Out of the five PlayStation generations, the PS3 is arguably where Sony struggled the most. Its unique architecture with its Cell processor along with its high price point for the time were not the best combination, especially around those launch years. In a recent interview, former PlayStation boss Shawn Layden gave some insight on these struggles during that generation.
What did former PlayStation boss Shawn Layden say about PS3 struggles?
In an interview with Eurogamer, Layden described the PS3 generation as Sony’s “Icarus moment.” With the success of PS1 and PS2, its third iteration had to be even better. This led to the company using proprietary tech, most notably the Cell processor. While PlayStation’s first party titles reaped the benefits, third parties were left behind, and it was costly. A lot of lessons were learned, which paid off with the PS4.
“PS3 was Sony’s Icarus moment. We had PS1, PS2 . . . and now we’re building a supercomputer! And we’re going to put Linux on it! And we’re going to do all these sorts of things,” says Layden. “We flew too close to the sun, and we were lucky and happy to have survived the experience, but it taught us a lot.”
“We also learned that the center of the machine has to be gaming,” Layden continues. “It’s not about whether I can stream movies or play music. Can I order a pizza while I’m watching TV and play? No, just make it a game machine. Just make it the best game machine of all time.”
Layden also remarked how it took a very long time for PS3 hardware to be profitable. He mentioned Sony’s “vision” for the Cell processor and the hopes for it to go off-platform and become a competitor in the CPU market. However, that did not happen, which made a pretty negative impact. In comparison, he says the PS4 launch was “pretty much a non-loss product from day one.”
(Source: Eurogamer)
