Sony has given an insight into its thinking on the next PlayStation, insisting that the console will not simply become another alternative to a gaming PC.
The meeting
The comments come from a June internal meeting at Sony Interactive Entertainment, a transcript of which has since circulated. Hideaki Nishino, chief executive of SIE, and Hermen Hulst, head of PlayStation Studios, answered staff questions about the rapid growth of PC gaming and how the company should respond.
Beyond the living room
One theme was a desire to move away from the idea that PlayStation belongs only in front of the television. The executives noted that more and more people around the world play on monitors and in different rooms, and said they want the console to fit naturally into a wider range of settings.
Something a PC can’t do
Asked directly how PlayStation will compete with PCs, the answer was that the next generation will not be a PC substitute. Instead, Sony wants to offer value that only PlayStation can provide, including:
- technological advances that set the hardware apart;
- new ways of using and interacting with the console, allowing play outside the usual living-room set-up.
Those comments have fuelled speculation about a portable device, but Sony has not confirmed any form factor, name, release date or specifications.
Physical games
The question of physical game discs also came up. Sony said decisions about disc distribution are being made separately from the design of the next console.
What it means
The message is that Sony intends to compete on identity rather than raw specifications: exclusive experiences, flexible ways to play and hardware designed around how people actually use it. Details are likely to remain under wraps until the company is ready to make a formal announcement.
