The PS6 sure feels like a handheld

The video game industry is in turmoil. Microsoft and Sony are starting to focus on the following consoles, but it’s not looking great: Prices are risingSony is Kill the video game discAnd Microsoft is Disposal studios Before the transitional period. What could entice people to pay?

On the Xbox front, We really can’t say. But on June 5, Sony dropped an unusual number of hints about PlayStation’s future “Business meeting” for investor questions and answers.

This Q&A arrives a month before Sony announces the end of PlayStation discs. But when I reread it with the death of discs in mind…it seems different. Let’s walk through it, shall we?

Page two is where Hideaki Nishino, CEO of Sony Interactive Entertainment, drops the first hints (all bold):

In developing the next generation platform, we Aim to anticipate Changes in the way players play and their evolving needswhile making the PlayStation ecosystem more accessible and engaging Wide range of players.

These words may seem trite and meaningless in and of themselves. Isn’t it every company’s responsibility to skate where? Puck will be? But Sony has a definite idea about the direction this disc is headed.

The top of page three begins with an investor question about the price of the next-gen PlayStation console. But instead of talking about the price right away, Sony interestingly hijacks the question:

First, we consider hardware as the foundation for providing the gaming experience By offering products such as PlayStation Portal Remote Player (PS Portal), we aim to provide tailored experiences Users’ gaming patterns beyond the living roomwhich is traditionally considered the primary usage environment.

First, Sony said that the next PlayStation will try to anticipate changes in the way users play. Now, Sony says these changes may relate to gaming outside of the living room, and that the living room may not be the “primary usage environment” in the future, and uses a mobile device as an example.

Later, on page five, Sony was partially hijacked last A question to set the same agenda “outside the living room.” When asked “How do you get back to PlayStation users who moved to gaming PCs during the coronavirus period,” Sony said that “PlayStation has long been strongly associated with the idea of ​​gaming in the living room,” and that Sony wants “to move away from the fixed perception that “PlayStation equals the living room,” and that Sony wants “a seamless experience that can be enjoyed naturally outside the living room.”

Sony also turns the PC question on its head: “For a next-gen platform, rather than simply serving as a replacement for PC, we aim to offer unique value to PlayStation.”

What kind of PlayStation outside the living room isn’t just a replacement for PCs? His hand, I think.

Another potential answer is cloud gaming, but Sony is ignoring the idea that you’ll just be streaming PlayStation games to a phone or PC – a dedicated mobile device seems to be the ticket there too. When asked about cloud gaming, Sony said:

So when Sony talks about its “true digital platform” in places “beyond the living room,” it’s talking about that no It’s like he’s talking about turning every screen into a PlayStation – it just doesn’t attract attention “Xbox is everywhere.” With cloud gaming. Sony wants PlayStation controllers to be in your hands, and the comment of an “increasingly attractive and low-cost thin client device” makes it seem like Sony will continue to make portable PlayStation Portal devices with built-in controls.

But the PlayStation Portal arguably doesn’t have a “big screen,” and it can’t be connected to a TV like the Nintendo Switch to get one. Could Sony’s future portable device change that?

Sony addresses pricing after its first ‘out of the living room’ hints, warning us the next PlayStation won’t be cheap:

As for pricing, It is not realistic for us to absorb all component cost increasesWe have already implemented some price increases outside Japan. However, at the moment, sales are going as planned, and we do not believe this has resulted in a decline in customer demand. As a principle, We do not intend to sell devices at significant losses. At the same time, we are carefully monitoring the market and continuing to evaluate our approach. We believe it is important for us to do our best to ensure that customers are fully understood The value we provide in terms of pricing.

The next question is where Sony sees PlayStation in 10 years. “(Will) it remain a hardware gatekeeper that relies on console economics and profit from software, or will it move toward an IP-led content platform with hardware as only one distribution channel?”

In other words: Is Sony sticking to the razor-and-blades model where they sell you a box so you can? In reality Sell ​​you games, or do they just want to sell games?

There are a bunch of things to unpack in Sony’s response:

The value of our device It lies in experience, not in the devices themselves. As a gaming device, it provides seamless and instant access to content – ​​unlike general-purpose devices, which involve multiple layers before gaming. We aim to expand access across diverse playstyles and environments While maintaining confidence in our first-party software. Meanwhile, most of the value of our ecosystem comes from external publishers, who benefit from our large install base, strong community engagement, and monetization tools. This supports the shift towards true digital platform businesses. Although there are opportunities outside of console (e.g., mobile and PC), we aim to proceed cautiously, while ensuring we are not limited by our hardware ecosystem. Overall, we see potential for expansion over the next five years.

IP is an important differentiator for our first-party content, and is part of the virtuous cycle that is the PlayStation experience. We try to create standards, high quality streams and inspiring content. Although first-party software represents a minority of SIE’s total sales, it serves as the primary reason people enter the PlayStation experience. Our valuable intellectual property franchises are important in driving brand loyalty.

We evaluate multiple scenarios and options, including technology, devices and business models. We focus on how to improve profitability in the future.

When I first checked this back in June, I thought Sony was hedging its bets on whether it would keep the games exclusive to PlayStation instead of putting them on PC as well. I’ve been focused on “making sure we’re not limited by our hardware ecosystem.”

But now that discs are no longer part of PlayStation’s future, Sony’s “true digital platform business” and profit-driven agenda have changed. Sony will have a “true digital” business because it is not physical; You stand to profit from every sale because it will all take place via the digital PlayStation Store, with no retailers or flea markets doing part of the action.

I find the question at the bottom of page 6 particularly interesting, because whoever is asking it seems to think that “changes” were coming with the PlayStation 6. Did they know that Sony was discontinuing the discs before Sony officially announced it? Take a peek:

Q: If you introduce changes to the gaming experience on a next-gen console, do you expect those changes to translate into revenue growth?

A: While the overall revenue structure is not expected to change significantly, backward compatibility and digitization have clearly expanded the scope of content. One notable example is that when a new PS5 title is released, users can easily revisit previous PS4 titles and play them from the same IP address, making it easier for them to access a wide range of content.

Either way, Sony seems to be suggesting that the next PlayStation will remain backwards compatible with PS4 and PS5 games, although it’s not yet clear whether Sony has done so or not. Disc-to-digital conversion solution like Microsoft Or if it will make you repurchase the content. Backward compatibility is now expected Every console is essentially a computerbut still nice to hear.

Finally, questions and answers seem to enhance reporting Sony has mostly finished releasing exclusive single-player PlayStation games on PC. While Sony says that “creators may push to expand titles to other platforms such as PC to maximize reach,” it later clarifies that “in some areas, such as live service games, broader platform expansion may make sense.”

Here’s what I think: Sony is making a handheld PS6 It has been reported for some timeBut it is no longer a side dish, but rather the main dish. Nintendo Switch and Switch 2, respectively, are produced by the company best seller and Fastest selling game consolesthey have confirmed that the do-it-all hybrid console is the most popular and profitable type of console to date.

Sony will still make a huge box for the living room to compete with Xbox and PC, however The price can be very strange Amid RAMageddon buyers of traditional consoles won’t be able to justify the spending. will be Unnecessary but nice to have Maybe “PS6 Pro”. Although the handheld won’t be cheap either, it will be the only way to play Sony’s big single-player games on the go – Sony will no longer let gamers think They can purchase a laptop to play exclusive PlayStation games.

Once this portable device was produced, Sony could be said to have created its first system where discs no longer made sense. The rumor is that the PlayStation Portable should play full-fat PS5 games, but obviously you wouldn’t be putting Blu-ray discs into a handheld. Do you really want Sony to create another proprietary minidisc format like they did with the PSP?

It’s not like Sony needs a wall of discs at your local Best Buy or GameStop to get its money’s worth out of this portable device, either. Those who buy a Sony handheld will experience the Steam Deck effect of suddenly being able to play the latest games anytime, anywhere, wishing all their games were that way – but when they go to buy more, they’ll only be able to buy brand new digital titles from Sony.

We lose something valuable when we lose video game discs. But I doubt Sony’s planners see it that way.