Jack Tretton: Sony Will Face 'Exponentially More Competition' with PS5

Makes sense, next gen will be a clean slate for both Sony and Microsoft so it will ultimately fall in who gives the better content at the star of the new generation.

@AlejandroMora Nah. I doubt that. I'm sure many people will buy the next ps console no matter what. Same with MS and Ninty.

Not just fanboys but people who have been happy with the brand for decades. A few better features or an impressive game or two won't sway that many people.

@naruball im a huge ps player but if ps5 doesn't do backwards compatibility with ps4 then im not getting it. Made a mistake with the switch and that thing sat there collecting dust for months.

@AlejandroMora Well, it’s already been confirmed that the PS5 will be backwards compatible with the PS4. So you’re good to go!

https://www.pushsquare.com/news/2019/04/ps5_confirmed_to_be_backwards_compatible_with_ps4_games

If Microsoft doesn't announce any new hardware by the time the PS5 is released, they will be out of the game.

As someone who actually bought all 3 consoles, I have to say that technically, I always buy the next Playstation and Nintendo systems. I bought the PS3 over the 360 (granted the 360 had more games I wanted to play on it), but it's sony's IP's that get me to buy it...Microsoft seems to drop many of their IP's after a short time (Viva Piñata, Kameo, Banjo Kazooie, Blinx The Time Sweeper, Voodoo Vince and many others, including Fable now). Nintendo's IP's are another reason I get theirs. Other than that, specs aren't really something I look at, but it's how many good games are put out, and I'm not just talking about 3rd parties. As I've been seeing since the 16bit era, whatever console sells more, the games pour out for it...Genesis, PS2, Wii, DS (over the PSP), xbox 360 (if just compared to PS3), PS4 and Switch right now (different kind of consoles though), PS1 and NES. This is what I've noticed. The only thing I hate about buying a new console, is everything else you end up eventually having/or needing to get (more controllers that are just as much as a new game, costs of many newer games until they start going down in price and the dreaded getting an internal or external hard drive). May not be a day one purchase for me, as I'll wait until prices on games and everything else go down (or I'll get games and techs first before the console), but will definitely be ready for the PS5 eventually...until then, will be finally getting caught up on the PS4...and I'm sure nintendo will be announcing their next console here soon too, as the Switch is getting close to the 5 year mark for them.

@Rhaoulos I was thinking the same thing, but I'm sure they're keeping everything hush hush at the moment and waiting for Sony to announce everything...then 'boom', announce something that they'll have that Sony won't. Other than that, Microsoft needs the exclusive games more, not just the same IP's over and over again. Halo, Forza and Gears seem to be about the only ones they continue, then the others are forgotten about...even RARE doesn't do much for them like they did in the 360 era...but time will tell...I still like the XBONE, just not as much as the PS4.

remember Jack Trenton.haha. what.he was the best. the g.o.a.t. Jack is the legend.word up son

At the moment I can’t really picture in my mind what radical improvement/difference the PS5 can bring to the PS4. The Switch brought me something better than the Wii U and solved a problem I didn’t know I had. Improved graphics will only have so much impact on a guy with a crappy TV and scratched glasses.

Not saying the PS5 won’t be fantastic, or bring new ideas, but at the moment I’m a little cold to a new console until I see it with my own eyes.

I miss Jack Tretton. He wasn't just a 'suit'. He seemed genuinely passionate about PlayStation and games.

Competition itself is necessary for growth and great for the consumer too. Its not just Xbox that PS5 will be competing but advances in hardware means that tablets and other mobile hardware (Mobiles, Laptops, Switch...) are also much more competitive - at least while 4k isn't the 'norm'. Full HD is much more achievable by so many different devices - and its 'not' just the resolution but all the other visual settings and frame rates that are not negatively impacted by a dev targetting full HD.

Google, as well as PC's with Steam, Epic, EA and of course Xbox stores will be competing with the PS5. The big thing that Sony can offer is their unique software that requires Sony hardware to play. Even if MS are 'more' competitive with their unique Software, that is still likely to be available on a multitude of devices as 'Xbox' is just MS's gaming division and the 'Hardware' isn't as important - Xbox can be on any Windows 10 based device and have access to all your Xbox software. Sony are more reliant on their console as a means to offer their fans access to their games.

As I alluded to, Sony are really not in 'competition' from a Hardware perspective but are in a software competition. Other devices could play other games better (no different from the PS4 launch) but what will entice gamers to buy a PS5 is what it can offer differently. If the Xbox console is more 'powerful', it may not necessarily sell more than PS5 because Xbox is 'more' than just the console and people may well opt to buy a new laptop or PC to play their MS (and other) games but Sony will need to have a greater emphasis on its own unique software - more so than the last few generations because so many other devices can play the majority of the multi-platform games at full HD and with 'decent' frame rates too.

There is also the Subscription services too which could impact how consumers get access to new games. Will subscription services that 'Game Pass' be the way gamers 'buy' (or at least long term rent as they won't own the games) games? Will that impact on Sony too if they don't?

MS do appear to be moving more to the 'virtual' Console. By that I mean that Xbox isn't 'just' the console but every compatible device can be an Xbox - whether that's on a MS built console format, a non-MS brand PC, Tablet, Mobile etc. The 'hardware' is nothing more than the person's 'choice' rather than have to buy a Console' to play those games. Its like MS putting Windows on HP, Acer, Asus etc and not just keeping it for their own 'Surface' line of hardware. As such, its likely that Xbox will have a 'massive' install base regardless of their console sales. Hopefully extending to 3rd party multi-platform titles. Gamers won't be 'split up' because of their hardware choice but united in one massive community where some may prefer consoles whilst others may be playing on a mobile device or PC. Lobbies won't be split up because of hardware. Hopefully Sony will be part of that united gaming community too - maybe part of the reason they have been working together to have the 'hardware' set-up to be a part of a much wider spectrum of gamers.

If that does happen, then that puts even more emphasis on the Exclusives. If you can buy any hardware and still play CoD or Fifa with friends, then Sony has to make their PS5 more appealing to make those gamers pick their device to play those games on and exclusives as well as controller of course that Sony offer that no other hardware can.

@JLPick The Switch has only just passed it's 2 year life cycle on March 3rd - it's debateable whether or not they'll offer some sort of upgrade in the near future like the Pro or XB1 X; it's likely too early to tell. It's usually only Nintendo consoles I pick up on Day one and then I tend to wait a year or so after launch for the next Xbox or Playstation.

@AlejandroMora The Nintendo Switch is a great console you don't know what your missing.

Don’t tell me that was 2014 when Jack left Sony? Seriously only feels like a year or two ago. Damn!

@LaytonPuzzle27 im talking about launch day of the switch where i had to wait for mario odyssee and xenobalde 2.

Heh, I'd honestly already forgotten about Stadia.

Sounds like Sony heard about SMS' MadBox.

I'm not so sure "exponentially" is realistic. Sounds more like an opportunity to grab a headline. Sony competes with Microsoft. Nintendo hasn't taken any market share from either since the original box. I seriously doubt anyone who bought either a PS4 or an Xbox this gen will take a pass for some cloud service that nobody asked for.

@JLPick True. In comparison, Sony has loads of great IPs and Nintendo has arguably the best and most popular. I wouldn't have any reason to buy an Xbox.
Rare had its golden age on the N64. I still don't understand what happened to rare and why they don't make great games as they used to. I also don't get why Nintendo didn't buy Rare when they had a chance.

There will be more competition but is still see PS5 being the market leader as their biggest success this generation has being their first party content and nobody has anything even comparable at the moment. Microsoft do look like they'll be upping their game with several acquisitions and seem to have noticed gamers still want big single player story games, whilst on the hardware front it sounds like they are aiming both above and below PS5. Nintendo really operates in their own little bubble and the Switch is a great little handheld but that system is already too weak to receive much third party support and that is only going to get worse with the next gen consoles, they'll continue to sell Mario/Zelda/Pokemon games in the millions but thats about it. Then we have Google with its streaming service which will be useless to many who simply won't have internet capable of playing it to the level these next gen machines will be able to anyway and may well appeal more to PC gamers.

Sony have already done the smart thing in announcing backwards compatibility which is more important than ever these days. Then of course it already has a foothold in VR as effectively the market leader and is ready to capitalise with hopefully an improved version for PS5. Even with my heavily rose tinted spectacles and love for retro gaming I can say that the PS4 is the best console I've ever owned and with guaranteed hits like Spiderman 2, God of War 2 (5?), Final Fantasy VII, Horizon 2 all likely coming to it plus some games we already know of which may happen to be cross gen and the PS5 should be another hit

@Rhaoulos Same here with Rare...Super NES and N64 was a great time for them...then came the 360, where VIVA PINATA just seemed like it would be more fit on a nintendo console instead. It was a shame, and still never understood why nintendo didn't keep them...just a shame on what happened to them and why Microsoft isn't really using them anymore...as far as I know, Rare Replay and Kinect Sports Rivals are the only ones they made on it. I believe there was a Conker game that was going to be made for their VR unit (which Conker looked awful), but that was canned. Would be nice to be able to play Conker's Bad Fur Day again on a nintendo console (as well as a sequel that's just as naught and some more Banjo Kazooie). Even when I play the Rare Replay, I just picture holding the (what I called horrible) N64 controller in my hands...plus, I still think they made the better Donkey Kong titles, granted the 2x new Return ones were pretty good as well.