- Sony and Microsoft have been competing in the console industry for more than two decades.
- A former PlayStation head believes this rivalry should end.
- He advocates for one standard console since current-generation hardware is already very similar.
Console gaming is bigger than it has ever been. This industry comprises three major giants, with Nintendo, PlayStation, and Xbox competing for everyone’s attention.
However, console gaming has plateaued in recent years. The total number of console users across a generation has remained the same for multiple decades, and there is a common debate about the death of consoles.
According to the former PlayStation boss Shawn Layden, the industry can progress by eliminating its barriers. He believes one home console should become the standard platform.
Why it matters: Consoles rely on a fixed ecosystem, using exclusives and other incentives to lure people into a purchase. Shawn Layden hopes to see a fundamental shift in this system.
The current rivalry between Sony and Microsoft has seen the PS5 coming out on top, with Xbox’s hardware sales declining. However, both consoles are inherently similar, with most of the hardware from AMD being very similar.
Former PlayStation head Shawn Hayden believes that the console wars should be over. He believes in the unification of the ecosystem, with a single device being the home for all games.
We’d be in a better world if we could get down to one standard home console and get this platform war thing out of the way.
-Shawn Layden
Elaborating further, he pointed to the similar architectures of the current consoles. Whether it be PlayStation, Xbox, or even many PCs, the core technology powering the gaming experience remains largely the same.
He explained that the global console install base is stuck at about 250 million. This plateau is also evident in the PS5’s sales figures since Sony has failed to meet sales targets in recent quarters.
The future of console gaming is always an interesting subject since everyone has their own perspectives. Previously, the Final Fantasy 16 producer asserted that cloud gaming would become the primary means of interacting with gaming.
Sony also expects massive improvements in this technology by 2025, so the cloud could become a unified platform for everyone, as Shawn Layden suggests.
Nonetheless, the console war rages on for now. While exclusivity is becoming less important by the day, it hasn’t been completely abandoned by either PlayStation or Xbox.
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