[QUOTE]Incoming Sony CEO Kaz Hirai has admitted the ailing electronics manufacturer needs to turn things around quickly or it could face serious problems.
Speaking in an interview with*The Wall Street Journal*ahead of the company's troubling quarterly financial report yesterday, [B]Hirai said that returning Sony to profit will be the biggest challenge he's faced in his career to date.[/B]
"I thought turning around the PlayStation business was going to be the toughest challenge of my career, but I guess not," he said.
"It's one issue after another. I feel like 'Holy s***, now what?'"
His strategy for recovery includes instructing staff to stop resting on past glories and start selling customers a superior "user experience".
"We really need to buckle down and be realistic. I don't think everybody is on board, but I think people are coming around to the idea that if we don't turn this around, we could be sitting in some serious trouble."
Earlier this week Sony announced*an enormous £1.3 billion loss for the last financial quarterand expects to report a loss of $2.9 billion for the full year. That will be its fourth consecutive year in the red.
The poor performance was blamed on floods in Thailand disrupting the supply chain, the "deterioration in market conditions in developed countries" and "unfavourable foreign exchange".
Former PlayStation boss Hirai formally takes over from current Sony CEO Howard Stringer on 1st April.
[/QUOTE]
[url]http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2012-02-03-hirai-sony-could-be-facing-serious-trouble[/url]
That's a great way to give the investors some confidence
[QUOTE=HolyCrusade;34549251]That's a great way to give the investors some confidence[/QUOTE]
Honestly, it depends on the man's track records. You'd be amazed at the situation a good CEO can turn around in a matter of weeks or months.
They also say Sony is gonna go back to their roots: innovative product (the walkman used to be considered so innovative)
the best things they made, were video cassette players.
My heart goes to them, but now is the time to prepare for bankrupcy.
Kaz Hirai, former translator for the Beastie Boys :smith:
Meh.
They should honestly axe the things that are making them lose money.
Their biggest strengths are their game consoles and games, their computers, and the fact that they are content providers (Sony movie studio etc).
They have been weak in TVs, phones, and tablets.
If they could just recreate the success they had with the PS2...
[QUOTE=POLOPOZOZO;34549738]If they could just recreate the success they had with the PS2...[/QUOTE]Problem is that back then Microsoft wasn't nearly as big as a competitor as it is today in the console market.
[QUOTE=POLOPOZOZO;34549738]If they could just recreate the success they had with the PS2...[/QUOTE]
If they want their profits to turn around making a new console would be a risky investment due to the fact that most consoles lose money when first marketed and it was only around 2010 (far earlier for the 360) that Sony started to actually see anything significant outside of licensing profits for the PS3
If they upgraded PSN so that it was more similar to Steam in terms of pricing, installation, game selection and lack of a required disk that would be interesting. So would promoting an app store of sorts on PSN.
-snip-
[QUOTE=fishyfish777;34550036]If they want their profits to turn around making a new console would be a risky investment due to the fact that most consoles lose money when first marketed and it was only around 2010 (far earlier for the 360) that Sony started to actually see anything significant outside of licensing profits for the PS3
If they upgraded PSN so that it was more similar to Steam in terms of pricing, installation, game selection and lack of a required disk that would be interesting. So would promoting an app store of sorts on PSN.[/QUOTE]
I don't quite get where you are getting at in the second paragraph. Better pricing on the PSN is understandable, right now it's a bit high in places. Better installation? That doesn't really make much sense, installation is installation. A wider selection is steadily appearing right now, we are getting ports of classic console games every week or so now. And new minis, and PSN only games almost constantly. But the idea of the app-store style thing is being looked into it seems. Sony are working on a indie development kit, similar to XNA for Windows/ XBox 360, which could allow the average person to create some interesting games and applications.
The PSN is extremely strong right now. Sony need to think about withdrawing from some markets, and focusing on the ones that are doing well for them right now more than adjust a service that works quite well.
They kinda shot themselves in the foot with the PS3 in my opinion. It was too expensive and drastically different from the PC and 360 so it was difficult to make ports and games for it.
[QUOTE=Saxon;34550454]They kinda shot themselves in the foot with the PS3 in my opinion. It was too expensive and drastically different from the PC and 360 so it was difficult to make ports and games for it.[/QUOTE]
Well it only costs $250 now
Honestly, they made a lot of good design moves with it. Non-proprietary HDD, free online play, gambled with Blu-Ray and won, Playstation Store using real money instead of points (cough MS cough)
[QUOTE=Zeke129;34551238]Well it only costs $250 now
Honestly, they made a lot of good design moves with it. Non-proprietary HDD, free online play, gambled with Blu-Ray and won, Playstation Store using real money instead of points (cough MS cough)[/QUOTE]
True but the initial cost was a major downside for them no matter how you look at it. It's too bad they couldn't make production means just a bit cheaper sooner. Although, the PS3 isn't the main source of profit loss I'm going to guess so it's not really that big of a deal.
[QUOTE=Zeke129;34551238]Well it only costs $250 now
Honestly, they made a lot of good design moves with it. Non-proprietary HDD, free online play, gambled with Blu-Ray and won, Playstation Store using real money instead of points (cough MS cough)[/QUOTE]
Especially your last point, that shit annoyed the hell out of me.
The cell processor was also ahead of it's time, no one gave a flying fuck when programming for it the first years.
[QUOTE=Zeke129;34551238]Well it only costs $250 now
Honestly, they made a lot of good design moves with it. Non-proprietary HDD, free online play, gambled with Blu-Ray and won, Playstation Store using real money instead of points (cough MS cough)[/QUOTE]
Im thinking of getting myself a playstation sometime. I have a 360 right now, but playstations honestly seem a lot higher quality. Also, having access to exclusives on both sides sounds nice.
Seems like a pretty down-to-earth guy, actually. I like Sony's products a lot, so I hope they start innovating again.
Sony's been crashing downhill ever since they launched the ps3. That console was their bad omen.
The PS3 could have been a killer product if they didn't remove OtherOS. Now customers are afraid of buying their products because they don't know if the features will be the same. Also, PSN hack
Cant wait for my ps vita to arrive
I got the early release bundle
No fucking surprise here
[img]http://www.gadg.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/Sony-Tablet-P-Wrap-Up-Specs-Price-Availability.jpg[/img]
Look, look at that bloody monstrosity. £350.
[QUOTE=Jasun;34557166]No fucking surprise here
[img]http://www.gadg.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/Sony-Tablet-P-Wrap-Up-Specs-Price-Availability.jpg[/img]
Look, look at that bloody monstrosity. £350.[/QUOTE]
Sony DS!
on a serious note, what is that?
Sony is amazing
just because what happened as PSN doesn't mean the whole entire thing should be shot down.
After all, PSN is only a little fraction of sony.
[QUOTE=J!NX;34557291]Sony is amazing
just because what happened as PSN doesn't mean the whole entire thing should be shot down.
After all, PSN is only a little fraction of sony.[/QUOTE]
I think this is more the fact that they're losing sales to competitors now more than the hassle they had with the PSN.
[QUOTE=Pierrewithahat;34557299]I think this is more the fact that they're losing sales to competitors now more than the hassle they had with the PSN.[/QUOTE]
I know a bunch of people baww'd about it and commented that Sony should go bankrupt somewhere on FP here.
Atleast he seems like a guy with common sense.
Instead of a [I]run-of-the-mill[/I] executive that only thinks ahead till his own retirement.
[QUOTE=J!NX;34557314]I know a bunch of people baww'd about it and commented that Sony should go bankrupt somewhere on FP here.[/QUOTE]
Well they used insecure programming or some shit didn't they? I wouldn't say they should have gone bankrupt over it but not making a system like that secure in this day and age is fucking crippled to say the least. They're just losing out on a ton of sales now and a lot of people affected by the PSN fiasco will have vowed to never use a sony product again and they recieved a lot of bad press now. It's all just mounting up on them now and they'll have a hard time getting themselves back in the black.
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