Sony Computer Entertainment president Kazuo Hirai recently chatted with MCV, and in between discussion about PlayStation 3 SKUs and Home, he countered Microsoft senior vice president Don Mattrick’s E3 claim that the Xbox 360 would outsell the PS3 this console generation.
Hirai’s response was simply that Microsoft’s definition of the term "generation" may be different from Sony’s, and he reiterated Sony’s plan to support the PS3 for a long, 10-year lifecycle.
"The key word there is this ‘lifecycle’ or ‘this generation.’ As you probably know, we’re working on a ten-year lifecycle, we’ve said that since day one and we’ve proven it with PSOne and PS2. I guess Don is saying they’re also going to be embarking on a ten-year lifecycle, then? If they are then that’s terrific, but I’ve never seen them manage it before.
Last time I checked, the Xbox went by the wayside four or five years after launch. On the other hand, if he’s saying that Microsoft will outsell us after five years, if he calls that this generation, then he’s saying he’s going to exit the 360 business within five years. I’m not exactly sure when he says ‘this lifecycle’ or ‘this generation’ what standard he’s using – five years, 10 years, I don’t know."
That answer has an air of smugness about it that almost makes me want to high-five Kaz, but somehow I imagine a bunch of charts and numbers would get in my way if I ever tried to do so.
[via MCV]
