The new model PlayStation®3 system - an evolved form with all the essence of the PlayStation® brand
We have learned so much about the fact that maintaining the essence of previous PlayStation® systems was extremely important for the new model PlayStation®3 system.
The game console appearance incorporates the friendliness and the fun essence of the first generation PlayStation® system. It inherited the sharpness of the PlayStation®2 and the first generation PlayStation®3 systems but with a touch of softness. I may not have had this as my focus as I told you already, but the good parts of both of these previous systems are presented in different parts of the exterior details.
So there are more parts that were given special attention? Can you give me an example?
The easiest to see is probably the design on the control panel area. It has those edges that were the charm of the previous model of the PlayStation®3 system, and the curves that were the charm of the first generation PlayStation® system. We have incorporated the good parts of both designs. If you look closely, the curved parts are even more curved and the raised edges are even more raised. I think you can sense these style points. You can see it also from the overall lines of the system. Straight lines and curves meet to form simple lines in one stroke. The first generation PlayStation® system had a rectangle console with the round central disc tray lid and round buttons, with simple, conspicuous lines. The hidden taste of the design may be the incorporation of a formless roundness into the sharpness of the overall design (laughs).
The control panel has so many interesting designs.
Such as the power button that lights up beautifully when it is turned on. We focused on the glossy finish of system, which can be difficult with the current technology. Having the desktop orientation as the standard, many more people will be able to fit the PlayStation®3 system on their AV shelf. Even from such a location, the control panel is clearly visible from the front. This improvement is not to be missed.
Looking back now, how do you feel about developing the design of the new model PlayStation®3 system?
Well, it took about a year and a half until we completed the development. I think that this time, we contributed more toward the designs for minimizing the cost and transforming the system slimmer and lighter, than in giving the messages we wanted conveyed on the PlayStation®2 and previous model of PlayStation®3 system. This led to the good news that worldwide sales reached one million within three weeks of the release of the new model, and it continues to sell. I think our initial goal of a "user-friendly" and "casual" PlayStation®3 system has been achieved. How we came to this success was from the design techniques we have built up from the previous PlayStation® systems. I truly feel that the new model PlayStation®3 system owes its design to all the detailed experiences from the past merging into one.