- Former PlayStation chief Shawn Layden believes hardware innovation is “starting to stagnate”
- Leyden doesn’t think there will be any further jump in performance from PS1 to PS2
- He says the real competition is “content.”
Former PlayStation boss Shawn Layden has said that there will be no further major jumps in hardware performance as it has already been ‘maxed out’.
Speaking in a recent interview with eurogamerLeyden discussed the future of PlayStation among the company 30th anniversaryAs well as the technological advancements of today’s current consoles compared to the PS1.
“I think we’re at the point where consoles become irrelevant in the next generation… if not the next generation then the next generation next Generation definitely,” Leyden said.
When asked if he thought consoles could see another big leap in performance like recent releases PS5 Pro The ex-PlayStation head said he wasn’t sure what it would look like.
“I don’t think so. I mean, what would that leap look like? It would be a fully realized human cast in a game that you completely control. It could happen one day. I don’t think it’s going to happen.” That’s going to be my lifetime,” he said.
“We’re now at a point where the innovation curve on hardware is starting to plateau or top out. At the same time, the commoditization of silicon means that when you open up an Xbox or a PlayStation, it’s actually pretty much all produced by the same chipset amd Each company has its own OS and proprietary secret sauce, but in short (it’s the same). I think we’re pretty close to the final specification for what the console can be.”
Layden discussed PlayStation’s console releases over the years and how each improved upon the other in some way, however, he does not think the market will see something as significant as the jump from PS1 to PS2 again.
“If you look at it from my lens, which is definitely the PlayStation lens, the jump from PS1 to PS2 was dramatic…” Leyden said, before touching on the next generations.
He explained that the jump from PS2 PS3 was “notable” with the introduction of the HD standard and 60 fps gameplay and network capability.
“Then to PS3 ps4 It was just like, getting the network working properly. Then on to the PS5, which is a fantastic piece of kit, but there’s a real difference in performance… We’re getting into that realm, frankly, where now only dogs can hear the difference,” Leyden said.
“You’re not going to see another PS1 to PS2 jump in performance – we’re kind of maxed out there. If we’re talking about teraflops and ray-tracing, we’re already off that sheet.” Which most people are beginning to understand.”
Leyden concluded by saying that the “real competition” would be “content”, which “should be competition for publishers, not what hardware you have behind.”
