Sony’s co-president reiterates his commitment to the game console market, but readily acknowledges the potential of the PC for the manufacturer’s business.
Sony’s relationship with the PC world has only grown stronger as the publisher now brings its most iconic games to the PC platform Steam (Spider-Man, The Last of Us, Uncharted, God of War).
The recent success of Helldivers 2a multiplayer game released simultaneously on PC and PlayStation 5, cemented this two-pronged strategy for Sony.
But the console is and will remain a priority for the manufacturer, unlike Microsoft which is now putting all its strengths into its portfolio of strong licenses and its services.
An ever simpler experience on console
Hideaki Nishino, co-president of Sony Interactive Entertainment, affirmed in an interview with the Japanese media Nikkei (via PCGamer), the simplicity of using a console like the PlayStation, especially compared to smartphones and PCs:
I think with mobile devices, many games display ads and PCs are difficult to set up, whereas with the PlayStation, as soon as you turn it on, you can immediately enjoy the content you purchased.
A console will indeed always have the benefit of hardware universality: a configuration present in all homes, and ease of use within everyone’s reach. The gaming experience is therefore in theory the same for everyone with simplified work for developers.
Recent generations, however, brought a granularity that could complicate the equation, that of “Fidelity” and “Performance” modes. The PS5 Pro aims in particular to repeal this confusion.
Things have gotten more complicated recently with Microsoft forcing all studios to offer versions of their games for the less powerful Xbox Series S, a situation that is increasingly frustrating creators.
PC remains a massive opportunity
However, the PC remains a very buoyant market for Sony, which readily admits to investing in it to increase its overall market share. On this point, Microsoft has a head start (Xbox games are almost systematically released on PC now), but sells far fewer consoles than its major competitor.
The strategy therefore becomes essential, with PC accounting for 43% of the global video game market, with good growth year on year. But are they too complicated to configure?
To go further
The PS5 Pro wants to woo PC gamers: why it’s a lost cause
Without launching yet another comparison between the two platforms, the PC has both become simpler with the arrival of platforms like Steam, and more complex, with technologies that are sometimes complex to approach for new players (DLSS, FSR, XeSS, Ray tracing, TAA / FXAA, G-Sync, FreeSync and so on).
Things have improved, manufacturers are now more educational, graphics drivers can select the best settings for you. But that’s without counting the sometimes faulty game and OS updates, sometimes unstable processors or even strangely underperforming drivers.
So it’s not all rosy or black. Some players will always be looking for a more accessible and practical gaming experience. Others will want the best possible performance. The two worlds coexist and feed off each other… a great situation for Sony, which intends to get its share of the pie.
