In yet another stupid move on Sony's part, they let Jack Tretton (President and CEO of Sony America) talk to EGM about the PS3. While many of his comments were off the wall, two stuck out to the Geek as ridicule worthy. Check them out after the jump.
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So what was the worst of Jack's blunders during the course of his interview? Well, there were two that stood out for two very different reasons. The first we'll be looking at is his comment on HDMI cables, which masks a hidden truth I doubt Sony wants you to hear.
Specifically, in the article Jack is asked "You boast about having a high-end machine, with 1080p high definition output, and yet you don't include the video cables to take advantage of that. You include very low-end cables, in fact. What gives?". His response is "The statistics I've read say that 38 percent of the TVs that were sold this year were high-def TVs. To me that says 62 percent were not high-def. There's a fairly high cost of goods to putting a component in the box that may or may not be used. We're providing the best value we can for consumers. The cables that we put in the box will get the PS3 up and running, but if you want to optimize it, you'll need additional cables- it depends on what kind of setup you have."
Now my problem with this statement has nothing to do with the whole cable issue, believe it or not. What concerns me is the logic Jack is using. When I simplify his statement, I hear "This part is expensive, and over 60% of people out there can't use it because they don't have a high def TV. It is a better deal for the consumers if we don't make them pay a lot for something they can't use." Now explain to me Jack, why we can't apply your exact same logic to the Blu-Ray DVD drive as well? It's very expensive. The same 62% of consumers can't benefit from it. The only difference really is the whole "We're providing the best value we can for consumers" bit, which clearly they decided not to do. Why can't Jack (and Sony) see that their own logic makes the Blu-Ray drive in the PS3 nothing more then a way to fleece the consumer? But then again, maybe I'm wrong. Feel free to drop some comments and tell me what you think.
But while your typing to me, there is someone else you also have to write, which brings us to Jack's Stupidity: Part 2. During the same interview Jack apparently went clinically insane and stated (in response to claims that many retailers now had PS3's in stock and collecting dust on store shelves) "If you can find a PS3 anywhere in North America that's been on shelves for more then 5 minutes, I'll give you 1,200 bucks for it". Now despite EGM's response that they had called retailers before the interview and found many with PS3's in stock, Jack just doesn't seem to get it. So although you have no legal basis for trying to hold Jack to his word, feel free to drop Sony a line at this link and let them know how much money Jack owes you based on the PS3's in your local shop.
For more on the EGM article, you can find it in issue 213, or an excerpt at 1up. Once again, Sony amazes me with their twisted logic and arrogant claims. The Geek is not amused (ok, maybe a little bit... 1,200 bucks...what an idiot).
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