Kotaku: john koller

The PSP Is Sony's Gateway Drug

Luke Plunkett — Thu, 22 May 2008 23:30:00 MDT

Marijauana, a gateway drug? What is this, the mid-90s? No. Today, kids have far more discerning tastes, and will first experiment with a PlayStation Portable before, after a few parties with their new, "cool" friends (who their parents most definitely do not approve of), stepping up to a full-blown addiction on the heavier shit, like a PlayStation 3. Least, that's what SCEA's John Koller thinks, as speaking at the (*breath*) Wedbush Morgan Securities Management Access Conference in NYC, he says loads of people have picked up the PSP as their "first" console, which has later convinced them to upgrade to a $400-a-year PS3 & Blu-Ray habit. Be warned, parents: if you see your child playing around on a PSP, and do nothing, don't complain to us when you wake up one morning and your DVD player's missing, your wallet's short $50 and your son has passed out on the couch in front of the Blu-Ray version of Planet Earth.

PSP is "gateway drug" to consoles, says SCEA [Gamesindustry.biz]

PSP Has Ten Year Life Cycle (In Updated Forms)

Brian Ashcraft — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 02:00:00 MDT

Hope you like the PSP! If not, you better, buster. Because you are stuck with it. Well, at least for the next ten years. That's right, count 'em, ten years. Says Sony PSP marketing manager John Koller:

We've talked about the PSP being a 10 year product, but a 10 year product in the continued... how can I put this... in the continued lifecycle, so we obviously had the 1000, we have the 2000, so the PSP as it was first launched in March 2005 isn't going to the be the PSP that it ends up as in 10 years, but it will still be a very strong portable gaming device that is centered in gaming and has a lot of multi-functional features.
We look at it just like our console business being a 10 year cycle, but we do see iterations as we go along to really adjust to the market. What we've done is the 2000 series adjusted to the market in terms of making it more portable. What we're seeing now, at least in the near- to mid-term, is going to be firmware updates that add features and other functions that the consumer's asked for.

To recount: The PSP is going to have a ten year life span, but within the last three years, Sony has released a redesigned PSP-2000. From what Koller's saying, sounds like we'll get a PSP-3000 and a PSP-4000. Think of it as firmware update for hardware! Though, the current three year interval and basic math tells us that the PSP-5000 might be a stretch. Boy, we hate math. Spelling, too.
PSP Anniversary [IGN via PSP Fanboy]

Sony Introduces New, Cheaper UMD Video Program For PSP

Michael McWhertor — Thu, 24 Jan 2008 15:20:22 MST

When we spoke with PSP senior marketing manager John Koller at CES, he told us about Sony Computer Entertainment America's plans to revitalize the UMD platform for non-gaming purposes. Key points? Price and selection. General consensus amongst gamers was that buying UMD movies didn't make much sense at a $30 price point, sometimes close to twice that of their DVD counterparts. Also, too little focus on dick and fart humor. Sony is attempting to revitalize the UMD movie and television market, today releasing details on new, SCEA-distributed titles that ring in at $14.99.

Available now, at the more budget-minded price are MTV staples Beavis & Butt-head: The Mike Judge Collection (Vol. 2 and 3), Jackass (Vol. 2 and 3), Wildboyz (Vol. 1 and 2), Viva La Bam (Vol. 2, 3, and 4) and Aeon Flux: The Complete Animated Collection (2-disc set). Leave your brain and your big bills at the door!

MTV Hits PSP This Week [PlayStation.blog]

SCEA Talks Possible LBP PSP, Portable's Future

Brian Crecente — Sun, 13 Jan 2008 07:22:02 MST

Mike McWhertor sat down with John Koller, senior marketing manager for the Playstation Portable, at CES and extracted a lot of interesting information out of him. This GameTrailer video gives Koller a chance to pitch why he thinks 2008 is going to be the year of the PSP. Hmm, why does that sound familiar.

I do think the handheld is having quite a resurgence, though I hope that Sony continues to concentrate more on the games and less on the peripherals for the device.

Sony To Bring "Bite-Sized" PSP Games To PlayStation Store

Michael McWhertor — Thu, 10 Jan 2008 14:40:10 MST

We caught up with John Koller, senior product manager for the PSP at Sony's CES booth this week, to get a quick update on the company's portable plans. When asked about the success of the recently launched PC version of the PlayStation Store that allows those without a PlayStation 3 to download games, trailers and more to their PSPs, Koller told us that while it was a bit too early for accurate numbers, the company is expecting big things from the service. "We have an opportunity to bring bite-size experiences to the system, ten minute, pick up and play content that can be downloaded from the store," Koller told us, part of an effort to expand the PSP's demographic.

In addition to those short-session downloadable games, plans for more legacy PSP titles are planned. Koller said the company will be re-releasing older PlayStation Portable titles as downloads, ones that "retailers aren't interested in carrying at this stage, games that we hear a lot of demand from PSP owners—titles like Wipeout, Twisted Metal—gamers who say 'I want to play this' but can't find it at retail anymore."

Speaking of retail, Koller confirmed that SCEA will be publishing more UMD movies and at a reduced price point. "We definitely understand that releasing a '70s era romantic comedy at $29.99 didn't appeal to most of the demographic," he said, telling us that retailers were "bullish" on carrying the UMD movie format at a more sensible price point.

He said that the company wasn't particularly concerned about the recently confirmed option to copy Blu-ray movie content to a PSP biting into the UMD video market, saying that "Any way we can help get that multimedia content onto the PSP, we're going to take it."

We'll have more from our Q&A with John Koller throughout the week.

Koller Outlines The Future Of The PSP

Michael McWhertor — Mon, 06 Aug 2007 16:40:29 MDT

SCEA's senior marketing manager responsible for all things PlayStation Portable spoke with MTV News journo Stephen Totilo about the present and the future of the Sony handheld, revealing further details on the PSP's camera, GPS and support for PlayStation Network titles. While the PSP camera and GPS device are being "tweaked" for a US release, no TV tuner is planned. And those original PSN games? Not before 2008, says Koller.

That means echochrome, the black and white puzzle game revealed at E3, will be delivered on UMD for the PSP, despite being planned for a PlayStation Network release for both the PLAYSTATION 3 and the PSP.

Other changes? Koller reveals that the slimmed down PSP was close to sporting a second analog nub, but the home office nixed those plans. In fact, it seems they put plenty of hardware revisions on the back burner.

And while some 95% of PSP owners are male, it would seem that based on the lifestyle photo at the top of this post, support for attractive tomboys who are into checking their RSS feeds has been added to the PSP slim. Good news for single dudes looking to chat up girls about syndication.

Sony Exec Talks New PSP's Upgrades, GPS Attachment, NYC Appeal And More [MTV News]

Sony Won't Abandon The UMD

Michael McWhertor — Thu, 05 Jul 2007 16:40:15 MDT

John Koller, senior marketing manager at Sony responsible for the PlayStation Portable, says that the "future of UMD is bright" and that the company won't walk away from the format. While UMD movies failed to light a fire under consumers and complaints about long load times for games abound, Koller says the format "possesses many strengths" including cheap manufacturing costs.

So what about that rumored PSP redesign? And the PlayStation Store for the PSP? Koller didn't comment in his discussion with UK game site Pocket Gamer, but it appears that those two additions to the platform won't have a significant impact (yet). We'll see how Sony fares with both of these potential changes, but with UMD movie sales actually up, I expect we'll be dealing with the proprietary format for many years to come.

We'll never walk away from UMD, says Sony's John Koller [Pocket Gamer]

Sony Targets Teens For PSP's Future

Michael McWhertor — Wed, 04 Apr 2007 18:20:36 MDT

Game|Life's Chris Kohler spoke with PlayStation Portable senior product manager John Koller who detailed Sony's upcoming plans to focus on the 13-17 year old teenager market to boost PSP sales.

Including Sony's recent price drop of the PSP Core Pack, a number of new initiatives, including the "Dude, Get Your Own" campaign, will attempt to reach young teens. That means more UMD movies aimed at kids as well as videogame content that focuses more on the younger market. That doesn't mean we won't get titles like God of War or SOCOM, of course, but don't be surprised if software like Konami's Brooktown High find a wider audience.

More details from Koller at Kohler's blog, including an interesting hint at how God of War PSP will play. Michael McWhertor

For PSP, a New Focus On Teen Market [Game|Life]