kaz-hirai
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Sony's Kaz Hirai delusional, sees Sony as industry leader, Nintendo no competition
Sony's Kaz Hirai must be off his meds, because he's talking like the PS3 is the one out there selling like hotcakes. Okay, we'll concede that Russia may be more receptive to your products, but on a global scale, the sales figures aren't even comparable. So, what gives?"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," he said. Uh, okay, well how would you measure leadership other than success? In terms of Nintendo and their competition with Sony, Kaz had more bizarre things to say. "It's difficult to talk about Nintendo, because we don't look at their console as being a competitor," he said. "They're a different world, and we operate in our world - that's the kind of way I look at things."Kaz is, uh, quite delusional, if we may say so. Relax, Kaz. At least you have your PS2 sales to lean on. No need to create fantasy worlds for your mind to live in.[Via Go Nintendo]
David Hinkle01.20.2009
Hirai says 360 lacks longevity, won't top PS3
Sony and the PS3 have taken their lumps in the media recently, but leave it to Kaz Hirai to stand by the big black box even in the toughest times: Hirai recently told Official PlayStation Magazine that in order to describe the 360, he needed a single word that meant "lacks longevity."But even that semi-burn wasn't enough to appease the Hiraicane's appetite for destruction. He added, "Unless things go really bad, there's no way that at the end of a life cycle our competition is going to have a higher install base." OK, so maybe he's not providing any actual justification for his claims, but it's still nice to see that Sony still has fight in them.
Justin McElroy01.20.2009
Hirai claims Home's release date doesn't really matter
Let's not take the subject line without some context, okay? Kaz Hirai stated that Home will truly resonate with consumers and they will love its online services. In that respect, its release date really doesn't matter. He said in an interview with MCV: "I'd much rather make sure we take the time to have a great service rather than rush something into the market ... If we have the right service, it doesn't matter when we launch – so long as it's in a reasonable timeframe." That said, Home is still scheduled to launch this Fall.
Nick Doerr07.24.2008
Kaz Hirai isn't rushing Home
Kaz Hirai, Sony Computer Entertainment's "Big Boss," tells MCV that the company is taking its sweet time to make Home. Hirai explains that if Home is good, it won't matter when it launches, "so long as it's in a reasonable time frame." By our estimates, "reasonable time frame" left a while ago on a trip around the world and, if we think in a circular fashion, should bang back around sometime soon.Hirai goes on to say that if the competitors decide to follow what the company is doing with Home, it would be their prerogative -- we're sure Linden Labs is thinking the same thing about Home. Anyway, Hirai is "confident" that the Home open beat is something that'll "resonate" with consumers.
Alexander Sliwinski07.24.2008
Kaz Hirai: replicating the PS2 numbers is 'not fun'
Kaz Hirai, the President and CEO of SCEI, told the Financial Times in an interview that some of his ardent goals for the PS3. "It's not fun for me replicating the PS2 numbers. I've seen that movie already, I want to try to see if we can exceed the PS2 numbers after nine years, otherwise why are we in this business?"This echoes earlier comments made by David Reeves, President of SCEE. The PS1's lifetime sales were 102 million units, while PS2's lifetime sales are currently at about 140 million units. The PS3's lifetime sales 20 months into its life is about 13 million, and Sony expects to sell another 10 million units by the end of the current fiscal year.So ... lofty goals or realistic expectations? Keep this in mind for comparison purposes: by March 2002, about 26 months after the Japanese launch and 19 months after the American launch, Sony shipped 30 million units of the PS2. Read the entire article here.
alan tsang07.21.2008
Kaz Hirai: PS3 operations to turn profit by March '09
As many Sony fans know, the PlayStation 3 hasn't exactly been a financial success for Sony quite yet. Every console sold has not necessarily led to profits for the company, but that trend is to change soon if you believe what Sony head honcho Kaz Hirai had to say. He believes that overall PS3 operations will start to bring in a profit by the end of this fiscal year -- that's the end of March, 2009. Keep in mind "overall" PS3 operations means more than simply selling the console. This means peripherals, software, and downloadable titles will contribute as well. It might not seem like something important to the gamer population, but unless the PS3 can do this, shareholders and other decision-makers may start to question the longevity of the console. We're not worried, though.
Nick Doerr07.18.2008
Sony: First-party games 'more important' this generation
Sony Computer Entertainment's president of worldwide studios, Shuhei Yoshida, isn't blind to the fact that exclusive games are becoming a rarity these days. In an interview with UK blog ThreeSpeech, the man who replaced Phil Harrison says that, given the trend towards multi-platform releases of major titles, first-party studios and games become "more important" – and that Sony is focusing its assets internally. Yoshida echos much of what we've been hearing from Sony over the past few months with regards to exclusives, stating that "in this generation, it costs much more to develop one product." This results in what he says is "pure economic pressure" that has caused "most of the third parties to move from some exclusive titles to more multi-platform titles." "Because we know that is the trend, we, as a company, can invest in our first-party studios," says Yoshida, who is relocating to Japan as his division is set to play an ever more integral role in PlayStation's future success. Collaborating more closely with SCEI prez Kaz Hirai, Yoshida says he'll be working "not only to create games, but to participate in the overall direction-setting of our company and our future platforms." Future platforms? Let's just focus on exclusive, first-party titles for those present platforms of yours for now, 'kay? [Via CVG]
Randy Nelson07.07.2008
White Knight Story to be told in Sony's fiscal 2008
Capping off the plethora of good information from Sony Computer Entertainment CEO Kaz Hirai's business briefing, White Knight Story (known in Japan as Shirokishi Monogatari) is expected to arrive during Sony's Fiscal Year 2008, which is the period between now and April 2009. We haven't heard much about Level 5's epic since its showing at Tokyo Game Show in September 2007. Here's hoping we see more at next month's E3 Media and Business Summit.The other titles listed were already confirmed for FY08: MotorStorm: Pacific Rift (this Fall), Killzone 2 (February 2009), Resistance 2 (this Fall), LittleBigPlanet (October 2008), AFRIKA (August 28 for Japan) and Secret Agent Clank (already out in North America, due next month in Europe).[Via PS3 Fanboy]Source (Warning: PDF link)
Ross Miller06.27.2008
Sony to finish shrinking PS3 chips to 65nm this fall?
According to Next-Gen, PlayStation boss and Kaz Hirai claims that PlayStation 3s have done the same with Cell chips since last holiday season, and that Sony intends to finish the process of shrinking its major chips to 65nm with the RSX graphics processor this fall. Die shrinkage will mean a lot less to PlayStation buyers than it did to 360 owners suffering from the red ring of death on Microsoft's less-reliable 90nm parts, but it still means Sony can save some cash on producing and cooling PS3s -- and you shave a bit off your power bill.[Via Joystiq]
Ryan Block06.26.2008
Sony unveils "Life with Playstation" PS3 service
Kaz Hirai took to a Tokyo stage today to give us a peek at the Playstation's future, and he let slip a couple of interesting tidbits. First, Sony will be launching a new program called "Life with Playstation" that will give users real time news and weather, using a globe metaphor reminiscent of the Wii's News Channel. Of course, since the PS3 has considerably more horsepower under the hood, the globe is a rendered weather satellite image showing cloud patterns, and it also supports geo-tagged photos and other content. Kaz also previewed the video-download service set to launch next month at E3, which will allow you to download or stream video to the PS3 and PSP. The store looks a lot like the current PlayStation Store, and it looks like HD rentals will run around $6 while SD purchases will clock in around $13 when it launches in the States this summer. We'll learn a lot more at E3, presumably, but for now we'll just settle for a decent screen shot of that globe interface.[Via PS3 Fanboy]
Nilay Patel06.26.2008
PS3 movie downloads coming to US this summer
Sony PlayStation executive Kaz Hirai has announced a movie download service is coming to the PS3 this summer for the US, with similar service for Europe and Japan at a later date. Hirai told reporters (via TMC) that more details will be announced month, presumably at E3. The first images of the program were found via Hirai's presentation on the Sony's corporate site (PDF file via PS Beyond). Sony has already launched a video on demand service with the Korean PS3. The service would compete with, among others, Microsoft's Xbox Live Video Marketplace, which launched November 2006. We can't help but wonder, given rumors and advertisements, if "movie downloads" translates to general video downloads (TV, movie, etc.). We'll find out more next month.[Via Engadget]
Ross Miller06.26.2008
Kaz Hirai: Sony can 're-evaluate' paying for PS3 exclusives
A long time ago, Jack Tretton mentioned that Sony will not pay for PS3 exclusivity in this generation of games. "We have a very different approach to exclusives than some of our competitors. We don't buy exclusivity. We don't fund development. We don't, for the lack of a better term, bribe somebody to only do a game on our platform," he noted. Instead, Sony tries to seduce developers to make better games on the system, and use the appeal of the PS3 hardware to secure exclusives.This strategy has meant a bevy of formerly PS2-exclusive series to become multiplatform successes on Xbox 360 and PC. However, Kaz Hirai told ThreeSpeech "that's something that we can re-evaluate." High-profile exclusives act as differentiating reasons for system purchases. PS3 has a strong first-party line-up, but it will need to pursue third-party exclusives with an even stronger bite. However, with games being so expensive in this generation, such a proposal may be difficult. "It's also something that the publishers need to make a business decision on. Ultimately, it becomes a dialogue – if it makes sense for them to go exclusive, that's a business decision that they need to make. But generally speaking, because of the investments that publishers need to make in this round of hardware, it's going to be more difficult for publishers to make that decision."
Andrew Yoon05.30.2008
Hirai claims when all is said and done, PS3 will reign supreme
It appears Sony is getting excited -- Kaz Hirai made a statement recently boasting the PS3's upcoming success this generation. Overtaking the Wii and Xbox 360 is within Sony's grasp, when looked at through the telescopic lens of the "ten year life cycle". In a video interview with the BBC, he talks up this point as well as some of the trials and tribulations of creating the PS3, the launch, what's to come later this year, and challenges or hurdles he expects Sony and the PS3 to overcome in the near future. It's pretty interesting to watch a sit down chat with Kaz, so be sure to check it out and let us know your opinions.
Nick Doerr05.08.2008
Kaz Hirai confident PlayStation will reclaim lead
It's not a race, it's a marathon. That's according to Sony Computer Entertainment President Kaz Hirai, who recently told BBC News that he expects the PlayStation to reclaim its lead in the console ... "marathon." It's the kind of marathon that lasts ten years, as you may heard countless times before, and remains hard to visualize when none of the competitors have any legs. "I am very confident that after the 10-year lifecycle we will have the install base that we are looking for and that is obviously to be in the leadership position," said Hirai. He insisted that Sony has only "begun to scratch the surface" with the PlayStation 3 and that it wouldn't "let [its] consoles go by the wayside after five years."With the PS3 said to have surpassed Xbox 360 sales in Europe and a "whole raft of titles between now and the end of the year" in its lineup, developers have more reason catch up to the system's technology. Said Hirai: "I think they are beginning to embrace the technology and are able to express their creativity on the platform certainly more than they were able to at launch." And to think, that wasn't even two years ago. Time truly is an illusion -- launch time doubly so.
Ludwig Kietzmann05.07.2008
Double EU PSN Store update next week to celebrate PlayStation Day
SCEE might just find themselves back in European PS3 owners' good books after next week. PlayStation Day, a press-only event in London, takes place on the 6th of May. The press conference at the event will be hosted by Kaz Hirai and David Reeves (President of SCEE) and will no doubt include some interesting announcements. We'll be there to give you up to the minute news as it happens. To celebrate PlayStation Day, the European PSN Store will be updated twice next week. Once on Tuesday and once on Thursday. Those of you who have become disheartened with the European PSN updates might want to take special note to this line-up. In total you can expect to see four demos, three full games and five add-on packs spread across the two updates. Plus a nice collection of videos, including the PlayStation Day press conference itself, hosted by Kaz Hirai.Check out the full list of content for Tuesday's update below. Thursday's list can be seen after the break.Playable content Condemned 2 demo Haze demo Blast Factor Advanced full game High Velocity Bowling full game Street Skater PS1 game Add-on content Blast Factor Advanced Research High Velocity Bowling Character - Mike Trailers: Buzz! Quiz TV Secret Agent Clank Siren Blood Curse
Jem Alexander05.02.2008
Sony pushes Home open beta out until fall '08, closed beta extended
Sony's promise of a true open-world experience with Home has been a continual dot on the horizon for PlayStation 3 owners since it was first announced during former Sony-exec Phil Harrison's GDC keynote last year. This continues to be the case this evening, as Sony just sent word that it plans to extend the service's closed beta phase through the summer season, pushing the eventual open beta launch until sometime in the fall.According to Sony, the move will allow the company to invite more PS3 users into the closed beta, perhaps to iron out some of the social MMO's failings we heard so much about late last year. Says SCEI president and group CEO Kaz Hirai, the delay will let Sony "refine the service to ensure a more focused gaming entertainment experience than what it is today," which is business speak for telling us that we'll have to wait a few more months before we can know the joy of throwing virtual televisions down equally virtual stairs.
Jason Dobson04.22.2008
SOE to report directly to Kaz Hirai, SCEI
Sony has announced a change in the relationship between two of its, err, Sonys, namely Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. and Sony Online Entertainment. If we understand the press release correctly -- the pop-up pictures were an immense help -- SOE will be reporting directly to SCEI president and group CEO, Kaz Hirai, as of April 1, 2008. The structural change is "designed to mutually benefit both companies by further accelerating the PlayStation business through SOE's strong online gaming expertise," which ultimately boils down to more "exciting entertainment offerings" to consumers.SOE will continue to develop said exciting entertainment offerings for the PlayStation 3 and PC, with company president John Smedley reporting to Hirai and making sure he says things like, "We are thrilled to become a part of the incredible team that has made PLAYSTATION 3 the premier platform for next generation online gaming." SOE is currently hard at work on The Agency, a promising spy-themed MMO shooter for PC and PS3.
Ludwig Kietzmann03.13.2008
Structural changes mean Kaz Hirai will head both SCEI and SOE
Sony is announcing today that structural changes will be occurring within the company, effectively merging the Sony Computer Entertainment and Sony Online Entertainment departments. (Sony Online Entertainment has been run by Sony Pictures.) While the two will remain largely separate Kaz Hirai, President of SCEI, will now be the head of both companies, with SOE President John Smedley reporting to him from April 1st onwards.Both SOE and SCEI seem excited by the opportunities this brings, with Hirai stating that he is "excited to be able to work with SOE even more closely, as online games and services become a more integral part of the PS3 entertainment experience. This new structure will allow us to take full advantage of the extensive breadth of expertise of the two companies and increase our range of exciting entertainment offerings to our consumers." Smedley shares these sentiments, adding that he is "thrilled to become a part of the incredible team that has made PlayStation 3 the premier platform for next generation online gaming."This all seems to make sense, considering how much energy SOE is putting into PS3 projects over the next frew years. We can't wait to finally starting seeing the fruits of their labor later this year.[Via press release]
Jem Alexander03.13.2008Kaz Hirai: PS3 could be profitable next fiscal year
Sony bigwig Kaz Hirai is hoping that this next fiscal year, which begins in April, will mark a point where the PlayStation 3 loses its money sink status and becomes profitable. Said the president of SCE at the Consumer Electronics Show (via Reuters), "We want to get to the positive side of the equation as quickly as possible," later adding that the company is "going through the budgets right now. That (profitability) is not a definite commitment, but that is what I would like to try to shoot for."Hirai cites the dropping costs of components used to make the PS3, as well as the removal of chips related to backwards compatibility, as examples of how the console is becoming cheaper to produce (and therefore less of a detriment to the company's bottom line). Hirai noted that the declining cost is "in line with what the company had expected." Not explicitly stated but certainly important are the titles expected next fiscal year: LittleBigPlanet, Home, Final Fantasy XIII, and the still-exclusive Metal Gear Solid 4. Previously, Sony stated that it had sold 1.2 million PS3s since Black Friday -- NPD figures for December should reveal how that measures up to competitors. Microsoft recently stated its belief that the Xbox 360 is "on track to register the biggest year in video game history," while the Consumer Entertainment Association predicted industry growth to continue, albeit at a slower pace than last year.
Ross Miller01.08.2008
Hirai claims PS3 will turn a profit soon
We all know the PS3 was selling itself at a major loss, even when first released. Logic would dictate that, all else equal, lowering the price tag of the system would only heighten those losses. Yet, when we factor in the lowered cost of manufacturing and all this other economical mumbo-jumbo, we come to the same conclusion as Kaz Hirai: the PS3 will turn a profit soon. Soon being the next fiscal year, which starts this April.Don't consider this a promise from Sony. Hirai said in his speech at CES "That (profitability) is not a definite commitment, but that is what I would like to try to shoot for." While we'd love to see the black beast get ink in its natural colors instead of red (accountants, that one was for you), we'll have to wait to see how the strong 2008 lineup influences people's desire to buy the PS3. We think they'll want one. We already have one, but we still want to buy another one just because the lineup is that good.[via CVG]
Nick Doerr01.07.2008