A reader suggests that Sony would have been better off releasing a more advanced PS4 Pro rather than starting the current generation with the PS5.
We’ve had a lot of disgruntled PlayStation 5 owners writing to us lately, but the one that caught my attention was last week’s Reader’s Feature about someone saying he wouldn’t bother buying one because he didn’t see the point. upgrade their PlayStation 4. As someone who has made that leap, I can sympathize, although it would mean missing out on great exclusives like Demon’s Souls, Returnal, and Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth.
However, I find it hard to imagine that these games wouldn’t be possible on a PlayStation 4. Maybe the graphics wouldn’t be as good (probably not even that for Returnal), but they certainly don’t do anything that screams ‘this needs to be next-gen!’
Maybe it’s not your opinion, but I would like to make it clear that I’m not sure if Sony has made a profit with the PlayStation 5. It seems like they have actually lost out a lot, because it is now much more expensive to to make games.
The PlayStation 4, however, was doing great. The games were good, the fans were happy, PlayStation was beating Xbox hands down… Sony was on a roll. Towards the end, sales started to drop, as they always do, but instead of making the PlayStation 5, couldn’t they have just made a new model of PlayStation 4? A Super PS4 Pro or something.
For such a small improvement in graphics, it really doesn’t seem like this generation was worth it, not considering all the problems it brings and how short it apparently will be. The only significant change is the SSD, but throw that into the Super PS4 Pro and you’ve got a unique selling point there.
It’s obviously too late now, but I’m not aware of anything to suggest that Sony ever considered this and they’ve said nothing to suggest they’re taking their time with the PlayStation 6. But given that Xbox has already said they’re working on a next-gen machine, I don’t think it’ll be that long before Sony starts talking about their next console.
This is stupid. There’s no other word for it. Sony and Microsoft knew that games were going to get even more expensive to make this generation, but they went ahead with it anyway. That would have been okay, to a certain extent, if they had a plan for how to deal with it. But clearly, they didn’t. Instead, it seems like the problem caught them by surprise, which is… stupid.
And now they’re going to make the exact same mistake again and make the problem even worse. I can’t wait until those next-gen games take seven years to make and cost $400 million each!
If you’re reading this and thinking it’s stupid to be purposefully holding back and not go with higher-end consoles when possible, consider Nintendo. That’s exactly what they’ve been doing since the Wii, and last time I checked, they’re doing just fine. The way they talk also makes it clear that they’re thinking much more long-term than PlayStation and Xbox ever seem to.
Someone out there needs to come up with a strategy, but I’d like to know what the plan is. I have a bad feeling that the last step is “win” and the step before that is just “???” – If you know what I mean.
Here’s my solution to the current problems in the gaming industry: buy Sony a time machine and make the PlayStation 5 obsolete. I’m sorry I couldn’t think of anything more practical.
By reader Hogie
Reader’s comments do not necessarily reflect the views of GameCentral or Metro.
You can submit your own 500-600 word reader feature at any time, which if used will be published in the next suitable weekend slot. Simply contact us at gamecentral@metro.co.uk or use our Submit Stuff page and you don’t need to send an email.
MORE: PS5 Spider-Man 3 screenshots featuring Silk leak online
MORE: PS5 and Xbox console sales continue to decline as V Rising tops UK charts
MORE: Sony no longer pretends PS5 will support 8K as logo on box has been removed
Sign up to receive exclusive gaming content and the latest releases before they hit the site.
Privacy Policy »
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.