I’ve noticed, like many of you have likely also noticed, a emerging trend recently. It seems like Microsoft and Sony are both flirting with the idea of releasing upgrades for their current-gen consoles. We heard from Microsoft first, as Phil Spencer spoke to the press about how much he’d love to see iterative upgrades to consoles that would help close the power-gap that separates them from PCs. Spencer pointed out that technology in our computers and phones is always improving year after year, and home consoles get left behind. Now we’re hearing about a “PS4K.” This thing came out of nowhere, but Sony has reportedly already produced prototypes which it is showing to developers. Some are speculating that we may even see the PS4K by the end of the year.
I really don’t think that we’ve given these stories the attention they deserve, because this could be a huge paradigm shift for our industry. Where did all of this come from? Why is it happening now? Certainly, we’re accustomed to mid-cycle upgrades, but we only ever see slimmer consoles and expanded memory; think PS3 Slim and the Xbox 360 Elite model. While we’re still not sure what Spencer has in mind for the Xbox, it does sound like Sony is thinking about putting out a separate, more powerful, upgraded version of its console.
So why now? As I thought about that question as another of Sony’s novel ventures came to mind, one that has actually been confirmed: mobile games. “Isn’t it curious,” I asked myself, “that Sony has announced it’s going to make mobile games a week after Nintendo released Miitomo, Japan’s most popular social networking app at the moment?” Nintendo is set to do big things in the mobile market, and it’s poised to disrupt this current console generation with the release of the NX (possibly by year’s end).
I can’t help but wonder how much Nintendo has influenced or outright determined near-future strategies for Microsoft and Sony. It could be that Sony and Microsoft realize that they’ve enjoyed measurably improved sales since Nintendo’s Wii U became the niche gamer’s console of choice, effectively narrowing the big 3 down to the big 2. Upgraded consoles could be Sony and Microsoft’s response to Nintendo’s mid-cycle console launch. Nintendo’s New 3DS has also proven that dedicated fans are more than willing to pay the price of a new unit to enjoy marginal improvements in performance.
Do we really want that for our consoles, though? Would you be okay with Microsoft hypothetically releasing a $150 plug-in APU that supercharged your Xbox One, allowing you to play games that you would have had to wait for otherwise? Would you be okay with Sony releasing a more powerful, $400 PS4K that received its own exclusives and ran PS4 games more smoothly? Would you be okay with your console games releasing with the types of graphics options that PC gamers tweak and scale in order to optimize the games for their hardware?
Personally I think this is dangerous territory. If Microsoft and Sony adopt an iterative paradigm, then we lose what makes consoles so unique to developers and consumers. Consoles are important to developers because they create their games knowing that the platform, for tens of millions of users, is homogeneous, unified, and unchanging, which allows for fine-tuning and optimization. Consoles matter to the consumer because he or she only has to make one investment. We make one purchase and demonstrate faith and favor by giving Microsoft, Sony, or Nintendo hundreds of our hard-earned dollars. It’s us saying, “Here’s to the next 4-8 years. Let’s see what happens this generation.” That investment is part of the magic. It’s part of the connection we develop between ourselves and the companies we love.
I’d be sad to lose all of that. I don’t want our consoles to become like iPhones: promising the latest and greatest one year, only to become obsolete the next. 2016 is going to be such a big year for this industry, and we’re going to see a lot of changes. I’m excited about most of them, but this is one facet of progress that I fear may do more harm than good. What do you guys think? Do you favor the traditional console-generation paradigm, or are you ready for consoles to improve at a comparable rate to PCs? What about Nintendo? Do you think they’re having any effect on what Microsoft and Sony are planning? Sound off and let’s talk about it.