How Can Sony Stop Sucking?
Sony’s just released their projected losses for next year, and things ain’t lookin’ so good. For the fiscal year to March 2010, the company is predicting a 110 billion yen ($1.15 billion) loss. That’s billion. With a “B.” And while it’s true that Sony does more than make video games, their electronic entertainment division hasn’t exactly been doing the company any favors; the Game Boy Advance might not be outselling the PS3 anymore–as it was doing a few years ago–but the continued heartbreaking tragedy of Sony’s newest console makes me wonder if the company will ever recover the gamer street cred that made them famous from the mid-90s to the mid-00s. In these economically interesting times, is Sony far from dropping their hardware division entirely to focus on software development and publishing?
As we’ve seen, the story of the PS3 is a tale of the right console arriving at the completely wrong time; the specs and features of the original PS3 model were certainly impressive–before they were all cut out, anyway–but the system’s original asking price of 500-600 dollars was ludicrous, even before our current economic quagmire. The goodwill that Sony earned through those fantastic days of the PlayStation and PS2 originally had me convinced that I’d grab their new console before anything else; but over two years later, I own everything but a PS3. The times, they have a-changed.
Unlike so many Internet trolls, I don’t want Sony to fail; they’ve certainly earned my respect over the years, and their PS3 seems to be the most powerful and reliable hardware on the market. But it’s hard to see just how they’ll recover from their current situation. They have some big-name hardcore franchises like Metal Gear and Killzone, but as we’ve seen with the success of the Wii and 360, you need more than a few killer hardcore aps to become the market leader. And slashing the price of the PS3 might increase system sales, but this also means Sony will be losing even more money–something that they definitely don’t want to do.
I’m no business-type guy, but I’ve always felt like Sony could make a lot of money remarketing the PS2 by producing a cheap, revamped model of the system with wireless controllers, better internet capabilities, an online shop, etc. As we’ve seen with the Wii, graphics don’t matter much these days, and new life for the PS2 could mean the return of many developers who’ve had to duck out this gen due to rising development costs.
So, any suggestions for Sony on the matter?
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Tags: bob mackey, depression, economy, Playstation, ps2, ps3, recession, sony
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For me I don’t think they should backtrack. I think Sony was just ahead of the game, much like Sega used to be ahead of the game in the 90s with internet on the Dreamcast when everyone still had dial-up. The price is pretty steep, but I think they will be alright in the long-run.
Yeah, definitely don’t need to see them looking backwards any more than they already do.
I think the PS3 failing would be a very bad thing for gaming. The last thing the industry needs is for the 360 have a monopoly on that side of the market. Microsoft gets away with too much bullshit as it is.
Not sure if your comment is tongue-in-cheek, blitzchamp, but being ahead of the game certainly didn’t do Sega any favors.
They should definitely go back, not only does the ps2 have a huge install base, but with the eye toy it’s already half way to wii-like motion controls. Combine that with even a half-assed online setup and Sony’s would have Nintendo beat at its own game.
Apparently the PS2’s sales were down 42% this last fiscal year. The PS2 will probably be dead this time next year, at least as far as hardware sales go.
Yes.
If you look at consumer trends in automobiles, you will find that the sales of high-end luxury cars (such as Mercedez-Benz and BMW) are actually going up.
How and why? It is because those who are buying and have the ability to buy are looking for quality and value over a longer term, while the mid-range cars of, uh, dubious quality, are getting the real pinch.
A price cut isn’t going to help, but Sony needs to add more value to its product and create more value.
That could mean things like:
1) forwards-compatibility on an investment (instead of junking the whole system, why not be able to upgrade specific parts of the guts?)
2) better interactive experiences in their OS
3) bring backwards-compatability back and promote the hell out of it. Sony has put itself in exile from the things that made it great, and this is one of the reasons why I don’t own a PS3.
4) Take a page from Nintendo: bring back the things that made it awesome (I’d love to be able to download a copy of Vagrant Story from an online store and play it)
If Sony is going for the “luxury” angle and wants to be the BMW of gaming, then they have a long way to go.
but they’ve got the dollar signs in the right spot for it.