Sony Computer Entertainment president Andrew House recently spoke to The Guardian about – what else? – the PlayStation 4 and discussed how the console is a return to focus for developers and consumers, just as in the old days with the PS One and PS2.
“I see our approach on PS4 as really taking Sony Computer Entertainment back to our original roots. When we first launched with the PS1 and certainly the PS2, the goal was to give the consumer more choice, and lots of flexibility at a time when the delivery mechanism of games, on cartridges, placed a lot of restrictions on the industry. And also, by shifting to disks, to give developers – and particularly smaller ones – the chance to take risks and build a business. I think you’re seeing exactly those kinds of principles applied to PS4.”
He also revealed that the PS Eye was originally to be bundled with the PS4, but the idea was dropped to keep the price down at $399. While it provides “great consumer experiences” according to House, Sony isn’t “forcing that purchase on the consumer.”
Speaking more about the developer-friendly approach Sony has adopted, House stated that, “We have a new development environment, that developers are telling us is significantly easier to make great games for, and we’ve undertaken a significant amount of outreach to smaller developers. And the net result is that we’re seeing a lot of developers coming out of the mobile space, and I think that’s a tremendously positive trend for console gaming. Essentially, we have access to a whole new set of talent in gaming that we didn’t have before.”
The PlayStation 4 is set to release this Holiday season.