Sony Versus Nintendo Versus the Crappy Economy

January 29th, 2009Blog0 comments

Pretty great article in Ars Technica today on why Nintendo is kicking Sony’s ass — even though they’re both dealing with the same horrible economy.

Part of Sony’s problem is its diversity. For the most part, its different electronics offerings aren’t mutually supportive—owning a Vaio PC doesn’t seem to make anyone more likely to buy a Bravia TV or a PS3. As such, sales of nearly everything plummeted.

This is something that Apple understands well. Tons of people have been switching to Mac and the iPhone because of the iPod. The halo effect is real, and having the entire company remain profitable is much better than having the winning half of a company carrying the losing half on its back.