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PlayStation 4 enters "final phase of its life cycle"


Phantom Roxas

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https://gematsu.com/2018/05/playstation-ceo-ps4-entering-final-phase-of-life-cycle

 

Sony held an Investors Relations conference today, revealing that the PS4 is winding down. The current management plan is expected to run through March 2021, while trying to advance the PlayStation business in the meantime.

 

It's way too early to discuss anything solid, but it's entirely possible that this also means the PlayStation 5 could potentially launch by 2020, so that Sony has something to include in their fiscal report of that year once they get through March 2021. We already know there won't be a hardware reveal at E3, and considering their concerns that sales may of the PS4 may decline, especially with this announcement, they want to maintain momentum until they're ready.

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Okay fine, I'll say it, I know it's bait-y, but I feel like the PS4 really didn't get the exposure of the PS2 or even 3

 

Like, there's maybe 3 or 4 exclusives I want on it, BB, GoW, Horizon, and maybe spiderman if it isn't too derivative of the last games.

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It's too bait-y, so I completely agree. The PS4 has a very similar problem as the PSP to me. Both are good systems, but the majority of games that interested me are from Square Enix remastering games from a generation or two ago. Maybe that says more about my preferences as a gamer than anything regarding the PS4 itself, but the PS2 was very much a system that got me hooked into a lot of series. Less so with the PS3, but the PS3 still had its fair share of games. So it feels more like diminishing returns because my interest in PS4 games just traces back to what interested me on the PS2.

 

The other side of the coin is that some of the exposure the PS4 did get what as the expense of the Vita. I love to mock the Vita, and some of its most popular games, like Gravity Rush and DanganRonpa, were ported to the PS4. So while I don't doubt that those games found new life on the PS4, in a way it made the PS4 something of a dumping ground for the Vita. Like, "We need to salvage these games, since the Vita failed us." So I'm not sure if that's particularly much exposure for the PS4, because I imagine that one of the main reasons those Vita games were ported to the PS4 is because they were already popular on the Vita.

 

It's hard to articulate this very well, but like I said, I got into a lot of series through the PS2. I never had a PS1, though I was aware of many games on it. Even still, while games on the PS2 could be sequels or spiritual successors to PS1 games, ultimately I felt that far more games on the PS2 managed to form their own identities. The PS2 felt unique unto itself. It's not just about games that are exclusive to the console compared to concurrent systems, like games being exclusive to the PS4 and not on Xbox One or the Switch. Those games interested me on their own merits. And I just don't see the PS4 having as many games that can appeal to people on the level that the PS2 did. The PS4 is not a "gateway system" in gaming, if that makes sense. It's mostly for people who've already been interested in games from past systems.

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The other side of the coin is that some of the exposure the PS4 did get what as the expense of the Vita. I love to mock the Vita, and some of its most popular games, like Gravity Rush and DanganRonpa, were ported to the PS4. So while I don't doubt that those games found new life on the PS4, in a way it made the PS4 something of a dumping ground for the Vita. Like, "We need to salvage these games, since the Vita failed us." So I'm not sure if that's particularly much exposure for the PS4, because I imagine that one of the main reasons those Vita games were ported to the PS4 is because they were already popular on the Vita.

Speaking of this, since you brought up the Vita, I feel like Steam also turned into a massive Vita dumping ground. Like, I think the most glaring example is that Hyperdimension Neptunia was a very big release for the PSVita and it was good and all, but then it got ported to Steam and sold incredibly and got very high reviews. I would even say that it's one of the first games to jumpstart the trend of putting weeb/anime RPG games on steam(along with dark souls), created a huge community, and made the developers port the rest, and now even the newest game in the atelier series(which is one of the most popular PSVita games) was not released on Vita.

 

Also, just last year I just searched up the best games for PSVita and was pretty astonished to see that almost every game on the top lists was a game I'd either seen or just outright played on Steam with HD graphics(virtue's last reward, nights of azure, danganronpa, tokyo xanadu, trails in the sky).

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Sony's going to be discontinuing physical cartridges for Vita games outside Japan, so I can see Steam also being a Vita dumping ground like you mentioned. I believe Neptunia has largely been remade for more modern systems? While some of that is due to the series starting last gen, the Steam ports generally fit what I have in mind. And I can see it jumpstarting that trend you mentioned, since Bandai Namco seems to have shifted towards porting a lot of their games (Particularly Sword Art Online) from the Vita to PS4 and finally to PC. When the PS4 and Steam both seem like eventual "destinations" for certain games, the Vita gets left out. They're cutting out the middleman, because why make a game for the Vita and then port it to other systems, when you can just skip to making the games for those other systems right off the bat?

 

Most of the games you mentioned are games that I know were on the Vita, but more emphasis is on their PS4 or Steam versions, which is probably why you didn't realize those games were for the Vita. It's been buried.

 

It also sounds like PlayStation VR is growing, just not at the rate that Sony hoped for. Generally all of Sony's electronics focuses (Including mobile) are either slowly declining, or their growth is not as high as they're hoping. I don't think this spells doom and gloom for Sony, it's just that they're in a slump, and I think they need to do more to concentrate on their strengths and their winning products.

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The PS1 and PS2 had so many great games to play. Even in the later years when the PS3 was already out, you could still find a few good ones like Persona 4.

 

The PS3 had some good games too, but I don't recall as many as PS2. Then again, I did jump into that console when the PS4 was new, so I can't really say.

 

I think VR is at a slow growth because their main demographic is more invested in the games and online services. Though I am surprised that it is growing. Had I not heard this, I would've just figured that it came and slowly faded away. So it's nice to see some growth for that technology.

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The PS1 and PS2 had so many great games to play. Even in the later years when the PS3 was already out, you could still find a few good ones like Persona 4.

 

The PS3 had some good games too, but I don't recall as many as PS2. Then again, I did jump into that console when the PS4 was new, so I can't really say.

 

I think VR is at a slow growth because their main demographic is more invested in the games and online services. Though I am surprised that it is growing. Had I not heard this, I would've just figured that it came and slowly faded away. So it's nice to see some growth for that technology.

 

I remember when Sony started making a big deal about some of the HD Collections they made of PS2 games. While I like those collections, that kind of goes back to my point that some of these systems are more dumping grounds for past games. Though if you jumped onto the console when the PS4 was new, I imagine some stores were replacing their PS3 stock with PS4 games, so you wouldn't know about some PS3 games unless you went out of your way to find them.

 

Their medium-term strategy pretty much hinges on what you've said. While VR is growing, Sony is relying more on revenue from PlayStation Plus.

 

Personally, I do wish Sony could stay in the portable market somehow, even if by all accounts they shouldn't. I could suggest a new Xperia Play, as a way to salvage their mobile market while having a spiritual successor to the Vita, but I don't think the original Xperia Play, their mobile phones, or the Vita have succeeded enough on their own to justify something that could attempt combining all of those products. However, Oculus Rift (Which from my impression seems to be one of the more popular VR systems, though I may be wrong) has just seen a successor in Oculus Go. So maybe a portable PlayStation VR could be their next step? They can maintain a foothold in VR, while also trying to reclaim a spot in the portable market. Although, with the slow growth of PlayStation VR, that may not be feasible either.

 

I don't know, basically I want Sony to have something to compliment the potential PS5, but the majority of their options seem to be more of a liability to them.

 

Maaan I finally got around to getting the PS4 last year of course I get it near the end.

 

Though with how few hours I spend console gaming unsure I'd bother getting the PS5 when it comes out if that's what this means.

 

I mean, I got a PS4 about two or three years ago, and it still feels like I haven't had it too long, or at least made the most of it. Though that's mostly because I have my PS3 and PS4 both connected to the same TV, and find myself still playing my PS3. And even then, in hindsight I wish I had waited longer before getting a PS4, because I got the original model, and I would have loved to have the Slim or Pro as options at the time.

 

So when the PS5 is announced, they'd probably need something really enticing to make me get one immediately. Otherwise I'd be happy to just wait for the inevitable Slim model, or maybe a Pro if they try that again. The PS2, PS3, and PS4 have all had Slim models, so I'm fairly confident they'll do that again here. But as I've seen people point out, the PS4 Pro already has high-end graphics, and since Sony's main selling point of the Pro is its ability to simulate in 4K, I don't think there would be a PS5 Pro? 4K is the new high-end, so you can't get any better than that, so I imagine they'd want 4K in the original form of a system, rather than needing a hardware revision. So the PS5 could be a successor specifically to the PS4 Pro, rather than the PS4 line as a whole.

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I remember when Sony started making a big deal about some of the HD Collections they made of PS2 games. While I like those collections, that kind of goes back to my point that some of these systems are more dumping grounds for past games. Though if you jumped onto the console when the PS4 was new, I imagine some stores were replacing their PS3 stock with PS4 games, so you wouldn't know about some PS3 games unless you went out of your way to find them.

 

Their medium-term strategy pretty much hinges on what you've said. While VR is growing, Sony is relying more on revenue from PlayStation Plus.

 

Personally, I do wish Sony could stay in the portable market somehow, even if by all accounts they shouldn't. I could suggest a new Xperia Play, as a way to salvage their mobile market while having a spiritual successor to the Vita, but I don't think the original Xperia Play, their mobile phones, or the Vita have succeeded enough on their own to justify something that could attempt combining all of those products. However, Oculus Rift (Which from my impression seems to be one of the more popular VR systems, though I may be wrong) has just seen a successor in Oculus Go. So maybe a portable PlayStation VR could be their next step? They can maintain a foothold in VR, while also trying to reclaim a spot in the portable market. Although, with the slow growth of PlayStation VR, that may not be feasible either.

 

Yep. By now I'd say they have a good grasp on what their demographic is. Which is why a lot of their focus will go to online services.

 

Perhaps in smaller limited quantities they could put out a handheld. But I'd understand if they discarded the thought of a handheld altogether.

 

Well, the PS4's not going anytime soon (I think it's about 3 years at least), so in the meantime I'll enjoy my time with it.

 

While the VR is making a slow growth, I feel that it's going to be seen more as a gimmick like motion control options in the Wii, 360, and PS3 age. Not to say the technology isn't great, but it doesn't seem to be what most of PlayStation's demographic is interested in.

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It's worth mentioning that the PS4 still has one notable exclusive left for it in Death Stranding, the mind funk creation of acclaimed developer Hideo Kojima and Academy Award-winning director Guillermo del Toro.

 

Oh, also Insomniac's Spider-Man, which shows to be the spiritual successor of Spider-Man 2, the beloved beat em up for PS2. And that only covers this year's releases.

 

Comparing its performance to the PS3, in regards to competition with the parallel XBox, the PlayStation 4 did remarkably well. PS3 sold marginally fewer units than the Xbox 360 (largely owing its success to the adaptation of Blu-ray, making it more marketable toward households). The PS4, however, has sold well over twice as many units as the XBone. Honestly, it feels like the success of this system was hugely undersold in this thread.

 

All things said, I'm going to enjoy these last few years of the PS4, and pre-order the next in line.

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​I'll also enjoy the last couple of years that the PS4 has left as well.

 

While the VR is making a slow growth, I feel that it's going to be seen more as a gimmick like motion control options in the Wii, 360, and PS3 age. Not to say the technology isn't great, but it doesn't seem to be what most of PlayStation's demographic is interested in.

Yeah. Whilst I thought the VR was a neat idea, it wasn't something I was in a hurry to get

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Yep. By now I'd say they have a good grasp on what their demographic is. Which is why a lot of their focus will go to online services.

 

Perhaps in smaller limited quantities they could put out a handheld. But I'd understand if they discarded the thought of a handheld altogether.

 

Well, the PS4's not going anytime soon (I think it's about 3 years at least), so in the meantime I'll enjoy my time with it.

 

While the VR is making a slow growth, I feel that it's going to be seen more as a gimmick like motion control options in the Wii, 360, and PS3 age. Not to say the technology isn't great, but it doesn't seem to be what most of PlayStation's demographic is interested in.

 

Seeing some conflicting reports that they do want to stay in the handheld business, though the most recurring suggestion is that since PlayLink has done well for Sony, they may want to capitalize on that. It's something of a downside for Sony being a conglomerate because the mobile and PlayStation divisions are separate, so you have the right hand not knowing what the left is doing. While I would suggest some kind of coordination, I don't really think they can manage that? For example, PlayLink works with mobile devices in general, and I could see them trying to emphasize that for the PS5. But you'd probably sooner see them promote how it works with iPhones or other Android devices, and not Sony's own phones. Meanwhile, I don't think Xperia phones are designed to work with PlayStation. Sony did try a "PlayStation Mobile" service, but that did not take off.

 

What it comes down to is that I think Sony could be best served by more synergy with their divisions. But I don't think they're capable of managing that.

 

Good point about motion control options. While I think Sony is trying to keep PlayStation Move involved with PS4, it's really not something they talk about much. Some of its technology was incorporated into the basic PS4 controller, and while you can use the Move with PlayStation VR, why would you want to? So I'm not too surprised that VR hasn't caught on, and why Nintendo is more reluctant to get involved. VR is not mainstream for Sony, so it's not exactly something that video game developers are racing for the next level of their competition.

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