Anticipation is building for the next generation of gaming, and as the industry steers closer towards new technological advancements, it has become apparent that the next PlayStation console may not be the upgrade we all expect. Shuhei Yoshida, who served as President at Sony between 2008 and 2019, and the head of PlayStation Indies, has spoken out on the company’s plans for the PS6.
It’s goes without saying the PS5 ‘won’ the so-called console war against Microsoft and Nintendowith over 80 million units sold worldwide. Whether it was the groundbreaking exclusives catalogue it boasts, which includes the brilliant Ghost of Yotei and 2024’s Game of the Year, Astro Bot, or its immense hardware which consistently delivers rapid load times and impressive graphic fidelity. Such success has left many to ponder how it could possibly get better for when the next cycle arrives.
Speaking to Skill Up, Yoshida discussed the different strategies adopted across the industry, and revealed that he wants Sony to bring something different to the party next time out.
Referencing the diminishing returns of increased computing power, he said: “PlayStation is the most interesting thing because Moore’s Law has matured so you don’t get as much benefit.
“Graphics have almost hit to the level that even I cannot tell the difference between some of the graphics capabilities, like ray-traced or not ray-traced, unless it’s side-by-side.”
He did admit, however, that he has “no information” about the company’s plans for the PlayStation 6 but he warned they “cannot do the same thing they have been doing, increasing the graphics bar and providing high end experiences. They might just do that, but that feels like a niche audience right now.”
Fresh off Microsoft unveiling its new handheld device, the ROG Xbox Ally, the rumour mill started to fill with suggestions PlayStation were going to follow suit and come up with something similar.
Responding to these rumours, Yoshida said: “It may be very attractive to all these people who have libraries of games on PS4 and PS5.”
He also recognised that Sony itself has gone through a bit of a transition at leadership level recently, which in course could guide the company into a new direction.
Jim Ryan was replaced by Hideaki Nishino last year, while Yoshia himself retired in November.
“Up until Jim Ryan it’s always been our generation, the first generation of PlayStation leading the company. Now Hideaki Nishino and Hermen Hulst are a much younger generation, so they can do something disruptive, they don’t have to follow what the company has been doing. It’s super interesting their next step.”
Teasing that next step, in what could indeed be the PlayStation 6, he continued: “PS5 is an amazing system in terms of quality of experienc and the adoption of the SSD was almost a miracle.
“Sony and Mark Cerny, they are so brilliant in designing and devising, creating systems that people can really enjoy. Hopefully they have been cooking something that we don’t know about.”