Who’s Ready For Next Gen?

Ladies and gentlemen we’ve hit that time where the next generation guessing game has begun. Will the next generation consoles launch in 2026 or 2027?

I think where PlayStation is concerned. We’re going to see a crossover point with the PS5 Pro. A lot of people online say there is not any legitimacy in owning this console. However, they forget to understand the patterns that have played this console generation out. The PS4 had a lot of life this generation as a cross-platform where games were making their way to it. Ultimately, if you’ve just bought a PS5 Pro. There is no reason why you should be concerned as the trade-in value would be pretty decent anyway for you and by extension PS5 Pro will be around at least two years into a PS6 generation.

I actually feel that something is cooking with all this next generation news now. We’ve had suits from Sony signalling their focus and where their mindset is at. That’s only amplified by their ambitions with handheld. Sony hasn’t felt any of ‘this is the worst PlayStation generation’ that’s branded online by its fans. They’ve made record profits as I reiterated before. That’s only noise to them that’s not affecting their bottomline in any shape or form. However, recently, Sony committed to bringing more games that are single-player to its players.

As suggested before, I really do feel that we’re going to see a lot more activity and preparation for the PS6 generation from Sony. I think that this generation has played its purpose of the great experiment for Sony and funnily enough they’ve won some and they’ve certainly lost some also.

However, what continues to remain is that PlayStation is going to be a lot more prepared and in-tune with the expectations for their next generation. The reason? They’re going to have to be. Sony always react to (or have done in the past) to Microsoft. The competition from Xbox (which I’ll talk about later) alludes to that a lot more. PlayStation Studios is the jewel in Sony’s crown. They have to be at it and firing on all cylinders. However, there are complications for them whenever they launch.

That complication comes from the strategy that Microsoft is utilising within its entire ecosystem. Steam and other well known store-fronts that will allow PlayStation games to be played on a Xbox console – could be an issue. When you bring the PC and forge that into a console experience via Xbox that unifies all your games in one place with your PC libraries. Without, I may add, the mess around. Then, ears start to perk up about the true potential of the next Xbox.

I’ve always said that PlayStation is such a strong brand. But also, they have used their advantage to dictate store prices. Something that has annoyed quite a lot of people and that’s to the detriment of Sony. Some people say that Sony does not control these prices. That the studios themselves set that. Ultimately, it doesn’t matter who sets them, it’s still their store and they have a huge say in what prices are set there and the kind of markup points that go on. Just as they have a huge say in how refunds are accepted or denied.

The point? Next generation, I believe, is the generation where we see Xbox really target these key areas to their advantage. If you thought Game Pass as a subscription service was a great value asset to the industry no matter how it’s perceived for devaluing assets of great studios.

Then Microsoft’s fundamental answer to this is ‘well you can buy anywhere you like and enjoy tremendous consumer rights benefits as well and play your way. Ultimately, I think these store fronts are going to bring great things. Opening the doors where others control those levels of pricing structures and ultimately leading to more choice of how you consume your games.

If anybody was to say to me, when do you think the next PlayStation or Xbox is going to be released and who do you think is more prepared for it? I think the latter part of that question is more relevant than the first. What we’re seeing though, is an evolution on consoles by Microsoft to really bring value back to consoles. They could also decide to drop the price of having to pay online. Something that Microsoft did introduce once upon a time. So you get an idea there of what this generation could be from a marketing point of view in how they sell it to you.

I think with subscribers leveling off with Xbox Game Pass (at the moment) this is just another way to get you playing Xbox or on PC. Microsoft knows full well that either way, they’re going to make a lot of gains from that no matter how you choose to consume video games.

To sign off, I expect Xbox to really deliver and excel and transform our console experiences in a whole new way. For PlayStation, they’ve been working on game after game that haven’t seen the light of day still and I see them edging more towards Nintendo territory – with an ambitious handheld. As I’ve said for a long time, PlayStation are going to sell you on their single-player games but there need to evolve to meet the demands of its players is crucial as well.

The interesting thing will be how Sony answers what Microsoft is doing for the next generation in their own way. How do Sony answer that and does that mean they start to change their own store policies and sense of ethos? Obviously, however it goes it’s going to be an interesting time for many of us to witness.

I am leading to believe that because Microsoft will be releasing a less than conventional next generation console. They could come to market a lot earlier than people are expecting and be more prepared for it. But whether they release in 2026 or 2027. I’ll leave that for you to decide on who you think is more primed with their ambitions.