Abstract:
It will be six years since the PS5 was released, and its current performance is completely adequate. I have absolutely no intention of upgrading or chasing PS5 Pro performance improvements, especially in the current environment where hardware prices are skyrocketing. Former PlayStation executive Shuhei Yoshida believes that many players will most likely hold similar views. His advice to Sony is to extend the life cycle of the PS5 console generation as much as possible.
In a recent interview with "The Verge", he said: "Sony and Nintendo's sales of current-generation consoles have reached considerable scale, but due to rising hardware costs, both companies may consider delaying the release of the next-generation console. I think they should try to extend the cycle of this generation as much as possible, because players are very satisfied with the experience of PS5 and Switch 2."
He continued:
Players' budgets are limited. Nowadays, whether it is a PC or a console, the price increase of its exclusive hardware components far exceeds that of all other entertainment categories. Players who own PS5, Switch 2 or a PC with sufficient configuration will most likely be satisfied with playing on their existing devices and may not necessarily consider changing their devices...
I don't think there are many people shouting "the performance is not enough, we need stronger performance". The same goes for developers, and I don't think developers are craving this kind of hardware upgrade. So I think this means that Sony and Nintendo's current-generation consoles can still maintain good market performance for many years to come.
Players who used the PS2 back then had to worry about the aging and damage of the optical drive laser head; not long after the PS3 was released, insufficient storage space became a common problem; and when the PS5 was launched, the noise of the old PS4 was already as loud as an air duct. But with the PS5 generation, players have no such urgent need to switch, especially if the next generation console costs as much as $1,000. Shuhei Yoshida said that if it really reaches that point, manufacturers such as Sony may have to launch contract installment purchase plans similar to smartphones.
"If the hardware sells for more than 1,000 US dollars and is bundled with related services, you may be able to charge 300 to 400 US dollars per year," he said. "That is a monthly subscription of 50 US dollars. What do you think?"
That sounds like a lot of money. The key to the success of any new hardware is whether it can provide new features that motivate players to upgrade, rather than relying on next-generation exclusives to force players to retire their old consoles. The original Switch has proven that even hardware with less than stellar performance can produce excellent games. Coupled with the increasing backlog of games waiting to be played on everyone's existing consoles, it's hard to imagine how many people will buy PS6 as soon as it is released, except for the most die-hard hardcore players.
Comments