"We would like to think about various simulations, including changing business models to come up with the best solution and strategy,"

Based on this recent SNY quote, I think MLID may still be mostly correct as to the hardware devices launching (minus PS6 Pro). Either holiday 2027 as planned, if not a short delay to holiday 2028 perhaps.

Unless the RAM and SSD issue resolves by early 2027, which many including SNY don't seem to think it will, I think this is what we will get for launch.

PS6 $399-$499 (same internal hardware as the handheld)

PS6 Handheld (hybrid) $499-$599 (overall on par with PS5)

SNY and former SNY employees have been saying for a while now that things need to change and they need to take a different approach, especially when it comes to simply pushing for far higher TF performance. I think SNY may very well keep supporting PS5 and PS5 Pro for the entirety of next gen under PS6. For those who have a PS5 and don't see the need to 'upgrade' to PS6 or the handheld, simply for it's new tech and features, they can keep playing on their PS5 (Pro). 

Personally, I wonder if it might make sense to have a short 5 year gen for PS6 in this case with no more mid gen upgrades. Do cross gen until about 2032, then move on to PS7.

Plan to make all consoles a 5 year gen, but do cross gen, all gen long. So PS5 lasts the entirety of PS6 (2032). PS6 lasts the entirety of PS7 (2037). Always keep hardware a reasonably low price like the PS4 or PS5 launch in this case.

The problem with having gens that short is that nowadays AAA devs are taking longer than that just to make a single game, so if a game started development now, it might not even come out until the PS7 arrives in this timeline you suggest.

Gens have been getting longer and longer, reverting to a 5 year gen like this sounds like it would cause more problems than it solves, you'd have less time to recoup the costs of R&D and it would complicate game development.

Developers don't give a damn about generations anymore. How many years it takes for Sony to replace their consoles wlll have little impact on game development, which will regardless target weak-ish hardware as the main spec then scale up.

Generations don't pack the same punch as before, we just need to accept that and move on. Sony has no power to control game developers, no one does. It's actually a dream scenario for publishers to scale to as many hardware as possible, including mobile phones which will be like two generations behind stationary consoles when the PS6 hits the market.

Look at all these crazy Chinese games running on mobile phones...

This isn't PS1 customized to PS2 customized to PS3 heavily customized super advanced hardware anymore. It's PS4 semi-custom to PS5 semi-custom to PS6 semi-custom hardware, all x86 based, with 99% BC, and from the same company, AMD.

Going from one gen to another now is a piece of cake in comparison to the past, which was part of the reason as to why Cerny went this route.

As to software, devs simply have to know an approx launch date so they can create for the hardware. So PS5 and PS6, or PS6 and PS7, for example.

Cross gen now lasts about 5 years anyway, and mid gen hardware has gone from 3 years to 4 years, so why not just have a new gen every 5 years? How is that so much different than making a game for both PS5 and PS5 Pro right now?

If PS6 as per rumors has multiple versions, and therefore likely also PS7, you'd end up having to develop more and more versions (Say PS5, PS5 Pro, PS6, PS6 portable, PS6 Lite, PS7, PS7 Lite, PS7 Portable) which is extra work for devs. Not insurmountable, but still extra work. Having two generations supported at the same time is one thing, but three at the same time might be troublesome.

More importantly, generations have been getting longer for a while now, if a 5 year cycle was really easier, surely they'd have done it already.

You'd have to change business models. So in this case, you'd end with the PS6 handheld, and then a PS6 console with either the exact same internal hardware as the handheld making it super easy for devs, or the console could be beefed up hardware, whether that internal hardware was a beefier chip, or the same handheld chip just boosted as much as reasonably possible.

Either way you only have 2 pieces of hardware each gen, and you launch new hardware every 5 years, while supporting the previous gen hardware throughout the next gen, so all hardware is good for a decade. Which means there's only 2 to 4 different pieces of hardware to dev for at any time.

Companies don't want to constantly change business models. That tends to be inefficient. That logic also doesn't work because who would've guessed that SNY would've planned what they did with PS3? Much of the thinking behind that gen what nonsense. Also some of what they've done with PS5 this gen has been a bit of a headscratcher, unless you only take profits into account, then it makes sense.

I guess I just don't really see how this 5 year cycle would be better than just sticking with the current 7 year model.

Radically changing your business model need to justify itself by bringing huge benefits.

It would be a change, but I wouldn't call it radical. Cross gen already exists, and between similar enough hardware. Devs are already making games that span 4 systems at a time, again, which are all similar enough hardware.

The main difference really would be marketing, because you'd now have 2 new systems that would likely be weaker than PS5 Pro, but would be considered next gen. Best case the PS6 console would be about equal to PS5 Pro. That would only be a problem for PS6 though because by PS7 you should be beyond PS5 Pro capabilities.

I just can't see the benefit, honestly.

If both PS6's were the same internal hardware, same clocks, then that means only like 2.5 systems to dev for. PS6 would all be identical, and PS5 and PS5 Pro are like 1.5 systems since they're so similar. 

If both PS7's were the same internal hardware, same clocks, then that means only 2 systems to dev for in the future.

With the way prices are now, if SNY stays with the same hardware business model, then cross gen will likely become an even bigger thing. Many gamers are likely going to stay on their PS5's for as long as possible. How many PS5 gamers would transition to the PS6 handheld? How many would be willing to pay $699-$899 for the (high end) console?

If SNY decided to launch a PS6 Lite as well, assuming it's the same internal hardware as the handheld, same clocks, then that's not a problem for devs at all, but it is a burden for SNY if they keep PS5 around, because that's 5 systems to confuse consumers. SNY would almost certainly have to discontinue PS5 and PS5 Pro as soon as next gen started.

If SNY does have 3 SKU's for PS6, then what do they do come mid gen? Launch a PS6 Pro console? Have 4 consoles available at once, or drop the high end PS6 and replace it with the PS6 Pro? When do you launch that Pro console if you're going to, and how long does this gen last, with or without the Pro model?