Sony: Developers aren't 'fully utilizing' PS3 yet
PlayStation 3 has more to show, according to Sony's European gaming chief, who says it could take a while before developers fully harness the power its console.
If you think that Sony's PlayStation 3 has been maxed out, think again. According to Sony Computer Entertainment Europe President Andrew House, developers have a way to go before they can fully say that they've used all the power the company's console has to offer.
"As with all consoles, as developers spend more and more time on the platform, they learn more, resulting in an improvement in the quality of the games," House said in response to questions posed by readers of the Official PlayStation Web site. "Already with PS3, you can see how games have evolved quickly in the three years since launch, with games such as Uncharted 2: Among Thieves, LittleBigPlanet and Heavy Rain really exploring the potential and the power of PlayStation 3."
But House wasn't done. He cited the PlayStation 2 as a fine example of how long it takes for developers to fully harness the power of a single console. He said that "it took God of War II, eight years into the life cycle, to fully utilize the potential of the console."
Although House stopped short of saying how long he believes PlayStation 3 developers would be able to get the most out of the company's console, he said that "it is unlikely that any developer has fully utilized the full potential of PS3 yet. But they are getting much closer everyday."
The debate over whether or not developers are capable of harnessing the true power of the PlayStation 3, or are simply having a hard time doing it, is heated. Last year, Sony chief Kaz Hirai said in an interview with the Official PlayStation Magazine that Sony doesn't want to make developing for the console easy on developers.
"We don't provide the 'easy to program for' console that (developers) want, because 'easy to program for' means that anybody will be able to take advantage of pretty much what the hardware can do, so then the question is, what do you do for the rest of the nine-and-a-half years?" Hirai told the publication.
"A lot of people see the negatives of it, but if you flip that around, it means that the hardware has a lot more to offer," Hirai said.