With EA's deadline for Take-Two Interactive coming up fast, a lot of people are eagerly waiting for Take-Two's reply to the game publishing giant's takeover bid. Whatever happens, though, it seems like Rockstar Games president and co-founder Sam Houser actually sees a few good things about an alliance with EA.

In a recent article, the Wall Street Journal online reported that Sony might be quietly moving toward a video download service for its PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Portable platforms. Sony Chief Executive Howard Stringer is said to be behind the initiative that will compete with Apple's popular service.

The report says that those "familiar with the situation" claim that the plan involves the convergence of Sony's PS3, PSP, and Bravia high-definition TV technologies. Under the strategy, media can be downloaded and passed around via the remote viewing capabilities of the PS3 and the PSP, making material more available whether users are on the go or at home.

Movies and TV episodes are said to be in store for Sony product owners, but skeptics are already saying that Sony is entering an area which has promised more than it has delivered. Let's hope for the best if this venture ever comes to be.

A recent Wall Street Journal report describes Ken Kutaragi as a "stumbling block" to Sony CEO Howard Stringer's success. The Wall Street Journal report by Roger Ehrenberg says that Kutaragi was known for his "reluctance" to keep lines of communication open with his bosses or other departments of the company - most notably, with the Sony Electronics Division.

This bit of news is relevant to all of you console war spectators since it is the Sony Electronics Division that provides the parts for Sony PlayStation products. Not a group you'd want to upset if you're banking on the PSP or the PS3. Ehrenberg notes:

In developing the PlayStation 3 console, the device's latest iteration, Mr. Kutaragi went over budget on development costs without informing Mr. Stringer, according to a person familiar with the situation. When Mr. Stringer urged Mr. Kutaragi to have dinner with the heads of the electronics division, he did so just once a year, this person said. A spokeswoman for Mr. Kutaragi declined to comment.

Ehrenberg also cites other instances where Sony's Electronics Division, as some other bloggers so eloquently puts it, got "snubbed" by Kutaragi. We'll skip over them for now, since you're all probably sick of "negative" PS3/PSP news right now. Ehrenberg's criticism of Sony top brass though, all boils down to this:

I don't care how legendary or historically successful a manager might be - if they are unable or unwilling to adapt to the culture, the vision you, as leader, have clearly communicated, they have to go. But not two years later, after the corrosive effect of doing things "their way" has already sunk in. Having a senior manager blame other groups for his group's woes? Raising concerns of investors, suppliers and customers alike? Unacceptable everywhere and at any time in any culture.

If we are to go with this Wall Street Journal report, should we take this as a sign that Sony is going through a whole lot more than just image problems with its audience? Moreover, does this mean that Mr. Stringer is messing up with running Sony? Well, the second question can't really be answered easily, but one's thing for sure though: Stringer's got a lot of work ahead of him.