They decided to pull out of the robot operation because it doesn't fit their merchandise strategy.

It's still just the first step at this point.

Japanese companies basically follow one of two models: They're open or they're closed. Japanese makers didn't have to make these sorts of decisions when they used to have unquestioned market dominance.

There is no decisive lead for either side.

Casio would be able to take its current mobile phone models to America, so I wouldn't expect margins to drop off. And this could provide a significant boost to sales volumes.

The point of interest has shifted to the price of the product as a game machine and the volumes that Sony can offer during the Christmas shopping season.