So the PS3 isn't the best Blu-ray player on the market? I'm confused. Seriously though, Sony has a major branding problem when the head of Sony Computer Entertainment, Kaz Harai, makes headlines for reminding the public that the PS3 is actually a machine that allows people to control images on screen and have fun!
Here's what Harai said in an interview with Japanese business website NB Online (translated by Kotaku):
"The thing that I did when I took over last year was to boast the appeal of games themselves… The main premise of the PS3 is video games. That's the absolutely most important thing that we cannot lose sight of."
After this year's E3, I wrote a blog post about how Sony lacked a strong vision for the PS3 in the market and with this sound-bite from Harai, it doesn't look like much has changed since then. The problem may be that Sony as a whole, had too much invested and at stake with the PS3 to allow it to simply be a game machine. They needed it to be so much more, but now that the PS3 isn't the monster success that the PS2 was based off the same technology-from-the-future branding, Sony is backtracking and trying to put more emphasis on the games. Just what the heck has Sony been up to all these years?
Unfortunately, you only a one chance to make a first impression and then its an uphill battle to get people to think otherwise. Is it too late for the PS3?
Somewhere between all the gaming, Chi some how managed to finish high school and get into the New York Institute of Technology. At the same time, Chi also interned at Virtual Frontiers, an Internet software consultancy where he learned the ways of HTML. Soon after acquiring his BFA, Chi went on to become the lead Web designer of the Anti-Defamation League. During his tenure there, Chi was instrumental in redesigning and relaunching the non-profit organization's Web site.
Today, Chi is the webmaster of the American Red Cross in Greater New York and somehow managed to work through the tragic events of September 11th without losing his sanity. Chi considers GameCritics.com his life's work and continues to be amazed that the web site is still standing after the recent dotcom fallout. It is his dream that GameCritics.com will accomplish two things: 1) Redefine the grammar of videogames much the same way French film critic Andre Bazin did for the art of cinema and 2) bring game criticism to the forefront of mainstream culture much the same way Siskel & Ebert did for film criticism.
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I don’t believe that Kaz Hirai’s comments reflect the situation that you are trying to portray. Sony obviously had many initial branding problems, thanks to the clashing of internal divisions and Ken Kutaragi’s notorious quotations. Much as Kaz Hirai mentions, this has changed, almost completely with Sony emphasizing mainstay franchises and brands (Little Big Planet, Resistance Metal Gear Solid, thatgamecompany) , PSN, Home and those firmware updates. Therefore, I think that your criticsm is injust. Of course, Sony are going to tout the media features, Bluray and so forth (this is much the same as Microsoft) but their message is… Read more »