| MikeRox said: Tough question really. If Sony were just a games company, it'd clearly be Nintendo, however they have a lot of other things bleeding money. At the same time however, they have the option to spin loss making sectors off, as they are doing, whilst having a highly successful video game division. In comparison on a gaming front Nintendo has a strong handheld format, and a near dead home console. Sony is pretty much a perfect mirror of that, however software sales on home consoles are generally far better meaning, from a gaming only perspective, Sony currently has the rosier horizon. |
1. Sony's gaming division is not "highly successful". It is and has been bleeding money for some time. It took years for the PS3 to become profitable, and the PS4, considering it's tech for that price, is almost certainly losing money.
2. I wouldn't suggest that Sony has the "rosier horizon" at all. Nintendo's portable sales are doing very well, they have literally billions of dollars in the bank, and the only reason they "posted a loss" for this past fiscal year, is because their own forcast was FAR too high in the first place.
3. Nintendo's home console, the Wii U, is hardly "near dead". It got a nice shot in the arm late last year, and has a much more consistent release schedule for 2014, with games like MK and SB absolutely primed to provide stronger sales. Things aren't GREAT for Wii U, but they're not as dire as some make things out to be either. What Wii U has lacked, is what it is soon getting, some actual, "big gun" type games that are must haves for many people, such as Mario Kart, that will help drive sales, as many have held off buying the console till these kinds of games come out. The PS4, on the other hand, while doing great right now in sales, the gaming division as a whole is not making much money for Sony, and some of their other divisions are in big trouble. Sony could not survive if gaming was all they had, and if the company as a whole goes under, so shall the Playstation. Some other company might certainly buy the brand, but it would still be a disaster.
4. All of this meaning, that I would say Sony is the stronger bet as to who might be "in trouble". Even if Wii U DOES ultimately fail, which I do not currently believe it shall, even if it DOES, that won't cost Nintendo a shitload in the long-run, they have plenty of money, their portable system is doing fine, they will no dobut just make another console, and they are planning to branch out into other business areas, and license more of their properties out for non-gaming products, which will be another big source of revenue. If Wii U fails to make them a lot of money, they will just keep on trucking. They are one of the strongest brands in the world. Sony, over the last several years, has not been. Not like they used to be.
