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Sony's latest game--restructuring

Dawn Kawamoto Former Staff writer, CNET News
Dawn Kawamoto covered enterprise security and financial news relating to technology for CNET News.
Dawn Kawamoto
Sony is considering laying off up to 8 percent of its European PlayStation workforce, as it seeks to restructure its game unit, according to a report in Bloomberg.

That would translate into approximately 160 jobs at the PlayStation unit, which has suffered a wider than expected loss during the year as it engaged in a price war with Nintendo, according to the report.

Nintendo's popular Wii player has given Sony's PlayStation 3 a run for its money, since both hit the market in November. But Sony's pocketbook has been squeezed, as it faced reluctance by many consumers who felt the $599 price tag was too steep for its top-of-the-line PS3, especially in comparison to the Wii that sells for less than half the cost.

Market researcher NPD Group, meanwhile, noted in one of its reports that the Wii was favored among heavy game users, compared with Sony's PS3.