In yet another embarrassing delay for Sony, the company is putting off the start of its "Home" virtual world services for the PlayStation 3 (PS3), initially planned for later this year, until next spring.
The announcement yesterday came from Kazuo Hirai in his first major public appearance as the new chief executive of Sony Corp's video game business, Sony Computer Entertainment.
"We wanted to wait until we could offer what would be totally satisfying for consumers," Hirai said in a keynote speech at the Tokyo Game Show, an annual event where game machines and new software are shown.
PHOTO: AFP
"Home" is a real-time interactive online world much like Linden Lab's "Second Life" and other so-called "metaverse," except it's designed for PS3, Sony's newest home console.
Millions of people now enter "Second Life" on their PCs, moving avatars, or computer graphics images of themselves, in a virtual universe.
Major companies are also setting up shop in "Second Life," and analysts see great potential for such virtual worlds as a communication tool and real-life business.
Sony officials have shown the demonstration video of "Home" with much fanfare on various occasions, promising new kinds of businesses, such as advertising and electronic shopping, as well as games.
The product's delay is the latest trouble Sony has had with the PS3, whose European launch had to be postponed for several months due to production problems.
Hirai, named last November as president, replacing Ken Kutaragi, the "father of the PlayStation," sounded apologetic in several places during his speech, acknowledging that the PS3 had failed to live up to the firm's sales targets.
He promised to listen more to complaints and suggestions from game software creators and game fans to improve the PS3 business.
"The results we have produced so far have been unfortunate," he said at Makuhari Messe hall of the more than 5 million global sales for PS3, which went on sale late last year in Japan and the US and in March in Europe.
Sony once dominated the gaming industry with PlayStation 2, predecessor for the PS3, but now faces intense competition from Microsoft Corp, which has sold 11.6 million Xbox 360 machines in the last two years, and from Nintendo Co's popular Wii, which has sold 9.3 million units since late last year.
Hirai showed a new remote controller for PS3, "Dualshock 3," that will vibrate along with games such as the shock of impact of a sword hitting an object or a race car swerving. Old games will require download upgrades.
The controller goes on sale in November in Japan and next spring in the US and Europe, he said.
Hirai said the core strategy would be to position the PS3 as a game machine and a way to view next-generation Blu-ray disc video.
"We must get back to the basics," Hirai said.
Hirai, who formerly headed Sony Corp's North American gaming business, has fueled some expectations about a new strategy at the electronics maker.
The departure of Kutaragi, an icon among gamers, marked the end of an era at Sony when it dominated the video game industry with its flagship PlayStation.
Hirai became president last December and chief executive in June. Kutaragi remains honorary chairman at Sony's gaming unit.
Nvidia Corp yesterday unveiled its new high-speed interconnect technology, NVLink Fusion, with Taiwanese application-specific IC (ASIC) designers Alchip Technologies Ltd (世芯) and MediaTek Inc (聯發科) among the first to adopt the technology to help build semi-custom artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure for hyperscalers. Nvidia has opened its technology to outside users, as hyperscalers and cloud service providers are building their own cost-effective AI chips, or accelerators, used in AI servers by leveraging ASIC firms’ designing capabilities to reduce their dependence on Nvidia. Previously, NVLink technology was only available for Nvidia’s own AI platform. “NVLink Fusion opens Nvidia’s AI platform and rich ecosystem for
WARNING: From Jan. 1 last year to the end of last month, 89 Taiwanese have gone missing or been detained in China, the MAC said, urging people to carefully consider travel to China Lax enforcement had made virtually moot regulations banning civil servants from making unauthorized visits to China, the Control Yuan said yesterday. Several agencies allowed personnel to travel to China after they submitted explanations for the trip written using artificial intelligence or provided no reason at all, the Control Yuan said in a statement, following an investigation headed by Control Yuan member Lin Wen-cheng (林文程). The probe identified 318 civil servants who traveled to China without permission in the past 10 years, but the true number could be close to 1,000, the Control Yuan said. The public employees investigated were not engaged in national
ALL TOGETHER: Only by including Taiwan can the WHA fully exemplify its commitment to ‘One World for Health,’ the representative offices of eight nations in Taiwan said The representative offices in Taiwan of eight nations yesterday issued a joint statement reiterating their support for Taiwan’s meaningful engagement with the WHO and for Taipei’s participation as an observer at the World Health Assembly (WHA). The joint statement came as Taiwan has not received an invitation to this year’s WHA, which started yesterday and runs until Tuesday next week. This year’s meeting of the decisionmaking body of the WHO in Geneva, Switzerland, would be the ninth consecutive year Taiwan has been excluded. The eight offices, which reaffirmed their support for Taiwan, are the British Office Taipei, the Australian Office Taipei, the
CAUSE AND EFFECT: China’s policies prompted the US to increase its presence in the Indo-Pacific, and Beijing should consider if this outcome is in its best interests, Lai said China has been escalating its military and political pressure on Taiwan for many years, but should reflect on this strategy and think about what is really in its best interest, President William Lai (賴清德) said. Lai made the remark in a YouTube interview with Mindi World News that was broadcast on Saturday, ahead of the first anniversary of his presidential inauguration tomorrow. The US has clearly stated that China is its biggest challenge and threat, with US President Donald Trump and US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth repeatedly saying that the US should increase its forces in the Indo-Pacific region