Hirai: Emotional input is underdeveloped
New motion control technology can expand user experiences, says SCE president
During a keynote speech at the Tokyo Game Show today, Sony president Kaz Hirai said videogames are still unable to capture the emotional responses of users.
Hirai said the forthcoming motion controller from Sony will help stimulate emotions and the company intends to use this to evolve the videogame business further.
"I've always felt that when you're enjoying games, there may be a build up of excitement or sadness or joy... But it's not possible to reflect your emotions into the game... I think we haven't really realised the potential yet," said Hirai. "The basic idea is to express emotion."
"Emotional input is still not fully developed," he added. "I think the games industry can still develop even more. One of its unique characteristics is that as technology develops, the way you express things, the number of colours on the palette increases as technology develops."
Hirai also said that the controller will be able to enhance all games, from casual to hardcore.
"This will be something that will be familiar to operate, and even for core gamers who have stringent requirements, it will be beneficial," he offered.
Despite showing prototypes for PS3 motion control, no further details were forthcoming, with Hirai reiterating the previous "spring" launch for the new technology.
Hirai also talked up the network-centric and online PlayStation business, revealing that accumulated sales on the PlayStation Network as of June 2009 exceeded 25 billion Yen.