Japanese devs continue to respond to the PS4 announcement

Following the original roundup published last week, here's another round of Japanese developer responses to Sony's PlayStation 4 announcement last month, as printed in this week's issue of Famitsu magazine:

"I'm honestly excited about the PS4. Japan Studio has been providing game creation-oriented feedback to the hardware team from the development stage. Being able to announce the PS4 is something that, as part of SCE, I'm very happy about. Our mission is to consistently create the highest level of quality play and provide everyone with new experiences, and the PS4 is a system that makes that a reality." - Allan Becker, vice president, Sony Computer Entertainment Japan Studio

"The specs are focused on hi-def, making it even more possible to produce high-quality products. I think they're really great. I've been in this industry for 23 years, but compared to the past, modern specs are like a dream come true. At the same time, though, there are lots of issues with getting those dreams to expand to their peak as much as we can, so there is some nervousness checking the excitement I feel. I definitely realize that gamers will want to see those dreams realized as much as possible." - Toshihiro Nagoshi, chief operating officer, Sega

"[I want to make] a dramatic game. A dramatic SHARE function. Dramatic cloud usage. Dramatic architecture. Which sounds nice and all, but in the end I want to make an even newer game than before, one that helps players feel the 'dramatic' aspects of the PS4." - Goichi Suda, president, Grasshopper Manufacture

"To be honest, the thing I'm most concerned about isn't the specs or functions, but the release date. The PS3 is a mature hardware platform, and there's no reason why it can't keep a role in the market. For users and for makers, there's the feeling that the PS4 is coming too early. Once the PS4 comes out, I think you'll see a lot of changes as each maker tries to figure out which platform they need to focus on in the future." - Sohei Niikawa, president, Nippon Ichi Software

"The thing that impressed me the most is that out of the five keywords they used to describe the PS4-simple, immediate, social, integrated, personalized-'high spec' wasn't one of them." - Yosuke Hayashi, producer, Tecmo Koei Games

"I have a strong interest in MMORPGs. That's a genre Level-5 hasn't been involved in much up to now, but I'd like to try making a rich, high-quality game that makes the most use of the hardware specs." - Akihiro Hino, CEO, Level-5

"If I'm going to make fighting games, I'd definitely like to try making a virtual arcade that uses the PS4's functionality. I could imaging something that lets you play all of Arc System Works' most famous titles, likeBlazBlue, Guilty Gear and Battle Fantasia. It's exciting because it feels like the anime world is getting closer to the real one!" -Toshimichi Mori, producer, Arc System Works

"Looking at the new features, I think we're really about to enter a period of true bidirectional media. In Japan, passive media like television still have a major presence, but with the PS4, I think it'll be fun to see how new genres emerge that turn TV from something to watch to something you operate yourself. I'm thinking about all the possibilities right now." - Masayoshi Yokoyama, managing producer, Sega