PlayStation 'daddy' finally powers down

Ken Kutaragi, the 'father of the PlayStation' has officially stepped down from his role as chairman and group chief executive at Sony Computer Entertainment Inc.

Kutaragi announced his resignation in April 2007 and yesterday marked his final day at the company as he handed over the reins to Kazuo Hirai. He will still hold an advisory post at Sony's gaming division.

The PlayStation 3 has been hit by delays and technical problems and has not proved popular with consumers because of its high price tag.

The PS3 was outsold in May by Nintendo's Wii and Microsoft's Xbox 360. Its predecessor, the PS2, sold over twice as many units worldwide.