Thu, May 26, 2011 | 18:27 BST

Sony: Work on “future platform” is “already underway”

Sony has said work is”already under way” on a “future platform,” despite Kaz Hirai stating a few months back the firm hadn’t even started discussing a successor to PS3.

Speaking during call to investors this morning, Sony’s VP and CFO Masaru Kato made the comment regarding the next platform when asked to explain the increased research and development costs noted in Sony’s latest financial report.

“For the home equipment the PS3 still has a product life,” he said, “but this is a platform business, so for the future platform – when we’ll be introducing what product I cannot discuss that – but our development work is already under way, so the costs are incurred there.”

Back in February, Sony boss Kaz Hirai said “a near-future PS4 or next-generation home console is not something that we are even debating now,” because Sony was still “concentrating fully upon the PS3,” and the upcoming NGP.

However, most console makers are always looking at what to do with its next console, so while it is no surprise that Sony has something going on in the back of the shop, it is a bit surprising for it to admit it this soon. Might have something to do with Project Cafe’s reveal at E3 next month – might not.

However, Kato also said the losses the firm has reported over the last few years can be attributed to a difference in cost and sales price for PS3 system – and this is something the firm does not plan to let happen with the next console, especially when it spent billions creating its own superconductor center.

The CFO went on to say that since the semiconductor business is changing: “It is no longer thinkable to have a huge initial financial investment like that of the PS3.”

The R&D division reported an 0.4 percent increase in sales to 1,579,300 million yen compared to a loss last year, after the firm implemented hardware cost reductions for PS3 while increasing the consoles software sales.

For the year, Sony shipped14.3 million PS3 units, 8 million PSPs and 2.64 million PS2 systems.

PS3 shipped 147,900,000 units of software, PSP 46,600,000 and PS2 shipped 16,400,000 for PS2.

For its current fiscal year, the firm expects to ship 15 million PS3s, 6 million PSPs and 4 million PS2 consoles.

Thanks: Eurogamer, Andriasang, Miladesn.

64 comments

Older Comments

#51

Gekidami
26/05/11, 8:19 pm

@50
“Successful again”? Because you think they apparently werent successful this time? Why? Because they didnt sell more then the Wii?

If the PS3 isnt “Successful” then the 360 is an utter failure. Because ever since the PS3 launched, its sold better then the 360 (except for in 2008 where the 360 sold 0.3 more). Why does Sony have its own unique set of ridiculously high goals it has to achieve, else its considered a ‘failure’?

#52

DaMan
26/05/11, 8:23 pm

Gekidami, you’re as shallow as they come.

You don’t have to purchase a new iPhone when the new version comes out, it’s meant for the people who enjoy keeping up with the latest gadgets. Similarly, if you want the latest gfx then a console becomes obsolete 2 years into their life .

#53

NightCrawler1970
26/05/11, 8:33 pm

I guess there will be no USB-slots and Card-readers this time… lmao!!!
Hopefully build in Wifi so i can tranfer movies from PC to PS3… that would be nice…

#54

Dannybuoy
26/05/11, 9:08 pm

good lord… some people need to get out more.. can a new console really make people so crazy…

#55

TD_Monstrous69
26/05/11, 9:19 pm

To hear this is not really all that shocking. Because if there’s something that Kaz Hirai can be sometimes, is a lier. Though on why this got revealed a month after what Kaz had originally said, not sure. Could be because of the new Nintendo console, but I guess that’s something that’ll never truly be known.

#56

PS3Dreamer
26/05/11, 10:07 pm

GAYBOX 360 fan boys why the fk u even comment, I have a GAYBOX and seats there collecting dust, even when PSN was down it was better then my xbox, never even turned it on once. and to PS4 YEAAAAAAAAAH!

#57

Moonwalker1982
26/05/11, 10:14 pm

@ 56

People like you still exist? Wow. Why did you even buy an Xbox 360? Ah shit, why am i even replying to you.

#58

OrbitMonkey
26/05/11, 10:35 pm

Well I hope they keep it simple tbh. Same features, but better, faster tech inside a smaller, slimmer case. Oh & triggers on the Dualshock plz

#59

Christopher Jack
26/05/11, 10:39 pm

The community on this site seems very pro-PS3.
You should see the more American sites like IGN, 360 trollz everywhere & they’re even more stupid than PS3 trollz.

#60

Moonwalker1982
26/05/11, 11:08 pm

But i rather avoid them my friend, they are a waste of time and space. I’ve never understood ‘fanboys’ anyway, why do they defend a game console so much? So you like your game console and games? Fine..be happy and enjoy it, why talk shit about another console? Very pathetic to be honest.

#61

Talyis
27/05/11, 3:52 am

@Moonwalker its the same reason Erthazus still exists on here, to be a basher!

#62

Talyis
27/05/11, 3:59 am

@Orbit sorry but I hate the 360 triggers there too thin but honestly I don’t much like the R2′s on the duelshock, may make it have a lip but not thin like the 360′s controller! I hope they keep the controller similar but with a new feature or 2!

#63

Gama_888
27/05/11, 5:01 am

You can buy those Real trigger things for the Ds3, Put them on and it actually feels great!!
mine broke though dog chewed them up the lil B*****D