PlayStation 4 isn't last console, says Sony CEO

Sony CEO Jack Tretton recently talked about why he believes that even with the shifting gaming landscape, consoles will be an element in the mix for the foreseeable future.

52

The PlayStation 4 launches today, marking the first salvo in what some believe may be the last generation of consoles. Sony CEO Jack Tretton recently waved off such speculation, though, saying that consoles exist for a reason and aren't going anywhere soon.

"It's funny, I've heard about the 'last console' since 1986, and only because that's when I entered the business," Tretton told All Things Digital. "I've managed to ride the 'last console' wave for the last, what is that... 27 years or so? There's a reason the console came about: Sitting in front of a big-screen TV on a couch with your friends.

"To get the immersive depth in gaming and to get the social experience of sitting around the living room, we're not going to huddle around a tablet. We're not going to huddle around a smartphone. I think the technology will come a long way, but you’re still trying to build a console, ultimately. You're trying to get it closer to a console."

He noted that the threat in the 80s was the PC but it never took over the whole industry. Now more emphasis is placed on smartphones and tablet, which he says can be "additive" to the console games with extra functionality, but he doesn't think they'll ever replace console games.

"We can't take Gran Turismo 6 and put it on a smartphone or a tablet. It's just gonna be a lousy experience," he said. "It's not going to be what it is. Conversely, you can go out today and play Angry Birds on your PlayStation 3 and have a great time. I'm not sure why you'd want to do that, but you could. You can't go playing Grand Theft Auto V on your smartphone or tablet. It's easier to migrate up."

Editor-In-Chief
Filed Under
From The Chatty
  • reply
    November 15, 2013 6:30 AM

    Steve Watts posted a new article, PlayStation 4 isn't last console, says Sony CEO.

    Sony CEO Jack Tretton recently talked about why he believes that even with the shifting gaming landscape, consoles will be an element in the mix for the foreseeable future.

    • reply
      November 15, 2013 6:36 AM

      "I'm not sure why you'd want to do that, but you could."

      Classic.

      • reply
        November 15, 2013 6:56 AM

        haha rovio cant be happy with that comment
        but really rovio, 49.99 for angry birds??????

        • reply
          November 15, 2013 7:14 AM

          I'm not sure why they sell those games for the price they do. I'll rent it on the Xbox One, but I will not pay full price for any of those titles on the console.

        • reply
          November 15, 2013 7:33 AM

          Wait....seriously?? Angry Birds on the ps3 is $50?!? Is it exactly the same game?

          • reply
            November 15, 2013 7:37 AM

            Every console launch has some game that should sell for 10$ going for 50$ in the hopes that people just lose their minds and buy whatever.

    • reply
      November 15, 2013 6:42 AM

      Amen. I love this guy.

      • reply
        November 15, 2013 6:46 AM

        He's one of the few "suits" that I've ever found to be believable in his enthusiasm. He seems like a genuine guy.

        • reply
          November 15, 2013 6:53 AM

          [deleted]

          • reply
            November 15, 2013 7:26 AM

            Except he's just a mouthpiece for NCL.

          • reply
            November 15, 2013 7:36 AM

            Honestly when Reggie gets on stage and talks about how great the WiiU will be for the hardcore games, it feels like the disingenuous statement possible, it feels like even he doesn't believe what he is saying.

    • reply
      November 15, 2013 6:45 AM

      Where is this nonsense coming from anyway? Even if they did away with physical media consoles will still be around. Touch gaming isn't going to kill the playstation or xbox.

      • reply
        November 15, 2013 7:00 AM

        PC and consoles are fighting as the next hub for gaming and entertainment in the living room.

        • reply
          November 15, 2013 7:07 AM

          And as long as PCs cost significantly more than consoles,that will always be a one sided fight.

          • reply
            November 15, 2013 7:12 AM

            It costs a lot of marketing money to push a closed plateform over an open one and they have to recover that cost on services. So who knows?

        • reply
          November 15, 2013 2:38 PM

          Where is the PC in the living room?

          • reply
            November 15, 2013 2:47 PM

            not there until it is more appliance like, which is what consoles are

      • reply
        November 15, 2013 7:10 AM

        The idea isn't that there won't be more playstations, the idea is that they will be forced to be more like PC or mobile in getting upgrades more regularly and keeping full backwards compatability. I absolutely believe this will happen.
        His argument that the console model went unchanged this long is ignoring the fact that the only competition they've had the entire time was other consoles, and that's going to change with Steambox, and mobile based consoles when they catch up in performance.

        • reply
          November 15, 2013 7:12 AM

          Every single generation. The PC isn't going to win. Sorry.

          • reply
            November 15, 2013 7:13 AM

            And I say this as someone very interested in this Steambox business

          • reply
            November 15, 2013 7:13 AM

            [deleted]

          • reply
            November 15, 2013 7:13 AM

            by default the PC did win. the consoles are becoming what PCs have been all along. GG+EOT

          • reply
            November 15, 2013 7:17 AM

            lol what do you mean "every single generation"? This has not happened before.

            • reply
              November 15, 2013 7:37 AM

              Really? PC gamers always think it will take over and make the consoles obsolete. Instead it gets shitty ports and is the '2nd best' choice when it comes to the latest and greatest AAA games.

              We won't get to a date where games like GTAV come out on the PC first. Hell even HL3 will be on the consoles

              • reply
                November 15, 2013 7:42 AM

                Why the hate? You're semi trolling here.
                First of all PC gamers were more concerned about the viability of the platform 8 years ago. And the situation as far as ports goes is much better since the market is healthier.

                • reply
                  November 15, 2013 7:45 AM

                  What hate? I'm not buying a PS4Xbone and I game mostly on my PC. I'm not allowed to state facts?

                  • reply
                    November 15, 2013 8:06 AM

                    I think you are more embittered than I am! O_o

                    • reply
                      November 15, 2013 8:10 AM

                      Not really, personally I don't think the PC needs to compete. I'm perfectly happy with the direction steam is going with greenlighting and indies taking over. I'm sure people are pissed and waiting for GTA V, but I can just hop on my PS3 if I want to play that.

                      However my PS3 doesn't have all the kickass adventure games and amateur beautiful indies that require a mouse/kb. So they each have their own uses.

                      People who cry and cry and want the latest AAA on the PC are doing it wrong.

                      • reply
                        November 15, 2013 8:32 AM

                        It's all about the unique experiences trig.

              • reply
                November 15, 2013 8:09 AM

                This is not about normal PCs on a desk, you are making the same mistake I pointed out Tretton made.

                • reply
                  November 15, 2013 8:12 AM

                  Then it's no longer a "PC" is it? It's just a 4th console coming into play. A device you play on your TV and only game on it. Oh wait we already have that minus the 8 million tech support issues - Xbone/PS4.

                  Your average mainstream gamer is not going to put up with that, and publishers know this.

                  • reply
                    November 15, 2013 8:20 AM

                    No. It is a PC as long as it has an open hardware spec and development platform. Just because you plug it in your TV doesn't make it NOT a PC.

                  • reply
                    November 15, 2013 8:26 AM

                    Consoles have 5-10 year lifecycles, a PC does not. Consoles (with exceptions) only run games designed for that generation of console, a PC runs everything ever made (with exceptions).
                    Steambox will keep those advantages, just a much more user friendly one designed for the steam controller, designed for use in the living room. There is no reason to think people won't like it, every reason to think that they will.
                    I don't know why you think AAA is for consoles, PC gets most AAA games, often without significant delay, and they are always better than the console versions.

                    • reply
                      November 15, 2013 8:33 AM

                      Always? No.

                      • reply
                        November 15, 2013 8:35 AM

                        Look if I have to qualify every single statement you're going to ask for a tldr anyway. I think my point is clear.

                        • reply
                          November 15, 2013 9:06 AM

                          This business of PC games getting most AAA games is a pretty recent phenomenon, though, like within the past 3 or 4 years. Remember, from the beginning all the way almost to the middle of the last console cycle, most games would get these terrible ports, in addition to mechanics that were really over-simplified. Also, a lot of the early-mid console cycle games still aren't ported, and probably never will be.

                          • reply
                            November 15, 2013 9:13 AM

                            PC getting AAA games is not recent all, it used to be PC and console games were seperate entirely and ports in either direction were terrible. Then PC developers moved to console and the PC space was depressing for a while but that's over now.

                            • reply
                              November 15, 2013 9:28 AM

                              that's not really relevant, because that was before the "AAA" model (still hate that term but whatever) really existed and game developers did not consist of 50-100+ person teams

                              • reply
                                November 15, 2013 10:01 AM

                                The entire argument isn't relevant. I can pick apart what you said, but I don't have to because you yourself said it's not the current situation so I don't know where you're going with this.

                                • reply
                                  November 15, 2013 10:26 AM

                                  It is relevant, because there's a significant chance console developers will neglect the PC platform in favor of diverting resources to the new hardware specifications on console platforms. You know, like last time.

                                  It could certainly be different this time around, with both consoles using x86 processors, but I don't think it's a sure bet or anything.

                                • reply
                                  November 15, 2013 10:31 AM

                                  also I didn't say the whole argument wasn't relevant, I said the fact that older console developers used to develop on PC isn't relevant, because the games you're talking about weren't actually "AAA." They were certainly influential and somewhat big for their time, but they weren't anything like developers are now.

                                  • reply
                                    November 15, 2013 10:34 AM

                                    Some people don't use the phrase "AAA" to mean budget apparently.

                                    • reply
                                      November 15, 2013 11:25 AM

                                      it's why I hate the term because it really kinda just means what you want it to mean in a given context :(

                      • reply
                        November 15, 2013 8:50 AM

                        [deleted]

                      • reply
                        November 15, 2013 9:09 AM

                        Saint's Row 2 :(

              • reply
                November 15, 2013 8:18 AM

                No they don't. At least, not any time recently. Last generation people were afraid PC gaming was dying.

                • reply
                  November 15, 2013 11:53 AM

                  Don't we hear that at least every two weeks?

              • reply
                November 19, 2013 5:07 AM

                Bleh. Too many kids on these boards nowadays. What's "the greatest AAA games"? Can you define that please? You mean Call Of Duty or BattleField? Yeah, thought so. :)

          • reply
            November 15, 2013 7:57 AM

            I think PC gaming is looking like more of a contender this time.

            Firstly, the Steam Box will provide a more console like experience for people who find PCs too confusing.

            Secondly, the PS4 seems rather under-powered and the Xbox One is a complete joke. In a few years you'll probably be able to pick up a cheap Steam Box that makes the new consoles look very sub-standard.

            Thirdly, cost has always been a big barrier for PC gaming, but that looks likely to go away. With the performance benefits that Steam OS and Mantle offer over Windows and DirectX you won't need as powerful a graphics chip in order to get good performance, and therefore won't have to spend as much. It likely won't be long before you can buy a cheap APU that beats the current gen consoles in gaming performance.

            PCs, and particularly Steam Boxes, are going to be able to offer better performance at a low price and deliver an easy user experience. I can see the PC gaining quite a bit of market share as the new consoles age and start to look laughable in comparison to the PC.

            • reply
              November 15, 2013 8:15 AM

              They only look 'laughable' if a publisher has the balls to toss that much money at a PC game.

              • reply
                November 15, 2013 8:50 AM

                True, but at the very least the PC version will have higher quality visuals due to higher resolution, anti-aliasing, anisotropic filtering and other things that can be turned up with no development cost.

                The PC has other benefits as well, such as higher frame rates, lower priced games at launch, Steam sales, mouse+keyboard control and peripherals like Oculus Rift.

                I'm not saying the PC will suddenly become everyone's platform of choice. I'm just saying that PC gaming will be cheap enough, easy enough and offer sufficient benefits that it'll start to appeal more to the average gamer.

        • reply
          November 15, 2013 7:13 AM

          What if... television sets had (or currently has) bluetooth connectivity? And you could "connect" with a device like a cell phone or a tablet using bluetooth?

          That might be a bit of a game changer. I could see a cell phone recording shows and also acting as a controller for a game. Kind of like how the controller for the Wii worked, except with a screen.

          • reply
            November 15, 2013 7:19 AM

            Yeah, my hope for the future is an open platform for NFC for video, similar to what the Wii and its gamepad are doing. Basically backwards from the WiiU controller.

          • reply
            November 15, 2013 7:22 AM

            Until/unless it's easier to connect your high-powered phone and an actual controller to a TV, I just don't see phones competing with consoles/PCs for "real" gaming.

            • reply
              November 15, 2013 7:39 AM

              Yeah, I'm thinking of something that may be feasible for at least twenty years. Certain technologies are going to have to be a reality in a very small form factor.

              • reply
                November 15, 2013 7:44 AM

                People won't want to move around something and plug it on their tv, at least not as a main usage. It's either integrated to the tv or on a box (which is cheaper too).

                • reply
                  November 15, 2013 7:47 AM

                  plug even connect.
                  If the alternative is just dedicated entertainment gaming... with a proper controller.

                  • reply
                    November 15, 2013 8:19 AM

                    I'm just talking about a convergence of technologies made possible by faster, smaller cell phone/tablets. It won't happen for a while, though.

                    Remember WebTV? It was a turd, but it showed us there are possibilities from overlapping technologies. If it was faster, smaller, better then.. convergence might have been more practical.

              • reply
                November 15, 2013 8:27 AM

                20 years...? you can do this today with an iPad and an Apple TV...

                • reply
                  November 15, 2013 8:30 AM

                  Record shows? Play games using the iPad as a controller? Or.. am I missing something here?

                  • reply
                    November 15, 2013 8:31 AM

                    And by recording shows I mean the iPad is the storage device for the show.

                    • reply
                      November 15, 2013 8:34 AM

                      Why would you record a show? We'll just be streaming everything directly soon enough.

                      I can't speak about the states, but in the UK every minute of television is available to stream using that particular channel's service within 30 minutes or so of being broadcast.

                      • reply
                        November 15, 2013 8:42 AM

                        I suppose. I guess I'm just imagining that future cell phone technologies will match today's PC. Be able to play Battlefield 4 (or some game that is just as demanding as Battlefield 4 in terms of graphics and gameplay) on a smart phone (by means of using the television as the project and the smart phone itself being a controller similar to the Nintendo Wii's).

                        Umm.. maybe I didn't think this through, but you get the idea.

                        • reply
                          November 15, 2013 8:44 AM

                          Err.. I mean using the television as the projector. By means of connecting the video and audio feed to the smart phone. Or something like that.

                    • reply
                      November 15, 2013 8:41 AM

                      why would I have the iPad record shows? then I can't watch them on another device and I'm paying exorbitant storage costs

                  • reply
                    November 15, 2013 8:42 AM

                    recording shows is as simple as a company/app allowing it to happen and get saved to the cloud (Comcast already lets you access your DVR contents via an app that accesses online recordings), and yes you can use the iPad as a controller http://www.macstories.net/stories/the-untapped-potential-of-dual-screen-airplay-games-apps/

                    • reply
                      November 15, 2013 9:02 AM

                      True. Okay well, I was just trying to think of things that smart phones/tablet can't do that isn't necessarily exclusively done on PCs (for example, PC's almost exclusively do desktop publishing, so you won't see smartphone being used for that anytime soon).

                • reply
                  November 15, 2013 2:42 PM

                  Please show me one game on the iPad that can do 1/2 of what Halo can do.

                  They are far off and are hitting diminishing returns now. In order to get that kind of power/ability in a Tablet/Phone we are going to have to come up with some kind of new battery tech.

        • reply
          November 15, 2013 7:52 AM

          Definitely. With the move to x86 and the constant focus on services and software over hardware, the next gen could well be playstation and Xbox 2017 with refreshes every 3 years that maintain full BC. Eventually I could see it being yearly.

          This also introduces the exciting prospect of new consoles being say $700 at launch to have beefy hardware for the early adopters, and keeping the last iteration in production for like $299 for the more price conscious

        • reply
          November 15, 2013 8:00 AM

          I really like the idea of more frequent console releases. I could see the next gen being the playstation and Xbox 2017, fully BC with ps4 and XBO, with the next update coming in like 3 years. The companies are much more focused on the software and services and that's what they'll be selling. They could even subsidize their own hardware if they can get people paying $15 a month for online.

          They may also feel more free to go for beefier hardware, with the latest high end system being like $700 or whatever and the previous model still being manufactured for $299 or so. It could be a bit like the iPhone model in that respect.

          sorry if a repeat, my first reply seems to have gotten eaten

          • reply
            November 15, 2013 8:01 AM

            Fuuck, now the original reply shows up.

            • reply
              November 15, 2013 8:26 AM

              Its kind of difficult to compare consoles to smartphones because the development cost and man power involved in creating a console game dwarfs that on smartphones / tablets.

              Developers spend a fortune tooling up for the new systems, getting familiar with the hardware, etc then spend 2-3 years working until the release of their title. If there is a new console every three years or less then that means they have to re-tool for every single game, costing them more development time and money.

              Its possible for sure, but I think its a much trickier transition than people are making out.

              I think there would be a lot of outrage actually if a new xbox/ps appeared in a couple of years. It really depends what the new system offers, and how long the current one would still be supported by new titles.

    • reply
      November 15, 2013 7:18 AM

      While I'm impressed I can play GTA 3 on my ipad the actual experience pales in comparison to playing to it on a console in front of my big screen tv with an actual control pad(complete with REAL analog sticks) in my hand.

      • reply
        November 15, 2013 7:48 AM

        GTA 3 is terrible on iOS. You need a controller for a game that complex.

        • reply
          November 15, 2013 8:18 AM

          I can't imagine it being fun in the later missions.

    • reply
      November 15, 2013 8:55 AM

      I'm still seeing a potential playstation Vaio

    • reply
      November 15, 2013 9:44 AM

      Finally, someone in the industry is talking common sense. The day they stop making consoles is the day I quit being a core gamer. Until we get the holodeck, or some other sort of immersive experience that does not require me to put on ridiculous goggles and shut out the entire outside world just to play a game. Gaming on a phone or tablet just doesn't cut it for me, with the only exception being dedicated handhelds like the Vita.

      • reply
        November 15, 2013 9:52 AM

        holodeck by its very nature requires you to shut out the entire outside world

        • reply
          November 15, 2013 10:28 AM

          Yeah, but you'd be fully invested in another world, so maybe it'd be less bothersome?

        • reply
          November 15, 2013 7:59 PM

          Remember, in Star Trek: NG, others could be in the holodeck with you. That's the holodeck I'm talking about.

    • reply
      November 15, 2013 9:56 AM

      PS5 in 2012

    • reply
      November 15, 2013 11:40 AM

      [deleted]

    • reply
      November 15, 2013 11:53 AM

      Well, duh. We've already seen commercials for the PS9.

Hello, Meet Lola