Yesterday, we discussed how The Washington Times launched a scathing attack upon Sony’s mismanagement of the PlayStation 3. Apparently, that publication is not the only outlet to notice, as Sony is coming under fire from all angles right now.
First of all, one analyst has declared that Sony ought to be “worried” about the PS3, claiming that some “very hard decisions” will need to be made in the New Year and stating that the value difference between the PS3 and Xbox 360 is now “out of whack.” Home truths have come to light, and I’m not making a joke about Sony’s worthless pet project.
Compared to financial writer Eric Krangel, however, the analyst reactions are a practical compliment. Calling the PlayStation 3 both a “sinking ship” and a “flop”, Krangel believes that the black box o’ Blu-ray is dying on store shelves. His words are even plastered on CNN’s financial page — probably something Sony could have done without. Oh, and apparently the PSP’s performance “stinks” as well … but we kind of knew that.
Is it fair to call the PS3 a sinking ship? That might be a little too harsh. The PlayStation 3 is not licked yet, but with pundits and press battering it for mainstream audiences, not just the gamer press, this is terrible for the system’s public image. While the Wii continues to entrap families worldwide and the Xbox 360 more or less holds its ground, the PS3 is earning the reputation of this generation’s big failure. Whether strictly true or not, this is the message being delivered to hardcore and casual gamer alike.
As Krangel himself concludes: “Tell yourself the PS3 has superior graphics if it makes you feel better, but a $400 console with a mediocre game library simply cannot compete against an Xbox 360 priced at $200 in this economy.”
Harsh, but it’s perhaps something Sony needs to learn.
