PlayStation 3 may be entering its twilight years, but Sony Worldwide Studios chief Shuhei Yoshida reckons there’s never been a better time to invest in Sony’s ageing black behemoth.
The console launched in November 2006 in Japan and the U.S., and arrived in PAL regions the following March. However, despite being in its sixth year on the market, Yoshida-san insists PS3 is in ‘prime time.’
That’s despite chatter on the arrival of Sony’s next-generation console, codenamed Orbis, which is hotly tipped for an E3 2013 reveal before arriving on shelves possibly as soon as Christmas next year.
“PS3 is I think in prime time,” Yoshida-san told Eurogamer. “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.”
It’s not just new adopters who have reason to get excited either. The executive pointed to a number of upcoming heavy hitters such as Naughty Dog’s The Last of Us and Quantic Dream’s Beyond: Two Souls as a reason for long-time owners to sit up and take notice.
“For people who own PS3, rest assured new content is still coming,” he said. “Games like Last of Us and Beyond look amazing compared to early PS3 titles. There’s still something surprising happening on the platform.”
Still, Yoshida-san remained tight-lipped when quizzed on the long-rumored PS3 super slim. “That’s a rumor,” he said. “There are lots of different kinds of rumors on the internet.”
Indeed there are, Mr. Yoshida – and the latest point to a Tokyo Game Show reveal for the PS3-4000. Stay tuned.