The Rockstar North exclusive seemed a step away from the old policy of not doing platform-exclusive deals. How did it come about?
Well, I’m not getting involved in this thirdparty deal, but it’s a very exciting announcement coming from Rockstar North. So I think it’s a testament to how we’re increasing our base, and showing how games can be differentiated on PS3. The announcement of Final Fantasy XIV is phenomenal, and there must be lots of investment to make those games. So for Square-Enix to feel comfortable just going with PS3 is a great nod to our efforts [Square Enix has confirmed that FFXIV will also appear on PC and suggested that it is open to other console formats]. They know there are a lot Final Fantasy fans who are also PlayStation fans; they see it’s a natural fit.

What impact will the arrival of PSP Go have on your internal development?
From the development standpoint, PSP Go is totally compatible with PlayStation Portable 3000, so all the games we create will work on both. And it’s our intent to continue to support both platforms. We have an opportunity to create smaller, causal games for PSP that can be downloaded directly to PSP Go or PSP 3000, so we are providing broader opportunities to development communities. I’ve seen renewed energy and excitement in our studios with this announcement.

How about PSN content? Will you oversee that?
I might be talking to some of the thirdparties about existing services like music. But some of the unique content that’s specifically created for PlayStation platform; I think it’s our job to support the firstparties. We’re looking to broaden our definition of games to include more interesting and entertaining experiences.

Is motion control the key battleground now?
It’s one area where we’ll see advancement in the future. What Nintendo has done is phenomenal; it’s great for attracting new people. But they’re just scratching the surface of what this can do. So we see a long road ahead, and we’re very proud of what we’re developing, but we know this is a constant development.

How about 3DTV?
We’ve been working with Sony TV group on these technologies and have shown small segments at shows like CES. The reaction is great: people just walking by stop and are glued to the TV. It’s like going into the game scene, especially with interesting vistas like those of Motor Storm: Pacific Rift. It’s like going on holiday or to a theme park. Again, we’re just scratching the surface. Hollywood’s using the technology in much subtler ways. When the industries come together a make an affordable standard, I have high hopes.

And OnLive? It’s interesting they’re not showing that at E3. Do you think it’s viable?
I tried their demo at GDC and was quite impressed by their setup. They had the box in San Francisco and the server in Santa Cruz, which was like 15 miles away. It’s playable and the picture is very clean. Expecting every household to have an 8mb connection is a bit unrealistic, but if they start with something less ambitious – like SD content and games that don’t require such a quick response time – it might work quite well.

Not God Of War III, then.
[smiles] That’s not possible.

What are the biggest challenges for the coming year?
There are many different areas: the use of online technology to create communities, the use of motion control, reinvigorating the PSP platform. Executing them all is the big challenge.

What was the last thing one of your developers brought to you that made you go, “wow”?
I’d seen an earlier demonstration of Uncharted 2, but what they showed today just blew me away. There are lots of great things happening in different studios.

Official PlayStation Magazine UK is still Twittering from the show floor at www.twitter.com/OPM_UK.