14 DAY TRIAL // In an interview with the Playstation magazine, Sony Computer Entertainment America chairman Kaz Hirai accused Microsoft of stealing their marketing strategies. "Every time we go down a path, we look behind and [Microsoft is] right there - we just can't shake these guys. I wish that they would come up with some strategies of their own, but they seem to be going down the path of everything we do." He went even further indicating that this is not just a particular case but a characteristic of Microsoft's market strategy.
Mr. Kaz Hirai's words must be taken with a pinch of salt though. The console market is already saturated with the two greedy mammoth's products, thus tough competition and all sorts of theft are bound to happen. A clear mind should realize that Sony itself "borrowed" the console gaming invention from Atari (Ralph Baer - inventor, Magnavox Odyssey - the first console) or the PS3's motion-sensing controller from Nintendo's Wii. Furthermore, online gameplay is another not-so-original feature which the Japanese electronics giant took from none other than the "culprit", Microsoft (Xbox Live).
On the other hand, Microsoft has blueprinted with grace and great skill on Sony ideas such as the EyeToy. The bottom line is that talking about originality in this line of work is just the younger sister of hypocrisy.
Well this is not exactly hypocrisy, but business. With enouncements of preposterous pricing for the PS3 and its wares, Sony needed to tackle the situation by diverting attention from itself. There is no secret Microsoft and Sony collaborate fairly well (Vaio is building with Windows XP), and it is plausible believing that Mr. Hirai's crusade against his partners has been flamboyantly premeditated with their blessings.
The situation from the field says something entirely different though. Independently from the two corporations' efforts to take over the world, consoles sell because of the games they offer. One does not need to study rocket engineering to realize such a simple fact.
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