Last week, we collected questions from you guys via Twitter and Facebook for a personal interview with Sony CEO Kazuo Hirai. Check out this video to hear Kazuo's responses, covering a wide range of topics including our mobile products to Sony's innovation and even his thoughts on Kaz internet memes
Twinfinite writes: "Kazuo Hirai had a keen eye for detail, a passion for Sony products, and worked tirelessly to change a money-losing PlayStation product into pixel perfection."
Gonna miss Kaz Hirai. He's done fans proud and helped propel the good ship PlayStation in the right direction.
The PS3 launch was a major misstep but what a position Kaz has left the PlayStation brand in now. Basically going from strength to strength.
I think we all know it was Ken kuteragi and massive influence going above Kaz's head that was culprit in PS3 misstep in price. Shortly after Ken left Kaz did a fantastic job making it a success. But as the saying goes the buck stops at kaz as he was technically head of Sony Ken or not.
The price for what you got at the time of the PS3 launch was actually a steal, even Sony's bluray players were still $1000 back then. It was more marketing and messaging mishaps, especially the "get a second job" thing taken out of context.
@dirkdady
No… What you and “all” those who agree with you claim to know is a revision of history. Ken didn’t need to go over the head of Kaz to do anything because he was the head -- the buck stopped with him, full stop. And even after Ken retired, Kaz still sought to have input from Ken:
“You know that he's a man full of ideas, and that resulted in what we know today as the PlayStation business. And that benefits not just us and Sony, but all the publishers, the retailers, and ultimately consumers - so he built an empire. And that was really one of the great ideas that he had. And, you know, he is still full of a lot of different ideas, some of which we just can't do in a Sony Computer Entertainment environment. I think he just wanted to branch out and really try on some of these new ideas, because he once told me - not too long ago - he said, "I'm not getting any younger, but I have so many things I want to do, and I'm going to get out there and try these ideas" - and all credit to him. And he's still our Honorary Chairman, and I still look to him for advice once in a while, and he's certainly willing to say, you know what, this is what you need to be doing, this is how you should look at a certain issue. So he's obviously not fully engaged, but if I ask him to, he will engage, but in the meantime, he's working on some of his dreams, and I am very excited to see that he's been giving that a lot of thought and now decided to move on; I'm keeping a close eye on him because he has some great ideas which I know are going to be the next big thing.” -- Kaz Hirai. Kikizo Archives, 2007. http://archive.videogamesda...
Kaz did a “fantastic job” making the PS3 a success partly because Ken was in his ear, and partly because Ken had done a number of things prior to retiring (to include the acquisition of SN Systems to improve PS3 software development and the handing over of 2-years’ worth of PS3 designs to reduce costs) which made Kaz’s job a whole lot easier.
Explain to me what the ps3 misstep was, releasing a year after the 360 in NA and 1 1/2 years in EU?
Because they seemed to come back from the 360's 8million lead/Headstart.
I think any misstep is a misconception.
Just look at ps4 and Xbox one, they started out even, now look at them.
"I think any misstep is a misconception. "
Of course it is. But this is the internet and reality and facts don't do well here. Ever "google" a question and Wikipedia is the top return? Yeah. No thanks.
If you look up Blade Runner 2049, you'd think the movie tanked. It profited $100 million. But again, this is the internet. Facts don't belong here.
Maybe some saw it as a misstep cause it didn't sell over a 100 Million+ like the PS1 and PS2 I mean if we look at from a software perspective Game Of The Year became a thing in 2003 PS2 for how mighty and impressive it was had no Overall Goty winners, PS3 had 2 Overall Goty winners both of them being from Naughty Dog, Uncharted 2 and The Last Of US with nearly 500 in combined Goty awards. in a era where Exclusive games never win Goty this happened on the PS3 not once but twice and only recently in 2017 a Nintendo first party game won Overall Goty for the first time.
Furthermore Tlou was the record holder for Goty until Witcher 3 dethroned it in 2015. The PS4 is a beast and already has 1 overall Goty winner which won 165 goty awards, whatever so called misstep the PS3 was it sure elevated Sony to higher status both in software and hardware and Naughty Dogs struggles and battles with the PS3 hardware made them what they are today.
@thorstein Because it did tank. It grossed more than the production budget but that doesn't include marketing. It would've needed nearly $400 million to make a profit.
People like to use the starting price point as a reason to bash the PS3, it was largely blown out of proportion but when theres little else to attack it for you go after the easiest target.
The PS3 misstep was going from having 75% market share to around 30%. Sony sold just over half as many PS3’s as they did PS2’s. Xbox went from having 25 million to 80 million consoles sold and Nintendo went from 25 to over 110 million. While competitors grew, Sony lost quite a bit.
PS4 has sold very well, selling close to 80 million in half the time it took PS3. Xbox One sales have been pacing just under Xbox 360. WiiU did poorly for Nintendo, but Switch is breaking records.
@Death
The XB1 has already been pacing behind the 360 since the beginning of 2017.
I think they made some business missteps, mostly by releasing a console at a substantial loss which caused a lot of lost profitability.
As far as the misstep on the consumer side though, that's not really so. That was just fan boy nonsense propelled by a sudden influx of Xbox owners, fueled by a new media style that was more tabloid than actual journalism.
It would have been a misstep had they released a console that no one wanted, but I'd say considering how the PS3 sold both initially, and through the generation, that people wanted the system. They lost market share, but that was more because of how Xbox 360 entered the market, and sustained good momentum throughout the generation.
@Dire,
That's not how it works. 100 million in profit is 100 million in profit. The production budget was 150 million. That includes marketing. Whoever told you that the production budget doesn't include marketing is lying to you.
The movie grossed 259 million in sales. The math is easy here. I said profit of 100 million but if you prefer, it was actually 109 million.
That isn't tanking.
I wouldn't call the PS3 launch a big failure, because it paid off in the end, even if it was rough early on.
The launch was in terrible and forced Sony to revamp the PS3 early on and remove features. By the end of its lifecycle it was a success but still nowhere near as successful as the PS2.
The electronics maker's books are in order, but the president says it is only halfway home.
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i m fing hope NOT ...i want my PS4 to live at least another 5 years with continuous exclusive games on it
Well to keep a lot of people happy. I hope the PS5 will be fully BC for PS4 games.
Naruga look how long Sony support their shizzle, ps3 only lost support a few months ago.
Don't be afraid if a ps5 comes out, its not Ms we talking about who dropped support and make statements like 'buy an x box one'
2020 seems realistic to me at the latest, maybe 2019 if any sooner but either a PS5 or Xbox 4 should be out by 2020 imo. Maybe both.
Pro/Scorpio will let them last longer than basic models should but not as long as last gen lasted.
Nope it will not be shorter, ps3 released ~2007, new consoles at the end of 2013, a year later old consoles were already dead or dying counting new releases, so it is 7-8 years, ps4 if shorter will be at minimum 6 years and if they go the hardware upgrade path without changing architecture or software and thus providing BC for the newest console back to all ps4 titles then it can probably live even longer.
If you love speculation, rumor and here say, if you love wasting 3 minutes of your time reading articles with a lack of facts, then by all means, click on the article to eat that *air donut*.
PS5 will come when it's time to move on from the PS4 platform. But PS4 is doing so well, don't expect the next console for at least 2-3 years at the earliest. But it will be based on what developers want and need to make better games than just power.
Is there any new information gathered from this article? Did Kaz talk directly about PS5? Disagree, but you won't find anything useful in this article.
I could speculate better than what you'll find in it.
@Apocalypse Shadow
Its a fear... The most direct competitor is going to reveal a more powerful console and it bothers them...
I got a PS4PRO, and its a more than capable console. Sony just needs to exploit the Pro's capabilities on a system wide level, and not a game to game bases..
Boost Mode should be a system wide solution that greatly benefits every aspect, of every game going forward...
It's definitely misinformation based on an unconfirmed source from an unknown site. There is no doubt Sony is working on a PS5 and possibly PSVR2, but talking about it now would tank sales of PS4. If Scorpio has a positive impact on Xbox sales we might see some talk about a stronger PlayStation but I don't expect to see anything like this until late 2018 with a possible 2019 release. 2020 would be an even better date since it would be the 25 anniversary of PlayStation globally.
2019 would be Playstation's anniversary, since the PS originally came out in 1994. If the PS5 comes out in 2019 I hope it has backward compatibility for all PS1, PS2, PS3, and PS4 titles to celebrate it. :D
@Apocalypse: I must applaud you for actually saying there was nothing there. These guys got so fired up for PS5, that if I had mentioned that there was nothing in the article, I would be trolling for spoiling the fun. But I appreciate your level headedness with all the wild speculation going on amound your pairs.
No problem. I appreciate it. What's funny is that the article title and the article changed, but still provides nothing new about PS5.
I wonder if they changed it after I called it an air donut?
Fall 2019 is Playstations 25th Anniversary and when PS5 will launch. Just like The Last Of Us 2013 then PS4 Fall 2013, itll happen again The Last Of Us 2 2019 then PS5 Fall 2019. I really believe Sony is switching to 3 year hardware refresh cycles, that way technology isnt heldback and evolution will continue. Sonys strategy going forward of a Next Gen Playstation and a Pro version 3 years after and then resetting to Next Gen after 6 years total will be awesome.
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During Sony's Press Conference from CES in Las Vegas, Chief Executive Officer Kazuo Hirai talked about the PlayStation business.
This year is going to be very big. Just in January 20 the PS4 season starts and after that is Horizon... The momentum will be even stronger this year with GT sport and many more games... Damn! This is tge right year to get a PS4. No excuses people.
I agree....I could also say the same with last year...uncharted 4...ratchet and clank ..tlg..are all worth a purchase.
All three games you mentioned can be played a long time after they are out, which means just having them in your roster is a huge bonus for anyone looking to buy a ps4.
You're forgetting kh 2.8 and Yakuza 0 on the 24th after Gravity rush. The exclusives are rush out the gate this year.
He's trying to sell a product for his company....
What isn't to be expected?
At least he's not calling 2017 "the year of PlayStation"
"He's trying to sell a product for his company"
I'm glad we can understand this now.
You know what, Septic? He's succeeding too! Just look at all the happy gamers! Good innit?! ;^D
At least Kaz doesn't spew out a tweet a day just to keep his name in the headlines.
"our ambitions for VR aren’t limited just to gaming"
First focus on getting the VR games right.
Replies(3)@Septic. Psvr has been out less than 3 months and already has over 60 titles available. Some of those have been rated really well. Its had more new ip's in 3 months than xbone has in 3 years, higher rated as well. The games will come as psvr is proving very popular, still sold out on Amazon and Game. There are some excellent looking AAA's due soon, namely Resident Evil and Ace Combat, also Farpoint looks superb.
Maybe you should relax and show a little patience, its still early days. Like any new tech, it usually takes a little while to get to grips with.
The potential is huge.
"Maybe you should relax and show a little patience, its still early days. "
Where in my post did I say that they need to come out with VR games right now? I simply said focus on the VR games first.
I agree the potential is huge. I have always said that. I don't know why you got the impression that I thought to the contrary.
No offence, its just your comment is easily misconstrued. Its like you are implying that the current games available aren't any good even though some of them are excellent. I'm sure that the focus on getting the games right is well underway. But ultimately vr is more than just about games.
I'm not implying that. I haven't tried any form of VR gaming as of yet but PSVR is what I'm most excited about.
I'm not suggesting that Sony can't do more than games for VR. IN fact other applications could be great for it. Just saying their primary focus should be games first.
@Septic "I haven't tried any form VR gaming as of yet"
Then your opinion is invalid. You can't say Sony has to get VR gaming right when you haven't even tried VR at all.
Septic is right, they need to focus and quality gaming experiences first and foremost.
I support vr and I want to see it succeed, and I am also aware that us early adopters generally have to be patient and wait for the software support.
These mf has only just started? O_O Well im glad, I dont want a short console cycle with new generations every 4 years. maybe it at least 6.
imagine if new consoles came out every year like a smartphone. Wouldnt tap into the full power of a system, plus ya coulda waited for all those games in development for 3+ years to even come out, plus during the wait till next gen you have 3x better the hardware you woulda had years back
plus dem sony exclusives.... *drools*
He appreciates the memes, trust me Kaz there will be more to come =D.
He's So relaxed,chilled and confident.You should have gotten him a beer :D.
sounds like sony's got a google glass type device in the works
KAZ bring back AIBO
Yo Kaz, how do you feel about the memes on the net about you?
"I think that uhh, especially with the PlayStation business uhh, i use to get that a lot as well uhh even when i was running PlayStation in the US"
LOL, Last Gen was Ruff for Kaz but he pulled through.