Can you give an overview of what consumers can expect as you roll PSN out to other devices, and how that transition will affect them?
I think that’s a very good and pertinent question. The message I’ve been purveying is that PlayStation represents a tremendous opportunity to build a market in a different way than it has done in the past. It’s an ever-evolving device, a different relationship for purchased game content. It used to be that a game purchase would be the end of that relationship – now it’s the start of that relationship with the consumer. It’s a huge opportunity to build a market for Sony and also an opportunity for SCE to be a learning ground for how to build these relationships, that then other divisions with other devices can draw on as they build their own networked content.

What are the key battlegrounds, as we go through the ten-year cycle, on which Sony will engage Microsoft? Is it encouraging people that have bought Wii into HD gaming?
I think you’re absolutely right. If you look back at previous lifecycles, like PS2 versus N64 [sic], we have lots of data that suggests that lots of people bought into N64 as their entry level gaming device, and were happy to upgrade to a more powerful machine later in the life cycle when the price point was right for them. I think we’re going to see this later on PS3, and the fact that it’s a Blu-ray player as well and that there’s a [greater] wealth of network based experiences than are perhaps available on the device they already have will add to the proposition. I think that will definitely be a factor in the marketplace. There are a few things that drive this to a significantly longer than ten-year lifecycle for me. One is the traditional market dynamic that as prices come down you build down and out through the pyramid to a new type of consumer, and the motion controller we showed yesterday – and gave a firm release date on – changes the experience and allows us to bring in a new audience. And then over that there’s the network offering and a different way – and PSP Go is another aspect of that – for consumers to consume content. All three of those give us a tremendously strong opportunity to really build that platform lifecycle up over the long term.

Clearly, launching a new platform is prohibitively expensive for a company, and is only going to get more so. Can you see yourselves, or Microsoft, beginning to plan the next generation?
I think, you know, as an innovative company we’ve always got to be thinking about the next generation. I would separate that from the fact that we’re focused on the kinds of innovation, like PSP Go, that are positioned alongside existing, very successful devices so we can reach another group of consumers to improve their experience. There is ongoing within-cycle innovation that needs to take place, and we’re a long way from needing to look at another generation.

You mentioned feeling more comfortable with PSP’s lineup. It did seem like there was a point late last year when it was very sparse. What’s been the process in turning that around?
I think it’s partly leading by example. This is an issue of managing development resources that are going to necessarily be capped to a certain extent across multiple formats. When I look at Sony’s resources, I see there’s a significant need to support PSP and make sure there’s a good grounding there. Now that’s established, there’s an opportunity for us to say, ‘Let’s look at PSP again, let’s make sure we’re putting in the right resources,’ and I think that’s been mirrored in the development community. PSP Go, I think, adds to that. It says there’s new innovation on PSP, new consumers. It probably has more potential as a broader entertainment device than most competitors you see out there. Let’s make sure that we’re developing games and taking advantage of that.

How do you feel about the current price points for PS3 in Europe?
I think you have to position price points around business facing issues like profitability, but I put that in the context of a long life cycle. The great thing for me is that European consumers have understood the total value proposition that you get with PS3, not focused solely on pricing. We will have to constantly monitor that and make adjustments when all the factors come into play and make the right decisions at the right time.

There seemed to be more of a sense of brand loyalty at the Sony conference compared to the other manufacturers’. PlayStation seems to maintain a level of support that reading the internet often makes you forget.
It’s very encouraging to hear you say that. I certainly felt that, sitting in the room. I think it’s down to us taking a tone of quiet confidence. We showed that we have inherent brand strength, but we were also delivering the kind of games that people get excited about, and that gets more credibility with an audience than anything else.

If it wasn’t for the leaks, Fumito Ueda’s game could have been game of the show. Were you disappointed internally at that happening?
No, I think we can get a little too obsessed with leaked information. The point is that the game is the game, and people are going to get excited about it. So no, I'm not unduly upset about it, though we’d obviously like to have big reveals and surprises – as Jack [Tretton] coyly said, we did keep a few up our sleeves – in an ideal world, there would have been more!

To close, can you give an overview of your vision for PlayStation in Europe?
It would be very arrogant of me to come into an organisation and say that there’s a need for wholesale change. I’m very privileged to take on an organisation that was built with the tremendous support of people like David Reeves and Chris Deering, and I’m proud to be a part of it. A couple of things I’m looking to focus on: I come from a brand marketing background so you’ll see some renewed focus on where the PlayStation brand stands in Europe and new positioning and messaging. And I’m intrigued by the possibilities in the network space, and how we have a different relationship with our consumers than we’ve perhaps had in the past, and I think that’s very exciting.