Slashdot Mirror
Next PlayStation Is Three Years Off, Sony Says (wsj.com)
Don't hold your breath for the fifth-generation PlayStation. From a report: Sony wants to spend three more years readying its next videogame move [Editor's note: the link may be paywalled; alternative source], the head of the PlayStation business said Wednesday. That would mark a slight slowdown in the six-to-seven-year update cycle for the console since the first one in 1994. The PlayStation 4 went on sale in 2013 and has sold more than 79 million units. [...] Speaking to a small group of reporters, Tsuyoshi "John" Kodera, who took over last October. said the network-services side of PlayStation is changing the way Sony thinks about product introductions. "We need to depart from the traditional way of looking at the console life cycle," he said. "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."
And this report is... where?
/., what is wrong with your editors?
I am okay with longer release cycles. iPhone upgrades that feel like they come on before I even knew about the last one, other mobile phone providers constantly releasing new models. Previously we were bombarded by hardware upgrades for PCs (that has slowed too). Software upgrades, TV Upgrades. It seems for awhile there consumers were just bombarded with upgrades. I think a slower upgrade cycle is better all around. It will hopefully lead to more stable products and as a consumer feeling like you get more from your investment and are willing to spend again.
Sent from my TARDIS
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.
So... if I buy a PS5 I can ditch my ISP
Nullius in verba
...i'll spend the next three years still not buying anything from SONY....
Now how are we going to convince our dupes to buy the same game again if we can't say "but it's on a new console"?
We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
Graphics look the same between PS3 and PS4. What is another order of magnitude of cores going to do?
Since Sony probably loses money on each console sold (and I lose money on each unnecessary console I buy) how does this benefit anybody ??
or they can shove that PS5 up their Gran Turismo tailpipe.
We've sort of plateau'd, because we have what we need.
As a consumer, what is driving the need for a new Playstation? Maybe 4K video, but most people are simply not giving a damn about it, because it doesn't add enough to make it compelling. SDTV to HDTV was awesome, 4K and up is just marketing trying to make us buy new shit.
Why would Sony build a new one when they still sell the old one quite well?
My problem with video game consoles is they all want to be internet connected. No, sorry, why would I give Sony access to my network and my living room when I only want to play offline games? I certainly don't trust Sony or Microsoft, and I'm certainly not inviting them into my living room with cameras and microphones.
Absolutely none of the networked features have any value for me, and unfortunately they all want to be connected all the time. And I view that about as favourably as I view these digital assistants which are always listening and likely uploading far more about you than they let on. And don't think for a moment the next gen consoles won't have this stuff in it.
I'm afraid my XBox 360 may be the last console I ever buy, precisely because it can function without being online. And it got unplugged from the network the moment I saw the first in-game ad ... sorry, I paid full retail for the game, you don't get to retroactively decide that I get ads to pad out corporate profits.
At this point, Skyrim and a couple of racing games may be the last video games I ever play. Because the new model of game consoles is pretty much like all modern tech -- there to spy on you and push ads and monetize your life.
I'll do without before I put up with that shit.
A PlayStation 5 would be ninth-generation; Sony got into the console business late. The original PlayStation was fifth generation--its stablemates were the N64 and the Saturn.
On some level, I wonder if they plan to have the FF7 Remake be a launch title. :P
I stepped off the merry-go-round when I figured I couldn't afford 50 quid a game anymore and charges for online play. Plus I couldn't find any quick, fun games that I could play with another human who might be on the same room.
Im in no rush, I have a powerful PC.
Yeah, lots of adults dont care about a console's looks, but a lot of kids do.
When I was a kid, my parents would only buy me one generation's console (I was ecstatic to get one), so I had to really mull the decision over. And when I got the console of my choice, I cherished the hell out of it. To me, it was easily one of the coolest things I was owning, so did the looks matter? Of course they did.
I was proud of the console. I was proud of my choice. I was proud of myself.
So make it look cool again. And maybe bring back that snazzy PS1 boot sequence/sound.
The ability of even a modest platform to show HD resolution full motion video means that a AAA production budget (which is ultimately the real definition of AAA) is possible on current and even previous generation hardware. So from the stand point of pre-rendered (static) content all systems are equivalent.
What makes something AAA isn't limited to the technology, but there is quite a bit of production value. That includes art (2D and 3D and pre-rendered 3D), voice acting, sound, music, story, performance, and even a lack of bugs matters here. (those buggy unplayable games are considered failed AAA titles)
The difference in abilities between current and previous generation hardware to produce high quality dynamic content is relatively minor. And arguably a very polished (AAA) immersive game world is possible on a number of platforms today.
I don't think the term AAA will really start to mean anything again until the ray tracing capable graphics cards are widely available. (2-5 years?)
“Common sense is not so common.” — Voltaire
It will take that long for them to copy the Nintendo Switch? They always copy what Nintendo does.
I stick with PC so I don't ever have to think about updating hardware until I am ready.
As long as there's backwards compatibility, I don't think it's a big deal how often they release new hardware.
Too bad the idea of maintaining an ecosystem, rather than pushing a specific hardware platform, was only fashionable for a while. Now that all the major consoles are online, hopefully the manufacturers will come to their senses.
"Don't hold your breath for the fifth-generation PlayStation" this makes it sound like we're never getting a PS5, or it's some incredibly long ways off. 3 years doesn't seem too terrible, especially when the console makers started acting like they wanted 10 year cycles.