There’s been a lot of talk lately about the next step for Sony, namely with the tentatively named PlayStation 5. This sort of speculation was to be expected with E3 right around the corner, but various execs over at Sony are definitely adding more fuel to that fire – even more so when they mentioned the PlayStation 4 was “at the end” of its life cycle.
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Now a new statement, this time from Sony exec Tsuyoshi “John” Kodera, is telling fans something slightly different than previous reports stating that it’s not coming any time soon. “We will use the next three years to prepare the next step, to crouch down so that we can jump higher in the future,” said the exec according to the Wallstreet Journal. His most recent comments came hot on the heels of Sony’s chief executive Kenichiro Yoshida delivering Sony’s three year plan, scoping out exactly how they are planning to tackle the next generation of gaming.
Given that the PlayStation 4 made its debut back in 2013, five years ago, it does make sense that they would be planning ahead now. Console creation takes years, it’s not a snap of a finger “boom, new console to buy” and requires careful planning and configuration. More so, with Sony looking at possible new features to implement such as Xbox One’s impressive 500+ backwards compatibility library.
When looking at the console’s life cycle presently and considering their hyper-focused attention to their network, Kodera-san recently added “We need to depart from the traditional way of looking at the console life cycle. We’re no longer in a time when you can think just about the console or just about the network like they’re two different things.”
He also mentioned that they were looking into the mobility market, not just mobile, much like Nintendo with their incredibly successful Nintendo Switch platform. Now Sony is no stranger to handheld devices; the PSP did really well for the company – it was only until the lack of support for the PlayStation Vita that the credibility of Sony’s presence in this market came under fire.
If they do decide to go the hybrid console route, Digital Foundry actually broke down how that would work right here. According to their diagnostic, yes, in theory a PlayStation “Switch” could work but Sony would need to learn from their mistakes with the Vita and look beyond what Nintendo is already doing. You can read the full tech diagnostics here if you’re like me and just really dig learning more about how everything works.
We know that Sony is planning a software-focused E3 presentation this year, so at least gamers know we have more time before dropping that mad cash once more.
