Jack Tretton: a look back at E3 conference highlights

As he steps down from his position as president of Sony Computer Entertainment of America later this month, Jack Tretton leaves behind a legacy...

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As he steps down from his position as president of Sony Computer Entertainment of America later this month, Jack Tretton leaves behind a legacy that will be tough to fill. Tretton has been with SCEA since its inception in 1995, helping to launch every PlayStation console to date. "Working at SCEA for the past 19 years has been the most rewarding experience of my career," he said as he announced his departure.

Tretton has been the face of the company during some of PlayStation's greatest and worst moments. He added a human presence that's been celebrated by gamers, as evidenced by the plethora of GIFs that encapsulates the highs and lows of PlayStation history. Today, we look back at some of the meme-worthy moments Tretton has starred in various PlayStation press conferences throughout the years

Kaz vs Jack

Tretton may appear to be all business, but he's certainly one to pass along a playful jab. During the company's pre-E3 press conference in E3 2011, Tretton came out wearing a bold blue tie amidst a grey business suit, and Sony's Kaz Hirai certainly took notice. After leading the audience in humorous applause over the appearance of the tie, Hirai continued on with the presentation.

Oh, but Tretton was ready to get him back. Following his presentation, Tretton mentioned Hirai's jabbing about the tie- and threatened to bring up the "Riiiiiidge Racer" line from the company's disastrous E3 2005 showing, with the exception that he "liked his job too much."

The Apology

Tretton took a moment to address the "elephant in the room," referring to the PlayStation Network outage that affected service back in May 2011.

Tretton took the time to deliver a personal apology on the matter, then breaking down thanks to press members, retail members, third-party developers, and, of course, consumers. "Without you, there is no PlayStation," he explains in the video clip above.

By offering the apology, the company was able to bounce back from one of the biggest blunders of the last generation.

You Get PlayStation Plus, and You Get PlayStation Plus

After explaining the many benefits of PlayStation Plus, Tretton pulled an Oprah by giving away a year of the service to attendees of the conference.

Hey, Xbox, You've Been One Upped

Finally, one of Tretton's finest moments can easily be recapped from last year's E3 press conference, when he took the stage and explained the many benefits that would come with the PlayStation 4. In addition to system exclusives, Tretton sealed the deal by announcing that the console would support used games. He also explained that an online connection wasn't necessary for games- again, a jab directly aimed at Microsoft. With his competitor's policies confusing and infuriating, it cemented Sony's lead in the battle for pre-launch hype.

Robert Workman was previously a games journalist creating content at Shacknews.

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