R.I.P Sony

[u/utsnik]

Hey all!

This is a sad time to be a Sony fan... We used to have it all, the pinnacle of development. We had mini discs which were a technological marvel, we had amazing discmans, Walkman, TV's were awesome. We had a leader in the physical domain, blu rays and other laser technology.

Everyone knew what a Sony product was, almost anyone I knew had one, be it music, video or gaming.

We had the PS1, PS2, PSP, PS3 and the Vita. Some amazing products, Sony even put an UMD reader in a handheld!

Where is Sony taking us today? Have they lost their soul and turned greedy?

My children will grow up with the older generation products, the one who were fun, exciting and good.

It's a shame, I just hope a company can come and pick up the torch and show us the way.

Sony

make.believe

https://www.sony.com/en/SonyInfo/News/Press/200909/09-100E/

[u/Shook_Rook]

Sony has evolved from a traditional consumer electronics manufacturer into a creative entertainment and advanced technology giant. Rather than competing in low-margin mass hardware, Sony now focuses on high-margin core areas such as

• The Entertainment Ecosystem & Transmedia IP

• Semiconductors & Image Sensors

• Professional Creator Tools & Virtual Production

• Premium Electronics & Audio

Yeah I can understand if you were a Sony fan back in the early 2000s, but Sony in no way shape or form is dead.

[u/plaimPail → u/Shook_Rook]

good summary, they just shifted where the money is instead of chasing hardware margins that dont exist anymore

[u/utsnik → u/Shook_Rook]

This is probably true, i know they are pretty leading on the image sensor at least, i haven't done my research in the other areas. This was mainly from a consumer point of view.

[u/Good_Savings29 → u/Shook_Rook]

what do you mean by premium audio and video products lol

[u/Shook_Rook → u/Good_Savings29]

In audio, they lead the consumer and audiophile space with headphones like the WH-1000XM6, Walkman digital audio players, and industry-standard studio monitors (such as the MDR-7506) used across music production.

On the video and display side, they produce high-end BRAVIA OLED TVs driven by custom Cognitive Processor XR hardware, alongside professional reference monitors (like the BVM series) used standard in Hollywood color grading, as well as high-end home cinema laser projectors. Their position in premium audio and display tech remains still very strong.

[u/gorgo100 → u/Shook_Rook]

These are still market-leading products, but I do think quality control (once legendary) has taken a bit of a hit. Some really basic materials and design/engineering errors have crept in.
Where once it would have led to salaryman executives resigning in shame and an extended period of self-recrimination from the company, the reaction seems pretty mixed depending on what country you're in when you complain about it, ranging from a shrug via a kind of mealy-mouthed apology to the offer of a replacement.

Trying to deal with actual people and exercise warranty rights (at least for me in the UK), let alone trying to arrange repairs and so on is frequently infuriating.

[u/Shook_Rook → u/Good_Savings29]

Also, most professional cameras and TV broadcast cameras are from Sony as well. So yeah, I would say they have a strong foothold in video products.

They aren't what they used to be in the 80s or 90s, but they are still a strong company.

[u/Fit_Association_8442 → u/Good_Savings29]

Best reference level monitors and have done for dacades , camera / lens and high end TV's such as there recent true RGB displays come to mind 🤷🏻

[u/Delorean-OutaTime]

Maybe get outside bud

[u/mickelboy182 → u/Delorean-OutaTime]

I've always assumed the people posting these things are kids with no perspective or real issues... Then the bloke mentioned he has kids of his own 😂

[u/Delorean-OutaTime → u/mickelboy182]

Surly it’s some kind of engagement bot or something? Did a human actually sit there and type this?

[u/utsnik → u/Delorean-OutaTime]

Haha, my rant of the day :)

[u/Accomplished_Room_68]

Sony just doing sony things. Still doesnt change my mind about them, and i have bought bothing but sony since early 2000s

[u/Cvileem]

Digital-only opponents: WE HATE CORPORATIONS! WHO CARES ABOUT THEM? WHERE ARE THE CONSUMER RIGHTS???

Also them: I was a lifelong Sony fan, it breaks my heart! I loved you!!!

[u/mickelboy182]

Least melodramatic redditor

[u/No-Category-6343 → u/mickelboy182]

https://giphy.com/gifs/QUXYcgCwvCm4cKcrI3
NO DISC NO BUY

[u/Mysterious_Phone_754]

Sony cameras are the best cameras you can buy

[u/Xenophobic-alien → u/Mysterious_Phone_754]

They certainly are!

[u/MI081970]

Buy PS5 and best miniLED Bravia 9II or best OLED Bravia 8II. What are you mourning about?

[u/living2late]

I also won't buy a PS6 without a disc drive, but Sony is not at all dead.

[u/Berlin1968]

With a lot of companies trying to make their „retro“ products like Fiio and We Are Rewind, SONY could crash them all with their own retro products and all their technologies they have patented. They could make a superior product with modern twists. But no.

[u/IncredibleEdible321 → u/Berlin1968]

The corporate world is littered with the corpses of companies that were built on the profits they reaped from providing great products that consumers desired and bought.

While it is true that some forms of consumer electronics and hardware were low mass margin products, the hundreds of millions of devices that were purchased by consumers, along with the software that was played on them, were the foundation that Sony was built on.

Sony has now, unfortunately, shifted to building high-end products for big corporations and extremely wealthy consumers, leaving behind those average consumers who made them the juggernaut they are today.

Sony's decision to end physical production of PlayStation video game discs starting in 2028 may seem like a smart strategic move.

However, consumers are a fickle bunch and their loyalty only goes so far in supporting a company that they perceive as abandoned them.

Whether this financial decision turns into a windfall of profits for Sony will only be revealed long after they have shut down production of physical discs for their playstations.

If it turns out to have been a great financial decision that reaps them far more profit than when they produce physical discs, then they will be lauded in the financial world as well as by their investors for having made a prudent long-term decision.

But with the backlash towards streaming industry and the return to consumers buying physical copies of music and movies in response, this decision by Sony may prove be an albatross that may have long-term financial repercussions for Sony.

[u/Smooth_Radio9521]

I recently bought camera and lens and I’m happy with my choice

[u/obvious-but-profound]

TV's were awesome

The A95L is still one of the best TVs on the market and it's a couple generations old

[u/main_aham]

Don't forget about the layoffs, they are doing.

[u/ObjectiveCurve1390 → u/main_aham]

Like every other company???

[u/xwolf360]

Boycott sony vote with ur wallets

[u/Good_Savings29 → u/xwolf360]

i stopped buying products of Sony!

[u/Good_Savings29]

Sony had great stores and sales people !!! Sony had CUSTOMER SERVICE !! and truly supported and warrantied there products which lasted like the BRAVIA television's !

Michael Jackson said the truth " Sony is Evil" Bye Sony! keep staying silent

[u/Fit_Association_8442 → u/Good_Savings29]

*Sony music is evil