Now, a new generation is almost upon us, with the Xbox 360 gearing up for worldwide release later this year. Given this, and Microsoft's aggressive "rah-rah 360" press conference, one might have expected Sony to return fire with some next-gen hype of their own. Not so! The PS3 was virtually a no-show. Instead, in a very dry and straightforward press conference that felt more like a shareholder's meeting, Sony boasted about its market position and highlighted the lineup they have planned for the coming year. The PSP enjoyed particular emphasis since it's launching in Europe on September 1st.
Sony's presentation was filled with stunning Durchwerkaufsentwicklung graphs.
Sony's got all the numbers: It's the market leader (capturing 66% of the German market), with strong growth over the other platforms. In Germany this year, PS2 software sales grew from last year, whereas sales on all other platforms (except the DS) slumped from 2004. So what's next?
Sony's in no rush to bring on the next generation: the rest of the presentation focused on PS2 and PSP titles on the horizon. 24: the game was singled out, as was a quiz/party game called Buzz that comes with a set of buzzers to click on. Eye-Toy: Kinetic is an exercise program developed in association with Nike. A slew of other titles followed, with Soul Calibur III, Shadow of the Colossus, Jak 3, and SOCOM 3 showing the most promise.
Then it was on to the PSP, which Sony is aggressively rolling out in Europe using a television/billboard campaign that focuses on how the system is for both games and entertainment: music, movies, etc. (As a side note, we saw these billboards all over the city of Leipzig.) WiFi is also something that Sony focused on, especially the ease with which you can connect while wandering through any wireless hotspot. Several launch titles will be available, but of the games shown we were the most intrigued by the cop-car-chase-scene game Pursuit Force. Expect a full preview on the latter soon.
What about the PS3? We got only four words: "See you next year." Sony of Europe is in no rush to move past this generation, so no new information was forthcoming. Sony's press conference may not have had the glitz of its competitors, but it's hard to argue with a solid games lineup and that's what they were there to show.
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