Featured Image Credit: Bloomberg (via Getty Images)
Topics: Sony, PlayStation, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Tech
Topics: Sony, PlayStation, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Tech
It seems like the PlayStation 6 might have a problem, and it’s not one that can be fixed by anyone.
As with all previous generations, the PlayStation 6 will look to build on its predecessor in almost every way. Whether it’s the visuals, performance, editing tools and loads of other fancy bells and whistles.
One issue that I believe Sony will need to correct is its first-party exclusives. Don’t get me wrong, the PlayStation 5 has some fantastic titles, as did the PlayStation 4. However, when it comes to sheer quantity of quality exclusives, the PS4 knocks the PS5 out of the park, in my opinion.
In an article published by Tech4Gamers in April 2025, the PlayStation 5 reportedly has five times fewer exclusives than the PS4 and ten times fewer than the PS3. So, hopefully, the PlayStation 6 will correct that issue of giving us more quality console exclusives, because at the end of the day, that’s what many brand loyalists will be looking for.
Advert
Yet, there is another problem that the PlayStation 6 needs to address and in defence of Sony, and perhaps other console manufacturers, it’s going to be a very different one to address, unless all parties are willing to spend an arm and a leg on the next-gen machine.
In a Reddit post that has now been deleted (for whatever reason), gamers were basically discussing how console visuals are to such a high standard right now that it’s going to be very difficult to top.
As a result, especially those who own a PlayStation 5 Pro and are impressed more so by shiny graphics, it might be difficult for Sony to convince them to splash an estimated £550 to £700 on the PlayStation 6, when the current machine is already doing a great job.
For example, the leap from the original PlayStation to the PlayStation 2. When it comes to graphics, performance, gameplay mechanics and its open world, the difference between GTA 2 (1999) and GTA III (2001) is night and day.
The same can be said for Metal Gear Solid (1998) on the original PlayStation and Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty (2001) on PlayStation 2.
Granted, the gap between PS2 and PS3 is smaller, but there’s still a clear difference between GTA: San Andreas (2004) and GTA IV (2008).
Then we have PlayStation 3 to PlayStation 4, just to compare to games at the end and beginning of a cycle, there is again a noticeable difference between Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception (2011) and Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End (2016).
More recently, one example that comes to mind, while both are very impressive across the board, there’s not a massive difference between Ghost of Tsushima (2020) and Ghost of Yōtei, from Sucker Punch Productions. Furthermore, despite releasing in 2018, Rockstar Games’ Red Dead Redemption 2 puts many current-gen games to shame.
Of course, it’s somewhat of a case-by-case basis, but I feel that with each console generation, that gap of overall quality of visuals has been shortening, and it may have gotten to the point that from PlayStation 5 to PlayStation 6, it could be the most minimal generational leap yet.
I could be absolutely wrong, and maybe the PlayStation 6 will be the biggest leap since PS1 to PS2. If it’s not, and the leap is the most minimal yet, hopefully Sony will reflect that difference in the price, but I won't be holding my breath.