Sony Not Ready to Abandon PS3 Even With Next-Gen Coming

By Wolfgang Gruener
published

With next PlayStation being prepared, there is some speculation how Sony will manage the transition from the PS3.

The message? It's not going to be easy to handle two consoles at the same time, but Sony will hold on to the PS3 as a platform in the foreseeable time.

In an interview published by CVG, Sony's managing director for the UK, Fergal Gara, positioned the current PS3 as a viable gaming platform Sony will not drop anytime soon.

"We're nowhere close to giving up on PS3," Gara said. "When you look at the UK market, it's easy to say that current consoles are fading. But if you look at PS3, it's holding up a lot better than others, so it warrants support."

He also indicated that gamers should not be expecting any dramatic price cuts. Those who would want to update from an older PS3 now could opt for the 12 GB entry level model and take their HDD with game data with them.

However, Gara said that there will be some issues when the PS3 is transitioned to the PS4 on the software side. "We do have a challenge to manage that, particularly in terms of dev studio resources," he said. "The more platforms you have, and the amount of rich content you have to deliver on all the systems you are supporting, clearly puts pressure on decisions made across the studio network, which is something we are battling with."

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Wolfgang Gruener
32 Comments Comment from the forums
  • thecolorblue
    " It's not going to be easy to handle two consoles at the same time, but Sony will hold on to the PS3 as a platform in the foreseeable time. "

    I disagree, when there is money coming in from the PS3 sufficient to pay for supporting it and give healthy profits, it is extremely easy to support both platforms. There is no shortage of skilled people looking for work.
    Reply
  • rantoc
    That's at least what they will say as long as they have consoles in stock...
    Reply
  • thecolorblue
    rantocThat's at least what they will say as long as they have consoles in stock...good point... that could explain it entirely
    Reply
  • greghome
    thecolorblue" It's not going to be easy to handle two consoles at the same time, but Sony will hold on to the PS3 as a platform in the foreseeable time. "I disagree, when there is money coming in from the PS3 sufficient to pay for supporting it and give healthy profits, it is extremely easy to support both platforms. There is no shortage of skilled people looking for work.

    The way I see it, support for the PS3 should be pretty easy now.
    What needs to be done (servers, tech support ) has already been done, it's just a matter of maintaining it.
    Reply
  • mafisometal
    Game developers are just fu**ing lazy. They are the ones trying to push Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo to a next gen console. The irony is that game developers are getting really stupid with their development process. When ps3 and xbox launched the games were MUCH better quality and WAY less buggy than they are today. The fact is PS3 and XBox still have juice left in their systems, probably for another 2 years because graphics hasn't really been drastically changed. Unless you own a $1000+ PC with good cards and games that demand high performance. You won't see much of a graphical change in the consumers point of view. There is no point for Sony to go next gen when they have to worry about the vita's lifespan. Tablets and Smartphones are taking over and the handheld market is becoming pointless.
    Reply
  • Menigmand
    Boule sheet. The moment they sell out the old consoles they suddenly won't remember ever saying that they would keep supporting it.
    Reply
  • aggroboy
    The console makers have to figure out what to do with Xbox live and PSN.
    Reply
  • somebodyspecial
    PS2 still selling 11yrs later.
    http://egamer.co.za/2012/01/ps2-is-matching-ps-vita-in-sales-this-is-plain-crazy/
    http://www.vg247.com/2012/05/10/sony-hit-hard-in-fy2012-financials-ps3-sales-down/
    4.1mil sold ps2's Jan to may2012. Those can't be still on the shelf unless they're still making them correct? :)
    Reply
  • waxdart
    mafisometalThe fact is PS3 and XBox still have juice left in their systems, probably for another 2 years because graphics hasn't really been drastically changed. Unless you own a $1000+ PC with good cards and games that demand high performance.
    The reason you see no change in PC games are they are made for the lowest common market. Consoles! They have held up the PC in terms of development for a while now. Does it matter?? Not always. I've been playing Batman Arkham Asylum on my PS3 recently and it is still a really good game.

    You’re on TH, you know you can get a crap gaming PC for $500. If you dial back settings you can almost match the $2000 games rig on some games. Consoles have held up PC games market that much. Crysis 1 would make the $2000 machine cry and keep crying for years. No $500 budget crap for that game. Cross platform games stopped all that.

    PC Games posting 100-200fps is daft. Your screen can only deliver 60fps. Lots of room to do more. My graphics card is an old Nvida 460, It still gets by - that ain't right. I'm going to upgrade when there is a game that needs it. Don't see it hapaning for a while. There is only life left in consoles because people stopped raising the bar. Great for the $500 PC market ... And where is my 4k monitor? /Rant
    Reply
  • kawininjazx
    Can you swap HDDs in a PS3? I thought all the data was encrypted into the system it came with. You have to use a crossover cable between two systems or make a backup to external media to transfer data. Am I wrong here?
    Reply