Should Sony pull a PS5 release to compete with Scorpio?

[ICStats]

Hynad said:

ICStats said:

A proper new platform generally means backwards compatibility but not forwards compatibility (i.e. XB1 can't play Scorpio games).  That's fine, if that happens then Scorpio will be a new platform (new generation) essentially rather than an enhanced XB1.

I understand that. But at the same time, every generation, you see people complain that all the games are cross-generation. Many games blurring the lines between gens at first. Now, we reached a point where new consoles could be like getting better PC hardware. You get the same games, but new hardware let you enjoy better performance and visuals. With the oldest generations getting less and less supported as technology evolve. Basically, the transition would stop being a dry cut and be more like what you see on the phone market.

I think this is what we can expect from future console generations.

Yeah, agree we could be moving to the iPhone model.

They both have their advantages.  With the iPhone model you keep the software userbase and ecosystem when launching new hardware.  Total software business generally increases over time, rather than resetting to 0 each generation.

The downsides with iPhone model: there is slower progress in features; software has to support a range of hardware, and tends to target the largest user segment rather than taking advantage of the full capabilities of the flagship device.  The software inventory grows huge, which makes it hard to make money on new AAA software (a billion apps, 999,999,000 make small amount of money).

Consoles make most money on software, so it will be interesting to see how they decide to balance the software ecosystems.

Worth noting that, keeping the ecosystem going is most advantageous for the current market leader (i.e. not Microsoft).