840°

Why Microsoft Should Buy Sony Instead

We're now on the verge of a recession, and Sony and Microsoft are in trouble. Games are luxuries. Nobody "needs" them. Nor does anyone need such hi-tech features as the Blu-Ray, HDMI compatibility Sony's pushing. But there is a solution to Sony and Microsoft's woes: they should join forces to make one system, for less money. Yes, I'm dreaming big. With this whole Yahoo! merger in play, it will never happen. But both companies have invested too much in video games, and they want to win. So I ask, in case either will listen: why two nearly identical multimedia future-machines? Why not join up and make only one?
Alternative Sources:
SONY's total asset is aroun... - finance.yahoo.com | By: zambrota
Microsoft's total asset is ... - finance.yahoo.com | By: zambrota
kalistyles - contributor
Published: 677 days 3 hours ago | Article | PlayStation 3 | Xbox 360 | Wii | Gaming
 
 

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Showing: 1 - 50 of 149 Comments
1 Iamback | 677 days 3 hours ago - User only got 1 bubble - Show
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Anego Montoya FTMFW - 677 days 3 hours ago
1.1 - i`m approving this cause again, this is HILARIOUS.
lol.
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Hatchetforce - 677 days 2 hours ago
1.2 -
Let's see, Sony has great hardware, the PS3 is on the way up, they are leading the field in HDTV research, hmm....Microsoft can't afford them. Bill Gates isn't Microsoft anymore.

Microsoft on the other hand has a new OS that is failing, Xbox360 on it's way to 3rd place. Yeah, that makes sense.
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therealwillie - 677 days 2 hours ago
1.3 -
i do not like the sound of microsoft buying anything :)
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Tempist - 677 days 2 hours ago
1.4 -
Talk about a troll.

"...Sony's online friend management and gameplay are an utter mystery, requiring endless navigation of its Byzantine menu structure."

- The XMB has won an award.
- Although Sony Only, it nicely makes for a universal menu system for all their products.

"Sure, buried inside the PS3 are plenty of amazing “potential technology” features -- like the ability to install Linux, or its wireless connectivity with the PSP -- but who cares?"

- Developers care, else why would the Linux community put their time and effort into it. It's a $400 super computer.
- It's helped to cure Cancer and solve gravity/physics problems.

Clearly, this man has some bias and has not done research.
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VirusE - 677 days 1 hour ago
1.5 -
tempist "...Sony's online friend management and gameplay are an utter mystery, requiring endless navigation of its Byzantine menu structure." That isnt that far fetched or a biased statement in my opinion. If you own both a 360 and a p3 and you play both on a regular basis the ps3s idea of friend management will make you scratch your head a bit. Hopefull home will fix these issues.
1.6 zambrota | 677 days ago - User only got 1 bubble - Show
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nicholascage24 - 677 days ago
1.7 - thanks Zambrota for your clarification
story reported as Spam
1.8 zambrota | 676 days 23 hours ago - User only got 1 bubble - Show
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meepmoopmeep - 676 days 22 hours ago
1.9 - @therealwillie
me too, the sound of MS buying something makes me cringe, i hope the talks with Yahoo don't end up in MS's favor.
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antoinetm - 676 days 20 hours ago
1.10 -
Asset size isn't the only thing that matters.
you have to look at free cash flow, growth opportunities and stock market valuation.
1.11 TheSadTruth | 676 days 20 hours ago - deleted by mod -
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AzaziL - 676 days 19 hours ago
1.12 - AGREED
When only one company is producing a certain product, what do we call that everybody??

A MONOPOLY!!!

Really, does that business concept ever work, even to this day, whenever anything is monopolized, it equals nothing but trouble for the consumer. Hell, the best example of monopolization in gaming comes from the biggest publisher of them all, Electronic Arts (EA, EA Sports, etc). One just has to look at the progression of the once great Madden series to easily see what happens when a company no longer has any competition. Nuff said.
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GIJeff - 676 days 19 hours ago
1.13 - MS
couldn't afford sony's used underwear.
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KnowitAll - 676 days 18 hours ago
1.14 - You sir are a moron.
Are you for reals?

"SONY is wayy bigger than MICROSFT

SONY's total asset is around 100 Billion $

http://finance.yahoo.com/q/...

MICROSOFT's total asset is just 63 Billion $

http://finance.yahoo.com/q/... "

************PEOPLE PLEASE REPORT THE STORY AS SPAM************

N4G is now in a BETA state

SO THIS KIND OF ARTICLE IS CLEARLY UNACCEPTABLE "

Do you even know what a business asset is? ........
to make it easier, to make it simple, to just make it so you can understand.

"A buisness asset is like ah lil notebook where sony adds its "money" of the inventory they hold is worth, also thier short term investments and technology(blue ray) and other stuff. But in all this is supposed to provide future benefits(blue ray)

but the funny part was

"why am i getting disagrees?
Sony has 100 Billion in total assets vs 63 Billion for MS

Sony is bigger than MS. I posted the links in the alternative section and so did Nick in the Open Zone.

please MARK this STORY as SPAM"

hahahaha
last time i checked microsoft was the 3rd richest company with a value of 230bil. Sony was way below in the 100's while nintendo was even deeper in the 300's
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KnowitAll - 676 days 18 hours ago
1.15 - -Fun Facts
Income Statements for Microsoft:
Sales $27.7B
EBITDA $13.1B
Income available to common $6.37B - The money made that year

Income Statements for Sony:
Sales $59.2B - this is higher because in reality sony does own more iventory(psp, walkmans and ps3 they can't sell) than microsoft
EBITDA $5.71B
Income available to common $72.9M - Everyone argues that ps3 or xbox sell the most, but whats the point when you don't even make a billion

Financial Strength for MS:
Current Ratio 4.04 (4 times more assets than liabilities)
Debt/Equity 0 no dept
Total Cash $38.7B (A F---load of cash!)

Financial Strength for Sony
Current Ratio 1.30 (More liabilities per asset)
Debt/Equity 0.50 (Quiet a bit of long term debt!)
Total Cash $6.65B (And a lot less cash!)

finnaly
Market Capitalization for MS $282.9B
Market Capitalization for Sony $50.3B

zambrota spread the word,
say whos the richest daddy
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IntelligentAj - 676 days 15 hours ago
1.16 -
Stopped reading this article after he said Sony and Microsoft are in trouble. This has got to be the one of the dumbest statements I have heard. Both companies posted a profit in their previous fiscal year(MS more than Sony). Both have a good amount of cash on hand(MS more than Sony). Contrary to popular belief Vista is selling. Not as well as they expected but it IS selling and the rest of MS core business are doing well. Sony's electronics(Flat Panels and other consumer electronics) are doing well also as noted by the company posting $76 billion in revenue. As i've said before, if this sinking or failing then let me drown or give me perpetual F's.
1.17 zambrota | 676 days 13 hours ago - User only got 1 bubble - Show
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coolfool - 676 days 12 hours ago
1.18 - as rubbish as this article is.......
Here it is at the top of the news section.

People who approved this, SHAME ON YOU!!!!
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KnowitAll - 676 days 5 hours ago
1.19 - Zambrota what are you trying to prove?
"MS doesnt even have 23B dollars in cash"
so how the hell did it come up with 40+bil for yahoo?

I know sony is bigger, it has more employers more locations(movie studios, recording studios).
Like you say "future investments"(which is blue ray,ps3,psp) but they have had different "future investments" since the early 1990's.
And yet each year microsoft makes 10-20times more in profit than sony.

Sony= Bigger Microsoft=Richer

a richer company is more powerful than a big company. Especially if its a small company.
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Coffin87 - 676 days 5 hours ago
1.20 -
WHAAT? MICROSOFT BUYING SONY???
HAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!! !!!!!!!!

omg, this BY FAR THE BIGGEST BULLSH*T I'VE READ IN THE INTERNET up to now!!
rofl, this just too awesome..

how DUMB do you have to be to post sh*t like this.. it's really unbelievable.
(notice: i don't mean the n4g poster.)
1.21 zambrota | 676 days 3 hours ago - User only got 1 bubble - Show
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KnowitAll - 675 days 21 hours ago
1.22 - Here it goes
Zambrota someone already posted this
So im just going to post his post since i don't thing i can explain it any better

"Microsoft's Market Capitalization is $260 Billion

Sony's Market Capitalization is $43 Billion (it used to be much higher, around $104 Billion, in fiscal 2000 - but they tanked for a few years after that).

Market Cap is the value of a company's total shares. Therefore, it is essentially the amount of money a company would need to come up with to buy all the shares of that company at face value. Since most investors won't sell their shares at face value (they want some profit) a buyout usually requires a company to pay a premium on top of the market cap for the shares.

Anyways, go ahead and check for yourself if you don't believe me. Just look up the stock of both companies, Market Cap is listed. MSFT & SNE are the symbols.

Total assets is irrelevant when buying out a company; the only time that would come into play is if the company being bought liquidized their assets to buy back some of their own shares - this would almost never happen, however, because the board of a publicly traded company is bound by law to make decisions which are in the best interest of shareholders. Liquidating ones assets is rarely, if ever, in the best interest of shareholders.

I'm not saying that MS could easily buy out Sony - although their proposed buyout of Yahoo for $44 billion is more than Sony's total market cap. My point is that you're wrong - MS is a bigger company.

Why am I even posting this? It's not like you kids in the Open Zone even care about truth or reason. Flame on. "

Zambrota let it die

I can understand people getting offended over culture,race,religion but not over a dam freaking oppinion about your freaking favorite company getting bought by another freaking company. Who the hell cares if sony is bought by aol, or yahoo (since yahoo is worth more market cap wise)
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Relcom - 677 days 3 hours ago
2 - Yeah Sony needs Microsoft.....
Right....

Bullsh1t
2.1 Iamback | 677 days 3 hours ago - deleted by mod -
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ruibing - 677 days 2 hours ago
2.2 -
All Sony needs is some better software developers, which they can easily get from Apple or any other sources.
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wageslave - 677 days 2 hours ago
2.3 -
@2.2

Sony and Apple make a lot more sense. Sony's RIAA and MPAA divisions are a big part of their business.

MS has repeatedly stayed out of the Media Contenet creation. MS is a software and technology firm, while Sony is a electronics and media firm.

They are too different. Its an interesting idea to consider -- but this article is littered with inaccuracies and trolls.
2.4 BLUR111 | 676 days 13 hours ago - deleted by mod -
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titntin - 677 days 3 hours ago
3 -
Quite possibly the worst argued opinionated BS I've ever read! Bet he gets tons of hits... but I'm not going to help him with an apporval..:(
3.1 Iamback | 677 days 3 hours ago - User only got 1 bubble - Show
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scrillakiller - 677 days 3 hours ago
4 -
what a load of u know what.sony doesnt need ms and their garbage
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predator - 677 days 3 hours ago
5 -
sony hardware + ms live software = one hell of a machine
5.1 Anego Montoya FTMFW | 677 days 3 hours ago - deleted by mod -
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predator - 677 days 3 hours ago
5.2 -
i didnt say game software did i? i said the software behind LIVE, and dont give me that cr@p that the 360 has no games coming out either
5.3 Anego Montoya FTMFW | 677 days 3 hours ago - deleted by mod -
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BenzMoney - 677 days 2 hours ago
5.4 - @5.1
Holy crap - how is it that you're still allowed to post in the "GamerZone"?! You want to know what's a joke? This whole "moderated" N4G "GamerZone" thing is a joke! Your comments prove that.
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ravinash - 677 days 2 hours ago
5.5 -
Hardware on PS3 - yes
O/S on PS3 - yes, I'd keep that, I much prefer the layout than the one 360 has.
Online experience - Live for now, but PSN can use most of the ideas from that and make it new, plus things like home make it more interesting....so what would be in it for Sony to merge???
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VirusE - 677 days 1 hour ago
5.6 -
ravinash i fully agree with your comments and we all know those that don't are ps3 only owners. Its like saying what is better a BMW m3 or a mustang, they are not even close in terms of functionality and ease of use. Everyone that i know that owns both prefers live. It has had so many more years to mature than ps3s online experience and is much easier to use. That being said i like knowing that my ps3 will not red ring on me. I have had 4 red ring incidents at this point and i am starting to get a little pissed off. Twice was a coincidence 3 times was frustrating but 4 times is down right insane. If it weren’t for the fact that the 360 has so many more AAA titles than the ps3 i would seriously think about crushing it with a hammer. My 360 is quite possibly the least reliable thing I have ever owned next to my 04 GTO. MS is a software company and that is what they do best, sony is a hardware company and that is what they do best. If they did team up they could make one hell of a system. Imagine what ps3 games would look like if MS had made the development tools for it. Everyone knows the biggest flaw with the 360 is that the hardware design sucks and everyone knows that the biggest flaw with the ps3 is the development tools and support for said tools suck. It would be a match made in heaven in my opinion.
5.7 Rocko | 677 days 1 hour ago - deleted by mod -
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Anego Montoya FTMFW - 677 days 3 hours ago
6 - why?
because they CANT beat them.

it`s that simple.
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aftrdark21 - 677 days 3 hours ago
6.1 - Isn't that
Microsoft's motto
"If you can't beat em, Buy em!"
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BigBoy2000 - 677 days 3 hours ago
7 - Huh....
that's quite possibly the most off the wall, stupid sh!t article I've ever read! This guy has his head in the sand... last I checked, the gaming industry was doing just fine. Recession my @ss!
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ravinash - 677 days 2 hours ago
7.1 -
Even when sitting at home with no job, you still want to play game :-)
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kalistyles - 677 days 3 hours ago
8 - Agree
Couldn't agree with you more Anego. I figured I would put this BS out there there to see where people stand with it.
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Anego Montoya FTMFW - 677 days 3 hours ago
8.1 - yep.
expect some CLASSIC comments.
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kalistyles - 677 days 3 hours ago
9 - Oh I'm sure
some classic comments will be on the way. 3...2...1...blastoff!!
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mighty_douche - 677 days 3 hours ago
10 -
LOL... is this a joke? no approveal from me, no sir.

Lets be honest, M$ couldnt afford to buy Sony anyway.
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games4fun - 677 days 2 hours ago
10.1 - i would think it
would be a bad move on both sides the ammount of money it would take would cripple microsoft, then millions/billions? wasted possibly on optimizing and getting rid of parallel sectors then not to mention sony sells more than just gaming machines microsoft wouldnt know how to manage hardware at all.

It should actually read why microsoft should attempt to merger with sony but sony would rather merger with as mentioned before google/apple at least with those 2 they dont have as many paralell markets (cept pc) and could be mutually beneficial i think sony would merge with nintendo before microsoft as well just because they probably have a better relationship with nintendo
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Grahammad - 677 days 2 hours ago
10.2 - Well...
Considering Microsoft's revenue last year was 51.12 billion US and Sony's revenue was 76.201 billion US, I think Microsoft would finally realize that even though they have deep pockets they can't just buy ANYONE.
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moparful99 - 676 days 21 hours ago
10.3 -
Graham I agree that competition is exactly what the video game industry needs, its what fueled 2007 into becoming the best year in gaming ever. This sets up 2008 to be even better, but I think people object because microsoft has a bad reputation of not only wanting that number one spot but holding the only spot in every market they enter. They love to monopolize markets and when they do this the quality and innovation of their products falls off sharply I mean look at the turtle like pace that the windows format is evolving. I think alot of people are skeptical of microsoft and their intentions.
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