SONY TID-BITS
March 30, 2000

The Nihon Keizai Shimbun reports that Sony has issued a recall of all DVD utility discs that have been released in Japan until this point. Stemming from the ability to illegally play foreign movies (those from North America), the recall shows that Sony is finally taking action in regards to PS2 problems that have been occurring in Japan.

Unfortunately, this action is primarily being taken to avoid legal action (which may occur regardless, though the odds of it have been reduced exponentially thanks to the recall), and it might not actually resolve this problem. It is likely that some Japanese PS2 owners may see the ability to play foreign movies they otherwise couldn't play as beneficial, and as such, without enough incentive to return the start-up disks, they may not wind up doing so.

Second, the company announced worldwide shipment plans for the new fiscal year (beginning in April). 4 million systems will be shipped in Japan (330,000 per month), and 3 million in both North America and Europe. This total estimate is down 2 million from previous Sony estimates of 12 million.

Finally, making added moves in its internet presence, Sony has made a $350 million investment in a new online bank.