Big quote: What will the consoles of the future be like compared to today's machines from Sony and Microsoft? Former PlayStation Studios boss Shawn Layden doesn't believe there will be significant improvements in future generations, certainly nothing like the hardware leap between the PS1 and PS2. He thinks the biggest changes will be found in the games themselves.
Speaking in an interview with Eurogamer, Layden notes how the technological jump from the original PlayStation to the PS2, still the best-selling console of all time, was a dramatic one. He cites his disbelief at seeing the Gran Turismo demo for the first time, something this writer also remembers experiencing.
Layden notes how the move from the PS2 to PS3 introduced the HD standard and 60 FPS in a lot of games, but the move from PS3 to PS4 "was just, like, getting the network thing done right."
As for the PS5, Layden calls it a fantastic bit of kit, "but the actual difference in performance [compared to the PS4]... we're getting to the realm, frankly, where only dogs can hear the difference now." Speaking about generational console hardware upgrades, he said, "we have sort of maxed out there."
Could we ever see a generational improvement in console performance matching that of the PS1 to PS2? Layden doubts it, and definitely not any time in the next few decades." I mean, what would that leap look like? It would be perfectly-realised human actors in a game that you completely control. That could happen one day. I don't think it's going to happen in my lifetime."
Layden believes the innovation curve on hardware is starting to plateau. He also notes that Xbox and PlayStation consoles have pretty much the same chipset built by AMD, adding that each company has its own OS and "proprietary secret sauce," but in essence it's the same. "I think we're pretty much close to final spec for what a console could be."
With console hardware becoming less important, Layden says the real competition will be the content they provide. "I think we're at a point where the console becomes irrelevant in the next... if not the next generation then the next next generation definitely," Layden said.
Layden also believes Sony will continue to keep most of its games exclusive to its console rather than build versions for competing, smaller platforms such as Xbox. While Microsoft has released some of its games on PS5, such as Sea of Thieves, Pentiment, and Hi-Fi Rush, Sony is unlikely to return the favor in the future, as the small sales would not be worth the outcry.
Layden says releasing PC versions of PlayStation games years after they first arrive on the console causes plenty of anger among Sony fans, so Xbox releases from PlayStation Studios would result in even more outcry, potentially harming Sony's brand reputation. "I don't know if the juice is worth the squeeze," he said.
In October, Layden said that the games industry had stopped focusing on making fun games and instead spends all its energy on monetization.
Are gaming consoles reaching final form? Former PlayStation boss says no more major hardware leaps