In a translation by Core Magazine, SCE overlord Ken Kutaragi answered the questions of the assembled press, addressing all things PlayStation 2 broadband. Here are some of the juiciest snippets.
When asked what games will be available to players when the service goes online in May, Kutaragi said, “One of the first titles available for the network will be Square's RPG 'Final Fantasy XI.' It's up to third party developers to decide the release dates for their own titles. Certainly the number of games supported will grow from May onward,” a comment that doesn’t instil a great deal of confidence. It seems likely that Japanese gamers will have to wait longer than expected to play anything other than Final Fantasy XI online. Not that that should be too much of a worry to them.
When quizzed on the expected usage for the system and possible technical problems with broadband services, the Sony chief said, “Ideally, our goal is to have every PlayStation 2 owner utilise the network. However, we realise the spread of an online service can take time. For example, it took six months before there were 1 million i-mode subscribers. We anticipate a low level of acceptance for the network at the beginning, but that will gradually increase.” Addressing possible technical issues such as bottlenecking of data, he said, “Bottlenecks really depend on the infrastructure and the hardware being used, but as the network spreads, we anticipate some strain on the server side. We're already working with IBM and Toshiba to alleviate those potential problems.”
Kutaragi was then asked his thoughts on the Xbox and the potential threat it posed. His answer certainly raised a few eyebrows. “Microsoft has made it clear that they plan to pursue a broadband network for the Xbox. Rather than a threat, we view them as partners progressing towards a similar goal. Albeit separate, we're happy to be heading the same direction at the same time.” Interesting, eh? Does this olive branch of an answer hint at possible cross-platform gaming partnerships with Microsoft? We will have to wait and see…
When asked what games will be available to players when the service goes online in May, Kutaragi said, “One of the first titles available for the network will be Square's RPG 'Final Fantasy XI.' It's up to third party developers to decide the release dates for their own titles. Certainly the number of games supported will grow from May onward,” a comment that doesn’t instil a great deal of confidence. It seems likely that Japanese gamers will have to wait longer than expected to play anything other than Final Fantasy XI online. Not that that should be too much of a worry to them.
When quizzed on the expected usage for the system and possible technical problems with broadband services, the Sony chief said, “Ideally, our goal is to have every PlayStation 2 owner utilise the network. However, we realise the spread of an online service can take time. For example, it took six months before there were 1 million i-mode subscribers. We anticipate a low level of acceptance for the network at the beginning, but that will gradually increase.” Addressing possible technical issues such as bottlenecking of data, he said, “Bottlenecks really depend on the infrastructure and the hardware being used, but as the network spreads, we anticipate some strain on the server side. We're already working with IBM and Toshiba to alleviate those potential problems.”
Kutaragi was then asked his thoughts on the Xbox and the potential threat it posed. His answer certainly raised a few eyebrows. “Microsoft has made it clear that they plan to pursue a broadband network for the Xbox. Rather than a threat, we view them as partners progressing towards a similar goal. Albeit separate, we're happy to be heading the same direction at the same time.” Interesting, eh? Does this olive branch of an answer hint at possible cross-platform gaming partnerships with Microsoft? We will have to wait and see…
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