The weeks in the run-up to E3 – or what remains of it – are always something of a dry spell, which perhaps may explain some of the more outlandish nature of the topics for discussion this week. After a presentation from TV manufacturer, TCL, rumours are starting to gather pace that Pro/enhanced consoles will come from Microsoft and Sony in 2024. Meanwhile, Microsoft is planning an xCloud streaming stick – something that does actually seem to be happening – and news emerges from Sony about its long term strategy, covering PC, mobile and a ‘longest ever tail’ for PlayStation 4. All this and more is discussed in the new DF Direct Weekly, embedded below for your viewing pleasure.
The TCL story likely has no real basis beyond conjecture from the company – after all, a non-affiliated organisation is unlikely to have visibility into the console plans of any platform holder. There are multiple reasons why we may not see mid-gen Pro/enhanced consoles – which we’ll be covering in a separate article later on this week – but first and foremost amongst them is Sony’s own prediction that the semiconductor shortage won’t be fully resolved until 2024. Why limit the sales of the existing model just as they’re really taking off by introducing a more expensive version that Sony is likely to lose a lot of money on? And do we really need more power in a world where Nintendo Switch and Series S have been so successful?
The topic of cross-gen also cropped up in Sony’s recent investor disclosures, the most fascinating statistic being that 80 percent of PlayStation 4 online revenue now comes from the digital domain, with just 20 percent from physical discs. Also intriguing is how Sony foresees PS4’s longer term prospects as the home of free-to-play games. Perhaps this is part of the reason it’s so interested in games-as-a-service and why it acquired Bungie? More interesting from a Digital Foundry perspective are Sony’s plans to fuel ‘exponential growth’ from doubling down on PC and, um, mobile titles. With Sony selling around 2.4m copies of Horizon Zero Dawn years after its PS4 release, clearly there’s a big market for its titles.
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