The google translation doesn't even remotely resemble the above translation. It doesn't even seem to be an article about hd-dvd or blu-ray. It seems to be an article about a Kutaragi retiring from Sony.
I believe this is the original article since it's by Rachel Konrad of the AP.
http://www.cantonrep.com/index.php?ID=352696&Category=20&subCategoryID=
PlayStation architect to retire amid broader struggles for Sony
Sunday, May 6, 2007
By RACHEL KONRAD
AP Technology Writer
SAN JOSE, Calif. The chief architect of Sony Corp.’s flagship PlayStation game console will retire in June as the company struggles to retain dominance in the video game industry and revive its flagging reputation as an electronics and entertainment pioneer.
Ken Kutaragi, 56, an icon among gamers, will step down as Sony Computer Entertainment Inc.’s chairman and group chief executive. He will be replaced by Kazuo Hirai, now president and chief operating officer of the division.
In December, Kutaragi was relieved of day-to-day responsibilities as president of the video game unit but stayed on as its chief executive and chairman.
Kutaragi’s most recent brainchild, the PlayStation 3 console, came out in November but was marred by embarrassing production shortages and a $600 price tag that some Sony fans said was too steep. For the past several months, Sony has resorted to giving away free game titles and other marketing gimmicks to spur sales.
Sony has also struggled to expand beyond the young, male demographic of so-called “hardcore” gamers. Investors have been grumbling for several quarters that Sony has failed to attract women, young children and older gamers to its products, and its market share has shrunk as a result.
Problems related to Sony’s limited demographic came into sharp focus late last year, when Nintendo Co. launched a rival game console, the Wii, for about $250.
THE COMPETITION
The device — which includes a diminutive, wrist-mounted controller and a console that’s skimpy on realistic graphics — has become a surprise hit among girls, suburban mothers, senior citizens and other people who have never considered themselves gamers.
Sony shipped 1.84 million PS3s worldwide through Dec. 31. In the same period, Nintendo sold 3.19 million Wiis.
The company — maker of the iconic Walkman — hasn’t engineered another transcendent blockbuster. It ceded its leadership in portable music players to Apple’s iPod.
But David Gardner, co-founder of investment group The Motley Fool, said the botched PS3 launch was the most unforgivable mistake.
‘OBVIOUS MISTAKE’
For years, PlayStation sales buoyed the company while commodity electronics limped along with razor-thin profit margins. When the PS3 came out, the high price and paucity of cool games to accompany it prompted consumers to avoid or postpone buying the console.
Sony will have more unique games for the PS3 in the fall — but by that time, the Wii and Microsoft’s Xbox 360 will have sold even more units.
“PlayStation was their killer app, but the only PS3 title that’s good and unique is ‘Resistance: Fall of Man,’ ” said Gardner, an avid gamer and a financial analyst in the sector. “That’s driving me crazy. I don’t know who is to blame for that, but it’s the biggest, most crushing and obvious mistake they’ve made lately.”
