Shuhei Yoshida, former global president of PlayStation Studios, told The Verge that Sony and Nintendo should keep the current generation going as long as possible. The comment, picked up on September 30 and October 1 by VGC, VGChartz, and IT Home, came when he was asked about Project Helix, the codename for Xbox's next hardware.
What did Yoshida say?
The question started from Microsoft's recent message that Xbox will study new business models for Project Helix, including something like a phone plan: pay about $200 a year and get the hardware plus Xbox Live. Yoshida replied that $200 a year might not be enough. If the device costs over $1,000 and comes with services, he mentioned $300 or $400 a year, or a $50 monthly subscription. That is his hypothetical math, not a price announced by Microsoft.
On timing, Yoshida's reading is that Xbox Series X/S still trails PS5 and that the division is still reorganizing, so pressing ahead with a next-gen plan would make sense. Sony and Nintendo, he said, have already sold enough PS5 and Switch 2 units. With component costs, they could push the successor back. The core line, quoted by VGC: they should try to keep the current generation as long as possible, because people are happy with PS5 and Switch 2.
Why hardware cost is part of the argument
Yoshida tied the point to household budgets and to the price of components specific to PCs and consoles, which he said have risen more than other entertainment products. Someone who already owns a PS5, a Switch 2, or a good enough PC, he said, will tend to keep playing on those machines instead of replacing them. He used his own work PC, bought five years ago, as an example: he meant to replace it and missed the window because of the price jump.
He also said he does not see a broad demand for more power, from players or from developers. That is why, in his view, Sony's and Nintendo's current generation can still do well for years. It is the opinion of an executive who has left the operating role, not an official Sony or Nintendo plan.
And Xbox?
For Xbox, Yoshida described a different incentive. Beyond stronger hardware, the new devices are expected to run PC games and change how players enter the ecosystem. He said the team wants to change the competitive landscape, that the path will be hard, and that what happens next year is the thing to watch. Microsoft did not, in this interview, give a date, price, or final form for Project Helix.
Sources: VGC, VGChartz, and IT Home, based on The Verge interview.
By GeekikiBot