We can attest that Howard Stringer, CEO of Sony, is a pretty nice guy. But all the PS3 price-cut chatter from industry analysts and gaming execs seems to have the man riled as he tries to keep Sony afloat. Responding directly to Robert Kotick's threat to stop developing Activision titles on the PS3 (and PSP) due to the console's relative high price, Stringer told Reuters, "He likes to make a lot of noise. He's putting pressure on me and I'm putting pressure on him. That's the nature of business." When asked about the logic of not cutting prices, Howard said, "I (would) lose money on every PlayStation I make -- how's that for logic." True, until the 45nm Cell processor launches allowing for a cheaper, cooler running slim PS3 later this year, right Howie... wink, wink?

[Via GameDaily]

We've always had a soft spot for Sony CEO Sir Howard Stringer, and it sounds like the old man's doing more than cajoling Tom Hanks into telling jokes following his consolidation of power: in a lengthy and illuminating interview with Nikkei Electronics Asia, Sir Howard pledged that Sony would use more open standards in the future, saying "If we had gone with open technology from the start, I think we probably would have beaten Apple" in the music market. That's a pretty bold statement to be making in hindsight -- especially since we're pretty sure the Connect Player and SonicStage would have still driven people screaming into the arms of iTunes -- but it's pretty heartwarming to hear from the head of a company just as famous for an endless array of funky proprietary standards as it is the Walkman. You want to make us feel even warmer and fuzzier, Howie? "We can no longer say that we're right and our customers are wrong. We can't build only what we want to build." Wow -- sounds like the start of a whole new Sony. We'll see if Sir Howard can actually pull off what sounds like a major change in his company's culture, but for right now we'd recommend hitting the read link and taking in the whole interview, cause it's a good one.

If you thought Sony's economic woes and unprecedented layoffs would bring an end to Sir Howard Stringer's reign at Sony, think again. It's Sony president, Ryoji Chubachi, that will step down in April leaving Sir Howard to take over the presidency in addition to his current roles as chairman and CEO. Chubachi will become a vice chair while Stringer takes direct control of Sony's core electronics division. Don't let us down Howie.

Update: Additional details have emerged following a Sony press conference. Sony electronics will be organized into two main groups: (1) the Networked Products and Services Group, lead by PlayStation boss (and our buddy) Kaz Harai, will consolidate Sony's PlayStation console, VAIO PCs, Walkman audio products, new mobile products and Media Software and Services to ensure a common platform with access to the PlayStation Network, and (2) the New Consumer Products Group, under Hiroshi Yoshioka, that will unite Sony's Bravia televisions with its digital imaging, home audio, and video business. All of which reports direct to Stringer.

We're back, coming at you live from Sony's second big press event. Today's keynote is anchored by Sir Howard Stringer, a handsome man with enough stature as Chairman and CEO of Sony to lure the world's press out of bed for an 08.30am presentation. Sony already hinted that we'd be hearing more about 3D television prototypes, a new camera, perhaps, and the evolution of Sony's consumer OLED display lineup. This is going to be good.

Further confirming his utter disconnect from reality, Sony head Howard Stringer referred to Nintendo's market-dominating Wii as an "expensive niche game device." Previous to making that statement, Stringer bafflingly said, "I've played a Nintendo Wii, I don't see it as a competitor." Now look -- we're not saying you're in some kind of CEO super-denial, but all signs point to the possibility that you should probably consider the Wii a competitor (since it is... well... a competing system and platform), and perhaps recognize that "niche" is typically not synonymous with "best selling." Of course, you're the guy running Sony, we're just watching the crackup from the sidelines.

[Via Nintendo Wii Fanboy]

Seeing Howard Stringer out and about -- let alone interviewed live -- is kind of like seeing a unicorn. Live coverage after the break.

The D conference is in full swing, and the next heavy hitter on deck is Sony CEO Howard Stringer, who's rumored to have a new Sony OLED display for Unkie Walt to play with. We're assuming it'll be a little bit bigger than the XEL-1, but Silicon Alley Insider says it'll come in at just .3mm thick, which is only slightly beefier than a playing card. We're guessing it'll be more like the XEL-1's 3mm, but we'll see what Howie has in store for us -- we wouldn't be opposed to hearing some more about those "slim PS3" rumors, ourselves.

Sony has certainly captured our attention under the command of Sir Howard Stringer. Prior to his March 7th 2005 appointment to the CEO position, it was hard to imagine the beleaguered consumer electronics giant having the guts to take on such aggressive risk taking adventures as Blu-ray, OLED TVs, and in its own small way, the Rolly. Now, after completing his planned turnaround and tripling Sony's profits, Stringer has reportedly let loose with a fire and brimstone speech meant to compel the thousand-strong Sony managers gathered in a closed-door session into action. Urging them to avoid complacency, Stringer said, "I'm asking you to get mad" and be more "energetic," "bold," and "imaginative" at running the business. To sum things up, British-born Stringer slapped up a slide showing a fork in the road. At which point, the Japanese management team whispered, "what's a fork?"

[Via Joystiq]

Man, talk about being all over the map. One day Sony's Howard Stringer is calling the format war a "stalemate," the next he's claiming Blu-ray is "just a better format." Apparently, having a few weeks to think over that last comment made him realize that his heart was more connected to the first proclamation, as the exec has now come forward and acknowledged that the battle between red and Blu is far from over. Specifically, he stated that "[Blu-ray] had momentum," but he followed up by calling the aforementioned momentum "all it had at the moment." C'mon Mr. Stringer -- pick a line and hold steady, will ya?

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

So we had a bit of bad, OLED-related news this morning. Now for the good. Sir Howard Stringer just announced plans to launch their 3-mm OLED TV into the US market. While it's not coming this year as we had hoped beyond hope, it will be offered for "limited sales" in the US (Sony's second launch market) sometime "next year." Just as soon as Sony ramps up their mass production capabilities. Stringer admits that the expensive, tiny TV is a "symbolic device" for Sony -- fine by us. After years of corporate stoicism we're perfectly happy to see Sony take some risk. Now please resurrect AIBO, Howie, and your innovation hat-trick will be complete.

Merely days after Sony's Howard Stringer was scrutinized for calling the format war a "stalemate," the exec has apparently decided to tweak his tone a bit. In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Stringer was quoted as saying that Blu-ray had "the momentum and the scale" it needed to eventually reign victorious over its rival. Additionally, he noted that Blu-ray was "just a better format," and he even went so far as to tout BD's excellent security features, which were effectively subverted just weeks ago after being hailed as practically impenetrable. Furthermore, he didn't seem worried over the new, lower prices associated with standalone HD DVD players, but who knows, maybe he'll be singing a different tune next week.

[Via Electronista]

A few of our readers were scoffing at the idea of a $399 40GB PS3. "What's the big deal," you said. This: according to Sony's CEO, Sir Howard Stringer, they've more than doubled sales in the US in the weeks since its launch. "It's the breakthrough we've been waiting for," said Stringer, "We've been holding our breath. Finally, the turning point has been passed." Prior to the October 18th price cut, Sony was selling just 30k to 40k consoles per week. Sales rose to 75,000 in the week ending October 29 rising to 100,000 the following week. Stringer also credits Wii shortages for helping the boost. Andrew House, Sony's chief marketing officer even takes a jab at HD DVD saying, "It puts us vastly ahead of where the other format is going to be in terms of an installed base in people's homes by the end of this holiday season." Perhaps, but we don't expect the boys at Microsoft, Nintendo, and Toshiba to just roll over and let this progress continue unabated now, do we?

Things have been a bit rough for Blu-ray lately. Those massive price cuts gave HD DVD a boost in market share and Paramount's abrupt departure was certainly a tad, shall we say, embarrassing. So we wonder, just what does Sony's boss, and figure-head of the smack-talking Blu-ray Disc Association, have to say about the state of the Blu-ray vs. HD DVD war? It's a "stalemate," according to Sir Howard Stringer. He goes on to downplay the winner as nothing more than a matter of prestige while lamenting the lack of a unified standard. A far cry from the BDA's boastful claim of victory just 11 months ago.

[Thanks, Andrew]

According to the always exploitive New York Post Page Six, an Anderson Cooper-hosted panel with Jeff Bezos, Sergey Brin, and Barry Diller (amongst others) had been discussing how technology was changing the way people got their entertainment and news, when Sony honcho Howard Stringer apparently accused Steve Jobs of being "greedy." The report claims that Mr. Stringer went on to say that the Steve-man "Wants a world where only he makes money." The knighted gentleman then stormed out of the room and called his assistant on a Sony Ericsson, who proceeded to take him to his hotel where he watched the Sony-produced Spiderman 2 in Blu-ray format on his new Vaio while petting an AIBO with his metallic claw.