Ex-PlayStation boss says hardware innovation 'is starting to plateau' and that 'you're not going to see another PS1 to PS2 jump in performance'
Former PlayStation boss Shawn Layden has said there likely won't be another major jump in hardware performance as it's already been 'maxed out'.
Speaking in a recent interview with Eurogamer, Layden discussed the future of PlayStation amid the company's 30th anniversary, as well as the technological advancement of today's current consoles compared to that of the PS1.
«I think we're at a point where the console becomes irrelevant in the next… if not the next generation then the next next generation definitely,» Layden said.
When asked if he thinks consoles could see another major leap in performance ever again, like the recent release of the PS5 Pro, the ex-PlayStation chief said he isn't sure what that would look like.
«I don't think so. I mean, what would that leap look like? It would be perfectly-realized human actors in a game that you completely control. That could happen one day. I don't think it's going to happen in my lifetime,» he said.
«We're at a point now where the innovation curve on the hardware is starting to plateau, or top out. At the same time, the commoditization of the silicon means that when you open up an Xbox or PlayStation, it's really pretty much the same chipset. It's all built by AMD. Each company has their own OS and proprietary secret sauce, but in essence [it's the same]. I think we're pretty much close to final spec for what a console could be.»
Layden went on to discuss the release of PlayStation's consoles over the years and how each improved upon the other in some way, however, he doesn't think the market will see something as significant as the jump from PS1 to PS2 again.
Sign up to be the first to know about unmissable Black Friday deals on top tech, plus get all your favorite TechRadar content.
«If you look at it from my lens, which is of course the PlayStation lens, the leap from PS1 to PS2 was dramatic...» Layden said, before touching on the following generations.
He explained that the jump from PS2 to PS3 was «remarkable» with HD
Read more on techradar.com
