Sony has, on occasion, garnered a reputation for being a bit of a copy cat. Products like the PlayStation Move, for example, are often flaunted as an example of the organisation's lack of creativity. But in truth, the platform holder has been innovating since it entered the market, with the PSone's emphasis on polygonal graphics right the way through to Project Morpheus being prime examples.
And speaking during an IFA pre-show press conference in Berlin this week, gaffer Kaz Hirai hinted that he believes PlayStation's forward thinking approach is unparalleled. "Innovation has been fundamental to our success in our PlayStation business, and continues to inspire us to create new technologies and new consumer experiences," he enthused. "And PlayStation is committed to being the best place to play, whether it'd be for gaming, video, music, or even television."
He continued: "We're constantly evolving the PlayStation ecosystem through hardware, software, and network capabilities that create truly inspiring experiences. PlayStation innovation is simply unparalleled, and it provides a meaningful and powerful mean to connect gamers in ways never before thought possible."
One product that the Japanese giant is particularly proud of is its forthcoming virtual reality headset, which Hirai believes will push the boundaries of play. "Project Morpheus achieves a sense of presence that takes you beyond conventional gameplay and to worlds of unprecedented depth and perception," he concluded. "So we're talking about powerful 360-degree experiences unlike anything that you've ever experienced."
The executive's general point was that Sony is a company that thrives on innovation, and this is at the foundation of each of the organisation's many divisions. But do you think that Hirai is right when he says that PlayStation innovation is unparalleled – or is he merely saying nice things about the company that he runs? Think outside of the box in the comments section below.
[source dualshockers.com]
Comments 20
All in all I agree with him, but they all innovate to some extent. Finding that balance between innovation and maintaining what's popular can be tricky. Sony has done a good job at that with the playstation brand.
Wonderbook, was a pretty neat idea for kids, but Sony doesn't have a strong family-kid-friendly fan base (mostly due to their own faults as not putting many kid-friendly games on the system since the PS1 days). Other than that, the camera was nothing new for ideas...other than that, the analog controller was a rip-off of N64 and Move was a definite rip off of the Wii Remote and Nunchuck. They have had many other great ideas though, even though some never made it that far. I would have loved to see more for Wonderbook, as my kids love it, but there's only 2 other games for it and they're through the Playstation Store in the US here. I'd also love to see more functions made using the Playstation 4 Camera...like sports compilations or party-friendly games, but nothing yet. My kids want to play the PS4, but besides Rabbids Invasion, the Lego games, Monopoly, Skylanders and the Just Dance titles, there's not really anything else for them...even though Snoopy and Kung Fu Panda are coming out. Hopefully sony can bring more kid-friendly games to their system...simple games like many of nintendo's.
Can't wait for Project Morpheous, even though I think it will be fairly expensive, but can't wait for it...especially if it takes off for more than just a year!
Project Morpheus isn't innovative either. Whilst it may (or may not) have some features that other VR headsets don't, its basically Sony's answer to Oculus Rift. VR headsets and VR gaming have long been around but technology was limited and basically made it impossible to get the visual clarity and necessary frame-rates to create believability without inducing physical problems (headache, nausea etc). We are now in era where the main issues can be overcome but its still been around a long time..
Yes, the Playstation Move controller was incredibly unique and a one-of-a-kind experience. Darn Nintendo for copying them years before they made it!
I'm just kidding. Sony does make some pretty great stuff.
Morpheus isn't even innovative though, vr has been around for ages and if anything Morpheus is riding off of Oculus hype.
when your PS4 cant do some of the things your PS3 can then I wouldn't be blowing any trumpets regarding innovation. When a PS4 controller's battery can't even last your whole session of gameplay then that to me is not innovation. When said controller can't take any battering at all without the triggers breaking and the thumb sticks wearing out and the PS3's didn't I don't deem that as innovation at all. I deem all these things as purposely not done correctly to continue to get you to buy additional items to keep their shareholders happy over the lifetime of the console. etc etc
@SonyInfinity "Finding that balance between innovation and maintaining what's popular can be tricky.". You said it ,man. And that's exactly where Nintendo seems to be always struggling.
Sega Saturn launch was one month before PsOne. Even if Saturn wasn't that relevant, Sony wasn't the first launching a polygon based console. They make good products, they reach the market, they have good exclusives. But I don't think they are innovative at all. Even the playstation controller is an evolution of SNES controller.
The dualshock controller is better than any controller Nintendo has ever released. Also, innovation does not just mean hardware, like many here seem to be assuming. It can also come from new IPs and experiences within the gaming umbrella. I have to say that Sony is the best at this, consistently launching new IPs or re establishing old ones. I feel like Nintendo just tries to do a little to much sometimes. If they would just release a console on par with the ps4 that has a newer better version of the game cube controller and could be coded for easily to attract third party, they would be right in the thick of it. The Wii was an outlier, the Wii u is what happens when you try to replicate an outlier.
Well done, now make some more games.
I don't think I've ever considered Sony 'innovative' in this industry. You know what? It also doesn't matter one damn bit to me. Innovative or just trying to better stuff that already exists, I don't care as long as I get a great experience and I feel the PS brand has always delivered on the latter. Innovation is overrated. I've tried plenty of games and used many devices that are deemed 'innovative' that I find to be complete crap. That doesn't mean there isn't room for new things, obviously that's needed to keep the industry fresh and moving forward, but sometimes the tried and true just works better.
Sony always innovate in some way each generation, but it tends to be under appreciated compared to what others do - especially within the gaming press. Share Play being one this generation
@Gamer83 Agree. Innovation is great, but also we are fans of games as they are and there's nothing wrong with that. The Playstation Brand has been a master as evolving, not reinventing the wheel. I love Nintendo trying new things and hope they always do (even though it does risk their future)... However, I love Playstation for refining their experiences, they don't need to be 'innovative'.
Unparalleled perhaps, but arguably exceeded by Nintendo on a regular basis.
innovation my butt
I seem to remember Move being put down as Sony copying Nintendo, but they had in fact been working on the device way before Nintendo announced the Wiimote. I think Sony does innovate, but they spend more time on it and generally do a better job compared to those that rush to market (though obviously the Move is not an example of that!).
@BrizzoUK
Yeah, Nintendo has always been about doing things differently. Somtimes that works to its advantage, other times not so much. With Sony, I'm very happy with what the company has done in the industry so far. Kind of wish it hadn't dabbled in the portable market but oh well.
The effect PlayStation has had on the industry has been nowhere near as impactful as Nintendo.
With that said, Sony have definitely brought some neat ideas to the table over the last 20 years. Though they've frequently copied the Big N, they've also created cool stuff like EyeToy , made movie playback standard for consoles (well, most consoles), and introduced cross-buy.
@professorhat - There's some confusion as two which company was working on the motion tech first, but either way, the PS Move was a clear reaction to the Wii, as was the Kinect + Avatars. Sony even admitted as such during its unveiling.
Guess you need some PR talk to sell those expensive VR headsets.
The innovation I am grateful with Sony for doing is the dual analog sticks.
Jesus H Christ...
There are a lot of haters on PS, especially, considering this is a PlayStation site...
Tap here to load 20 comments
Leave A Comment
Hold on there, you need to login to post a comment...