Sony E3 2003 Press Conference Report

Sony had a number of surprises at its E3 2003 press conference, which was kicked off with Kaz Hirai taking the stage. The theme of his speech was similar to last year's infamous "the console wars are over" speech, providing sales figures showing the PlayStation 2's current lead in the video game market. After running through a number of statistics, he then introduced the producer of Gran Turismo 4, Kazanori Yamauchi.

Yamauchi started his presentation of Gran Tursimo 4 by saying that the development team at Polyphony Digital has performed extensive research for the game by visiting various locations around the world. He then showed a video that was representative of this research, as well as some brief gameplay clips that showed off some amazing-looking car models and equally amazing lighting effects. One scene showed a car parked comfortably in field with blades of grass swaying in the wind and beams of sunlight beating down on the roof of the car.

When the video ended, Yamauchi started to discuss the specific additions and improvements to the series that will be found in Gran Turismo 4. The physics engine has been significantly improved this time around--so much so, in fact, that the development team can now incorporate more real-world tracks. Of course, the game will also feature additional cars and highly detailed environments, but more importantly, the driving AI has been improved for Gran Turismo 4, so computer-controlled opponents will behave much more realistically. Online play will also play a major role in Gran Turismo 4, but Yamauchi wouldn't go into any specifics. Though, he did say that the goal for the development team was to set a new benchmark in technology for the PlayStation 2.

Kaz Hirai then came back on stage to discuss hardware innovation and some of Sony's future hardware plans. First, he said that Sony will indeed release the revised version of the PlayStation 2 (which contains progressive DVD playback support, reduced fan noise, an IR port for the remote control, and more) and that it will be bundled with the Network Adapter. The entire bundle will go on sale in June and cost $200. Hirai then discussed the success of SOCOM: U.S. Navy SEALs and the resulting success of the Headset Communicator, indicating that the device will become a major part of Sony's online plans.

That wasn't the only peripheral discussed at Sony's conference. Dr. Richard Marx took the stage to demonstrate the Eye-Toy, a USB-camera-enabled device that lets you interact with images that appear on the screen without the use of a controller. One of the games available was called Kung Fu, where Marx would bat enemies away from his body by swinging his hands or moving his head back and forth. Another game, called Wishy Washy, had Marx cleaning windows with his hands as quickly as possible. Interestingly, Marx said that users can also use the USB camera to transfer video messages to a PlayStation 2 memory card. It's not entirely clear which market this device is targeted at, but it's clear that Sony seems to be pretty excited about the Eye-Toy--it's scheduled for release in October.

When the Eye-Toy tomfoolery ended, the conference transitioned into a discussion of online support for the PlayStation 2. Hirai said that online gaming can be viable on consoles as long as the online model doesn't attempt to replicate that of the PC. In addition, Hirai said that while online functionality has been successful thanks to games like SOCOM, the company believes that players of these games were just the early adopters, and Sony wants to bring online play to the mass market. Sony hopes to do this with SOCOM II, Final Fantasy XI, and the EA Sports lineup, which will have exclusive online support for the PlayStation 2 during the 2003-2004 season.

Afterward, Electronic Arts' John Riccitiello came on stage to discuss EA Sports' online strategy, which includes plans for online tournaments, ladders, cash prizes, and voice communication, which Electronic Arts calls EA Sports Talk. Brief demonstrations were then given of Madden NFL 2004, NBA Live 2004, NASCAR Thunder 2004, NCAA Football 2004, FIFA 2004, and Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2004.

The last thing discussed at the conference, and certainly the biggest surprise, was the arrival of the Sony PSP--the company's forthcoming handheld device. Not much information was given on the device from its creator Ken Kutaragi, except for some basic specifications. The device will use new optical discs called UMDs (Universal Media Discs) that are 2.4 inches in diameter. It will have 4.5-inch backlit screen with a resolution of 480x272, as well as a built-in rechargeable battery, support for MPEG4 playback, and USB connectivity. For much more information on the PSP handheld, check out our story on the device.