If you’re wondering where episode 652 is, the file was completely distorted, with only one half of a conversation going. So, all the discussion about Sony’s State of Play is lost to the ether.
Episode 652: Missing Ep
Related Post
Sony, What Doesn’t Kill Them Makes Them StrongerSony, What Doesn’t Kill Them Makes Them Stronger
David Reeves, Sony Europe’s President said, “we simply have to suffer a little” when talking about the PS3, Europe and the competition. He was talking specifically about Sony’s loss of market share, mind-share and overall performance in the latest competitive console arena. While Sony’s president dismisses Nintendo as in a separate market, David Reeves said, “we’ve learned from Nintendo how to grow the market and move from hand-held device to device – they’ve done it brilliantly.”
What Sony may be dealing with is the fact that they’re not top dog in the latest battle for consoles. Europe has taken to the PlayStation 3 better than the United States and they’ve got plenty of fans in the region. There has been a recent upside to it all, some light at the end of the tunnel:
“PS3 games sales are up 53% and there’s a healthy 1.1m pre-order book for Killzone 2, the first of a new batch of IPs that Sony will be counting on.” (guardian.co.uk)
Although it’s reported the PSP says are down 15% and PS2 software sales are down 51%, at least the PlayStation 3 is filling in the gap for some of those losses. At some point you’d expect the PlayStation 2 to decline, gamers are probably migrating over to the new hardware.
They’ve got some things to be proud of:
- PlayStation Network increases revenues by 200% in 2008
- 55% of all PlayStation owners are on PSN
- 17.5 million PSN subscribers
- 53% rise in software sales on PS3
- Won HD format war
Unfortunately PS3 sales were down last quarter by about 9%, perhaps a response to the harsh economic times. And, of course, the fact that Sony’s VP’s are constantly defending their position in the market is a bit disconcerting. As David Reeves said:
“It’s like Ali v Foreman – go eight or nine rounds and let him punch himself out. We’re still standing, we’re still profitable and there’s a lot of fight in us. I don’t say we will land a knockout blow, but we’re there and we’re fighting.” (guardian.co.uk)
Sony is playing the defensive, guarding themselves against the punches of the competition. Nintendo making headlines for sales, Microsoft coming out of nowhere to try to build market share, while Sony holds out for the tenth round to win it in the end? We’re not yet sure if it’s Ali vs. Foreman or if Microsoft is the next Buster Douglas.
(Thanks, Guardian)
Episode 539: Two Plus HoursEpisode 539: Two Plus Hours
The previous week’s episode had too many technical issues to post, so this week’s episode overcompensates by being over two hours long. The Gaming Flashback this week is none other than 2009’s Minecraft, which is still going strong well into 2019.
This week’s news includes:
- Microsoft explains Xbox Game Pass for PC, selling games on Steam (from GameWatcher)
- The Avengers game is being revealed at E3 2019
- Super Mario Maker 2‘s lack of costumes and online matchmaking with friends upsets fans
- Wolfenstein: Youngblood to feature ray-tracing technology
All this and Listener Feedback.
Episode 481: Portal’s Huge SuccessEpisode 481: Portal’s Huge Success
This week’s Gaming Flashback has no cake — instead it’s the history of Portal. The guys try to keep the podcast meme-free as they discuss Valve’s first person puzzle platformer.
There’s also non-Portal related news items, too:
- Chris Avellone may be teasing a new Fallout game
- Street Fighter 5 will finally get an arcade mode in 2018
- The SNES Classic has been hacked
- Telltale patch removes assassinated ambassador from Batman: The Enemy Within
Let us know what you think in the Comments section.