The transition to the next generation of consoles may be more difficult than it seems at first glance. Despite the expected technological breakthroughs of PlayStation 6, the main challenge for Sony will not be the hardware, but the behavior of the users themselves.
This was stated by Alderon Games founder Matthew Cassells in the Broken Silicon podcast. According to him, a significant portion of the audience is still in no hurry to upgrade: about 30–40% of the studio's players continue to use the basic PlayStation 4 and have not seen a sufficient leap in quality when transitioning to PlayStation 5.
Cassells believes that for such users, jumping straight to PlayStation 6 may look more convincing — much like the transition from PS2 to PS3.
However, it will be much more difficult to convince owners of the current generation. According to the developer, PlayStation 5 Pro users are unlikely to want to change devices for the sake of improved ray tracing alone. Even despite the expected progress — more advanced ray tracing and upscaling based on future versions of PSSR technology — the difference may not seem significant enough.
In this situation, Sony, as Cassells notes, will have to act flexibly. One solution could be an expanded line of devices, including a more affordable portable console. A price of around $399 for an additional device with a noticeable increase in quality could be the very argument that convinces users to "just take it and buy it."
The developer also warns that slow adoption of the new generation will affect not only Sony, but the entire industry. The protracted cross-gen period has already hindered the development of games, forcing developers to take into account outdated hardware with HDDs. Only after almost six years has the industry begun to gradually abandon the limitations of the past generation.