Ex-PlayStation Boss Says Sony Has Never Really Seen Nintendo As a Rival

When it comes to strictly the console market Sony has never really had competition. The 360 was close but ultimately lost and the wii went after the casual market

Playstation is just lucky XBOX doesn't even see it as a valid threat, as Stadia was the real competition all along.

I wonder if this trend will shift now that the Switch 2 can play 3rd party titles with some level of competence.

@Lowdefal yeah but the only reason 360 was even winning in the beginning was how bad Sony screwed up, took the whole generation but they were able to correct. Wish they had that energy now a days.

This is yet another example of the difference between Sony Japan and Sony America. It's like it's two different companies that somehow make the same product for the same audience lmao

The fact Sony has stopped caring about family gaming just shows how thick as a brick the company is. A diverse profile makes you stronger in the long run.

In my house they're not rivals..... more companions

I own both and whilst with Switch 1, I always bought big 3rd party games on PS5 without hesitation, now with the improved performance on it, I'll certainly be looking at those Switch 2 versions now. I tried the SF6 demo on it and without having the PS5 version side by side to compare, I'd have been more than fine sticking to the Switch port

"has NEVER really seen"

Not sure he said anything about never. Maybe since the Wii and PS3 but the PS and PS2 certainly had to be viewed as rivals to the SNES, N64 and even really the PS3 vs GameCube early days when the GC was considered on par with the others.

Since Nintendo bailed on home consoles 8 years ago and just do handhelds w/ TV out now, or not even w/ the Lite, I agree w/ him. Though we'll see how it goes now that Switch 2 is a little more power competitive.

Sony is hopefully smart enough to not be seeing Nintendo as a rival to the extent they're trying to get Nintendo 1st party games on PS like they do w/ MS games. That's where the real rivalry is, 1xt party ports and 3rd party exclusives. Sony and Nintendo don't fight like that too much I'm guessing.

@Lowdefal if Sony didn't screw up the 360 wouldn't have been nearly as successful. These last two generations have proven it.

This seems like a pretty foolhardy comment. Surely any time or money spent on Nintendo games and consoles means less time and money for people to spend on Sony games and consoles?

It’s nothing short of a delusional statement when Nintendo currently clearly has a larger market share, even with ‘gaming audiences’. Especially in their ‘home market’ even though that has long gone now.

It shows how Sony has changed in the last 5-10 years. Too boastful for my liking.

@SMJ exactly.

@carlos82

I'm the same, I'll almost certainly be picking up Tony Hawks Pro skater 3+4 and FC26 on my Switch 2

Previously I'd have bought them on PS5 without giving it a 2nd thought

Why they should care about Nintendo sony needs to focus on their own job Nintendo is not the Rival of sony at this moment sony has no rival because xbox is dead as system

And that will change in the future. Anyone who truly believes that Nintendo and Valve aren't a threat to the PlayStation is simply delusional. But I think internally at Sony they understand it, they just don't say it publicly.

I expect things to get ugly between these three parties in the future. Because, unlike MS, these companies' existence depends on their gaming divisions. That's why they will do everything to harm the competition.

This will only benefit us as customers.

@MrGawain First, check out what @get2sammyb said. Second, it's not the family games that do it for Nintendo. It's the portability. Make those same games on a mediocre console that has no novelty and you get... WiiU.

If Sony could sell the same games in the PS library that exist now, but sell it on a portable console, They'd compete with Nintendo in that space. Ask any gamer if they were able to play the PS library portably (reliably) if they'd jump on?

Yeah yeah, if there was no switch or switch 2 then some would buy a PS5 or PS6 instead.
It’s a game console, it’s competition.

And at the same time Sony would produce games to get what was the Nintendo gang over to PlayStation.

What a load of bull.

@get2sammyb

Exactly. And now they have nothing else to follow up the success of it. I very much doubt many under 16 year old are going to be playing either Death Stranding 2 or Ghost Of Yotei.

Glad that Yoshida also sees it as strange. His usage of “somehow” implies that he’s confused as to why, though he understands the approach as do I. Still, Nintendo is branching out more into territory that’s generally been PlayStation’s, so I’d like to see some more competition from all of this.

@AhmadSumadi I own a PS5 and frankly I find very little on it I want to play on a TV, let alone on a Bus. These long narrative sandbox games that Sony focuses on are making them a one trick pony. There are more flavours to gaming than Sad Dad stories and finding beacons to open up a map. I think they’re ignoring a large customer base who want fun instead of drama.

As a Switch and Switch 2 owner, I’m dubious if narrative games with long cutscenes and lengthy fetch quests work on a handheld device where you only have a short time to play. But at least Nintendo are using these sorts of 3rd party games to add variety to their offering.

I've always seen them as complementary to each other, and always owned both systems each generation. Both have excellent exclusives. But for multi-platform games I go with Playstation or even PC.

Absolutely agree that all entertainment is competing with all other entertainment. I never really get that 'mutually exclusive demographics' angle. If someone spends their free time watching Netflix, the goal should be to get that demo' to spend that time playing a PlayStation. If someone prefers Nintendo's games to PlayStation's, why not try to make games that captures their attention?

It's also weird that Sony specifically would think it more worthwhile to compete with Fortnite than Nintendo. A few more Astro Bots, bring back some more mass appeal franchises like Ape Escape or Loco Roco, release a PS4-spec handheld, and actually commit to it, and I can see them legitimately pulling people away from the Switch. But nothing will buckle Fortnite's success, and there's not too much space in the GaaS sphere if you can't manage that. Maybe they already feel like they failed to directly compete with Nintendo — on Nintendo's terms, at least. PSP, Move, and most of their Nintendo-esque franchises did commercially fail, after all. I think they need to figure out how to say: get an experience comparable to Nintendo, PLUS the contemporary PlayStation experience all in one place.'

@MrGawain Sony didn't stop caring for family gaming when they launched PS5 with Astro's Playroom, Sackboy: A Big Adventure, Bugsnax, and Overcooked: All You Can Eat which all of them are family friendly games.

They continue with Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart, Astro Bot, Lego Horizon, Chicory: A Colorful Tale, The Plucky Squire, and more family friendly games.

And many under 16 year old probably wouldn't play Death Stranding 2 and Ghost of Yotei. But they would try Marvel Tokon, Lumines Arise, Everybody's Golf Hot Shots, or Sword of the Sea.

Beside entering the console market after the SNES CD and such I mean I guess due to how well PS1 to now has been and Xbox alongside.

The IPs, the third party partnerships and the hardware awkwardness they have still done the best they can even after PS3.

I may not like PS4/5 gen but they have done well even besides ups and downs will say that.

Nintendo has made clear their do their own thing even with more powerful hardware of SNES and N64 or GameCube due to timing/hardware choices and all that. It was more clear in the Iwata era of GameCube to early Switch/end of Wii U but at the same time it was also somewhat clear with their cards, toys, and NES/Game and Watch to GameCube as well.

Now that XBox is slowly phasing out from the console business that is now changing. The success of the Switch definitely made Sony notice Nintendo more, if they still didn't see them as competition Sony wouldn't send a survey to their consumers asking what they think about the Switch 2.

@PuppetMaster Agreed, even with Vita sure the more teen/adult audience games but even as an Indie machine or the Asian English stuff they still focused on family third parties to the Vita as well. I think they did for a PS Vita Muppets game or certain others.

Or the XDev related ones they assisted with or Deracine with Fromsoft/Japan Studio. Or other partner example ones even if not family friendly but still.

They didn't act like NEC with the PC FX allowing lots of adult games on there.

Wii U/Vita all had a family games focus, how much that did not a lot but even still. Besides other dedicated audiences focus on whatever they could get.

I won't deny when I think Sony I think Ratchet, Sackboy, GT (ratings wise even if more adult audience due to interest in the series and many of us kids into it over the years), or Astro and not as much of the other IPs in that family friendly type way (modern era focused then past family friendly ones I mean to make that clear as those did work back then of course whether Everybody's Golf/Tennis, LBP and more 1st/3rd party partners which of course we got out Universal/ND/Insomniac move over during PS2 era after those deals) but I guess the third parties you mention would count it's just I never always thought of them that way either.

I also think or may be wrong about the Monkey King Hero is Back tv show game as I think Sony published that (it says THQ and others) or something, I may be mixing things up but I think it's PS4 only pretty sure.

Which to me seems like how Nintendo did DC Superhero Girls, Marvel Ultimate Alliance The Black Order and others type releases for Switch or others in the past.

We all know they had to have teen/adult games to keep going for audiences to want a console or third party partners. It isn't an edutainment system or a how people see Nintendo even though they have many teen audience games as well.

I'd agree in the teen range too due to how those games are many are more adult audience appeal not just because of age ratings. But their themes and appealing aspects or characters or otherwise journeys they go on appeal more to an adult audience.

Sony's studios knows how to balance their audiences/appeal I think. I won't deny more niche audiences move to other systems but with loyal players or new comers they have found things that work for them on PS4/5 no doubt.

@TicklefistCP Yes and no. I mean I can say car rewind features (Alfa Romeo Racing Italiano in 2006 had RPG systems (many by that dev experimented back then) and a tiger effect rewind system you upgrade, that Grid 2008/Forza Motorsport 3 scaled down for their use cases) or cover based systems in shooters existed in 2003 like Killswitch or 2002's Dead to Rights I think, Namco US or whichever way before 24 The Game on PS2 on Uncharted 1/Gears 1, but no people only know of the HD gen popular ones that were inspired.

I mean Vita touchpads wasn't because of DS. DS looks inspired by PDAs or Newton even. Or any other touch screen devices. I mean smartphones or even the iPhone name existed before Apple, but like people do that research. i devices were by Fujitsu or Fujifilm or something prior to that.

3D has happened with 50s/80s movies let alone gaming for years by Nintendo/Sega.

Sixaxis is already well known about the Gyration Nintendo partnership that Sony and Microsoft BOTH turned down before they went to Nintendo.

If people didn't know that it's clear as day the motion controls things besides even Nintendo's Gameboy Color Rumble/Gyro games as well. Yet Nintendo fans still say otherwise and I know they haven't done research. XD

I could say Kinect was inspired by Eye Toy but I mean who wouldn't use camera/sensors or other tech to do what it did. They have limited ideas/tech to experiment with or create new ones.

AR has been a thing over the years I can't pinpoint the first at all. We going to say 3DS was first for AR, oh but Eye of Judgement PS3/Eye camera was before that or anything even way earlier as well.

Even Windows projector use came way before Wii U or DS I think. Dreamcast existed before GBA/GameCube. Cross save with PSP/PS2 with Outrun 2 or others existed before PS3/Vita/PS4 cross save/buy.

Even Windows XP tablet edition/3.1 pen computing existed before Apple popularised them. As well as many other random niche tech devices let alone the Pocket PCs to Steam Deck side of things.

A form factor with different tracking is clear with the Move compared to the Sixaxis original controller or Wiimotes.

Buzz Buzzers? Singstar compared to Hey You Pikachu are we going to compare that. XD Or a JVC X Eye or other karaoke stuff? Yeah..... thin line there.

PSP Remote Play/Vita as well came before, companion apps, SmartGlass by Xbox for 360/One all came out at the same time as Wii U.

Playlink 2014 party games brand for PS4 with smartphone apps, before Everybody 1-2 Switch did it in 2023 or 2024. That's a clear 10+ years ahead of that isn't it. XD

Part 2:
Sega Nomad/PSP cabled to TV, or DS I think had dev like video out but not retail video out. Or Wideboy 64. Neo Geo X even came out before Switch.

I can come up with more I do my research on all sides of consoles hardware, whether failed or successful. XD

Eye Toy Chat before Wii U Chat. Or even GIzmondo/Tapwave Zodiac bluetooth or other use cases.

2 game slots in Tiger Gamecom that DSI never followed on with. Games built in like I think Genesis or others did but Gamecom also had. Or even PDA/other applications Gamecom had before GIzmondo/Zodiac/PSP/Ngage and more. But it's not gaming so who cared.

Sony may at points sure but I mean Eye Toy, was inspired maybe or not by some PC software used with Webcams in the late 90s. You can compare it to that.

Many other examples can be made if people know what sort of things they can work with, use case apply it and more or even look at tech not gaming only or their favourite companies.

But no who would "look with their eyes what dates, what business meetings and more have happened over the years, but most don't because why would they do research when people won't watch a did you know gaming type video or others that dig up history or wikipedia page for that info'.

They aren’t. but fanboys think they are when it’s convenient to bring up sales & then other times, they’ll flip flop & say “nintendos doing their own thing”. The switch competitor is steamdeck and other handhelds, not ps5/xbox consoles.

Diminishing returns of graphical fidelity is going to bite Sony hard if they don't pivot back to making the games we love again.
Just imagine if the PS6 is a hybrid console, they were directly competing with Nintendo, and releasing the kind of games they have been on PS5. They'd be cooked.

@OldGamer999 I personally dropped off the PS4 and other consoles pretty hard once the Switch got going full steam. I play a lot of different genres though.

Honestly, if Sony wasn't worried about Nintendo they will be now. This isn't the PS4 golden generation anymore. It's the live service laden, money wasting remake generation where new IP is sparse and the best we can hope for is a sequel which might not even be as good as the last game. I'll just get the rare PS games I want when they come to PC.i can get everything else on Switch 2 or PC.

@darylb24 Beside A.R.M.S, Ring Fit Adventure, 1-2 Switch, and Astral Chain, what new IP that Nintendo created in Switch 1 era and became their best seller? I mean, i don't remember Nintendo created a ton of new IP's in Switch 1 era that dominates the chart.

Beside, Switch success wasn't because Nintendo new IP either but because their old IP's sequel and remake + remaster. Games like Zelda BotW + TotK, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe which is a port of WiiU ver, Super Smash Bros Ultimate, Animal Crossing, Super Mario Odyssey, and multiple Pokemon games are Switch 1 best sellers.

And talk about remaster and remake, Switch 1 has tons of them from Metroid Prime 1, Xenoblade 1, Zelda Link's Awakening & Skyward Sword, DK Country Tropical Freeze, etc etc.

Ironically, Switch 2 launch games filled up with ports & remaster too lol like Zelda BotW & TotK, Yakuza 0, Bravely Default 1, Sonic x Shadows, Cyberpunk 2077, etc.

So i found it weird that some people mocking Sony on remake / remastered their games but they praised Nintendo for doing the same lol.

@darylb24
Totally agree.

How the hell does a company racking in money hand over fist in multiple regions with some of the best hardware attach rates for games and profitability per title NOT show up on analysis?

In the same market as you?

No wonder Sony keeps burning money, their analysts are imbeciles.

It's like in my job, genuine hubris when a competitor closes for garden centers and they act like they have no competition only for the remaining very large competition to see US and go for the throat. It happened last year, it's happened this year, we've paid the price for that analysis twice now.

You ALWAYS have competition. You just need to recognize it before they see your weakness. If you didn't, the government would be on your behind.

@Americansamurai1 What's your definition of a console?

@nomither6 People play games. The more people who play games outside of PlayStation, the more Sony should be worried. The more people buy games outside of PlayStation, the more Sony should be worried.

It's a simple fact that if people are spending time and money NOT on PlayStation that Sony should be worried and not be so pretentious to think otherwise.

@SMJ a console is dedicated hardware for a TV. Not a handheld or hybrid

@Americansamurai1 So, just like Wii then.

@SMJ yeah but like I mentioned with the wii they said it went after a casual market. Nintendo stopped directly completing with Sony after the GameCube.

@Americansamurai1 Okay. What is your definition of "directly competing"?

Nintendo now is a handheld hybrid and doesn't focus on cutting edge technology whereas Sony is focused on cutting edge technology and 200 million budgeted games.

@SMJ $ony has us and the PC crowd on their side.

also, almost nobody only has a nintendo. there’s always an xbox or ps console to go with it . there’s no way in hell gaming would be in a good spot if only nintendo were around