The PS4 Won The Console Generation By Being Boring: Can The PS5 Do The Same?

[The_Liquid_Laser]

outlawauron said:

The_Liquid_Laser said:

Actually none of those platforms were disruptive.  PS1, PS2, N64, Gamecube...none were disruptive.

Disruptive means that functionality suffers so that you can improve some other aspect: reliability, convenience or price.  For example Google Stadia is potentially disruptive because the games all look like they perform worse, but you don't have to buy a console.  So functionality suffers but people save money compared to what came before.  

PS1, PS2, N64, and Gamecube were not disruptive, because they improved the specs compared to the previous generation and the prices all went up.  It's just that with Playstation the hardware was more expensive but with the N64 the cartridges were more expensive.  As a whole, both systems were more expensive compared to the SNES, the leader of the previous generation.  That is the opposite of disruptive.

Disruptive can also mean that it's a new feature or capability that when introduced changes how the industry works. It disrupts the status quo of the industry. The most disruptive thing we've seen this generation is the concept of GaaS, which has completely changed how so many games are designed and developed.

It's not an either/or scenario.  It's a both/and scenario.  The disruptive innovation changes how the industry works, because a lot of customers switch to the new model and often new customers come in.  Games as a service is not trying to make games with higher production values (higher functionality).  Instead it is making them easier to try out by making them free to play and such.  That makes the games cheaper and more convenient, and also more reliable because you know if you like the game before you spend money on it.  GaaS exactly fits everything I just said about disruption.

However, none of the generation 5 or 6 consoles fit a disruptive description.  They were all trying to make games with higher production values...increased functionality.  It is the exact opposite of disruption.