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Home Howard Stringer updates

PS3 spurns recovery for Sony (much like cocaine spurns recovery in narcoleptics)
4:47 AM on 06.22.2007, Nex 72 comments

PS3 spurns recovery for Sony (much like cocaine spurns recovery in narcoleptics) photo
     Howard Stringer

Sony is a company that was once the talk of the tech sector. With their gargantuan successes - including the ubiquitous Walkman and their line of chic televisions - Sony has traditionally been the Icarus of technology, soaring above their competition on wings made of dreams and solidified wax. Sadly (for them, not this analogy) Sony flew too high, and has recently seen a string of failures including the MiniDisc, every DRM scheme they have ever concocted, and last year's storied $1.93 billion splatter of red ink from their PlayStation 3 console.

Sony CEO Howard Stringer, however, believes the PS3 to be the key to Sony's future, and he said as much to shareholders at a meeting in Tokyo earlier today. To quote the man behind the tie:

We always lose money in the hardware initially, and we recover that money gradually...We believe that the PS3 going forward will be vital to our future, and succeed

It's still too early to report Mr. Stringer's pants as being en flambé, but considering a high point of the company's financial forecast for the current year includes a loss of only $404 million dollars, I wouldn't consider them out of the woods just yet. In fact, since I only know three people who own a PlayStation 3 and I exist in a world almost completely made up of spare Crash Bandicoot jewel cases and Super Nintendo peripherals, I think it would be more appropriate to say that Sony is still stuck ten miles from the nearest ranger station, the sun is setting, and they smell strongly of red meat.

[All proceeds from this post go to Gamasutra] 


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hollywooda's Avatar
hollywooda at 06/22/2007 05:26
@uptonogood:-.zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz......umm..wake me up when you've got something new to say.zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
uptonogood's Avatar
uptonogood at 06/22/2007 05:45
20 years, not 30.

also, the failure rates of xbox360 ... holy christ.

/still got nothing compared to sony laptop batteries.
hollywooda's Avatar
hollywooda at 06/22/2007 05:52
The Failure rate of 360 is pretty bad, but i'm sure once people start actually using there PS3's we'll see a few more problems rearing there heads.....

p.s. leaving you PS3 on all night so it can cure 3rd world hunger, iron your trousers, cook a pizza & keep your nan warm is not considered using it!...
Tron Knotts's Avatar
Tron Knotts at 06/22/2007 06:37
uptonogood, you make some good points. except "for this business, you can't move that many units even on the best years. "

What about the Wii? What about the PS2 beating the PS3?

Here's the latest weekely Japanese console sales

DSL 118,684
Wii 65,521
PSP 33,359
PS2 11,974
PS3 9,481
Xbox360 7,583
GBASP 472
GBM 371
GC 223
GBA 24
DS 0

And that's pretty much how it's looked since January.

You can't tell me that the PS3 is having "normal launch troubles" with numbers like that.
Mxyzptlk's Avatar
Mxyzptlk at 06/22/2007 06:37
I think Sony will be just fine in the long run in regards to the PS3, but it still amuses me how the company seems slightly bewildered that the system hasn't taken off right out of the starting gates. It's like the most popular girl in eighth grade coming back from summer vacation and not understanding why she isn't hot shit in high school.
Rockvillian's Avatar
Rockvillian at 06/22/2007 06:41
Your analogy rocks, Nex
wardrox's Avatar
wardrox at 06/22/2007 06:44
@uptonogood
The reason people are saying Sony arn't doing well is because they arn't doing very well at all. I don't think anybody could say there doing as well as they expected. I, like many other people, don't think the PS3 is good. I have come to this decision by reading facts/figures and from common sense (so, dont go calling me a fanboy pls).
Joe Burling's Avatar
Joe Burling at 06/22/2007 07:19
Here's the rest of that statement...

"We always lose money in the hardware initially, and we recover that money gradually...We believe that the PS3 going forward will be vital to our future, and succeed... wait, did I say PS3? I meant Blu-Ray..."
uptonogood's Avatar
uptonogood at 06/22/2007 07:23
and why is the ps2 still selling? cos the games are still available for it. you people are saying it's the end of the ps3 before it even has a library. it's not as though all sony does is make consoles. they also make games, but they can't make hundreds of games in such a short span. the 3rd parties are also making games. you can't work miracles overnight. of course the ps3 isn't doing well, but that's not to say they're doing bad, either. growth is just incredibly slow at the moment. though they have sold 5.5 million units by the end of march whist the wii sold something like 5.84 million units. let's also consider the wii is three times less but sold more software. developing games for the wii is incredibly easy in relation to the ps3, though. the factor is time rather than content cos everyone knows content is on the way. i really don't understand the insistence that the console is dead. it's still new and it's supposed to be supported for the next ten years or so (i don't believe this, though -- the life of a console is probably five years these days before the push for the next great thing -- for all consoles across the board).
uptonogood's Avatar
uptonogood at 06/22/2007 07:24
but i really wouldn't worry about sony -- at all. it appears we're seeing the final days of the format "war." quite possibly the most retarded thing in the history of technology ... well aside from the AC/DC thing with tesla and edison back in the day.
Joe Burling's Avatar
Joe Burling at 06/22/2007 07:27
mxyz, I agree with everything you said.

If anyone could pull off a $600 console, it'd be Sony.
DeusPayne's Avatar
DeusPayne at 06/22/2007 07:28
You might be a fanboy... if you've posted 5 times in a thread with only 12 posts.
bhive01's Avatar
bhive01 at 06/22/2007 07:28
""wait, did I say PS3? I meant Blu-Ray...""

QQFT.
bhive01's Avatar
bhive01 at 06/22/2007 07:33
Is calling someone a Fanboy supposed to end the argument? I've never liked that much. I own a Wii. I just bought a PS3 (it's in the mail). It doesn't have a lot of games right now. That doesn't bother me. Why? They're coming, and I don't play through games in a few weeks. I'm still not finished with Zelda. I'm a busy person. To me and probably a lot of other people there is no shortage.

Did you see the BB advertisement the other day? Free PS3 with Sony TV purchase. People will be getting PS3s. The games will come. Sony will regain exclusives which separate the system from the 360.

Speaking of the 360. I was so scared of the failure rate I walked away from an Elite that I had been looking for since it released. I can't wait for Heavenly Sword and Ninja Gaiden Sigma (no I haven't played it yet on any system).
DeusPayne's Avatar
DeusPayne at 06/22/2007 07:44
The fanboy argument is the fact that he's saying nothing new or important. Yes, sony CAN pull themselves out of the HUGE ditch that they've dug, but the current trend is not looking good. Responding by saying stupid stuff like "zomg, stop whining about price" and "they'll get exclusives". Not to mention the complete lies that they tell (yeah... ps3 has NOT sold 5.5, closer to 3.5, and the wii has NOT sold 5.8, closer to 8) When you spout useless (and incorrect) shit for so many posts, you just stop listening.
uptonogood's Avatar
uptonogood at 06/22/2007 07:45
i do not own a ps3, but then again, i'm overseas at the moment and to buy a HD plasma is a pain in the ass, but once i'm back in the states as a civilian, it's the first major piece of hardware i'm buying. why? cos i fucking love movies, and i love the pirates series. the ps3 is 3 years down the line. i also doubt the ps3 will have the failure rate of the xbox360. more than five million ps3's worldwide and the failure rate hasn't been reported on cos it's a negligible number.

no, i'm not a fanboy, but i also have friends whose 360's have seen death. that pretty much determined what console i will buy.

plus i have hope that FF7 will be redone for the ps3. really, it's just that hope of that one game that convinced me i need a ps3.

not many of you have had to ship a giant tv across seas ... it's not pretty. ask any soldier returning from overseas with those tvs.
uptonogood's Avatar
uptonogood at 06/22/2007 07:46
to deuspayne -- those numbers are from the FY ending march 07.
DeusPayne's Avatar
DeusPayne at 06/22/2007 07:51
2 Sony published games for PS3 released already
12 Sony published games for PS3 currently being worked on

11 Nintendo published games for Wii released already
15 Nintendo published games for Wii currently being worked on

Sorry, but you CAN put out lots of games for your system in a short time.
uptonogood's Avatar
uptonogood at 06/22/2007 08:13
wii - game cube with new controller
ps3 - coder suicide machine
360 - ghost of johnny cash
macanima's Avatar
macanima at 06/22/2007 08:19
"spurns"

You keep using this word. I do not think it means what you think it means.
raggedROBO's Avatar
raggedROBO at 06/22/2007 08:23
I have a PS3 and love it. But what do I know, I've just been playing games since Pong (when it was released, not as some cool, retro interest). In my store I just play the Gran Turismo HD demo on one TV with Forza on the other: It makes the 360 people feel bad.
rc_tech's Avatar
rc_tech at 06/22/2007 08:25
to uptonogood...

Ehem...

http://www.vgchartz.com/

http://nexgenwars.com/

Cite your sources...
LordRegulus's Avatar
LordRegulus at 06/22/2007 08:26
I think you meant to say the PS3 "spurs" recovery.

spurn, v. 1. to reject with disdain; scorn.
2. to treat with contempt; despise.
3. to kick or trample with the foot.
hollywooda's Avatar
hollywooda at 06/22/2007 08:30
@Nex:- Dance Puppets dance?.... wots that all about?
hollywooda's Avatar
hollywooda at 06/22/2007 08:32
@ raggedROBO:- you should of stopped at, "but what do i know"..... you muppet.
bhive01's Avatar
bhive01 at 06/22/2007 08:37
"2 Sony published games for PS3 released already
12 Sony published games for PS3 currently being worked on

11 Nintendo published games for Wii released already
15 Nintendo published games for Wii currently being worked on

Sorry, but you CAN put out lots of games for your system in a short time."

This may be true Deus, but realize the learning curve involved with this. It has been stated by numerous developers that coding for the Wii is easy in comparison to the PS3. I hate to make this analogy since I do love my Wii and Nintendo but here goes...

Coding for the Wii is like giving someone MS Paint and asking them to make a picture. It will look like a 2 year-old did it, but it will be done quickly since MS Paint is simple and mostly easy to use.

Coding for the PS3 is like handing Photoshop to a nub and asking them to make something that looks real. There's more time involved in figuring out how to put things together, filters, etc.

I personally don't believe that bullshit about the 300+ games for the PS3 this year. That's just not possible unless you use some crazy math.

I just don't think, when it comes to talking about game output you can really compare the two. At least for now.

It seems to me that a lot of people just jump on a bandwagon to spout hate to look "cool." If he mis-states facts then prove him wrong. Don't just say, FANBOI ZOMG< LOZER!one eleventy. And, everyone is entitled to their opinion too. You can agree to disagree.

Besides, I don't think it would be good for us as gamers for Sony to fail and drop the PS3 altogether. That means less competition in the high-end. People who are all about how it's going to fail need to just be patient. Why is everything Now, NOw, NOW!?
stevenjazz787's Avatar
stevenjazz787 at 06/22/2007 08:38
Spurns is the correct word if you read the article. The PS3 is raising the gross income but increasing the loss. Much like cocaine might cure some one of narcolepsy but leace them worse off.

Spurs would mean that it would be speeding recovery. I think the metaphor is too complex to be worded in a headline. I also think it's dangerous to use big words around people when dictionary.com is so readily available.
stevenjazz787's Avatar
stevenjazz787 at 06/22/2007 08:40
I should really learn to spell if I am going to make fun of people.
zsavior's Avatar
zsavior at 06/22/2007 08:45
Look the obvious is right here, sony will do well when the price drops, I doubt they will be king again but when the price drops the PS3 will be fine. Not to mention as a company sony still rakes in a lot of money to carry the PS3 for a while the same way MS does for the xbox 360 and did for the original xbox.

Really the problem for sony is xbox won't die. The WII is not a competitor for those systems, mainly because people buying a WII were never going to buy those systems anyway. I think Sony bet the farm on Xbox 360 dying out like Dreamcast did and this plan failed.
DeusPayne's Avatar
DeusPayne at 06/22/2007 08:45
@Bhive. It's a question of numbers. If you don't put up the projects, you can't have the games. Nintendo funded a LOT of projects for the Wii. Sony funded 1/2 as many. It all comes down to money, and Nintendo keeps printing it while Sony keeps losing it.
bhive01's Avatar
bhive01 at 06/22/2007 08:57
@Deus, Yup, and I'm glad Nintendo did. My Wii experience will benefit from their forethought.

Sony will learn. Zsavior is right. Sony was banking on the 360 not doing so well and ending up like the DC. Hell, the release timing was the same. Peter Moore is the same. Technology (GD-ROM vs DVD and DVD VS BD-ROM) is the same.

I'm not upset at Sony's struggles though Deus. I think this means Sony will be putting together a lot more concerted effort in the future and competition will cause the industry to flourish. We'll see lots of cool stuff in the coming years. I'm excited.
uptonogood's Avatar
uptonogood at 06/22/2007 09:04
i hope google enters the gaming market.

no other reason than to see them crush microsoft. if sony gets in the way ... ehhhhh.
DeusPayne's Avatar
DeusPayne at 06/22/2007 09:04
Wow, I finally took the chance to look at the numbers. Didn't realize HOW badly the Wii and DS were rockin it. Fucking pokemon. My Wii hasn't actually been touched since February until 2 days ago when I finally broke out Super Paper Mario.

Yeah, I have never really liked sony, but have given them credit since they've been able to put out AMAZING systems the past 2 generations. I'm just laughing a lot inside seeing them struggle so much. I guess I just hate everything usually, M$ the money grubbing anti-christs, Sony being a bully, and Nintendo catering to 4 year olds. So I just like latching on to whatever has been posted and bitching about them. :p
uptonogood's Avatar
uptonogood at 06/22/2007 09:31
see? i'm the opposite. my first sony thing i purchased was the mini-disc. five years and the damn thing is still going strong despite multiple drops. i've used maybe fifteen batteries over the course of its life -- 50 plus hours per one AA battery. the discs also last forever. i guess that's how they gained my brand loyalty. nintendo lost me when mario went 3D. i'll never forgive them for that. as for microsoft ... three words: windows millennium edition.

/not bitter at all.
TorpedoTed's Avatar
TorpedoTed at 06/22/2007 09:35
Sony need to slash at least 100 quid off of the PS3, i just bought an xbox prem cause it was 200 quid new. The general public dont like spending huge amounts of cash on things, hence the success of the Wii.
The console race in a year or two time will look pretty much the same as the last gen, but with nintendo doing a bit better. Just stop bitchin and buy the console thats cheapest and the games are better on. Im happy with my Wii60, it rocks! cheap too!
LordRegulus's Avatar
LordRegulus at 06/22/2007 09:44
I likes teh vidjamagames. I likes to play them.

The machine and/or manufacturer who facilitates this process is irrelevant to me.
DeusPayne's Avatar
DeusPayne at 06/22/2007 10:13
uptonogood: I don't think it's a problem of being able to make a killer product. I think pretty much everything that's come out of Sony has been top notch. But they just don't know how to push it. They have the worst marketing and PR department in the world. That tagged onto their seemingly flawless record of poor release dates, and relying on horsepower over what the customer wants, makes for a very rocky road. They may get there, but it's sure one hell of a ride.
bhive01's Avatar
bhive01 at 06/22/2007 10:22
Mario 64 was EPIC! Mario in 3D is not a mistake (except Mario Sunshine). That is not to say that the 2D Mario's were worse (they weren't).
morbo47's Avatar
morbo47 at 06/22/2007 10:36
@Mxyzptlk

Best. Analogy. EVER. Of the week.
DoctorEuphony's Avatar
DoctorEuphony at 06/22/2007 10:43
i dunno about you zsavior but i and a few other friends have a Wii AND 360. i think you mean they're aiming for 2 different gamer markets.
Epitaph's Avatar
Epitaph at 06/22/2007 10:58
bhive01: Your Wii <-> MS Paint analogy is crap :)

Development tools and hardware power are very different things. More power doesn´t always mean more difficulty.
uptonogood's Avatar
uptonogood at 06/22/2007 11:09
sony has one hell of a pr department. well the militant arm of columbia is rather good.
bhive01's Avatar
bhive01 at 06/22/2007 11:14
@ Epitaph... Well, it was a severe oversimplification. But, take for example the time required to make high definition art in comparison to enhanced definition artwork. Or the fact that the chips are almost the same as the GC, so if you coded for that you know a lot of what you're doing when coding for the Wii... Then with the PS3 you've got new architecture with all these different SPEs that you (as a programmer) have to allocate.

Those sort of things.

It wasn't that great, but the idea behind it was.
aborto thefetus's Avatar
aborto thefetus at 06/22/2007 11:16
This is old news. OLD!!! Wired talked about this like 4 months back.

@uptonogood

I find it kind of weird you're defending a system you don't own.
Although I geuss it's okay as long as you played enough of it(like me) to warrant an opinion.
some_dude's Avatar
some_dude at 06/22/2007 11:27
Well I think the fact that the PS3 has only 1 game in the US weekly top 50 at no. 46 with just over 8600 copies sold and 2 games (3 & 15) in the Japanese top 50 should be pretty scary to Sony. I'm no gonna go so far as to say they can't recover, but things aren't looking too good right now.
Crunshii's Avatar
Crunshii at 06/22/2007 11:29
If console wars were dogs...

wii = chihuahua
xbox360 = Bulldog
ps3 = German Shepherd

Wii: wowowowowowowow, woof woof, wowowowowowowowowowow!

PS3: woof............................................... woof................. (sleeps for 4 months)... woof

360: Woof! woof! woo.... cgh... aghh.... (chokes) .... gag, (dead).

Dad: Its ok, dont be sad Jimmy! I have warranty, heres your new puppy!
uptonogood's Avatar
uptonogood at 06/22/2007 11:36
i'm not defending it per se; i'm enthusiastically against calling it a lost cause. and i hate microsoft.
some_dude's Avatar
some_dude at 06/22/2007 11:38
Ouch, PS3 almost flatlines after week 17 in Japan! Film at 11.

VGChartz
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