Sony CEO says Nintendo devices are ‘babysitting tools'

Sony Computer Entertainment America CEO Jack Tretton is making headlines for some discouraging remarks he made about the Nintendo 3DS last week. “Our view of the ‘Game Boy experience’ is that it’s a great babysitting tool, something young kids do on airplanes, but no self-respecting twenty-something is going to be sitting on an airplane with one of those,” Tretton tells Fortune, “He’s too old for that.”

Obviously, the comment hasn’t gone over well with the self-respecting twenty-somethings of the gaming world who do in fact want to play with Nintendo Gameboy devices — on and off airplanes. The point Tretton is trying to make is that the forthcoming Sony NGP will appeal more to adults. Unfortunately what he’s failing to remember or most likely, choosing to ignore, is the fact that the NGP hasn’t received nearly the amount of attention the 3DS has.

But Tretton does make an interesting, albeit it poorly phrase, point. Nintendo’s marketing focuses on stressing the all-ages compatibility of the 3DS, the widespread appeal from serious gamers all the way to those who have never picked up a handheld device before. And Sony is going a different route: Tretton wants it to be clear that the NGP isn’t meant for everybody – it’s for grown up, committed gamers who focus on the technology and graphics behind their games, and laugh at the idea of playing Mario Kart.

What’s disappointing is that Sony may not need to point out its competitors’ supposed flaws to sell the NGP. It definitely doesn’t have the buzz the 3DS had, but it sounds and seems like a high-tech, extremely capable and quality gaming device that could challenge Nintendo’s own product. But the entire Fortune interview features Tretton desperately telling us how much better PlayStation is than other systems. The Wii doesn’t have a hard drive and the 360 doesn’t have Blu-ray – which, Tretton says will lead to their elimination from the long-term market. “If you’re really going to sustain technology for a decade, you have to be cutting edge when you lunch a platform,” he says. All the while, casual gamers are taking over this arena: Mobile and social gaming have made converts out of the least likely suspects, and Wii and Kinect have become fixtures in your average living room. Sony might not want these types of customers, but it seems downright foolish to discount them entirely.

Via » http://www.ngpheaven.com

Good news article, but Sony can sucks on my nuts. I still play the Gameboy. How'd about they care about what games comes out then they can bash the other systems. Cause I can only count a handful of PSP games that were good, compaired to Gameboy, GBA, and DS which had too many good games.

Also I am 22 and still enjoy the DS and Wii so does my Girlfriend. Sony can sucks it!

Damn word filter needs to be shut off!

I think the point he's trying to make, albeit poorly, is a valid one...ish


When you want to be accessible to everyone, you have to work, for the most part, on the lowest common denominator and that does show on Nintendo's part at times. Not always, and whos to say its a bad thing if it does, but its a valid point nonetheless

Hmm... Funny how the CEO mentions the XBox 360, and how it doesn't play Blu-ray... I'm assuming that the 360 is completely backwards compatible when I say this (I don't own a 360) but who cares if it doesn't play Blu-ray?  People's reasons for buying a gaming console is for GAMiNG.  The Sony Playstation 3 (slim, I'm not sure about phat) doesn't even play Playstation 2 games, but I can play PSOne classics.  I can also make an internal Memory Card for PS2 games, but I can't play a single one of my PS2 games.  What's the point then?

I shouldn't have to switch between consoles to play a game, when they could've just made the newer console completely backwards compatible.  I don't think Sony has room to scrutinize anyone else's products.

my PS3 plays PS2 and PS1 games, that why you can make Memory cards

Ive been of the opinion DS and Wii are for kiddies for a while

Doesn't stop me from playing pokemon in an emu though

(18/04/2011 02:08 PM)ProperBritish Wrote:  my PS3 plays PS2 and PS1 games, that why you can make Memory cards

Ive been of the opinion DS and Wii are for kiddies for a while

Doesn't stop me from playing pokemon in an emu though

Do you have a PS3 Slim or Phat?

Everytime I put a PS2 game in it says, "Unsupported Data"

(18/04/2011 10:28 AM)Vacui Natale Wrote:  Hmm... Funny how the CEO mentions the XBox 360, and how it doesn't play Blu-ray... I'm assuming that the 360 is completely backwards compatible when I say this (I don't own a 360) but who cares if it doesn't play Blu-ray?  People's reasons for buying a gaming console is for GAMiNG.  The Sony Playstation 3 (slim, I'm not sure about phat) doesn't even play Playstation 2 games, but I can play PSOne classics.  I can also make an internal Memory Card for PS2 games, but I can't play a single one of my PS2 games.  What's the point then?

The nice thing about blueray is that it can have more storage than regular dvd's (meaning bigger games, etc)

PS3 had backwards compatibility but it was very iffy... (though so is xbox 360's, I think the wii has perfect gamecube emulation though apparently)

They should really get their donkey on it and work on it some more.

To clarify:  I wasn't dumping on Blu-Ray or the PS3.  I love my PS3.  I'm just annoyed by the limited backwards compatibility...

(18/04/2011 02:49 PM)Vacui Natale Wrote:  To clarify:  I wasn't dumping on Blu-Ray or the PS3.  I love my PS3.  I'm just annoyed by the limited backwards compatibility...

yup, recently saw abunch of games for ps2 I wanted to play : <

(18/04/2011 02:56 PM)Cirehpsa Wrote:  

(18/04/2011 02:49 PM)Vacui Natale Wrote:  To clarify:  I wasn't dumping on Blu-Ray or the PS3.  I love my PS3.  I'm just annoyed by the limited backwards compatibility...

yup, recently saw abunch of games for ps2 I wanted to play : <

Me too.   For me personally, I was thinking of buying games like Devil May Cry, Tekken 4, Final Fantasy X, etc.

I thought I would be able play those games, along with newer games on my PS3 since my PS2 is getting old and it cuts off during game play.

I just don't want to buy another PS2.