There’s no denying that Sony clobbered Microsoft this generation with the PS4, which to date has sold roughly 100 million to Xbox One’s 40 million. That said, former PlayStation America boss Jack Trenton doesn’t think this will be the case for next-gen. While Trenton believes Sony is in a good position to carry over its success from the PS4 to PS5, he suspects Microsoft and the next Xbox will give them a proper run for their money. Further, Trenton points out that Nintendo is more relevant than back in 2013, and now there’s even new boys Google to watch out for. In short, Sony will have a lot more competition with the PS5.
“I think they’re very well-positioned,” said Trenton while speaking to VentureBeat about Sony and the PS5. “The leader of the prior generation is always in a good position going into the new generation. From what I’ve read about the specs of PlayStation 5, it sounds impressive. Their business model obviously worked well for them the last time around, and it doesn’t look like they’re going to deviate from that. They’ll be well-positioned. But I do think they’ll face exponentially more competition than they did the last time around.”
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Trenton continued:
“Microsoft should give them a better run for their money, and Stadia is a new wrinkle in the market that didn’t exist in 2013. Nintendo is more relevant this time around. It’s going to be a much more competitive market. There are new players. But they’ve learned some valuable lessons in this generation. It should be great for everyone in the business, whether you’re a developer or a gamer. It’s going to keep everyone on their toes.”
Trenton, who worked for Sony from 1995 to 2014, makes some good points. Sure, Sony largely killed it this generation with the PS4, but that’s partially thanks to Microsoft stumbling out the gate with the Xbox One and Nintendo losing momentum with the Wii U.
That said, being market leaders means Sony can afford not smashing it out of the park with the PS5. Depending on what Microsoft does with the next Xbox, it will probably need at a least a double to stay on top though.
Anyway, as always, feel free to leave a comment letting us know what you think or hit me up on Twitter @Tyler_Fischer_ and let me know over there. Do you think the PS5 will be as successful as the PS4?
