Jeff's in the news

[D.J.Fudge]

Spong's take on it

Whilst you have to respect any man (apart from Wacko Jacko) who keeps Llamas, makes mind-bogglingly strange games and defiantly chooses to live out in rural West Wales, you also have to agree that Jeff Minter is well...to put it mildly, a bit strange.

The man who created Hover Bovver for the C64 (click for info) back in 1983 is perhaps best well known for Llamasoft and more recently for the Xbox360 interactive visualiser which he calls “The first step into a future filled with beauty, light, creativity and fun”. Being in his brain must be ace!

It seems that Minter really has fallen for the 360 dream, judging by his latest comments in his new, regular Edge magazine sound-off. Speaking about ambling into his local Carmarthen branch of GAME whilst enjoying a nice Cornish pasty, and being baffled at not wanting to put his name down on the PS3 pre-order list, Minter has a few harsh words to say about Sony.

Firstly, on the lack of a new Wipeout for the PS3 launch: “Sony could probably have completely had me if there was lovely, sweet HD footage of a new Wipeout for PS3 at E3 – I’ve made sweet, animal love to each iteration of that series over a succession of Sony consoles, and the thought of spending my Christmas in a comfortably enhanced frame of mind zooming around eye-poppingly beautiful HD circuits at insane speeds with some banging choons on would have had my name at the top of the preorder list in no time.”

Minter continues: "They seem absolutely certain that even when they say that it's going to be considerably more expensive than existing consoles, and that maybe there won't be that many titles actually available at launch, nonetheless us eager customers will rush out in droves to buy it because, hey, it's a new PlayStation."

"Yeah, you've got the lion's share of the current market, but don't get smug, Sony. Nobody likes smug, and it's not an attitude that has served companies well in the videogames industry."

Then, to really stick the knife in, he has a pop at the PSP: "Just making the shiniest, most expensive hardware doesn't cut it these days. Sure, the PSP was beautiful, shining, pretty and posh, whereas the DS was definitely the ugly sister. But hey, the ugly sister is better in the sack." This, it should be made clear, comes from a man that has animals as his best friends, plus helped design the Atari Jaguar.

Elsewhere in Edge, the Sony-bashing continues unabated, with Mr Biffo sticking his funny old oar in. Here's Biffo on Sony: "When the games were unveiled at E3 it was obvious the console falls far short of the sort of power Sony has been hyping. It was a bit like the disparity between Spinal Tap's vision of a towering tryptych and the on-stage reality."

Sony-bashing – harmless bit of fun or misguided bandwagon jumping? Let us know what you think in the forum.

http://news.spong.com/article/10365?cb=82

[arron]

Spong doesn't exactly bring a lot to the table with that piece does he?

[PVB]

"...helped design the Jaguar..."

The insides maybe, but I doubt Jeff had any hand in the look of the outside.

[gilesgoat]

Yak, Are not sure it wise, to critise Sony publically. although I agree with your points of view whole heartly. As some who makes his daily bread from the Industry. Your never know what future projects might come up down the line. Sony is very big player.
.

Well, as I said already "you won't have to ask why we are not doing
anything for Sony", after those comments they'll be looking somewhere else

Nah, honest, if someone wants some constructive criticism coming from
someone really "in the field" that's it and I think it's important someone
really knows what many really think and/or companies will always continue to do the same things.

The point here is exactly what stated and Yak is definitely not the only
one sharing that point of view, there are many others, he's one of the many voices.

Sony is very big players .. true but at the end of it *WE* are the biggest
players because it's our money from our pockets and we are those that
buy a console or not.

Sony makes consoles for us, not for themselves, so any other.

The point is there's been a bit "too much waving" of "we are the number ones" (never a
good thing to be done anyway) without
actually "proving" that they really are.

Now it could well be that in a matter of a year or so we'll start to see
hyper-amazing stuff for this PS3, this anyway won't remove a certain
"attitude" that's been displayed in "pushing" a product like "it's absolutely the best ever".

You should never do "comparative advertising" like "this is better than that", maybe
but at the end of the story is me buyer deciding what is better for me, not you seller.

Anyway, time is long, there's still much to see and to come out.

HD-DVD, Blue-Ray and such it's all another matter, FIRST, they have to
make HD Televisions costs a DECENT price and not being something where
one has to open a mortgage to get a good one.

Then .. then "who cares" what the media will be as long as it works as
said on the tin ? All I want to do is to watch NICE movies, if you then start
making CRAP movies even all your HD can just be thrown in the bin, is useless.

So as you see "there's lot more than a nice HW" for a thing to be nice

Is this game fun ? Yes, I love it.

Is this game not such fun ? No, I don't care what HW is in, I am not playing it.

As simple as that.

Some games are immortal, some stuff is absolutely wonderful even it's
been made in 1902 or so, some things are cool even if they are not in 3D

History should have learnt that you can't make a campaing and all pushing
only on HW stuff, there are many examples in the past that miserably failed
thinking that "that was all".

[Yak]

hehe, I just think it's funny people are making such a big deal out of it, after all I'm only voicing an opinion that quite a lot of people share at the moment - that Sony *do* seem to be a tad bit arrogant about the ps3, and not much has been seen to justify that attitude yet. And if you read the whole piece you'll see it was all done quite tongue in cheek with me stating that if they only did a decent version of Wipeout on it I'd be lining up to kiss their arse (i.e. tell us about games we want to play, not give us meaningless hype, and then we might be more enthusiastic).

If people want to call me "strange" for that, then yeah, I'm strange.

Wait for the next column and you'll see that I'm neither being an MS fanboi or simply anti-Sony for the sake of being anti-Sony; it's about the *games*, innit...

[gilesgoat]

Well you know (some) journalism works on stirring up shite and create
lot of gossip and lot of paper to write.

You just gave them "a nice start" to write a bunch of columns there and
there and have something new to print.

They should be grateful to you for that

[WiredWorm]

Wait for the next column and you'll see that I'm neither being an MS fanboi or simply anti-Sony for the sake of being anti-Sony; it's about the *games*, innit...

Exactly - and it's also about not foisting technology onto people when it isn't really required.

Maybe i'm just cynical but it seems the whole Blue-Ray thing is just a way for Sony to get the technology 'out there' and competing with HD-DVD. I'm sorry but i'm not prepared to pay £400 for a Console and particularly not when the primary achievement will be to give Sony's Blue Ray technology a bump start.

Don't get me wrong - I do own an Xbox 360 but i'm definately not an MS fanboy myself - i'll probably end up getting a PS3 as i'm very impressed with what i've seen thus far - it's just I ain't prepared to pay that kinda money for it and especially not when the format war is just about to kick off.

Just my 2 cents.......

[arron]

Well you know (some) journalism works on stirring up shite and create
lot of gossip and lot of paper to write.

I expect to see a information release from Sony on how smelly Yak is, and how he seems to always be dressed in fur and associating with animals..

[PurpleChair]

Sony-bashing – harmless bit of fun or misguided bandwagon jumping?

No option for "considered response to Sony's pisspoor plans", then?

[gilesgoat]

Well you know (some) journalism works on stirring up shite and create
lot of gossip and lot of paper to write.

I expect to see a information release from Sony on how smelly Yak is, and how he seems to always be dressed in fur and associating with animals..

I'll sue them for false information, they never been here, they don't know
how reality is

[asr4096]

Yak, Are not sure it wise, to critise Sony publically. although I agree with your points of view whole heartly. As some who makes his daily bread from the Industry. Your never know what future projects might come up down the line. Sony is very big player.
.

Yak is IMHO perfectly right and it's IHMO absolutely neccessary to shout out honest opinions. If Sony has some brain left they should prefer that over "kissing-ass" and "Yes, Sir, You're the greatest company on Earth".
The world needs MORE of people who aren't afraid of telling honest opinion, instead of being frightened (for career reasons or whatever)... Too common nowadays.

Telling honest opinion IMHO also helps BOTH sides.
Just my 3,60 cents...

ps. I agree about the Wipeout-thing... :-) Hope they do it better than on PS2 - which was IMHO a bit disappointing.

[Kon-Tiki]

Well you know (some) journalism works on stirring up shite and create
lot of gossip and lot of paper to write.

I expect to see a information release from Sony on how smelly Yak is, and how he seems to always be dressed in fur and associating with animals..

I'll sue them for false information, they never been here, they don't know
how reality is

It's "how he seems to always be dressed in fur or associating with animals" then?

[Governmentyard]

I'll sue them for false information, they never been here, they don't know
how reality is

No, sue them for money!

Also - reality - at your gaff? It'll never work!

[D.J.Fudge]

At least Kotaku include a picture of Yak

http://www.kotaku.com/gaming/ps3/jeff-m ... 185760.php

Is that a TIE he's wearing

[Purple Grapefruit]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/5156938.stm

Last month Mr Stringer said: "The price of the PS3 is high but you're paying for potential."

He added: "Obviously, it's a higher-risk strategy - as all new inventions are - but if the PS3 lives up to its total potential, then I don't think anyone will be worried about Nintendo or Xbox's cheaper price."

A new invention ? Have i missed something ?..........

Does the games console double as a bark activated dog walker or something else new fangled.