KEN KUTARAGI OFFICIALLY STEPS DOWN AT SONY

As reported in a previous article, yesterday was Ken “Father of the PlayStation” Kutaragi’s last day as CEO and Chairman of Sony Computer Entertainment. While Kutaragi will be staying on as a “special advisor” to the company, the responsibility for SCE’s performance now fully falls to Kutaragi’s successor Kaz Hirai.

Good luck Kaz, you’re going to need it.

• Sony’s Ken Kutaragi Retires – nylatenite.com

SONY’S KEN KUTARAGI RETIRES

Ken Kutaragi, the man known as “The Father of the PlayStation” has announced that he will be stepping down as CEO and Chairman of Sony Computer Entertainment on June 19th and retiring. As you may remember, Sony performed some corporate shuffling a few months back in which Kutaragi was moved away from the day to day operations of the PlayStation division, a move many suspected was due to the poor retail performance of the PlayStation 3. Today’s announcement begs the question of whether Kutaragi was forced out of the company, grew discontented with his new role at Sony or, as the official press release states, actually plans on pursuing other interests besides the PlayStation brand. Officially, Kutaragi will continue working with Sony as both honorary chairman of Sony Computer Entertainment International and as a special advisor to the company.

Kaz Hirai, Sony’s current President and COO of Sony Computer Entertainment, has been appointed as Kutaragi’s successor. Whether this move indicates that Sony needs Hirai to move the division further towards profitability as he’s considered more of a businessman and less of a visionary – unlike Kutaragi, or if Hirai is also slowly being moved towards the door as well, is anyone’s guess. Check out the below links for more on this story.

• SCEI and Sony announce Executive Management Transition – Official press release
• Ken Kutaragi Steps Down at PlayStation – Kotaku
• Ken Kutaragi retires – Gamespot
• Analysts Weigh In on Kutaragi’s Departure – GameDailyBiz
• Sony CEO Kutaragi To Step Down – Gamasutra

EARTH TO KUTARAGI: JUST SHUT UP ALREADY

In his latest attempts to remove any shred of sanity the Sony public relations department has left, SCE President Ken Kutaragi took the company line that the Playstation 3 is a computer one step further. GamerNode is reporting that in another interview with Japanese newspaper Nikkei BP Kutaragi expanded his thoughts on the subject and raised the spectre of required upgrades;

“As the PlayStation 3 is a computer, we might even offer it on a built-to-order basis, customized to the needs of each and every user,” the hardware components have been designed in a modularized format with this possibility in mind.”– Ken “Nutty as a Snickers Bar” Kutaragi

Now don’t get me wrong, but even after you consider the fact that most people who would be interested in the Playstation 3 have a computer already, there are still other major flaws in this line of thinking. The most glaring one is the fact that most people who play consoles will tell you that the one feature consoles have that PC’s can never beat is that a game console never requires you to upgrade it to play the latest releases. Needless to say, the idea of a fully upgradeable Playstation 3 is going to rankle a few, even if Kutaragi is just talking out of his ass. Hopefully all this talk is just to bolster Sony’s claim that the PS3 is really a computer, thereby allowing them to avoid paying certain entertainment taxes in Europe.

You know, the sad part is that I was originally interested in the Playstation 3. I wasn’t sure if I’d buy one due to the price, but they at least had my attention. Now, every time Kutaragi opens his mouth I find my desire to own a PS3 diminished just a bit more. You can check out the GamerNode article here.

The Sony Playstation 3 – It’s a Blu-Ray player, it’s a personal computer and it’s a home entertainment center. Too bad it isn’t a game console, I really like those.

YOU WILL WORK MORE HOURS TO AFFORD PLAYSTATION 3

Or at least Ken Kutaragi thinks you will. In a Fortune magazine article up at CNN Money about how Sony may be betting the farm on the Playstation 3‘s success, Kutaragi is quoted as having told a Japanese website the following;

” Conceding that the PS3 is “very expensive,” Ken Kutaragi, head of Sony’s games business, told a Japanese Web site earlier this year that he expects “consumers to think to themselves, ‘I will work more hours to buy one.’ We want people to feel that they want it, irrespective of anything else.” -Fortune magazine article

You may be asking yourself why Sony feels people may want it at any cost? That’s because it’s not just a game machine, but a bona fide supercomputer. Just ask Mr. Kutaragi, he’ll tell you the deal…

“He has also said the PS3 is “not a game machine.” Rather, he says, it is a “machine with supercomputer calculation capabilities for home entertainment.” -Fortune magazine article again

Wow, now I feel much better about the Playstation 3 price. Not only am I getting a steal on a Blu-Ray player, but a machine capable of performing supercomputer calculations. Just amazing. You know, if they make the thing able to play games, I could start getting really excited about it.

I wonder, if I combine it with the “so powerful, it could be used as a guidance system for missiles”, Emotion Engine chip in my Playstation 2 if I could build my own robotic AI… or maybe play Metal Gear Solid 4 or something. You may now begin pointing and laughing at Mr Kutaragi. Click here to read it for yourself.