Sony said on Thursday that it is bringing the rumble feature back with a new PlayStation 3 (PS3) controller, but there was no mention of any price cut for the console.
In a keynote speech at the Tokyo Game Show near the Japanese capital, the head of Sony Computer Entertainment, Kazuo Hirai, said that 40 new PS3 software titles will be released by the end of the year.
Sony has ”reflected on the basics and we want to make an interactive game machine for consumers to enjoy”, Hirai said.
The remarks suggested a shift in strategy for Sony’s game unit, whose previous head, Ken Kutaragi, had put the emphasis on chip power and high-definition graphics.
The PS3 is badly lagging behind Nintendo’s Wii, which offers a more family-friendly style of gaming and a much lower price.
Sony also revealed that it has delayed the launch of its ”Home” virtual universe for the PS3 until next early next year.
It said it will launch the ”DualShock 3” wireless controller with a rumble feature in Japan in November, followed by North America and Europe in early 2008. The controller will be available as an extra accessory.
The PlayStation 2 controller came with a vibration feature, but when it came to the PS3, Sony dropped it in favour of the tilt-sensing Sixaxis controller.
The rumble feature ”takes gamers deeper into the world of interactivity”, Hirai said.
Although there is widespread speculation that Sony will eventually reduce the price tag of the PS3 to compete better with the Wii and Microsoft’s Xbox 360, Hirai only reiterated that a price cut was not being ruled out.
His predecessor Kutaragi, known as the ”Father of the PlayStation”, surprised last year’s Tokyo Game Show by announcing a price cut for the PS3 for Japan — before it was even launched. Kutaragi stepped down earlier this year as Sony’s game unit fell deeper into the red.
By August, Sony had sold about five million PS3 consoles worldwide since its launch last November, Hirai said. It expects to ship 11-million PS3s in the current financial year to next March, he added. ”By putting our strength into the year-end sales battle, I’m confident we can reach this target,” he said.
A new version of Sony’s PlayStation Portable (PSP) also hit the shelves in Japan on Thursday in six different colours including pink, drawing queues of young girls and women at electronic retailers in the capital. The new PSP is much slimmer than the original and about 30% lighter. — Sapa-AFP