According to the Financial Times, Sony boss man Sir Howard Stringer will be announcing the company’s plans to invest in 3D LCD TVs at the IFA show in Berlin. And he’ll also be announcing Sony laptop computers, PlayStation 3 games and Blu-ray players that will be compatible with the technology.

With the PS3 already capable of playing 4D games, according to former PlayStation exec Ken Kutaragi, one has to wonder “Why the step back?”

Sony plans to put 3D televisions in homes by the end of next year [FT]

According to a report issued by the company, “Game business sales and operating revenue declined 18.0 percent year on year, to ¥1,053.1 billion.”

One of the main causes of the hardware sales decrease was the high appreciation of the yen, stated Sony.

Sony, however, did post an operating loss of ¥58.5 billion — an improvement of ¥66.1 billion. The cause of these lower operating losses were hardware cost reductions as well as increased software sales.

“We are all firmly committed to leading Sony with the innovative spirit that is embedded in its DNA,” read a written statement from Sony Chairman, CEO and President Howard Stringer. “It is a privilege to fight for a great company like Sony, and with the seriousness of purpose that this management team possesses, I know we can succeed in making Sony greater than ever.”

Sony honcho Howard Stringer then retorted that a price cut would cause the company to lose money on every PlayStation 3 sold.

Now BioWare co-founder Greg Zeschuk has entered the fray — adding his two cents. “I think it’s silly to be saying you’re not going to support Sony,” says Zeschuk. “The brand itself is still huge and there are millions of [users] out there.”

Bobby Kotick is not only the CEO and President of Activision, he also says silly things.

BioWare: Activision PS3 comment "silly" [CVG] [Pic]

Responding to Kotick’s threats that Activision may “stop supporting” Sony consoles, Stringer says, “He likes to make a lot of noise. He’s putting pressure on me and I’m putting pressure on him. That’s the nature of business.”

Stringer was equally blunt to anyone else banging on about the price of the PS3, telling a Reuters reporter asking about the logic of not cutting the console’s price “I (would) lose money on every PlayStation I make — how’s that for logic.”

No need to get so touchy, Sir Howard. It’s not your fault. Just blame Ken Kutaragi! Problem. Solved.

Sony CEO dismisses price cut chatter on PlayStation [Reuters]

According to a Fortune report, it was PlayStation boss Kaz Hirai that said the bigger PlayStation Network should rear its head next Spring. The service is said to make Sony devices “talk to each other efficiently,” according to Stringer, that it will make it easier to handle digital camera images, edit video, share content and store whatever it is you download from a Sony device.

Fortune also reports that Sony has designs on making acquisitions that would “accelerate the effort,” but plans to “start small” and roll out the new PlayStation Network over time.

Sony: Lost in transformation [Fortune/CNN Money]

Over 8,000 investors were in attendance at the annual shareholders meeting in Tokyo. Stringer told investors that the company was trying to streamline business. For example, Sony Computer Entertainment CEO Kaz Hirai will head a new business group that brings together Sony’s mobile electronics and personal computers.

“This reorganization is designed to transform Sony into a more innovative, integrated and agile global company,” said Stringer earlier this year. These changes and reorganization “will now make it possible for all of Sony’s parts to work together.”

Sony has been posting enormous losses due to a strong yen, global economic slump and competition from rival companies like Apple and Samsung.

Sony shareholders approve new management [Japan Today] [Pic]

Of course, you can already buy games and other content online via the PlayStation Network – and have been able to do so since the console’s launch – but the wording of Stringer’s statement suggests that Sony will be going much farther with the whole thing than just offering the odd artsy game for $US10.

“We developed brand new, absolutely incredible technology for the PlayStation 3 (PS3), but the cost was high,” Stringer told Nikkei Electronics Asia. “We’ve adopted a slightly different approach now, and are evolving the PS3 into a platform for web services”.

“…Sony has begun the transition from a closed system to an open one,” he continues. “Next we will be expanding the PlayStation Network to hardware other than the PS3, because the number of PS3 units sold puts a limit on the scale of the network possible. Sony has a vertical structure for each product line, an organisational structure that resists change, so it will take time to achieve this network growth. However, a large number of employees share my opinion on this”.

Potentially big news, that. In recent months, Sony has begun the long, hard task of “centralising” all of their hardware, rolling out features like the XMB user interface and online connectivity across much of Sony’s lineup, DVD players to cameras.

How long, I wonder, til we see Bravia televisions coming with a control pad and access to the PSN?

Sony Chairman, CEO Howard Stringer [NEA, via Edge] [image credit]

Sony has announced a revision of its consolidated forecast for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2009. How’s the gaming division doing?

While the company is forecasting ¥260 billion (US$2.95 billion) in operating income losses and ¥150 billion ($1.68 billion) in net income loses.

According to Sony, “In the Game segment, operating income (loss) is expected to be lower by approximately ¥30 billion. Of this, approximately ¥15 billion is due to the impact of the appreciation of the yen and approximately ¥15 billion is due to lower-than-expected sales.”

Lower than expected revenue is also expected in Sony’s motion picture business, and the economic slowdown has hit Sony electronics as well.

So lower than expected sales and yen appreciation are driving down the company’s gaming division. It should be noted that this is merely a forecast and that Sony says such a forecast is subjected to “uncertainty and changes.”

The foreign currency rates, which have fluctuated, were pegged at ¥90 to the US dollar.

[Pic]

Sony head honcho Howard Stringer will announce on Thursday plans to eliminate 2,000 full-time jobs and close two television manufacturing plants in the face of a projected $1.1 billion loss, reports Japan’s Nikkei Daily.

Potentially more painful to Stringer is a reported plan to cut managerial and executive bonuses for the year.

Nikkei reports that the 2,000 jobs Sony will cut at home — a fraction of the 16,000 positions it plans to eliminate worldwide — will be done through attrition, by leaving jobs vacated by retirement or resignation unfulfilled. The cuts are expected to be complete by the end of the company’s fiscal year.

No word yet on how this may affect Sony’s PlayStation business, as it’s the Japanese giant’s electronics endeavours that are currently dragging the company down hardest.

Sony’s hi-def console competitor Microsoft is also reported to be on the receiving end of cut backs, with analysts projecting between 6,000 and 8,000 staffers let go. We expect to hear more from both parties later in the day.

Sony to shut Japan TV plant, cut 2,000 jobs-Nikkei [Reuters]

It’s a different experience. The Wii is a well-made device that has found a new target group. For a while, we held the same target group with the SingStar karaoke game. But perhaps we neglected to pursue that avenue. Playstation games are rather designed for those who play a lot. Although it’s a different strategy, it pays off.

Of course you neglected to pursue that avenue. Phil Harrison – the guy who was pushing SingStar, and EyeToy, and Buzz! – didn’t leave for Atari for the prestige.

Future of Sony Ericsson uncertain [Welt Online] [Image]