Kaz Vows To Bring Sony Game Div Back To Green

[Telefrog]

Kaz Hirai is a man on a mission, it seems. He's looking to get Sony's Game Division back to profitibility (http://www.japantoday.com/category/technology/view/sonys-hirai-vows-to-bring-game-division-back-to-profit-by-cost-cuts) with a quickness.

Sony Corp’s newly appointed corporate executive officer in charge of game and network businesses, Kazuo Hirai, said Thursday that one of the company’s ‘‘major missions’’ will be to bring its money-losing game division back into profit at an early timing through cost-cutting efforts and expansion of its network services. ‘‘We need to quickly bring our PlayStation business on a break-even level and later to profitability,’’ Hirai, also president of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc, said.

[...]

But Hirai refused to comment on rumors that the company is planning to lower the price of its PlayStation 3 game console in autumn, only saying prices will be determined by ‘‘market developments.’’

[...]

‘‘We need a strategy where buying a hardware is not the endpoint but instead a starting point that can offer new experiences to our customers,’’ Hirai said.

Note that cost cutting != PS3 price cut, so don't go there.

[TrackZero]

I believe he can certainly pull it off. I finally bought a PS3 back at Christmas after seeing a number of titles worth owning it for (with even more coming this year). And I strangely found myself going back to my PSP and actually liking it now with all the digital downloads of games. Won't surprise me if they're doing far better this time next year.

[Kelegacy]

I bet this means we'll be seeing a PS3 price cut soon!!

[violent]

This is great. It's why I like cheering for the underdog. Let's hop he pulls it off.

[Deadend]

This is great. It's why I like cheering for the underdog. Let's hop he pulls it off.

Really? Sony sure as hell doesn't look or act like an underdog. They seem more like the former champ who doesn't realize he isn't as great anymore.

[violent]

Really? Sony sure as hell doesn't look or act like an underdog. They seem more like the former champ who doesn't realize he isn't as great anymore.

They are the underdog this round and it also says very little of how things will be next round. It's the way this game has been going for years. And I don't really pay too much attention to how Sony acts because in all honesty, I think their methods are used by every company in this industry, just that the response is relevant to the respective position of that company. Everyone is the same, it's gaming communities that make them different.

[Gorvi]

Really? Sony sure as hell doesn't look or act like an underdog. They seem more like the former champ who doesn't realize he isn't as great anymore.
They're putting out quite a few first party games while the others are doing relatively little. I'd say that's the best way a console maker can try to win people back.

[Cyndair]

They're putting out quite a few first party games while the others are doing relatively little. I'd say that's the best way a console maker can try to win people back.

Agreed. Sony looks like they are going to have a great E3 this year. I'm more excited to see their presentation than Nintendo's and that has never happened for me before. The games sell the system and Sony is looking good right now.

[shodan2020]

He can pull it off, but he certainly has his work cut out for him. I hope Sony gets back into healthy territory. Competition is a good thing. :)

[Narradisall]

I hope Sony does get back to black. I'd hate to see them go out the competition.

Nit pick, it's black not green!

[Orca]

Really? Sony sure as hell doesn't look or act like an underdog. They seem more like the former champ who doesn't realize he isn't as great anymore.

It's hard to be the underdog when you're the industry leader. (http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/hirai-were-the-official-industry-leader)

[rein]

It's hard to be the underdog when you're the industry leader. (http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/hirai-were-the-official-industry-leader)

"This is not meant in terms of numbers, or who's got the biggest install base, or who's selling most in any particular week or month, but I'd like to think that we continue official leadership in this industry," -Kaz Hirai

That is so awesome!

[Deadend]

It's hard to be the underdog when you're the industry leader. (http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/hirai-were-the-official-industry-leader)

Yep, that is what I am talking about. Underdogs don't act like that. So thus Sony is just a bit out of touch, like Nintendo going into the N64 era after the the SNES era where Nintendo lost such a huge portion of the market due to their shitty way of putting publishers over a rack and basically being shit to them, but the only game in town.

It was Sony that toppled Nintendo by being publisher friendly and making it good and easy to put games on their PS1. They fucked that up in the PS2 era some, and now in the PS3 era... well, can I call the PS3 the new N64?

[muddi900]

Yep, that is what I am talking about. Underdogs don't act like that. So thus Sony is just a bit out of touch, like Nintendo going into the N64 era after the the SNES era where Nintendo lost such a huge portion of the market due to their shitty way of putting publishers over a rack and basically being shit to them, but the only game in town.

It was Sony that toppled Nintendo by being publisher friendly and making it good and easy to put games on their PS1. They fucked that up in the PS2 era some, and now in the PS3 era... well, can I call the PS3 the new N64?

Nintendo are still shit to publishers. or so I've heard.

and the PS3 is the new Xbox. It's black, it's ugly and publishers treat it as "second" system. Of course, it has better first party games. What the fuck was Blinx?

[Gorvi]

Yep, that is what I am talking about. Underdogs don't act like that. So thus Sony is just a bit out of touch, like Nintendo going into the N64 era after the the SNES era where Nintendo lost such a huge portion of the market due to their shitty way of putting publishers over a rack and basically being shit to them, but the only game in town.

It was Sony that toppled Nintendo by being publisher friendly and making it good and easy to put games on their PS1. They fucked that up in the PS2 era some, and now in the PS3 era... well, can I call the PS3 the new N64?
So instead of judging them by what should matter in the real world to gamers (supporting their systems with good games) we should judge them by what matters to forum fanboys, PR comments made in interviews by execs. Right.

The N64 was a mostly unsupported doorstop with games that cost significantly more than games on other systems. I know, it was my only console until I finally got a PS1 in mid '98.