Sony's Kaz Hirai Defends PS3, Downplays Competition

In an interview with CES trade publication Blu-ray Today, Sony's Kaz Hirai defended the company's recently released PlayStation 3, commenting that the console's technological innovations outstrip those offered by Sony's competition by noting that "no other next generation entertainment system pushes the envelope on advanced technology like PS3.” In the interview, which was reported by consumer website IGN, Hirai restated Sony's commitment to the PlayStation 3's Blu-ray capabilities, noting that the extra storage afforded by Blu-ray discs is a essential component for next generation gaming. The executive also offered Sony's Insomniac developed launch title Resistance: Fall of Man up as an example, noting that the game “simply wouldn't be possible on any other system without using multiple discs." "I have heard people say that a high-capacity game delivery vehicle like Blu-ray isn't necessary in a next generation computer entertainment system,” stated Hirai. “You just can't expect that 9GBs of storage capacity found on today's DVDs are going to have enough space to hold tomorrow's games." Hirai also took a thinly veiled jab at Nintendo, by noting that had Sony not insisted in including cutting edge technology within the PlayStation 3, the system's launch would have been much more amiable. "A worldwide launch for any console is quite ambitious,” commented Hirai. “In fact, it has never been done before. I suppose if we had simply done a mild upgrade to the PS2 and not pushed the envelope so hard, it would have been easier on ourselves. However, if we did that every time, we wouldn't be Sony." However, the executive conceded that including such high end components, such as the PlayStation 3's largely unproven Blu-ray player, factored into the difficulties that surrounded and helped to delay the launch of the console. "I don't think anyone could have foreseen the difficulties we encountered in the production of the blue laser diode for the PlayStation 3, which ultimately delayed the launch of PlayStation 3. We were asking our teams to develop millions of components for the PlayStation 3, like the Blu-ray Disc player and cell broadband engine, that had previously only been produced in the thousands."