Oops. Warwick Light, the head of marketing for Sony Computer Entertainment in New Zealand, recently suggested to The Press, a leading newspaper in the country, that the company may be releasing a digital tuner that will transform the PlayStation 3 into a programmable TV recorder. In short, it's going to have the functionality of a TiVo.
The article itself is interesting because Light repeatedly stresses the idea that the PS3 is a truly next-generation machine, in that it can adapt to people's evolving entertainment needs. He cites the fact that it supports Blu-Ray discs, not just standard DVDs, and then adds the possibility of the DVR-function as another example. And that turned out to be the real news.
Tech blogs are all aflutter with the unexpected announcement, and there are quite a few questions about whether Light was supposed to say anything at all. Normally this is the sort of thing that companies save for big conferences. Peter Griffin of the New Zealand Herald called Light to get the lowdown, and says that the marketing exec sounded like he was having "the day from hell." While it looks like the announcement was an accident, we're certainly excited about the news. That is, if it's true.—Gregory Mone
are you serious?! the guy's name is Peter Griffin?! no joke? HAHAHAHAHA!
If he wasn't supposed to say anything then yeah he probably is having a tough day. But the reality of it is that it has made big news and impact. Maybe more so than at a big conference since it wasn't supposed to get out at all. I'd call this a PR win in spite of itself.