ComputerBlue
Member
How weak is the portable console? I haven't been following this at all. Either that or the base model.
The graphical fidelity race is over and Sony is not making a dedicated device with its own branding again. It will be part of the main lineup.
Developers will target cross-gen games on PS5 and Xbox Series for a looooooong time, and guess what comes in hand with them? Precisely, the Series S.It won't be called "PS6", the other box will.
The issue is not graphical fidelity per se, it's that you can't tell developers that their PS6 games will have to run on a less powerful version of their old 2020 console which even got its Pro version in 2024.
That's going completely backwards and not forward.
It would mean they're simply packing it up, they have decided that there's no way to sell consoles anymore unless you go the Switch route and create the other model just to cater to some core gamers at outrageous prices.
I doubt that's the strategy, they just want a piece of the cake of the hybrid consoles/portable market and the success of the Portal convinced to elaborate on the concept.
As always people run with rumors that don't tell the full picture imo.
I think they are trying to make it a "Portable PS5". Which in turn would mean no PS5 Super Slim model.How weak is the portable console? I haven't been following this at all. Either that or the base model.
Developers will target cross-gen games on PS5 and Xbox Series for a looooooong time, and guess what comes in hand with them? Precisely, the Series S.
Sony knows that no one is looking to push the envelope anymore, anytime soon, so it's one chance for them to go full-on the handheld.
Doing another handheld with its own branding, but without its own ecosystem, at the same time as the actual PS6 is just leading to a marketing disaster. It's a PS6 family system.
How do you know that, though? Everything about the leaks suggest otherwise. If the Series S, with Microsoft's laughably low market share, still managed to get decent support, do you think Sony doesn't have the leverage to require developers to target the thing? Developers that will also be targeting the Series S, independently of their opinion on it, for several years to come as dictated by executive management, mind you.You're suggesting a base PS6 that runs games worse than base PS5, 7 years later.
Series S is already a dead system that most developers want to skip and has already created situations where big games skipped Xbox for a good while.
If they call this "PS6" it will be the marketing disaster. Sony is not Nintendo.
People don't want a handheld from them as their main product, people buy their consoles because they're a good mix of high end specs and affordability.
Throwing away a formula that has always worked for them, to make a more powerful Switch 2 in 2027 when the PS5 is on track to surpass 100m LTD installed base isn't really sound unless they have determined that it's impossible to sell anything meaningfully better than PS5 at less than 799$.
The Portal sold well and it requires a PS5 to run most games, this handheld will be in a much better position on its own, marketing will decide its name but I doubt this hybrid will be the "PS6". They're not betting the farm to push this thing.
The number or word they put at the end is meaningless now.It won't be called "PS6", the other box will.
The issue is not graphical fidelity per se, it's that you can't tell developers that their PS6 games will have to run on a less powerful version of their old 2020 console which even got its Pro version in 2024.
That's going completely backwards and not forward.
It would mean they're simply packing it up, they have decided that there's no way to sell consoles anymore unless you go the Switch route and create the other model just to cater to some core gamers at outrageous prices.
I doubt that's the strategy, they just want a piece of the cake of the hybrid consoles/portable market and the success of the Portal convinced them to elaborate on the concept.
As always people run with rumors that don't tell the full picture imo.
How do you know that, though? Everything about the leaks suggest otherwise. If the Series S, with Microsoft's laughably low market share, still managed to get decent support, do you think Sony doesn't have the leverage to require developers to target the thing? Developers that will also be targeting the Series S, independently of their opinion on it, for several years to come as dictated by executive management, mind you.
And no, it won't be a marketing disaster. Sony will name it PS6 Something (Portable, Lite, whatever) and consumers will clearly see that it's a handheld, as opposed to a home console as the normal PS6 will be.
Is it a risk in relation to their current market position? Maybe, but I don't get why we wouldn't want them to take risks, it's exactly what makes a new generation so exciting.
The problem with your argument is that it's primarily based on presumptions around the PlayStation userbase not being interested on portable play (not true, based on both the PSP and the PS Portal), and the PS6 costing 800 euros (won't be true, either).Without dragging the discussion for too long, let's just say that the business plan around the idea you're suggesting is simply a disaster.
Sony's consumers won't buy a PS6 that's less powerful than a 7 years old PS5 just because it's portable as their main console.
Their typical userbase don't give a fuck about that added value.
Personally I wouldn't buy this product for example, what's the point, I play games at home.
You can say ok there's the other box for you, but if it costs 800€ it will be a super niche device like the PS5 Pro and also games will be limited by another console that's less powerful than the previous console, this is a way bigger power gap than the already huge Series S/X gap.
Which means they're basically killing their traditional audience that won't have the usual device that combines really good specs with affordability which has been the reason of their success for years.
For what? The handheld thing has to expand their business, it shouldn't risk to kill it, also unlike Nintendo that was forced to take this route to survive Sony doesn't need to do this stuff, they're still selling 100m consoles each gen.
Also they're making a design partnership with AMD about advanced AI and ray tracing stuff which is something they have never done before, if you don't believe in pushing tech you just save money and buy off the shelves parts.
So I don't think they will market this as the main PS6 and I don't think this product can stay technically relevant or natively supported for another 7 years after 2027.
Series S was already a dead product that no one was buying after 3-4 years on the market.
The problem with your argument is that it's primarily based on presumptions around the PlayStation userbase not being interested on portable play (not true, based on both the PSP and the PS Portal), and the PS6 costing 800 euros (won't be true, either).
BTW, the Series S is dead because Xbox as a whole is dead, and yet developers WILL still support it for several years to come.
Sony doesn't hate to take losses, they hate to take losses 5 years into a console's lifecycle, something which has never been the norm! Not sure why anyone is surprised about it, but it's not an indication of how Sony plans to deal with a new console, which will be sold at a loss. The PS5 Pro, on the other hand, is a premium device sold at a profit and aimed to sell 10M units LTD. Should go without saying that they won't look at that for the PS6, either.Are those presumptions?
PS5 is getting price increases in 2025, if Sony can't sell you an old device at less than 500/550$ in 2025 and is selling a marginally more powerful Pro at 749-800$/€ what kind of price do you think they will sell the much more powerful model at?
600$ minimum if they take losses with the traditional console business model but current management hates to take losses and want to push everything onto consumers to protect their margins which is probably the reason they're doing this hybrid thing in first place...
About the portability it's not that they're not interested at all, but not at the cost of having a next gen console than is less powerful than the previous one and dictates the baseline for developers on the 10x more powerful home console. PSP was its own platform with its own games that had zero impact on PS2/PS3.
Now imagine if Sony forced developers to have their PS3 games running on PSP
Portal is selling well as an accessory.
Btw these are just rumors, the only credible stuff at this point is just that Sony is developing both a home console and some kind of handheld, the details and business plan around this stuff is not something that anyone can pretend to know at this stage.
In which universe series S is a success?
If anything it helped to make xbox series to become a completely failure, together with gamepass
Sony doesn't hate to take losses, they hate to take losses 5 years into a console's lifecycle, something which has never been the norm! Not sure why anyone is surprised about it, but it's not an indication of how Sony plans to deal with a new console, which will be sold at a loss. The PS5 Pro, on the other hand, is a premium device sold at a profit and aimed to sell 10M units LTD. Should go without saying that they won't look at that for the PS6, either.
What is 'next gen', though? Do you think people seriously care when PS4 and PS5 games look pretty much the same and it's been going just fine? Do you think a great chunk of people will not sacrifice just slightly prettier PS5 graphics, which are just slightly prettier PS4 graphics, for the sake of portability? Anyone who doesn't want it, well, there's a home PS6 console that will not retail at over 599 USD.
And no, PS3 and PSP was a completely different situation.
We know that they share the same architecture and MLiD has proved to have access to official SIE documentation, I don't think there's much left to doubt at this point.
Please don't post MILD's speculative garbage.Based on yesterday's MLID leaks, which model(s) would you buy?
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For me, I'm not too bothered about full 4K and considering prices I'll likely just plump for the base model.