Looking Back: Sony at E3 2011

With E3 2012 one month away and after re-watching last year’s press conferences (mostly to get them off my DVR), let’s recap the claims that were made by each of the Big Three companies and see how they did almost one year later! Yesterday, we looked at Microsoft. Now up is Sony at E3 2011, after the break!

CLAIM: Jack Tretton is personally sorry, as is everyone at Sony, for the PlayStation Network outage. They apologize to developers, retailers, and customers.
RESULT: True! It was a rather sincere moment of the conference, plus there was an apology package on the way for those scorned by the outage.

CLAIM: CinemaNow will be a PlayStation Network content partner, with free access to the service.
RESULT: Shaky. CinemaNow for PSN appeared on October 25th at no cost, but it was naturally laced with a subscription service. Best Buy’s video delivery service requires paying for movies, which could now be streamed through PSN. Nice try at the half-truth, Sony.

CLAIM: Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception will be released on November 1st. A multiplayer beta will begin on June 28th and Subway will run a promotion in October that includes the full Uncharted 3 multiplayer package.
RESULT: True! All of Uncharted 3’s release dates hit without question and Subway’s promotion was an unprecedented one. This ended up being a bright spot for Sony in 2011.

CLAIM: Resistance 3 will be released on September 6th. There will be the option of a Resistance 3, PlayStation Move controller, Navigation controller, PlayStation Eye, and Sharpshooter bundle for $150.
RESULT: True! This was renamed the Doomsday Edition and is currently being sold for about $100 on Amazon. That is, for all the people that still think gun peripherals are still the best way to play these motion games.

CLAIM: The God of War Origins Collection and The ICO & Shadow of the Colossus collection will both be released in September. Both games will support 3D.
RESULT: True! These were released on September 13th and September 27th, respectively. Both games also support 3D and make us want other game pairs to be remade in HD even more (looking at you here, Kingdom Hearts).

CLAIM: The PlayStation 3D display, with its 24″ 3D screen and two-player image viewing technology will launch this fall. Will include 3D glasses ($69.99 sold separately), an HDMI cable, and Resistance 3, all for $499.
RESULT: Shaky. Funny thing happened along the way to the PlayStation 3D display’s release. Resistance 3 got the axe as the packaged game, burning those who pre-ordered with Motorstorm Apocalypse instead. The bundle released on November 13th, but since sales weren’t so hot at the $499 price point, you could probably find it currently at $299 with a couple other goodies thrown in.

CLAIM: NBA 2K12 will be released on October 4th with PlayStation Move support.
RESULT: True! Those who enjoy the game play much better than Kobe Bryant did at the show, but Move support isn’t really the main draw in this sports franchise.

CLAIM: Medieval Moves: Deadmund’s Quest will be relased in fall 2011.
RESULT: True! It dropped on November 15, 2011 and nobody really cared, with mediocre at best reviews. Nice job, Jeremy.

CLAIM: Infamous 2 releases on June 7th, players can use the PlayStation Move to create levels in-game. Similarly, a Move update will be coming to LittleBIGPlanet 2 this fall.
RESULT: True! Infamous 2 did release the day after the Sony conference and ultimately got this Move update along with the Festival of Blood DLC on October 25th. LBP2 got the jump on this kind of update first though, on September 7th.

CLAIM: Starhawk will be released in early 2012.
RESULT: WRONG! Early betas for the Warhawk successor went out through different channels in January and February 2012. The game is set to launch in a couple days on May 8th in North America, which is certainly not early 2012.

CLAIM: Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time is coming in 2012.
RESULT: To be determined. We haven’t heard much since E3, but Sly 4 may still be hitting store shelves later this year.

CLAIM: Dust 514 will be a console shooter that will connect to the MMO Eve Online. It will launch in Spring 2012.
RESULT: Shaky. When the developer was on stage, he noted a summer 2012 release, which Jack Tretton followed up soon after by saying spring. Betas are out, but the full release is still set at Q3 2012. At least there is the pleasant surprise of the game being free to play!

CLAIM: Bioshock Infinite will include Move support and will have the original Bioshock on the PS3 Blu-ray disc. A new game in Bioshock universe will be developed for PlayStation Vita.
RESULT: To be determined. Bioshock Infinite is set to release on October 16th in North America, but we haven’t heard much on these supposed extras. In addition, there has been no word at all on the Bioshock game for Vita. Just going to have to wait this one out for now.

CLAIM: Saints Row 3 will be released with exclusive PlayStation Move content on November 15th.
RESULT: WRONG! The name got changed to Saints Row: The Third and it did hit its release date. Unfortunately, there was no Move or PS3-exclusive content upon launch, as the content was essentially the same as the Xbox 360 and PC versions. Whether this was a cut feature or just completely forgotten, THQ never really commented on the situation, which makes this moment in the conference looks silly in hindsight.

CLAIM: A Star Trek co-op action adventure game with Move support is in the works, set to release in time with the movie. A phaser peripheral will be included, plus an early prequel will arrive on PSN in 2012.
RESULT: To be determined. We have heard nothing at all. Although, this may be because details have been scarce regarding the movie sequel. Still, can’t make a call on this one.

CLAIM: EA is offering exclusives on its games with PS3. This includes Mt. Fuji on SSX, seven additional cars on Need for Speed: The Run, and Battlefield 1943 on Battlefield.
RESULT: Shaky. EA was good for their word on SSX and The Run, but Battlefield got messy very quickly. After seeming to forget the promised pack-in entirely, consumers filed a class-action lawsuit against EA. The publisher quickly folded, offering a voucher program through a specific site for those that purchased Battlefield 3’s Online Pass. Buyers did get their 1943 fix, but only after putting pressure on a forgotten benefit.

CLAIM: PlayStation Suite will appear on Android phones and tablets, more info in the near future.
RESULT: Shaky. We still don’t know too much about the PlayStation Suite, other than specific devices will be able to access the PlayStation Store. A closed beta went out on October 20 and this turned into an open beta on April 19th. In other words, we’re still looking for more information, as this very brief mention in the conference should have just been excluded entirely.

CLAIM: The NGP is the PlayStation Vita. Wi-fi and 3G models will exist, as Sony is partnering with AT&T.
RESULT: True! The audience boos regarding AT&T didn’t stop the NGP name change, the release of two hardware models, or a 3G network change.

CLAIM: Uncharted: Golden Abyss will be a console-like experience on Vita. No word on a release date.
RESULT: True! Nathan Drake led the way in this Uncharted prequel for one of the better Vita launch titles, which was released on February 22nd.

CLAIM: Ruin will be a social action RPG that will have compatibility with the PS3. No work on a release date.
RESULT: To be determined. We haven’t heard much regarding this game, except for a few things. The title was changed to Warrior’s Lair and it still has hopes to be released in 2012. Most interestingly, however, there are talks of selling the PS3 and Vita versions in a package together. Perhaps a sign of things to come for future Vita games?

CLAIM: ModNation Racers will have a Vita game, with access to the community-created content from the PS3 game. No word on a release date.
RESULT: True! The title was changed to ModNation Racers: Road Trip and it was a Vita launch game on February 22nd. With that, racers everywhere may or may not have created phallically-shaped courses.

CLAIM: LittleBIGPlanet will be getting a Vita game with new features and tools at players’ disposals. No word on a release date.
RESULT: To be determined. We haven’t received much word on the title, except for its scheduled release in June 2012.

CLAIM: Street Fighter X Tekken will be coming to PlayStation Vita, with Cole McGrath from Infamous as a playable character.
RESULT: To be determined. Cole was part of a group of PS3-exclusive DLC characters when the game launched for consoles on February 6th. However, the Vita version is set for release in fall 2012 and while those DLC characters are planned to be in the roster by default, it’s difficult to make the call on a game that has not released yet.

CLAIM: PlayStation Vita will launch this holiday season, with the wi-fi version at $249 and the 3G version at $299.
RESULT: Shaky. The Vita hit those prices as planned, but they missed the launch window! The system was out on December 17th in Japan and February 22nd in North America. Unfortuantely, sales for the system have not been so hot, so it will be intriguing to see Sony react, come E3 2012.

CONCLUSION:

True: 10
To be determined: 6
Shaky: 6
Wrong: 2

This was not the best year as far as accuracy went for Sony. Launch dates were missed, sales were not strong, and more issues occurred. While it may have seemed like a reasonable conference at the time after the PSN outage, it’s a tough watch one year later, especially when the Vita games are so vaguely detailed regarding release dates, prices, etc. To have 10/24 claims be true is rather unsettling, as well. However, there is still promise for some of these conference bits, so failing the company in this retrospective is out of the question.

CLAIM GRADE: C-