The PS4 (and of course the Xbox 720) is expected to land sometime towards the end of next year, with consumers able to purchase the new hardware in time for the 2013 holiday season. And yet right now we still have the PS3 (and Xbox 360) to enjoy.
It’s often easy to forget that not all gamers switch generations at the first opportunity. In fact, consoles tend to sell well in their dying days as mainstream consumers pick up a bargain which has lots of cheap games already available for it.
For the manufacturers this is good news, as they continue selling the old, established hardware while also pushing the new, innovative hardware on to the hardcore amongst us. Hence the following comments, made by Sony Worldwide Studios chief Shuhei Yoshida to Eurogamer, aren’t illogical at all:
“PS3 is I think in prime time. It’s a great time for consumers to look at purchasing PS3 this year. There are a variety of games coming out and new and exciting games coming out next year.”
“At the same time the library of games we are able to offer at a very affordable price – we just announced the Essentials line in Europe. So, for the budget conscious consumer it’s a perfect new platform to join this Christmas.”
“For people who own PS3, rest assured new content is still coming. Games like Last of Us and Beyond look amazing compared to the early PS3 titles. There’s still something surprising happening on the platform.”
All undeniable truths, but for those of us who need the shiny and new we already have one eye fixed firmly on the next-generation home consoles. Yes, you’re likely to pay over the odds for being early-adopters, but you only live once.
