Highlights
- Sony’s recent statements on PS5’s future drew criticism, resulting in concerns about the console’s value and sales projections.
- Investors cited poor profit margins due to Sony’s controversial strategies and truncated PS5 sales projections for the fiscal year.
- Sony’s lack of first-party exclusives this year may be a strategic move to push the hardware’s potential and redefine the PS5 in 2025.
Sony recently made a few statements about the PlayStation 5 that drew criticism from console owners and the broader gaming community. These statements about the future of the PlayStation 5 have resulted in many feeling pessimistic and concerned about Sony’s ability to offer value with the PS5, and while these concerns are valid, Sony’s controversial strategy may have a silver lining.
Sony’s stock tumbled in mid-February following a few announcements that didn’t land well with players and investors. Investors who spoke up about their withdrawal cited poor profit margins in 2023, which weren’t helped by Sony’s truncating of PS5 sales projections for the fiscal year. Players are less concerned with profit margins, but have nonetheless criticized Sony after CFO Hiroki Totoki made statements about the PS5 being in the “latter stage” of its life cycle, as many feel that this current console generation is just getting started, not halfway over. These sentiments were exacerbated by Totoki’s comments about the PS5’s forecasted release schedule, as he stated that no “major” first-party exclusives will release until 2025’s fiscal year, which begins next March.
Best PS5 Games On PlayStation Plus Extra & Premium (February 2024)
Sony’s PS Plus Extra and Premium tiers have hundreds of titles, including some of the best PlayStation 5 games.
2025’s PS5 Exclusives Could Push the Hardware
Criticism of Sony’s approach to PlayStation is valid in many ways, but it’s possible that the two main points of concern—the lack of major first-party exclusives this year and the sense that the PS5 has barely tapped into its next-gen potential—will be resolved by the same solution. Put another way, perhaps taking a year off from ambitious, system-selling games could kill two birds with one stone.
The reason gaming audiences are reacting so poorly to Totoki referring to the PS5 as being in the “latter stage” of its life cycle is because it implies that the console has passed its peak, when it feels like the opposite is the case; 2024 will mark four years since the console launched, and while technological advancements like fast loading via SSDs, ray-tracing, and higher framerates are noticeable, it doesn’t feel like the same technological leap as the PS4 was to the PS3. PS5’s exclusives are impressive, but they don’t truly feel next-gen to many players.
Three years after its launch, the PS4 received games like
Uncharted 4
,
The Last Guardian
, and
Bloodborne
, which all felt like a significant step forward in terms of visuals, performance, and game design. The PS5 arguably hasn’t had these watershed releases yet.
Taking a full year off could allow Sony’s first-party studios to leverage the console’s hardware to make games that are not just impressive, but definitive of this console generation. Sony is developing a number of new technologies, which could also help fulfill the promise of a generational leap in 2025, as studios could integrate this new tech for the purpose of making inventive, boundary-pushing software.
If Sony’s 2025 first-party games serve as real turning points for the PS5 in terms of fidelity, performance, or some other major features, they could reinvigorate the faith that some console owners lost following Totoki’s comments. Basically, it would make the company’s lack of first-party games in this fiscal year seem reasonable and in the service of a greater end, rather than disappointing. Moreover, it would help the “latter stage” pill go down easier, as it would prove that the PS5 has made meaningful, generational advancements, which many argue it hasn’t yet.
The PlayStation 5 has sold well, but Sony needs to maintain its momentum over the next few years, especially if it plans to release the PS6 before 2030. If the PlayStation 5 can’t represent a significant evolution in gaming capabilities, as its predecessors have managed to do, then it might be hard to sell yet another $500 system on the back of the same promises.
Sony PlayStation 5
The Sony PlayStation 5 console is one of the most popular gaming machines currently with a fast SSD, a custom AMD APU, and 16GB of GDDR6 console memory, making it one of the best options on the market. It also happens to have a surprising number of console exclusives and currently trades at a discount at multiple retailers nationwide.
- 4K Capabilities
- Yes, Up to 4K 120Hz
- Power Source
- AC Power
- What’s Included
- Console, HDMI Cable, Controller, A/C Power, Stand, Documentation
- Brand
- Sony PlayStation
- Processing Power
- Up to 10.3 TFLOPS
- Storage
- 825GB
- CPU
- Custom 8-Core Zen 2
- Battery
- Built-in with the controller
- Weight
- 12 pounds
- RAM
- 16GB GDDR6
