Moore takes a pop at Sony

Microsoft's Peter Moore has expressed doubt over whether Sony will be able to produce enough PS3 units to meet demand in time for the console's launch - and over whether we'll be willing to pay the price they'll be asking.

In an exclusive interview with our sister site, GamesIndustry.biz, Moore said he was "surprised" at the pricing announcement, stating: "I'm trying to rationalise $500 and $600... I'm trying to rationalise whether Blu-Ray, a format that hasn't hit the market yet, can justify that pricing.

"What's got to happen is, the consumer has got to walk over to Sony's booth and say, "Oh yeah, those games are $300 better. I can see $300 of difference in that game right there." I'm not sure that's the case right now."

When asked if he therefore thought the PS3 was overpriced, Moore replied: "I don't know. You go ask consumers.

"As you know, I go tool around on the boards every now and then... I love going around the Brit boards because boy, those guys are very shy, and they don't tell you what they think," he added with a chuckle.

"I go into Eurogamer and I look at how many comments there are already, and which threads, and that's where I get my feedback from - because it's not about me, it's about what the consumer thinks."

Moore said he is "very comfortable" with the price point for the Xbox 360, despite the fact that Microsoft received "abuse" for setting the cost of the hard drive-bundled version at £279.

He questioned whether Sony has a first-party line-up to rival Microsoft's, which includes Halo 3, Gears of War and Project Gotham Racing. "Unless you can answer those questions, if you're Sony, you've obviously got some challenges. They need to answer those questions."

However, he continued, "They're a great company. It's a great product. I'm sure they have answers - I don't know what they are."

Moore said he personally was interested in seeing Killzone at E3 - but when our reporter pointed out that there's no sign of it this year, he replied: "Yeah, well. There's a surprise." Miaow.

Moore also questioned whether Sony will be able to meet the production targets they've announced, stating: "Despite what Sony will tell you, they really don't know - they don't know what their yields are, they don't know what issues they're going to face in production.

"While I hope for the good of the industry that they hit the numbers that they say they're going to hit, it remains to be seen whether you can ramp at that level. That's a lot of units ramping; they've got to start making it very soon. Complexities of Blu-Ray, complexities of Cell technology, silicon yields and what have you... They'll figure it all out, but they know it's not easy."

To find out why Moore thinks Grand Theft Auto IV will be key to the Xbox 360's success, why he doubts that Sony's online service will be free, and why he wants to buy us a pint, read the full interview.