I've seen this happen in many markets. When no one uses the internet and annual growth is 1,000%, everyone tries to attract an audience. Free internet access, free email, etc.
Big budgets are very encouraging in growing markets (Sony surpassed Concord with a budget of 600 million, according to some sources). It's a gold rush.
When the market stops growing, everything free disappears and everyone tries to make money in every way.
Some numbers in the gaming market probably indicate the end of growth, so prices are starting to rise more sharply. The price of older consoles hasn't dropped, the end of exclusivity (having access to more people with the same game), you have to pay to access online games, etc. The idea is to squeeze every penny out of every player.
This is also happening with streaming now.
The big risk is pushing too hard and losing the audience.
I have no idea what will happen, but I bet piracy will increase significantly in the coming years, and the industry will start trying to discontinue older games and eliminate cheap ways to play, forcing cloud gaming.
Mobile games are a different story; they're essentially a casino disguised as gambling, making money off of sick people (the whales).
Maybe Steam will be the last refuge from all this. Or it will become the same thing...
https://www.nvidia.com/en-us/geforce-now/how-to-play/
MS flight simulator is available there for a long time already.
PlayStation 5 is 5 years old.
I’m sure the PlayStation 6 is around the corner. PS5 came out 7 years after PS4 so PS6 should be coming within a couple years.
Now that Microsoft has seemingly abandoned exclusives why would anyone grab the next gen Xbox console when it comes out in a couple years? Seems like PlayStation 6 is the only viable option.
https://www.xbox.com/en-US/handhelds/rog-xbox-ally
My guess is they'll continue to improve handheld and TV experiences in Windows and leverage third-parties to make the hardware.
Sony has released some of its exclusives too so I don't know how that makes a difference.
The money is in services and IP, you don’t want to restrict yourself to one piece of hardware.
They need you to grab their next titles more than they need you to grab an Xbox.
If IP were the only things that mattered...well, phones have last gen graphics (PS4-level) capabilities already.
Not everyone cares about Sony exclusives. Not a single one I'm interested in as a data point.
the only reason to buy a traditional console these days if you want day 1 access to a game.
I do wish they'd bring Gran Turismo to PC. If that happens, I think it will signal the end of PlayStation as we know it.
Actually, Helldivers 2 was brought to Xbox 1.5 years after the PS5 / Windows release. But that's a live service game, so more players = a better experience.
It ships Windows on lots of computers and also makes the Surface. So hard to say with looser criteria too.
But. Yeah, they have.
edit: coming to PSVR 2026 via free update
Cool, I’ve never tried PSVR how does it compare to say Quest 2/3?
https://www.flightsimulator.com/microsoft-flight-simulator-2...
Seriously, how hard is it to DIY your own console? It's just a PC afterall.
The experience is nowhere near the same.
- OSs do not compare fairly to how easily and care free is the UX on consoles: press one button, press another and you're in game
- Most PC games have issues with local coop, especially when it comes to bluetooth controllers, some games don't even release with local coop on PC, but they do on consoles
- Many games still expect a keyboard and mouse and won't popup the virtual keyboard when playing with a controller.
- The OS itself will not work with just a mouse and keyboard
- Dimensions are much bulkier, there's virtually no low profile well performing GPUs anymore since a decade
Honestly comparing a PC to a console is nonsense. It's a very different experience. Unless you're playing at your desk, then they are equivalent.
The SteamOS interface works great even with a gamepad. I even use Xbox gamepads to drive it.
Two years ago I saw a cool game, Helldivers 2. It looked like a lot of fun but my old PC was not up to the task. I went to the store, got PS5 and in couple hours I was enjoying the game. It is so much fun, and so little hustle that I honestly can't imagine going back.
I would need to start reading TV reviews, re-arrange the living room, etc.
I mean, yeah, I am not going to need to worry about resolution and graphics options as much, now I just need to figure out how to ad-block a smart TV and pay a new subscription fee (probably) .
My point : convenience is all relative.
