SCEA Pres Sees No Advantage in First to Market

"Not worried about 360's headstart

All the focus right now is understandably on the Xbox 360, but SCEA president Kaz Hirai (left) doesn't believe that Microsoft will gain the upper hand simply because their next-gen console is out first. Hirai also (once again) made the claim that the PS3 will have the "technological advantage" over 360. More within...

Although Microsoft's Xbox 360 is currently in high demand and short supply, some analysts estimate that the 360 could have an installed user base of nearly 10 million worldwide by the time the PlayStation 3 hits American shores. Sony Computer Entertainment America president Kaz Hirai, however, doesn't seem concerned by this at all.

"First to market has never been an advantage"
The Official PlayStation Magazine recently interviewed Hirai about Sony's next-gen console battle with the 360 and more. Regarding the importance of being first to market with a new platform Hirai pointed to Sony's history: "You probably know by looking at our history that we've never been first to market with any of our products. Saturn was there before the original PlayStation, and Dreamcast was out before the PS2. Plus, there have been so many handhelds before the PSP."

[ "The technological advantage is almost a given, but by itself, it doesn't mean very much," SCEA president Kaz Hirai on PS3 vs. Xbox 360 ]


Microsoft has repeatedly stressed that beating Sony to market this time would be crucial, but Hirai doesn't think that getting a headstart will make as big a difference as MS would like to believe: "People, especially people up north on the West Coast, seem to put a lot of credence on being out before the other consoles. If you take a look at when our competitors came out in the market, we had upward of 3 [million] to 5 million PS2 units when our competitors came out with a platform. Consumers adopted our platform because [they like our content] and not because we were first to market. And, first to market, from what we can tell, has never been an advantage."

"At the end of the day, it's all about the entertainment content that you bring to the consumers, to the PlayStation family of products. We're going to make sure we're your family and that we'll take care of you. The last generation isn't just going away," he said, in what could be considered a jab at the dwindling lineup for the original Xbox." [more]