A two hour long presentation, a really impressive show, many rumours confirmed about its capabilities, the most powerful gaming platform, PlayStation 4, will be ready…on Holiday 13? What? When is that? But my money is ready now. ‘Sigh’–just please not during Christmas.
With the PlayStation 4 Conference Debut now a memory, we’ve now got something official to judge whether this is Sony’s last stand, or whether it can take back the throne of the gaming market. Sony’s PlayStation 2 holds the record for the best-selling video game console of all time, but with the release of the PlayStation 3, it lost a chunk of credibility and reputation and has been since tossed to 3rd place behind Nintendo and Microsoft. Jack Tretton, President of Sony Computer Entertainment America gave CNBC an insight on the Company’s marketing plans: “There are more gamers now than there ever were before, and that means a bigger market, and more opportunity to do the job up right.”
Let’s talk strategy…
The market for digital and motion sensitive games is growing at an exponential rate. It might seem tempting for Sony to retrace the steps of the PlayStation 3, but Sony needs to be more decisive in what it wants to offer rather than offering every single thing at once. The Wii U, released in late 2012, tried to combine casual, hard-core motion-sensitive and touch-based gaming, as well as video streaming and apps and has so far seen weak reviews with consumers complaining about sluggish reception. In the past, the “everything under one” strategy cost Sony its credibility with gamers and in order to redeem itself, PlayStation 4 needs to balance itself between a tedious straight-forward gaming platform and an overwhelming platform of features.
PlayStation 1. First released in Japan December 1994.
No doubt about it, when the PlayStation 4 is revealed, we will definitely witness spectacular graphics, a fancy controller, and improved connectivity. But Sony needs to implement a cohesive marketing strategy and a clear target market. Misplaced ambition decelerated the would-be success of the PlayStation 3. Come on PlayStation 4, let’s be a little more focused!
