U.S. stores had been promised 2 million consoles, but on the eve of the launch, some analysts predicted just a tenth of that, 150,000-200,000 of the coveted PS3 units, would actually go on sale today. Even then, diehard gamers are willing to pay much more than the $499-$599 PS3 retail price; the unit was going for $2,300 on some online auction sites.
As much as game players covet the PS3, their enthusiasm pales next to that of Incognito Entertainment's Dylan Jobe. He is overseeing the top-secret finishing touches for his Salt Lake City company's new PS3 version of the multiplayer, military fantasy epic "Warhawk."
"The demand certainly is there," Jobe says. "The PS3 is by far the most powerful gaming console ever created. As a game designer, and not just because [Incognito] is owned by Sony, I can tell you it is an impressive piece of technology."
Rather than the one main computer processor of its prime rival, Microsoft's Xbox 360, the PS3 calls on eight high-speed processors to "bridge the standard-definition/high-definition gap" and set the bar for fast, sharp and detailed graphics and play for years to come, Jobe adds.
That leap forward has had an unexpected cost, though. Instead of releasing a library of new game titles at the retail launch of PS3, Sony will have to settle for game designers catching up throughout the coming year.
"Warhawk" is an example. The gaming press has predicted the game would release during the first quarter of the new year, but Jobe cannot confirm even that. "All Sony will let me say at this point is 'some time in 2007.' ''
Programming for the PS3, given its multiple data processing channels and advanced abilities, is proving as much a challenge for Jobe and the 36 Incognito engineers assigned to "Warhawk" as it apparently is for designers of other delayed PS3 titles.
"This is not a machine made from off-the-shelf parts. It's extremely complicated, high-end hardware with eight 3.2-gigahertz processors," Jobe says. "We want this game to be good, and Sony is behind us 100 percent."
Hal Rushton, president of South Jordan-based Saffire Inc., likewise hopes to see his company's PS3 fantasy-creature-laden adventure title "Cryptid" retail sometime in late 2007.
Given the complexity of features, PS3 games likely will cost more than their counterparts, thus representing potentially big profits for game makers. But Rushton and other Utah video game designers see dollars in volume sales, too, represented by Nintendo's simpler and much cheaper Wii console.
The Wii, to launch Sunday, is the successor to Nintendo's popular GameCube. The Wii hand-held wireless controller can be used as a pointer and detects motion and rotation in three dimensions.
Wii seeks to stake its claim to being the more "family friendly" of the trio of video game players. In addition to the lower price, developers have focused on less-mature content, such as upgraded versions as "Pokemon," "Super Mario Galaxy" and "Animal Crossing."
Smart Bomb Interactive, which calls downtown's former Salt Lake Hardware building home, is working on games for all three platforms. For the PS2, GameCube and personal computers, it recently produced "Pac-Man World Rally" and "Snoopy vs. the Red Baron."
Smart Bomb's vice president, Clark Stacey, is more secretive about the company's current "Black Label" projects. Both are tentatively set for otherwise unspecified 2007 launches, one for Wii and another for Xbox 360 and new Microsoft Vista operating system.
"Whether we release this for [PS3] will depend on how well it's deployed in 2007 and what sort of terms Sony is offering," Stacey said. "Of the three, the PS3 is the most difficult and expensive to develop for."
Provo's Chair Entertainment also is keeping its developmental landscape diverse. The company, founded by brothers Donald and Geremy Mustard, has plans for video game titles of its multimedia "Empire" project for both Xbox 360 and PS3.
Envisioned as a product line including print, movies and games, "Empire" kicks off Nov. 28 with the release of a namesake novel by veteran sci-fi writer Orson Scott Card. A comic book series extending the epic is expected by late 2007, with the game and movie to follow.
Chair Entertainment also has pitched an idea for a Wii video game but would only say it was being considered by publishers. The Mustard brothers are more open about where they see their industry going in the future.
"Videogaming is in an interesting place right now," Geremy Mustard says. "[We're] pushing the edge of graphics and how much content can be put out in a single game."
bmims@sltrib.com
