Engadget

Kaz Hirai to become Sony Computer Entertainment Chairman, leave Andrew House with tough CEO gig

Vlad Savov — Wed, 29 Jun 2011 04:47:00 EST

When you've had to deal out as many public apologies as Sony has had to perform over its protracted PSN hacking saga, the typical expectation is that someone somewhere will be getting fired or "reshuffled" into a new post. No firings at PlayStation headquarters, however our old pal Kaz Hirai is getting a new position as Sony Computer Entertainment Chairman, with Andrew House succeeding him in the CEO hot seat. Mr. House was previously Sony's PlayStation chief in Europe, so he's simply stepping up to be responsible for the company's global operations, but Kaz's new duties are less clearly defined. Both changes will go into effect on September 1st, a day after current Chairman Akira Sato retires, giving both Kaz and Andrew a little time to get accustomed to their new(ish) surroundings before tackling Sony's massively important PS Vita launch at the tail end of the year.

Kaz Hirai to become Sony Computer Entertainment Chairman, leave Andrew House with tough CEO gig originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 29 Jun 2011 04:47:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sony: every NGP game will be available to download, some might not even make it to physical release

Vlad Savov — Mon, 21 Mar 2011 08:39:00 EST

We're filling the time between now and the NGP's holiday season release the best way we know how: by hunting down yet more information about it. Andrew House, the man in charge of Sony Computer Entertainment Europe, has delivered the latest tidbit in an interview with MCV, where he states unequivocally that every game on the next PlayStation Portable will be available to buy as a download. Notably, he also expresses Sony's desire to have simultaneous distribution in both digital and physical channels, but that sounds a lot less concrete than his promise that every game will be downloadable. Digital-only games also figure prominently in Andrew's vision of the NGP's future, as he expects them to diversify choice for consumers alongside the big time titles like Uncharted. To learn more about Sony's replacement of UMDs with flash memory and the reasoning behind the PlayStation Suite, follow the source link below for the full interview.

Sony: every NGP game will be available to download, some might not even make it to physical release originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 21 Mar 2011 08:39:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sony says NGP will be 'affordable,' won't cost $599, WiFi-only version also coming

Sean Hollister — Fri, 28 Jan 2011 01:29:00 EST

We had quite the interview with Sony's Jack Tretton, but we certainly didn't corner the market on hot new NGP details -- Eurogamer and Game Informer quizzed the company's Andrew House and Shuhei Yoshida, respectively, and came out with some important tidbits about the quad-core gaming handheld, particularly regarding pricing. Though Tretton seemed to suggest we'll see a price somewhere northward of the Nintendo 3DS's $250, Yoshida was quoted as saying "It's not going to be $599," laughing off the idea that the system would cost as much as the PlayStation 3's infamous appraisal at launch, and House said that Sony "will shoot for an affordable price that's appropriate for the handheld gaming space."

While none were willing to cough up a real ballpark estimate, the SCEE president revealed one way that the cost might come down: pushing out a lesser model, a strategy we've seen before. House said that while all devices come with WiFi, "a separate SKU will have 3G," making us wonder which of the handheld's other groundbreaking features might carry a premium. After all, OLED screens don't come cheap. Find the rest of Eurogamer's excellent interview (including a bit about how Sony will prioritize downloadable content over physical media) at our source link.

Sony says NGP will be 'affordable,' won't cost $599, WiFi-only version also coming originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 28 Jan 2011 01:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sony ponders charging for 'online pass' game functionality

Joseph L. Flatley — Wed, 25 Aug 2010 01:33:00 EST

We specifically told you guys not to tell your friends at Sony about a certain "feature" of EA Sports whereby the player is charged $10 to unlock online content and multiplayer functionality. And what do we have here? It looks like someone spilled the beans, because GamesIndustry.biz is reporting that Sony Computer Entertainment head Andrew House has been giving the matter some serious thought. "On the principle of making online portions of the game available or unlocked from the disc-based release for a fee," he said, "we're broadly supportive... and we're exploring actively the same option for our own content." Of course, this runs counter the free and democratic nature of PlayStation Network, but you know how strategies can change once someone gets dollar signs in their eyes.

Sony ponders charging for 'online pass' game functionality originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 25 Aug 2010 01:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sony's Andrew House: PSP Go launched in part to 'learn more about what the consumer wanted'

Donald Melanson — Tue, 08 Jun 2010 17:13:00 EST

Sony's certainly been fairly candid when discussing the PSP Go in the past, but SCEE CEO Andrew House went quite a bit further than usual in discussing the download-only handheld with MCV recently. When asked if he considered the PSP Go to be a success, he responded by saying that it was "introduced in a mature lifecycle to learn more about what the consumer wanted," and that Sony has "definitely learned a lot," adding that "one of the reasons we launched PSP Go was to understand where that consumer behavior was going." He further went on to say that Sony was "getting signals from consumers that this was the kind of device that they wanted," but says that Sony needs to "recognize that consumers like their packaged media library." Does that mean a return to physical media for the eventual PSP 2? House unsurprisingly wouldn't say, but we have a feeling Sony will be getting plenty of questions about it at E3 next week.

Sony's Andrew House: PSP Go launched in part to 'learn more about what the consumer wanted' originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 08 Jun 2010 17:13:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sony's Andrew House hints at more social networking for PS3

Donald Melanson — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 14:18:00 EST

PlayStation Home not "social" enough for you? Fret not PS3 users (or soon-to-be PS3 users), 'cause Sony Computer Entertainment Europe head Andrew House has recently dropped a not so subtle hint that some more traditional social network features are on their way to the console. While he obviously didn't get too specific, House did tell the Financial Times that Sony has plans for more social networking features, and apparently wouldn't rule out a partnership with "popular sites such as Facebook," much like Microsoft has already announced for the Xbox 360. In PS3 price-cut news, House also noted that Sony is indeed aware that "consumers are watching their euros and pounds more carefully than before," but added that "it would not be fair to say this is a reaction to current market conditions."

[Via Joystiq]

Filed under: Gaming

Sony's Andrew House hints at more social networking for PS3 originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 25 Aug 2009 14:18:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sony exec admits "certain premium" associated with PSPgo

Donald Melanson — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 18:02:00 EST

Alright, so this one isn't exactly a shocker, but it is a little bit of honesty that's not often found when it comes to talking about the prices of new gadgets. Speaking with MCV, SCEE President Andrew House denied that R&D costs and retailer mark-ups were the reason behind the PSPgo's high price tag, saying instead that, "when you introduce a new piece of hardware you have the opportunity to say there is a certain premium that is associated with it, and we took that into account." So, in other words, Sony is charging $249 for the PSPgo because it can. Surprised? Now, about that price cut...

[Via Joystiq]

Filed under: Gaming

Sony exec admits "certain premium" associated with PSPgo originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 25 Jun 2009 18:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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David Reeves retires from SCEE, Andrew House gleefully takes over

Darren Murph — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 17:33:00 EST

The always outspoken and completely outré David Reeves has decided to retire from his post as President, CEO and Co-COO at Sony Computer Entertainment Europe (SCEE). During his 14 years with the company, Sir Reeves has provided us with loads to talk about, even finding himself the proud owner of our 37th edition of 'CE-Oh No He Didn't!' The scuttlebutt is that Reeves could be leaving to share his talents with Realtime Worlds, but then again, maybe he's just out to step foot in the 40 remaining countries that he has yet to visit. At any rate, Sony has already selected Andrew House (pictured) to take over on May 1st, with a release noting that he will soon be responsible for "managing the PlayStation business across nearly 100 countries in the Europe / PAL territories, including the company's PlayStation2, PSP and PlayStation 3 platforms as well as PlayStation Network." Oh, and Mr. House -- we're fully expecting a 'CE-Oh No He Didn't!' quip from you within the first hundred days. Make it happen.

Read - David Reeves out
Read - Andrew House in

Filed under: Gaming

David Reeves retires from SCEE, Andrew House gleefully takes over originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 15 Apr 2009 17:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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