A few hours ago, we reported that Ken Kutaragi, the mind behind Sony's PlayStation consoles, will be stepping down from his post as Sony Computer Entertainment CEO on June 19. A lot of speculation and analysis have surrounded the news, so here's a look at what some analysts have to say about it.

The reason. Both Pacific Crest Securities analyst Evan Wilson and IDC analyst Billy Pidgeon seem to believe that Kutaragi's resignation is due to the PS3's less-than-stellar initial showing. Speaking to Bloomberg, Wilson said that it's "likely an indication Sony corporate isn't satisfied with the initial success of the PS3." Pidgeon, meanwhile, told the Associated Press that "Sony had too much hype and not enough delivery."

Other analysts, though, believe otherwise. "It can't be his fault that the cost of the box was so high, and I have a tough time believing he insisted on Blu-ray," Wedbush Morgan Securities analyst Michael Pachter told GameDaily. "They probably just all agreed it was time to move on. Sony didn't have a great lineup of first party software for the PS3 or the PSP, and didn't get as much third party support this time around.

The replacement. The general concensus among analysts is that Kaz Hirai's move into Kutaragi's old position is a good thing overall for SCE. "I think Kaz Hirai is great, and the company probably doesn't need a visionary for another 10 years," said Pachter. "They need an operations guy, need to drive costs down, and need to develop more software support (internal and external). Hirai will be great at that."

John Taylor of Arcadia Research echoes Pachter's opinion, noting that with Hirai at the helm, Sony might redouble its efforts to make the PS3 - along with future products - more net-centric. "Kaz brings a new level of awareness of Western preferences and technology trends to SCE. He has firsthand experience with dealing with Microsoft's online momentum in the U.S. competitive environment."

It's a good time for gamers to get PSPs. Price cuts have sent the Sony handhelds to more affordable prices. Upcoming and recent releases are also bolstering its current title lineup. And of course, homebrew's still going strong.

Speaking to GamesIndustry.biz, Wedbush Morgan's Michael Pachter attributed Sony's recent decision to slash the price to two things: cost of production and sales volumes. "They will continue to lower price as they gain economies of scale, but it's not likely that the company will price below its marginal cost of production to move a few more units," he said.

"In the case of the PSP, their manufacturing costs have probably dropped to below the USD 169 level," said Pachter. "With VAT and other incremental costs, they are pricing close to parity in the US, UK and Europe."

IDC analyst Billy Pidgeon also noted that the PSP price cuts could also have a positive effect on Sony's next gen PS3 video games console. "Stronger PSP sales will help Sony move PS3's down the line," he offered, "But I think a larger installed base of PS3 will have a more important impact on increasing PSP penetration."