The real challenge and innovation nowadays would be releasing a new PlayStation system at $300 but the options would likely be limited to cloud gaming
The PlayStation 6 and Xbox Project Helix next-generation systems are poised to be among the most expensive gaming systems to date, as component prices have skyrocketed amid the AI craze. However, the race to the top in terms of power has also led to this situation, and, according to former Chairman of PlayStation Worldwide Studios, Shawn Layden, the real challenge nowadays is making another $300 system rather than a $1,000+PlayStation 6.
“For the PlayStation 5, we’re talking about ray tracing and teraflops. And the talk about the PlayStation 6 is even more ray tracing and more teraflops,” Layden said in a new episode of The Trophy Room podcast regarding the race for the most powerful system on the market, which, under the current conditions, is what will cause the system to cost well over $1,000, alongside an install base that isn’t growing as it should. “This is the first platform that I’ve seen that has gone up in price over time. I mean, PS2, at the end of the PS2 era, it was $99. You could buy a PS2 for $99. And that’s how you accelerate the explosion of the installed base.”
According to the former PlayStation Boss, these extreme conditions require extreme measures. “I think we have enough power in the machine. The innovation needs to come not from making PlayStation 6 for $1,200. It’s to make another PlayStation 5 for $300. Now, that would be true innovation,” he said. “What the company needs to do is do what it’s never done, which is not to iterate the console. Make it smaller, make it cheaper, do all the things you can around that. But the silicon’s fine, the OS is fine. It’s more than enough power to build the kind of games all of us want to play.”
While Shawn Layden is essentially outlining the strategy Nintendo has been adopting since the days of the original Wii, releasing an appealing system priced at only $300 in 2027 and beyond is more than just a challenge. Nowadays, it’s difficult to find any device capable of gaming at that price, unless it’s an older-generation system, a low-end smart device, or a cloud gaming device. With the PlayStation 6 handheld also facing thesame hurdles as the home system, in a multi-device strategy Layden believes will not be successful, as the company doesn’t have the “ability to be totally successful,” it seems like the Japanese company’s only option would have been to go all in with cloud gaming.
This is definitely where it gets interesting, as Sony seems to have been forward-thinking in some capacity. The PlayStation Portal, which originally launched as a remote play device before becoming a cloud gaming system, would be the perfect solution to this issue, comfortably offering a low-priced entry point for the next generation with an updated model. Sony seems to be quite aware of this, as a recent patent filed by the company outlinesAI-powered technology that is set to consistently reduce latency, making cloud gaming even more enticing as an alternate option.
As Sony has yet to say anything about its next-generation PlayStation 6 system (or systems, including the handheld), it remains to be seen how the Japanese company will navigate these troubled waters and successfully launch an expensive system whose design has already been finalized. With a situation mostly beyond its control, and with their public perception at an all-time low, it will be a very interesting launch, to say the least.
About the author: Francesco De Meo has been covering video games and technology since 2012, starting his career at small outlets like Gamersyndrome and GeekSnack.
After joining the Wccftech gaming section in 2015, he quickly expanded his video gaming coverage with in-depth reporting, interviews with iconic industry figures such as Grasshopper Manufacture founder and No More Heroes creator Goichi “Suda51” Suda, Resident Evil series creator Shinji Mikami, Team NINJA’s president and Nioh series director Fumihiko Yasuda, and Silent Hill creator Keiichiro Toyama, reviews and on-the-ground coverage of major industry events such as Gamescom and E3.
When he’s not reporting or reviewing, Francesco can be found playing the genres he loves most, spending time with his six cats, reading, writing music, playing guitar and drumming for his progressive rock band.
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