Shuhei Yoshida Suggests Drastic Change Beyond Graphical Quality For PS6

Now that Xbox is fizzling away into simply being a third-party game publisher, and Nintendo is doing, well, whatever wacky thing Nintendo is currently doing, that’s left Sony and PlayStation to pick up the scraps where everyone’s left off. Still, it seems that even their former executive, Shuhei Yoshida, is a tad worried about the console’s future.

In a recent talk with Skill Up during their FPS Podcast, he explained that, although Sony has produced some amazing AAA masterpieces this generation, the general burnout among fans from high-fidelity, graphically intensive experiences may be approaching quickly.

It’s reaching the point where, maybe it’s about time for Sony, like its Microsoft and Nintendo brethren, to adopt a different approach to game and console development. After all, if the PS6 is just a simple 1-up from the PS5, that may not be enough innovation for Sony to last the next generation.

Fans Experiencing AAA Graphics Burnout

To start, Yoshida mentions that graphical upgrades “have hit the level where even I cannot tell the difference.” Even though he acknowledges that modern technology, like the PS5’s lightning-fast SSD, generally makes experiences smoother and load times faster, it’s slowly becoming the new norm.

For many gamers, elements like ray tracing are only minor adjustments to already incredibly intensive and detailed graphics. Statistics prove this as well, as Sony themselves demonstrated in their PS5 Pro reveal that a majority of gamers prefer to play games with lower graphical fidelity but higher refresh rates, which means most gamers aren’t even taking advantage of the PS5’s highest graphical potential.

That’s where Yoshida gets to the crux of his position: “Clearly, they just cannot do the same thing they have been doing: Increasing the graphics and providing high-end experiences.”

Games like Ghost Of Yotei are selling great, but is it increased graphical fidelity that’s making these high-end experiences that much more impressive? After all, Ghost Of Tsushima on the PS4 was already praised for its high-end graphics. Although Yotei does technically look ‘better,’ is it the slightly better graphics that led to its success?

Sony’s Next Steps For PlayStation

According to Yoshida, the number of fans looking out for the next best graphically intensive AAA exclusive “feels like a niche audience right now.” And with recent studies showing that people may be buying fewer and fewer games, maybe graphics aren’t the key to success anymore?

However, Yoshida still thinks that the “PS5 is an amazing system in terms of quality of experiences.” Without a doubt, if any company is behind putting together some of the best AAA high-quality games, it’s Sony, but ultimately, it may be time for them to put their eggs in different baskets.

This could mean many things, such as spotlighting smaller double-A or even Indie experiences, which Yoshida has long championed. In recent years, it’s become increasingly common for game industry veterans to say that these smaller, cheaper, but much more innovative experiences are the key to widespread industry growth.

When asked, Yoshida doesn’t have a simple solution for the company, but at the very least, it’s clear that if Sony wants to continue into the PS6, they’ll need other methods than having the best graphics possible.

Brand

Sony

Original Release Date

November 12, 2020

Original MSRP (USD)

$499, €499, £449, ¥49,980 (Base) // $399, €399, £359, ¥39,980 (Digital),

Operating System

Orbis OS

Processor

Custom 8-core AMD Zen 2

Resolution

720p – 8K