There Isn't A Single Reason To Look Forward To The PS6 Right Now

We are now almost six years into the current console generation that began with the launch of PS5 and Xbox Series X/S back in December 2020, so we should be filled with excitement for the next one. Right? You’d think so, since every console generation in history has lasted a similar amount of time and naturally led into the next with millions of us ready and waiting to be floored by new hardware, sucked into new games, and very happy to put money down on a brand-new machine.

Next-gen hardware always pushes the boundaries on graphics, offering games, features, and ideas that justify the price of being part of the conversation. While the PS5 and Xbox Series X already approached a dangerous point of diminishing returns, they still had fantastic titles like Astro’s Playroom and Demon’s Souls, and were able to push things to 4K resolution and 60 frames per second for the first time outside of PC. But as the years wore on, these consoles have failed to push the boat out again and again as the industry continually butts against the harsh reality of triple-A game development and rising technological costs brought about by outside circumstances.

First-party exclusives have been thin on the ground, with some studios releasing only one or two titles throughout the entire generation, if that, as others rely entirely on predictable remasters. Third-party developers and publishers have been picking up the pace somewhat, but they’re not immune to rapidly rising budgets and unsustainable production timelines that require all games to be instant hits or risk layoffs and studio closures. The video game landscape is in a rough spot right now, and traditional console generations are rightfully being put under the microscope as both hardware and software become more expensive than ever.

Not to mention that, for the first time in history, we have spent the entire console generation watching hardware rise exponentially in price, rather than watching it drop and become more accessible to a wider audience over time. So, what reason is there to be excited about what’s to come?

The PS6 Is Coming Whether We Are Ready For It Or Not

I have to imagine that PlayStation and Xbox were already making loose plans for the next console generation when PS5 and Series X/S were just arriving on the market, and rough specs for PS6 and Project Helix have also been locked in for a couple of years at this rate. The research and development for products like this takes a very long time and cost hundreds of millions of dollars, so to suggest that either company can simply pull the plug now that the landscape is suddenly shifting beneath them is downright foolish.

Triple-A video games take five or more years to make nowadays, so imagine how much runway you need to plan the development and release of a console used to run them. While recent reports suggest that the cost of building a PS6 has risen from $760 to nearly $1,000 in the face of rising component costs that every major company in the world is dealing with, an ironic twist of fate, given that many of the same brands are also spearheading data centers which are driving up costs in the first place. Unfortunately for us, we’ll be the ones paying the price.

I struggle to see Project Helix or PS6 costing less than $900. In a world where PS5 Pro is already approaching four figures, how long until a new console finally crosses this dreaded mark?

The proliferation of live-service titles like Fortnite, Roblox, and Call of Duty throughout the past console generation has also radically changed the gaming habits of millions, who no longer operate on the assumption that every few months there is going to be a big exclusive game to sink their teeth into or an annual release that redefines what a beloved series can be. We live in an ever-growing world of virtual ecosystems that, by design, have abandoned traditional platforms in favour of something more fluid, which removes the incentive to upgrade when a new console comes around. If Fortnite or Call of Duty runs just fine already, why bother?

The PS6 rumour that it doesn’t have a disc drive, as PlayStation is abandoning physical media, is one more nail in the coffin for curious consumers whose investment in the medium is met with a brutal middle finger as they are forced to leave the past behind in favour of a digital future. Helix is also reported to be abandoning a disc drive to save costs and further capitalise on the extra profits that come from cutting out the middle man, which is hardly surprising given its hybrid-PC nature. This is not a future to be thrilled about, as games as an art form are cast aside in favour of making as much money as possible.

But That Doesn’t Mean We Have To Accept It

Sure, we’ll be met with a new controller, a new user interface, and more powerful hardware than ever, but why does it matter when the current generation of consoles hasn’t managed to prove themselves in the six years they’ve already been available? We are being asked to upgrade to a new model when what sits under our television works just fine, while the industry has dug itself into such an unsustainable hole of excessive budgets and overlong dev times that the generational timelines it used to depend on are now its own worst enemy.

PlayStation’s exclusive portfolio is thin on the ground right now while Xbox is about to go through the biggest round of layoffs in its history that will reportedly see countless stellar studios closed to cut costs, which means whenever these new consoles appear they’re not exactly going to be packed with games to play that either don’t already exist elsewhere or run just fine on the consoles we already have.

Our own James Lucas has written a great piece about how Sony giving up on physical media has handed the future of video games to PC in more ways than one.

I like to think that our current brutal present of relentless corporate cuts, rising costs, and studio closures can somehow pave the way for a more sustainable and worthwhile future for the medium. Right now, it’s incredibly hard to remain hopeful. So we should try our best to vote with our wallets even if it means dealing with the biggest FOMO ever when the PS6 hits the market.

Things are going to get a lot worse before they get better, and I promise you that big gaming companies will take you for a ride if it means making more money if they can. We don’t need the PS6 right now, or any new video game consoles for that matter.

PlayStation 5 Pro