Sony: "They're in trouble" - ngmoco

By Robert Purchese Published 21 March, 2011

Microsoft's "in better shape".

Of The Big Three it's Microsoft that is best placed to take advantage of the future, reckons mobile gaming giant ngmoco.

"In the hardware world, I think Sony's massively out of position. I think they're in trouble. I think Microsoft's in much better shape," Neil Young, ngmoco founder, told IndustryGamers.

"They understand cloud computing; the Xbox Live service is a world-class service, and they've got a foothold in mobile, albeit a tenuous one. I think they're in better shape.

"I think Nintendo always has the benefit of its franchises, but I don't think it ends up being a really rich ecosystem for third parties."

Microsoft Windows has heavily invested in cloud ideals, but Xbox Live only allows Gamertags to be up - and downloaded. Sony, on the other hand, recently introduced Online Storage for PS3. If you're a PlayStation Plus subscriber, you can upload save files and access them from any PS3 with an internet connection.

Ngmoco made a name for itself with mobile mega-smash Rolando, which Eurogamer stamped an 8/10 on.

Picture of Robert.

About Robert Purchese

Bertie is Eurogamer's Senior Staff Writer. When he's not hunting down news stories he's often found playing with his kids or gabbling about fantasy games and strange online worlds. @Clert on Twitter.

Read more articles from Robert by visiting the Robert Purchese archive page.

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Comments (71) Latest comment 1 year ago

Comments for this article are now closed, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • Garibaldi #1 1 year ago

    And now it's time for #9,567,292 in 'tiresome, corporate smack-talk'. Collect the whole series!

  • randompanda #2 1 year ago

    "best placed to take advantage of the future"

    There's something scary about that statement.

  • homerramone #3 1 year ago

    Hes right im sure - sony have hardly shifted any PSPS. Theyre rubbish.

  • GamesProgrammer Verified Games Team Programmer, Eutechnyx Ltd. #4 1 year ago

    Its amazing how many of these none console developers have such a big opinion about Console gaming.

  • PixelPirate #5 1 year ago

    Why are all these 2 bit mobile developers commenting on Eco systems they know very little about, or have worked on?

    First Angry birds guys, now this rip-off merchant. Lets not forget he basically ripped off Loco Roco with Rolando anyway.

    I have 0 respect for this guy.

  • mikeck #6 1 year ago

    @PixelPirate The guy who 'created' Rolando used to work for SCEE. Go figure ;)

  • eltonpr0n #7 1 year ago

    Yet another know it all.

    Guess releasing a mobile game makes you an industry guru these days. Fuck off.

  • el_pollo_diablo #8 1 year ago

    The only thing Sony have over Microsoft is the ability to design and build hardware that doesn't, you know, break all the time.

    (Calm down xbox lovers, I'm only gently ribbing).

  • midnight_walker #9 1 year ago

    Non-news is not news.

  • Mkwone #10 1 year ago

    I wouldn't be at all suprised to see playstation close down by the end of the week after that damning statement from the powerhouse that is ngmoco.

  • weezereire #11 1 year ago

    Let us sweep aside such petty grievances in service of reason and reward, he offers twice the sum refused. And what, I wonder, does good Sony receive for convincing me to spread cheeks and accept deeper ramming

  • AcidSnake #12 1 year ago

    "Well I heard Mr Young sing about her...Well I heard ol' Neil put her down..."

  • Snowymonk #13 1 year ago

    This news is nothing more than baiting the console fanboys.

    Microsoft, Sony and Nintendo are all going to be around for a while.

  • Machiavellian #14 1 year ago

    The only thing Sony have over Microsoft is the ability to design and build hardware that doesn't, you know, break all the time.

    (Calm down xbox lovers, I'm only gently ribbing).

    The PS1 and 2 says high. Don't know about you but those two systems broke a lot during their span. Hell, even the PS3 within my household has broken down 2 twice. One is still sitting in my closet because of the YOLD which I keep telling myself I will try the old heat gun technique to at least get my son game out of it.
    Edited by Machiavellian at 21/03/11 @ 11:28

  • ChuckNorris #15 1 year ago

    @weezereire

    Somebody has been watching a lot of spartacus eh?

  • el_pollo_diablo #16 1 year ago

    Both of mine still work, but then again so does my Commodore 64.

    I suspect this proves nothing :)

  • makememoo #17 1 year ago

    when the fuck are people going to stop using the term "cloud computing" when they actually mean connecting to a server and/or connecting to a peer. I remember when "the cloud" was called "servers"

  • Spekingur #18 1 year ago

    And us guys on here are not another case of 'know-it-alls'?

  • TheNinkyNonk #19 1 year ago

    Yet another mobile dev getting a wee bit too big for their boots

  • DavidBoring #20 1 year ago

    arent the developers of rolando making a psn-exclusive game at the moment ?

  • chrisjm #21 1 year ago

    I expect this means PS4 will be cheaper to make so they can profit sooner. will be interesting when the next gen consoles are revealed.

  • Delta1knight #22 1 year ago

    From where I'm sitting Sony appear to be doing just fine, not convinced this guy knows what he is talking about.

  • weezereire #23 1 year ago

    Every cloud has a Microsoft lining

  • RodHull #24 1 year ago

    Microsoft in the best position? Piffle. Atari Jaguar and CD32 FTW.

  • onyxbox #25 1 year ago

    "News by Robert Purchese"

    say no more :/

  • X201 #26 1 year ago

    or in plain English...

    Please Mr Microsoft, can we have a license to develop on your phone please.

  • leketin #27 1 year ago

    It all begins with an exclusive game which has a decent multiplayer. Halo is a true reason of Live's success.

    Sony still needs its own Halo.

  • amiga_dude #28 1 year ago

    When business like EA, Activsion, Ubisoft or Take 2 (Rockstar) start saying this I will start taking note.

    PS I put the likes of THQ, Atari in same leage as ngmoco.

  • rudedudejude #29 1 year ago

    News at 10, someone who works in gaming expresses their personal opinion.

    Gamers outraged!

  • tobsen #30 1 year ago

    Hahaha, what obvious nonsense. So Sony have no "foothold in mobile"? Way to embarass yourself, Mr. Young.

  • weebl #31 1 year ago

    Wasn't Rolando, despite being a good game, fundamentally ripping off Loco Roco anyway?

  • PixelPirate #32 1 year ago

    @PixelPirate The guy who 'created' Rolando used to work for SCEE.

    lol if that true, then it sounds more like sour grapes than anything else. MS are doing a good job with Live and they had a head start on Sony and Ninty who are both moving forward positively and in their own direction.

  • coolbritannia #33 1 year ago

    Person has opinion shocker. Seriously, why get so upset?

  • Dave52 #34 1 year ago

    But your company develops for IOS and Android...

  • dfish #35 1 year ago

    This guy(Neil Young) has had some pretty extreme views over handhelds before.
    [link url=http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2011-03-02-rolando-publisher-slams-ngp-3ds
    ]http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2011-0...[/link]
    He clearly sees it as a threat to his mobile app business

  • Eldritch #36 1 year ago

    Neil Young should focus on his new album.

  • JBlokeUK #37 1 year ago

    Loco Roco is 10x better than Rolando Neil, but nice try.

  • Jolly_Armadillo #38 1 year ago

    The comments sections is to comment on the article, please can people stop complaining about people using the comments sections for it's intended purpose.

    I would like to see some opinionated comments on this article to be honest because I for one believe this guys words / opinion to be complete tosh.

    The author of the article clearly also believes his words to be tosh as the guy states microsofts grasp on cloud computing yet the author gives an example of Sony using true cloud computing.

  • Beano #39 1 year ago

    "Sony still needs its own Halo. "

    It's called Uncharted.

  • miiiguel #40 1 year ago

    The author of the article clearly also believes his words to be tosh as the guy states microsofts grasp on cloud computing yet the author gives an example of Sony using true cloud computing.

    Don't mean to nitpick, but what Sony implemented was cloud storage, not cloud computing. It's actually quite diferent in complexity.

  • Jolly_Armadillo #41 1 year ago

    @miiguel

    Nitpick as much as you like, but you must understand where I am coming from though.

  • SeesThroughAll #42 1 year ago

    Don't mean to nitpick, but what Sony implemented was cloud storage, not cloud computing. It's actually quite diferent in complexity.

    True, and taking that into account, neither Sony nor Microsoft have so far actually made any business from actual cloud computing.

  • miiiguel #43 1 year ago

    Cloud computing is very complex and very new, I know IBM and MS have an entreprise offer, as their presented they services to "us" (us - being the place I work). I think Amazon is coming up with something for home use. I don't know if Sony has something coming up.
    Cloud storage, one can find dozens of companies which provide the service, it's easy to implement, from a technical standpoint, still serious buisness - it's your data.
    Edited by miiiguel at 21/03/11 @ 12:18

  • Jolly_Armadillo #44 1 year ago

    @miiguel

    How would true cloud computing be implemented into the current consoles and what benefits could it bring?

  • miiiguel #45 1 year ago

    On the current systems, probably nothing, as they are outdated hardware, but a system like OnLive with Live or PSN access might make sense, I mean, I would trust Sony or MS for a cloud based gaming system (with access to Live - or PSN). Actually a hybrid system would be great.
    Edited by miiiguel at 21/03/11 @ 12:27

  • Jolly_Armadillo #46 1 year ago

    Onlive relies on a good connection rather than good hardware, I'm not entirely sure about this but I wouldn't expect myself to get a good experience through onlive or a Microsoft / Sony implementation of it.

    I wouldn't say Internet connections are very reliable or consistent so I expect the console experience to follow suit and not be reliable or consistent either.

  • SeesThroughAll #47 1 year ago

    From previews I read around, I was under the impression that OnLive didn't work too well, though. It seems to be about as laggy as Remote Play from the PS3.

    @ EG Staff: Please introduce "captchas" or something similar to prevent automated posts. The spammers are becoming very annoying!

  • miiiguel #48 1 year ago

    Obviously, but if they come up with a box with enough juice to be fairly powerfull and also able to take advantage of cloud computing (and therefore unlimited upgrades) if one has a good internet connection it'd be great. I think. Even more, with the possibility wo access your games and profiles from a PC or a mobile device. MS is experimenting with that, Full House Poker is its first approach, and it works rather well, if a bit basic.
    Edited by miiiguel at 21/03/11 @ 12:48

  • Retro_ #49 1 year ago

    Misleading news headline award goes to...... Eurogamer

  • Goodfella #50 1 year ago

    Why do I get this image in my head of Kaz Hirai standing in a doorway looking back into an empty room, dipping his head and sighing, then turning out the light and closing the door?

  • Noble6 #51 1 year ago

    Enough with the silly pointless comments. As far as I know, according to Ign, Npd and VgChartz. Sony are barely breaking even, post distribution cost per console. Say what you want trolls but this is not good news. If the Ngp fails, I wouldnt be surprised if Sony pulled out of the gaming Market to focus on other profitable devices of which, none are doing so well for Sony.

  • makeamazing #52 1 year ago

    @Noble6, i guess you are looking at the VGchartz figures before they are amended upwards... as they normally are every quarter.

    You may have missed that sony is selling more consoles than MS this year... like they have in other years... I guess your blinkers are not setup right to say that MS should be closing shop as well then?
    Edited by makeamazing at 21/03/11 @ 13:11

  • solidSnake04 #53 1 year ago

    guy is talking shit

  • homerramone #54 1 year ago

    -5 for a bit of sarcasm.

    Hats

  • meanmrmustard #55 1 year ago

    If sony has learned their lesson and makes their next home console a tad easier to program for (they seem to be beginning to learn this lesson with the PSP2.) then I honestly think they could be in a stronger position for the next gen.
    Well at least in capturing the hardcore audience, think about it, if there was parity with multiplatform games performing so similarly on both platforms it needn't be considered the only distinguishing feature would be exclusive first party games and Microsoft has spent the past few years shutting down most of it's 1st party developers.

    The price point is another big thing for Sony to overcome, I don't think people would mind paying maybe £50 more if the gap in build quality is enough to make it worthwhile knowing they are getting a console that probably won't break within 2 years.

    As to address the point of Xbox live VS PSN hopefully sony will have invested PS+ membership fees into better infrastructure for patches and downloads, and it seems 99% certain that cross game chat will definately be in the new Playstation if it isn't brought out in a firmware update for the PS3 before then.

    Though having said all of this I think this makes too much damn sense to be Sony's business plan going by the past 5 years.
    Edited by meanmrmustard at 21/03/11 @ 13:44

  • Scopeh #56 1 year ago

    Everyone has an Opinion..Just like you guys. This guy is no different except a gaming website, namely a journalist if you can call him that, has chosen to mislead the readers with the title so he can get some brownie points. "Hey boss look at my News article it got 10,000 views!!!"
    Edited by Scopeh at 21/03/11 @ 13:42

  • ronuds #57 1 year ago

    How DARE he!

  • meanmrmustard #58 1 year ago

    @homerramone A good tip to remember on the internet is to never ever try sarcasm ever, there is no level of stupidity that your sarcastic post can sink to where it will become obvious that it is sarcasm.

  • BOFH_UK #59 1 year ago

    I'm always surprised at the level of bile that comes out when any mobile game dev is quoted here. Not sure WHY I'm surprised anymore, you'd think I'd get used to it by now.

    Anyway, I do think Mr Young has a point here, in the hardware space (note HARDWARE, not gaming) Sony might indeed be in trouble. The PS3 is finally making money but when it comes time for the PS4 they might find themselves in a real battle with Microsoft and they certainly can't afford to build something as ridiculous as the PS3 again. The NGP on the other hand might face a real problem. In terms of spec it'll be the fastest thing out there at launch... but it's not going to mantain that lead for long.

    The iPad 2 effectively has half the power (2 A9 cores and 2 SGX543MP cores whereas the NGP is supposed to have quad core for both)of the NGP and that's available right now. With the rate of chipset development in the mobile space the NGP might find tablets and phones matching it in terms of power within a year of release (if not less). That makes it considerably harder to sell the platform when one of its main features is so quickly eclipsed. Considering games are likely to cost considerably more (even for titles available on other mobile platforms if they stick with the current PSN pricing model) that's potentially a real problem going forward.

  • man.the.king #60 1 year ago

    @miiiguel

    I'm all for progress but I'm not sure both MS and Sony eagerly taking up cloud computing would work out squarely in us gamers' interests.

    Even off the top of my head, I can think of multiple ways they can use this to enforce "security" i.e. DRM.

    Multiple ways for the games we buy to not work.

  • hiddenranbir #61 1 year ago

    "They understand cloud computing"

    But Sony has done more of it...how little they understand!

  • geordiek #62 1 year ago

    Shit better sell my PS3 while I can still get some cash for it

  • SeesThroughAll #63 1 year ago

    With the rate of chipset development in the mobile space the NGP might find tablets and phones matching it in terms of power within a year of release (if not less). That makes it considerably harder to sell the platform when one of its main features is so quickly eclipsed.

    You're thinking of the NGP as something it isn't: a phone.

    Like living room consoles, handheld consoles are an investment: they're bought by consumers in the expectation of buying games for them in short to medium term. They aren't treated as cell phones that you plan on replacing in one year or two (I know people who switch cell phone every month!)
    If anything, the rapid hardware development will give Sony enough room to plan hardware price drops in order to stay competitive, thus helping them, not harming them.

  • betrayerofhope #64 1 year ago

    sony is selling ps3s, ps2s, psps and introducing a new platform this year. Sony computer entertainment is the second largest division in the company after sony electronics. Yeah i don't think sony is in trouble anytime soon when it comes to their gaming division

  • BOFH_UK #65 1 year ago

    "You're thinking of the NGP as something it isn't: a phone. "

    Well that's great but the fact is it IS competing in the mobile space with phones, tablets and, most importantly, the iPod Touch. That last one is potentially a killer (and often overlooked in these discussions) if Apple keep up their existing policy of hardware updates as September 2012 could see an iPod Touch with the same internals as the NGP. It's certainly not that hard to see iOS (and potentially Android if some fragmentation issues get sorted out) being very attractive to both consumers and developers. More to the point perhaps, yes core gamers make an investment in a system for a number of years but is that market big enough to support something like the NGP where development costs are going to be relatively high? For that matter how do you get people to buy into it a year or two after launch when it's being eclipsed graphically by mobile devices that do a LOT more than just game for, potentially, a lot less money.

    Sorry but the fact is right now the mobile industry (phones, media players, tablets at the very least) is growing incredibly rapidly and making the prospect of buying a dedicated portable gaming device a harder sell with every passing month. A couple of years from now we're looking at the potential for the phone in your pocket to be faster, have better graphics, do WAY more in terms of functionality and have far cheaper titles than an NGP. If/When that happens Sony need a hell of a good answer and I just haven't seen anything that makes me think they have it. The core market will probably buy in but beyond that... I'm not so sure.

  • TwitchyMcTwitch #66 1 year ago

    @Machiavellian

    My ps2 has and still is running perfectly fine from the first day I bought it (8+\- years ago) till now.
    Edited by TwitchyMcTwitch at 21/03/11 @ 18:54

  • darkos87 #67 1 year ago

    I believe that the gameboy advance is making a come back in 2012.

    Can eurogamer make a news article of my opinion please as well?

  • Noble6 #68 1 year ago

    If you read my post closely, you'd realise I was referring to Sony barely breaking even on production cost post distribution costs. So even if they sell a billion, if you're not making profit, it's like beating a dead horse. It's a shame but it's true. Considering the billions of dollars that are still down the pipe from developing and launching the ps3, its going to be a long time before they're making solid profit. Sony have said so themselves, the article was on Eg I think. Ms, on the other hand have been making profit on the console and Kinect for sometime now. Say what you want, they definitely know business.

    For Sony's sake, I hope the NGP does well.

  • FenderMaster #69 1 year ago

    "Microsoft's in much better shape," Neil Young, ngmoco founder, told IndustryGamers.

    "They understand cloud computing; the Xbox Live service is a world-class service, and they've got a foothold in mobile, albeit a tenuous one. I think they're in better shape.

    ...

    Microsoft Windows has heavily invested in cloud ideals, but Xbox Live only allows Gamertags to be up - and downloaded. Sony, on the other hand, recently introduced Online Storage for PS3. If you're a PlayStation Plus subscriber, you can upload save files and access them from any PS3 with an internet connection.

    lol

  • Turbotim3 #70 1 year ago

    yeah sony hasn't moved hardly any psp's only 65 million.

  • Dave52 #71 1 year ago

    @BOFH_UK - So, the 3DS is fucked as well...? I mean, how can a hand held compete with the iPad / iPod Touch... Oh wait.... breaking news - Amazon's biggest pre-order ever....

    Also, the new Playstation Phone is gonna sell games from $1-$10 apparently. Sony have just got into bed with Google TV and Android (the biggest smart phone platform in the world). I think they'll be ok.