Report: PlayStation exec Kaz Hirai is Sony's next president

Newsbrief: Sony Corporation's Kazuo "Kaz" Hirai, the former PlayStation head currently overseeing all of Sony's consumer products, is next in line for its presidency. That's according to reports out of Japan's Nikkei today, as translated by tech blog Engadget. According to the report, Hirai will assume the role of president of Sony Corporation as early as April. Current president Howard Stringer will retain his roles as both chairman and CEO. Hirai, a longtime Sony employee, was instrumental in the early marketing success of its then-new PlayStation video game brand in the mid-1990s. Hirai worked his way up the ladder and eventually replaced division CEO Ken Kutaragi, who retired in 2007.