Just take a look at the list of items that appeared on the US Store yesterday:
- Loco Roco Cocoreccho full game ($6.99)
- Skate demo (free)
- Stuntman: Ignition demo (free)
- Sega Rally Revolution demo (free)
- NBA 08 demo (free)
- Devil May Cry 4 summer 2007 trailer (free)
- GT5 Prologue Leipzig video (free)
- Ratchet and Clank Future: Tools of Destruction video (free)
- Folklore trailer (free)
- Lair promo video (free)
- Lair "Going for the kill" video (free)
- Heavenly Sword demo (free)
- NBA 08 Free 6 tutorial (free)
- Loco Roco Cocoreccho trailer (free)
- Wallpapers (loads of them; DMC, Lair, LocoRoco etc.)
Now, I know SCEE are 'working on the problem'. They've said that they have acknowledged there's an issue and they are dealing with it.
But really.
Four demos. Trailers galore. More wallpapers than you can shake a stick at.
Are there really so many complex 'rights' issues over a picture that can be downloaded over the internet minutes after the Store is updated that they couldn't put all wallpapers on all stores at the same time?
The demos all work on every PS3 anyway, so why not release them in all English speaking countries at the same time? I understand there might be translation issues elsewhere, but I don't think it's unreasonable to suggest that our Italian and German friends would be as happy playing with an English demo as they would a localised one. Yes, I understand in France there's the 'M. Toubon' law that makes it more difficult, but SCEE could still launch demos everywhere else.
Occasionally, someone might need to swap the MM/DD/YY date around when you get to the bit of the demo that says 'Coming 10/09/2007'. Or Sony could just tell all the developers to announce dates in their demos using long dates, and then everyone would understand.
And yes - Sony - we do care what is happening in Tokyo. You gave us great updates on the US store when E3 was around and then trickled them out elsewhere. You gave the Euro store great updates when Leipzig was in full swing and then made them available elsewhere. Why not just take E3, GC and TGS and release all the announcements, and the keynote speeches, on all Stores the day after the event? We all want to know what you're doing for the PS3, and the buzz that is created will help your word-of-mouth sales across the globe.
Is it really that difficult? What am I missing here (apart from all the content everyone else gets)...
Labels: news, opinion, Playstation 3, PS3