What's the deal with that Ken Kutaragi news? Was Krazy Ken slowly forced into more meaningless roles until he just gave up? Was Howard Stringer looking to boot the pricey hardware visionary out the door to stop the bleeding? GameDaily contacted the industry's most vocal analysts to get their take on former Sony Computer Entertainment Inc employee Ken Kutaragi's transition.

While some are of the opinion that the PLAYSTATION 3's slower adoption and high price embarrassed the company, others are less sure. Analyst Michael Pachter says that Kutaragi's early retirement may indicate a renewed focus on PS3 and PSP first party software efforts and paints a positive picture for his successor, Kaz Hirai.

He tells GameDaily:

I think Kaz Hirai is great, and the company probably doesn't need a visionary for another 10 years. 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.

There are some interesting insights from a number of industry watchers, so do read on. My guess is that Ken's move is probably less exciting and dramatic than it appears, with the Father of the PlayStation continuing to be an outspoken figure for the next decade. Michael McWhertor

Analysts Weigh In on Kutaragi's Departure [GameDaily BIZ]