The thought of not having a physical PlayStation console in the future is enough to make some sections of the gaming community shudder, but it could be a reality with PlayStation Now being the catalyst for Sony Computer Entertainment’s master plan.
Speaking with The Metro at Gamesom, president and CEO of Sony Computer Entertainment Europe Jim Ryan was questioned about the idea that consoles may not always be the best platform to play games on, with the interviewer making reference to the fact that his son plays iPad and “complains when having the use a controller.”
“We’re aware of the dangers of complacency, which is why I used the word twice last night in the press conference,” said Ryan referring to Sony’s press briefing earlier this month. “And you know, is it necessarily the case that there’ll always be a static gaming console? Not necessarily. And you know, the work we’re doing on PlayStation Now is evidence of us exploring alternatives.”
The next question sheds more light on Sony’s thoughts right now on how it may have to adapt to the way consumers interact with games, suggesting that PlayStation Now is an experiment that really could change the way that PlayStation gamers play in the future.
“Is that your trojan horse, your practice run, for the PlayStation brand becoming a software service? Will PlayStation Now become PlayStation 5?” asked The Metro.
“I certainly don’t want to, and wouldn’t, use the term PlayStation 5,” said Ryan. “But as a significant component of our means to get PlayStation experiences into the hands of as many people as possible, absolutely. Potentially.”
With the closure of many independent game shops over the last five years, the success of digital downloads and the increase in broadband speeds, it’s entirely possible, and very probably, that physical dics will cease to exist at some point. But what about a physical console? It seems a world away to think that one day we could be playing PlayStation games solely through our TV sets or small streaming boxes without having that sleek, black behemoth sitting in its cabinet.