Does Sony Really Understand Gaming Any Longer?

[claud3]

Does Sony Really Understand Gaming Any Longer?

Don Reisinger, Aug 10th 2012 Discuss [43]



Worth Reading?
-12 [26 votes]




Sony was once viewed as the world’s most successful gaming company. After it launched the original PlayStation, many wondered if it could take off until, well, it did. And as we all know, the PlayStation 2 was a gaming juggernaut.
But all of that changed with the PlayStation 3. The console launched at a price that was far too expensive for what customers were getting, and it lacked the uniqueness of Nintendo’s Wii, which caught on quickly. Microsoft’s Xbox 360, while not as popular as the Wii, benefited from a strong online-gaming component.



[Image credit: Joey]
Sony, therefore, was in trouble. Its console wasn’t selling and its online featureset just couldn’t match its chief competitor.
After the PlayStation 3’s price started to fall and Sony offered up some redesigns, the console staged a comeback. Now, it’s succeeding to some degree, though it’s still far behind both of its competitors.
It’s a similar story on the mobile side where Sony’s PlayStation Portable appealed to some gamers, but eventually couldn’t quite match Nintendo’s DS. And with the PlayStation Vita on store shelves now, it appears Sony doesn’t have what it takes to match Nintendo anytime soon.
That Sony might not be able to match the Nintendo 3DS isn’t necessarily all that surprising. What is surprising is that Sony would want to jump into a gaming-handheld market that’s on the decline, due to the success of smartphones and tablets in that space. What’s even more surprising is that it took so long for Sony to even come somewhat close to matching Nintendo on motion gaming and Microsoft on online gaming in the console market.
If you look more deeply at what I just said, you might arrive at a question I’ve been asking about Sony for the last few years: does it really understand the gaming business anymore?
[aqupte]Sony can’t quite see that gaming handhelds is a lost cause[/aquote]
Honestly, I just don’t know. Sony’s mobile hopes are perhaps the most surprising to me. The company has for years evaluated divisions and made tough choices to ensure that it didn’t try to do too much in a market that was slipping away (just look at the Walkman). And yet, it can’t quite see that gaming handhelds is a lost cause.
Over the last few years, iOS and Android have secured an overwhelming portion of portable game revenue. Sony, meanwhile, has been left to pick up only scraps. Considering that was happening before the Vita launched, why would the company even consider spending all of that cash on hardware research and design? That cash could have been more effectively used elsewhere.
At what point will Sony finally see the writing on the wall and realize that it must get out of the handheld market?
Sony should in no way get out of consoles. But that it doesn’t have a more robust online-gaming offering that can match Xbox Live is puzzling to me. Sony must certainly know that online gaming and digital distribution is the future. Why wouldn’t Sony invest far more cash into that market to capitalize on the trend? After all, it’s the smart move.
But actually making the smart moves isn’t something that Sony has been doing much of in the gaming space lately. And the more we consider the moves it’s made, the more we might wonder if it truly understands the industry today.

High-powered consoles and handhelds are great and all. But success in the gaming space today takes much, much more than that. And at least so far, it doesn’t appear Sony gets that.

Link: http://www.slashgear.com/does-sony-r...nger-10242551/

Maybe in my opinion

[radgamer420]

Yeah MS does have the better online game offerings. Sony's games tend to have great SP but sorely lack a stellar online component.

[DeviousOne]

Interesting article to say the least. To agree with the article I would really need to see what they do with the PS4.



Sent from my BlackBerry 9900 using Tapatalk

[skinny_jr]

That article is right in everyway but it would have been more relevant if it had appeared before Sony had bought Gaikai.....

[F34R]

I have disappointments with all the systems I have, and they have all brought some amazing games. I think Sony will be ok.

[akhi216]

I don't agree with the Vita being a lost cause because of iOS and Android. That's just silly.

[F34R]

I wouldn't say it's completely lost, but it might have been damaged to a degree. There are some pretty exciting gaming experiences in the mobile platform beyond portable consoles. Add on to that the substantial cost difference.

[akhi216]

There will always be a market for dedicated handheld game system despites how much some like their iOS devices and and Androids.

[Old Man Gamer]

There will always be a market for dedicated handheld game system despites how much some like their iOS devices and and Androids.

There is definitely a market for it, just not the one Sony is aiming for. I think that's the biggest obstacle Sony has. If they change their target audience the Vita will do fine.

[akhi216]

I'm sure Sony knows what they're doing. I've never agree with claims that mobile gaming is replacing gaming on dedicated game consoles, in fact I'd wager that the people who bought Vitas already have one or more Android and/or iOS devices. The guy says that handheld gaming is a lost cause but yet I sat here just about all day playing my Vita and I play it more than I do my PS3.

[DarkVincent07]

There is definitely a market for it, just not the one Sony is aiming for. I think that's the biggest obstacle Sony has. If they change their target audience the Vita will do fine.

Who do you think they should target?

[Jet_Cobra]

I think the problem with the Vita is that Sony refuses to admit that the price tag is too big compared to the PS3, with the 3DS being almost $100 cheaper sony isn't winning much with the Vita sales, so far they've barely just passed the 1 million unit sales recently. Sony really has to pick up on their marketing strategies.

[Old Man Gamer]

Who do you think they should target?

A much, much younger demographic. A majority of adults don't want haul around a portable gaming system. Sure there are some that will but that's the minority.

[Dave-The-Rave]

Yes.

[Fijiandoce]

i should imagine they do

[Ghost-Rhayne]

They understand more than enough I think.

[Svetlana]

The article is largely correct but I feel that it fails to mention two important factors which have contributed to the state that Sony is currently in.

The first is the organisation's lack of visionaries such as Ken Kuturagi, whose prescience helped the Playstation brand gather its momentum.

Hiring Kaz Hirai and other corporate figureheads that are more interested in sustaining profits have hindered Sony's ambition and have lead them to make safe, yet unpopular decisions that don't resonate with the target audience (PS3 launch price, 'U-turn' on PSN network charges [PS Plus], Playstation Vita, Continuous Play fiasco). I understand that there is a fine line between risk and reward but it takes a person like Ken Kuturagi or Shigeru Miyamoto to push the boundaries and to make their respective gaming divisions more competitive.

The second point, which I feel is the most important is the complete lack of confidence that people have in Sony after the PSN hack last year. For me, this has completely changed my perspective on the organisation and has painfully emphasised just how contemptuously we as consumers are treated.

This has extended to the aforementioned cancellation of the Continuous Play plan, an insurance scheme where PS3 owners paid a monthly charge so that in the instance of a PS3 death, the console could be replaced. Having Sony figureheads bandying about favourable failure rate figures in contrast to the competition is little consolation when you yourself have been through three different Playstation 3 consoles.

The most worrying facet of Sony's corporate contempt is that it is directly affecting the relationships between Sony and its developers, and even its first party developers. This has manifested itself countless times in the past, with released dates becoming mixed up, patches being delayed, game content being delayed, exclusivity defection and underwhelming gaming products due to Sony's lack of involvement/care.

Instances like those mentioned above highlight the worrying lack of synergy between Sony, its developers and the different factions in its gaming division. If Sony can't even bolster relationships with those closest to them, it's little surprise that it's failing dismally to impress its, excruciatingly tolerant, consumers.

Sunday rant to pass the time.

[Bigdoggy]

Sony lost a lot of indie dev support while MS gained that support. Sony needs to stop creating system that cost a fortune to develop for and start catering more to indie devs. PS1 was so indie dev friendly that everyone was pumping out games. PS2 was a bit more difficult but still had the support, PS3 completely lost the support.

[Fijiandoce]

The most worrying facet of Sony's corporate contempt is that it is directly affecting the relationships between Sony and its developers, and even its first party developers. This has manifested itself countless times in the past, with released dates becoming mixed up, patches being delayed, game content being delayed, exclusivity defection and underwhelming gaming products due to Sony's lack of involvement/care.

Instances like those mentioned above highlight the worrying lack of synergy between Sony, its developers and the different factions in its gaming division. If Sony can't even bolster relationships with those closest to them, it's little surprise that it's failing dismally to impress its, excruciatingly tolerant, consumers.

Sunday rant to pass the time.

da fuq is dis
the beginning of it is i guess its something to ponder, but that last part sort of comes off a bit wonky.

i remember a video with devs from sony's studios taking time to play dodgeball or something. unless the soft rubber balls were replaced with rocks i would assume thats a picture of a somewhat cohesive relationship

the defections are in large part down to money. Sony had all of the exclusive rights because they had the dominant market share. market share now is near 50/50. this isn't something that looks nice to a third party developer.

[akhi216]

A much, much younger demographic. A majority of adults don't want haul around a portable gaming system. Sure there are some that will but that's the minority.

Do you have a specific age range in mind? As I understand Sony caters to the hardcore gamer market.

[Ghost-Rhayne]

Sony lost a lot of indie dev support while MS gained that support. Sony needs to stop creating system that cost a fortune to develop for and start catering more to indie devs. PS1 was so indie dev friendly that everyone was pumping out games. PS2 was a bit more difficult but still had the support, PS3 completely lost the support.

Huh? It's actually quite the opposite. Sony put $20 million into their Pub Fund which they used to offer financial assistance to indie devs. It is responsible for games like Journey, Dyad, Unfinished Swan, Datura and Papo & Yo. PlayStation Mobile is all about promoting indie development.

[Old Man Gamer]

Do you have a specific age range in mind? As I understand Sony caters to the hardcore gamer market.

I would say through high school, but no older. With 2 kids in college and knowing their friends pretty well, they either play consoles or computer games.

In fact, we took my son and a bunch of his college friends to dinner this spring and the topic of video games came up. We talked about many different aspects of games and gaming. When the topic of handhelds came up they unanimously said that they were toys designed for kids. Now keep in mind that these kids are pretty "hardcore" gamers and they all agreed. In fact, none of them knew anyone with either a 3DS, PSP or Vita over the age of 16.

[Thorzilla]

The best will always carry all the hate. Just sayin'.

[akhi216]

I would say through high school, but no older. With 2 kids in college and knowing their friends pretty well, they either play consoles or computer games.

In fact, we took my son and a bunch of his college friends to dinner this spring and the topic of video games came up. We talked about many different aspects of games and gaming. When the topic of handhelds came up they unanimously said that they were toys designed for kids. Now keep in mind that these kids are pretty "hardcore" gamers and they all agreed. In fact, none of them knew anyone with either a 3DS, PSP or Vita over the age of 16.

That's a mind projection fallacy.

[Old Man Gamer]

That's a mind projection fallacy.

Not at all, but since we don't agree there is nowhere else to go with this. I believe it's a product that will mainly resonate with kids. You apparently don't.