170°

The PlayStation Company: why Sony should ditch almost everything else

It’s funny how times change. Twenty years ago, the PlayStation was a skunkworks product that a renegade faction within Sony had just fought to get released. Now here we are in 2015, and Sony CEO Kaz Hirai — a former boss of the PlayStation division — has announced that the company is essentially going to stop trying to grow its consumer electronics businesses beside the PlayStation 4. The PlayStation isn’t only Sony’s last great product; it might as well be Sony’s only product.

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theverge.com
Foehammer3366d ago (Edited 3366d ago )

Considering that Sony has a couple other division that make more profit, i.e. Movies, Insurance, solid sate devices, this article doesn't make any sense.

tinynuggins3366d ago

I think Sony's safest bet is to keep their eggs spread out a little bit. Just not TOO far spread out. Nintendo is the only company to survive exclusively within the console market. Everyone else is long gone. Sometimes all it takes is 1 bad system to sink a company.

never4get3365d ago

Sony TV + PlayStation 4

breakpad3365d ago (Edited 3365d ago )

i think PSNOW is bad, project Morfeus seems dubious and relying heavily on online features/net for revenue is also not a good move ...quality always matters and for this reason and only combined with its abundance in PS platforms ,Playstations were always succesful ...the same perspective must follow on other departments (at least their electronics s are still unmatched for their price no matter the competition

Christopher3365d ago

Agreed. Looked at that graph and went... uhh... are we looking at the same thing here?

I'm really sad about sony's mobile department. The Xperia devices are just great devices and really warrant more attention than they have garnered. Perhaps what they should do is combine mobile gaming and phones/tablets into one. Bring the Xperia products into the PLaystation fold and make them both gaming devices and smartphones?

I just really don't want to see such great products fall by the wayside because everyone wants whatever Apple throws at them.

TWB3365d ago

Agreed on both points.

Im going to buy a new phone this year (currently still using Xperia Play from 2011) and Im looking at the Xperia phones. My play has been a very reliable and durable phone which is why Im planning on to continuing with the same brand.

Also as an Play owner, I think Sony should give another try at the XPlays concept and/or put out regular phone models with only the L and R buttons which could make a big difference in casual mobile gaming (removing two essential functions like jump and attack from the screen and putting them on physical buttons).

Immorals3365d ago

Sony has good phones, but they aren't done in a great way. Releasing a new flagship 6 months after their last model was a massive mistake. It's bad enough certain companies do a yearly release with barely changed devices.

Christopher3365d ago

@Immorals In the last two years, Sony has released fewer new models/upgrades than their main competitors.

I get what you're saying, but I think the Z3 was more in line to meet demands by carriers and not to just release a new phone for the heck of it. And, even then, it isn't unlike Samsung to release tons of new models on an annual basis. Though, admittedly, all of them have slowed down in the last 6 months since I think they've all reached a point where the gains are greatly diminishing as far as tech potential goes.

pwnsause_returns3365d ago

The xperia is a fantastic phone that is being hugely overlooked for obvious reasons..... Where are the ads?

+ Show (1) more replyLast reply 3365d ago
XanderZane3365d ago

I agree with you.

"PlayStation is different. To be clear, the PS4 is the only truly compelling product that Sony sells today. "

That's not true, as Foehammer says. This article acts like Sony only needs the Playstation products to survive and we know that's now the case. If Sony only had the PS3 and PSP last gen, they would have been close to bankrupt by the time the generation ended, as the PS3 literally lost the company billions. Sure the PS4 is doing much better this generation, but it still not making the kind of profit it needs yet to sustain the company into the future. It costs millions and million to keep making software and the PS4 hardware.

Also, the PS2 didn't sink SEGA. SEGA sank themselves. They released a great system and had awesome games and decent support, but didn't have the funds to keep supporting it and they weren't selling nearly enough systems or software fast enough. This is a very biased article coming from someone who must not have worked in the gaming or electronic industry before.

kwandar3366d ago

Sony may soon run out of choices. They have already had to cancel their dividends, and they need to decide what they are staying in or getting out of, if they wish to remain viable.

They could sell Playstation's IP (perhaps) to Nintendo or MS, but that is a less likely scenario. If they are staying with Playstation they need to seriously look at selling other divisions including movies, insurance and/or solid state devices to fund growth in areas they decide they want to concentrate on.

I think it is a foregone conclusion they should be out of mobile.

Delsin_Rowe3365d ago

PlayStation is the most profitable division in Sony now so it would be stupid to sell but TV division need to go since nobody wanted to buy it since its expensive and people rather get Samsung TV since its cheaper.

TyBREAKR3365d ago

Are you serious? Read what you just wrote. You talk like you know something. Just because you use a little business knowledge does not make you more intelligent. Quit it right now.

kwandar3365d ago

Actually I have been a CFO for over 25 years, so yes, I actually do know something.

I know that sometimes the strategic plan forward includes selling your most profitable division. Don't sound so shocked. Maybe Google or Apple will want in and pay well for it?

TyBREAKR3365d ago (Edited 3365d ago )

You cannot make a claim like that on an internet gaming forum and expect people to believe you. Wouldn't a CFO have much better things to do than argue with some dude who didn't like what you had to say?
I just don't understand why you think selling the PlayStation brand is a good idea? And then on top of that, to MS or Nintendo??? Again, re-read your original post.

kenshiro1003365d ago

You don't know what you're talking about. Their gaming division is profitable. Why would they want to sell something that's profitable?

Common sense must have been thrown out the window when you wrote that.

ShadowWolf7123365d ago (Edited 3365d ago )

>The Verge

Pretty sure people should do almost the opposite of what they say at almost any given time.

EDIT: "Sony CEO Kaz Hirai — a former boss of the PlayStation division — has announced that the company is essentially going to stop trying to grow its consumer electronics businesses beside the PlayStation 4."

...are they reading the same reports as everyone else?

Inception3365d ago

Obviously they not reading the same report. I even bet they don't have a clue how to read a financial report.

Bodge3365d ago

If Sony only had the Playstation brand, they'd be bankrupt in under 2 years.

AKissFromDaddy3365d ago

So when will Nintendo go under...?

Dark_matter3365d ago

Zzing!, bubble up for you AKissFromDaddy.

IGiveHugs2NakedWomen3365d ago

The author was huffing paint while writing this article.

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60°

I Think It's About Time We Realize Fallout 4 Wasn't That Bad

Ahmed from eXputer: "2015's Fallout 4 received harsh criticism upon launching, but I think it was unwarranted and the game deserves more praise than it got."

helicoptergirl6h ago

It was totally that bad. I couldn't finish the campaign it was so bland and boring as I recall. Got so sick of it. 1000 stimpaks on hard. It is very rare that I play half a game and then just quit. I usually always finish it. But i was so bored with this game I just stopped and never went back and never regretted it. Just thinking about that game makes me shudder

Furesis4h ago

That's exactly what happened to me too lmao
Fallout 4 is not a fallout game period it's a bethesda game

Vits4h ago

The comparison with Skyrim is mind-boggling. Yes, Skyrim has streamlined many of the systems that Morrowind introduced. However, it did not tamper with the core of the Elder Scrolls franchise; it did not diminish the freedom and sense of exploration that made Bethesda RPGs famous. Fallout 4, on the other hand, did exactly that to the Fallout series. It eliminated what made Fallout such a beloved series to play. There are no consequences for your choices, no reason to explore, and barely any interesting set pieces in the game.

It's not terrible, but it's a painfully mediocre game in a franchise that typically doesn't produce such mediocrity. So that is why people see it as bad, the bar is just much higher.

anast8m ago

They both feel the same because they are, it's just that one has swords and magic and the other has swords and guns.

anast10m ago

I'm replaying it now. It sucks. I'm about 30 hours in and thinking about quitting again. I am so tired of the dialogue I just spam a random button because it doesn't matter. The upgrade just feels like a graphical mod, everything else is not good.

50°

Interview on Fallout 4 with the Actor for Nick Valentine, Codsworth & Mr Handy (Stephen Russell)

Interview with Stephen Russell, Actor for (Nick Valentine, Codsworth, My Handy) in Fallout 4 which is a vast open world role playing game set in the apocalyptic wastes of Boston, the Commonwealth. The career goes further with other Bethesda games from Starfield to Prey to The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim.

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gamerheadquarters.com
50°

Warframe: Devstream 179 Q&A With Megan Everett

During Devstream 179 for Warframe, Digital Extremes unveiled a lot of exciting information for stuff coming to the game, and we were able to ask about some of it!

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lordsofgaming.net