Dude, you're getting a PSP
For the totality of the PlayStation brand, Steinberg expects a great rest of the year. That includes not only the PS3, but the PSP as well. Helped by the new PSP Slim and the special packaged bundles, the PlayStation Portable is quietly reaching new heights while the next-gen console war rages in the background.

"[The PSP is] having a monster holiday in part because of the campaign, but also because of the sharper price, and some great values on the system," said Steinberg. "The 'Dude' campaign has been an instigator of a lot of that, mirroring the fanaticism we see for the platform, the technology and the games. We're also seeing it evolve and become stronger in the teen and tween demographic, and that's where we're seeing the hottest growth."

"The PS3 campaign continues through the end of the year," he added, shifting gears. "We haven't made any announcements [on the campaign] rolling into the next quarter, so I can't comment on that, but you'll see more ads for first-party software, titles like Uncharted and also things that embrace our third party partners where you'll see the ads that have the $399 splash at the end. Speaking of Uncharted, there's so much discussion about the convergence of movies and games, [but with Uncharted] we feel we've finally achieved that grand goal. The game looks great, the music is spectacular and we've done all we can to market it well."

Sega to Sony connection
Steinberg's experience reaches far back before Sony and all the way back to Sega during the heyday of the Genesis. With that in mind, we asked him how his prior experience helped him with his current marketing position at Sony Computer Entertainment. While he said that discussion could "last for two hours" he tried to summarize it as best as possible.

"I was at Sega at the early '90s and I was there for four years after it became a software company," mused Steinberg. "Today, the industry doesn't look anything like it does 15 years ago, except for the people involved. There is so much passion around the technology and the products, and a lot of that at Sony reminds me of the 'halcyon' days when 16-bit was just taking off. Fast forwarding to the last few years at Sega, it helps me understand both sides of the software fence, and gain appreciation for what third parties are doing in a lot of the programs for the PSP, PS3 and even PS2. So it helps me come in with a bit more of balanced point of view."

"People really love this business, [and once you're in it] you become addicted to it. If you leave, which I have, you really understand why this is a cool business. You almost get ruined from doing anything else, making it harder to go over to any other industry. It's hard work, with lots of risk, but there's nothing like an industry where people can get passionate about what they do. Things like that are few and far between, and that's why people come back to the industry. There's nothing like the technology and entertainment businesses; we've merged them both and it's an additive cocktail," he concluded.