Former PlayStation Boss thinks Sony has hit a hardware roadblock
PlayStation 6 can’t just be a more powerful PlayStation 5, Shuhei Yoshida claims
The hardware market is in a difficult place right now, and that applies to everyone. Cutting-edge silicon is becoming increasingly expensive, and that is making it harder to deliver more performance and more value with each hardware generation (or to lower the price of current-gen consoles). On Skill Up’s FPS Podcast, Shuhei Yoshida, the former head of PlayStation, discussed these hardware challenges and what they mean for Sony’s next-generation PlayStation.
Simply put, Sony can’t simply make a more powerful PlayStation 5 and call it PlayStation 6. Simple scaling is no longer an option. Yoshida claims that Sony “cannot do the same thing they have been doing” with PlayStation 6. Simply put, that would make PlayStation more expensive and less appealing.
With PlayStation 5 Pro, we have already seen that “high-end” consoles only have niche appeal. For most gamers, a standard PlayStation 5 is good enough. As such, a PS6 can’t simply be a PS5 that renders games at a higher resolution. Next-gen needs to deliver more than that.
PlayStation, clearly, in my mind (I know zero information about their plans), they cannot do the same thing they have been doing. That is increasing the graphics power and providing the high-end experience.
– Shuhei Yoshida – Skill Up FPS Podcast
When discussing console generations, Yoshida described the console’s SSD as “miracle-like”. No matter what game you play on the system, it loads faster on PS5. PS4 load faster on PS4, making games more immediate while greatly lowering loading times. With PlayStation 6, Sony needs to deliver a better experience.
I think the PlayStation 5 is an amazing system in terms of quality of experience. I think the adoption of SSD was almost miracle-like…
I think PlayStation has made almost every game better.
– Shuhei Yoshida – Skill Up FPS Podcast
Sony has unveiled its next-gen PlayStation plans, and it involves smarter hardware, not just faster hardware
Earlier this month, AMD’s Jack Huynh and PlayStation’s Mark Cerny unveiled several next-generation gaming technologies. Simply put, Sony can’t just scale up the PS6’s CPU and GPU and deliver a generational leap. PlayStation 6 will be about smarter hardware, not just faster hardware.
With PS6, Sony is not relying on traditional performance advancements. Sony will utilise AI with new “Neural Arrays”, fully embrace ray tracing and path tracing with “Radiance Cores”, and achieve increased hardware efficiency with “Universal Compression”. When it comes to raw compute power, PlayStation 6 might not deliver the same performance leap as PS4 to PS5. However, its use of new and advanced features will allow developers to achieve much more if they utilise their hardware properly.
Getting past the hardware roadblock – Optimisation is critical
Sony’s PlayStation 6 will include hardware that is optimised for new gaming workloads. That includes a mix of traditional compute, AI, ray tracing, and other new hardware features. These features will enable stronger visuals and more optimal hardware utilisation, enabling a generational performance leap without expensive brute force computation.
Software optimisation will also play a role. Games will need to be built with features like Universal Compression in mind. They also need to be made to utilise AI hardware and ray tracing to achieve the largest visual leap. Developers can’t just expect the PS6 to make their games run significantly faster, they need to use the hardware correctly.
You can join the discussion on the problems facing next-generation consoles on the OC3D Forums.
