coming months ps3 may just improve a tiny bit more im still happy with my machine and the way it's run then again im 1 of very few ps3 owners that doesn't demand way to much or get sucked into the hype of everything.

nice read it was tough but the questions were what we all needed to hear and he answered them very honest and very mature.

nice 1 ellie.

360s new rrod shocker

I hope not!!! (although my sons did have this problem, but none since MS fixed it)