Sony executives respond to a question about how the PlayStation brand can recapture players who migrated to PC gaming during the global pandemic.
The global pandemic of 2020 meant that everybody had more time at home to play video games. That fundamentally changed the gaming industry, with many companies recognizing the potential of games to unite people.
However, more than six years later, the day-to-day changes the pandemic forced are in the rearview mirror for many, and those in the gaming world are readjusting to the new normal. As PC gaming rose to prominence during the pandemic, PlayStation is now being asked how it plans to recoup players who may have been lost to PC gaming.
Sony Wants PlayStation to Move Beyond the Living Room
During a recent translated Q&A from a company meeting in June, Sony Interactive Entertainment CEO and President Hideaki Nishino, Studio Business CEO Hermen Hulst, and Senior Vice President of Finance and Corporate Development Lynn Azar were asked directly what they planned to do to bring players back who migrated to PC. Also, they were asked about short-term limitations that could prevent profit growth and whether there was potential for significant changes with the next generation of hardware.
It is not explicitly stated who answered the question. Still, they stated that their goal is to move PlayStation beyond its association with the living room and that they are selling peripherals such as monitors and the previously revealed PULSE Speakers to bridge the gap in the next generation. They do not want their next platform to simply be an alternative to gaming PCs; they want to build an experience that is exclusive and unique to PlayStation.
“PlayStation has long been strongly associated with the idea of playing in the living room. However, in recent years, more users globally have been using personal monitors. In response, we are selling peripherals such as monitors and speakers to break away from the fixed perception that ‘PlayStation equals the living room’ and to broaden usage scenarios,” they said. “For the next-generation platform, rather than simply serving as an alternative to PCs, we aim to deliver value that is unique to PlayStation. This includes not only technological advancements but also an expansion of usage styles, enabling a seamless experience that can be enjoyed naturally beyond the living room.”
- More PlayStation News: Sony Will Stop Producing Discs for New PlayStation Games in 2028
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The amount of lies. PC and Switch 2 are their competition. Funny ponies are divided before they pushed the lie Nintendo was not competiting with Sony then Sony wanted to make a new handheld they won’t play to compete with Nintendo but somehow they’re not competiting.
It’s true, the ps6 won’t be able to compete without pc’s if it doesnt have physical media, rip playstation
How will it not be able to compete with pc without physical media? Pc has been digital only for more than a decade.
ah yes I love using my disc drive on my pc, I love it even more when I slide in my fortnite disc so I can hop on and play fn with my friends
This is a potential way Microsoft could save the Xbox, Sony is getting out of physical media and couple a more powerful console with physical media and I would make the switch and I’m sure others would as well.
It’s worth while games and more games, they need at least twice as many next gen than what they’ve put out this generation so far for them to have any hope of competing with PC again. Around 9,000 games released on Valve alone last year. I started the move to more PC gaming last year, well after the COVID times and I’m sure I’m not the only one. I’ve been primarily PC gaming ever since, because Sony has given me hardly any reason not to, games wise, versus the previous PlayStations.
I sincerely hope the backlash from their recent announcement about removing physical media changes their mind.
The Steam Machine is looking more and more attractive every day, even at the high price it was announced at.
At least PC games are cheap.
I don’t care if they Sony is going all digital, what I am most concerned about is I want digital ownership once I buy it period!
It’s worth while games and more games, they need at least twice as many next gen than what they’ve put out this generation so far for them to have any hope of competing with PC again. Around 9,000 games released on Valve alone last year. I started the move to more PC gaming last year, well after the COVID times and I’m sure I’m not the only one. I’ve been primarily PC gaming ever since, because Sony has given me hardly any reason not to, games wise, versus the previous PlayStations.
Nope, to me Sony are done and PS5 is the end of my journey with them, I use my PC for digital collections because I can pick up games extremely cheap there and stream them to my living room to relax on the couch with, my consoles have always been physical media purchases as those games are damned expensive so I want something I can tangibly feel in my hands, with how few exclusives they’ve released over the last few years and the prices consistently being high they will never lock me into digital because their digital terms are borderline abusive to the consumer.
I hope Sony sees this because it won’t be competing with PC it will be pushing players to PC and PlayStation will die I’m already thinking about PC swapping and it hasn’t even happened yet that and the PS3 store AGAIN Sony, you dun fucked up.
I’m so happy I switched to PC a decade ago. Been building up a Steam and GOG library since then and it feels good to have ownership over my games, not having to worry about when they might disappear randomly one day. I’ve saved a pretty penny too taking advantage of Steam/GOG sales and making use of keysites that have the games for dirt cheap. Emulation is just a powerful feature and I feel like many ppl who don’t game on PC underestimates this. I know folks who only use their PCs exclusively to emulate older games at better resolutions and framerates and it’s more convenient for a lot of them instead of having 10 consoles fill up space along with all its controllers, cords and cases. PC just gives you way more freedom and options. If ppl want to stay on console for whatever reason then by all means, but it’s just not for me anymore. I prefer an open ecosystem over a closed one.
Considering they just AGAIN deleted movies people bought with no recompense and you have to PAY to use PSN with their pricing vs no payment to use Steam, being able to play your old games etc?
Why would anyone who can afford a pc want to go back?
I think that everyone has overreacted that PS are stopping Physical media. Since the Google Stadia I knew this would happen, first videos to DVDs, and dvds to streaming. My digital library has over 1000 games, I have PS Plus Premium and without using a PS5 can play 520 of them on the PS Portal anywhere anytime. The Portal does exactly the same as the Steam Deck, and anyone saying I’m going to PC Gaming, you’ll buy games on Steam, and they’ll be digital, and more expensive than they are on PSN. In terms of what’s next for gaming, I don’t think speakers are going to cut it, what we need is something like an upgraded version of the Portal, that has multiple USB C ports that we can connect PSVR2 to and stream our VR games on the move as well. The PS Portal 2 should use MIMO tech, so PSVR2 can be for everyone everywhere at anytime. Obviously you’d need wifi unless you added a 1tb SSD to it, which also allowed VR games to be played offline, like an ultimate premium device. I’m fully confident Sony will make something better than a PC with the PS6, which is hopefully a handheld that at minimum does everything I just mentioned. If it’s £1000 but my entire library is accessible, I think everyone would buy it, still cheaper than a basic gaming PC which starts at about £1500 for a 5060 RTX, just isn’t worth it. I’ll be sticking with Sony.
I believe PC gamers should not allowed to play with console players. Simple games are having trouble with mods and cheat codes. It makes honest people not want to play with cheating. Fortnite is bad with cheating.
There’s nothing unique they can do. PC players can already get a steam deck to play their entire library on the go.
They can keep trying to sell exclusives, but because they were sharing and then took it back, I’m personally not going to support them.
Sorry Sony, PC is the future. Just drop the console entirely and invest all those employees into game development and sell the games to anyone who will buy them.
Nintendo is the only one who can still get away with exclusives, and we’ll see how long that lasts.
Yup….. Time to leave Sony ….proceeds to drop beer and walk to Best buy to ask geek squad for the best gaming pc. Lmao. Goodbye Sony. And ps5 is the last console I will EVER buy. I have to digitally “own” my game? But y’all physically own my money. Nope. Sorry. ✌🏾
Last Sony Console, ps5 pro.. sad..I don’t get out, this means nothing to me..time for PC, or Steam Machine? If they fix it.. lol
No physical option, no playstation or next gen for me. Been playstation since day 1. Suck off sony
Pretty simply, no physical option no support from me, bye sony