Kyuu said:
Since when is one-third the resolution at lower framerate = similar performance to PS5? You misunderstood me. And it won't be a dedicated handheld, rather a mid-gen SKU with a twist. It's something that has never been explored before.
1. Sony often made higher specs per dollar than arguably anyone in the console business. Switch lite is getting comfortably outsold by the standard model and is likely to get outsold by the OLED model which is nearly double its price. And I very much doubt the Switch 2 (which should launch close to PS5P and pack slightly or moderately weaker specs) is gonna cost lower than $300. Knowing Nintendo and the Switch's momentum, they're probably going for $350, THAT is the price range that I'd compare it to. Or do you think Sony entering the market will throw Nintendo into panic mode and have them aggressively reduce their prices? Even if they do that, PS5P is self sustainable and can succeed purely on the existing Playstation fanbase. Playstation handhelds, the great PSP included, didn't have the kind of library you'd expect from a Playstation home console. It wasn't even close. PS5P can change that. No matter, PS5 at $500 (broke even by June) is setting records and crushing the $300 Series S which is hailed by the media as the holy grail of value. PS5P at $400-$450 will at worst do just fine imo. Games and functionality will outweigh prices unless we're talking $500+. 2. The Switch at launch had a battery life of just 2.5 hours for demanding games (and up to 6.5 hours, as opposed to 8 hours on Steam Deck). You're underestimating the difference 2 or 3 year make for efficiency. PS5P's hardware may well be significantly more powerful and more efficient than Steam Deck, and it's possible that Sony would opt for multiple profiles in the vein of handheld mode and docked mode to save energy. 3. PS5 is making strides as far compression technology which has shown ridiculous potential that I expect more and more developers to tap into, if (a big if) this can somehow carry over to the handheld which will run games at much lower resolutions, then there shouldn't be much to worry about. Sizes will be a lot smaller than on Steam Deck. If Switch 2 turns out as powerful as the rumors implied, it could face some game size challenges of its own. 4. PS5P is an unexplored territory. We have little clue on how the market will react to it and which type of players it will primarily appeal to. It's like Monster Hunter World, people swore it would flop ("2 million max across all platforms bruh, fucking Crapcom"), not willing to accept that a proper home console Monster Hunter had never been well-timed or properly done before. Or when everyone was crying doom gloom at Switch's reveal. In my opinion though, I think the reactions for a PS5P would be overwhelmingly positive. 5. Digital will be the dominant format by then so I don't see it as a deal breaker for the majority of people. But yes, it is definitely a problem that will hurt sales. Well... how much units sold would you define as being a "failure"? I think 20 million would be a pretty good result, and 30 million an excellent result. PS5's R&D didn't stop Sony and Playstation from breaking profit and revenue records, did it? That's a non issue, especially seeing as how comfortable Sony will be by 2024. It's definitely a "risk" worth taking. |
There's a reason though that the Switch's biggest advantage is its hybrid nature. The launch model and the OLED Switch can both be used as a home console and a portable system as a single purchase. $299 (or $350 when the OLED releases) gets you a home console and a handheld in one. The hypothetical PS5 portable you are talking about is asking Sony gamers to purchase a PS5 home console for $500 and then another $350 or more to be able to play those same games portably? That's a bad value proposition. Not to mention the PSVR2 that has yet to release and will likely cost $300-$400. That's potentially $1200+ for a PS5 gamer to get the most out of the multi-pronged platform you envision. That barrage of costly addons you are advocating is the kind of thing that Sega fatigued Genesis owners with.