Later this year, the PlayStation 4 will finally be released. Enjoy that physical media playing game console thingy! As one game producer says, it could be the last of its kind for PlayStation.
In a recent interview in Famitsu, Tekken producer Katsuhiro Harada of Namco Bandai talked a bit about the future of the PlayStation, its network capabilities, and cloud services.
“I think in the future, it will will be a contest of services instead of hardware,” Harada said, adding that the cloud services will progress. For Harada, what he thinks will remain are the service’s names.
“When there’s the PS5, it will probably be just a controller and a monitor,” Harada continued. “Then, the thing that will be left is the name of the service.”
Continuing, Harada mentioned online services, like the PlayStation Network and Steam, of course.
Since the PlayStation 4 is coming out this November, it’s possible that the PlayStation 5 won’t be out until around 2020 or slightly later. Everything Harada says sounds reasonable, but maybe we’ll see devices that are closer to PS Vita TV than traditional home consoles. I would be surprised if physical game boxes were still released. Surprised, but also very happy.
Just wait until when the PlayStation 9 comes out. That’s when stuff will get really interesting.
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Comments
29 responses to “The PlayStation 5 Probably Won’t Be A Console, Says Tekken Producer”
I love how all these developers are throwing themselves at cloud gaming when cloud gaming for the masses has serious limitations that make it impossible to implement in the near future. Basic lack of understanding of the technology.
I like collecting consoles. I like collecting console games on cartridge and disc. I like being able to play a game and not having to worry about an internet connection, friends list, system update, game patch or server status.
What the above article describes is fine, for PC gaming. I enjoy many of the modern features myself, but consoles are different. I love them for different reasons, none of which have anything to do with their recent desire to be a social networking media box with motion controls.
What the above describes is for gaming. PC gaming just got there first.
For sure, people will stop buying large consoles because our mobile phones will act as consoles with HDMI out.
And if that’s not good enough, you’ll be able to buy a Vita TV or Ouya like mini console at a very low cost.
People don’t need physical media. Sure, the collectors do, but the younger generation don’t. Those hooked into Steam don’t. Those that are being seduced by PSN+ don’t.
I dunno. As people get older they look for more value with their collecting. Physical items help us do that.
If you said to me game with box, or DL’d game with no box, 50% off, I’d have to think about it carefully. I treasure my old gaming boxes.
Sure, I used to too. But the younger generations don’t care so much.
They didn’t grow up with LPs, tapes, cd’s, VHS. Heck some haven’t grown up with DVDs even.
Besides, collectors are generally in the minority and a significant proportion of them will give up their collection at some stage.
Collections take up space. Space is at a premium (cost). Thereby people are more likely to get rid of things that they don’t need. And if you don’t need to have a physical copy of CoD Ghosts because you can download it, and if the cost of downloading is competitive and there is no significant value benefit in purchasing a physical item (resale value) then the trend will be (and is) to increase digital purchasing.
For me, I’m not a typical day one game purchaser. I’m not a typical collectors edition purchaser. I prefer to purchase games once they’ve dropped in price, and this gen I’ve had a preference to sell or trade in the games once I’ve played them – unless they’re worthy of being kept.
Now that PSN offers games at very low prices (old AAA games for $10 or less) I’m perfectly happy to buy digitally. Even better than that, PSN+ give us games for free – or for $5 a month, however you want to look at it.
Affordability from a games point of view is not the only thing to consider. Digital downloads are increasing, but they are not booming like they should be in todays industry. This is due to the restrictive nature of todays broadband infrastructure and ISP price models.
Personally I don’t consider todays broadband infrastructure and ISP price models to be restrictive – or at least, not within Metropolitan based Australia. Regional Australia, sure. Not Metropolitan, and not in most parts of the world – or to be fair, many parts of the world.
TPG have a reasonably priced unlimited downloads plan don’t they?
iinet have huge quotas.
As does dodo.
It doesn’t take much research to find great deals.
Sure, if you absolutely must stay with Telstra then yeah you’re going to be restricted.
And I’m sure that there are many reasons why digital downloads aren’t taking off hugely (if we’re to take it that you’re correct and they’re not).
Firstly, the retail channel is hugely established and still very important – and as such is still heavily supported by the big 3 manufacturers.
Also, habit. People are in the habit of buying physical copies of games and not in the habit of buying downloadable AAA games – but that habits changing – given the normality of iOS/Android apps, the success of Steam, and the incredible value of PSN+.
If we were to disregard the issues of 50gb downloads, then for me downloading games is the most convenient option. I don’t have to worry about pesky disks. I can jump from one game to the next flawlessly. Perfect.
The benefit of physical games this gen has been their lower cost (reaching bargain buckets quicker than digital) and the option to sell or trade in the game once played.
I think that PSN+ and MS Live will become as competitive, or more competitive than the retail channel.
For example, last week or so I bought Sniper V2 for $13.50 on PSN. If you hunt around you’ll be able to find a physical copy for around $30. So that’s a considerable saving. Sure, I won’t be able to sell the game once finished, but I don’t mind a total cost of $13.50 for the privilege of playing and owning a relatively new game that I’m confident I’m going to enjoy.
I hear what you’re say, but I think you’re making a lot of assumptions. Not every person from the next generation is going to be the same.
There will always be people who want digital and empty shelves, but there will be the collectors also, irrespective of what generation you belong to.
Of course I realise that there will be collectors. I’m fully aware that not everyone thinks the same way.
I’m making the point that in my opinion the proportion of gamers that are collectors is relatively low, is influenced by generation, and even those that are long term collectors may choose to give up their collection for various reasons – financial and space oriented.
The issue I’ve got is with the size of some of these things. Downloading a Vita game is fine because not many of them run over 1Gb. PS3 games are generally < 10Gb (with a few exceptions). But when you look at something like Killzone Shadowfall – it’s pushing 50Gb, and that’s a launch title. In terms of download speeds, download quotas and hard drive space, that’s probably going well beyond what I’m willing to buy digitally. And if games just get bigger as the next generation goes on, my digital purchases will likely just be the smaller PSN games, and I’ll stick to physical for most of the AAA stuff.
Yeah, very valid point.
500gb hard drive for the PS4/Xbone doesn’t seem enough. I’ve just installed a 1TB in my PS3 as the 500gb had met its match.
Personally I can manage downloading a 50gb file as I have a high download quota, but even so I will have to manage it.
I can manage it from a quota point of view (500Gb a month), but you get to the point where internet speed (or lack of it) means it’s actually quicker for me to get in the car (or on a bus), go into the city, but the game on physical media, take it home again, install it and start playing quicker than I can download it. Plus, if current gen is any indicator, it’ll be cheaper that way and I can trade the game later if I so desire. I guess we’ll need to wait and see how well the PS4 works with the “play as you download” functionality which might be able to mitigate things a bit since you wouldn’t need to download the full 50Gb to start playing. But yeah, that’s more than 10% (bearing in mind you don’t actually get all of that 500Gb available to use) of your HDD gone on one game. I suspect in a couple of years we’ll be looking at the 500Gb launch sizes of these machines the same way we now look at the 20Gb drives in early PS3/360 units.
I am surprised that the PS4 is launching with 500GB, I expected 1TB. We need at least that for any kind of digital heavy future next-gen.
Maybe, although it seems that the growth of HDD space has diminished recently. I used to upgrade my portable and external hard drives frequently, but it looks like things have settled.
No that is stupid. There will continue to be a tneedto improvgraphics and sound and a simple controller cannot do that
So what he’s essentially saying is that the PS5 will stream games straight to your TV via the internet.
I’m betting that they’ll either use a subscription based model i.e. x amount per month or they’ll go the micro-transaction route and make it pay per play, where you pay a small amount every time you play.
If that’s the case, then after this gen (PS4 Xbone) I will no longer play the latest games. I like having an actual physical console and game discs. I don’t like all this “cloud” business one bit, it gives them all the control.
It won’t bother me too much though, there’s enough games from the last gen alone (360 PS3) that I haven’t played to last me for a good many years.
Yep.
I’m becoming more confident that I’m going to sit out the incoming generation for the next couple of years. I can afford a PS4 but I can’t justify the cost of any more games when I have so many still to play.
Sure, the PS4 will be better, but so many of the PS3 games are great – and it’s not just the AAA games.
My hard drive just crashed and I had to download and re-install a ton of games – and the games that I’ve sunk right back into are the games I bought when I first got my PS3 – Battlefield 1943, Mushroom Wars, Age of Booty and (more recently purchased) Daytona USA.
None of those games are leading edge but I enjoy them. I find them relaxing, fun. Less stressful than many AAA games.
I think I’m just going to stick with the games I find relaxing as opposed to feeling the need to sample every game out there.
And why do I need Drive Club when Need for Speed Shift 2 is so awesome and challenging. And I still haven’t played a full season of F1 2010 which I purchased on Day 1.
I just don’t want it to be a service for renting us streamed games, digital downloads are fine (like steam etc.) but if they don’t want me to have the software locally and having access to it is dependent on a monthly subscription fee, then i won’t be owning any of the consoles/services that function that way.
oh well, shame we won’t get to enjoy any streaming services as we’ll still be stuck with a third rate (by today’s standards, let alone 6-7 years from now) internet network. We’ll be able to enjoy downloading 100GB games at around 10MB/s, and that’s being generous
Yeah exaxctly. That’s not to mention the constant issues with the ailing infrastructure.
Playstation X = Holodeck
Lots of people sounding very old today, I like to imagine people waving walking sticks while I read the comments.
Personally im fine with digital only if sony or microsoft tell me I will never have to buy another console again cause they will just upgrade their end and it will be cool. Though I’m a playstation plus member and I love steam so I don’t think my opinion will count for much cause i’m already converted………….I feel like I should knock on doors handing out pamphlets now or something??
Appreciating physical media is not at all old fashioned. I am a young adult, and I highly value my vast collection of games, tv shows and movies. I will need to build a room just for my collectors editions alone eventually.
Oddly enough I was a physical media or nothing type guy when I was younger, now I’m older I prefer the space for other things.
I used to collect all my media.
I used to be very proud of my cd collection.
I used to love having all of my old games.
But then mp3 came along, and was so much more convenient – and made up for all of the scratched cds.
For a while I had a few thousand DVDs’, but now I have half a dozen hard drives.
Then I needed more space and the big box of PS1 games just had to go. Should have sold them though, didn’t realise they were worth good money.
To me, now, (IN MY OPINION), collecting media is rather silly.
Collecting art, or interesting artefacts I can understand. They’re items of beauty.
And yes, box art is art, and owning and viewing treasured items is rewarding – but only if you allow it to be.
I think collecting games / media is a hobby that’s best to let go.
Hopefully by 2020 australia will 24mb/s downloads in everyhouse
Haha. No. 2020 was the original deadline for the NBN, which then blew out to 2025, and unless the Liberal government makes some serious changes to the current NBN rollout plan and manages the whole thing 10x better than Labor did, it will probably end up getting delayed further.
Obviously my sarcasm wasnt picked up 😉
why don’t they go multi platform! like offering a pci X card that runs the environment to play the game. or just sell the play station OS that way everyone can play it, providing you still buy the games