Results 1 to 6 of 6
  1. #1
    Administrator DIEHARD's Avatar
    Join Date
    Sep 2005
    Location
    Brisbane / HK
    Posts
    39,139

    Default Wii success forces Sony to sell off PS3 chip

    Wii success forces Sony to sell off PS3 chip

    SONY Corp has agreed to sell its production facilities for the powerful computer chip at the heart of its struggling PlayStation 3 game console to rival Toshiba Corp.

    The deal, reportedly worth over $US1 billion ($1.12 billion), is part of Sony's efforts to refocus on its core electronics business and staunch losses from the PS3 in the face of fierce competition from Nintendo's Wii.

    The two companies will set up a joint venture to produce high-performance semiconductors under the basic deal, which they hope to finalise by next March.

    No price tag was revealed although the Nikkei business daily reported earlier that the total deal was worth an estimated ?130 billion ($1.24 billion).

    ?We haven't confirmed the precise asset value,? said Sony spokesman Chisato Kitsukawa.

    Under its first foreign boss Howard Stringer, Sony is seeking to shed non-core assets and revive its mainstay electronics business, concentrating on products such as flat-panel televisions and digital cameras which are selling well.

    The electronics giant invested heavily in developing the ?Cell? microprocessor - the brains inside the PS3.

    But it is struggling to make a profit from the console in the face of fierce competition from Nintendo, with Sony's game unit deep in the red.

    Although the company will remain involved in the development of the Cell, it decided to sell the production lines to Toshiba to avoid further heavy investment that analysts say is needed to reduce the production costs.

    ?The problem for the PlayStation 3 is that the production cost is too high,? Tatsuya Mizuno, an analyst at Fitch Ratings, said.

    ?It is difficult to maintain a high price because of the competition.

    "That means it is difficult for them to get an adequate return on their investment.?

    Sony refuses to say exactly how much it has spent on the PS3 but admits that it will initially lose money on each console after spending hundreds of millions of dollars on new technologies such as the Cell processor.

    For Toshiba, which is enjoying soaring profits on the back of strong sales of memory chips used in music players such as Apple's iPod, the deal means that it will expand its semiconductor business and secure orders of chips for the PS3.

    Toshiba, along with IBM, helped to develop the Cell processor, which Sony says is 40 times faster than the chip that runs the PlayStation 2.

    But elsewhere Sony and Toshiba are arch-rivals, waging a fierce war to set the industry standard in high-definition DVD.

    Sony will also sell Toshiba its operations for the RSX graphic processor used in the PS3.

    With sales of the console struggling, Sony needs to reduce losses from the game division to a manageable level, said Osamu Hirose, analyst at Tokai Tokyo Research Centre.

    ?In this context, the spin-off of the chip business, which requires continued and heavy investment, is positive for Sony,? he said.

    Earlier this month, Sony cut the price of the PS3 in Japan and Europe as it tries to catch up with Nintendo, a move that analysts said would make it harder for Sony to turn a profit from the console.

    http://www.news.com.au
    PUT EM TO THE SWORD! SHOW SOME STEEL!

    Moejoe: "REMEMBER!!!! SLIP - SLOP - SLAP in the sun. Skin Cancer is a growing problem. It could happen to anyone!!"
    TITANS, DIEHARDS, WARRINGTON WOLVES, MAROONS, KANGAROOS, HONG KONG THUNDER

  2. #2
    Coach Steve's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2006
    Location
    Brisbane
    Posts
    3,844

    Default

    Even with price cuts, the PS3 is hell expensive. With the xbox 360 core package now cheaper than a Wii, I think the PS3 will have trouble competing. Apparently they're still putting out PS2 games, which is great, but means people don't have to go buy their new console.

  3. #3
    QLD Cup Titan travop's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 2006
    Location
    VIVA BRISVEGAS
    Posts
    745

    Default

    hhahah sony had the last postion in this race for the next gen
    they were the last to start and the most expensive with hardly any release games
    GOLD COAST TITANS 08 "THATS MY TEAM"

  4. #4
    Coach Coaster's Avatar
    Join Date
    Sep 2005
    Location
    Gold Coast Parkwood
    Posts
    4,705

    Default

    I might think of getting a PS3, when the White console comes out, half the size would be a good option also, my misses wont let me get a 1000 dollar black suitcase, to put in the lounge room:hissyfit"
    Quote Originally Posted by Titus View Post
    When I am unable to respect and accept the decisions that are being made that directly affect my team, then I must take a backwards step.

  5. #5
    Junior Titan aspher's Avatar
    Join Date
    Sep 2006
    Posts
    358

    Default

    Sony is in trouble. Before the PS3 there was talking of Sony going under if the PS3 and Blu-ray underperformed. At the moment it is underperforming. The reduced price could help them, but it has also cut back the console I believe. I don't think it has backward compatibility.

  6. #6
    QLD Cup Titan Steel Dragon's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2005
    Location
    Moorooka, Brisbane, QLD
    Posts
    528

    Default

    How they ever thought a $1000 console could compete with a $600 console that is a close match in the fancy graphics stakes and a $400 console that flogs it in the gameplay stakes (ooooh, six axis controller... wow, how innovative...), just by including Blu-Ray (does anyone actually give a toss about Blu-Ray?), is beyond me.

    On a related topic, DVD's succeeded becuase they absolutely whopped VHS in quality and longevity, were more portable, and they followed on from the success of the CD. Blu-Ray is just a prettied-up DVD. Very little to encourage the average mug to trade in their DVD collection, especially since they've only just finished replacing their VHS collection with DVDs, and the fact DVDs are getting so damn cheap.

    Jason
    Go the Steelers, Dragons, Titans, West Coast Eagles, Swannies, Sydney FC, Man United, Wollongong Hawks, Blues (league and cricket) , Waratahs, Sydney Flames, Sydney Swifts, HRT, MacLaren, and whoever's playing the All Blacks or England!

    R.I.P. Brocky




Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •  

ABOUT US

    Established in 2005 as the Gold Coast Titans official Chat Forum, we are now known as the League of Titans Independent Website. A place for fans of the Gold Coast Titans to come and touch base with other diehard fans.

QUICK LINKS

FOLLOW US ON

League of Titans designed and cutomised by Matt Glew