Are gaming consoles reaching final form? Former PlayStation boss says no more major hardware leaps

Big quote: What will nan consoles of nan early beryllium for illustration compared to today's machines from Sony and Microsoft? Former PlayStation Studios leader Shawn Layden doesn't judge location will beryllium important improvements successful early generations, surely thing for illustration nan hardware leap betwixt nan PS1 and PS2. He thinks nan biggest changes will beryllium recovered successful nan games themselves.

Speaking successful an question and reply pinch Eurogamer, Layden notes really nan technological jump from nan original PlayStation to nan PS2, still nan best-selling console of each time, was a melodramatic one. He cites his disbelief astatine seeing nan Gran Turismo demo for nan first time, thing this writer besides remembers experiencing.

Layden notes really nan move from nan PS2 to PS3 introduced nan HD modular and 60 FPS successful a batch of games, but nan move from PS3 to PS4 "was just, like, getting nan web point done right."

As for nan PS5, Layden calls it a awesome spot of kit, "but nan existent quality successful capacity [compared to nan PS4]... we're getting to nan realm, frankly, wherever only dogs tin perceive nan quality now." Speaking astir generational console hardware upgrades, he said, "we person benignant of maxed retired there."

Could we ever spot a generational betterment successful console capacity matching that of nan PS1 to PS2? Layden doubts it, and decidedly not immoderate clip successful nan adjacent fewer decades." I mean, what would that leap look like? It would beryllium perfectly-realised quality actors successful a crippled that you wholly control. That could hap 1 day. I don't deliberation it's going to hap successful my lifetime."

Layden believes nan invention curve connected hardware is starting to plateau. He besides notes that Xbox and PlayStation consoles person beautiful overmuch nan aforesaid chipset built by AMD, adding that each institution has its ain OS and "proprietary concealed sauce," but successful principle it's nan same. "I deliberation we're beautiful overmuch adjacent to last spec for what a console could be."

With console hardware becoming little important, Layden says nan existent title will beryllium nan contented they provide. "I deliberation we're astatine a constituent wherever nan console becomes irrelevant successful nan next... if not nan adjacent procreation past nan adjacent next procreation definitely," Layden said.

Layden besides believes Sony will proceed to support astir of its games exclusive to its console alternatively than build versions for competing, smaller platforms specified arsenic Xbox. While Microsoft has released immoderate of its games connected PS5, specified arsenic Sea of Thieves, Pentiment, and Hi-Fi Rush, Sony is improbable to return nan favour successful nan future, arsenic nan mini income would not beryllium worthy nan outcry.

Layden says releasing PC versions of PlayStation games years aft they first get connected nan console causes plentifulness of anger among Sony fans, truthful Xbox releases from PlayStation Studios would consequence successful moreover much outcry, perchance harming Sony's marque reputation. "I don't cognize if nan juice is worthy nan squeeze," he said.

In October, Layden said that nan games manufacture had stopped focusing connected making nosy games and alternatively spends each its power connected monetization.