PS3 must stay focused on games, says Sony
Blu-ray and movies just extras?
The PS3 and Xbox 360 are worlds apart in terms of pricing, but Sony and Microsoft do have at least one thing in common: a belief that games must always be the core focus for both consoles.
Kaz Hirai, head of Sony Computer Entertainment, told Japanese newspaper Nikkei Business this week that “the main premise of the PS3 is videogames” and something that Sony “cannot lose sight of”.
Earlier this year, Microsoft hinted at a similar point of view, when it said that “games are what drive consumers to purchase game consoles”.
Sony, for one, has been keen to promote its console as much as a movie-playback device - thanks to its Blu-ray drive - as a games machine.
Both firms have already faced increasingly strong sales opposition from Nintendo’s Wii. So it's no surprise that Hirai added that games must remain Sony’s primary focus in order to prevent Nintendo running away with sales.
Recent UK figures reveal that between September 2007 and September 2008, Wii sales jumped from a total of 1.1m units to 3.6m units. During the same period, the PS3 installed base rose from 400,000 units to 1.4m units, while Xbox 360 sales went from a total of 1.3m units to 2.3m units.
So both Sony and Microsoft each sold 1m of their latest consoles in that period.
Sony has already announced plans to sell 10m PS3s by the end of its current financial year, which ends 31 March 2009.
COMMENTS
Just to clarify further...
"Sony has already announced plans to sell 10m PS3s by the end of its current financial year, which ends 31 March 2009."
PLANS TO SELL.
But probably wont
No, they probably shouldn't...
When you focus purely on the core ability to play games, the 360 and PS3 are roughly equal. Sure, you can make arguments about "teh power of CELL!!!oenone" vs. "Gears of War isn't a testosterone loaded pile of tedium, honest", but they're both about the same for most things.
But Sony want you to hand over £130 extra (assuming you're looking at the 360 Premium, instead of the basic Arcade model) for their machine. That value almost entirely consists of their non-game abilities like the Blu-ray player.
Now, as a Development focus games are obviously where it's at; Blu-ray is quite capably in the hands of the studios, and yet more messing about with Profiles and standards changes is hurting the format, not helping. But as far as marketing goes, it's that "you can't watch Wall-E at 1080p on a 360" message they need to push.
Just to clarify...
"Sony has already announced plans to sell 10m PS3s by the end of its current financial year, which ends 31 March 2009."
That is 10m units for 2008/2009 fiscal year, making a installed base of 21m units worldwide.. (not 10m install base as implied).
@Matt
Yep. I know what you mean. My Wii hardly ever gets switched on now, yet both my PS3 and Xbox360 were used last night. I watched 'Jumper' on blu-ray, and then played Half Life 2 on my Xbox.
Steve - cos I'm slowing getting off the Apple bandwagon. I've seen the light and realised it's not rose tinted...
