Sony Interactive Entertainment CEOs Hermen Hulst and Hideaki Nishino have revealed some interesting tidbits about the company’s overall strategy in a newly published interview with Variety.
Responding to an early question about the release timing of the PlayStation 5 Pro, Nishino explained that the company “learned a lot” from the launch of the PS4 Pro. He said “20% of customers actually got the PS4 Pro,” suggesting that there’s quite a lot of interest in high-end PlayStation devices. He also claimed that the company saw new users coming over to PlayStation “to get PS4 Pro, as well.”
As a result, Sony “started working on the PS5 Pro even before [the] PS5 launches.” Nishino goes on to say that “it was another five-year project for us.”
As for whether a mid generation refresh like the PS5 Pro is truly necessary, the CEO drew parallels to the world of mobile phones and PCs where annual iterations are common. “Phones are updating every year, PCs are updating every year,” he said. “I don’t think we’d go every year updates, but there are things we can package together to bring the great things into [the] game console segment range.”
Nishino also commented on the early reception to the PS5 Pro, with pre-orders for the console beginning last month. “We’re kind of happy to see, like most engaged gaming users are interested in the PS5 Pro,” he began, “and then I’m pretty sure new users will grab the PS5 Pro as well.”
“We design everything with having one ahead in our mind,” he added. “It’s not like we just make a next step and we don’t know about the two steps ahead.” This last detail might not come as much of a surprise for those who have been keeping up with the latest PS6 rumors, which have already begun to circulate.