Sony Responds to Merrill Lynch Report
- Thread starter Gholbine
- Start date
McFly said:
Conjecture.
Regardless, this has nothing to do with HDMI so even if AACS is ready today, the HDMI issue still needs to be resolved for PS3 to launch. The PS3 "delay" is due to those factors not just AACS if indeed it's even true. In fact Toshiba is releasing HD DVD players end of March despite the AACS issue.
Last edited by a moderator:
NANOTEC said:Conjecture.
Regardless, this has nothing to do with HDMI so even if AACS is ready today, the HDMI issue still needs to be resolved for PS3 to launch. The PS3 "delay" is due to those factors not just AACS if indeed it's even true. In fact Toshiba is releasing HD DVD players end of March despite the AACS issue.
I don't believe that's true; I think that AACS resolution is paramount for their launch plans to continue. Afterall, AACS supposedly has been responsible for their not launching last year in December, so why would they suddenly decide now to go rogue? That said I believe the AACS in the last couple of days issued an interim spec and license, so Toshiba should be good to go for March.
But I certainly believe the AACS spec would play into PS3's release, as would Kutaragi's previous stated goal for 16-bit HDMI and who knows what other IO junx. Not saying that I think these are the likely sole determiners, but at the same time I think they are certainly in the running for plausible delay factors.
That's an issue with Merryl Lynch. Sony's under no obligation to release those details AFAIK, certainly not publically.nelg said:
TOKYO (Reuters) - Sony Corp. said on Monday it still aims to launch its next-generation PlayStation 3 video game console this spring, but it could be delayed if industry specifications for some of its technology are not finalised soon.
The launch of Playstation 3 (PS3) has been the subject of heavy speculation in the industry as expectations are high for the powerful machine, which will feature cutting-edge technology in its DVD, processors and graphics.
PS3 will be competing with Microsoft Corp.'s Xbox 360, which went on sale last November, and Nintendo Co. Ltd.'s Revolution, which is expected later this year.
"We're aiming for spring, but we haven't announced specific regions," a spokeswoman for Sony Computer Entertainment said, adding that it was waiting for the final specifications on some of the technology it is using in the PS3, such as that related to the Blu-ray drive and to input and output video and sound.
The specifications are decided by industry consortiums.
"We're waiting for them until the last possible minute, but the launch could be pushed back if they're not decided soon," the spokeswoman said. If the PS3 is not ready in time, the company will choose the next best timing for the launch, she said.
------
The rest:
http://today.reuters.co.uk/news/New...157501_RTRIDST_0_TECH-SONY-PLAYSTATION-DC.XML
The launch of Playstation 3 (PS3) has been the subject of heavy speculation in the industry as expectations are high for the powerful machine, which will feature cutting-edge technology in its DVD, processors and graphics.
PS3 will be competing with Microsoft Corp.'s Xbox 360, which went on sale last November, and Nintendo Co. Ltd.'s Revolution, which is expected later this year.
"We're aiming for spring, but we haven't announced specific regions," a spokeswoman for Sony Computer Entertainment said, adding that it was waiting for the final specifications on some of the technology it is using in the PS3, such as that related to the Blu-ray drive and to input and output video and sound.
The specifications are decided by industry consortiums.
"We're waiting for them until the last possible minute, but the launch could be pushed back if they're not decided soon," the spokeswoman said. If the PS3 is not ready in time, the company will choose the next best timing for the launch, she said.
------
The rest:
http://today.reuters.co.uk/news/New...157501_RTRIDST_0_TECH-SONY-PLAYSTATION-DC.XML
Shifty Geezer said:On an off-topic but important point, I have to pull up the use of the phrase 'I could care less' on this board. It's been bothering me for a while, though I didn't say anything because it's rather mute. But use seems to be increasing. The phrase is 'I couldn't care less', not 'I could care less'.
'I couldn't care less' means your interest is non-existent. 'It is not possible for me to care any less about this subject than I currently do.'
'I could care less' means you have some interest by which it is possible for you to care less, but it doesn't quantify your interest. It doesn't say 'I'm quite interested', 'very interested', 'slightly interested'. It could be any of those things. 'I could care less' is thus pretty meaningless, and the use of the term by people meaning to say they don't care has got to stop or I'll go spare!
Stay tuned for next week's lesson, "for all intents (intense, intensive) and purposes".
Shifty Geezer said:
No youre right, however if they felt the mis-information was damaging to the stock price and/or their shareholders its in their best interest to set the record straight.
Last edited by a moderator:
expletive said:
It'll be interesting to see how that plays out. At a 'normal' company I agree that a move in that direction could be expected, but at Sony where it seems Kutaragi has a 'grand scheme' for how he wants PS3 information to leak, I think Sony stock could go to Pink Sheets and Kutaragi would still hold strong. What'll be interesting to see is if Stringer thinks the stock drop is of big enough concern to ask Kutaragi to reveal something. Honestly I'm almost surprised that Sony commented directly on this analyst report as it is.
xbdestroya said:
AFAIK, the report hasnt done anything to the stock price yet so we're just speculating. However, if it were to have an actual affect on stock price i think Sony would absolutely respond to it. In the end, the health of the entire comapny and its its obligation to its shareholders is #1, not protecting what mind games KK may or may not be playing with regards to 'perceived value'.
Shareholders want their financial interests protected and would probably feel that early consumer perceptions on value would be fleeting, at best. If the product is good and priced apprpriately it wont matter in the long run - when its really important (i.e. when it hits $149 and a majority of the units are sold).
Of course we're not even close to any of these things happening ATM.
xbdestroya said:
It's kind of funny..there are STILL fresh articles popping up on the web about the Merrill Lynch report without mention of Sony's response to it.
I'd love to think this type of coverage would further prompt Sony into an impromptu progress report on PS3 or the like, but I have my doubts..
expletive - the stock price fall is being widely attributed to the merrill lynch report, rightly or wrongly. Like one analyst said, a lot of investors seem to think PS3 is Sony's only revenue source (when in actual fact it's launch will ultimately cost Sony's bottom line in the short term)
Last edited by a moderator:
Just gotta keep in mind that "spring" can be anywhere from the end of March to the end of June, so... They can have an E3 blowout followed by even a short delay in getting SOME kind of launch in Japan and still fall under "spring" parameters. (Personally, I think it'd be interesting for them to come out of nowhere with a huge E3 showing and announce "available after E3" in Japan. Can you imagine the shitstorm that would erupt? )
I'd have rather Sony uttered something snarky at ML's estimates (even though they "do not comment on price") instead of saying the same thing again. Heh...
)I'd have rather Sony uttered something snarky at ML's estimates (even though they "do not comment on price") instead of saying the same thing again. Heh...
expletive said:
Well, as Titanio mentioned in fact the ML report is already attributed with shaving a little under 5% off of Sony's share price, as of close of trading today. Afterall Sony trades on an exchange where today is not a holiday. But at the same time I think that Japanese companies in general are not as concerned about the 'short-term' shareholder equity that companies in the US are prone to worry about. I do view that American tendency as a net negative btw, much as I do our political focus on short-term 'results' - due to the election cycle - at the expense of long-term strategic thinking/positioning.
Now, granted Japan has their own set of corporate problems, but I'm just saying I wouldn't be surprised if Kutaragi was given free hand to handle this thing - even if it means not handling it. Afterall if the price dips on launch date speculation, we can be sure that it'll climb if refuted a couple of months down the line.
Truthfully, Sony themselves doesn't know when they're going to launch it at this point, save that they are aiming for Spring, and in that sense it's ML's already been refuted.
Of course, knowing the market, no matter what short-term downturn Sony's stock is experiencing right now because that ML's announcement, if it's way off and Sony "surprises everyone" because of it, their long-term upswing will more than make up for it.
And it will allow them (and others, especially Merrill Lynch--which is one reason I smacked myself at the beginning of that post) to take full advantage of the situation, ultimately being even more to their benefit.
And it will allow them (and others, especially Merrill Lynch--which is one reason I smacked myself at the beginning of that post) to take full advantage of the situation, ultimately being even more to their benefit.
cthellis42 said:
/conspirator
I think ML works for Sony. Look at the bigger picture, the long-term...
/END conspirator
Hehe. No, I just don't think they're above letting loosely-held cost projections slip about a seriously high-profile device so they can reap the benefits of the exaggerated price swayings.
Just think of it as playing a pre-release game on the PS3. Heh...
Just think of it as playing a pre-release game on the PS3. Heh...
mckmas8808
Legend
london-boy said:
Yeah I know that, I meant that Sony themselves have not publicly said say yet themselves. I was responding to a post to someone that said Sony did make a statement about the PS3 coming out in Japan first.
Shifty Geezer said:
Sony is under obligation to make available to its investors material financial information. Yes, this is a grey area, so it could be argued either way. What muddles the issue though is that this is not a typical product. The very nature of consoles, whereas the software subsidises the hardware for a period of time, makes the issue of cash flow and conservation related. Furthermore is the issue of Blu-Ray's success is also tied into the PS3. Sony has a lot more riding on the PS3 than is typical in the CE business.
I would argue that someone like Eliot Spitzer could make a compelling case that such estimates should be made available or if incorrect information was disseminated that a response would be warranted.
