[reKon]

Isn't their gaming division their must successful division right now? Hope it isn't hit too hard due to other divisions. edit: oh, bad reading comprehension. Missed that line where it said playstation brand is sucessful. I don't think I've bought any sony brand stuff besides my ps3 in a long time. Walkman was their last huge hit I think.

Well actually, their financial services business is their most successful entity now, in which they derive most of their profit from life insurance, swaggg


The Playstation brand is still valuable though and has improved a lot from when the PS3 first launched

[Alebrije]

What about the VAIO laptops? As far as I know it is a profitable division , Sony should have on the consumer market :

TV´S : 3-5 models.
VAIO : laptops , pojectors.
PS brand ( PS4, VITA, etc).
PICTURES and MUSIC.

[Chinpoko_Master]

All of Sony's phones are better than iPhones.

Sony's phones aren't even close to being among the best of Android phones.

[SteeloDMZ]

It's kinda incredible how Sony was at the top of the world (at least in the video game industry) just a couple years ago, and now they are "fighting for their life".

[Tokubetsu]

Every time I see a doom and gloom Sony article, one thing that's always mentioned is that their gaming division is successful. I've always thought that Sony just needs to trim the fat off a little bit in regards to their televisions, laptops, cellphones, etc.

Kinda what the article is getting at I think. They need to re-gain focus/trim down the areas where they're no longer competing.

It's kinda incredible how Sony was at the top of the world (at least in the video game industry) just a couple years ago, and now they are "fighting for their life".

Thats what happens when your late(r) to market, more expensive than the competition, and lack the software support they do.

[Culex]

What does Sony mean to you now? Cause I think they're still a damn good quality brand, albeit less popular.

As far as TV's, they were the UNQUESTIONABLE leader in CRT TV's. Their Trinitron line was what sold my parents years ago on the Sony brand. Sure, you paid more, but you actually got better quality.

Now, you can get a great TV from any number of Korean, or even Chinese brands, for half the price. Hell, my 3 year old Philips was better than the then current Sony equivalent.

[shinra-bansho]

I'm not sure what exactly is clearly visionary about the 3DS relative to the PSV. Neither is a particularly disruptive piece of hardware.

[JWong]

Sony's phones aren't even close to being among the best of Android phones.

My Xperia S says otherwise.

[-viper-]

I hope they don't die. I like Sony products. They are all good.

If there is no Playstation then I don't know how I'll play games.

[Mama Robotnik]

Are we going to get enthusiasts in this thread saying that if Sony exits the gaming industry, they will never ever under any circumstances ever ever touch a video game ever again?

Its a disturbing, absolute mentality that I've seen popping up in a few threads occasionally.

[guek]

They just need a second job.

I'm incredibly curious as to what their PS4 strategy is going to be. They definitely need new some new ideas, though something tells me their multi-pronged move sex toy peripheral aint gonna cut it.

[Bebpo]

When I think Sony and TVs, I think "for this price I can get a better quality tv from someone else".

You either put out the highest quality tv at the highest price or the lowest quality tv at the lowest price. The bulk of mid-range stuff is pointless as other people will have better sets at cheaper prices.

[east of eastside]

One standard console future would be good for the industry and gamers.

[Medalion]

Sony isn't doomed... they're still hip with the hardcore gaming crowd, they'll be just fine.

[2San]

That "killed"/damaged the Playstation 3/Playstation brand. And was Blu-ray worth it? It seems to me streaming services are much more popular/is the future.

Regardless of what consumer want, I do think the Blu-ray push was needed and a further push is still needed. The DVD format is grossly outdated. Having this compressed artifact galore is unacceptable this day and age where the monitor and tv standard is 1080p. Playing PC/360 games that still uses these crappy video's kills the overall experience(somewhat). Wish steam/devs at least offered the option to dl HQ video/audio files for games. I'd pay a premium for that.

I don't own a PS3 myself though.

[EXGN]

That "killed"/damaged the Playstation 3/Playstation brand. And was Blu-ray worth it? It seems to me streaming services are much more popular/is the future.

I'll admit that BluRay doesn't have the longevity that Sony was probably hoping for, but at the same time I don't see how you could honestly say BluRay killed or damaged anything. A lot of early PS3 adopters were people who wanted it solely for the BR player.

[-viper-]

Are we going to get enthusiasts in this thread saying that if Sony exits the gaming industry, they will never ever under any circumstances ever ever touch a video game ever again? Its a disturbing, absolute mentality that I've seen popping up in a few threads occasionally.

Naw. I'll move onto PC gaming. Fuck paying online yearly fees.

In fact, I haven't touched my PS3 for MONTHS. Last game I played was Batman, and that was on my computer..

[Captain Tuttle]

THIS!

And then think about selling off Sony pictures. I know it makes money but what is ROI? And the culture clash between Sony proper and the movie divisions mean that there will never be synergy between the two.

[WonkersTHEWatilla]

Hey op, you changed a key word in the article for your thread title. The actual quoted phrase is "the fight of its life" not "the fight for its life".

Very minor difference, but one does carry a less dire connotation.

Just sayin'.

[Hiltz]

If Sony's in a bad place right now, then what's going to happen if PS Vita doesn't do well enough in the next 2 years ? How much more can Sony take?

[HoosTrax]

Jesus, it's going to be fucking weird if sony ever leaves the gaming division. I'll truly be sad :(

Hell, I'm not even a console gamer and I'd be sad to see that happen. Out of all of the console makers, they have the most compelling exclusives unavailable on PC (more mature eastern-flavored, less "family/casual" or "bro" heavy).

[axisofweevils]

Don't worry! They've patented a new controller which will save the day!

[To Far Away Times]

I think it's telling that the last Sony product I bought was a clock radio for my iPhone.

[perryfarrell]

Sounds about right. No visionaries, and everything is done at a glacial pace. Never ahead of the curve with anything. PS3 could've been so much more.

[BassForever]

Sony isn't doomed... they're still hip with the hardcore gaming crowd, they'll be just fine.

We're not questioning the Playstation brand, it is profitable for Sony, but as a whole the company is bleeding money. Playstation can only carry the team on it's back for so long.

[east of eastside]

I would be interested in an Apple or Samsung console taking the place of Sony.

[To Far Away Times]

I would be interested in an Apple or Samsung console taking the place of Sony.

Can we get the old Sega back instead?

[Sean]

Sony makes too many models, then they praise Apple.

Nothing alike - Apple's product lineup is quite simple to understand. There's a low end cheap model, a mid-range mass market model, and then a high-end model.

Sony needs to streamline their product lineup in the same way.

[Arnie]

It's kinda incredible how Sony was at the top of the world (at least in the video game industry) just a couple years ago, and now they are "fighting for their life".

They've not been at the top of the videogame industry since 2005 at a push. That's over 6 years ago. If the gaming division is their most profitable market then I really think it's an irreversible track for them.

[capslock]

Sony should have been building PS3s into their TVs since at least 2010.

[see5harp]

All of Sony's phones are better than iPhones.

Ha good one.

[James Sawyer Ford]

It's been clear that the company lacks a clear vision for a long time now. The Vita screams this out to me, personally. Vita is just about the most "obvious" thing they could have done. Instead of forging a new direction they just seemed to slap on everything that could possibly have been successful before and hope for the best. They are being outmaneuvered by pretty much all of their competition because their competition has a clear focus and vision for their products. Since Sony's vision seems to be unclear or muddled, that comes across to consumers. My suggestions have long been to cut the TV division and cut the handheld division. Everybody says to cut the television division now but Kaz doesn't even seem to want to do that entirely.

Cutting their handheld division would be a huge mistake.

Honestly, the biggest opportunity for Sony would be in the mobile space.

The problem is they are still stuck in the backwards ass notion that they can create proprietary hardware and sell high end games on only one device.

They need to embrace the market reality of iOS and Android. They need to recognize that this is a huge market place for games, and not just the shovelware variety.

They would have huge success if only they brought the playstation brand and lineup to the iPhone and Android.

If they do not execute on this in the coming years, it will be a colossal misstep that will end up costing them severely because it's an untapped market of consumers and Sony is one of the best and only players in the industry that can provide this high-end software platform.

Vita is a great device, but there's no way it's going to make Sony much money in the long run because the handheld landscape has entirely changed. They need to put out a cheap controller adapter that turns any phone into a Vita. Period. It solves the problem of people not wanting to buy and carry around multiple portable devices. It embraces the reality that EVERYONE only wants to carry their phone, and if all it takes to be able to play serious games is buy a cheap little adapter, then that's a very small barrier to entry than what they have now that requires people to buy a $250 separate handheld system.

[sTeLioSco]

if they manage to turn around they should make a movie out of it...........

[gogogow]

I'll admit that BluRay doesn't have the longevity that Sony was probably hoping for, but at the same time I don't see how you could honestly say BluRay killed or damaged anything. A lot of early PS3 adopters were people who wanted it solely for the BR player.

Yes, I can honestly say that it did damage the PS brand/PS3. Because of Blu-ray the PS3 was extremely expensive and it came a year late on the market. Sony sacrificed the PS3 to win the HD format war. I hope it was worth it for Sony.

Bolded part, even if true, how can that be a good thing for the PS brand/division? Lots of people using it as a BD player without buying software and Sony is losing lots of money per unit.

[HoosTrax]

All of Sony's phones are better than iPhones.

Are you confusing Sony with Samsung?

[IndieJones]

Sony should have been building PS3s into their TVs since at least 2010.

Fuck, where's that Jack Nicholson creepy nodding gif when I need it?

[guek]

They've not been at the top of the videogame industry since 2005 at a push. That's over 6 years ago. If the gaming division is their most profitable market then I really think it's an irreversible track for them.

Even in their heyday, they needed to be top dog by a wide margin in order to make a relatively marginal amount of profit. Sony used to be an electronics and tech juggernaut with video games being just another successful division. That gaming is slowly becoming more and more of a cornerstone to their company's viability is incredibly sad compared to what they once was.

[Averon]

If Sony's in a bad place right now, then what's going to happen if PS Vita doesn't do well enough in the next 2 years ? How much more can Sony take?

The Vita is the least of their problems. Their TV division, if it doesn't get under control soon, will kill them off long before the Vita has any impact.

[bgassassin]

30 TV lines? smh

Seems like a good portion of Sony's issues are in the open for anyone to point out.

[EekTheKat]

Shopping for a Sony TV back in the day was a baffling experience for sure.

They had one model that had all the bells and whistles (3d built in, wireless built in), but it was edge lit LED backlit.

The Full Array LED backlit TV didn't have a 3d transmitter built in, but those were extra additions.

There was also a 3rd model that had something the other two didn't, and all 3 were considered their top of the line TV's back in the day.

[purple cobra]

I'm torn. One the one hand, I think it's highly likely that Sony will go under by the end of the decade. On the other, I'm confident Kaz Hirai can make the changes necessary to keep the company afloat. Which basically means gutting TV division and doing a complete restructuring of the Phone division.

I hope they can change their fortunes around. I really like the Sony brand. A lot of my electronics are Sony: my tv, PS3, home theater set. My PC's a Vaio.

Are we going to get enthusiasts in this thread saying that if Sony exits the gaming industry, they will never ever under any circumstances ever ever touch a video game ever again? Its a disturbing, absolute mentality that I've seen popping up in a few threads occasionally.

I wouldn't say I'd go to the extreme and say I'd quit gaming. I do like Sony consoles, been gaming on them for 16 years. I'm comfortable as hell with the Dualshock design. But if Sony weren't around anymore I'd just get another console.

I'm at least confident I'll be gaming on a Sony console for another 10 years, tops. By then I think I'll be too old to game. At least hardcore. :/

[18-Volt]

I would be interested in an Apple or Samsung console taking the place of Sony.

I won't say no to a Capcom+Samsung collaboration console.

[LeleSocho]

All of Sony's phones are better than iPhones.

They aren't even the best android phones...

[east of eastside]

Can we get the old Sega back instead?

No, but Sony is now in the position of the old Sega Enterprises except with shit games nobody is going to remember 10 years from now.

[east of eastside]

I won't say no to a Capcom+Samsung collaboration console.

Actually, it might interest some to know that Samsung is currently working on ARM 64-bit chips for servers. A game console could conceivably evolve from those CPU's. If not a console then a kick ass smart tv.

[KingK]

Don't worry! They've patented a new controller which will save the day!

That looks like an abortion of an N64 controller and a Walkman CD player.

[Kusagari]

I won't say no to a Capcom+Samsung collaboration console.

A Capcom console?

No thanks.

[Acrylic7]

Don't worry! They've patented a new controller which will save the day!

turtle

[Alebrije]

I would be interested in an Apple or Samsung console taking the place of Sony.

[yurinka]

US media is trying hard to remove from the market the Japanese stuff.

This Nintendo is doomed because Apple is awesome and Sony is doomed, MS is doing great is becoming boring. I wonder if they really believe it or if they just look at US market and try to influence it more.