As discussed earlier, expensive TVs are becoming less important to consumers. And as we know, Sony is a leading manufacturer of just such televisions. Well, the company's Chairman Howard Stringer is saying now the company's top management priority is to "restore profitability in our television and game businesses" (the television side of the business wasn't the only one to lose money this last fiscal year).

Under Stringer's stewardship, Sony's PlayStation division has lost $3.4 billion in the past two years, thanks in part at least to Nintendo's success with the Wii. Phwew, I would not want to be in Stringer's position right now.

Sony predicted at its annual shareholder meeting in Tokyo today it will sell 10 million PlayStation 3's and 9 million PlayStation 2's this year; the Wii is expected to sell 25 million units. No wonder the PS2 is still getting fairly steady support, hey?

Stringer commented to shareholders on Sony's plans for innovation:

"Three years ago, we were criticized for the lack of innovation. Three days ago, in a UK brand poll, Sony was ranked No.1 this year. But, we are not No.1 in my mind yet.''

It's been a hard road for Sony, but I'm kind of rooting for the underdog here in a way, thinking it's just a matter of time before the cost of new technology evens out with company feasibility. They seem to need more freedom, which they had with the PS2, though I'm sure they've probably made at least a few mistakes in this latest generation that could've helped make things easier. Anyway, Metal Gear 4 certainly seems to be alleviating some of the pain.