Sony chief: A PS3 victory is best for everyone
In an interview with Forbes, Sony Computer Entertainment America boss Jack Tretton says he believes that if the PlayStation 3 wins the console war, it's best for the whole gaming industry.
Sony Computer Entertainment America President and CEO Jack Tretton said in an interview with Forbes earlier this week that a Sony victory in this generation's console war is good for the industry.
"In an industry that has certainly had its challenges this year, we like to say that the environment where the PlayStation wins is best for this industry," Tretton told Forbes. "We have a brand that can play on a worldwide basis, to young and old, male and female, where our competition tends to be relegated to select regions or to select consumer audiences."
Tretton's comments came after the SCEA chief told Forbes that Nintendo, the current console leader, "delivers a casual, youth-oriented entertainment experience."
Of course, Tretton's statements echo what has been coming out of the Sony camp for quite a while. Sony has made it clear that it views Microsoft as its direct competitor. And although Nintendo sells far more consoles than both Microsoft and Sony, it seems that, as always, Sony doesn't believe that Nintendo is a real competitor.
More than gaming
That might be based in Tretton's belief that the PlayStation 3 is much more than just a gaming console. Tretton cited Sony's new advertising slogan where the company claims the PlayStation "only does everything." He said that the PlayStation 3 might be a gaming console at its core, "but it's so much more: Blu-ray movies, downloading music content, downloading video content, surfing the Internet. This is really the central entertainment device for a room."
Tretton was intent on driving that point home. He told Forbes that his company is trying to convince retailers that the PlayStation 3 shouldn't just sit in the video games aisle. Tretton would like to see it offered in several departments in a store.
Discussing senior management at big retailers, Tretton said that Sony tries to "convince them that the PlayStation 3 can help sell multiple devices in their stores and when they understand that, they're very receptive" to moving the PS3 out of just the gaming aisle.
According to Tretton, he expects the PlayStation 3 to be available in different areas of stores this holiday season.
"You'll find PlayStation 3 not only on the gaming aisle this holiday season, you'll see it where home theater is sold, where Blu-ray is sold," Tretton said. He went on to say that he would also like to see the PS3 in the digital photo aisle to "help people understand that if you want to buy a digital camera, you need a PlayStation 3. If you've got a PlayStation 3, you should be interested in digital photography."
In the end, Tretton wanted to drive the point home that the PlayStation 3 is the mass-market entertainment device that can beat them all. When discussing the PlayStation 3's competition in the marketplace, Tretton said that when it comes down to it, his company "has a much better entertainment infrastructure" than its competitors. And that, according to Tretton, is central to Sony's appeal going forward.
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