| Bodhesatva said: Isn't this argument used by both sides of the HD divide? I'm absolutely sure I've seen people suggest Sony would support their games division with their other ventures. Given that Sony has actually lost more money in the last two years than Microsoft has in gaming, I'm really not sure this is something to crow about. Both companies will need to tighten the belt considerably. This strikes me as one of the premier examples of a Sony/Microsoft slapfest, while Nintendo is laughing all the way to the bank -- keep your eyes on the prize, fellas, because beating each other isn't actually the goal here. |
Since when? As of June, 2008, Sony had only lost around $3 billion on the ps3.
As of September 2005, Microsoft had lost $4 billion on the Xbox, and that number increased to over $6 billion upon the launch of the 360, and then there was the $1.15 billion they were forced to spend on 360 repairs.
Also, Sony has been tightening their belt primarily through cutting manufactering costs. Thus far, they haven't curbed any spending on development, unlike Microsoft. Hell, they bought Evolution Studios in the middle of 2007, when SCE was at it's weakest. Conversely, Microsoft has shut down Ensemble and FASA, as well as let many of their second party affiliates get bought up by larger publishers (BioWare, Bizarre).
The difference between Sony and Microsoft is that Microsoft has always been losing money on the Xbox brand, and is only now making a slight profit (and those profits may be due to other things in the Entertainment and Devices division, rather than the 360 itself). The division has yet to provide any real benefit to Microsoft. Sony, however, hit the ground running when they first entered the video game market. They've tasted success (SCE was one of the most profitable divisions in the company up until just a few years ago), and I'm sure they want it back.
