Does anyone else feel as though Sony has finally gone on the offensive for once this generation? The past couple of years have usually consisted of Sony being dragged through the mud for its decisions and financial situations, but it seems those tides are starting to fully turn and Sony is doing what it can to help it.
Speaking with IndustryGamers, Rob Dyer, SCEA’s VP of Publisher Relations makes the claim that Sony’s motion controller set to release this Fall is easier to develop for than Natal; and thus, will result in more games for PlayStation owners everywhere.
“From a third-party perspective it’s easier to develop for, you can use the same code base that you currently use for PS3 or 360 or even the Wii in order to get a motion controller game out. You can’t do that with Natal. You have to have a completely separate code base and my feeling is that we’re going to have a lot more games, a lot more innovation – particularly with the camera and the precision – versus what you’ll have with Natal or the Wii. We can all sit around here and debate that… but the fact is I’m not having any trouble getting third-party support.”
And for those of you concerned that your console of choice will be overran with garbage shovelware like another console’s library consists of — you can relax. Dyer made sure to cover that subject as well.
“I can assure you that’s not what you’re going to see. The fact that we use a camera changes everything. I think the press has forgotten that Sony has been using a camera [for a long time]. This is now our second iteration of it. We know what the consumer wants with regards to using a camera and whether they want something in their hands or not. I think Natal will have some great games on that system that’ll work well without implements, and we’re going to have what we think are better games because we have a lot more learning from [the camera]. We’ve done this for a long time… it’s not our first foray into this business.
We have games that will address both the casual consumer and the core. This is not something we take lightly at all. We’re going to have games coming from third parties that are hardcore games – these are not fluff pieces – which will incorporate the motion controller. Given our tagline ‘It Only Does Everything,’ we feel the motion controller will only expand on that and give the consumer a great experience.”
Whether you want to file this under PR spin or not, it’s good to see Sony making a stand behind its product. Though I’m not sold on the motion technology as a whole (whether it be Wii, Natal or Motion Controller), for those of you who are, it sounds like you have a lot to look forward to.