Sony's Perceived Idiocy.

[TedShatner10]

It seems that Sony in recent years has built up a reputation of not being very nice nor very bright, even by corporate standards, with them spectacularly shooting themselves in their collective foots over copyright protection, not really caring about the consumers, and lacking common business sense.

They alienated the gaming community by shutting down the somewhat dubious (yet hugely popular) Lik-Sang business, they pissed millions of loyal consumers off with their defective rootkit programs on CDs or DVDs (screwing over people into downloading music anyway), pulled off marketing blunders too numerous to list here (pissing off the Church of England in one case), kinda of ruined the PS3 by using it to pimp their BluRay gimmick (the tallest dwarf in comparison to HD-DVD), the PSP is pretty so-so as a portable games console, and then they are too miserly to publish classic TV shows on DVD (another way of encouraging the very piracy they're clumsily clamping down on).

What happened? Did their blinding success in the 80s, 90s and early 00s made them overweeningly arrogant? The company got too big to manage properly, with too many branches and subsidiaries competing against each other without strong leadership pulling them back and giving them a coherent game plan?

 

[Evil_Kirkneivel]

While we're Sony bashing...just personally, they've gone down in my estimation in regard to their cameras and DVD players. At one time, they were considered one of the highest quality companies (I remember some skits on SNL with a dodgy clerk trying to sell some other manufacturer's unit by claiming it had "...Sony guts, Sony guts..."), but after buying a number of their cameras and DVD players and watching them malfunction and/or die, I swore never to buy any of their products again.

I wouldn't be the only one who made that decision.

 

[Rii]

"One of Sony's fundamental weaknesses is that there's one element of the company that thinks we're a hardware company and one element that thinks we're a software company and sometimes the two don't meet." - Jack Tretton.

That said, most of the examples you cite are of questionable merit. Most of the so-called "gaming community" hasn't even heard of Lik Sang.

 

[Rincewiend]

pissing off the Church of England in one case

Resitance Fall Of Man?!?
Ehm, they had nothing to do with that...
Insomniac is AFAIK not owned by Sony...

and then they are too miserly to publish classic TV shows on DVD (another way of encouraging the very piracy they're clumsily clamping down on).

Probably copyright issues, especially when it comes to music...
And they aren't the only company who has that problem...

 

[Arrqh]

pissing off the Church of England in one case

Resitance Fall Of Man?!?
Ehm, they had nothing to do with that...
Insomniac is AFAIK not owned by Sony...

Resistance was published by Sony, so they were indeed involved in the "controversy."

 

[Gaius Baltar]

While i agree the PS3 had a disappointing launch Sony have continued to improve the system providing regular firmware updates to the system introducing new features such as divx video support and in game XMB. Also the lack of games is no longer such an issue with the release of exclusive titles such as metal gear solid and GT5 prologue along with the wide selection of cross platform titles such as GTA4 and COD4. Also Sony provides free online play unlike Microsoft. Sony build quality is still better than most of their competitors i mean compare the failure rate of the PS3 with Microsoft’s 360 failure rate due to the ring of death overheating problem.

Also the PSP has been outperforming the Nintendo DS Lite in the first part of this year due to the release of games such as god of war and final fantasy crisis core. Considering the monopoly Nintendo had on the handheld gaming market before the release of the PSP then it has to be seen has a success rather than a failure.

 

[Brolan]

Arrogance is what I would call it. They started to believe they were the kings of all the industries (film, electronics, gaming) they were in and they could do no wrong.

This was best displayed by their comments on the pricing of the PS3. Basicly saying gamers would buy it regardless of the price put on it. Well Nintendo schooled them hard in the art of setting a price point.

The wheels were falling off the PS3 wagon even at launch when most people waiting in line wanted to sell the unit on ebay, not play PS3 games. I haven't checked lately but PS3 sales were far behind the 360 and even further behind the Wii.

But in one regard the PS3 was successful. It helped Blu-ray win the format war. Makes you wonder what would have happened if Microsoft put HD-DVD in the 360?

 

[DontFeedPhil]

Broland...Microsoft DID put a HD DVD player for the 360. It was an addon but they were supporting it.

 

[Brolan]

Broland...Microsoft DID put a HD DVD player for the 360. It was an addon but they were supporting it.

I know about that unit. I was talking about making the main drive HD-DVD capable from the start.

 

[CommodoreKong]

Also the PSP has been outperforming the Nintendo DS Lite in the first part of this year due to the release of games such as god of war and final fantasy crisis core. Considering the monopoly Nintendo had on the handheld gaming market before the release of the PSP then it has to be seen has a success rather than a failure.

In Japan the hardware has been outselling the DS this year, but not in the US, where the only real competion the it has on the montly charts for the number 1 spot is the Wii.
Nintendo has moved twice as many DS units in Japan then Sony has moved PSPs, and with Chrono Trigger and Dragon Quest 9 coming to the DS Nintendo has absoultly nothing to worry about.

Plus, you almost never see PSP games actually selling well (I'm sure there are many reasons for this, but I believe a major reason is the ease of piracy, it almost seems to be a PC game like problem), while all kinds of DS games sell extreamly well (and on average DS games are going to have lower development costs) not only in the first month or two of release, but for many months.

I wouldn't call the PSP a success, but I wouldn't call it a failure either. It's somewhere inbetween.

 

[BigFoot]

Sony does have a different way when it comes to doing certain things. But I have to admit that I still most likely them (much more then Microsoft). But then, I absolutely love both my PS3 and my 46" Full HD Sony Bravia.

 

[dragunzng]

I don't care much about Sony's hardware (as long as it's reliable) but their software division (first party, second party) is dear to me. I appreciate the blend of sophistication, experimentation and polish they infuse in a lot of their titles, and they seem willing to try a lot of things with software neither Ninty nor MS are inclined to. MS has definitely shown some signs of growth in this area though, Braid and Alan Wake are, I think examples of this.

That said, Sony really did fumble at the start of this generation, it's pretty obvious the PS3 launched at least 2-3 years before they would have liked and their arrogance didn't help matters. Their fall actually helped them though, it's important for corporations to get a reminder every once in a while that they're still beholden to the consumer.

 

[MilitaryCoo]

Sony has, for a long time, produced overpriced rubbish with so many different proprietary connectors, non-standard accessories, and queer specifications* that they're beyond a joke.


*3.72 volts at 615mA? wtf is that?

 

[unimatrix7]

I don't care much about Sony's hardware (as long as it's reliable) but their software division (first party, second party) is dear to me. I appreciate the blend of sophistication, experimentation and polish they infuse in a lot of their titles, and they seem willing to try a lot of things with software neither Ninty nor MS are inclined to. MS has definitely shown some signs of growth in this area though, Braid and Alan Wake are, I think examples of this.

Yup. I'm of the opinion that Sony's first-party work is superior to anybody else's - except perhaps Sega's during their days as a platform holder.

 

[bigdaddy]

Sony makes shit products, always have but now people are finally starting to realize it.

 

[Outpost4]

^ Hardly. I used Sony Trinitron TVs for years. They were the best around from the mid '70s to the mid '90s. Like any company, they can make both great and terrible stuff. Mostly they have made pretty good equipment but occasionally, with things like Minidisc, boy, could they pull a boner and call it a flowering rose.

But it is their arrogance that has been their downfall. They are more self righteous than General Motors was in their heyday. They have taken some hits in the past few years and maybe a new corporate management style - an American now heads the company, very different for a Japanese firm - will get them to realise when their shit stinks, it really stinks.

 

[Rii]

Mostly they have made pretty good equipment but occasionally, with things like Minidisc, boy, could they pull a boner and call it a flowering rose.

MiniDisc was a flowering rose. It's hardly Sony's fault that Americans have no sense of smell.

 

[Jax]

Sony makes shit products, always have but now people are finally starting to realize it.

The PS1 & PS2 at the time of there release where top notch inventions so that statement is complete B/S...PS - I hate SONY now but still won't rag on them for a good past despite there fall into total evil in the present day.

 

[Outpost4]

Mostly they have made pretty good equipment but occasionally, with things like Minidisc, boy, could they pull a boner and call it a flowering rose.

MiniDisc was a flowering rose. It's hardly Sony's fault that Americans have no sense of smell.

It sounded like shit. About the only thing Sony did right with Minidisc was their success with it in the professional market. It was a great replacement for units that used cheap tape drives, like radio station cart machines.

 

[jeff lebowski]

Sony makes shit products, always have but now people are finally starting to realize it.

Well, if were talking videogaming....

Currently, I think the have the best library and the best hardware IMO. Their reliability thus far has been outstanding as well. I've really been impressed with the PS3 and the PSP.

I have never really been a big fan of their Home Theater stuff (except the PS3, which I consider one of the best Home Theater products ever made) but I do like their TV's. They're just a little on the pricey side vs comparable models.

I think they make pretty decent point-and-shoot cameras (I have a Cybershot myself) but I'd probably go elsewhere if your looking for something more serious.

I don't know. I don't see what the big deal is really. I guess I just haven't been traumatically affected by their "dishonest" practices.