With only a few months left until the dawn of the next generation of home consoles, it seems like Sony is quickly returning to its business strategy circa 2006. In a recent interview with Japanese publication AV Watch, PlayStation CEO Jim Ryan revealed that the company had considered a lower-spec version of the PlayStation 5, but decided against it for a very bizarre reason. According to Ryan, “creating a special low priced, reduced spec console is something that has not had great results in the past.”

As arrogant as that sounds out of context, Ryan elaborated that he isn’t trying to throw shade at Microsoft over the Xbox Series S. “The first thing I would like to say is that I respect every competitor’s decision and their philosophies,” Ryan noted. “Clearly, price is a very important factor. We respect other companies’ competitive strategies. However, we are fully committed to and believe in our current strategy and the effect it will have.”

He then explained how most people investing in consoles are looking to keep that device for up to seven years. They wouldn’t want to buy a device and have it become outdated in two or three years. In his mind, the PlayStation 5 represents a long term investment versus the more incremental nature of something like the Xbox Series S.

While all of that is well and good, Ryan seems to be deliberately forgetting the past. During the seventh console generation between 2005 and 2013, the Nintendo Wii outsold the PlayStation 3 by a large margin. You could potentially chalk that up to marketing hype, but people were more willing to accept the lower-powered and lower-priced console with open arms.

There’s also the success of both the PlayStation 1 and 2 during their respective generations. Sony famously undercut Sega during E3 1995 by knocking off $100 on the PS1’s price tag, which made the Sega Saturn look ridiculous. The PS2 also launched at $300, providing an exceptionally cheap alternative to the then growing DVD-player market while also being a games console.

There’s something to be said about the cheaper digital PS5 at least providing the same experience as its more expensive alternative, but Sony’s comments reek of arrogance. As much as Ryan may be saying he respects the business decisions of other platform holders, it’s not hard to see that he doesn’t think the Xbox Series S is going to be a viable option.

Source: AV Watch, VideoGamesChronicle

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