Sony's content platform and business strategy *spawn

I think the source for the info is that

 

Out of curiosity, I took a look at the PSN store to see what movies were out.

No big surprises, but by a crazy coincidence, the first 15 movies in the 'What's New' list all happened to have been produced by Sony Pictures!

What are the odds?

(Way to work that mighty synergy, Sony!)

 

Huh? There's no "What's New" option anywhere.


When I click on Movies -> Featured, I get:

Most prominent banner is Taken 2 (Fox)
Second ad placement is Frankenweenie (Disney)
Third one is Paranormal Activity 4 (Paramount)

I look at Movies -> New Arrivals, I see in this order, on the first page:

Paranormal Activity 4
The Posession
Taken 2
Dredd
Frankenweenie
House at the end of the Street
Loopers
Resident Evil
Ice Age: Continental Drift
Trouble with the Curve
The Dark Knight Rises
The Dark Knight Rises plus Bonuses

 

Sony Music is more interesting after the EMI buyout.

 

Actually a little bit 'really' ... piracy for instance is really engrained into Dutch society for some reason, and it has traditionally happened here a lot more than in many other countries. I guess it's a combination of factors.

 

Well, looks like Sony's troubles are continuing. They are now selling their NYC headquarter building and then leasing it from the new owners, similar to Nokia.

It'll be interesting to see just how their console strategy will be impacted by the ongoing financial struggles that the company has as a whole.

IMO - this makes it more likely they'll try to monetize PSN more in the future (PSN+ required for online multiplayer like Xbox Live Gold for PS4 perhaps) as well as it being more likely that they won't take any expensive risks with the hardware used in the PS4.

But at least the potentially good news for Sony is that they are predicting a small profit for their FY2012 which ends on 03/31/2013. Hopefully that small profit isn't there just because of the sale of the NYC headquarter building.

Regards,
SB

 

I don't know that I equate it to troubles per se, though it is indicative of a fall from previous strength. From a recent contextual standpoint though, I think it makes sense for them to do. On the one hand, the yen has been weakening against the dollar in an appreciable way lately, which allows them to actually garner more from this sale than is even indicated here. Secondly, it gives them future flexibility to downsize area office space or move to New Jersey or something.

I'd like to think of it as similar to the closing of the Playstation HQ in Akihabara, and more of a 'trimming the fat' than a withering away. CES gave me some confidence that Sony may have some long-term fight and vision in them yet.

 

No, it's the opposite. They are restructuring, and their stock is up 30% since december, that means the investors are happy with the restructuring.

The stock is up 12% in a single day for god's sake, the day they announced the headquarter's building. How's that not an indication that they are restructuring correctly?

 

Well, the stock has been up most on the yen movement, rather than any other one thing. The weakening yen is a godsend for the entire Japanese export economy; look at the entire Nikkei over recent weeks to see that it's not specific to any one company per se. That said, it should be particularly helpful to Sony.

 

Good point. Still the biggest winner of the day on the Nikkei-225 I think, probably because they're very dependent on exports.

 

There's no question that the HQ sale is being viewed positively as well in isolation though, absolutely.

 

I can only imagine how much they were paying just in TAXES for that 1.1 billion HQ... in Manhattan

 

I see it as a good news to sell off the building since they made good profit out of it, and will need to invest more in their core businesses.

As for monetizing PSN, they have been experimenting. Coming next gen, I expect basic online gaming to be free, but for a premium PS+ package, throw in better community services. Since PS4 will reserve most of its RAM for gaming, they can do a server-based community service out of their Gaikai investment. So no matter what you run, the memory footprint should be relatively constant.

Heck, I waited what ? 7 years ? for something to match the original Resistance dedicated server setup and got squat. it's rather depressing on hindsight.

 

Pay for online, can't play used games.

Sony does not need to alienate the consumers.

Like they did around the time of the PS3 launch.

 

I doubt they can make us pay for basic online gaming. PS Mobile doesn't, and it needs to run "everywhere". The casuals and semi-core gamers won't pay for it.

"Can't play used game" is already here on Vita and PS3 in the form of digital PSN games.
If they want to make the policy universal for digital and retail games, I suspect they need to adjust the price and business model to push the concept through. e.g., Pay one price and play it on multiple Playstation types, or lower the game price, or subscription-based, etc.

 

Yeah you think Sony and the publishers are going to lower the sales price?

Vita sales are dying because people don't want to pay $50 for a portable game and they won't lower the price (lowering the price of the hardware will help some but not enough).

There are enough diversions of your time, including games, for very cheap or free. Console games can carve out a niche and offer an experience for the big screen. But every time a tablet or smart phone gets sold, that's a potential customer who decides his mobile devices are "good enough" as an entertainment medium, including for games.

 

You kinda answered your own question though. ^_^
They will need to adjust or lose revenue for "no used games"... assuming that's what the sales data says.

If enough people support the system, then it's another story.

 

The Vita is currently sold to people who do not think diverting your time is fun enough. Also, I have a smart phone and a Vita.

 

Guys you see this?

Ps3 surpass X360
http://vr-zone.com/articles/playstation-3-finally-exceeds-xbox-360-in-unit-sales/18687.html

77 millions ps3 and 76 millions x360.

 

Older-ish news.

I think some were waiting for official numbers as the XB360 had a gangbuster sales in the US, well over 2x that of the PS3 to the tune of over 1.4 million to Sony's 700K for December.