An interview with Sony PlayStation boss Ken Kutaragi in Japanese newspaper Nikkei BP, as passed on by consumer website GamerNode.com, has seen the increasingly outspoken executive making new claims for the PlayStation 3 to be seen as a computer, rather than as a video games console.
After indicating that larger 120GB hard drives may be available for the PlayStation 3 “by next year or the year after that”, Kutaragi made the suggestion that the PlayStation 3 could be sold on a built-to-order basis, as seen in the home PC market. “As the PlayStation 3 is a computer, we might even offer it on a built-to-order basis, customized to the needs of each and every user,” Kutaragi is quoted as saying. “The hardware components have been designed in a modularized format with this possibility in mind.”
Kutaragi also spoke about the current progress of software development for the console, which is due to launch worldwide this November. According to him the PlayStation 3 will launch with over ten titles on day one.
“In the 20 years I’ve worked in the gaming industry, I have never seen so many titles in the playable phase,” he said. “The world has obviously underestimated our progress in software development. It’s likely that many shook their heads in disbelief at seeing the large number of titles actually working before their eyes.”
