News
Sony beat Facebook… to Facebook
Tim Ingham Mar 28 2008, 1:19pm
Comments (16)
PlayStation division worked on ‘online community’ for PSOne; ‘YouTube’-like video channel was created for PS2
Sony’s PlayStation division was tantalisingly close to spearheading the ‘online social community’ phenomenon – beating the likes of MySpace to the idea.
That’s according to former Sony Entertainment President Chris Deering, who revealed to MCV that a secret Facebook-style web networking platform was being worked on behind-the-scenes by those responsible for launching PSOne – but was canned at the last minute.
In addition, a ‘streamed PlayStation TV channel’ was also trialled for PS2 back in 2002 – four years ahead of YouTube – but was also thrown out because of a global lack of interest in broadband.
Deering unveiled the news in the first of our new ‘MCV Legends’ features (read that here), in which he describes how he achieved such success.
When asked what the biggest challenge of his career was, Deering said: “Getting Sony to believe that PlayStation could be a community online… We had a secret test program in Europe back in 1997 on PSOne, running a text-based community chat group with a special box called Net-Station that hooked up PCs to the TV.
“The project code name was ‘Moccasin 5’. It operated across the major countries of Europe, and had quite a following, even from the US. “At Sony Europe, we later worked on a PS2 concept called ‘Central Station’, which was planned to stream its own PlayStation TV channel, back in 2002. But uptake in broadband took longer to reach mass market than we expected, and we couldn’t get other regions to buy in.”
- Previous Article: Byron: I don't want change in retail law
- Next Article: 360 and PS3 rocket during bumper Easter
Hot Topics
- Daily Mail takes another potshot at games
Comments (37)
- 360 outselling PS3 in GTA software 'battle'
Comments (22)
- Hirai: 'We’re not competing with Microsoft or Nintendo'
Comments (17)
- PLAYSTATION DAY ’08: PS3 cruises past 10m sales
Comments (14)
- PLAYSTATION DAY ’08: PS3 outselling 360, says Reeves
Comments (13)
Comments
“Yikes”
Posted by: 28121986 - Mar 28, 2:33pm
and This generation Sony has planned somthing like the Minority report interface for the PS3 using the in game XMB and eye toy...and is expected to roll out by early 2009
“Re: Yikes”
Posted: Mar 28, 3:04pm
don't slate Deering - the guy's a leg
“Re: Yikes”
Posted: Mar 28, 3:13pm
I invented light, 5 years before God said "let there be light", but I decided to cancel it due to a lack in universal lack of planets, or something like that, I dunno, but it's true, I did.
“Re: Yikes”
Posted: Mar 28, 3:17pm
...and Nintendo built the PlayStation before Sony did.
“Re: Yikes”
Posted by: Pantythief - Mar 28, 3:29pm
Yeah, my nephew came up with the concept for Blue-Ray about 5 mins after he was born but due to the fact he couldnt speak, the idea didnt really translate.
“Re: Yikes”
Posted by: Pantythief - Mar 28, 3:30pm
... that was 10 years ago by the way.....
“Re: Yikes”
Posted by: BluDawn - Mar 28, 4:39pm
I myself invent the whole idea of "consoles" first, but decided other activities best suited me. LOL
“Re: Yikes”
Posted by: Tahiri - Mar 28, 6:22pm
No Nintendo did not invent the playstation.
“Re: Tahiri”
Posted by: Midgar - Mar 29, 10:54pm
Nintendo did invent Play Station ( note - "Play Station not PlayStation)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PlayStation
“Yeah, right.”
Posted by: Zed Zee - Mar 29, 11:42pm
Yeah, riiiiight! And I invented a console similar to the PS3 in my garage but I never had the finances to mass produce it and unfortunately, Sony released theirs shortly after...
“Re: Yeah, right.”
Posted by: Northern monkey - Mar 30, 1:56pm
Kid of today eh? Nintendo did build the Original Play Station with the help of Sony it was a CD based attachment to the Super Famicom (or SNES for the younger ones on here!) but canned it prior to launch because they wanted to stick with cartridges and not go down the CD route everyone else was doing. Rumour had it that incensed Sony into going into market with the Playstation to try and destroy Nintendo and the rest is history!
“Re: Yeah, right.”
Posted by: Brooks - Mar 30, 6:06pm
And back at Sony HQ they have a fully working PS5 running a finished version of Metal Gear Rydan 2, but they are going to have to put the whole project on hold because management wants to invest in some sports titles and don't think most households will have access to the superconducting cables necessary to power the PS5 by the year 2015.
“Re: Yeah, right.”
Posted by: Stephen Staley - Mar 30, 7:28pm
The Playstation was actually a 1985 Super Computer, seen by Ken Kutaragi who got a team of people at sony, about 6-7 of them to build the Super CD Console - a CD attachement that sat beneath the SNES. Due to a fall out with Nintendo it was never released, so Sony decided to bring it to the market themselves, rather luckily, as most people at Sony hated the thought of them bringing out a product for the "Toy" market. Thankfully for us all, Ken Kutaragi had a good relationship with the president at Sony at the time...
“Check this out...”
Posted by: SpongeBobby - Mar 31, 9:37am
In 2003 - two years before Youtube was founded - British company Datel launched a Youtube style app for the PS2 called "Junk TV". It let you record video clips with your EyeToy and upload them to an internet server for everybody else to download to their PS2 and watch. More info and screens here: gamespaper-dot-com /news/AsiftheresnotenoughJunko.shtml
“Re: Check this out...”
Posted by: Brett Stocks - Apr 1, 9:04am
All those who don't believe those saying that Nintendo was the original conceiver of the Play Station I urge you to read 'Revolutionaries at Sony: The Making of the Sony Playstation and the Visionaries Who Conquered the World of Video Games' by Reiji Asakura, a Japanese financial analyst.
Apart from the fact that it explains the story of the PlayStation from before Sony was even asked on board by Nintendo, and the fact that the Play Station name was being used before that at Nintendo, it is actually a really good read.
I've even found a link for you... http://www.amazon.co.uk/Revolutionaries-Sony-Playstation-Visionaries-Conquered/dp/0071355871/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1207036892&sr=8-1
“Re: Check this out...”
Posted by: Pantythief - Apr 1, 1:10pm
Thank you 11 and 13.
I was going to correct Tahiri ages ago but figured anyone that didnt already know probably wasnt worth telling.
Cheers guys.
P.S I've still got my copy of SuperPlay magazine from back in the day with artist impressions of the unit!!!