Sony and Microsoft have vastly different views when it comes to console generations. Where Microsoft claims that cross-gen releases don’t hamper innovation, Sony believes that some experiences are only possible on next-gen hardware – a stance that PlayStation marketing boss, Eric Lempel, reiterated during a recent interview with Geoff Keighley.
“As we’ve said many times, with PlayStation 5 it’s a brand new generation, and we believe in generations,” said Lempel. “So we want to evolve every part of the experience.”
Lempel argued that while it’s possible to make cross-gen games, players on both platforms would have different experiences because of hardware differences. He used Insomniac Games’ Ratchet & Clank: A Rift Apart as an example, stating that it specifically utilizes the PS5’s features.
It isn’t just about faster loading time. You take a great developer like Insomniac and they found a way to say ‘ok look, here’s a game that could only be made on PlayStation 5, on this generation, using this technology.’ A lot of what you saw on the show, jumping through those different worlds instantly can’t be done in most cases. It needs new hardware, it needs new power. So that’s something we’re looking forward to. All these things come together. You combine that with 3D audio, with the controller, ray tracing. I mean these are great experiences and these developers know how to harness every piece of those features to really bring you a unique experience. And that really speaks to what next gen is for us.
That said, Lempel promised that there’s still “a lot more to come” for PS4 players so it’s not the end of the road for the current-gen console.
