In an interview with Playstation magazine, Sony Computer Entertainment America boss Kaz Hirai has accused Microsoft of copying his company's every console move.
As the next-generation war heats up the two competitors are revving up in anticipation of the fight and it seems that Sony has the most to gain from disrupting the status quo as Microsoft is doing adequately well as far as XBox 360 sales are concerned. Facing the public's disappointment at the announced PS3 prices and with hints that games for Sony's console may retail for as much as USD 70-80, some steam had to be let loose.
In his interview Kaz Hirai claims, Every time we go down a path, we look behind and they're right there (Microsoft) - we just can't shake these guys. I wish that they would come up with some strategies of their own, but they seem to be going down the path of everything we do. If you look at their strategy in other business areas as well, they tend to do that...
The comments cannot be understood in any context other than the console wars as Sony was not the creator of console gaming and in fact, followed another company's strategy into the business. Online gameplay is another feature which the Japanese consumer electronics giant has pretty much blueprinted on Xbox Live. Microsoft has also borrowed Sony ideas such as the EyeToy but then again most of us know that originality in this industry is a rare vice and one which can prove costly.
Readers have to remember that these comments are purely business decisions and that in other areas the two companies, MS and Sony, seem to be cooperating fairly well. Sony is, after all, bundling its Vaio's with Windows XP.
Mr. Hirai did not stop at that however and also attacked Microsoft on its choice to offer an add-on HD-DVD drive for X360. It seems that Kaz believes that gamers should not have a choice on which format to use but rather that they should pick consoles based on the DVD format they support. And the other thing is, you take a look at, for example, the fact that we incorporate the Blu-ray drive from day one. You're not going to be asking me, 'So, talk to me about this Blu-ray add-on that you have. Does it work for games? Is it just for movies?' That's exactly the kind of pitfall you fall into if you launch something that's too early, too premature, he said. It is, of course, obvious that Sony's decision to include Blu-Ray on PS3 was not made with gaming in mind but was meant as a way of capitalizing on the Playstation name to infiltrate a large number of consumer households with the device.
As the DVD format wars flare up be prepared for a lot more mumbling from both sides, try to pay them no mind and keep making your console purchasing decisions based on the games you like and the value for money they offer you.
