Sony isn't about to go all-in on game streaming. With the PlayStation 5 on the horizon, the company has basically come out and said that it doesn't think the world is ready to fully commit to services like Google Stadia just yet. It chalks this up to the fact that not everyone has a good, stable internet connection, and as such, consoles are still a necessity, especially when it comes to playing the most demanding games.
A revealing report from Wall Street Journal outlines Sony's current stance on streaming. Company CEO Kenichiro Yoshida says that the PS5's "dramatically" increased graphical processing power "clearly demonstrates why it makes sense to have a next-generation console".
Sony sees the likes of Google Stadia as a potential competitor in the gaming sphere, but says that streaming services are a "mid-to-long term" threat to PlayStation -- not an immediate one. Obviously Sony has already invested in streaming technology with PlayStation Now, but it's clearly not a major priority for the company at this point in time.
[source wsj.com]
Comments 39
I prefer to have my games on my hard drive or a physical copy of the game myself, so this is good news for me.
yeah people ain't ready for all streaming console.its never going to happen.ps6 will have disc also .i l💖ve buying my games on eBay physical ps4 disc.it makes sense for sony to talk about it.while Google stadia tried to tell us that the future is now when no one is interested in Google stadia.word up son
Sony have been in sync with what I want from gaming all the way since they entered the market with the PS1. Looks like they will be keeping that run going for a good few years going forward.
Probably Google will opt for fully downloadable games to avoid internet lag. Yoshida might be right, but that doesn't mean that there is no urgent need to redesign their PSNow and PlayStation Plus platforms.
Not until everyone can get cheap, fast and reliable internet
Somethings like microsoft gamepass is a nice addition to normal gaming, but streaming only solutions where we still have to buy the games is a joke. Imagine if in netflix we have to pay $10 a month but we still have to buy each video separately to stream it.
@Neolit yeah as long as they have disc.im good.but they will.word up son
That is true. Sony knows it better than anyone the world will not well receive game streaming cough PS Now cough
But they will in 5 years time. Internet of Things is the future after all.
WSJ article is pay walled for me, anybody else read it?
I'm curious if Yoshida or anyone else from Sony said "PS5" or are they still being coy and saying things like "Our next Gen console"?
I don't care if anybody at the WSJ called it that, they don't have a say.
@playstation1995 @Neolit Certainly you could remove the need for installation of games if you distributed physical games on USB flash drive rather than Blu-rays. However the cost of manufacturing would increase.
And just like that, Sony halfway won this gen.
@Neolit well if prices are anything to go by then physical otherwise why are they charging more for a digital product? because they certainly don't have to cover the cost of manufacture and shipping for digital products
honestly this is my biggest bug bare, why are digital products MORE expensive than physical ones
@Neolit Prices are likely to converge to a certain extent but the plastic used to make optical discs will always be cheaper than the silicon used to make flash memory. Even burning optical discs at home they only cost about 10p each. Bits of blank circuit board cost more than that.
tel us something we don't already know.
@FullbringIchigo well, they aren't ALWAYS. plenty of sales hit the digital store. but yes, on the WHOLE, you can usually find cheaper prices with physical games after 6-12 months on the market. this is because the retailers want to move product and make space for new skus... that is the nature of the brick and mortar store. in other words, once physical is dead for good, we will be at the mercy of the big publishers to set their prices and will, on average, spend more on games. look at nintendo... games rarely go on sale, even physical games, but at least a second hand market exists where you can pick them up at much more reasonable prices. this market will die in the coming years
@Porco not just months after sometimes even day one for example, Cyberpunk 2077 is £49.99 on Amazon but it's £54.99 on PSN, yeah it's not a huge difference but it's still more expensive PLUS the Physical on Amazon comes with a limited edition steelbook too
so why would i buy the Digital version?
@Neolit blu ray will be far from dead in 2026. ultra blu ray is still relatively new and while it will serve a niche in the 4k film market, it may make its way over to ps5/ps6 as they support up to 100GB of storage. if that isn't enough, there is also sony's archival disc format which has storage of 300GB up to a whooping 1TB! yes, you read that right. when games become larger than 200GB, you can expect archival discs to carry the torch so long as sony wants to support physical media. that said, it may opt to go the digital-only route by the time ps6 rolls around.
@FullbringIchigo agreed. i would not buy digital over physical either. especially since i can avoid the initial download which is becoming massive these days. why waste time/bandwidth if i don't have to? i will support physical as long as i am allowed to
This is one of those times that demands a...
DUH.
I agree and so do the results of polls etc. That's not to say that 'streaming' can't add a feature to the traditional console format, allow you to take your digital library out of the house and play it on mobile/tablet via Streaming but when you get back home, can play the game locally and any Physical based software too.
Point is, Streaming as the 'ONLY' option as Stadia is, isn't what people want but as a 'bonus' feature, a method to play on the go if you really want but get the benefit of the console, the improved controller lag, the ability to play regardless of how your internet is holding out when others are watching 4k HDR Netflix etc can make 'streaming' acceptable.
Taking all your PS+ games and any Digital purchases with you by just signing into your PS account from any mobile wifi enabled device is a great bonus feature that next gen consoles can offer - especially if you have had PS+ for years and the PS version of Stadia/xCloud includes your entire PS digital library going back to at least PS4 if not further. It could be Subscription based, an added 'extra' to the PS+ and/or PSNow annual charges - especially now PS+ is 'less value' than it ever has been....
Exactly what I think. Game streaming isn't ready to take off. It's one generation too early.
@BAMozzy Option be the key word here.
@Chinooker Its why I chose that word...
Music to my ears. I want things to stay physical for as long as possible. 24 years of buying PlayStation games on disc and I want to keep doing so.
For game streaming to become a serious thing you've got at least another 10 years before that becomes something of a new thing. Because you can't please everyone and everyone is different you have people who want great graphics, people who want the biggest resolution and FPS. 4k is becoming the norm and most internet providers are just getting the tech out to even make that possible or have done buts it's not perfect (yet for some).
4k will replace the current 1080p as right now for me in this current gaming climate I'm happy with 1920x1080p@60hz for pc gaming and I will console gaming did that as well 60fps console gaming should have been PS4 era now yet it wasn't, let's hope PS5 starts to get it rolling finally
You mean a company that's going to release a new console is against this? Shocking.
I don't think even Google believes it is the complete answer for everybody either. But it has to start somewhere.
The world is a vampire. Sent to drain.
Perfect answer. Sold on PS5 and PS6. 🍻
@Neolit no seriously a lot of physical games are still cheaper than digital day one BUT that could just be in the UK, not sure about where your from, Austria wasn't it?
@Neolit oh i get WHY it cheaper, stores lower the price in order to entice people to buy from them and because most digital store have no competition IE: on PS4 you can ONLY buy from the PS Store then they put the games out at full RRP BUT if they want people to go digital then they need to adjust those prices, if the average price on the street for a AAA game ON RELEASE is £49.99 then that's what they should be aiming for on the digital store too not £54.99 or £59.99 like many AAA games are digitally
also physical IS more expensive top produce because of manufacturing, shipping and of course the store profit margin so if they released digital games at the same price as they are sold in stores the publisher would probably still make more money of each digital purchase over the physical ones
Yet Sony has a streaming service called PS Now O_o
“especially when it comes to playing the most demanding games”
Correct me if I’m wrong but doesn’t the nature of how demanding a game is have zero effect on it being streamed? It would only be demanding on the remote server running the game right?
So all the user needs is just good enough bandwidth to receive the image on screen. What I mean is a game like God of War has the same demands for streaming as would NES Mario Bros as far as the user’s concerned?
@markkoo Downloadable to where? The controller?
The cellphone or laptop. The controller is just part of the interface.
PS5 for now is relevant but the future is streaming and it could come a lot sooner than Sony hopes leaving it with a console that that can not realistically replace for another 6 years.
Streaming ticks all the right boxes it might be more expensive over time but its a constantly upgraded service so all the games will always run well at a good frametrate of 60 plus.
There is nothing worse than a game giving you the bird because your ISP or the game servers are down. I like to play when I want and local play limits that risk.
Not too long ago people were outraged by games requiring a constant internet connection to play a game. This is exactly the same, except you also have to pay for a subscription and never really own the game.
And for that Sony I love ❤️ you! screw Streaming!!! And thx for making it BC with PS4!!!!
@malbhet So? It's optional, and not being forced upon you or any other consumer. Just because they say that the world isn't ready for game streaming doesn't mean it literally. It simply means that the majority aren't due to inconsistent internet speeds around the world. PS Now is simply for those who are either ready or want to test the waters. It's not perfect, but it works quite well if you have good enough internet speeds to run it efficiently.
@InsertUsername You know that the same excuse you are making now is the exact same argument people made in the past about microtransactions and lootboxes just a few years ago right?
People like you allow and encourage terrible business decisions, fact.
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