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In hindsight do you think sony regrets not doing a SeriesS style console?

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Sosokrates

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Jim Ryan has said that he wants the PS5 to be the most successful playstation generation for sony. Its looking like it's going to be a huge success.

When asked about the SeriesS Jim Ryan said:

“One thing that can be said is that if you look at the history of the game business, creating a special low priced, reduced spec console is something that has not had great results in the past. We’ve considered that option and seen other executives who have attempted this discover how problematic it is.”

https://www.destructoid.com/playstation-ceo-jim-ryan-throws-shade-at-xbox-series-s/


Jim Ryan, phil spencer etc are going to say whats best for there company.

however sony seem to not be shy of a cross gen approach, they want the highest installbase possible, and are investing in multiplayer games which appeal to wider audiences. Like the PS4 they want to be the console for the everyman.

and while devs have said that the SeriesS can present some challenges, it does not effect Microsoft because devs have to make the game for the Series S if they want there game to be on Xbox. Games like horizon forbidden west and forza horizon 5 have shown you can have a next gen experience while still also being available on a vastly weaker console.


In The UE5 matrix demo we have seen that the fact the SeriesS exists does not negetively effect the XsX or PS5 version.

so to conclude I think that while Ryans concerns surrounding a seriesS like console have been legitimate in the past, I would not be surprised if the heads of Playstation are looking at the SeriesS and thinking from a business perspective it would of helped there business goals without having detrimental effects to the overall quality of the games.

I would not be surprised of we see sony do a SeriesS style console in the next generation or the PS5 will become the new base for them.
 

reinking

Gold Member
No. PS5 is selling out. PS4 is making up for any software sales they would receive with a console that sits between the two. I don't know if MS makes money on each Series S sold or of they are still selling for under cost. Either way, not sure the investment by Sony in that console would have paid off.
 

killatopak

Gold Member
I suppose the point is if sony want the PS5 to be the most successful gen ever, wouldn't a SeriesS console help that goal? With More stock and a lower price.
Honestly, I don’t know. Maybe it would have if the pandemic didn’t happen.

I’m not familiar with how different SKUs of consoles are made to have an opinion if having a lower value version would help alleviate wafer shortages or not especially with all the circumstances surrounding the release of the consoles.
 

Sosokrates

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Honestly, I don’t know. Maybe it would have if the pandemic didn’t happen.

I’m not familiar with how different SKUs of consoles are made to have an opinion if having a lower value version would help alleviate wafer shortages or not especially with all the circumstances surrounding the release of the consoles.

Ms may be able to produce more SeriesS consoles because they can get more APUs per wafer and they require less ram chips.
So it could help produce more, but they may have the same issues with other components.
 

Belthazar

Member
No, the PS5 is selling out in instants and... I think that in hindsight Microsoft is probably the one regretting not putting a discless $400 Series X in the market instead of the Series S.

The PS5 Digital severely undervalued the Series S, by offering an uncompromised Next Gen experience for a very reasonable price. What I mean is, the Series S looks great at $300 besides a $500 PS5/Series X, but not so much against a $400 PS5 Digital.
 
Nobody in the console business has ever tried a lower spec entry tier console. I also know that there are a going to be at least 3 Series S machines going out to family members as Christmas gifts this year.
 

Sosokrates

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No, the PS5 is selling out in instants and... I think that in hindsight Microsoft is probably the one regretting not putting a discless $400 Series X in the market instead of the Series S.

The PS5 Digital severely undervalued the Series S, by offering an uncompromised Next Gen experience for a very reasonable price. What I mean is, the Series S looks great at $300 besides a $500 PS5/Series X, but not so much against a $400 PS5 Digital.

Why would MS be regretting the current SeriesS?
 

dcmk7

Banned
They have a cheaper console available in Digital Edition already, which is the best value for money proposition on a technical basis and doesn't hinder developers.

It's just a shame they can't get more of these units out to people.
 

Sosokrates

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Because time will be taken away from any "next-gen" game to have to cater to/optimize for series s

No, they will just have to work within the restrictions of the seriesS specs, and like i said the evidence we have (matrix demo) shows that the existence of the seriesS has not "crippled progression" on the ps5/xsx.
 
Because time will be taken away from any "next-gen" game to have to cater to/optimize for series s
It's been brought to my attention from Master Racers that 5 year old rigs can run modern games just fine if you're willing to accept 1080p.

Both Sony and MS are running off the shelf components, right?
 

blacktout

Member
Only if an S model would have resulted in double the stock. No one predicted the chip shortage, but it's definitely benefited Xbox more.

This seems like the right answer. If part of the reason Microsoft has been able to produce more stock recently is that the Series S is somehow easier/faster/more efficient to produce at scale, then, yes, Sony must be kicking themselves, since a PS5 lite or whatever would sell every unit they could produce, just like the other PS5 models.

I'm not sure that we have any evidence that this is the case though. Microsoft could simply have secured more production capacity because they have such obscene resources at their disposal.

That said if we do go into the global recession that we're currently in the brink of, I think having a budget next gen console that also happens to be home to a relatively cheap gaming subscription service will be a boon to Microsoft, since it'll probably be the best option for budget-conscious consumers.
 

splattered

Member
They probably do, yes. I would not have bought one though. I wish both companies had made their consoles modular with a base chassis we could slot different tier packages into, sort of like a PC but more casual friendly.
 

Sosokrates

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You literally just said that they now have to work within series s restrictions lmao

Yes, that does not mean they could get better results if they did not have to cater for the seriesS.

The matrix demo on the xsx + ps5 is using image reconstruction techniques which has good image quality, but it could be better and they have fps dips. If the seriesS was not a thing the matrix demo would not look magically better on the ps5/xsx.


But if you have ANY evidence supporting your opinion please share
 

Sosokrates

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Imagine how much sooner or more in depth it could have been if they were only working on ps5/series x

This shouldn't even be a discussion, I own a series x and ps5 and series x is my primary, the series S is holding shit back and it fucking sucks, they should have just done a discless like Sony did

Lol, wheres your evidence to support this.

if the seriesS was holding its bigger brothers back, wouldn't the matrix demo be a walk in the park for them?
 
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Yes, that does not mean they could get better results if they did not have to cater for the seriesS.

The matrix demo on the xsx + ps5 is using image reconstruction techniques which has good image quality, but it could be better and they have fps dips. If the seriesS was not a thing the matrix demo would not look magically better on the ps5/xsx.


But if you have ANY evidence supporting your opinion please share

Yes, that does not mean they could get better results if they did not have to cater for the seriesS.

The matrix demo on the xsx + ps5 is using image reconstruction techniques which has good image quality, but it could be better and they have fps dips. If the seriesS was not a thing the matrix demo would not look magically better on the ps5/xsx.


But if you have ANY evidence supporting your opinion please share
Funny how you drift around my comment about games also being released earlier if they didn't have to optimize for series s, lemme guess, that time being spent further optimizing it for ps5/series x wouldn't make a difference?
 

dcmk7

Banned
Matrix demo.
You realise getting that on the Series S wasn't simple and required a lot of help?

You might disagree but I personally believe it's a bad look that a MS first party studio had to get so involved with the demo, all that effort just to get the Matrix to run on Series S? Shouldn't have been that difficult in the first place.

The Coalition's time could have been better spent actually developing games. Maybe without the Series S the demo would have been released sooner or maybe had been technically better.. who knows.
 
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Simpsons Thats The Joke GIF

I was agreeing with ya brochacho.
 
In perfect hindsight they probably regret that their $400 console is stuck using the same parts supply as their $500 one, because they can't boost production of one without cutting the other. However in a normal world where there is no or minimal chip shortage and supply constraints they definitely made the correct choice.

If the $400 PS5 was as available as the Series S this wouldn't even be a question to contemplate.
 
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