Former PlayStation Head Warns of $1000 PS6 Problem
On The Expansion Pass podcast, former PlayStation head Shawn Layden noted that the industry has reached a point where increased performance alone may no longer be a sufficient argument for buying a new device.
I think we've reached a point where if all we're going to do is increase ray tracing capabilities and the number of teraflops, I don't know if that message is enough for a consumer to reach into their pocket and pull out $1000. Has technology reached a certain stagnation where simply 'bigger, faster, prettier' is no longer the goal or something that matters?
Image source: Gamesradar
Layden compared the transition from the first PlayStation to PlayStation 2 to the transition from VHS to DVD: the difference was so noticeable that users did not want to go back to the old technology.
Later, we start to reach a plateau, and the curve no longer rises so sharply. And if people have to pay even more for a better experience, while the improvement itself is really hard to notice... they might think twice about buying it.
Layden does not claim that the PS6 will actually cost $1000.
