Ken Kutaragi says the console era faces a “very real danger,” believing that AI platforms could evolve beyond the need for dedicated hardware. His recent comments come from a new interview, but he stresses they are only his views and don’t reflect Sony’s overall position. It’s been almost 20 years since Kutaragi retired from PlayStation. In a new interview, he reflects on the current state of the video game industry, specifically hardware.
The gaming industry is changing rapidly. From the widespread adoption of AI in game development to the fast-approaching phase-out of physical media, the industry has evolved to the point that it feels unrecognizable compared to when the original PlayStation launched in Japan in 1994. Modern-day Sony favors AI as the future of game development and is leading the charge to phase out physical media, planning to end disc production for PlayStation games beginning in 2028. Now, the man who created the original PSX is commenting on where gaming goes from here.
Kutaragi Sees ‘Very Real Danger’ Consoles Could End
In an interview with Christopher Dring of The Game Business, Ken Kutaragi discussed the possibility that we may be rapidly approaching the end of the console era as AI changes the landscape. He says AI is a valuable tool that enables more “elegant things” and that the console age is in real danger.
Currently the machines are super expensive. It’s not a healthy situation. One of the intentions behind why the PS4 architecture changed from console-based to PC-based was to make it easier to create for the platform. It worked. But right now, PC is so expensive. It’s the price of car. Why do we continue to head in this direction? Google Gemini, and many AI platforms, do not run edge side, but server side, network side. Those could be evolving to allow for much more elegant things. The age may be coming where we don’t need any console. It’s a very real danger.
Kutaragi works very closely with AI, as he is the CEO of Cyber AI Entertainment, a company that provides IT consulting and services. To learn more about how PlayStation believes AI will supercharge the future of its games, click here.
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I'm Robert DeFelice. I spent years covering pro-wrestling industry for outlets such as Fightful. After years in wrestling journalism, I’ve transitioned to video games, another passion of mine.
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