Even though this article is complete flamebait I will still answer the question.

No.

Sony is the only reason I still care about gaming (other than a nice little surge of DS RPGs lately), and if they left the hardware world I would be more than disappointed.

It's like asking if McDonald's should stop selling burgers.

Ridiculous
Move on

...What the hell is this sh*t?

That's my question.

Why would anyone, and I mean *anyone* be THIS foolish to ask a question like that? I swear, the minute the economy hit rock bottom...these articles have been non-stop. How many times have I said that Sony will cut the price when they are ready? How many times have I said that? People are more focused on a damn console war than the fact that Sony has been pushing quality games like crazy. Yes, let's just ignore that. Focus on the damn price because the economy is so...so...soooooo bad.

No, Sony should not exit hardware. Sony, along with Nintendo are the reasons why we play games today!

MSFT doesn't make hardware.

although this is a pissant article i'll drop my opinion anyway - no Sony shouldn't stop making hardware, because they do make quality stuff, just misguided.

If they'd not tried so hard with the hardware, and made it so expensive and difficult [and ugly] then it'd be much better. The market would be very very different if they'd pushed their hardware like their competitors, Sony didn't need to try to cut new cloth to 'win' all they had to do was spank up the system specs to compete with the 360, and sell for half the price.

In a perfect world it'd be a single system, with Sony's rearguard quality, but MS's proven vision for a product that people will want and use.

No and they won't. Must be one of bruceongames friends. About the same level of intelligence. Which is not a whole lot.

I disagree. Yes Sony will finish in third place. However, I think Sony has learned their lesson. Sony thought that people would pay anything for a PS3 just because it was the new playstation. Even if the PS3 launch with the same firmware it has now, it still would have bombed at $599. Only hardcore people were willing to spend that type of money.

In my opinion what Sony needs to do is try to make it until the bell rings in the 12th round. Learn from the a$$ whopping that has handed to them. Don't think that just because the word "Sony" is in front of the PS means people will buy it no matter the price. Also make two systems, 1 that is for people that just want to play games (no bells and whistles) for like $299 and if you want a balls out system (with a built in microwave) then price that at $599 if you want. Give consumers more of an economic choice. Don't depend on 3rd parties to sell your system, you will get burned everytime. Get twice the amount of first party games out and make 3rd parties want to be apart of the great sales.

Man I can go all day about this. Sony just needs to go back to the drawing board. Listen to what the developers and consumers tell you what they want. They are the ones paying your bills Sony!! Looking at the PSP Go price point they still haven’t learned their lesson.

A hardware company should exit hardware?

Yea, and Microsoft should stop making software.

Stupid article. -_-

Lame ps3 has been very succesfull for sony in seccurring a new disc format plus,I do assume no numbers to proof it, that the ps3 is also boosting Hdtv (sony brand) sales.

Should Microsoft Quit Software?

Tha answer to all these are NO.

Sony are a giant company because they are good with Hardware and MS is good as Software, so why should they quit?

In my opinion they should team up, Sony with the best Hardware, Ms with the best software and networking.

Live would have to be made free though ;P

Sony's always been about quality and that still shows today.

Once more: This is "NEWS" 4 Gamers. Not "STUPID OPINIONS" 4 Gamers.

I sincerly wish N4G would add a new category: "Stupid Opinions" and we could simply bypass it in our profile!

Most stupid opinion ever? "“It seems to me that if you're competing for the living room, and there are three companies competing for it, then one of them is going to have to be on the ropes."

Sony: Makes a great media center (PS3), BluRay Players, HDTVs, Home Theathers, DVD players, etc, etc.
Microsoft and Nintendo: Make game consoles. Makes you wonder what competition for the living room they are talking about! LOL

dumbass opinion...is dumbass -_-'

Wow this guys know their stuff huh Lol.

EPIC PHAIL

The PS3 will sell more units than xbox 1 or gamecube could ever have dreamed of last generation.

why is this even being debated by some?
There are some pretty lame articles approved here on N4G but I think this one is a new low. At least for 09.

Should Burger King quit because they are behind McDonalds?
Should Target call it quits since Wal-Mart sells millions more?

*sigh*

Everyone is quick to say No it should be Microsoft, and I agree, but they aren't leaving the right reasons behind.

1. Microsoft should go, because it will NEVER penetrate the Japanese market. Japan just doesn't want an American gaming product, and no matter how hard Microsoft tries (buying up all JRPG's, $200 cheaper price tag, making games with the Japanese audience in mind, Adding a ton of Japanese content to current games like Forza 3, Changing Gears from a game about brutes in a war for their planet to compassion and friendship for the Japanese, Master Chief and Cortana's loveless love in Halo 3 was for the Japanese.) Hence they can't get Japan seeing how their still in a very distant 3rd place their (not including the handhelds).

2. The Xbox 360 STILL suffers from the Red Ring of Death. While they all didn't die at one time, meaning you can't pinpoint an exact percentage until much later, I am willing to go out on a limb and say that the 360 early on had a failure rate of at least 33%. Systems were just dropping dead a 1 1/2 years. That is not good business, nor good hardware. And the program they put into play to fix the systems was a life saver, but still it should not have happened on such a massive scale to being with. When the next generation comes Microsoft needs to make sure this doesn't happen again, because those who remember this fiasco will drop them instantly next time.

3. The 3rd reason I can think of is, because Microsoft is a much better software company than a hardware company. Microsoft has the best online features, and many apps (I call facebook, twitter, and everything else apps) that the PS3 doesn't have (and I know you can get on them with the PS3 browser, but it's not the same). Microsoft's gaming division is practically gone. They are paying 3rd parties to make exclusive games, and exclusive content for their system. With the Red Ring of Death, Paying for exclusives and content, Microsoft has to be adding up to one major bill. When instead they could be developing games and apps for PSN (I want MS and Sony alliance over Nintendo and MS) or the Wii and make money instead of losing it.

4. Finally this could give Microsoft a chance to focus on getting PC's back in the game. I see Cloud gaming coming soon, but for PC first as the testing grounds. Microsoft would be wise to jump on it and let Sony have the last generation of consoles (Yes I think there will be only one more console generation, before companies move on to Cloud gaming).

So there you have it. Good reasons backed by logic and facts on why Microsoft should be the one to exit the hardware business. But with that being said I doubt they'll leave. If in the end they make a profit (more so pass their goals) then they're in it for the long run. And I think Microsoft's here to stay. Hopefully they do join forces with Sony and take down Nintendo, before it's too late and we're doomed to e casual gaming future. And if they joined forces the PS360 would be leading in hardware sells against the Wii by 1 million, and the PSP MS Go would probably have a 25% increase in sells with games like Halo Go, Forza Go, Fable Go and whatever else MS would put on the system.

Would somebody please read the daam article before you post. :/ jesus its quite simple open the link read the 7 page article and then you come here and discuss the article, but perhaps im asking too much of ps3 fanboys, they are not capable of reading long passages or having an intelligent discussion.

because it's a dumb topic that should not even be debated. Articles like this is what is wrong with the media today. It's absolute nonsense.

BTW give me a break with the whole Sony fanboys blah, blah, blah dumb, blah, blah crap. If this title read "Should Microsoft Exit Hardware?" you would have a fit as would most other MS fans.

Regardless of which side of the fence you are on a garbage article is a garbage article.

Yes some of us read the article and yes I can certainly say the points are as ridiculous as the title. Just because the 360 is lacking original games doesn't mean Sony should quit hardware and push their IPs to other consoles. Remember without Sony we might all still be using CDs to play our games.

it is peoples choice as to what they read and dont read, in my case i read the intro posted here on n4g if i consider that the article has something good to say or interests me i click the link and read on... however the intro for this article did neither for me, and if they get facts wrong in the intro what the hell is the rest gonna be like? to me its pretty obvious. so i chose not to read on, this a good enough reason for you?

@ Socomnick

I take it your comment was towards me, and I for one did read the article as I do EVERY article before I comment. They say the PS3 is a great console, but Sony is losing money, and there's an opportunity for Sony to go the way of Sega and have their amazing first party make their games for other consoles. And I agree Sony is a great developer and would be a great publisher, and by focusing on games and not games and hardware Sony would easily become one of if not the best publisher/developers in the gaming industry.

But that doesn't change the fact that I feel it should be Microsoft who should drop out. Not to bash the 360, but the hardware isn't up to par. A console the breaks that much isn't a good console. Not to say they don't have great games, because they do. But the hardware is the problem. Which is where my comment came from, not to defend the PS3, because they are right. As a matter of fact all 3 developers could stop making hardware and focus on games and app and do just fine.

Am I only one who remembers that Sony is still making a s*** load of money on the PS2, which is helping to soften the blow of the PS3? And this articles is ridiculous. On Live isn't even proven yet, how can that be one of the reasons given? Be serious

this article is dumb

Microsoft shouldn't leave
RROD (33%)
E7blah blah error
Disc Scratching

Sony should leave
YLOD (3-5%?)

Sony has issues, i mean come on, they can't even live up to Microsoft's bad quality hardware that is overpriced.

lol

/hides in a bunker

Seriously where the hell did this Sony hate come from. Microsoft has a reputation for playing dirty and ripping off consumers, but then they produce a console with 33% failure rate and suddenly people love them? Give me a break. Sony is responsible for 15 years of second to none quality entertainment, now along comes Microsoft and suddenly people spit all over Sony. They drive technical innovation, new IPs, greenlight projects other publishers would not even consider because they are too risky. What's wrong with people nowadays. I can understand the price of the PS3 is high and it's value aside, not everybody can afford it, but does the high price justify rolling over them like that?

Personally I associate the name Sony with quality. The TV I bought in 1994 still works like a charm, not a single flaw. It belongs to my nephew now and he is playing my 2002 PS2 on it. This is just one little example of how reliable the hardware is they produce. Ask a 40 year old what a good TV is, I guarantee 80% of the time they will say Sony. They lost momentum in the TV market because Samsung is actually better now, doesn't mean Sony has no good TVs, quite the contrary.

Seriously I can't understand what is going on in peoples minds. All the articles how Sony is this and that and why they should quit are such nonsense. Opinions from morons everywhere, and poorly researched ones, I even think I read somewhere that the PS3 is selling faster than the PS2 back in the day. The PS2, the console that sold 140~ million if I recall correctly, and still selling like hotcakes. How the hell does an "opinion" like that even come to mind knowing that. The author obviously is a moron, pure and simple. I mean, Sony is not the PS3, Sony is a multi billion dollar company based almost entirely on the hardware market, so now Sony should simply scrap 95% of their company because of a 33% failure rate competitor and concentrate on software so Microsoft doesn't need to throw money at developers. I know he meant just the PS3, but he should specify it.

PS: For the record: I wouldn't buy a 20 euro toaster with 5 year warranty if it would have a 33% failure rate, let alone a console for 300 euros. The arcade is cheaper, but thats what it is, cheap.

This article really reminds me of that review that gave a negative point to the fact that a game was a PS3 exclusive. Saying Sonys games would be better if they weren't exclusive is the main theme of this article. And nothing is holding back Kratos from being in Soul Calibur (on the PS3) other than Badai asking, he's on the psp version.

All their reasons are backed in flimsy ways. First they say sonys little big planet would do better sales on the wii with it's 50mil (world wide) install base (true enough but different market anyway) but THEN go on to say that no PS3 exclusive has sold over 1 mil in the US... Why does it have to be in the US all of a sudden? They're writing things in whatever way seems favorable to their arguments, mentioning certain specifics at times and ignoring them when they become inconvenient.

The PS3 is selling at a fast enough pace compared to M$s pace and at a higher price point so what's with the doom and gloom article?
I honestly believe that M$ HAD to release the $200 arcade model (and yes i DO know people with them) after seeing Sony start to catch up last year. They HAD to buy titles away from sony exclusivity or there'd be too many reasons to get a PS3 over a 360 and they had to do many of the other things they've done just to stop sony from out selling them.

M$ constant hardware problems, year-time with out notable exclusives and basic catch-up/me too personality make it seem like it's more like the one struggling. They're making money, duh, but they have to copy, pay for and take risk after risk to do it. (example of a risk was paying for GTA exclusive DLC) What's Sony risking? They just release great games and free additional features that keep their owners (who know what the systems capable of) happy. A $100 price drop would be a huge risk without something making it possible.

Not one of these consoles seem to be where sega was with the dreamcast so it would be best if these type of articles just stop.

BTW, I really don't understand why M$ hasn't released a web browser for the 360, maybe they're trying to find a way of charging for the thing without upsetting consumers. It couldn't be a patent-based reason or nintendo wouldn't have one.

The Iphone/pod are not even worth mentioning as a psp comparison, just no. And the DS comparison is also invalid, why let nintendo monopolize when you current console is doing so well and about to get better (for the devs and publishers profit-wise) because of the PspGo and more so selling more download-able games? I just wish i could skip the psp altogether and play psp games on my PS3.

End the end, if you want sony exclusives, buy the sony product that plays them, they're ALL worth the money so you won't regret the purchase, even without a price drop. One of the biggest reasons it's sales aren't higher is the fear that "a price drop might happen a month after i buy one"

It brings up a point that's not really valid disguised as a "what if" question without considering all factors involved.

Another Sony is doomed article. I have come up with an analogy to help people remember that it isn't over yet. 18-1. Go Giants. Anything can happen and the generation is going to continue for at least a few more years so everyone needs to just calm down.

The problem with Sony is not their hardware at all. They have wonderful hardware for gaming, movies, music, etc, but they do not develop the software fully to realize the potential of the hardware most times. :) I am not saying they are a bad company at all, but they should be more focused on software. Do that and they can bring themselves back to #1 status easily! :)

There's nothing wrong with Sony's hardware or software. The PS3's first party games are the best among any console. The things holding the PS3 back are:

1. Price
2. Delays
3. Services

The Number reason the PS3 is in last place is the price, and that can't be argued. Launch at $600 pushed too many people away, and even now $400 is still a little steep for most people. The PS3 cost to much for the average person to buy. Now for those people who bought a 360 at launch you can't say that the PS3 is too expensive, because you paid the same price for your console. Now those who feel they paid too much for the 360 at launch and the PS3 are the only ones who can say anything. But in the end the PS3 is too much to gain mass appeal at this time. A price cut to $299 would be a huge boost, but the $250 mark is mass market territory so $299 will sell a tons of consoles, but lesser families may still be on the fence.

2. While not much has been delayed for the PS3 since Sony usually doesn't give a release date. There is a certain expectations that gamers look to once something has been announced. It's fine to show games, tech, and services, but don't show them if they're not going to be ready until 2 years or later. Sony needs to cut the fat, and become more focused on the task at hand, while being able to focus on the future as well.

3. MS has more services than the PS3. Sony needs to add more and get contracts with more partners to establish their consoles as the best place to go for all your entertainment needs. They need their very own iTunes Store. Home needs to be built upon, and other things that give MS the online advantage need to be up to par with MS.

sony leaves had ware i leave gaming

i was annoyied when sega killed the saturn, and i am not switching companys to ms for gaming ever

Sony Defence Force in full swing here I see.

Can I be the voice of reason and say.

Neither console should leave the market stop being retarded monkey fudgers.

@Below
I guess your a PS3 community member tell me again which community has the whiny 12 year olds no one wants to know. Yourself and half the comments above ain't making a good case for the PS3 community. Crying like little baby's over something that has nothing to do with Microsoft.

About an article written by some chimp that will not affect Sony in any way shape or form. In fact your cry baby comments only help advertise this doing more damage then it should.

And btw this ain't a court of law resting your case doesn't actually do anything........ Moron.

1) poor first party studio
2) poor hardware (RROD)
3) poor innovation (still use DVD9, some consoles without HD output)
4) poor PR people (Aaron Greencheeseberger, Turn 10)
5) poor sales in japan (even PS 2 outsold it from time to time)
6) poor deal making decisions (GTA 4 DLC, Fallout 3 DLC, Rare)
7) poor product naming skill (come on, xbox 360?? a gaming box slapped with an "X")
8) poor community (12 yr old whinny kids)
9) poor customer service (good luck calling their support line)
10) poor storage medium (DVD 9? can it hold out in 2010?)

i rest my case.

For God sakes, this has NOTHING to do with the SDF, and the SDF was made by a Nintendo fanboy to make fun of Sony fanboys, anyway (I can prove it, too). My GOD, you guys say that to defend ANY article like this (and you're using the same goddamn quote anymore: "They work fast" or "in full swing"). Every time we see a "Sony is doomed" article that's coupled with tons of comments saying that it's sh!t, we are guaranteed to see SOMEONE go straight to that SDF conspieracy. Yet there ISN'T a controversy when a "360 is doomed" article pops up that's bogged by a zillion "this article is sh!t" comments? Is everyone who ever writes crap like this never wrong?

Can we just face it? This is a sh!t article written by absolute tools that know nothing about the gaming industry. No amount of reading the entire article between or through the lines will make us change our minds. Sony should not exit the hardware industry, and this question should've never been brought up. Period!

So your agreeing with me? Maybe you should take a deep breath your beloved PS3 ain't going anywhere. But seriously take the fanboy goggles off for a second clearly half the comments here are written by Sony extremists..

Stuff like, No Microsoft should go instead there community is full of whiny 12 year olds...

I own both consoles I prefer the 360 but I would be pissed if the PS3 went anywhere. It just annoys me off to see complete and utter tools responding to this obviously flame bait. And some people blaming it on Microsoft I mean seriously where do you find half the people that post on this site. The bloody jerry springer show they live in a world totally void of reality most of the time the people with the most bubbles. are insane halfwits.

no, neither should leave. Without msft or sony, there's no competition, and without competition you get lackluster consoles and services.

"Kaz Hirai also admitted that the simultaneous global launch was a mistake."

since when did 11/06 and 3/07 mean simultaneous? But people from London got their money's worth.
"At the London launch everyone who bought a PS3 also received a free 46-inch HD television and a taxi home."
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/...

Since you obviously didn't get the point:

1. I own all three and LIKE all three, so shut your mouth about me being a fanboy.
2. You used the "SDF" line (which is basically telling all of us "attack me" since people like the Mart, Why Dis, and POG always want to use the line) and continue to bash "Sony extremists" as if they are the only ones that ever act like that. You're grouping everyone with the few and saying that EVERYONE who prefers the PS3 over the 360 is an extremist that would always act like that.
3. This was a sh!t article that doesn't deserve to be defended by anyone. Why it got approved boggles my mind? Maybe it was because of those "Sony extremists" that run this site, right? They just LOVE these useless articles that pop up every other day!
4. I never said I disagreed with you saying that no company should leave (not sure where you thought I would). I'm disagreeing with your piss poor choice of words.

YEAH just like MS should stop selling software huh ? This people SUPA smarts, no wonder they don't got traffic.

I think 360 fanboys love playing follow the leader. The minute they har someone use SDF, they start using it as well as if it's supposed to sway someone into changing their comments.

Nice going Ryudo, keep it up. darkpower has all three consoles so he's far from being a fanboy. He just has different viewpoints about things.

I think you should be a little mature and leave "SDF" at the door.

Completely Crazy... Again not sure how these crazy stories are getting approved.

Sony is the leader at pushing cutting edge technology! They are experiencing a bit of a rough spot right now, but the industry needs them.

All 3 companies bring their own things to the table and I like seeing them compete with each other. When they compete, us gamers win!

God no... If my only choice for a gaming system was the piece of sh!t hardware Microsoft pedals (I repeat: the hardware, not the games) I'd go back to playing computer games.

The article is fckin retarded, take the wii out of the equation first off, cause it's a different animal altogether, and Sony's doing just fine. It's still early, and to say that because microsoft rushed out their console a year early (which only screwed we the customer) and got a larger install base earlier is no reason to say Sony should stop selling hardware altogether. I guess Microsoft should have quit when they got dominated by the Ps2 (which also still sells well). Who here really wants Microsoft to get even lazier with their products cause there's no competition? That tells them that a 33% failure rate is just fine, why do better, there's no competition, and that's bad for everyone. Sony needs to stay in the game to keep up the integrity of the industry. Whomever wrote this article should NEVER EVER enter the business world if he thinks that not being first place ALL the time means you should just quit altogether, that's asinine, if every company did that monopolies would take over. RETARDED article.... RETARDED!!!

first off, all of my points are pretty legit, well, may be except the 12 yr old whinny community. now make that 30 yr old virgin who live in their parant's basement.
second, there wouldn't be any DEFENCING if there wasn't any ATTACKING.
when is the last time you see an article "XBOX is doomed" even though its selling like crap in japan, first party sucks, 33% failure rate, etc... well, you get my point.

I wonder what would come of articles like this if they did not in fact generate hits on websites. Perhaps they would go where they belong... In the trash.

This article has "fail" written all over it and fanboy flames coming out of it's sphincter.

Since launch, the PS3 has sold more units than the 360 did at the same point in time from their launch.

Add the fact that Sony has not 1 but 3 major hardware game devices on the market that are selling and the answer to the idiotic article title question is a resounding no.

Yes, they should discontinue the ps3, ect. but no they should at least design some for other companies and maybe join forces with the software giant Microsoft for a super console platform. My opinion.

Im getting so sick of the piss poor quality of some articles on n4g. Should ps3 get rid of the xmb? Should sony leave the hardware market? Wii HD to have ps3/ 360 level graphics? These people are not journalists. They're people who must have flunked school. Anybody in n4g could write a better article then these retards, even whydis. 'next ps3 sku to not have bluray'. Seriously, anyone can write better articles then these. These "journalists" should be freakin ashamed of themselves.

if anything Microsoft should leave with there piece of crap hardware that breaks continuously with a ratio of 1/3. They are slowing down technology with their systems, and they copy everyone.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but selling 23 million consoles in 2 1/2 years at the highest price point on the market with stiff competition hardly seems like "limping out of the gate" to me.

Funny, I don't remember these articles when the Xbox 360 hit 19 million in it's first 2 1/2 years. They must have really thought the 360 was doomed at the point.

So, after doing extremely well in generations gone by, Sony get a poor start, and suddenly they should stop making hardware?

I want whatever game journalists are smoking these days.

^^^There are no journalists at Examiner.com...

There's been some abuse somewhere on this site, i had 9 bubbles yesterday and today i have 5. How does that happen?

Join the club... there's been an assault on my bubbles for a while. I stopped posting for a month, came back and somehow my 6 bubbles were down to 4..... and then I lost a bubble for my last comment which only has 1 disagree... Go figure.

Same here. 8 to 5 in an hour.

On top of that, look at the comment by XDF here:

http://www.n4g.com/NewsPend...

He quotes me exactly. Yet the mods deleted that comment. Why? No reason for that either as those remarks were hardly above board compared to some others I have seen here. I think it is obvious certain people are being targeted and not just by the other posters.

From 9 down to 5 in a week. I'm up to six now, but I thought it was just me this was happening to.

I look at my bubbles, ignored by and tracked by status ALL the time. My bubbles took less than a day to drop from 9 to 5, it might've happened in under an hour but yesterday was the last time im positive i looked at it.

I wish there was a way to investigate this because that's bs.
I had the idea that maybe you loose a bubble every time a mod deletes your post but that doesn't make sense because tons of people (trolls) get multiple deletions daily and they aren't all at 0.

This sucks

I Never hit the link either, It's the stupidest
Title I Ever saw, at first I thought this was a
old 2007 article.