Hirai on Home: "Doesn't matter when we launch"

[.KICK]

Although Sony says Home is "on schedule" for Autumn, we wouldn't bet your life on it as big Kaz has iterated that "it doesn't matter when we launch."

While offering a reminder of his apology for the twice-delayed online networking service, Hirai made clear: "I'd much rather make sure we take the time to have a great service rather than rush something into the market - only for consumers to say: 'This is not enough for me.'

"I want to avoid that. If we have the right service, it doesn't matter when we launch - so long as it's in a reasonable timeframe," he added.

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He doesn't care for rip-offs trying to steal Home's thunder either. "Whether our competitors decide to follow what we've done with Home or not follow us, that's up to them. Given the fact that I've delayed the launch of Home twice - for which I've apologised - I think I've done it for a very good reason, and that's because I want to bring the very best service possible to consumers around the world.

"We're very confident in when we do launch the open Beta service, it's something that will really resonate with the consumers," a confident Hirai told MCV.

After waiting this long, we hope he's right.

Source

[DrunknMunky Veteran]

I can assure you Hirai, just about every gamer disagrees with you :yes:

[Coldgunner]

I got bored waiting for home, its not the be all and end all of PS3, PS3 has a ton of other good stuff out and to look forward to.

[+Audioboxer Subscriber²]

I can assure you Hirai, just about every gamer disagrees with you :yes:

I can assure you I want a polished product :p

Again, crappy journalism ftl (N)

I love how they missed out this part in the quote

"I want to avoid that. If we have the right service, it doesn't matter when we launch - so long as it's in a reasonable timeframe,"

But hey, it makes for more discussion and site hits if you make it sound like Sony are being arrogant and telling people, screw off, it doesn't matter when we launch, end of.

That part I bolded I agree with and emphasise.

Product needs to be ready to launch, but the product needs to also be launched within a reasonable timeframe.

[magik]

Sure sounds like they're priming for another delay... :(

[+Audioboxer Subscriber²]

Sure sounds like they're priming for another delay... :(

They said at E3 they were on track and that they promise the open beta will launch 3rd/4th quarter, so let's see.

[popisdead uk]

I don't think they are looking at delaying again, I think they are just trying to explain the reasons for the delays so far. The article linked is just shocking. They have missed out the major parts of what was said.

Gaming journalists are amongst the worst on the planet!

[DrunknMunky Veteran]

Ready to launch? You were just discussing the other day that Home will never be finished and is a growing product. When exactly does it reach the "ready" stage.

It's already been in the works for 3 years now, how much longer do they need. Even Google have created an online space, Microsoft have introduced avatars. I'm not up to date on Second Life but I bet that's still growing fast. Momentum definitely dies down and if they don't launch at least within the next year, I can see people over looking it. Not everyone of course, but a large chunk who were probably once interested and grew tired of waiting.

edit: heh, +Coldgunner just proved my point for me. Good timing :p

[popisdead uk]

I disagree! Once it's released and people see what it has to offer, they will use it - even the people (like me) who have got bored waiting.

[+Audioboxer Subscriber²]

Ready to launch? You were just discussing the other day that Home will never be finished and a growing product. When exactly does it reach the "ready" stage.

It's already been in the works for 3 years now, how much longer do they need. Even Google have created an online space, Microsoft have introduced avatars. I'm not up to date on Second Life but I bet that's still growing fast. Momentum definitely dies down and if they don't launch at least within the next year, I can see people over looking it. Not everyone of course, but a large chunk who were probably once interested and grew tired of waiting.

When the open beta comes out, that's when it's ready to launch.

I thought we'd been over that when it's publicly released that is when Sony are happy with it to be used. They've said that themselves countless times.

If people genuinely push aside something for the reason of they waited, then they clearly weren't all that interested in using the item/product in question in the first place. I can't do anything about that, nor can Sony. If you now say, not using Home any more because I waited, and don't try/use it on launch, hey what can we do, your decision.

That doesn't make me any less frustrated about waiting like others, but it doesn't make me want to use Home any less than I always have. Hype goes up and down during dry spells of information, but it will easily go back up again prior to launch. I want to use Home, so that's just the way my feelings tick.

It's not like a competitor product is coming along to seriously rival the scope of this either.

[DPyro]

It`s actually only been two years, seeing as PS3 has only been out 2 years.

[DrunknMunky Veteran]

Well that's a problem Sony may have to face. People losing interest because they've had to wait so long and maybe they feel it doesn't live up to the promises made or justify the wait. You can question their decision and say they weren't all that interested in the first place, but that's not going to help them grow a service before it's even off the ground.

That's a very bad outlook to have on your product (N)

@ $n!pR, Home has been in development since 2005. Has nothing to do with how long the console was out. Genji, Resistance 1 and Motorstorm weren't created a month before the console launched. They were in development from probably as early as 2004/5.

[.KICK]

It`s actually only been two years, seeing as PS3 has only been out 2 years.

Development for stuff on PS3 would've started way before the actual release of the PS3!!

[spenser.d]

They said at E3 they were on track and that they promise the open beta will launch 3rd/4th quarter, so let's see.

Sony promises a lot of things. We've all seen what's happened to some of those.

Hirai's also said stupid things like this before and I don't think the journalist here is taking any liberties by omitting that last bit of the quote. A reasonable timeframe for good ol' Kaz Hirai could probably have you waiting until 2010 if the rest of Sony weren't there to lay a foot down on the project (although they've been doing a terrible job at that so far).

Look, it's just like developing a videogame - Sony is always going to be able to make Home better somehow. Always. It will never come close to being absolutely perfect in anyone's eyes. It can be good or great. But there's a point where you just have to say "ok, we're going to release this on this day and here are the deadlines for certain parts up to then - no exceptions", otherwise it'll be in development for forever.

You're waiting for an open beta. Last I checked, the point of a beta was to see what works and what doesn't work, and what's good and bad about a product - not to have people toy around with a product you already think is practically done.

But I digress, you're the one with a PS3, not myself - I'll have fun with my new 360 dashboard experience and you can have fun waiting for Home some more.

-Spenser

[popisdead uk]

Sony promises a lot of things. We've all seen what's happened to some of those.

Hirai's also said stupid things like this before and I don't think the journalist here is taking any liberties by omitting that last bit of the quote. A reasonable timeframe for good ol' Kaz Hirai could probably have you waiting until 2010 if the rest of Sony weren't there to lay a foot down on the project (although they've been doing a terrible job at that so far).

Look, it's just like developing a videogame - Sony is always going to be able to make Home better somehow. Always. It will never come close to being absolutely perfect in anyone's eyes. It can be good or great. But there's a point where you just have to say "ok, we're going to release this on this day and here are the deadlines for certain parts up to then - no exceptions", otherwise it'll be in development for forever.

But I digress, you're the one with a PS3, not myself - I'll have fun with my new 360 dashboard experience and you can have fun waiting for Home some more.

-Spenser

He will also be enjoying the new 360 dashboard :), as will I, and many other PS3 owners who also own a 360.

HOME will come this year, even Sony aren't stupid enough to delay it again!

[Sethos]

I really hope it's just a late 'excuse', not a sign of an upcoming delay :/

[spenser.d]

He will also be enjoying the new 360 dashboard :), as will I, and many other PS3 owners who also own a 360.

HOME will come this year, even Sony aren't stupid enough to delay it again!

I know you both have 360's too - that was far from the point :rolleyes:

And that second statement is a bold one, as I'm not sure how you can know that. I know Sony's come a long way from the stupid things they did around launch - they've gotten a lot better - but their track record still isn't particularly in favor of being able to be sure of something like that.

-Spenser

[+Audioboxer Subscriber²]

Sony promises a lot of things. We've all seen what's happened to some of those.

Hirai's also said stupid things like this before and I don't think the journalist here is taking any liberties by omitting that last bit of the quote. A reasonable timeframe for good ol' Kaz Hirai could probably have you waiting until 2010 if the rest of Sony weren't there to lay a foot down on the project (although they've been doing a terrible job at that so far).

Look, it's just like developing a videogame - Sony is always going to be able to make Home better somehow. Always. It will never come close to being absolutely perfect in anyone's eyes. It can be good or great. But there's a point where you just have to say "ok, we're going to release this on this day and here are the deadlines for certain parts up to then - no exceptions", otherwise it'll be in development for forever.

But I digress, you're the one with a PS3, not myself - I'll have fun with my new 360 dashboard experience and you can have fun waiting for Home some more.

-Spenser

Nope, journalists modifying/playing around with quotes is just sloppy and not professional.

As I pointed out, the current title makes it sound like Sony are giving everyone a big middle finger for all the waiting, which they are not.

Sony do care when they launch from what I've read, what is being done is here is some explanation for the delays and Sony saying what they don't care about is rushing a product out for the sake of getting it out. That's what I see/read anyway.

You should know well enough by now stifler the amount of people who read titles and just reply is fairly high.

There's so much cheap newspaper esque titles going around on gaming websites this generation - Either complete BS headlines, or small segments of the actual report that don't necessarily fairly represent the actual content.

But hey, I don't care, not my sites reputation. I just point it out when it happens as I can see it a mile off, and to try to highlight to anyone thinking of coming into topics on NW and responding just to the headline, not the post.

[Ricardo Gil]

He will also be enjoying the new 360 dashboard :), as will I, and many other PS3 owners who also own a 360.

F*** that, I'll be playing gears and resistance :p :laugh:

[+Audioboxer Subscriber²]

F*** that, I'll be playing gears and resistance :p :laugh:

F*** that, I'll be playing LBP :p

[Sethos]

F*** that, I'll be playing LBP :p

F*** that, I'll ... be over here :(

[spenser.d]

<snip>

You and popisdead are odd. You both managed to either miss or ignore the point of my post entirely. I don't think I was being subtle when I typed that all up, but perhaps in the future I'll try and spell it out a little more. Or maybe I won't bother at all - if you're going to make arguments about the most minute parts of a post that were beyond the point, then why should I.

-Spenser

[+Audioboxer Subscriber²]

You and popisdead are odd. You both managed to either miss or ignore the point of my post entirely. I don't think I was being subtle when I typed that all up, but perhaps in the future I'll try and spell it out a little more. Or maybe I won't bother at all.

-Spenser

I understood your points completely, I just don't agree with any reasoning in regards to cutting out crucial parts of quotes, whether it's to stress something like the amount of delays, or some notion/belief that a "reasonable" timeframe to Kaz means 2010.

I seen your post as a gateway to expand on what I said earlier. So I don't really know why you're feeling like feathers are ruffled. I didn't want to comment on anything else you said, as well, I've got nothing useful to add to it.

I have no idea why you're linking me to pops either.

[Konstanov]

He will also be enjoying the new 360 dashboard :), as will I, and many other PS3 owners who also own a 360.

HOME will come this year, even Sony aren't stupid enough to delay it again!

Seriously, you would rather have a product that is competitive rather than a product that is properly polished?

[Si_]

Sony need to get their head out their ass, all these stupid comments are doing is waning interest for an already overhyped product. I can honestly see this failing, they should just shut up and concentrate on getting the thing out the door. Home = MMO version of Daikatana :rofl: