Sony CEO on PlayStation 3 sales and the Blu-ray format
The PlayStation 2 was crowned the most dominant console during its era with over 120 million gamers purchasing the system. Sony Chief Executive Officer Howard Stringer, in an interview, said that the PlayStation 3 is slowly following the pattern of the PS2.
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The PlayStation 2 was crowned the most dominant console during its era with over 120 million gamers purchasing the system. Sony Chief Executive Officer Howard Stringer, in an interview, said that the PlayStation 3 is slowly following the pattern of the PS2.
Stringer pointed out that the PS3 did start out a bit slower than its predecessor with its high price and lack of applications but it is still on track. He cited that the system has been gaining momentum lately after receiving a boost from the upcoming games this holiday season:
The momentum shift and the energy behind PS3 in time for Christmas is extremely fortuitous. It was planned by the PlayStation group, but I think this momentum now — particularly the number of games coming out, including our own as well as third-party — is the same as it was with PlayStation 2.
There was also some discussion about the merits of their proprietary Blu-ray format, which incidentally, has been one of the driving forces behind PS3 sales. Stringer pointed out that it may not be the cheaper format, but it is the better one. He cited the reasons of the different movie companies supporting their Blu-ray:
Our partners are with Blu-ray Disc because, first of all, we have greater security, which Fox is particularly good at. Disney thinks it’s a better picture. And the sheer amount of bandwidth on the disc gives directors and beyond all kinds of future opportunity, including director’s cuts and who knows what 3-D capabilities will be down the road.
Furthermore, Stringer notes that even if the PS3 didn’t initially sold as well as some would have expected, it is still in the running to win the next gen wars. He pointed out that the PS3 is following the PS2’s footsteps in terms of momentum. Here are a few parting words from the CEO of Sony:
It takes time to build a new format, [the PS3 is] not behind the curve compared to PlayStation 2 in terms of momentum. The amount of bandwidth and the processing power of Cell give game manufacturers a lot more work to do to use this system to its full benefit — and it’s taken awhile to do it. The same was true of PlayStation 2.