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Sony says the PlayStation 5 won't waste as much energy as the PS4
Sony has committed to making its gaming products more environmentally friendly, starting with a more power-efficient sleep mode for the upcoming PlayStation 5.
Sony’s E3 happened without you noticing
Sure, Sony says it's skipping E3 this year, but let's take a look at the facts. Within the past eight weeks, the company has unveiled the PlayStation 5, teasing out details about its upgraded architecture and 8K capabilities, and clearly delineating the start of a new console generation. A buzzy new trailer for one of PlayStation's most-anticipated exclusive games, Death Stranding, dropped two weeks ago, complete with a release date (and details about a $200 collector's edition that comes with a life-sized pod baby). That's not to mention the things that Sony is doing during E3. PlayStation is hosting its annual Days of Play sale this week, and even though it isn't holding a press conference, it's making headlines at other companies' shows. Final Fantasy VII Remake is a major title at E3 2019, as Square Enix just revealed a release date and fresh details -- and it happens to be a PlayStation exclusive. And that's just the start. Turns out, Sony doesn't have to actually attend E3 to do E3.
Xbox's biggest competitor isn't PlayStation
Stop me if you've heard this one before. At E3 2013, Microsoft tripped over its shoelaces as it tried to justify the unexpectedly high price and complex ecosystem of its upcoming console, the Xbox One. It required an internet connection and locked purchases to specific accounts, disrupting established resale and game-sharing processes. On top of that, executives were repeatedly dismissive of fans' concerns. When Phil Spencer, then the head of Microsoft Studios, announced a $500 price tag for the Xbox One, the E3 audience gasped and fell silent. Hours later, Sony took the stage. Executives presented their new console, the PlayStation 4, as the balm to Xbox's burn. It didn't need an internet connection to function, used games would play just fine, and titles wouldn't be tied to online accounts, making sharing easy with physical discs. PlayStation boss Jack Tretton announced the PS4's price of $400 and cheers exploded throughout the stadium.
GameStop cuts costs to deal with plunge in console sales
The PS4 and Xbox One are clearly approaching the end of their main lifecycles, and that's doing serious damage to GameStop's bottom line. The video game store's Q1 profits fell to $6.8 million, just a quarter of what they were a year earlier, based on a steep 35 percent drop in new hardware sales. And that's after accounting for the Nintendo Switch's strong performance. While GameStop didn't explain the decline, gamers knew the next PlayStation and Xbox "Scarlett" were on the horizon -- there wasn't much point to buying a current-gen system. The much gentler dip in software sales (4.3 percent) reinforced this.
Sony envisions 'clothes' with haptic feedback for PSVR
Sony might have grander virtual reality ambitions for the PlayStation 5 beyond a headset and traditional controllers to let you play games Ready Player One-style in a body suit. It filed a patent for a VR glove with haptic feedback, and suggested it may even bring the tech to other clothing, meaning you could potentially "touch" an in-game item when you pick it up, feel every blow in Call of Duty or get a sense of what it's like to be sacked in Madden.
Sony just laid out everything there is to know about the PS5
Sony's next-generation console isn't due to launch anytime this year, but the tech giant has been surprisingly generous with details. During a corporate strategy presentation, the company has listed all the information it has revealed so far, confirming yet again that the PS5 will have backwards compatibility. Since it has a similar architecture to the PS4, it will be able to play games designed for the current-gen console and will also be compatible with the current version of PlayStation VR.
Sony says the PlayStation 5 will be 'immersive' and 'seamless'
Sony has revealed that the next-generation PS5 will have "immersive" gameplay and "seamless" PlayStation Now online performance thanks to "dramatically" improved graphics performance and a revamped cloud system. During a corporate strategy presentation, it also demonstrated the speed of the new console compared to the PS4 (in a video captured by WSJ's Takashi Mochizuki) , showing much snappier (ten times) loading and faster speeds with complex scenes.
Sony says its new PlayStation is more than a year away
Following up on its earning announcements and targets for the year, Sony's Interactive Entertainment (SIE) arm has commented on the PlayStation's future, in that there's no chance of seeing the successor to the PlayStation 4 in stores any time between now and April 2020.
PlayStation 4 sales finally slow down (updated)
Sony is warning that it expects to make even less profit in the next year, as PlayStation 4 sales slow down and it invests in its replacement. In the last year, 17.8 million consoles were sold, less than the 19 million sold in 2017. The PS4 is approaching a major milestone — there are currently 96.8 million consoles out there, buoyed by 36.4 million PlayStation Plus subscribers, adding crucial monthly revenues to Sony's accounts.
Console gaming is at a crossroads
Sony and Microsoft have been walking the same path for nearly 20 years, when it comes to gaming hardware. Instead of leaves, shiny silver game discs dangle from the trees, while black and white boxes of varying sizes line the underbrush, covered in decades of debris and Doritos dust. Both companies know this trail well -- but it's about to split in two.
Sony reveals first PlayStation 5 details
It's no secret that Sony is working on a new PlayStation console. Last October, for instance, company president Kenichiro Yoshida said it was "necessary" to have "next-generation hardware" after the PlayStation 4 Pro. Sony has been understandably hush-hush since then, shifting the spotlight toward its next batch of exclusive games, such as Days Gone, Dreams, and The Last of Us Part II. Today, however, we have some cold-hard facts about the PlayStation 5 -- or whatever Sony decides to call its new gaming box.
Sony isn't ready to give up on portable gaming just yet
While the PlayStation Vita didn't exactly set the world alight, there still might be a future in portable gaming for Sony. Gaming division head John Kodera said, according to Bloomberg, that Sony is testing mobile gaming efforts, which he believes should be a part of PlayStation's overall strategy.
Sony says it’s the beginning of the end for PS4
The PS4 era is entering its final stages. Speaking to investors, PlayStation boss John Kodera outlined the company's three-year roadmap and it seems console sales are not expected to be a major source of revenue going forward. This is largely due to declining sales which is, Kodera notes, typical of the usual profit- and life-cycle of consoles. It does also suggest a new console might be on its way -- likely the PS5 -- but Kodera didn't give away any specifics.
