Sony to Enrich PS4 with Fresh Experiences, Functions, and Usability

We all know that the PlayStation 4 is doing incredibly well – after all, this scribe feels like he writes that sentence at least twice every day. The big question, then, is: what’s next for the system? As part of a presentation intended for investors, the platform holder has outlined its strategy for the coming years, stressing that it intends to further engage existing users, while simultaneously introducing new players into the fold.

The firm aims to increase sales from ¥1,400 billion ($11.8 billion) through to ¥1,600 billion ($13.5 billion) by the end of March 2017, and it intends to do this by enhancing the average revenue per paying user. While that may sound nefarious, though, it actually expects to do it by further tailoring and enriching its overall ecosystem to the tastes of two very specific markets: its hardcore fans and more casual consumers.

The company hopes to keep people like you interested by delivering brand new experiences like Project Morpheus, while also increasing the functionality and usability of the PS4 through firmware updates. Of course, games will be central to its endeavours, with the Japanese giant planning the introduction of even more titles for the “core user” segment. Meanwhile, it will broaden its horizons to capture more casual players.

This will include more family focused titles such as LittleBigPlanet 3, but also new services such as PlayStation Vue, which represents the manufacturer’s attempt to usurp the traditional cable box with an Internet-based solution. It’s this, in addition to platforms like Music Unlimited and PlayStation Now, that it hopes will open up new revenue streams – alongside the more obvious PlayStation Plus subscription model.

The strategy seems sound to us, and what’s interesting is that the platform holder is continuing to list what it describes as “devoted PlayStation users” as the crux of its entire business plan. Naturally, the manufacturer wants to extract more money from our wallets, but it’s through the addition of new services, features, and software that it intends to do that. In other words: the entire division’s tactics revolve around keeping fans sweet.