Former PlayStation big wig Shawn Layden thinks Sony should try the revolutionary business of making its existing console cheaper.
According to TechSpot, Layden argued that a $300 PS5 would represent a more useful innovation than another expensive machine boasting extra graphical muscle.
“I think we have enough power in the machine,” Layden said.
Layden ran Sony Computer Entertainment America and later chaired its worldwide studios operation before leaving in 2019. His argument concerns the customers who traditionally wait for console prices to fall before joining a generation.
Sony has made that strategy increasingly unrewarding. The PS5 Digital Edition launched at $399 in the US and now costs $599.99, penalising patient buyers by $200.
Sony’s April price changes put the standard PS5 at $649.99 and the PS5 Pro at $899.99. European recommended prices are €599.99 for the Digital Edition, €649.99 for the standard console and €899.99 for the Pro.
Layden questioned whether another round of ray tracing improvements and higher teraflop figures would provide a sufficiently obvious benefit to ordinary players. Earlier console generations offered changes people could see without needing a presentation to explain where their money went.
He pointed to the leap between the original PlayStation and PS2, alongside the move from CDs to DVDs. The PS4 subsequently arrived with a $399 launch price.
“Make it smaller, make it cheaper,” Layden said.
Sony has managed the smaller part. The revised PS5 introduced in 2023 reduced the machine’s volume by more than 30 per cent, while the Digital Edition’s US price rose to $449. Somehow the slimming treatment reached everything except the bill.
Layden used a $1,200 PS6 as a hypothetical example of the industry’s direction. Sony has announced neither a price nor a launch date for its next console.
He believes a PlayStation handheld could give Sony a strong opportunity, provided it avoids launching a new home console at the same time.
Sony chief executive Hiroki Totoki has warned that memory prices are expected to remain very high through fiscal 2027.
