The publication is quoting an interview with SCEA senior director John Koller, who said the campaign would be “the largest platform launch in terms of marketing investment we’ve ever had.”

The theme of the campaign will be called Never Stop Playing, aimed at those in their 20s who play games eight hours a week and already own a PS3.

The new ad-run will feature TV spots, billboards, online ads, Twitter and Facebook interaction and more.

PlayStation Vita launches on February 22 in the US and Europe.

In a video posted to the US PS Blog, Guy Longworth, senior VP of PlayStation Brand Marketing, and John Koller, senior director of PlayStation Handhelds, reiterate Sony’s messaging since the system’s reveal last year.

Topics discussed include day-and-date first party digital releases; the system’s bristling array of input devices; social networks and built-in apps; and a lot of other thing I guess, it is twelve minutes long what do you want from me.

The Vita launches in the US and Europe on February 22, and on February 23 in Australia.

Thanks, EvilAvatar.

“If you look at the word-of-mouth factor, it’s really strong because people are bringing it home and really enjoying it,” he told GameSpot at CES. “That satisfaction rate is really high. But also in terms of when we funnel in additional hardware units, that’ll dictate how many sales there are and how many sell through.

“We’re still in the first couple weeks, and we’re trying to get as many units into market as possible. We’re going to give it some time, but overall those numbers have been to forecast.”

First week sales for the handheld in Japan were strong at 321,000 units, but a big drop hit for second week sales with 72,500 units. Third and fourth week sales have been at the 40,000 mark since.

But Koller’s confident that upcoming first- and third-party content coming to Vita in the future will help drive it, beginning with a launch line-up that is aiming to avoid the same mistake that 3DS had with its launch.

“What we really wanted to do, and I think we learned from past, most recent, handheld device launches, is that you don’t want to launch strongly and then go dark for three or four months and have nothing,” he said.

“So in subsequent months for Vita, we have launch, then we have MLB, then we got Mortal Kombat, then Resistance, then Little Big Planet, then Call of Duty, and Assassin’s Creed.”

Vita launches in Europe and the US on February 22. Read our impressions of the hardware here.

Koller called it the “biggest and best lineup” the firm has “ever launched across the history of PlayStation platforms.”

According to the listing, there will be 25 games available on day one, and over 100 games are currently in development for the platform with pricing ranging from $9.99-$49.99 through retail and PSN.

SCEA Launch Day Titles

• Escape Plan (PSN Only)
• Hot Shots Golf: World Invitational
• Hustle Kings (PSN Only)
• Little Deviants
• ModNation Racers: Road Trip
• Super StarDust Delta (PSN only)
• UNCHARTED: Golden Abyss
• wipEout 2048
• Launch Window Titles
• Gravity Rush
• MLB 12 The Show
• Reality Fighters
• Unit 13
• Third Party Publisher Launch Day Titles
• Army Corps of Hell Square Enix, Inc.
• Asphalt Injection Ubisoft, Inc.
• BEN10 GALACTIC RACING D3 Publisher of America
• Blazblue: Continuum Shift EXTEND Aksys Games Localization, Inc.
• Dungeon Hunter Alliance Ubisoft, Inc.
• Dynasty Warriors Next Tecmo Koei America Corporation
• F1 2011 Codemasters
• EA SPORTS FIFA Soccer Electronic Arts, Inc.
• Lumines Electronic Symphony Ubisoft, Inc.
• Michael Jackson The Experience Ubisoft, Inc.
• Plants vs. Zombies (PSN Only) Sony Online Entertainment LLC
• Rayman Origins Ubisoft, Inc.
• Shinobido 2: Revenge of Zen Namco Bandai Games America Inc.
• Tales of Space: Mutant Blobs (PSN Only) Drinkbox Studios
• Touch My Katamari Namco Bandai Games America Inc.
• Ultimate Marvel vs Capcom 3 Capcom Entertainment, Inc.
• Virtua Tennis 4: World Tour Edition Sega of America

Launch Window Titles

• LEGO Harry Potter: Years 5-7 Warner Bros. Interactive Ent. Inc.
• Disgaea 3: Absence of Detention NIS America, Inc.
• NINJA GAIDEN ∑ PLUS Tecmo Koei America Corporation
• Ridge Racer Namco Bandai Games America Inc.
• Silent Hill Book of Memories Konami Digital Ent. America, Inc.
• Supremacy MMA: Unrestricted 505 Games

Sony will also offer a Starter Kit for $39.99 which includes a 4GB Memory Card, Pocket Pouch, Protective Film, Card Case, Headphones, and Cleaning Cloth.

Standalone Memory Cards will start at $19.99.

• 4 GB Memory Card February 15, 2012 $19.99
• 8 GB Memory Card February 15, 2012 $29.99
• 16 GB Memory Card February 15, 2012 $59.99
• 32 GB Memory Card February 15, 2012 $99.99
• Starter Kit with Memory Card February 15, 2012 $39.99
• In-Ear Headset February 15, 2012 $19.99
• Carrying Case February 15, 2012 $19.99
• Travel Pouch February 15, 2012 $19.99
• Protective Film (2 pack) February 15, 2012 $9.99
• Card Case February 15, 2012 $5.99
• Cradle February 15, 2012 $19.99
• Portable Charger Spring 2012 $49.99
• AC Adaptor February 15, 2012 $14.99
• Car Adaptor Spring 2012 $14.99
• USB Cable February 15, 2012 $14.99

Each PS Vita system package comes with six AR Play Cards and one voucher to download AR Play mini games via PSN.  All first-party games along with a selection of accessories and third-party games will be available for purchase a week early on February 15 in conjunction with the availability date of the First Edition PS Vita Bundle.

Vita is out in Japan now, and will release in Europe and Australia on February 22.

Vita launches in the west on February 22.

Speaking with All Things Digital, Koller said initially, Vita was expected to come out before Christmas this year, but the firm delayed its US and European release to make sure there was enough product on the shelves at launch.

“We learned our lesson to make sure you have enough product,” he said, citing that 60% of current PSP owners plan to upgrade to Vita within the next 18 months. According to Sony’s figures, 63% of consoles owners plan on purchasing Vita as well.

Koller also said that missing the holiday season this year won’t be detrimental to the handheld’s launch. He argued that PSP’s March 2005 saw one million units moved in the first week of release, so missing a holiday launch will be inconsequential.

Yesterday, Sony announced a PS Vita First Edition Bundle, which if pre-ordered, will arrive in mailboxes a week before the handheld releases in stores on February 22.

Thanks, IndustryGamers.

Speaking in a developer diary for the handheld, Koller said that while Sony looked at “a really broad range of things,” for Vita, when discussing the final product it wanted Vita to be so markedly different than what mobile is, that Sony “stopped talking about mobile and other portable devices.”

“We left all that in the past,” he said. “[Vita] is kind of superseding the market with an entertainment experience.”

In the video posted below, various folks from Sony Worldwide and Santa Monica Studios chat about the development of the handheld, how it’s as close to having a PS3 in the palm of your hand as possible, how president Shuhei Yoshida evolved the entirety of the development studios in the creation of it, and just how awesome it’s going to be once you get your hands on it.

You can watch the video below, or through the US PS Blog.

Vita launches in the US and Europe on February 22.

“When you look at the type of consumer that’s playing cell phone games currently, it’s someone that enjoys smaller ‘kill time’ gaming and has not gravitated to the larger, richer, deeper experiences that true handheld gaming provides,” Sony’s John Koller told Gamespot.

“We’ve certainly seen that on the PSP, and I know Nintendo has probably commented on it for their products, but as we go toward the PlayStation Vita, I can tell you that as we started looking at that product and the market opportunity several years ago, we saw a real strong demographic for those deeper, richer, console-type experiences.”

The hardware maketing director said the controls which make Vita unique in the portable space set it apart, appealing to both core and casual users.

“That ‘new ways to play’ idea, particularly for Vita, really differentiates from what’s available on mobile phones or tablets and, frankly, what will be available on those platforms over the next three to five years,” he said.

“You’re going to see PS Vita expand what a lot of people believe to be true about handheld gaming, and you’re going to see a lot of those current mobile phone and tablet gamers come over to Vita. We’re very convinced of that.”

Thanks, IndustryGamers.

According to an Exophase report, the recently-released Firmware 3.42 for PlayStation 3 has killed off various homebrew exploits.

The update means PS Jailbreak, PS Groove, PSFreedom and any other exploits won’t work after the latest patch.

Sony released the software update this morning, as confirmed by SCEA’s John Koller on the US PS Blog.

This is a mandatory install, reportedly.

And that’s the end of that, then.

Thanks, Evil Avatar.

SCEA’s John Koller has said PlayStation Move is the number one reason for people to purchase a PS3 for the rest of this year.

In an interview published on Gamespot, Koller says in studies carried out by Sony, the motion controller came out on top for reasons to purchase PS3.

You can watch the eleven minute interview below, in which Koller explains the new device, and how Sony’s hoping it’ll enable people to get off their couch and be more engaged with its games, something he says has never been done properly until now.

PlayStation Move launches on September 17 in the UK, followed by a US release on September 19.

SCEA’s John Koller has said that as far as platform life cycles are concerned, PSP will “absolutely” be around for 10-years.

Speaking with Joystiq in a video interview, Koller said that the handheld sector is a very important, and Sony will be in the business “as long as it’s in thePlayStation business”.

“There is absolutely a 10-year life cycle for PSP, and probably more,” he said. “We’ve talked about ‘We’ll be in the PSP business as long as we’re in the PlayStation business’, because we absolutely believe in handheld.

“Unequivocally we think it’s a fantastic place to be, and I can tell you that I think my group particularly – the hardware group – fully believes in handheld because there’s different demographics that you can touch and bring in to the PlayStation world through it that you may not always be able to do through other avenues.

“You can touch older females, older males, younger children, you can kind of piece all of these different target audiences and demographics under a handheld umbrella much more seamlessly.

“I think it’s a long term opportunity and we will stay in it. Now in terms of where we are in the current life cycle, I think we’re just kind of hitting our stride. We just announced that we hit 60 million units worldwide, which is a very good number for PSP, we’ve got a lot of good development support.

“We always say a platform will turn off when the development spicket turns off. We’ve got 70 games coming this year, we’ve got 70-80 coming next year – it’s just a very healthy platform.

“I don’t think we’d be spending investment to the tune that we are without full belief that this is a go-forward platform.”

Speaking of PSP, rumors before E3 had Sony working on a PSP2 and set for reveal, but SCEE’s Andrew House put those rumors to boot when he spoke to VG247 at the event this week.

He did, however admit that Sony had underestimated gamers’ attachment to physical formats when it came to PSPgo vs PSP.

More through the links.

SCEA’s John Koller has explained to D’toid why Sony believes Move is better than Natal, and what it has in store for attendees at E3.

Speaking with the site at the Move event during GDC, Koller also explained why Sony chose the name Move for the controller.

“[Move] is better than Natal for a few reasons, but the biggest reason is what we call draw distance,” he said. “What Natal has is very XY, you’re playing in this realm [waves hands]. So for games that are shooters, or golf, or sports, if you draw back away from their camera you loose precision.

“The sphere that’s read by the camera, is very precise so every move you make, many feet beyond the camera, allows it to track. The fact that you can use the camera and the motion controller provides not only tactile experience, but the camera can pick up both audibly and visually.

“So, more to come on that too”.

As far as shifting from Arc or Gem for the controller’s name, Koller said that it came down to recognition at retail.

“We wanted a name that people could read at retail and understand what it is immediately,” he offered.”I think that there has been this idea of what motion control is, with what Wii has established, and we want to be very different.

“The name needs to connote that you are actually getting off of the couch instead of sitting there kind of moving a hand back and forth”.

As far as the color scheme for the controller, different colors demote different players when playing multiplayer, said Koller. Four peope can play at the same time with different color read outs on the screen, and there is even the possibility that your controller could turn red if you were low on health while playing a game such as a first-person shooter.

As far as E3 goes, Koller said that Sony has even more announcements pertaining to Move.

“We showed you a taste of some of the games [at GDC], and at E3, obviously, we have a lot of other announcements and we always save things for E3, but we really want to talk about the full line up and talk about the games,” he said.

“Ultimately, it’s all about the content. We have both core and family games and I think that there will be a much broader and more diverse amount of people that will want to play [Move]“.

Sony’s E3 press event is scheduled for June 15.

In the wake of Nintendo’s 3DS announcement yesterday, SCEA marketing boss John Koller’s scotched any talk of a 3D update to PSP, saying 3D on PS3 is firmly where Sony’s at.

“Our focus on 3D right now is on the console,” he told IGN. “There’s a tremendous amount of opportunity on PlayStation 3 with 3D. The amount of interest in 3D from the retail side and game publishers is off the charts. We know we have a hit with 3D on PS3 and we’re going to concentrate our efforts there.”

Koller also warned that younger players may have difficulty with the 3D handheld concept.

“I think it remains to be seen where Nintendo goes with 3D on a portable,” he said. “Having been in the portable space for quite awhile, I think it’s an interesting move but one I’d like to see where they go from a demographic standpoint. Eight and nine year-olds playing 3D is a little bit of a stretch given where some of our research is right now.”

Nintendo said yesterday it’s to release 3DS before March 2011. The machine will allow 3D gameplay without the need for special glasses. More information is promised at E3 in June.

Sony has decided to fight back against used game sales by requiring customers who purchase SOCOM: Fireteam Bravo 3 to register through the internet before being able to play multiplayer online.

UMD copies will come with a redeemable code, and digital versions will authenticate automatically when you go online with your PSP.

If you purchase the game used, you will be required to fork over $20 if you want to register it and play online.

“Today’s consumers are more tech savvy and better connected to the internet than ever before,” SCEA’s John Koller told IGN. “Piracy continues to be an issue of concern for the PSP platform, but the launch of the PSPgo and the ability to access the PlayStation Store directly from PSP-3000 were significant steps towards fighting piracy and getting consumers to download digital games legally.

“Fireteam Bravo 3 is a trial run for a new initiative we are exploring for the platform. We will continue to explore this as an opportunity for the platform going forward, but we have no announcements to make on future iterations at this time.”

EA’s doing a similar thing with new releases with Project Ten Dollar, and Ubisoft requires PC players to be online to play its games. While both of these measures have been met with mixed feelings from the public, Koller thinks that gamers will react well to this new requirement from Sony.

“From our research, this will be received quite positively,” he said. “Remember, piracy affects more than just the creators of the game. It also affects the consumers who purchase titles expecting a high-quality gaming experience.

“Game development is a long and costly process that can take years to create and many more dollars to develop, manufacture, market and distribute.

“Our goal is to keep this development pipeline flowing with creative new IPs, well known franchises and pick up and play experiences that all can legally enjoy. That’s something that all fans can be happy about.”

SOCOM: US Navy SEALs Fireteam Bravo 3 is in stores now in the US and tomorrow in the UK.

John Koller, Sony’s director of hardware marketing, has told the Wall Street Journal that Apple’s iPad launch bodes well for its PSP handheld.

“Apple’s entrance into the portable gaming space has been a net positive for Sony,” said Koller. “When people want a deeper, richer console, they start playing on a PSP.”

Basically, iPad’s only set to “whet consumers’ appetite for a dedicated device”, wrote the WSJ.

Sales of PSP and PSPgo topped 654,000 units in December 2009, tripling in sales since iPhone was launched onto the scene in 2007.

The App Store, which carries loads of games, is expected to push sales of iPad and some industry vets seem impressed with it.

Still, like Koller, others are not – like Nintendo president Satoru Iwata who called it nothing more than a “big iPod Touch”.

Despite the mixed opinions within the industry, expect Apple to start a media blitz for games and apps when iPad launches in 60-days.

Via Kotaku.

John Koller has revealed Sony’s digital distribution plans for the year, stating that expanding the PlayStation Network is a “critical part” of Sony’s focus in 2010.

“Expansion of the PlayStation Network will be a critical part of what we focus on this year,” the SCEA director of hardware marketing told Examiner. “Digital distribution is something that will continually evolve, and we have the perfect platform in PSN to evolve along with it.

“Last year, we saw a number of amazing original games on PSN like Flower, PixelJunk Shooter and Gravity Crash and you can expect to see more exclusive titles in 2010. We can also look forward to more classic PSOne games making resurgence through PSN.

“You can bank on seeing more great digital content in 2010 from PSN, including great exclusive titles.

“PSN has really been hitting its stride and the amount of quality content available through the platform is staggering, from Hustle Kings, a realistic 3D pool game, to Echoshift, a strategy and puzzle game as well as many more.

“With the launch of Sodium, PlayStation Home’s first MMO (ED:launched back in December), PlayStation Home further evolves into a true social gaming platform. Sodium One is an evolving massive combat game for the PlayStation 3 community that delivers immersive gameplay with visually stunning graphics. In addition, we will make even further strides with digital content through original programming and the expansion of Home in 2010.”

Those hoping for a possible Games on Demand-style service featuring their favorite PS2 titles, though, will just have to keep waiting.

“As for an “On Demand” model, we don’t have any plans to discuss at this time,” he said. “With the strength and volume of the rich PlayStation 2 lineup, there are obviously fans out there who would love to get their hands on these fan-favorite titles again. We don’t have any news to share on that front at the moment, but keep in mind that digital distribution isn’t the only way to bring classic PlayStation 2games over to PS3.

“God of War Collection is a great example of how technology like Blu-ray can be used to not only reintroduce PlayStation 2 classics, but improve on them at the same time by adding new features like PSN Trophies, higher resolution textures, and increased frame rates – all on a single Blu-ray disc.”

Looks like Sony has all sorts planned for the year then, including the motion controller in the fall, and who knows – maybe even a 3D update.

John Koller, Sony’s head of PlayStation marketing, has weighed in on all the 3D hype at CES 2010 and reiterated Sony’s stance that 3D integration on PS3 is “as simple as a firmware update”.

“3D is the buzzword here [at CES] and that’s because it takes gaming much further, and the cycle of innovation that we’ve been trying to put into PS3 has landed us in a spot that puts us within the Holy Grail of gaming,” said Koller. “It feels like you are ‘in’ the game now with 3D, and it’s fantastic.

“Out of the box, with PS3, you don’t have to do anything. It’s gonna take just a simple firmware update which most people do regularly anyway, and that’s all it’s gonna take to accolade the PS3 to 3D gaming. It’s just a simple firmware update on the hardware.

“You will, however, have to have a 3D TV and the glasses to get the full experience and Blu-ray movies in 3D will require a separate firmware update, which will be required by the end of the year”.

To prove its point with 3D, Sony has capable sets on the CES showroom floor, demoing games like Gran Turismo 5, Avatar and Super Stardust HD in the third-dimension.

You can watch the full video over on the US PS Blog.

Sony Computer Entertainment America’s John Koller has told Ars that backwards compatibility on the PS3 won’t be making a return anytime soon, be that with a new hardware SKU or in a firmware update.

Ever.

“It’s not coming back, so let me put that on the table,” said Koller.

“It’s not as big as a purchase intent driver as you may be hearing. We’ve got such a substantial lineup of titles on the PS3; most people are buying the PS3 for PS3 games. They’ve buying it for PS3 games and Blu-ray movies.

That won’t be returning.”

Consider that one put to bed.

Go though the link for more.

Thanks, spikeymike.

Looks like the full version of the Qore episode that was leaked earlier has landed in Eurogamer’s lap.

In it, John Koller himself says that PSP Go! will hit stores this fall.

“It’s a 3.8-inch screen, it’s 43 percent lighter than the PSP-3000, 16 gigs flash memory, Bluetooth support and all digital content so the UMD drive goes away so it’s going to be something a lot of consumers like – download straight to a hard drive,” he said.

“There’s games like Gran Turismo that are being announced at E3, and LittleBigPlanet that’s been announced before, and Jak & Daxter and there’s even a new Metal Gear Solid coming, so all those games will be available…”

“Integration with PSP is very important to us. And it works just like PSP-3000… A lot of people like to be able to take their content from PS3 with them on the go.”

Our heads just popped a bit.

Full thing through the link.

SCEA’s John Koller has apparently announced a PSP version of Metal Gear Solid in a movie of PSP Go that hit the web today.

Gran Turismo, LittleBigPlanet, Jak & Daxter and Metal Gear games are all mentioned in the video, which includes footage of the machine interspersed with Koller being interviewed.

Watch it, quick.

Sony has told VG247 that it’s “captured the hardcore” with PS3, and while it will serve that central user with titles such as Heavy Rain and God of War III later this year, it plans on pushing further into the casual space with the console.

“There’s certainly a line-up of very strong family-friendly titles that we’re looking at for PS3 in our continuing effort to appeal to that casual consumer,” said SCEA hardware marketing boss John Koller, speaking at GDC.

“We’ve captured the hardcore. The install base we have now tells us that the hardcore’s purchased. We’re moving on now to continue to support them with a tremendous line-up of games, but also look at softer brands that maybe we had with PS2 franchises we’re bringing over to PS3, or new IP.”

Koller told us to look to the past for hints to PS3′s future.

“Think of some of the latter-half PS2 franchises,” he said.

E3′s not that far away, is it?

SCEA hardware marketing boss John Koller is expecting this year’s E3 to be one of the most significant for the company in the last 11 years.

“It’s going to be a big E3,” Koller told VG247, talking at GDC.

“We’ve just started planning what the announcements will be, but I’ve been here for 11 years: this will be one of the larger E3s in terms of software and just discussions about where we’re going from a brand perspective and where each of the platforms is headed.”

It’s widely rumoured that PlayStation’s biggest brands are going to be megatonning Sony’s E3 press conference in June, and Koller did nothing to dampen expectation.

“I think some of the big announcements are going to come of the software side. We talked a bit at Destination PlayStation, and came out with about half of the PSP line-up, maybe even less, and the balance we’re going to be talking about in the months leading up to e3 and at E3,” he said.

“The same goes for PS3. There’s a really strong line-up of games that’s going to help drive a lot of business.”

Bring. It. On. E3 takes place in LA in the first week of June.

SCEA hardware marketing boss John Koller has claimed that console software “exclusivity” was a a last-gen concept, and that higher development costs have forced game-creators to become platform agnostic.

“Exclusivity is something that doesn’t truly exist in this cycle,” the exec told VG247, speaking at GDC.

“What does exist is first-party product. That’s your exclusive product.”

Koller explained that the reality of PS3 and 360 development spelled the end of Sony’s great third-party PS2 exclusives, saying that Microsoft now has “the same thing”.

“Exclusivity in the last console was a much different proposition, because developers would have smaller development costs, and they wouldn’t necessarily feel the need to advertise that across all platforms,” he said.

“At that time we had a Grand Theft Auto exclusive, we had EA Sports at the beginning of PS2, we had Final Fantasy. And then we had a tremendous line-up of first-party games, that started off with the Jak & Daxters but went to the SOCOMs.”

Koller added: “We go to the next gen and Microsoft has the same thing. So you either have your first-party line-up, or you write cheques, and you need to buy that down.”

He said in the same interview that, in his opinion, Micrsoft had a more lenient policy to paying for exclusivity than Sony.

Sony’s first-party dev effort, Koller said, was as big as Microsoft and Nintendo’s combined.

SCEA hardware marketing boss John Koller has told VG247 that Microsoft’s apparent need to pay for exclusivity on certain products – such as the Lost and Damned – is borne from a self-perceived lack of strength in its first-party line-up.

“Microsoft has had a much more lenient policy to writing cheques than we do,” he said.

“We don’t feel the need to write cheques necessarily with every publisher, like they did with the Lost and Damned and some other titles, because we feel very strongly in our first-party line-up.

“I think it’s safe to say that we’d put our first-party line-up against anyone’s, and Microsoft and other manufacturers probably lead a little bit when they’re writing cheques about how they feel about their own internal line-up.”

Microsoft reportedly loaned Rockstar $50 million for two episodes of GTA IV DLC, although the figure’s never been confirmed.

The first episiode, The Lost and Damned, is rumoured to have sold in the region of 1 million units.

Koller was speaking at GDC last month.

SCEA hardware marketing boss John Koller has told the MI6 conference in San Francisco that PS3 Facebook integration is in the works.

From this Joystiq report:

During a panel titled “Casual to the Core: Redefining the Gaming Dynamic,” SCEA’s John Koller talked about social media and how it can affect the games space. When asked by panel moderator John Davison if there would ever be a point when someone could be playing PS3 and have it “spit out something to Facebook,” Koller stated that plans are already afoot. He said that such functionality is “critical not just for marketing but for the types of games we’re trying to develop. That day is coming quicker than some may think.”

Blimey. More through the link.

SCEA hardware marketing boss John Koller has said that Blu-ray, and the public’s perception of the value it brings to PS3, will be a driving factor in increased sales for the machine this year.

“We are looking at a general move by the consumer to understanding the complete value of the PS3, inclusive of Blu-ray will is really gaining a lot of traction for us,” the exec told VG247.

Koller said that PS3 sales are expected to rise up to 15 percent this year compared to fiscal 2008.

PSP is to enjoy a similar rate of growth this year, he said, and that the handheld’s Remote Play feature would factor into the rise, just as Blu-ray will for PS3.

Despite appreciation of hardware features helping things along, though, software will play a vital role for the PlayStation family this year, Koller said.

“That’s being driven by, in a lot of ways, by our first-party software line-up, which is outstanding, but there’s some third-party titles coming,” he added.

“The line-up’s very strong.”

SCEA hardware marketing head John Koller has claimed that Sony’s first-party development division is as big as that employed by Nintendo and Microsoft. In total.

“Our development studios – the Worldwide Studios team – is as large as Microsoft and Nintendo’s combined,” he said, talking at GDC.

Koller said that Sony’s first-party roster for the coming years would feature a mix of fresh ideas and surefire successes.

“We have a tremendously creative group, and a line-up for the next few years that will bring a lot of new IP to the market, but will also being a lot of [tried and tested] franchises and new iterations to the PS3 in particular, but also PSP,” the exec added.

Koller didn’t give a figure on how many people were employed in Sony’s Worldwide Studio division.

Both PS3 and PSP’s first-party slate for 2009 is looking nice and healthy, with games like God of War III, Heavy Rain and inFamous already hoving into view for PS3, and a new MotorStorm, a LittleBigPlanet SKU and more on the way for PSP.

SCEA marketing boss John Koller sent out a statement over the weekend essentially saying that DSi is for children, while PSP targets “diverse demographics”.

DSi launched in both the US and Europe last week. Here’s the missive in full:

If Nintendo is really committed to reaching a broader, more diverse audience of gamers beyond the “kids” market that they’ve always engaged, there isn’t much new with the DSi to support that. Significant gamer demographic groups are being ignored, and there continues to be limited opportunities for games from external publishers to do well on the DSi. Compare that with the PSP platform, where we have many blockbuster franchises from our publishing partners launching this year, representing a wide variety of genres and targeting diverse demographics. Games such as Rock Band Unplugged from MTV Games, Assassin’s Creed from Ubisoft, Dissidia Final Fantasy from Square Enix, and Hannah Montana from Disney demonstrate the commitment that publishers have to the PSP. From our own first-party studios, we’re launching unique versions of LittleBigPlanet and MotorStorm, and we’re also planning a steady stream of downloadable games — both new titles and PSone classics — to add to the content that PSP owners can already purchase wirelessly through PlayStation Store.

Thanks, Engadget.

SCEA marketing head John Koller has dropped a heavy hint that Gran Turismo’s future may not be limited to just PSP and PS3.

“[Polyphony Digital] report directly into our CEO, Kaz Hirai, so it’s a little bit of a ‘wait and see’,” the exec told VG247 when asked when we can expect to see GT5.

“But we look for that franchise to continue on as many platforms as possible.”

Koller said in the same interview, recorded at GDC, that Sony is currently looking at “GT5 across all platforms, just to see what makes the most sense.”

PC gamers may do well to get excited by the talk. Polyhony head Kazunori Yamauchi’s already said that “perhaps [GT5] comes to the PC,” talking specifically of a Chinese launch.

It doesn’t take the hugest leap of logic to guess Koller may be talking about a PC SKU here.

E3, kids.

SCEA hardware marketing boss John Koller has claimed that upcoming multiplayer shooter MAG can only be built on PS3.

“MAG is a 256 online-player game which is spectacular,” he said, talking to VG247 at GDC last week.

“If you look at that competitively, it’s something that’s only possible on PS3. The processor speed, the ability of PS3 to showcase 256 players at any given time, and their actions.”

Koller went on to detail the Zipper Interactive game’s concept.

“It’s basically like an iteration of SOCOM, where you’re maybe commanding the SEALs, and someone else has the Rangers, and the Green Berets, and so on,” he said.

MAG was Sony’s “big” announcement at the end of its 2008 E3 press conference.

A movie was shown of the title, featuring soldiers, vehicles and lots and lots of guns.

It’s planned for release late this year.

Update: John Koller’s sent us the following statement as clarification to the comments made in this story:

“I wanted to clarify my comment as the broader point I was making is that our biggest franchises and our best developers from PlayStation 2 are continuing to transition to PlayStation 3, which will help spur PlayStation 2 fans to move toward next-gen gaming on PS3. Zipper Interactive is best known for its great work on the SOCOM franchise, and they’re building on their development experience to create a brand new IP in MAG. MAG is not a sequel to nor built upon SOCOM, and when the title launches this fall, PS3 owners will be able to experience intense 256-player combat, which is something that’s never been available on console before.”