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Sony revival to hinge on smartphones not PS4
- Thread starter dragonfart28
- Start date
Bleedorang3
Banned
Playstation Mobile *believe*
Impossiburu
Neo Member
Makes sense. Though I don't think gaming is that much of a boon for them. I think they make their money on TVs? Bullshitting here, just a guess.
Xperia Z is a very big success.
One of their goals with Gaikai. Whether or not they actually reach this goal remains to be seen.
I'm not into smartphones at all but that one looks so cool. And it's probably also perception as it has been sold out in lots of places.
Yep. It was a big success especially in Japan and Europe.
they need to follow with another great top-range AND with some middle range phones
(i think they have in development)
Yep, their game division is very important.
dragonfart28
Banned
I'm not so sure I would call the gaming division stable. They've been on an up and down rollercoaster in terms of profit since launching the original playstation. If you look at accumulated profit since 1995, they're about 1/30th of what Nintendo has made in the industry.
And the article makes it pretty clear that they will be taking a huge hit until next March.
Not really smart business on Sony's part.
gutter_trash
Banned
as an owner of a discontinued Xperia Play: I wouldn't get my hopes up
AbandonedTrolley
Member
They certainly don't need to abandon it 3 months down the line like they did with their 2012 'flagship' device the Xperia S
I've just had to get a new phone after losing my S and was tempted to get the Z but ended up with the HTC One, it just looks a lot nicer for me. I liked the idea of the waterproofing on the Z but then wondered when I would ever actually find a need for it.
A reimagined / extended version of that would be the future of the PlayStation handheld.
I'm not sure about how long the Xperia branding stays, though. Xperia Z was a huge success, so, I can see their next flagship being called Z2 or something -- but 'Xperia' will be dropped sooner or later, or likely used for something else in their ecosystem (much like Walkman is now their Music app).
phosphor112
Banned
I wish I could get an Xperia Z. Looks so damn beautiful.
Captain Tuttle
Member
Who cares where they get the money? A healthy Sony is good for the industry, they're certainly not going to abandon Playstation.
According to Sony's own financial forecast the profits from the game divisions will remain flat and not a huge hit. I wonder why there is such a disparity as it's essentially drawing from the same data.
I think anyone betting on smartphones is really missing the bigger picture. It's like betting on PCs 5-10 years ago. The market for smartphones is becoming pretty flat and margins are dropping all over. Also Americans are starting to (still a couple years on this one) wake up and not take the 2-year contract which means they'll probably buy less phones but it won't matter because an octo-core, high DPI phone will browse Facebook just as well as what they probably have now. I think if Sony hasn't already moved on to in vogue things like tablets (kinda late to gain momentum there) and wearable tech then they may have right the ship again.
that seems like a good idea i guess. their mobile division has been pretty consistently in the red from what I've read.. There's a lot of room for improvement there.
Now, will they ever hit Samsung status? Not likely. But there's plenty of room for them to at least get that division in the black.
Now, will they ever hit Samsung status? Not likely. But there's plenty of room for them to at least get that division in the black.
Roland Deschain
Member
Probably but I think their PS/game division is still a point of pride for them though so they will give it a lot of support.
They just released arguably the best phone on the market a couple of days ago (Xperia Z).
Pai Pai Master
Banned
Don't even care about phones that much but I'd love to own an Xperia Z. It has that same Sony brand appeal that all their products once had.
zomgbbqftw
Banned
They were really the first major company to make smart watches and they recently patented smart glasses. Sony are already in wearable tech.
xperia z is not the best phone in the market
it has a mediocre camera and screen. htc one galaxy s4 lumia 920 iphone 5 blows it away
oh. don't mistake this thread. PS4 is a priority.. In fact, it's probably THE priority.
Playstation is the bread winner in Sony's house. They'll give it the attention it deserves. They're just going to start paying some attention to these other areas (mobile being a big one) where they never make money.
Does anyone know longtime-numbers of the Xperia Z? It was a success right at the beginning, but can it compete over a long time with the big guys...
PS2 to PS3. PSP to Vita. Shrinking would be an understatement.
PS2 to PS3. PSP to Vita. Shrinking would be an understatement.
dragonfart28
Banned
Sony hadn't made an annual profit since 2008.
They finally cracked it this year based on the weak yen and insurance investments.
If PS4 doesn't substantially turn things around for them, do not expect another playstation.
sacrificengineer
Member
They talk about near-term prospects. Fast-moving smartphone market will give them their profits when SE > Sony Mobile transition costs and other costs will settle down (likely more-or-less soon). Today it's an unprofitable division.
Game division generate profit despite 3 declining platforms (2 aged and 1 failed) and PS4 R&D costs. PS4 will also need time for market penetration and breaking even. And only then real money will flow. That's more like a long-term prospect.
Game division generate profit despite 3 declining platforms (2 aged and 1 failed) and PS4 R&D costs. PS4 will also need time for market penetration and breaking even. And only then real money will flow. That's more like a long-term prospect.
Canis lupus
Member
sup
Oppo
Member
DeaconKnowledge
Member
Sony knows the traditional console business is going to contract this generation. Very smart and forward thinking of them
I am jelly. Wish I can upgrade but alas, I am still under contract.
I think only T-Mobile has it.
Captain Tuttle
Member
If no one knows about these products then it doesn't matter though.
The problem is they don't understand that's where any sort of revival should happen. Nobody cares Sony has smartwatches because they've put no effort into it. Hell, they had a 3D headset but utterly failed to follow that up leaving Occulus Rift to beat them to the punch. Sony is suffering from dinosaur syndrome, where they only know to spend lots of money to break into existing markets and do a mediocre job. Post-iPod they have effectively lost the ability to create waves in the tech industry. Kaz needs to fix that or they're going Nokia.
You make a very good point about wearable tech being the next big thing. I think a really well-designed wrist-device can revolutionize the tech world.
With that said, I think the holy grail for a company that offers a ton of electronics and services is having a single platform that unifies all of their numerous offerings. Sony appears to be placing that bet on Gaikai, and it seems like the PS4 and their mobile devices will be the way to introduce it.
I've said this before, but a device that can interact with Android phones in a seamless way would be a device that does extremely well. Imagine if your company had the opportunity to make that device (possibly PS4) and the flagship Android phone (possibly Xperia).
dragonfart28
Banned
Nokia would buy out Sony?
AdventureRacing
Member
Their gaming division has went from an incredible success with billions in profit (PS1 and PS2) to a huge financial failure costing them billions (PS3). They are now starting to head back towards profitability, i'm not sure that's really all that stable. I'd say it's more because the smartphone market is just a much bigger one than console gaming with much larger potential for profits and growth.
Phoenician_Viking
Banned
And you base this on what?