One game Sony (SNE) appears to be winning is denial. Fresh off the Xbox 360 outselling the PS3 by 2-to-1 over the all-important US holiday season, Sony executives are proclaiming they're the "official" leader in the gaming industry.
Sony Computer Entertainment boss Kaz Hirai at Eurogamer:
"This is not meant in terms of numbers, or who's got the biggest install base, or who's selling most in any particular week or month, but I'd like to think that we continue official leadership in this industry," Hirai told Official PlayStation Magazine.
What basis is there to claim leadership other than install base or sales?
"It's difficult to talk about Nintendo, because we don't look at their console as being a competitor. They're a different world, and we operate in our world - that's the kind of way I look at things.
That's a really bad way to put it, Kaz. It's true the Wii has (admirably) discovered a new gaming market and appeals more to casual gamers than the PS3 or Xbox. But at least some of the people plunking down $250 for a Wii could/should have been PS3 owners.
Brandishing Sony's commitment to The Ten Year Plan, Hirai said he wants customers to feel confident their PlayStation console will not "fall by the wayside in five years" - a milestone Microsoft has yet to overcome, he pointed out.
Who cares? No one's flocking to the PS3 for fear the X360 won't be around much longer. And Microsoft (MSFT) said just last week it's extending the Xbox 360's lifespan beyond five years.
"And," offered Hirai, "unless things go really bad, there's no way that at the end of a life cycle our competition is going have a higher install base.
We suggest once again you consider price cuts, Kaz. Because things for the PS3 are going "really bad."
See Also:
Microsoft: No Xbox 360 Successor Anytime Soon
Sony's Sinking Ship Takes On More Water: Xbox Outsells PS3 2-To-1 Over Christmas
More Humiliation For Sony: PS3 R&D Funds Helped Build The Xbox
No, There's No Price Cuts On The Xbox Or PS3. Yet.
