Ex PlayStation Exec: A Sony-Microsoft Partnership Could Be Inevitable

Developing a videogame platform is so expensive, one former Sony Computer Entertainment executive thinks a currently inconceivable partnership just might be inevitable.

http://www.gamespy.com/articles/113/1135490p1.html

Imagine that. Hey Nintendo and Sega joined forces, something that was unimaginable back then, now you see sonic in mario games. But these are consoles. PC gaming'll still come out on top so i don't care. In fact this may increase PC gaming popularity because the lack of quality in these console games because of a lack a stiff comp. the wii would be the only thing but that's apples and oranges. wii's targeted mainly towards women and kids; families.

Don't believe it.

So you think he's lying?

No I doubt it will come down to that.

what makes you think so? mergers and aquisitions bigger than this one happen all the time.

you never know. for example off the top of my head, i think in the past half decade you had things like namco/bandai, disney/mavel, aol/time warner, google/youtube, ebay/paypal.

But the mergers you talk about are different companies with different products.

Sony and MS both make consoles. Unless the two companies are losing significant money, then I don't see it happening.

They're stll big companies like ms and sony. on top of 4 of the ones i mentioned were tech companies just like sony and ms. my point is is that i wouldn't be surprised if it was done because it always happens even with unsuspecting companies.

not saying it will not saying it won't. someone, that sony computer entertainment exec, who knows more than we do, says it's gonna happen no doubt.

that is extremely hard to believe. plus it would just be plain out weird.

Originally posted by FistOfThe North
what makes you think so? mergers and aquisitions bigger than this one happen all the time.

you never know. for example off the top of my head, i think in the past half decade you had things like namco/bandai, disney/mavel, aol/time warner, google/youtube, ebay/paypal.

Those aren't nearly in the same league. Sony and Microsoft are in the top 120 biggest companies in the world. I very much doubt their merger would go through as well.

I don't think he's necessarily lying, perhaps he believes it, but I think he's wrong.

Nintendo and Sega joined forces

No they didn't. Sega makes software for all consoles, not just Nintendo ones. Just because Sonic and Mario have shared two games does not mean the two companies have 'joined forces'.

And there's no way that two companies that make game consoles would join up like that; not unless one decided they weren't going to make consoles anymore (which neither of them are going to do). They'd both lose a massive amount of money on such a thing. Mergers like the ones you named are ones where it was mutually beneficial for both sides. This is certainly not such a case. And none of the companies you listed are anything like Sony or MS.

As long as consoles are profitable, Microsoft and Sony will be competitors, not partners. It's competition that makes this type of market work.

I really can't imagine the FTC (or any agency) allowing a merger between Sony and Microsoft.

Originally posted by Bardock42
I really can't imagine the FTC (or any agency) allowing a merger between Sony and Microsoft.

And there's also that fact. Hello there monopoly.

Originally posted by Bardock42
I really can't imagine the FTC (or any agency) allowing a merger between Sony and Microsoft.

He's not talking about a merger; he's talking about coming together to develop a platform. That's utterly different and has been something long discussed. It is no more impossible than it was for all video formats to go to VHS.

But I think the comment in the article that consoles as we know them now might not really exist in 15 years time might have something to it as well.

Hmm, reading the article what the guy says isn't ridiculous, I don't think Sony and Microsoft will do it necessarily, but there's probably going to be a lot happening in the gaming market and many companies will work together in some way or another.

The things FOTN said though were silly.

There's a lot of potential financial sense to the idea.

In the last generation there was no chance- Sony had a product that outsold Microsoft's by some eighty million units. The high cost of solo development was more than offset by the massive market lead.

This time, unit sales are roughly the same. Now, trying to track the costs and profit there is very tricky, However, if we assume that both sides are making comparable amounts of money, then co-development is sensible. Why develop separately at high cost just to get equal sales? If your sales would be no worse developing together, you roughly half your development costs at no loss. Pure profit- and it's also more convenient for the consumer.

You might not do it if you were certain your next console was going to get a massive market lead- but frankly, neither Microsoft nor Sony are sure of that. They have become very risk averse, especially Sony after the PS3 blew its lead they assumed for it.

This is by no means a prediction it will happen. It's just a reason why it's possible.

Originally posted by Bardock42
Those aren't nearly in the same league. Sony and Microsoft are in the top 120 biggest companies in the world. I very much doubt their merger would go through as well.

I don't think he's necessarily lying, perhaps he believes it, but I think he's wrong.

disney's the largest comglomerate in the world followed by aol/time warner. both can buy sony and ms if they pleased.

and why don't you think it can happen. me, i don't know what'll happen, you're saying you do. point is we don't know. it may or may not happen, it is possible, though.

and that exec has reason to believe that "it is inevitable". that's a pretty bold statement, and he gave very sensible reasons as to why. and he's a credible source.

honestly, i'd rather have the new next gen to start now. (ps4 xbox720). with the ps3 and the 360, i really stopped playing them alot this year and really got back into pc gaming hard because it's a more technologically advanced entertainment system in every way. my pc's a monster compared to the consoles and if gimmicks like the kinect or move is the best they can do (compared to what pc have evolved into) then i see a bleek future for those systems. "on live" is already kicking arse.

it's about time for an upgrade. the 720 or the ps4 haven't even been annouced yet. it's been the longest console generation ever with games still utilizing same old hardware console tech we had in '05/'06.

PCs will always outperform consoles after a few months. That's nothing new. That's simply how it works. Consoles cost a lot of money to make, which is why their tech is always top of the line for a few months and then computers are able to catch up. It's basically a tradeoff between convenience and your game being able to run .0005% faster and the pixels being .0005% smoother.

(also, you know that your games are going to run, barring the random and rare glitches. PC games can be so damn fussy where you can have a system that meets all of the requirements and yet the game still doesn't work)

On Live is brand new, not even available everywhere yet, and has a tiny selection. Nowhere near something you can call 'kicking arse'.

Sony said a long time ago that they want the PS3 to last for ten years. It's four years old now, and just in the past year has really begun to pick up in sales. The 360 is clearly not going anywhere yet either. They have no reason to announce new consoles yet because the current ones are still doing and performing just fine.

Originally posted by FistOfThe North
disney's the largest comglomerate in the world followed by aol/time warner. both can buy sony and ms if they pleased.

Not sure where you got that from, but that's complete nonsense. You probably confused it with them being biggest in their field.

Originally posted by FistOfThe North
and why don't you think it can happen. me, i don't know what'll happen, you're saying you do. point is we don't know. it may or may not happen, it is possible, though.

Well what you said, a merger between Sony and Microsoft can't happen. Them working together on a game console, sure, that could happen, like I said a lot of cooperation is done in the technology lately.

Originally posted by FistOfThe North
and that exec has reason to believe that "it is inevitable". that's a pretty bold statement, and he gave very sensible reasons as to why. and he's a credible source.

Yes, like I said I was replying to your miscommunicated summary rather than what he said.

Originally posted by FistOfThe North
honestly, i'd rather have the new next gen to start now. (ps4 xbox720). with the ps3 and the 360, i really stopped playing them alot this year and really got back into pc gaming hard because it's a more technologically advanced entertainment system in every way. my pc's a monster compared to the consoles and if gimmicks like the kinect or move is the best they can do (compared to what pc have evolved into) then i see a bleek future for those systems. "on live" is already kicking arse.

it's about time for an upgrade. the 720 or the ps4 haven't even been annouced yet. it's been the longest console generation ever with games still utilizing same old hardware console tech we had in '05/'06.

I am looking forward to the next generation, too, but it seems unlikely that it will happen for some time maybe 3 or 4 years even. And it makes sense as long as the platforms are still selling fine. It seems to me that both Sony and Microsoft rather went on gadget upgrades with the Kinect and the Move to prolong the life cycles of the hardware.

However consoles are a convenience, if you want to play at the highest level and the newest games you need to spend a lot of money on your gaming PC regularly, with the console you are set for many years. And since so many games are aimed at consoles anyways, even on the PC things will be somewhat similar.