Sony CEO Unintentionally Reveals his Admiration of Microsoft

[fitbabits]

Next Generation (http://www.next-gen.biz) is reporting that Sir Howard Stringer let slip his admiration for Bill Gates and Microsoft during an interview with the Wall Street Journal.

You can read the full article here (http://www.next-gen.biz/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3172&Itemid=2).

In a lively interview with the Wall Street Journal, Sony CEO Sir Howard Stringer compliments Bill Gates' salesmanship and unintentionally reveals his preoccupation with the Xbox 360.

The WSJ conducted the interview in front of an audience at the publication's D: All Things Digital conference last week, where the Sony boss inadvertently revealed his own fixation with the videogames market.

When talking up the box office sales of Sony's Da Vinci Code movie, Stringer said, "It also beat Xbox 3 in Europe in its second weekend," at which point WSJ tech columnist Walt Mossberg corrected, "You mean X-Men 3." Laughing, Stringer retorted, "There's an obsession!"

When the interview's topic switched to videogames and Xbox, Stringer said, "God I walked into that, didn't I ... Look, the skill of Bill Gates is he's so brilliant at his detail that when he slips in the salesmanship, most of us think: oh my God, he must be right. ... He talked on the one hand, and I loved it, he talked about [Windows] Vista [being] delayed as if the delay was normal, and then he started mocking me for delaying PS3 [PlayStation 3]."
Oh noes - Sony's CEO is a shill for Microsoft. This obviously means Sony have already given up on the PS3. Pack 'er up, boys.

[Doctor Setebos]

You just live to post flamebait as news, don't you? :D

[bapenguin]

Oh dear god fitba...what have you done?

[Kamalot]

This is a funny interview. I like Walt Mossberg a lot. He isn't always right, but at least when he reviews something ho does so from the eye of the user and the consumer. He isn't as likely to put up with crummy products just because they have cool tech in them.

[fitbabits]

Oh dear god fitba...what have you done?
It was getting a little quiet round here. Nothing like a good old-fashioned rumble to start the day! :)

[NoName]

Oh noes - Sony's CEO is a shill for Microsoft. This obviously means Sony have already given up on the PS3. Pack 'er up, boys.
I thought they packed up after E3... O.o

[JediSanf]

I dunno, I always kinda liked Stringer. And you have to admit, in the corporate world there are few people as successful as Bill Gates. If I were a new CEO I'd definately be studying how Gates, Sam Walton, etc. deal(t) with the public and the press.

[Vandenh]

I am sure in the real world these CEOs go play golf together and are now probably sipping some champagne while we are having a girlfight right here on the internet. :)

[Borys]

This will be fun :)

Vandenh is absolutely right. I can pretty much GUARANTEE that Gates and Stringer are dping a HOT Hollywood model right now while we lowearth fanboys argue about their newest cash cow here.

[Doctor Setebos]

I thought they packed up after E3... O.oYou mean before. :D

[JediSanf]

This will be fun :)

Vandenh is absolutely right. I can pretty much GUARANTEE that Gates and Stringer are dping a HOT Hollywood model right now while we lowearth fanboys argue about their newest cash cow here.

Thanks Borys, that's an image the rest of us are going to have to use soldering irons to remove.

[Sloth]

Sounds like a backhanded compliment to me. He's basically calling bill gates the world's best huckster.

[Paranoia]

Too funny. :D :D :D

[Citizen Philip]

Yikes! A Sony executive has professional admiration for a collegue. He obviously must be an adult: which is certainly more than can be said for the amount of platform fanaticm (sp?) around here.

[Serapth]

Notice he said nothing about Nintendo... obviously in Sonys eyes the Wii is such a fucking disgrace they dont even have to think about it. MS and SONY FTW!


Hey, fuck it, figured id add some flames to this bonfire!

[Doctor Setebos]

Sounds like a backhanded compliment to me. He's basically calling bill gates the world's best huckster.Good point.

[Kelegacy]

This will be fun :)

Vandenh is absolutely right. I can pretty much GUARANTEE that Gates and Stringer are dping a HOT Hollywood model right now while we lowearth fanboys argue about their newest cash cow here.
Lol.

Funny that you should mention that, however. I was just dping a girl with my friend and I decided to take a break to check EvAv. Funny stuff, great imagery.

Now I have to go, I have to finish up.

[bapenguin]

I think it's more just like an obsession than an Admiration.

[Serapth]

Lol.

Funny that you should mention that, however. I was just dping a girl with my friend and I decided to take a break to check EvAv. Funny stuff, great imagery.

Now I have to go, I have to finish up.


Dude... leave your cat alone...

[Doctor Setebos]

Dude... leave your cat alone...MeeeeOOOOWWW!!

[Heretic Machine]

Fools... they are one in the same! Two bodies, but the same soul! When will the world wake-up and realize that the Earth is under the control of a single entity, Xanthor, Lord of the Shadow Dimension!

[bapenguin]

Fools... they are one in the same! Two bodies, but the same soul! When will the world wake-up and realize that the Earth is under the control of a single entity, Xanthor, Lord of the Shadow Dimension!

Shit man...I knew THAT.

[easi]

Fitty and Sony will stay together for the kids.

[overdrivechao]

No one doubts ***'s marketing power. It's what enabled them to take Unreal Tournament and repackage it and turn it into a cultural icon. Anti-Sony Front page news item #5 of the month.

[oldjadedgamer]

I like Stinger. Sony made a very wise decision making this guy CEO and demoting crazy Ken. The more I read on him and Ken the more I understand why Ken was asked to step aside.

[Kamalot]

Notice he said nothing about Nintendo... obviously in Sonys eyes the Wii is such a fucking disgrace they dont even have to think about it. MS and SONY FTW!


Hey, fuck it, figured id add some flames to this bonfire!
Didn't someone at Sony say that everyone will buy a PS3 and a Wii instead of an Xbox 360?

[AniAko]

Notice he said nothing about Nintendo... obviously in Sonys eyes the Wii is such a fucking disgrace they dont even have to think about it. MS and SONY FTW!

Hey, fuck it, figured id add some flames to this bonfire!

Phantom FTW! ;)

[Serapth]

Didn't someone at Sony say that everyone will buy a PS3 and a Wii instead of an Xbox 360?

No the comment was actually a Microsoft VP saying "Yeah, the Wii looks interesting and fun. People can buy both a 360 and Wii for less then the PS3"

Im paraphrasing brutally mind you. Someone at Sony I think mimic'd the comment a few days later, but nowhere near as strongly.

Sony has been shockingly silent on the Wii, except when it comes to the controller. They honestly seem to view the 360 as the sole threat to their business.

Well, except in this article... ( which is rather shocking to hear come from a SOny exec ). http://www.pro-g.co.uk/news/07-06-2006-2946.html



O'Hanrahan isn't just concerned by the Xbox 360 and the Wii though, noting that "competition is now not limited to direct competition. We compete with MP3 players. We noticed at E3 that games for PCs are back."


Odd the PC comment.

[Montolio]

Man these execs do the same things we do everyday except they have better ( or is that just more expensive ) clothes and make a Hell of a lot more money than us doing it. We're all just a bunch of gamers talking shit for the most part. Life is good.

Pretty amusing slip though.

[Balthasar]

Next Generation (http://www.next-gen.biz) is reporting that Sir Howard Stringer let slip his admiration for Bill Gates and Microsoft during an interview with the Wall Street Journal.
I'm not sure Next Gen was reading between the lines with this quote here. I think Striger was saying Gates is brilliant no more than a Democrat might say Karl Rove is brilliant in the way he contorts reality. He basically said, "damn, Gates is a hypocrite and is smart enough to get away with it. Bravo!"

[CaptStu]

Serapth — Is your name taken from the Seraph Covenant fighters from the Halo books?

[Serapth]

Serapth — Is your name taken from the Seraph Covenant fighters from the Halo books?

No, way older then that. Its from the first day I played diablo online, I needed an alias so I started with Harlequin, which resulted in people either thinking I was gay or female... so that alias lasted about a day ( amazingly, being in either demographic leads to alot of propositions, btw... )

So, I flipped open a Palladium RPG ( oddly collected and read PnP rpgs, but never actually played any. The name Harlequin also came from a different RPG, bonus points for guessing which... ) and there was Serapth. I figure they butchered the word Serapth from Seraph ( Seraph is the highest choir of angels in Christian Myth. Pretty much the ass kicker with a flaming sword... thats a Seraph. ).

Nice thing is, most people had never heard of either, so it was an easy username to use on about every site on the internet and at hotmail so I stuck with it.

Then the fucking Matrix has to introduce a fucking character named seraph. Im seriously pissed about that to this day... namingly, the name is harder to get uniquely now, even with the alternate spelling. Also, now everyone mispells SerapTh as Seraph. Grrr...

Ironically, for being a big Xbox 360 fan Im not really that into Halo. Ive never played either online and Halo2 was pretty meh to me on the whole. I'll get Halo3 when it comes out, but frankly im not jizzing everytime a tidbit of news is released like some people are. Until you asked this question I hadnt even realized (conciously) they were called Serapths :)

* I guess a simple no would have done the trick eh? ;)

[Siraris]

I like Stinger. Sony made a very wise decision making this guy CEO and demoting crazy Ken. The more I read on him and Ken the more I understand why Ken was asked to step aside.

I agree, I like him too. I think it was a great move to bring him on as many old Japanese companies get set in their ways and need new blood to change things. I saw a great piece on CNBC about Stringers adjustments in Japan and his unorthodox ways, hopefully he will be able to solve many of Sony's problems.

I like Billy too, he's an absolute genius. He's a true visionary of the future, and he somehow instinctively knows the right moves to make. I don't like his attitude of avoiding questions and being so private, but I guess that comes with him being the richest man in the world (and perhaps the Asperger's if that's true).

If only these two forces could be used for good instead of evil.

[AniAko]

Nice thing is, most people had never heard of either, so it was an easy username to use on about every site on the internet and at hotmail so I stuck with it.


Actually my white deck had 4 revised edition Serra Angels(4/4 Flying), all with Divine Transformation, and Blessing ;), and one IceAge edition Seraph(4/4 Flying) with Divne Transformation, blessing, (some kind of armor I can't remember), protected by a Keldoran body gaurd.(I'm a geek I know :o)

Any creature damaged by "Seraph" and sent to the graveyard this turn comes directly into play under your control.

Although the picture of this "girlish" looking Seraph isn't nearly as menacing as you portrayed it to be ;)

http://www.oshkoshmagic.com/magic/files/pics/IA/Seraph.jpg

[Kamalot]

No the comment was actually a Microsoft VP saying "Yeah, the Wii looks interesting and fun. People can buy both a 360 and Wii for less then the PS3"http://www.pro-g.co.uk/news/07-06-2006-2946.html
This is the comment I was thinking about...

Sony chief Phil Harrison has suggested that the Nintendo Wii will become the second console of choice, behind the PS3, but - inevitably - ahead of the Xbox 360. "Nintendo will be the second system consumers purchase after PlayStation 3," Harrison told Gamepro.com. The chief went on to praise Nintendo's originality and invention with the new system, but was at pains to point out that ultimately the Wii is targeting a different market. In fact, Harrison suggested that the main battle was between Sony and Microsoft. (http://www.ferrago.com/story/7755)

[Serapth]

Actually my white deck had 4 revised edition Serra Angels(4/4 Flying), all with Divine Transformation, and Blessing ;), and one IceAge edition Seraph(4/4 Flying) with Divne Transformation, blessing, (some kind of armor I can't remember), protected by a Keldoran body gaurd.(I'm a geek I know :o)

Any creature damaged by "Seraph" and sent to the graveyard this turn comes directly into play under your control.

Although the picture of this "girlish" looking Seraph isn't nearly as menacing as you portrayed it to be ;)

http://www.oshkoshmagic.com/magic/files/pics/IA/Seraph.jpg

Yeah sure... pick perhaps one of the worst drawn cards in magic!!!! How about this one...

http://www.wizards.com/global/images/magic/9e/serra_angel.jpg

[CaptStu]

I guess a simple no would have done the trick eh? ;)
Yeah, most of what you said was far too intellectual for my taste, but that's what is to be expected when my name is derived from a high school drinking nickname based solely around Captain Stubing from the Love Boat ... Yes, long story there.

[AniAko]

Yeah, most of what you said was far too intellectual for my taste, but that's what is to be expected when my name is derived from a high school drinking nickname based solely around Captain Stubing from the Love Boat ... Yes, long story there.

There's a thread around here somewhere to post the meaning of your nick for everyone to see.


(edit: Found the link) (http://www.evilavatar.com/forums/showthread.php?t=7841&highlight=explain)

[Citizen Philip]

Ugh.. Serapth said Palladium Books. I have a pile of Palladium up to my thigh, starting with TMNT and Other Strangness and ending sometime in the Coalition War, book 2, I believe. After all that nonsense and plot device crap with Tolkeen, I went to D&D 3.X and Cyberpunk 2020. NOT GOING BACK.

[CaptStu]

There's a thread around here somewhere to post the meaning of your nick for everyone to see.

(edit: Found the link) (http://www.evilavatar.com/forums/showthread.php?t=7841&highlight=explain)
Good deal. Thanks. I'll check it out.

[Serapth]

Ugh.. Serapth said Palladium Books. I have a pile of Palladium up to my thigh, starting with TMNT and Other Strangness and ending sometime in the Coalition War, book 2, I believe. After all that nonsense and plot device crap with Tolkeen, I went to D&D 3.X and Cyberpunk 2020. NOT GOING BACK.

That good for you, Palladium is all but out of business now :)