Sony has created an amazing ecosystem between its products, capable of passing save files from system to system, remote playing some systems with others, and all of them reaping benefits from PS+. But it's not perfect. What aspects of the PlayStation Ecosystem would you change or add?
For me, personally, I would replace everything with a new SKU. The hardware changes I would make are:
The PlayStation 4 is missing one vital thing to be the streaming heart of the ecosystem: 802.11AC. With AC wireless on board, the PS4 would be capable of hitting its full speed wirelessly, which means no lag on Remote Play or Share Play or PlayStation Now or PlayStation Vue that you wouldn't have had plugged in. Otherwise, there's not much to change about the PS4 at all; the design works, it's a good size, and it does what it needs to without any issue.
The PlayStation 3 would receive one final revision, and one that would make the system relevant in the current Ecosystem. The biggest change is the addition of more RAM, allowing these versions of the PS3 to support cross game chat. The ability to use cross game chat would allow the PS3 to stay included in the social aspects of gaming and supported longer than even Sony had anticipated. This version of the PS3 would also ship with a Dualshock 4 and include as 802.11AC update like the PS4.
The PlayStation Vita would gain two updates, each one specialized for one of two things. First would be the "Gamer" edition. This Vita would be designed more specifically for gaming and would include R2/L2 and R3/L3 buttons. The design would sacrifice some level of storability to fit better in gamers' hands, so while fitting it in your pocket might not be as comfortable, it would be capable of gaming comfortably longer. In addition to this, it would support full-size SD cards (and a separate slot for Vita memory) and receive the 802.11AC upgrade. Second would by the "Mobile" edition. The design of this model would be more akin to the PSPgo, in that it would feature a smaller screen and a slide-out control pad. It would still feature the additonal buttons (R2/L2, R3/L3), though their use would be less ergonomical. This model would also have 4G built into it and would feature a special Application for making phone calls, making it a true PlayStation Phone. In addition it would also feature a slot for Vita memory and a slot for microSD memory, as well as the 802.11AC upgrade.
The PlayStation TV would get a new version with 802.11AC and a slot for SD cards built into it, though no other changes would be made to its insides. The new SKUs would be a standalone model that comes with a small bluetooth remote, and one that ships with a Dualshock 4 controller.
Next, I would add functions to each system:
The PlayStation 4 would be the ability to Remote Play the PS3 or the PSTV. This would make it possible to play you PS3 on your PS4, from one room to another, and would allow you to, in some way, play PS3 games on your PS4 if you own them already. This would also extend to the PSTV, allowing PS4 users to remote play Vita games and PS1 classics. Another function that would be added to the PS4 would be the ability to create folders and organize their media bar.
The PlayStation 3, as mentioned earlier, would get cross-game chat (supported only on "New PS3s"). This would allow PS3 users to communicate with PS4 users more often, bringing the two communities together. Another function would be the ability to Remote Play the PS4 or the PSTV onto the PS3. This would allow users to play their PS4 or PSTV from one room into another. A big change would be the full support of the Dualshock 4 for PS3, and they would also support Spotify.
The PlayStation Vita would gain the ability to remote play the PS3, allowing users access to both the PS3 and PS4 on their Vitas. The Vita would also gain access to PlayStation Vue, meaning TV on the go, and they would also get a Spotify app. Another big upgrade is the advent of a new YouTube app.
The PlayStation TV would get it's biggest (and most desparate) upgrade with the addition of Netflix, Vudu, YouTube, and Amazon Video. The upgrade would make the PSTV a viable contender for a Roku replacement. In addition the PSTV would gain the ability to remote player the PS3, completing the "Ecosystem" of the PlayStation Network.
But this isn't enough to sell systems; after all, Game Systems need games:
Sony needs to step up their game with their First- and Second-Party games, especially with the PSV. They have an abundance of IPs at their disposal, and need to start releasing them in smart fashions across their devices:
PlayStation 4
- New inFAMOUS
- New Killzone
- New Motorstorm
- Gran Turismo 7
- Crash Bandicoot Reboot (Cross-Buy)
- Jak & Daxter Reboot (Cross-Buy)
- The Last of Us 2
- New Syphon Filter
- Ape Escape Reboot (Cross-Buy)
- Demon's Souls 2
- Demon's Souls Remaster
- Bloodborne 2
- God of War 5
- New WipeOut
- New Twisted Metal
- New Warhawk
- New SOCOM
- New Sly Cooper (Cross-Buy)
- New Resistance
- inFAMOUS tie-in
- Crash Bandicoot Reboot (Cross-Buy)
- Jak & Daxter Reboot (Cross-Buy)
- Ape Escape Reboot (Cross-Buy)
- New Sly Cooper (Cross-Buy)
- God of War tie-in
- LittleBigPlanet+Karting (Both games in one)
- Gravity Rush 2
- New LocoRoco
- New Patapon
- New Parapa the Rapper
- Resistance tie-in
- Killzone tie-in
And finally, we come to the services:
PlayStation Now would be one of the biggest aspects of the PlayStation Network at this point. The biggest change would be the ability to purchase games for good. Now, it costs money to maintain these servers, so it can't simply be a one time purchase forever. However, it can be if they are at least a PS+ member. PS+ members would become capable of purchasing games permanently on Now, and any games they already own DIGITALLY for the PS3 will also be added to their "owned" library.
PlayStation Vue needs a lot of work. First of all, it needs to be extended to at least the capital cities of every state and it needs to begin spreading out from those cities (large states like California and Texas would need two or three cities to spread out from in order to cover the states in a sufficient amount of time). Alá carte needs to be better supported, namely with Viacom channels. Having Viacom as a partner would allow those who don't live in major cities to still enjoy most of what they'll probably want to watch. The pricing for the bundles needs to reflect their PS+ status in a way that it becomes cheaper to become a PS+ member and get Vue than to simply have Vue. This would drive owners of other system to have a PS+ account as well, increasing the population of the "PlayStation Nation's" paid subscribers. Vue should also be supported on Vita and TV, allowing users to place PSTVs around the house for cable.
Certain Streaming Services should be available on all PlayStation platforms, namely: Spotify, Netflix, Hulu, Vudu, Amazon, YouTube, Crunchyroll, and Crackle. These services being available on all PlayStation systems would mean that no matter which one you're using, you'll have the ability to watch/listen to what you want.
With all of these changes, I believe the competition would be mostly out of luck. I understand that releasing so many new versions of the systems would be expensive, and that procuring Data support for a theoretical PlayStation Phone would be difficult. Getting Viacom on board and releasing Vue subscriptions on so many cities would also be quite a task. The biggest thing is the sudden support of the Vita again, as well as the use of so many old and new IPs in exclusives. This isn't a thread about what is likely to hapen, it's what you would change.
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