SCEE boss: built-in PSP hard drive still possible, PS3 to remain most expensive console, exclusives in terms of relationships (not bribes)

After posting their financial report and showing a decline in hardware sales, SCE Europe boss David Reeves had quite a lot to talk about – PSP future hardware, current PS3 hardware, their game library (or the lack thereof), etc. And so says he about why the PS3’s high price is worth it: “PS3 has got all the games, it’s free to go online, it’s got a Blu-ray player. I know I’m not going to have to ring up the customer careline saying I’ve got three red lights.”

Eurogamer has set up quite a lengthy interview with SCE Europe boss David Reeves. Long as it is, it’s quite juicy since he comments (and sometimes refuses to comment) on a lot of the more recent headliners in the industry. Especially after Sony posted their recent financial report, Reeves has quite a lot of things to discuss.

PSP’s built-in hard drive, yes or no. Well according to Reeves, they’re still not ruling out the possibility of bringing in a built-in hard drive for the PSP. Or maybe for the PSP 2, rather? Anyways, here’s his full take:

It’s still possible, but it’s going to be later rather than sooner. […] It is possible, yes, to have a fixed hard drive or flash memory. But what’s happened is, the rate at which memory stick prices have come down have surprised everyone.

With quality comes price – the PS3 is expensive. A lot of critics call out Sony for making the PS3 the most expensive console out in the market. Most people can’t help but wonder: maybe giving the PS3 a price cut will help it sell more? It’s something David Reeves agrees with, to an extent, but he thinks the high price for the PS3 is staying that way for a while:

I think it will, yes. I’m not saying there are going to be any price cuts at all in the short term or the medium term. I’m not saying we don’t need to do it – we are expensive. It is possible that as the cost [of manufacturing] comes down, we will be able to do it. […]

The price will affect [the consumer’s] decision. Yes, if I haven’t got that much money to spend, I will go for, let’s say, the green machine. Because the salesman will say, “Well, it’s got all the games,” and he wants to sell that machine.

But there are people who come in having done their research, thinking, ‘PS3 has got all the games, it’s free to go online, it’s got a Blu-ray player. I know I’m not going to have to ring up the customer careline saying I’ve got three red lights.’

We recognised that those numbers would go down because we did not drop the price. But we reached the targets we expected to reach under those assumptions.

The last bit where he talks about “those numbers” are referring to the decline in PlayStation hardware sales, as indicated in yesterday’s financial report.

Exclusives – we’re not paying for it! So, you think Sony would be hounding Konami to keep MGS4 an exclusive? Well, according to Reeves, the decision is really going to be up to Konami. In fact, rather than spend money to keep exclusives, he’d put that money into more useful things like their own IPs. To him, having an exclusive is due to strong relationships built with the developer.

We’re not going to fall over ourselves just to try and keep [MGS] exclusive. We have to stand on our own two feet. […] we would sooner invest that money in two years’ time, in having another major IP like Resistance or LittleBigPlanet.

Heavy Rain is a good example. That will be, de facto, an exclusive; we haven’t just given them a paper bag full of cash, we’ve built up a solid, long-term relationship.

On Kaz Hirai’s Xbox 360 “lacks longevity” comment. Well, we know the sitch here. Sony’s Hirai said this, Microsoft‘s Greenberg says that… Mud slung across the field, and now what’s Reeve’s take on the matter?

I’m not going to comment on that. I simply don’t know what their plans are. I’m not going to be as arrogant as to comment on either Nintendo or Xbox 360. I don’t think [what Kaz Hirai said was arrogant]. He was probably misquoted, because I don’t think Kaz would say that.

Well, I suppose this has been pretty long enough. Let all that sink in… take a deep breath…. and comment. If you want to check out the full 3-page interview in Eurogamer, just head to the Via link below.

• Sony posts financial report: PlayStation hardware sales down
• Sony’s Kaz Hirai: we’re the official leader, Ninty in a different world, MS lacks longevity

Via Eurogamer