Microsoft’s Project Scorpio has won praises from many, but Sony does not agree with the core philosophy. In a recent interview, Sony’s PlayStation global sales and marketing head Jim Ryan and Sony Interactive Entertainment America CEO Shawn Layden told Business Insider that those who praised Microsoft’s next-gen console are “probably the same people who predicted the demise of the console in 2012.”
Sony not afraid of Project Scorpio
Xbox’s Phil Spencer, on the other hand, claims it to be the most powerful console ever and a direct answer to the PS4 Pro with better resolution and features. Sony’s Jim Ryan, however, stated that the company does not fear competition and is looking forward to Project Scorpio news at E3 2017, just like the rest of the gaming community.
“We won’t be frightened of what they do,” were Ryan’s exact words when asked about the Project Scorpio reveal at E3 2017.
Ryan thinks that everything boils down to the games, and most of the games on the Xbox One are also available on the Sony PS4, along with exclusive games such as Horizon Zero Dawn and the upcoming Uncharted: The Lost Legacy. Layden is also betting on Japanese game publishers with recent games such as Persona 5, Final Fantasy XV, Resident Evil 7, Nioh, Nier: Automata and so on. The executive says these titles are very important for the company.
He also pointed out that the PlayStation has been selling better than the Xbox.
Ryan said, “It’s been pleasing that in North America, we’ve been 2-to-1 against Xbox. But in Europe, it’s really been fortress PlayStation by at least 3-to-1 in unit sales.”
Xbox Play may not work
Microsoft’s Project Scorpio will be released towards the end of the year, but before that, Xbox Play is attracting attention. Under the program, a few games will offer a free copy of the Windows 10 version if one buys it for the Xbox One, and vice versa. The idea is to bring Windows and Xbox closer, notes Business Insider.
Sony thinks the move is interesting but not relevant if developers do not go along with it. At this point, there are hardly two dozen Xbox Play Anywhere titles from Microsoft, and with such a small number, according to Ryan, it is “somewhat marginal play.”
What has changed?
Speaking to the average lifespan of a console, Layden states that console generation has not really changed, but tech cycles are shrinking. He stated that there was a time between 2000 and 2012 when a new console could be released every 5 to 10 years.
“Those days are just gone,” Layden tells BI. He stated that it is easier to launch new consoles than to upgrade older ones.
Sony claims it has sold nearly 60 million units of its flagship games platform since its launch in November 2013. Layden thinks it is the fastest rate set by any PlayStation to date.
“As you’ll recall, last year we performed the daredevil stunt of launching three new pieces of hardware in 60 days. Probably won’t do that again,” Layden told Time.
Sony released the PlayStation 4 Pro, Playstation VR and thinner PlayStation 4 last year.
