Games a big part of Sony profit woes

chimp

I don't know of any launch games for PS3 besides Resistance, RIDGERACER!, and that Massive damage crab game...and there only what, 4ish exclusives from microsoft but that still is a small list of holiday games as it seems to me. the only thing that jumps out at me is Gears of War.

But I would get PS3 if there were more games that interested me..same with XBox.

@16 LaughingTarget

Where did you get your numbers? Looking at the article, Sony is setting aside 51 billion JPY (429 million USD) for the batteries. The expected loss of 200 billion JPY converts to 1,692,860,972.03 USD right now.

I think I just don't understand exactly where you're pulling numbers from because you're using numbers that aren't from the article and assuming everyone else already knows them. It seems like you're pulling more numbers than just what's in the article. I don't keep up with the finncial cost of all this crap that closely as I'm only really concerned with the MSRP. Can you clarify?

"32. Yes, they did.

Not really. Its actually the whole sony vision of the future that makes me want them dead. They have this great vision of sonyworld where sony owns all the consumer electronics in your home (sony TV, sony Surround, Sony Playstation), and on top of that, owns the content that you'll be playing on your electronics (sony music, sony movies).

Their vision of the future is a trap for the consumer, because once all this happens, then sony content will all of a sudden only work on sony hardware (UMD, MD anyone), and if you try and move that content to other hardware, they want to make you a criminal (DMCA et al, anyone).

Sony wants to be the communist ruler of entertainment, and get rid of all consumer rights regarding content and content purchaced. Why do you think sony is talking up "digital distribution" all of a sudden, because then they control the hardware that gets the content, the content itself, and the way in which you GET the content.

They didn't kill my father and rape my mother, but their trying to put me and everyone else into entertainment bondage, where they are the masters and we are the willing slaves to them.

Fuck Sony. I used to hate microsoft for similar reasons, but Sony's plan is just 10 times worse"

I beg to differ. The MS world would be 20x worse. Just look what they did when they had their monopoly. Now imagine what you just said, only ADD yearly 'updates' and 'revisions' to their software that you would HAVE TO PAY for. Just look how Vista is already starting to sound with its "games for vista" what they really mean is "you cant play this game if your not running vista" Also as far as quality goes, MS Fanboys LOVE churning out facts how Sony's quality has 'suffered' yet one has to look at MS 'software developing powers' with Internet Explorer. Nuff said on that.

Granted Sony has it's share of problems so does MS. But if ANYONE is to LEAD the entertainment side of things i would definitely back Sony on this. Where MS is software king, Sony is the emperor of entertainment( comparing MS and Sony that is, hehe i also dig Samsung products ) They have TV's, Music(Columbia Records,) Movies ( Columbia Pictures ) The only they dont have down is software, whereas MS needs everything else.

Remember this is JUST IF I HAD to pick which one was number one. Now in reality i just want both companies to actually turn a profit so they dont shutdown( yes MS will shutdown its Game Division if they can't turn a profit, which they HAVE NEVER turned a profit on any Xbox console and have stated that they don't expect to until 2008, probably the same time if not a year after Sony starts turning a profit) I love to hate MS because even though i don't support them, i do admire some of the games that are coming out, no not blue dragon or Lost Odyssey, but I'm actually looking forward to seeing Kingdom Under Fire( my bro owns a 360, so ill get the best of all three worlds, im getting a ps3 and my GF a Wii ) and also they keep Sony/Nintendo on their toes ( Online anyone? ) and vice versa ( MS copied Sony's double triggers, among other things ) i agree, competition is a good thing.

IF your tired of playin the Madden and other games the same, then why not get a Wii. Madden Wii doesn't look that bad and plus the controls look like there going to be fun!

jcmschwa -

I just forgot to do the cost conversion. I saw 200 and for some stupid reason it translated into $200 billion. The billion instead of million is a wonderful little typo on my part.

The numbers you just pointed out to me make the entire venture far worse for Sony and a bigger reason to wait until the next fiscal year to launch. Sony made $1.03 billion last year, this is making me think Sony is going to end up with a FY06 loss.

The $10 is something I remember seeing in an EGM a few years ago, when I still had the subscription. They went over where the $50 went you paid, and the $10 licence fee stuck out in my mind.

One thing I constantly notice in reading these commentator takes on the industry is that no one seems to EVER count Nintendo in the equation.

As if their participation doesn't matter or is minor.
Or the dreaded "niche" word.

It's always Microsoft Vs. Sony or Sony Vs. Microsoft. As if there are only two competitors in the race.

That kind of thinking if the these execs follow it will be their downfall.
I don't whether people omit Nintendo in the discussion out of the belief that Nintendo's on a higher plane or simply a different plane. (that they're not directly competing line)
Or whether it's a perspective of "they don't count".

It's a mistake.
And one the whole gaming world is about to learn from very soon.

Sony's business decisions don't happen in a Microsoft/Sony vacuum. These developers are TOO looking more toward Nintendo based on every bad move Sony keeps making. And the difference is that when Nintendo secures support from the 3rd party developers they make their market stance concrete.

Remember this equation if nothing else.
1st party + 2nd party + 3rd party = Nintendo's party.

If 3rd party leaves PS3 OR 360 behind Sony & Microsoft will be ill-equipped to put out any game that will hold their systems together on the market. They just don't have that 1st party power that has largely sustained Nintendo the past 10 years.
Nintendo does well in drought.
Think about how well they will do in precipitation.

You also gotta think about the regions. Japan has been game-industry central for about 25 years & for good reason. That's why Microsoft wants Japan to support them. That's where the developers are & the important audience is.
In Japan the XBoxes' names were MUD & it still hasn't really changed yet. So over there it's only between Nintendo & Sony. If Nintendo edges out Sony in Japan that will follow worldwide as the Japanese developers concentrate more on Wii. Microsoft may have its stake in the Western market but it can never overtake Sony without Japan on its side unless it somehow makes the neglected PAL regions unilaterally loyal. Pretty impossible knowing how Eastern Gaming is loved worldwide.

Microsoft confuses things in the West for Sony making things a harder-to-judge 3-way race. They're fighting MS on one end but have to keep their eye on Nintendo on the other end. Hard to juggle & hard to pick a proper direction to go in.
Meanwhile Nintendo seems to be having a smooth run in all regions. You KNOW Wii will repeat the success of the DS in Japan because these two systems came out of the same design philosophy. That locks Japan leaving Sony & Microsoft BOTH to fight Nintendo in the other regions.

It is NOT a 2-way race, people. I guess Gamecube's toyish look has let people's guard down when it comes to that old timer Nintendo.
Better watch them old timers. They're full of surprises.

John Lucas

To all of you claiming you don't want Sony to fail and drop out of the console race because of lack of competition, what are you smoking?

Video games are a multibillion dollar business. If, for some reason, any of the 3 console makers goes up in smoke this generation, there are 100's of corporations just waiting to dive into that open slot and try to take the top spot. Especially if Sony, who's been #1 for 2 generations is the one to go bye-bye. Do you really think Microsoft would have had the courage to enter the market if they hadn't seen Sony take the crown from Nintendo the prior generation?

If through some alignment of the fates Sony does happen to crash and burn this generation, you're going to see companies that never considered a gaming machine before moving in to try to grab their marketshare before Microsoft & Nintendo can. Apple, IBM, even Dell have the funds and the name to support an attempt. You might even see a software publisher try to move into the console development market. It wouldn't surprise me at all to see an EA console (although that is the worst case scenario, as their licensce with the NFL would singlehandedly crush all other consoles, and we already know that 80% of EA is shovelware crap).

There will always be competition, because someone will always want a piece of the multibillion dollar pie you and I represent. So if Sony or Microsoft or Nintendo piss you off, don't buy their stuff, convince you friends not to buy, and they'll either learn from their mistakes, or someone will come in and take their place.