According to Sony, it did not take its cue for including motion-sensing technology in its revised PlayStation 3 controller from Nintendo, so says Sony Europe executive Phil Harrison. In an interview published by German news outlet Spiegel, Harrison refutes claims and the widely held suspicion that the new design looked to directly steal away some of Nintendo's thunder.
"In a way I understand why people say [we copied Nintendo], but it is a little stupid, if you forgive the phrase. When we brought the PlayStation to the market in 1994, we introduced real-time 3D graphics for the first time. When Nintendo launched its N64 in 1996 it also had 3D graphics, did we say, "Nintendo stole our idea?" Of course not. Such innovations become possible because of a combination of technology, cost and manufacture capacities." Though of course, the idea of playing games in 3D had existed for a long time in the arcades. The idea of controlling games with a motion sensor has not. So the analogy is somewhat flawed.
Harrison continued, "We've been working on [a motion-sensing controller] for a long time and Nintendo has certainly been working on something similar. The difference between our strategy and that of our competition is that our controller is still similar to the Dual Shock, the industry standard controller. I estimate that nearly 400 million Dual Shock controllers have been sold worldwide."
And on its deployment, Harrison makes a bold claim, stating all PlayStation 3 software will make use of the motion-sensing tech. "...all games will use the motion sensor somehow. If you play a platform or soccer game now, you will move the controller. Now for the first time we can use both the primary input, executed by the analog sticks, and at the same time use the movements that the player makes as a secondary input. That is an important advantage, which only the PlayStation controller has."
"In a way I understand why people say [we copied Nintendo], but it is a little stupid, if you forgive the phrase. When we brought the PlayStation to the market in 1994, we introduced real-time 3D graphics for the first time. When Nintendo launched its N64 in 1996 it also had 3D graphics, did we say, "Nintendo stole our idea?" Of course not. Such innovations become possible because of a combination of technology, cost and manufacture capacities." Though of course, the idea of playing games in 3D had existed for a long time in the arcades. The idea of controlling games with a motion sensor has not. So the analogy is somewhat flawed.
Harrison continued, "We've been working on [a motion-sensing controller] for a long time and Nintendo has certainly been working on something similar. The difference between our strategy and that of our competition is that our controller is still similar to the Dual Shock, the industry standard controller. I estimate that nearly 400 million Dual Shock controllers have been sold worldwide."
And on its deployment, Harrison makes a bold claim, stating all PlayStation 3 software will make use of the motion-sensing tech. "...all games will use the motion sensor somehow. If you play a platform or soccer game now, you will move the controller. Now for the first time we can use both the primary input, executed by the analog sticks, and at the same time use the movements that the player makes as a secondary input. That is an important advantage, which only the PlayStation controller has."
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Comments
Snrub 1 Jun 2006 11:10
1/13
Well, for one, Sony didn't introduce real-time 3D graphics. Not even in consoles. Starfox and the Super FX chip came out well before the PSX. Hell, even the Saturn was launched before the Playstation. Not to mention the numerous arcade games with 3D graphics that were floating around. The countless 3D PC games...
In fact, that single statement has me so angry I could fart.
In fact, that single statement has me so angry I could fart.
BeeT 1 Jun 2006 11:19
2/13
Meh, the whole 3D thing statement is a bit dodgy (I think he could have used a better analogy where other companies have used an idea first seen on a Sony console) but I seriously doubt Sony did steal the idea for a motion sensor off Ninty. They are very different devices and there's lots of proof stating the fact that SOny have been meaning to bring in motion tech with the PS3.
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thane_jaw 1 Jun 2006 11:24
3/13
ho ho ho, if Sony really were working on the controller for a long time then why haven't they been able to include rumble?
Immersion says they can do it, they even offered to show Sony how. Guess those pesky Sony execs don't want to start paying royalties. Especially not to something MS part owns.
"...all games will use the motion sensor somehow."
Cool, now I can fly around my menus. Or perhaps all games are now required to have motion sensor minigames. How they are going to get it into sports games is beyond me. Certainly I'll be interested to see how cross platform games make use of it (because I think I smell a big pile of donkey poo), is developing an entire new control method for the PS3 cost affective?
ann0uk 1 Jun 2006 11:49
4/13
This Harrison guy is full of PR and marketing s**t, he is just saying those things because he gets paid a lot of money.
Like the other guy from the Sony conference, when asked how long they had been working on the motion sensing device he said that it has taken some time for R&D to realise Katuragi's dream. Utter bullshit.
Katuragi is a smug little man.
Like the other guy from the Sony conference, when asked how long they had been working on the motion sensing device he said that it has taken some time for R&D to realise Katuragi's dream. Utter bullshit.
Katuragi is a smug little man.
ozfunghi 1 Jun 2006 13:00
5/13
Starwing on SNES, nice try Phill, case closed, thanks & goodbye.
PS: warhawk team, as only team, got 2 weeks to implement the motionfeature before E3... sure, we all believe you that you didn't copy Nintendo. Go to hell sony.
PS: warhawk team, as only team, got 2 weeks to implement the motionfeature before E3... sure, we all believe you that you didn't copy Nintendo. Go to hell sony.
SorelissLarethian 1 Jun 2006 13:05
6/13
"When we brought the PlayStation to the market in 1994, we introduced real-time 3D graphics for the first time. When Nintendo launched its N64 in 1996 it also had 3D graphics, did we say, "Nintendo stole our idea?" Of course not."
HAR HAR *AND* HAR what absolute crap for an argument :) previous consoles had 3d pcs had 3d and 3d was not introduced by sony in any way :)
If you think of it .. with this statement.. they claim 3d to be their invention?????
How low can they go????
HAR HAR *AND* HAR what absolute crap for an argument :) previous consoles had 3d pcs had 3d and 3d was not introduced by sony in any way :)
If you think of it .. with this statement.. they claim 3d to be their invention?????
How low can they go????
phoo 1 Jun 2006 13:19
7/13
You know it's funny ytou should say that; do you think, you know, if hell were real, that Phil Harrison might qualify? I mean, he didn't kill anyone, but by his own admission his sin is multiplied 400,000,000 times.
I think it's funny he should reference 3D. Particularly as Sony and Nintendo's 3D dream was shared when they started the project together.
More importantly I'd point out that Analogue thumbsticks and controller rumble were both features Nintendo DID introduce into the mass market, which appeared on Playstation about 2 months later. Coincidence?
Sure they may have been working on motion tech, but they clearly weren't planning on using it first, because that would require imagination. And balls. Which they don't have. They do have Gaul. And s**t. Lots of s**t.
Does anyone else think Sony treat controllers the same way Microsoft treats operatingn systems. And Nintendo's Apple? It's apple's time right now.
I think it's funny he should reference 3D. Particularly as Sony and Nintendo's 3D dream was shared when they started the project together.
More importantly I'd point out that Analogue thumbsticks and controller rumble were both features Nintendo DID introduce into the mass market, which appeared on Playstation about 2 months later. Coincidence?
Sure they may have been working on motion tech, but they clearly weren't planning on using it first, because that would require imagination. And balls. Which they don't have. They do have Gaul. And s**t. Lots of s**t.
Does anyone else think Sony treat controllers the same way Microsoft treats operatingn systems. And Nintendo's Apple? It's apple's time right now.
thane_jaw 1 Jun 2006 13:40
8/13
SorelissLarethian wrote:
If you think of it .. with this statement.. they claim 3d to be their invention?????
You forget that the PS3 is bringing us 4d, that I'm psyked about - lets see Ninty or MS try and rip that one off!
Monkton 1 Jun 2006 13:56
9/13
There's more chance of Al Gore inventing the internet than there is Sony inventing 3D.
LUPOS 1 Jun 2006 15:54
10/13
Monkton wrote:
There's more chance of Al Gore inventing the internet than there is Sony inventing 3D.
this always bugs me... the man help in the creation of the interent by sponsoring bills to fund the project. read:"the Gore act"
read all about it
and to be clear on the argument... i dont think sony are thieves... motion sensing is not nintendos idea... i do however think sony are followers like they have always been... look and see what did and didnt work for others and then copy... its not an admirable strategy but its a workable strategy. Look at windows and even apple, those poor guys at xerox must kick themselves every day.
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saurian 1 Jun 2006 17:10
11/13
AND in the second part og the interview, they explain how they did not copy Xbox live.
soanso 1 Jun 2006 20:44
12/13
you can thank Sega for 3d in games.
Sure nintendo brought out the super fx chip and there was a million and one pc games that were 3d.
But Sega put it in arcade games and sold millions through their Virtua games.
I'd argue that Sega made it mass market, because the pc games to that point were pretty much all sims. Not fighting and racing games.
I really don't like the idea of using a tilt controller for football games, or pretty much anything else.
I'm not so keen on the Wii controller for footballe games either. It'd be alright if you had to use the motino part to simple sidestep round you opponent while you're running. kind of like the other stick does in the last fifa games.
But it never worked very well in those did it!
Sure nintendo brought out the super fx chip and there was a million and one pc games that were 3d.
But Sega put it in arcade games and sold millions through their Virtua games.
I'd argue that Sega made it mass market, because the pc games to that point were pretty much all sims. Not fighting and racing games.
I really don't like the idea of using a tilt controller for football games, or pretty much anything else.
I'm not so keen on the Wii controller for footballe games either. It'd be alright if you had to use the motino part to simple sidestep round you opponent while you're running. kind of like the other stick does in the last fifa games.
But it never worked very well in those did it!
LUPOS 1 Jun 2006 22:04
13/13
soanso wrote:
I really don't like the idea of using a tilt controller for football games, or pretty much anything else.
a fairly insightfull and reasonable list of potentialy good uses for the controller(fooball included).
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