Sony Nintendo Makes Babysitting Tools Xbox 360 Running On Steam

This time the Sony executive is dismissing Nintendo’s stranglehold on the handheld market and Microsoft’s continued success with console gamers by saying the companies produce “babysitting tools” or technology that is “starting to run on steam,” respectively.

Hot on the heels of a quotable conversation with FastCompany, where Tretton asserted that consumers know that new technology is expensive, the PlayStation chief is once again defending the company’s ten year console life-cycle - as well as poking fun at the competition.

Speaking with Fortune Magazine Tretton addressed the PS3’s slow start out of the gate, continuing to project that the console will win the race - in the long run:

Similarly, the PlayStation CEO asserts that the competition hasn’t done the same long-term planning and, as a result, their tech won’t be powerful (or accurate) enough to carry gamers into more immersive experiences going forward:

With many gamers turning to iPhone and Android devices for their handheld gaming, Tretton indicates that the success of the “Game Boy Experience” may be coming to an end (which certainly explains why Sony is focusing on packing the NGP with new technology and cutting edge graphics):

For the most part, you can’t argue with Tretton’s points (even if you are an Xbox gamer). The PlayStation 2, which launched in 2000, continues to sell a myriad of systems each year because the tech is still competent for less-serious gamers. The original Xbox, which launched in 2001, was discontinued in 2006 - with the final third-party game for the system releasing in 2008.

Microsoft may have snagged a lot of gamers by getting the Xbox 360 out the door a year earlier than the PS3 (and at a lower price-point) but it’s easy to forget that the companies are also operating out of a very different marketing approach - with different overarching goals. Sony would love to be the top dog in this market, but they’re managing a much larger hardware company where it’s not just about selling PlayStations - it’s also about PlayStations selling Sony-brand 3-D TVs and surround sound systems.

At face value, Sony’s 10 year life-cycle will, most likely, pay-off for them in the long-run. There’s little doubt the PS3 will show a large net profit by the time the system retires; however, that’s not to say that Microsoft and Nintendo aren’t succeeding with their own approaches.

Nintendo’s recent reliance on gimmicky gameplay experiences for casual audiences has continued their streak of dominating the industry for the last 25 years. Similarly, Microsoft’s focus on culling a robust online community with Xbox Live, no matter which console it’s running on, has made the manufacturer a go-to staple for online gaming.

Angry hardcore gamers who feel compelled to defend their console choice aside, it’s actually pretty interesting to see how each of the industry leaders have carved out their place in the modern market.

That said, as many long-time console players will remember, the industry is always in flux: Sega crashed and burned because of impressive (but overpriced) hardware - which helped rocket Sony’s PlayStation 2 into market dominance.

Source: Fortune Magazine