Hirai: PS3 not competing with Wii, Xbox 360 - Confusing third parties
By Dave Parrack
We already knew that Sony had big ambitions for the Playstation 3, ambitions which went beyond merely making the console the biggest selling machine for videogames, and beating Nintendo and Microsoft in the process. But hearing SCE president Kaz Hirai expressing his hopes for the machine is still quite surprising.
Like me, you were probably under the assumption that the PS3 was competing on an pretty even keel with both the Microsoft Xbox and Nintendo Wii. Actually many of you don’t see the Wii as being anywhere near on the same level, but that’s another argument for another day. But according to Hirai, boss of Sony Computer Entertainment, Sony is no longer competing with either of its supposed videogame rivals.
At last week’s Playstation Day he told industry magazine MCV:
“I think that PS3, PS2 and PSP are all entertainment platforms so I feel that our competition is not Microsoft or Nintendo, but basically any form of entertainment that is competing for the consumers’ attention,”
“So we need to make sure we offer the most compelling entertainment – not videogame entertainment but in entertainment in general. I can’t speak for their strategy but I like to think that we’ve got a very well balanced portfolio with PS3, PSP and you can’t discount the PS2.”
As much as I think this generation of consoles can more readily compete on a level playing field with other non-gaming fields of entertainment, the fact that Grand Theft Auto made more money in its first week than any other game, film or album ever is proof of this, I also think it’s bizarre to not realise that the Xbox 360 and Wii are the nearest competitors Sony has.
At the same industry event, Hirai admitted to the audience that the PS3’s first year was a difficult one, and kind of blamed the third party developers for that. He told MCV:
“I think there was some confusion as to what PS3 was initially – some of the third parties didn’t understand and they wanted to scale back a little and see how things went before they really put in their resources,”
“But when I re-positioned the PS3 as a video games console at Tokyo Game Show I think everybody got that message loud and clear.”
Well hang on there, you need to get your message straight. Is the PS3 merely a videogames console, or is it this all encompassing, all singing, all dancing entertainment hub that Sony want to use to take over the world?
The Playstation 3 is indeed a very powerful piece of kit, and one which is helping video gaming become the new darling on the entertainment industry, knocking music and movies off the money-making tops spots. However, I think Sony should remember how it got to where it is today, on the back of a set of loyal fans. First and foremost, they want to play games, not endure your claims for world domination.
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May 12th, 2008
Was he on drugs that day or something?
May 12th, 2008
Now your saying what I have been saying all this time. It’s my soul reason for not going the Sony way. They flat out forgot where they came from and forgot about it’s customer.
May 12th, 2008
And MS didn’t ? They released a console waaaay before it was ready and unleashed a fatal hardware fault on it’s “loyal customer base” and why did they do that? so they could get in early and get a sizable lead in the market before the “other”consoles got out.
That doesn’t sound like “looking after your loyal fan base” That sounds like “cool when the systems break, we will offer extended warranties (deny for a while first) and stuff our loyal customers around, but thats ok, cause we got out there first.
MS dominate the PC market, and they would like to dominate the console market too. Don’t kid yourself to think they aren’t. Don’t get me wrong, Sony is in the exact same boat with wanting to dominate the market.
Really, they are as bad as each other. So the argument that “I got the other system because Sony forgot about it’s customer” is pretty flawed in my opinion when the system company (MS) you went too, does the exact same thing.
All of these companies 1st priority is to make their shareholders happy…how? by ensuring thier longevity and make MONEY. How do they do that? Dominate the market. Customers and fan bases come a distant second.
May 12th, 2008
This guy freaking owns.
May 12th, 2008
I love my ps3. I use everything it has to offer and I love the fact that gaming is becoming on the same level as movies. Of course I do credit microsofts one good exclusive game: Gears of war. The rest of its decent, but not worth buying one for, games come from its third party line up. Although Ninja Gaiden 2 was a deal that I thought Sony was capable of doing. Sony usually thieves games away from the competition! I guess they will give microsoft a few and let the third party devs catch up to the ps3. by the way a 120 fps tv is about to come out and I think people will see why ps3 and bluray is the best! I like my Entertainment or gaming or whatever you want to label it as! It simply kicks ass or… the “censored” versus p’owns!
May 12th, 2008
He is simply saying that XBOX and Wii are not just their only competitors but anyone else who is competing in the entertainment industry. Learn to read between the lines before spreading rumors.
May 12th, 2008
^ thats how I read it
May 12th, 2008
I still think he is on drugs.
May 13th, 2008
he is right,he didn’t say ps3 is NOT FOR GAMES,he said its not only games but wich is #1 thing in playstation,but movies and more things too.
in ps1 u could put your music cd in ps2 dvd,and online games (wich M$ copied does 2).
ps3 movies,mp3,avi downloads picture albums,and more things,even cure cancer and othere diseases,and more stuff on the future 3 yrs.
the Xenos has a unified pipeline, that means that each of the 48 shaders can do either pixel or vertex operations. This means that generally the Xenons can be pushed to the “MAX”, with all 48 shaders busy, rather than on the PS3 where some of its fixed shaders are likely to be unused YET and “surpass Xenons.”
The PS3 was designed for the SPE’s to supplement graphical processing, so the PS3 is capable of producing better graphics than the Xbox 360.
May 13th, 2008
so graphics and physicd on ps3 are the main thing to create a game.
May 13th, 2008
wii so shitty it cant even play dvds LMAO.
May 13th, 2008
ahh dammit…
people…
remember…
Sony cant keep promises (though I would wait for a proper product with no glitches)
and MS denies facts and has reliability issues… like the first RROD… and well… the RROD still hasnt been worked out.. and no matter how many time you replace your systems… and how many times MS gives “free shipping and handling fees” reliability is a problem..
the negative goodwill generated by the 360 is a much bigger issue than Sony’s “broken promises”… but both companies have issues… and hopefully.. they can fix them this year…. YEAR 08 YEAH!!!
May 13th, 2008
Too ba we’ll never get REAL numbers of how many 360’s have been junked (by either MS or the end user) due to RROD. If we could, I’m willing to bet the 360’s global units sold lead over PS3 would immediately evaporate.
And I’m frustrated more at the game devs than at Sony. While Sony’s “target” for PS3 early on was never well defined, the devs have NO EXCUSE to claim they didn’t know what to do. Regardless of Sony hyperbole, PS3 was ALWAYS gonna be a game console so devs should have shut up and coded more games. At least NOW (finally) the quantity of releases is catching up. PS3 suffered mightily from lack of a “killer” launch title.
May 13th, 2008
bring back the nintendo 64 for no apparent reason
May 13th, 2008
sorry, hirai, but those wanting to be a jack of all trades is master of none. they simply lost their identity….and 90% of their last gen customers in the process.
bad move.
May 13th, 2008
Why do you think Phill Harrison left. He said that the people in Japan won’t listen. Your confused little CEO knows nothing and instead of making PS3 what is was suppose to be and capitalize on the PS2 market they already established. They go make this super entertainment console that is so expensive that it left it’s core audence behind and focuse on Blu-Ray and the Cell. Now they want to catch up in 10 Years and are lacking in games. How is that possible. They should have let the Bluray player be a bluray player and the PS3 their gamaing console. They even put university research before the games. What a joke.
May 13th, 2008
As for the RROD stop talking crap about past issues and realize that Microsoft put it’s foot forward and addressed the issue and even gave a 3 year warrenty. That idiot talking about MS denying fact is lame to mention that when MS actually delt wiht it unlike Sony and the PS2.
May 13th, 2008
my freinds who have modern 360’s still complain about either scratched disks or RROD, they bought them last year and 2 of my mates suffered RROD. Besides the fact that xbox live is overhyped when ps3 online is fine, the store is fine and no internet service is worth money on a games console, no matter how good.
May 13th, 2008
HEY CAD!!
RROD is NOT a past issue…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WexVZaQKQvM
THERE how many times do I have to point this out to you???
go to youtube.. see how many other cases of RROD popped up int he last 6 months… or after the “heat sink” that MS put in…
May 13th, 2008
That is because there are still some old ones out there and once they go through the cycle it will be all over. I wished people showed the manufacturing date on these videos.
May 13th, 2008
CAD - you simply need to remind the haters that the ps2 breaking is still not resolved either. the huge ps2 sales is due to ps2 STILL breaking down forcing them to buy a new one, or void their entire 5 year ps2 library.
May 13th, 2008
really?? you have any proof of PS2s still breaking down??
May 13th, 2008
timeline of sony:
1. 2005- “The ps3 will CRUSH the competition.”
2. 2006- “The ps3 will launch will CRUSH the competition’s”
3. 2007- “The ps3 will crush the competion in Japan”
4. 2008 - “The ps3 will crush the competition in other markets other than japan”
5. Now - The ps3 is not competing.
FRIGGIN’ HILARIOUS!!!
Thanks Kaz, for carrying on crazy kenny’s legacy of lunacy.
May 13th, 2008
Kevin,
Unless you’re trying to say that neither the 360 nor the Wii are a “form of entertainment that is competing for the consumers’ attention”, then you are way off. Sony DOES acknowledge MS and Nintendo as competition.
-Arvis
May 13th, 2008
So Arvis,
Why does your boy Haz Kir fhjiofq480 what ever his name is. say they are not in compitition.
May 13th, 2008
CAD,
He didn’t. He said that they ARE competing with “any form of entertainment that is competing for the consumers’ attention.”
You’re smart, CAD. Does that sound like a category that Microsoft and Nintendo fit into? Kaz was basically saying that MS and The Big N are not their only competitors, rather they are just two of many.
I’m often astonished at how some people seem to have such a difficult time comprehending the English language.
-Arvis
May 13th, 2008
RROD = xbox 360 epic failiture.
May 13th, 2008
Yeah 360 has shitty games for idiots who want to buy a defective system and want to pay for old technology. Hurray for idiots who want to keep us in the analog age! Fuck Microsoft
May 13th, 2008
microsoft sucks i hate them.
May 13th, 2008
Every fucking day it’s the same people arguing the same points over and over again.
Neither party is going to convince the other that they are right, there are people in the 360 camp, and there are people in the PS3 camp. So why don’t you all just shut the fuck up and at least post something either informative or humorous.
Jesus tapdancing christ!
May 14th, 2008
This is why they need to bring back godzirra :/
May 14th, 2008
To much ownage for you kid?
cant handle the stick?
stop crying!
May 14th, 2008
I tapdanced with Christ on my battlecruiser with C3PO and Michael Pachter…
what are you trying to imply weener??
YEAH gojjirra!!!
May 14th, 2008
Ownage? Is that even a word?
DWH, was he any good? And did you send Patcher my regards?
May 14th, 2008
arvis - no, sony does not see ms as competition. In fact in a recent statement from sony, stating profits from the ps division, they publicly stated ninty outsold them but REFUSED to even acknowledge the 360 is even on the market. (and wiping the floor with ps3 sales). google sony, it’s a pretty easy find. typical sony arrogance. it’s sad that they refuse to see the train that’s about to run them over.
May 14th, 2008
“our competition is … basically any form of entertainment that is competing for the consumers’ attention”
Quite right - thinking of it that way the PS3 is capable of being so much more than a games machine, it is an entertainment and networking hub and much more.
With the wide range of things it is capable of (and better than any souped up PC and far less expensive) it is great value for money and if I could afford one I plus a big LCD HD TV then I would get them.
Trouble is I don’t have £1000 to spare so I won’t.
May 14th, 2008
Kevin,
So when Sony issues press releases wherein they state that they have outsold the 360 in Europe, they’re…. what? Comparing apples to oranges? For the fun of it?
I’ve noticed that you seem to be operating under the impression that everyone who disagrees with you thinks exactly like you do: without reason, objectivity, or any kind of basis in reality. Your needlessly fierce, high-minded and belligerent defense of all things Microsoft belies an undertone of a kind of insecurity that I can’t for the life of me understand the origins of. You are intelligent, mature in many ways, and have apparently served military time, making you both brave and well-traveled. So any reason why you are unable to have a reasonable discussion with people who SHARE YOUR SAME INTERESTS escapes me.
My other theory is that you’re just really really bored and having a laugh.
-Arvis
May 15th, 2008
dont use words with more than one syllable Arvis… kevin wont understand them… and he will “ownage” your “nooblet” “pwnage” “tapdancing christ” ass….
May 15th, 2008
arvis - if you actually had ANY idea of sony’s history of lying in press releases, you won’t be asking that question. You don’t find it odd that sony 1. never gave ANY numbers sold, or 2. that they never gave the source of their data, which ms did.
of course not… if sony said it; it MUST be true.
you really have no concept of this industry… why are you here?
May 15th, 2008
Kevin,
I brought that up to counter your ridiculous assertion that Sony doesn’t consider Microsoft as part of their competition. Whether or not the statement is wholly true is an entirely different discussion, one that won’t be proved beyond a reasonable doubt any time soon.
I’m used to you missing the real issues in articles and comments, but how you managed to miss the point ENTIRELY this time around… well… the mind boggles.
-Arvis
May 15th, 2008
the only point i was making, arvis is; sony is full of crap.
they’re full of crap in their “sales” press releases, they’re full of crap in their online promises, and they’re full of crap if they think they can confuse gamers into believing this, “we’re competing against everyone” bs…
competing against everyone will only keep them in last place.
nah..this is just more of sony’s b.s spin to try to excuse themselves for sitting in last place for so long after all the hype they stated pre-launch.
May 16th, 2008
Justin, I’m guessing you’ve never played a little game called Dead Rising?
May 20th, 2008
I do like call of duty 2 and gears…. but thats all for the exclusives…. Dead rising was way too repetitive plus it destroyed my 2nd 360. Ninja Gaiden 2 will be a game worth playing on it.