Key Takeaways
- Shawn Layden, the former PlayStation chief, thinks hardware innovation “is starting to plateau.”
- Layden thinks the challenge for PlayStation in the future will be content, not hardware.
- PlayStation is currently celebrating its 30th anniversary.
PlayStation is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year. Reflecting on the past thirty years, the jump in hardware innovation among each generation of PlayStation consoles has been astounding. Games have gone from pixelated to almost life-like in that period.
However, in a recent interview with Eurogamer, former PlayStation chief Shawn Layden says that hardware innovation “is starting to plateau” and that the “real competition” will be “content,” not hardware.
“We’re at a point now where the innovation curve on the hardware is starting to plateau, or top out.” Layden said speaking to Eurogamer. “I think we’re at a point where the console becomes irrelevant in the next… if not the next generation then the next next generation definitely.”
PlayStation 5 Pro
- 4K Capability
- Yes
- Brand
- PlayStation
- Storage
- 2TB
- Screen Resolution
- VRR and 8K
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It all comes down to content
Layden thinks hardware innovation has “maxed out”
According to Layden’s philosophy, that means the challenge PlayStation will face with the PS6 won’t be its hardware but its content. “You’re not going to see another PS1 to PS2 jump in performance — we have sort of maxed out there. If we’re talking about teraflops and ray-tracing, we’re already off the sheet that most people begin to understand,” Layden said. I think Layden makes a good point here, and when you think about it, the jump between the PS4 and PS5 in terms of graphic fidelity wasn’t anywhere near as monumental as the jump between previous PlayStation generations.
PlayStation recently released the PS5 Pro with a more powerful GPU for better graphics, faster rendering, and more advanced ray tracing. The PlayStation 6, whenever it arrives, undoubtedly will come packed with great hardware. However, with game development getting more expensive and taking much longer, the issue for the next generation of consoles won’t be a significant innovation in hardware but having enough new content to entice players to buy the console in the first place. Layden remarks that the “real competition” will be “content” going into the future.
Whether you agree or disagree with Layden, his perspective on the future of PlayStation, hardware innovation, and content is interesting.
As part of its anniversary celebrations, Sony has launched unique themes on the PS5 that mimic the look of PlayStation’s older consoles like the PS1 and PS2. You can check out PlayStation’s 30th anniversary festivities on its website here.
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