Here's a transcript I made of the video for anyone who can't (or doesn't want to) watch it. Feel free to add it to the OP if you like:
Deirdre Bolton: Jack, you heard some of the criticism that Don just mentioned, some of the tweets I'm sure your team was following those--no console, no price, no precise release date. Why did Sony decide to have this event last night?
Jack Tretton: Well there's a big story to tell Deirdre, and we were trying to unveil the machine, we weren't trying to sell it to anybody. And if you're interested in buying it tomorrow, you can't have one. It's coming out Holiday 2013. There's a lot of the story still to tell, we wanted to focus on the games, and we wanted to talk to our gaming audience and there's a billion of them out there. And the gamers got it. And that's who we were talking to.
Deirdre Bolton: Okay, which almost makes me feel like you are doubling down on serving hardcore gamers, and I know you have some significant improvements. I mean, Don mentioned it--social, mobile--I mean people can start games on a smartphone, pick it up on the console, friends can finish each other's games, make videos of themselves playing the games, send it to each other-----is this enough A., to keep the hardcore gamers happy, it seems like, but B., it feels like you need to pick up a few (let's say more recreational) "lighter" gamers to have it really be a home run.
Jack Tretton: Well, the casual experience is going to be there, and it's already there on the PlayStation 3. We have free-to-play models, we have 99 cent games, but the real heat behind the gaming industry--behind the PlayStation consumer--is that dedicated gamer, and they're who we're speaking to, they're who we start with, and they get it. And that audience is growing. We've sold 30% more consoles this generation as opposed to the previous generation.
Deirdre Bolton: Jack, critics say that Sony has not understood that everything has moved online, and I'm assuming this is the social and mobile improvements [that] are in part an answer to that criticism, but are there enough hardcore gamers out there, to really make this successful, to hit all your metrics? And then what about the people that are playing on tablets and on smartphones? How much do you think you have to catch up?
Jack Tretton: I think those consumers are great, they're additive, they play those bite-size, free experiences, those five-minute experiences, and it demystifies gaming for them, and ultimately (hopefully) they move up the food chain to a dedicated console. But if you're a dedicated gamer who plays a console, you understand the difference between a tablet and smartphone experience, so I don't see them as a threat, I see them as being additive. But we recognize that our gamers are very communicative, they're using other devices, and we want to involve them in the PlayStation universe regardless of where they are, or what device they're using.
Deirdre Bolton: Jack, Sony took a little bit of heat with the PlayStation 3 with the pricing ($600) and especially [even now] Nintendo has the Wii U out for $300, so it's significantly cheaper. I know not all the games are the same, so there's a lot of arguments to be made between those two price points-----but PlayStation 4, can you launch something that costs $600 in this current environment?
Jack Tretton: Well, I really think the last 5 years for us has been talking to the development community and trying to build a machine for them that will give them the tools to create the greatest possible games. I think we showed a lot of that last night. We also spent five years listening to consumers finding out what they wanted, and we're very conscious of the price value equation. We're also proud of the fact that the PlayStation 3 is currently available for $249, so it's a marathon and not a sprint. But we pay close attention to the consumer needs and wants and the price value.
Deirdre Bolton: So would you say it would be closer to $300 than $600?
Jack Tretton: I'll say that we'll try to bring the best technology at the most affordable prices.
Deirdre Bolton: All right. Microsoft may (or may not) release a new version of the Xbox before you release the PlayStation 4. How worried would you be if that happens?
Jack Tretton: We've always had different competitors. We were in this space before Microsoft, and we may be in this space after Microsoft. We've seen competitors come and go. I think we're mindful of what they do, and quite frankly, we believe that anything that adds attention and success in the gaming industry is good for us. So we're aware of our competition, but we kinda march to our own strategy, and we're very confident that Holiday 2013 is a great time to bring out PlayStation 4.
Deirdre Bolton: Are people actually going to be able to get their hands on it before November?
Jack Tretton: Oh people will have opportunities to play it enough. The thing that I just wanted to emphasize--again--we're not trying to sell it tomorrow. There will be multiple unveils. Our biggest industry event is E3 coming up in June, and there will be a lot of playable content on the floor. It's not a consumer show, but consumers will get their opportunities to play before it ships.
Deirdre Bolton: All right. So at least some people will be able to tryout some of the new features.
Jack Tretton: 'Most' people will. Believe me, we know who our consumers are, and we're going to get the machines in their hands.
