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Does Sony need a 'Major Nelson?'

ps3.rpgsite.net — If there's one thing that Sony seems to lack, it's a well-loved employee public figure amongst the fans. While Reggie and Miyamoto hold status as legendary with Nintendo fans, and Major Nelson providing Xbox fan with correspondence from inside the company, Sony lacks such a figurehead for their online service and PS3 console. But do they need one?

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  • RMDTech, on 10/12/2007, -2/+18I really think Sony does need a figure head that people can look up to. I may not be a huge fan of the PS3 but I am a fan of Playstation in general and with all the talking they have done this year they have literally dropped the ball many times because they are all buisness like and not good public speakers.

    Let put it into another perspective. Look at Apple and Steve Jobs. When it comes to pubic speaking he is the man. He knows what to say and how to say it. If there was no Steve Jobs in Apple I am sure that the company wouldn't have survived as long as it has nor would it be making the huge comeback that it is making now.

    The other thing that is plagueing Sony though is qaulity work. They are not putting their full efforts into their work or either that they're putting too much into things. I mean do we really need a gaming system that has thousand times better graphics than any other system when in about five years the systems will be put to the pasture for the next big thing? Do we really need a system that has blue ray technology?

    Sony just needs to come back with it's original premise of making things that people want and are fun to use and stop trying to make something only they can control and maybe they'd stop loosing money. Either that or give us some figure head to make us believe that we need this stuff no matter the cost or the proprietary rights they have to it.
    • Nobi-Wan, on 10/12/2007, -5/+12Having a non-corporate entity as their frontman would definitely make Sony seem a bit more "human" and "in touch with reality" than the humorless corporate machine that they appear to be.

      To me it seems like they have no problem "blackmailing" gamers into playing next gen games. The only way you can play the next Final Fantasy or Metal Gear Solid game is to jump through their flaming hoops of either $500 or $600.
    • SkeletaLlama, on 10/12/2007, -3/+14But they do have a human face, Kutaragi. He's their anti-Miyamoto. While Miyamoto speaks to the happier side of humanity, the child in all of us, Kutaragi is the dark, manipulative side of humanity that smiles while lying to your face in order to con you out of money. That's why Sony is the mature console and Nintendo is for children. Right?

      But seriously, they do need a friendly face. A personality to wow audiences at trade shows. Rambling off figures and projections in a dull monotone to a keynote slide show is no way to compete with a madly grinning Miyamoto charging onto stage, wielding a Zelda sword with accompanying light show. They are in the entertainment business after all. Keep the business to the business meetings. They need to put the entertainment back into their public presentations.
    • staticneuron, on 10/12/2007, -6/+4"I may not be a huge fan of the PS3 but I am a fan of Playstation in general and with all the talking they have done this year they have literally dropped the ball many times because they are all buisness like and not good public speakers"

      The talking heads at Sony were never good public speakers and they have always spoken business like. They have talked about thier systems like the second comming of christ and always seemed to manage thier big talking bravado while spouting unbelievable hyperbole
      .
      What is different this time around are the blogs. The constant harping and repeating of every Sony statement. The exploding rumor mill that is nicely placed right next to the spin factory.

      No one listened to them then and no one should now. All that matters are the games that come out on the system. The only thing Sony needs are good games for the PS3. If you are willing to purchase something because of the charisma of a company's PR Speaker then you are a complete and utter idiot.
    • djSyndrome, on 10/12/2007, -1/+9"So if you digg me down you are most likely a Fruity Pebble (Apple Fanbitch)"

      Nah, I'll just digg you down because you're a dumbass :)
    • mrFREEZE, on 10/12/2007, -2/+1WTF are you talking about?
    • decay, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2I don't know about you guys but I really like Phil Harrison.
  • Zoltak, on 10/12/2007, -2/+8Sony does need some public figure that seems as sincere and willing to show that Sony cares, similar to Major Nelson. If nothing else many of the rumors about the PS3 could be stopped at least, even if they don't share all the information.
  • jcjdoss, on 10/12/2007, -3/+5Sony comes across as cuddly as a razor blade. At this point a "Major Nelson" figure couldn't hurt, but there has been a lot of damage done. I don't know if anyone representing Sony couldn't come across as sincere and relatable until Sony themselves can just come clean.
    • jcjdoss, on 10/12/2007, -4/+2Spell check doesn't cover grammar...",I don't know if anyone representing Sony could come across..."
    • Software2, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1Xbox fan?

      Come on, there's more than one of us.
  • jcjdoss, on 10/12/2007, -3/+22Sony needs a "Major Ass Kicking"
    • EricDraven, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4Though humorous, you actually may have a point.

      I'm a PS and PS2 gamer but I think Sony should be put in the proper place this time. Seems like they've become a bit complacent and are just relying on residual dominance from previous console generations. That said, I'd love to see the competition between them, MS and Nintendo. Can't go wrong with choice this time around.
    • jcjdoss, on 10/12/2007, -2/+2Microsoft, Nintendo, and Sony have their A games on and they all are putting forth great machines. There isn't a wrong choice between Microsoft and Nintendo, and with Sony we are better off to see where that bird lands. But if they can pull off what they promise, then it'll be an incredible machine. Really none is better then the other, Nintendo is about the experience, Microsoft is about the community, and Playstation is about the entertainment. Whats your flavor?
  • JudasMabus, on 10/12/2007, -18/+3@ Nobi-Wan

    Are you dumb? Sony didn't force MGS or FF to ONLY come out on their console. FF and MGS choose to only come out on one console, can't blame Sony.
    • Nobi-Wan, on 10/12/2007, -2/+15Um, are YOU an idiot?
      Don't you think that Konami would love to have MGS4 come out on as many systems as possible? More systems = more money earned.

      The companys pay (or own already) the developers to make a game for their system...EXCLUSIVELY. If Microsoft paid them more/signed an exclusivity contract with them then they, of course, would have the game launch on their system. Don't you think that the PS3 would have liked to have a slice of the Halo pie? The same goes for Microsoft wanting Zelda or Mario. Microsoft, Sony, and Nintendo all hold certain cards...and none of them are sharing them so YES, they are forcing certain games to only be on their systems.

      Who's the dumb one now?
    • staticneuron, on 10/12/2007, -4/+4Wow, cool your horses there. Why must you insist on calling names? Konami has branches, normally if a certain division wants to make a game for one system, they would leave the porting up to another division within the company or to an outside source. The same type of behavior is shared amoung most of the big publishers. Part of the reason for slow ports can be attributed to contract agreements but it is safe to assume that most are due to the inhouse devs being busy. Kojima has never had his team create a port and square enix, mainly square, doesn't like other people touching thier franchises. In certain cases if it can't be done in house then it would have to wait.
    • jmc730, on 10/12/2007, -3/+1@Nobi-Wan

      Your example with Mario and Zelda is a bit off. Both of those games are first party games so they are owned and made directly by Nintendo. All the others you mentioned are third party games (with the exemption of Halo because now Microsoft owns Bungie but at the time of the release of Halo they didn't) so your example fits.
    • RRRobotHouse, on 10/12/2007, -11/+1@ *****-Wan

      Way to overgeneralize! You win at the Internets!

      State your sources please.

      KTHXBYE
    • mrFREEZE, on 10/12/2007, -0/+6RRRobotHouse:

      It's common sense, dumbass. You need a SOURCE from the Internet to convince you that companies would love to have access to their competitor's exclusive content?

      I seriously hope that was just a lame attempt at humor. If not, you need to pay more attention in school.
  • MechaZain, on 10/12/2007, -2/+9Alex Donaldson is a great writer, I'm glad to see him finally getting some exposure.

    Sony needs a figurehead badly, seeing that the three stooges over there are good for a dumb quote every two weeks.
  • motang, on 10/12/2007, -1/+14Well they got Kaz Hairi and Ken Kutaragi...wait they are hurting Sony's image more than helping it. Never mind they do need a good public figure.
    • estvir, on 10/12/2007, -0/+6From what I remember way back they used to be decent but now (By now I mean basically since E3 2005) they come off as ignorant, arrogant morons.

      I'ts a shame.
    • SkeletaLlama, on 10/12/2007, -1/+6It's just that they finally became so arrogant they did away with pretense and brought out their true evil selves. Kind of like Kang and Kodos peeling off their human skins after winning the presidential election in The Simpsons. But unlike like the other K & K, they didn't wait until after they'd won. They revealed themselves too soon.
    • RT55J, on 10/12/2007, -2/+15Kaz Hirai:

      It's Ridge Racer.

      RRRRRIIIIIIIIIDDDDDDGGGGGGEEEEEE RRRRRRAAAAAAACCCCCCCCCEEEEEEERRRR!!!!!!
  • dodgyd55, on 10/12/2007, -5/+0how about ken kutaragi, everybody knows him, sure lets have a console with two controller ports ken that will be great to make money of the multitaps :D
  • xXShadowstormXx, on 10/12/2007, -1/+8The Three Stooges, indeed.

    Not one week passes without good 'ol Phil, Ken, or Kaz making a stupid statement.
  • yujie, on 10/12/2007, -2/+12How bout the "giant enemy crab"?
  • Bob042, on 10/12/2007, -2/+5I have to say I have never heard of 'Major Nelson'. Care to explain the reference? If I didn't read the article, I would never hear of him. Some sort of importance to MS?
    • xXShadowstormXx, on 10/12/2007, -0/+8http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Major_Nelson

      "Larry Hryb, known by the pseudonym Major Nelson, is a Programming Director for Xbox Live, the popular Microsoft gaming network."

      "His popular blog Xbox Live's Major Nelson provides an unofficial insider look at operations at Microsoft's Xbox division; in particular, he discusses the online features and functionality first and foremost."

      He also discusses recent games and other news that interests him. Finally, he interviews several of the people involved with the Xbox and Xbox 360 at Microsoft. He also produces a weekly podcast with such news in it."
    • Bob042, on 10/12/2007, -2/+4I think my point didn't come across so clear. For a "figurehead" of the Xbox 360, as the article claims, I've never heard a quote from him. On the other hand, there's lots of things out there attributed to Miyamoto or Kaz Harai, or Kutaragi, that I seem to just stumble across, not searching for xbox news, for better or worse.
    • cragga, on 10/12/2007, -2/+1wow, digging someone down for not having heard of major nelson, do you people realise what that thumbs down button is for? (other than blind fanboy hatred?)
  • luvkit, on 10/12/2007, -0/+6Does Sony need a 'Major Nelson?'

    No.

    It needs to come out with a product... and stop delaying.
  • FearNoEvil, on 10/12/2007, -6/+3No! MN is annoying! About five minutes is all I can take before I want to throw my iPod out the window!
    • mike17032, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3I like MN, quite a bit. In fact I prolly wouldnt have gotten a 360 at launch time if I hadnt started listening to his show a few months before. He did a good job of selling me on the extra features it was gonna have, so i spend the night in best buys parking lot instead of waiting who knows how long to buy one.

      I havent regretted it. I love my 360, and I think having a figure like him really adds to the community for hardcore gamers.
  • CaptainMordecai, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3Am I the only one who thought of the old tv show I Dream of Jeannie when reading the headline??
  • gwolf, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4Whoever that might be he or she couldn’t do a worse job than the Sony execs. I don’t think they would want that at Sony, they seem to be a very secretive company.

    Microsoft has done an exceptional job with its customers. Major Nelson makes Microsoft and the Xbox business seem very transparent. Microsoft seems more connected to its customers and listens to them.

    That could only be a good thing for Sony.
  • KiriA500, on 10/12/2007, -1/+4Why would we need a Major Nelson for PS3? We already know what's coming out from actual historical battles.

    On a serious note:
    I don't think it'd do much good. Major Nelson gives us information about what'll be updated with the Xbox360. I don't really forsee much being upgraded or changed with the PS3, since Sony generally releases something and lets it slowly die until someone else helps it back up (HDD, EyeToy, etc.).

    Now, they update the firmware on the PSP, but they keep adding stuff that isn't needed for a handheld video game system. LocationFree? Why would I want to drain the already short battery life running the WiFi adapter to watch an episode of something while I'm out on the go? If I wanted to watch something, I'd be at home watching it. It's a neat feature, but it's not needed at all. What could they possibly add to the PS3 that would require an "insider" to give us the 411 months in advance?

    I'm not trying to bash on the PS3, I'm just remembering what they've done with the PS2...and how Sony tends to be.
  • gabebear, on 10/12/2007, -7/+9Am I the only person who thinks 'Major Nelson' comes off as a corporate shill?

    Miyamoto comes off as genuinely enthusiastic about his company, but I don't see why people like this Larry Hryb guy.
    • bfdhud, on 10/12/2007, -7/+12Major Nelson Is a tard.

      I remember one post he bragged about how Xbox Live was more popular than Itunes.

      As it turned out more TB had been downloaded by Xbox Live, but considering they were counting patches and updates and one demo can run 1.2 GB. vs. the average iTunes song that weighs in at 3MB. Of course they were serving up more downloads.

      But when you looked at the number of files downloaded, iTunes was still waaaaay ahead of XBL.

      Another time he took a stab at Sony for backpedaling on their backwards compatability. They announced they couldnt do 100% after saying they could. He jumped all over it, ignoring the fact that MS once said 100% BC too, but now they only support about 40 - 60 Xbox games.


      He's just a MS propaganda machine.
    • marvin69, on 10/12/2007, -5/+2@gabebear
      Yes. Now repent.
    • gwolf, on 10/12/2007, -0/+7He certainly makes no secret of the fact he works for Microsoft, he’s a voice on the inside. Sony won’t even talk to you.
    • mike17032, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4I think he does a good job of balancing his opinion with his obligation to microsoft. I belive that he likes the things he says he does, and simply avoids talking about the things that he doesnt. Its not an easy position to be in.

      I think that he does the podcast and all the other community stuff because he wants to, not because MS told him too.
    • inajeep, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1If you go in there w/ open eyes then you won't get snowed. I like his show and have found some really good information in his posts and podcasts. He has s DS and compliments Nintendo on it. He's proposed to have someone from Sony come on his show to discuss the finer points of the blu-ray vs HD-DVD debate. He's works for MS and has never hid that fact and has caused me to roll my eyes more than once on some of his MS generated statements. The majority of the information he has given has been accurate. I'm not talking about release of XBLA games or such which is out of his control. Marketing and PR does feed him stuff which he tells us when things come in for them but it's the sneak peaks and interviews with some inside developer that makes his show worth considering.
  • gino23, on 10/12/2007, -1/+0Kaz Hirai is all they need!
  • djSyndrome, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3Instead of hiring a Larry, how about Sony *fire* their Ken and Kaz?
  • hollowex, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3I thought they were talking about major nelson from I dream of jeanie
    • DanteDefiance, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1I rofled at that...it's early what can I say.
  • Foor, on 10/12/2007, -3/+0Who cares What Sony Needs, What Gamers Need is for Nintendo and MS to Crush Sony and make the PS3 a total failure. Sony has already put the knife up to it own throat After Sony has been eviscerate, They might start trying to care about gamers a little more.
  • eggolas, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1@bfdhud

    You are the "tard"...get your facts straight...

    There are closer to 300 games in the in the back compat catalog:
    http://www.xbox.com/en-US/games/backwardcompatibilitygameslist.htm

    Major Nelson did not claim a download record with XBL over iTunes, Microsoft Press monkeys did:
    "Xbox Live...has reached more than 10 million downloads faster than iTunes did when it launched"
    http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/press/2006/mar06/03-21360SpringSurgePR.mspx

    And of course he's going to be biased...what the hell do you expect?
  • matthewhemby, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1They need a competitive and compelling product before they an evangelist :)
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