SEGA Talks VF5 PS3
PlayStation 3 version already playable.
by Anoop Gantayat  
 
 
June 30, 2006 - One of SEGA's big E3 surprises was the PlayStation 3 version of Virtua Fighter 5. In the latest issue of Japan's Ge-Maga, SEGA-AM2 president Hiroshi Kataoka shared some thoughts on the home conversion of his team's latest arcade fighter. Joining him was SEGA R&D 4 Section Chief Noriyuki Shimoda, producer of the PS3 version.
 
VF5 was shown in arcade form at E3. "We actually wanted to show off the PS3 version," said Kataoka, "but due to some schedule problems, we were unable to."
 
The game is currently running in an advanced state on PS3 hardware, he revealed. Currently, the game is at a place where it can be played, but 'home specific' features are gong to be added from here on out.
 
One area of concern for the home version is what happens when people play on a standard 4x3 television. This apparently isn't an issue at all, according to Kataoka. "The arcade version was made to be compatible both with wide and standard monitors, so with that meaning, there's nothing to worry about." VF5 is currently on test in Japanese arcades, with all machines featuring high definition widescreen displays.
 
 
The two were asked for commentary on the PS3 itself. "My feeling is that, when considering its capabilities, it's not expensive," said Kataoka. "If that hardware was released not as PlayStation, but under the Vaio brand, and you got a Blu-Ray drive, a Cell chip and the latest NVIDIA GPU for under 100,000 yen, you'd definitely call it cheap. However, there are surely many people who buy it with the image of a game machine, and that price is pretty daring.
 
In response to the question of whether it would've been better for Sony to have removed the hard disk in exchange for a lower price, Shimoda said, "No, I'm very thankful that it has a hard disk. It's not the case that Blu-ray's transfer speed is fast compared to DVD, and with the increase in the data amount, we were worried about just how long load times would take. If we cache data to the hard disk, the loading time drops dramatically."  
 
 
Ge-Maga asked the big question. Why PS3 only? Kataoka took this one. "There is the fact that VF4 had already been released on the PS2, but another big reason is that the Lindbergh and PS3 GPUs are both from NVIDIA, so the technical barriers are low. Also, VF5 is tuned to the limits of the Lindbergh's capabilities, so multiplatform development would have been difficult."
 
These two aren't picking on the PS3's competition, though. "I believe that if development is done with multiplatform in mind, there probably won't be a difference in the abilities of the PS3 and Xbox 360," said Kataoka. Giving props to the arcades, though, he added, "Recently, there have been a lot of arcade games that use special interfaces and the network, so ports have been getting harder and harder. Especially with VF5, there are many elements that can only be enjoyed in the arcade, so we're required to offer other forms of play for the home version."
 
Just what those home specific additions are will likely be revealed close to the September Tokyo Game Show.
 
http://ps3.ign.com/articles/716/716043p1.html

Kojima on PS3
New analogies, plus Tetsuya Nomura working on a sequel to ZOE?
by Anoop Gantayat  
 
June 29, 2006 - We've seen the PlayStation 3 likened to a number of things in comparison to its competition, from expensive cars to fancy restaurants or dinners. Speaking to Japan's Ge-Maga, Metal Gear Solid 4 producer/director Hideo Kojima added a new comparison to the mix as he likened the PS3 to the movie theater experience as opposed to the DVD-like experience of the Xbox 360 and the television-like experience of the Wii.
 
"I had an interview at E3, and I responded like this," said Kojima. "The PS3 is a movie theater. You pay 1,800 yen and view a movie with great sound and a huge image. These aren't movies that are remade directly from television, but video that's been made for the movies, and everyone comes wanting that. Xbox 360 is watching a DVD at home. It's for people who want to watch a movie, but anything is okay. The Wii is a television program. You turn on the television, and you can watch soccer or watch a variety show -- enjoy a program lightly."
 
Kojima's comments were made as part of a group interview that also featured MGS4 art director Yoji Shinkawa and Square Enix superstar Tetsuya Nomura. The three were asked to share their opinion on the PS3 following E3.
 
Based on his comments with Ge-Maga, Kojima seems to be highly favorable of Sony's strategy. "If you think about the future of the industry and game creators, I get the feeling that the winner had better be the movie theater -- or, the PS3. No one will say that the price is cheap. However, the PS3 is 'the future.' The Wii is interesting, but in terms of functions, it's a machine with past concepts."
 
Kojima has also been one of the strongest supporters of the Wii's new control system. In this latest interview, he added, "The best thing would be a PS3 with controls like the Wii."
 
Kojima expressed some disappointment with the PS3's controller, stating, "It's unfortunate that the controller's rumble functionality has been lost." Responding to this, Nomura suggested that perhaps the rumble will be added in the future, with Kojima suggesting that if the rumble was, as Sony claims, removed due to interference from the built-in motion sensor, it would be best to include a button to switch between rumble and motion sensing.
 
Nomura had something to say about the PS3's price as well. "Right now, as a game machine, it's too expensive. If the hard disk and Blu-Ray spread, in line with that, the situation for the PS3 will change in 1 to 2 years. At the present, it's definitely too expensive, but I believe that when the games are there, it will change naturally." He also expressed belief that at the time of Final Fantasy's release, the price will be cheaper.
 
"Thinking two to three years from now, the PS3 will be the most appropriate," said Nomura. "We feel that when the games that we're making are released, the PS3 will be strong in the market."
 
Kojima seems to feel that the PS3 is needed for the industry to progress. "If the evolutionary roads like the PS3 are closed off, the industry will no longer grow," he said. He used the film Poseidon's Adventure as an example of the film industry's growth from low budget to high budget films. "Making games for the PS3 will of course cost money, but if you put a stop to that, what will happen to the game industry? Is it okay if everyone just makes variety-style games? It will become like television is now. Comedians make an appearance in a quiz-style show -- that's not culture."
 
The conversation got a bit more light hearted when the subject of ZOE came up. Asked if we'd see a sequel to the anime-themed mech game, Kojima said, "We'd like to make a sequel, but there aren't any people [to make it]. Ah, I've decided now. Nomura will do the characters and Shinkawa will do the mechs."
 
This lead to talk about collaborations, which of course lead to talk of Solid Snake's appearance in the Wii version of Smash Brothers. "That was very surprising," said Nomura. "Cloud won't make an appearance?" asked Kojima. "We didn't get an offer," responded Nomura with a laugh.
 
http://ps3.ign.com/articles/716/716039p1.html