At Sony, they have been hinting for a while that we are in the final phase of the PS5’s life, and it seems impossible for many -many- reasons. The main one we all know: when the console launched in November 2020, getting one was an impossible mission for too long, and afterwards it cannot be said that the must-have games have been released one after another without a break. If there are already people who are stuck on PS4 despite the obvious improvements of the new generation (mainly, the almost nonexistent loading times), what do they expect will happen in two years, when they have apparently prepared for the new release?
For what, PS6
We will never experience a revolutionary change like that of the years between Super Nintendo and PlayStation (and Nintendo 64), and between that and PS2. You could really notice the change in power, with impressive games that didn’t take so long to develop, true masterpieces that endure to this day with remakes of all kinds. To mark the obvious graphical difference, there isn’t that much difference between PS4 and PS5, unless you are comparing frame by frame in a YouTube video to see the textures of clothing or water. What tangible advantages is PS6 supposed to bring for the average player?
It is clear that the move will bring benefits to Sony, which was astonished -like most players, to be fair- to see how the PS5 Pro was a sales success despite not offering many differences from the normal version. Yes, it will have a new graphics chip that will provide increasingly realistic textures, and surely they will incorporate AI everywhere (it’s the way of the times), in addition to a system that will definitely stop betting on physical format and on gigantic storage. Yes. But, is it worth changing consoles again when many of us still feel that the PS5 is not even close to being fully utilized?
Yes, the new controller can do many things, showcased in Astro Bot, but in the end, what is being sought, more and more, is a multiplatform that also works on PC for its inevitable conversion. Because that is the other big question to open: Is a new console really necessary when we know that the vast majority of its games will also end up appearing on PC? Many questions, infinite uncertainties, and a great fog that is hovering even over the biggest Sony fans: Do we really need to upgrade right now?
Infinite Development
In the past, during the NES era, creating a video game was not as complex as it is now. Between the conception of the game and its release, it could take between six months to a year, without its failure leading to the closure of the studio or the dismissal of its programmers. These were things that happened. Low manufacturing costs, lower risk. Nowadays, studios, beyond the boom of indie games, cannot limit their developments as much, leading to endless waits for titles that, by the time they are released, are already outdated, and they must achieve immediate success or close the doors of those who created them.
And if prices are already rising, in line with development, on PS5, imagine what would happen on PS6, where it is not so difficult to envision the normalization of games that exceed 100 dollars, thus kicking out those who treat it as a hobby and just want to dabble a bit here and there. If the trajectory of quality and eternal games continues in the future, we are in for a generation of absolute instability: companies announcing games that release five years later, impossible prices, sequels and remakes that make everything taste the same.
Don’t get me wrong: I like Sony, I have a PS5 and I enjoy it as much as I can, but perhaps precisely because of that, because it has found its rhythm of releases now, I wouldn’t want to see everything have to start over, with developers getting used to a new ecosystem before fully utilizing the previous one. In fact, no game has been released yet -waiting for GTA VI- with which we can say “Okay, it has reached its peak, it can’t go beyond this.” PS6, in 2027, would arrive in a market that doesn’t need it.
On the other hand, the trend is to increasingly expand the console cycle. Switch 2, for example, has pushed Nintendo’s usual rhythm forward by two years, and it would be crazy not to do the same with PS6 and wait, at least, until 2029, with a console that is already more than amortized and where the graphical leap is really noticeable (more, at least, than between PS4 and PS5). Of course, making immediate money is very tempting, but waiting brings rewards, and with Sony in a prime position to lead the cutting-edge consoles, it would be absurd to spend their cartridge in a climate filled with fears, layoffs, and uncertainty. Who knows. Perhaps, after all, we are not yet in the final stage of PS5 and there is still hope for our wallet.
