PlayStation boss talks PS6 – says consoles will remain ‘core of our business’

PS5 Pro and DualSense controller — What will PS6 offer beyond the PS5 Pro? (YouTube)

As Sony continues to release PlayStation exclusives on PC, the company has reaffirmed that its main priority is still home consoles.

The drive for growth has already seen Microsoft and Sony make considerable changes to their business, when it comes to making games accessible on multiple platforms – which has put a major question mark over the future of the console business at large.

Sony has talked about its commitment to expanding into the PC, mobile, and cloud gaming markets on several occasions, as it continues to push PlayStation exclusives like Ghost Of Tsushima and God of War Ragnarök on other platforms.

While this might indicate that the traditional home console could become a relic of the past, especially as the likes of the PS5 Pro become just as expensive as a high-end gaming PC, PlayStation co-CEO Hideaki Nishino has highlighted how consoles still have a unique advantage.

PS5 Pro trailer (YouTube) — What will PS6 offer beyond the PS5 Pro? (YouTube)

While this stance is unsurprising considering, PlayStation’s investment in the console space, Nishino reaffirmed that the inevitable PlayStation 6 and recently announced PS5 Pro will still be the ‘core’ of the business, despite its activity in the PC market.

‘We are trying to increase the overall game market by expanding content to PCs,’ Nishino said in an interview with Nikkei (via Wccftech). ‘There is no doubt that home consoles will be the core of our business, but by offering titles for devices other than home consoles, we will reach a wider range of customers.’

What has Sony said about the PlayStation 6?

In the same interview, Nishino was also asked whether the PS5 Pro will make it more difficult to market the PlayStation 6 in the years to come, but he suggested there’s still room to improve ‘other elements’ beyond graphics.

‘Technology is constantly evolving, so I think there’s still more we can do,’ Nishino said. ‘With the PlayStation 5, we’ve shortened loading times by switching from the hard disc drive (HDD) used in the PlayStation 4 era to a solid-state drive (SSD).’

‘The sound can now be heard more three-dimensionally through the PS5 controller’s speakers, enhancing the sense of immersion. Visual accuracy is important, but we will also be updating other elements.’

The big question is whether any improvements in the PlayStation 6 will be significant enough to encourage the average consumer to move beyond its predecessor.

In this generation, Sony is already in a situation where half of all active users are still playing the PlayStation 4, four years after the PlayStation 5 launched, so Sony might be stuck with diminishing returns unless it finds a convincing reason to upgrade beyond technical improvements.

And yet, in May, Sony said the PlayStation 5 is its most profitable console ever, with players buying more add-on content, peripherals, and services – so consistent revenue avenues like live service games might play an even bigger role in the industry moving forward.

As we’ve seen with Nintendo though, who backed out of the graphical arms race with the Wii, companies in the console space will likely need to offer something more beyond visual improvements if they want to survive.