It’s been a tough year for Sony’s PlayStation console and the situation was slightly exacerbated when Activision’s Robert Kotick threatened to stop supporting the platform unless console prices were cut. Sony CEO Howard Stringer considered Kotick’s threats part of the business.
“He likes to make a lot of noise,” Stringer said, when asked about the comments. “He’s putting pressure on me and I’m putting pressure on him. That’s the nature of business.”
It wouldn’t surprise me if Sony just bundled the console with two AAA titles and left it at that. They’re already doing it now with the MGS4/Killzone 2 bundle and LittleBigPlanet/Wall-E bundles.
When asked about discounting the PS3, Stringer simply said, “I (would) lose money on every PlayStation I make — how’s that for logic.”
Oh, and don’t get any ideas about Sony selling off any assets in the entertainment sector.
“We’re learning to fuse content and hardware. This wouldn’t be a time to get rid of either,” he said.
The LBP bundle has nothing to do with Sony. It is simply a Best Buy bundle.
I have brief moments where I almost admire Sony’s disciplined approach to PR. Whatever the problem, shrug it off and simply state the opposite.
– Price of the system at launch is too high? Gamers want to work harder for a system that is better.
– Price of the system several years after launch is still too high? It’s the nature of the business.
– System is too hard to program for? Developers want to develop for the best.
- No rumble-control? That was so last generation.
It goes on and on.
What is most interesting is the public nature of some of these “partner” disputes. Bloggers and consumers have been complaining about Sony’s arrogance for a long time. We almost expect that. Now, though, it seems Sony’s partners are also tiring of the attitude.
I’m most intrigued by the PSP Go’s “All digital media” play, and its impact on Sony’s channel partners. Distributers have had to be upset with Sony for quite some time over lack of sales of the unit. The PSP gaming section of many Gamestops here in California are at least a 50/50 % ratio of new/used games. How long before these channel partners write off the PSP line completely because Sony is cutting them out of game revenue. Even if prepaid cards take off, the channel can’t resell a download.
Sony has been trying to cut Gamestop and other used game vendors out of the picture for a while. A few years back Sony was trying to push the idea of games dedicated to a single console. If you buy the game you wouldn’t be able to play it at a friends house or sell it to Gamestop. Sony doesn’t make a dime on used games and thinks of used games almost as piracy. Sony’s attitude toward consumers borders on contempt.