Sony have a tough decision to make

[KBG29]

twintail said:

KBG29 said:
PS4 - 1080p/30
PS4 Pro - 1800pCB/30
PS5 - 4K/60 + Higher Resolution Textures, Improved AA, Better Lighting, etc.

If PS4 and PS5 both share X86 and AMD GPU tech, it it extremely easy to support both platforms. I see Sony supporting PS4 for the life of PS5 and finally dropping support when PS6 arrives. This is nothing like supporting PS2 and PS3, or PS3 and PS4 where the game has to be almost completely rebuilt.

Sony may support the PS4 for many years to come but there is no way they will do that with their tent-pole releases. This is a pipe dream.

Smaller digital only offerings, their PS2 classics, PS1/ PSP remasters, live-services and mid-tier IPs will be, at best, what they relegate to PS4/ PS5 - if even.

But software like sequels to GoW and Horizon are going PS5 only. Making the game run on PS4 and PS5 might not be difficult but its still a use of time and resources. And Sony is going to want the PS5 to explode out the gate and having people jumping on their new hardware while late adopters/ lower income persons jump onto the PS4

That is most likely the case, but I think it would be awesome, if Sony took a new approach to things.

Why not work on building an ecosystem where people can upgrade at their own pace? Allow the core players to grab the PS5 for their 4K/60 gaming desires, while those that want a $100 entry price, and will hold on to their 1080p or 720p till the last straw, can still drop $60 on that new peice of software. 

At the end of the day the hardware is just a means to sell software. PS5 does not have to explode out of the gate, if the PS Ecosystem is strong a vibrant. Having a pool of 200 Million users between say PS4, PS4 Pro, PS4 Portable, and PS5 would be much better, and make much more, long term and short term, than having a pool of 6 - 16 Million PS5 gamers. 

If all PlayStation products share the X86 and Radeon tech, then supporting them all, will be a very low cost endeavor. If they can Sell for example 15 Million copies of GOW2 on the PlayStation Ecosystem, but only 7 Million by restricting it to PS5, why would they not spend the small amount of extra time and man power, to more than double their return?

I understand why they could not use this type of business model in the past due to PS1, PS2, PS3, PSP, and PS Vita being vastly different devices. If that won't be the case going forward, I don't see any advantage in following this hail mary approach. Might as well keep all of your users as long as possible. Make the ecosystem as healthy as possible. Build in the most value on the market. Work to keep your consumers buying devices, because they want to, not because you force them to upgrade.