Thu, Oct 06, 2011 | 22:39 BST
Sony: Not everyone’s ready for a digital-only console
SCE Europe boss Jim Ryan and Worldwide Studios head Shuhei Yoshida have said the world isn’t ready for a universal, digital only console.
“We believe, for some consumers, the time is [right], but for other consumers, the time is still not [right],” Yoshida told EDGE, discussing the Vita’s hybrid capacities.
“So we believe the time is still not right to go download-only as a platform.”
Ryan’s clarification was more straight forward:
“There are consumers in parts of the world – this is a global device – where the digital model has not yet fully been embraced,” he said.
“Some PS Vita titles, like Uncharted: Golden Abyss, will be close to 4GB in size, which could be too large to download for consumers who do not have a fast broadband connection,” Yoshida added.
“Also, some consumers like shopping in retail stores, talking to knowledgeable store clerks, buying and playing games on the spot. We do not want to remove that capability from consumers.”
The Vita will offer day-and-date digital and physical releases on first party games, using a proprietary memory format. It debuts in Japan in December and is expected internationally in early 2012.
6 comments
#1
CycloneFox
06/10/11, 10:46 pm
Even though i sometimes prefer a digital download, I want some box for my shelf in the living room!
Also it’s important to have retailer shops you can actually go to in the city.
Another important aspect for gamers is the second-hand market. I wouldn’t have half as much games if i always had to pay the original price. It’s not something the publishers want to hear. But there are games you are really itnerested in, where love to spend 60-70$/€ for and games where you are not too sure and might want to wait for cheaper prices.
#2
sg1974
06/10/11, 11:23 pm
Exactly. Which is why I still buy CDs, DVDs/BDs and these things called books. I love them. I can see them. I can touch them. They are mine until I want to sell them or give them away.
Whenever someone claims I’m a luddite, I remind them of the true story of Amazon remotely deleting a book from every Kindle in the world whose owner had bought it after a dispute with the publisher. The supreme irony: it was ’1984′.
#3
Cygnar
07/10/11, 2:16 am
The price of physical media is, as always, convenience. Remember that today’s PSP Go users do not have to carry any media with them to have access to all their games, and will be able to use nearly all of them on the Vita. It is in no way certain that Vita game cards will work on the next system after that, so I’m skeptical about sticking with physical media.
#4
ultramega
07/10/11, 7:27 am
Fully agreed. So glad they didn’t go with a digital-only system.
#5
mojo
07/10/11, 10:15 am
great!
i want my full price retail games coming in a box on physical media.
Otherwise i dont buy. simple as that.
i dont have a problem with a 10 Euro PSN game. but a full prize retail game for 60 Euros i surely wont buy in digital only form.
and if its only for lending it to my friend.
#6
DaMan
09/10/11, 9:06 pm
#2 That’s a moot point and an irrelevant example. Games aren’t movies, music or books, with the former you have say, an avi file which can be played on any viable platform for as long as you want, with the game you have a disc with data which allows you to run a program. Not to mention multiplayer ones read a lot of it’s data from a server. The moment console or service for which that game was made for gets discontinued you can’t do it anymore.