Charming Holiday is a news article writer from the United States. He is a former cultural policy advisor who has turned his focus to his lifelong passion of gaming. He lived and worked in South Korea from early 2016 to mid-2019 but has since returned to the greater Chicago area. His first console was the original Playstation, though he now focuses on the Nintendo Switch and its growing library of first party and indie games. Charming is particularly fond of mystery point-and-click games and action adventure platformers (2D and 3D). Charming hopes to expand his talents into the gaming news industry with the ultimate goal of one day getting to write for and ship a game.
Players have long debated the topic of multiplatform gaming, more often than not focusing on multi-console launches, but the matter of games releasing simultaneously on console and PC has once again raised eyebrows following an alleged insider comment on PlayStation potentially “pulling back” from the platform. PlayStation has been known to keep many of its first-party IPs limited to its own consoles, though more recent releases have been timed exclusives that later found their way to other platforms. However, the Sony-owned gaming giant may once again be shifting its focus away from PCs.
The speculation follows Valve’s recent announcement of the upcoming Steam Machine gaming console. Fans and analysts have subsequently begun debating the “return of the console wars,” despite many questioning if the Steam Machine will be a true competitor to staple consoles like the PS5 and Xbox Series X. That said, new rumors about PlayStation’s future outlook on PC ports have many curious about just how threatening the new system may be.
PlayStation May Be “Pulling Back” on PC Releases
According to gaming podcaster Jez Corden, a “very good source” mentioned to him that future “tent-pole single-player games” by PlayStation may not be released for PC and may be kept in-house console exclusives. The comment came amid discussions about PlayStation games released on Steam failing to receive the same virality as other titles on the platform, perhaps making PC a less lucrative outlet for Sony. This frequent inability for PC ports of PlayStation first-party games to “move the needle” has allegedly left PlayStation more inclined to go the way of Nintendo in keeping its primary IPs limited to its own gaming systems. While this has not been officially confirmed in any way, players have already voiced mixed reactions, with many unsurprised by the alleged insider comment and others skeptical of Sony wanting to give up so quickly on the additional revenue of PC sales.
There is presently no way of knowing if the power of the Steam Machine will register as a major concern for competitors in the console gaming market, though it would not be all that surprising if companies like Sony decided to keep at least some of their more prominent first-party IPs limited to their own systems. Many have pointed to Nintendo as a prime example of a company that has mostly avoided the “console wars” simply by building enough of a dedicated audience and locking its best money-makers behind its own hardware.
Whether PlayStation truly plans on following in Nintendo’s footsteps and moving away from multiplatform video game releases remains to be seen, but the launch of the Steam Machine is already anticipated to have some sort of impact on its competitors. Interested fans can stay tuned for any official word from PlayStation on its future release strategies, along with other updates on how the Steam Machines may impact the landscape of console gaming.
- Brand
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Sony PlayStation
- Original Release Date
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November 7, 2024
- Original MSRP (USD)
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$749.99
- Processor
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AMD Ryzen Zen 2 (8 cores, 16 threads, 3.5GHz)
- Resolution
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Up to 8K
- HDR Support
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Yes
Source: YouTube
