The next PlayStation is aimed at ‘serious players’, says Sony chief exec

Sony chief executive Kenichiro Yoshida has reportedly called the next iteration of the popular PlayStation games console a “niche product, aimed at serious players”.

His comments follow the recent unveiling of Project Scarlett – the next generation of Xbox hardware – at the E3 conference ahead of its late 2020 release.

While there is no confirmed release date for the new PlayStation, in an interview with the Wall Street Journal, Sony chief executive Kenichiro Yoshida has teased that it will be focused on “serious players”, claiming the fifth-generation product will “dramatically increase the graphics-rendering speed”.

PlayStation’s unit chief Jim Ryan also revealed the console will be capable of processing 8K ultra-high-definition graphics.

Sony is also reportedly looking to make more high-profile exclusive games at its in-house software studios.

Examples of previous critically-acclaimed hit exclusives include God of War (which won the Game of the Year award in 2018), Horizon Zero Dawn, and Bloodborne.

God of War and Horizon Zero Dawn were both made in-house and represent two of the most popular gaming titles of all time.

While it might seem as though Sony is diluting its potential target base by focusing on in-house blockbuster games, this does not mean smaller titles will not be released.

According to a Sony official in the same WSJ article, the thinking behind this focus is because people purchase expensive consoles to play the highest-quality games available on the market – not smaller games which can be played on a smartphone.

While there is currently no confirmed release date for the next PlayStation, it is expected to be released in late 2020 around the same time as the new Xbox.

Interested in reading more about next-generation consoles? Discover more about the new Xbox – Project Scarlett – which was revealed at E3.