G2ThaUNiT said:
That would certainly get all the Series S haters to be silenced I agree though that not only would the investment be too great, but the dev power would be too great to support a separate ecosystem. We're already at the point where we'll get 1, maybe 2 games from a developer in a single console gen, Insomniac being a major exception, and pulling even more first party resources to support the separate handheld ecosystem would push timelines even further, unless Sony outsources like crazy. A big knock on the Vita was how quickly Sony first party abandoned the platform. There were certainly some notable titles for sure, but after the first year, they became scarce to nonexistent and the Vita was quickly a focus from third parties. A portable PS5 with Series S, if not a little greater than the Series S, level capabilities would certainly be much more doable from a dev perspective and would an enticing offer in a post-world Switch and handheld PC market. A PS branded handheld PC I don't think would make much sense. Sony has always run proprietary software on their hardware, and to go from that to potentially running Windows, I imagine would upset a large portion of the playerbase. Not to mention, Sony's CEO specified that the console would be their primary focus and all hardware released up to this point has been dedicated to the PS5. So outside of console, software will most likely be how Sony handles mobile and PC. Whether Sony is actively working on a dedicated PC launcher though....continues to be a big question. |
Literally minutes after my post LOL:
A portable PS5 with Series S, if not a little greater than the Series S, level capabilities would certainly be much more doable from a dev perspective and would an enticing offer in a post-world Switch and handheld PC market.
Yes, the problem is that Sony cannot force all 3rd parties to port their existing titles PS5 to such a system and they likely cannot just add a clause, like MS has with their dev kit license regarding series S, mid-way through the gen. So the device would be enticing spec-wise but support would be in the same situation as the Vita was, they literally cannot make it so it lives off of the PS5 success in a binding way for the devs.
And for such devices, Sony would want the same usual licensing policies with sold-at-a-loss hardware that require mass markets to turn a profit which would require high support which they cannot guarantee. Things just do not add up to me.
but who knows, maybe Sony would also create a program enticing porting titles to the device in a non-binding way and are willing to throw in enough money that they believe would get them enough support.
A PS branded handheld PC I don't think would make much sense. Sony has always run proprietary software on their hardware, and to go from that to potentially running Windows, I imagine would upset a large portion of the playerbase. Not to mention, Sony's CEO specified that the console would be their primary focus and all hardware released up to this point has been dedicated to the PS5. So outside of console, software will most likely be how Sony handles mobile and PC. Whether Sony is actively working on a dedicated PC launcher though....continues to be a big question.
You're most likely right but a few things.
- I think documents have been leaked showing Sony has identified many aspects of their business that need to be brought up to today's standards (or something like it). So yes it would not be standard for Sony to do so but in the context of Sony reviewing their standards, who knows?
- Sony tends to dip its toes in a few markets with limited risk especially when they are not required to support extensively (PS move, VR headsets).
- The PC handheld market is relatively new and risks are limited considering these do not and simply cannot use a sold-at-a-loss strategy. Making it a good candidate for dipping toes and see what happens strategy.
- The Playstation branding is strong and Sony using it with a PC handheld would give them and great edge over pretty much every other option, even the Steam deck IMO, for as long as Sony makes a decent product (I'm confident they would not screw this up).
- Sony PC support has been increasing and, IMO, the writing is on the wall that it will eventually fully support the platform with every title especially since they want to drastically increase their revenue.
With that in mind, if I place myself in the shoes of a Sony stakeholder. I see a new market emerging with a relatively low barrier/low risk of entry, already owning a very strong brand that is compatible to some degree with it, already boasting a catalog of titles compatible with it, and which we already want to increase focus on anyway. I also see a way to diversify our hardware from being strictly in a sold-at-a-loss strategy with one subdivision that is not and a compatibility with our current increasing revenue focus.
Why would I not push for it? What would hold me back?
