Sony gaming news, the battle of generations: from the PlayStation to the PS5, a look back at a strategy that changed the lives of consoles… and players

An era and an ecosystem rather than a console

In many ways, the strategy recently employed by Sony around the PlayStation 5 is reminiscent of the traditions put in place for ages around the brand’s home consoles. This renewal of gaming media, this transition stage between two generations of machines, has been around for a very long time, even if, initially, the technological considerations were much less important.. Chronologically, regarding this strategy, we can go back to the first PlayStation of the name. In its time, the Sony machine had also undergone several revisions of its models intended for consumers and, above all, a more compact version thanks to the PSOne. The similarities with the method applied to the marketing of the PS5 and its “Slim” model are quite funny since this PSOne was also a way to reduce the size of the machine and make it the new entry level. The difference for the One is that it included other modifications and not just its aesthetics (interface, protection against modchips).

A few years later, the PlayStation 2 plunged into the same groove. Between November 2000 and 2004, the Sony machine benefited from numerous modifications before obtaining a revision of its structure, becoming more compact and the standard until the end of production. It was also during this period that the Japanese firm innovates and refines its entertainment strategy by making its console a support for other activities thanks to a handful of accessories (remote control, SingStar/Eye Toy, etc.). This is also the period when PlayStation is implementing a real ecosystem by opening up to the portable console market with the PSP. From now on, Sony’s flagship licenses are no longer limited to home consoles, they can now be found at your fingertips.

One thing leading to another, Sony is no longer content with a strategy which consists of one generation of consoles chasing another. From there, entertainment products bridge two generations. Between the PS2 and the PS3, we had the PSP and, between the PS3 and the PS4, it was the PS Vita. Moreover, between these two numbered consoles, Sony has once again managed to apply its usual marketing plan to the letter: refining its generation of consoles over the months by reviewing its storage capacities and its aesthetics. In short, each time, we find this interval of approximately three years which allowed Sony to update its range of products to offer new buyers the most current product possible while gradually encouraging veteran players to migrate to more generous support. At the end of the day, this strategy will be the origin of another idea which will change the way in which Sony will design the life cycle of its generations of consoles: the famous Pro version.

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The PS4 era: time for change and Pro grind

The most convincing example of this guideline drawn by Sony for several years is obviously the previous generation, namely the PS4 and the PS4 Pro. Moreover, the similarities are disturbing to say the least, proof that Sony remains very attached to a well-established improvement strategy for its home consoles.. Let’s go back more than a decade. We are at E3 and, at this time, Sony knows that we must not miss this meeting under any circumstances. So, to mark a big blow, the revelation of the PlayStation 4 seemed to be a sure bet for this June 2013 edition. If the Japanese firm is keen on this prosperous time of the year in terms of video games, it is also keen on its end of year launches and sets the release of the machine during the last quarter of the year, i.e. November 29 for us European players.

Obviously, this fourth console is no exception to the rule since it will experience two slight developments until obtaining, a little less than three years after the launch of the PS4, a new model, presented as “Slim” by the media but not by Sony. We can see that the console boxes do not display this “Slim” mention at all. However, this was not the only revision : almost three years to the day, the PS4 Pro entered the market and is an opportunity for Sony to offer, after a certain time, a more solid console in terms of storage and, inevitably, more powerful (0, 5 GHz and 2.36 TFlops more (for a total of 4.2), helped by the switch to an AMD Radeon 911 MHz with 36 graphics cores instead of 18). Ultimately, for Sony, it is not the years that follow one another and are the same, but the generations.

In the heart of a trying global health context for the entire population, Sony and PlayStation unveil their plans for the future of their home consoles. Seven years after the PlayStation 4 – eight years separate the PS3 from the PS4 – the Japanese firm is organizing a live presentation on YouTube in order to lift the veil on multiple details about the PlayStation 5: better bandwidth, RAM multiplied by two, etc. Once again, the mechanics remain the same and Sony is following the course it has almost always set : namely, a launch on November 19, 2020 (in Europe) before returning, a few years later and following complicated marketing for reasons that we know (pandemic, supply chain), with a new version. In October 2023, therefore, the PS5 will be adorned with a revised and corrected design, the famous “Slim” model which never really says its name and which will replace, like all those before it, the initial version. PS3, PS4 and PS5: same fight!

One of the big differences is that the efforts made by the Japanese firm to flesh out this new generation will not all bear fruit. After the PlayStation VR of the PS4, Sony is doing it again with the PS VR2 but is currently dealing with the problems of a technology that is struggling to justify itself (or rather to interest) on the new machine. Ultimately, the new virtual reality headset fits into a policy that aims to create a true gaming ecosystem for the PlayStation 5 : official headphones and earphones, customizable Access controller for all audiences, HD camera, multimedia remote control, Edge controller and, above all, PlayStation Portal (a Remote Play device that would have been all the rage, although we don’t yet have any official sales estimate).

However, recent rumors and elements corroborated by some insiders around the Pro version of the PlayStation 5 highlight a problem around this generation of consoles. Beyond the slow and even laborious marketing of the PlayStation 5 – at least initially -, which reduced the interval during which the console could really become established, it is the specifications of the Pro model which question the interest of the standard version of this console. Here, the gap seems much greater with the arrival of this Pro model than that which could have been between the PS4 and the PS5. When we know the money invested by consumers during these three and a half years to get their hands on this Holy Grail, not sure that the arrival of the Pro will please everyone. Besides, what do these revelations tell us about the PS5 Pro?

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The PS5 which would like to be like its elder

At the end of last week, the subject of the marketing of a new PlayStation 5 console on steroids had the effect of a bomb, between excitement and frustration within the Sony gaming community. It is true that this generation of consoles has not established itself under the best auspices. One of the main reasons is the difficulties in supply chains and the global health context. Still, the expected gap between the two generations was not as spectacular as one might have imagined, especially since, for a time, many big video game releases were made on the last two gaming machines. Sony. Between a huge fleet of PS4/PS4 Pro consoles and the complicated installation of the PS5 in the global video game landscape, the Japanese firm had difficulty hiding this somewhat early launch. Today, it feels like, three and a half years later, the era of the PlayStation 5 is finally beginning, while we are already hearing about the next numbered console.

After months of not knowing which way to go, Sony has apparently made a decision and could therefore prepare a PlayStation 5 Pro. Initially, sensitive information, to be taken with a grain of salt to begin with, surfaced before Tom Henderson, journalist for the site InsiderGaming And insider renowned in the field, does not corroborate the few elements disclosed by providing details that made this leak a little more concrete and tangible. We shared information on this subject with you at the beginning of the week but, in broad terms, the characteristics of this PS5 Pro showed a real monster of power (faster, better resolution, more efficient ray-tracing, improved audio rendering, larger storage capacity, etc.), potentially at the foot of the tree for the next end-of-year holidays. However, this release window is not yet set in stone since it will mainly depend on the launches of first party software which will support the marketing of this body-built version of the PS5. In short, everything remains to be done for the PS5 Pro but, above all, everything remains to be proven.