Over the years what we have seen when it comes to new console launches, is that there are pretty huge gaps in between the launches, with each console expected to last at least 10 years. We do see hardware refreshes, but what usually happens is that these refreshes are merely redesigns, such as offering up slimmer/compact versions of the console.However that could soon change. Oddworld’s creator Lorne Lanning reportedly spoke with Sony exec Shuhei Yoshida and asked him about the future of PlayStation, and what the PlayStation 5 could look like. According to Lanning, “I said, ‘well, what does the PlayStation 5 look like?’ and he said ‘you mean if’. […] I said ‘are you willing to say that on a stage?’ and he said ‘yeah, it’s an if’.”
Based on this, it sounds like Yoshida is uncertain about the PS5’s existence, which brings us back to our earlier point in which instead of waiting 7-10 years for a new console, companies like Sony could be considering more frequent upgrades instead. In fact there are rumors that Sony is working on an upgraded PlayStation 4 called the “NEO”.
Sony is not alone in this either as Microsoft is also reportedly developing upgrading Xbox Ones. Lanning adds, “It was a really interesting thing and he didn’t give me a clear answer, but he’s hinting at [needing] to be more agile. None of us know what the future really looks like, so how do we adapt faster? To me that’s the way he was thinking about it […] The idea that you’re going to be releasing a piece of technology that lasts seven years into the future, I think, is less and less viable.”
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