Posted Sep 22, 2006 at 02:30PM by Ryan A. Listed in: Interviews, News, Games, Afrika Tags: Japan, SCEA, Phil Harrison, GIGABYTE, Africa
Ó

AfrikaOne of the more exciting sights during the TGS was SCEA's title featuring faithful replications of Africa's flora and fauna. With a working title Afrika, we say 'more' because it didn't fail to cause stir among spectators despite lack of details. However, the unexpected brief chat with SCE Worldwide Studios Head Phil Harrison temporarily quenches this information drought.

When asked what Afrika is really all about, Harrison immediately answers, "Africa allows you to experience a very interesting part of the world, a safari in the plains of Africa. The gameplay is entirely non-violent. You don't kill the animals. It emphasizes the positives rather than the negatives."

Also, if you happen to have watched Afrika's trailer, you might be wondering what's up with the guy riding a jeep at the end?  Harrison divulges that it would be one of the people gamers will control. "It's about collecting experiences and keeping them for posterity," he added.

On a related news, Harrison admits retailers in the U.S. vastly prefer the 60 gigabyte, $599 PlayStation3 model. That, according to him, is one of the main reasons why the US price did not get the same price cut as with the Japanese'. He talked as well about "magic price points," saying the original price received positive feedback everywhere else except in Japan.


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6 Comments


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   by Brett (Unregistered) - 2006-09-22

"He talked as well about "magic price points," saying the original price received positive feedback everywhere else except in Japan." What a *****load of *****.

   by tdfek (Unregistered) - 2006-09-22
 » oh man

They must have conducted a bunch of surveys or something on the price...see this is what happens when you dont send enough threat's to Sony on the price.

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   by bob (Unregistered) - 2006-09-22
 » hmm

The price cut in Japan was because they are scared the Wii will take Japan . It's typical Sony bull***** and they know it.. not one person here in the states is happy with the price.. and the only reason people here didnt want the damn core system was due to no hdmi..but he is right , of course retailers are going to want to sell more $599 consoles..larger profits and larger quarterly totals.

   by Chaos (Unregistered) - 2006-09-22

this will come with the ps3 since no one will buy it, they can make it as a demo to show how powerful the ps3 is

   by Sony Fanmail (Unregistered) - 2006-09-22
 » #4 is right.

The original price received positive feedback? From where, the Sony Corporate Boardroom? All the negative comments from the press and the forums, and they are still in denial. That is sad :(

Now with the 20GB model having HDMI the 60 GB model doesn't seem as such a value. Not just that, but the picture they used to show that they included it on the 20GB model was actually a picture of the 60GB model, unless the playstation name is now silver on the 20GB model. (Take a look)

I also agree that AFRIKA is beautiful and should be a demo rather than a full game, but who knows what the full game will be like.

I still feel left in the dark on the whole PS3 issue. It would have been nice to get a view (official video trailer) of the features the systemhas to offer. I want to know what I am paying $600 for. I think it is time to change the way we reveal new consoles. i can understand being low key with some game titles, but the console itself?

I am still confused:
How will linux work?
How will backwards compatability work? (all region PS1 and PS2 games?)
Will the PS3 upscale PSOne and PS2 games to 1080p?
How will PS3 utilize HDMI 1.3?
Exactly how will it communicate withe the PSP? (real solid details)
Where is this so called PSOne PS2 memory card adapter?(will need it on release day)
Where is my rumble you cowards?(oops not a real question)
How will the hard drive work?(is it similar to xbox)
What type of movie files can be played from the hard drive? (or do they need to be converted)
Keyboard and mouse?(usb is known,bluetooth maybe?)
The list goes on...

Get my point people. I need firm answers from Sony before I preorder this expensive hardware.

   by Goldrusher (Unregistered) - 2006-09-23

Honestly, I don't care anymore. I'll buy it where it's the cheapest. Right now, that's Japan.

March 2007: 499 euro for 1 PS3
or
November 2006: 450 euro for 1 PS3 + game + all taxes (even the 20% import tax) & shipment costs



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