The technical data and tech demos for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X are slowly seeping through. So far, the presentation of the Unreal Engine 5, which was shown in real time on the upcoming Sony console, has fascinated so far. At Platinum Games, the anticipation for the next generation of consoles is still limited: in conversation with Video Game Chronicle studio director Atsushi Inaba states that he has never seen anything surprising or innovative.
And in terms of technical progress, too, it seems to have been underpowered compared to the further developments of previous systems: “If you think back to the generation between Super Nintendo and PlayStation and how we switched from pixel graphics to 3D polygons – nobody could have imagined that a few years ago. When this stuff was published it simply blew people away: they were not armed for that, they didn’t expect it … it was just so new “, says Inaba.
“On the other hand, the announcements of the last generation of consoles made me feel that it was a ‘predictable’ future, even though it was all good and interesting – and of course I was happy from a developer point of view, with a better one Technology can work. But there isn’t that extreme surprise or unexpected quality leap that I felt in the development steps of previous consoles. Now I see the announcements and I think ‘oh that’s cool’ and a minute later ‘hmm, what should I watch on Netflix tonight? ‘”
However, Inaba immediately postpones that it is his personal opinion, does not want to sound too negative and sees the industry as a whole in a promising way. At the same time, he does not necessarily see the technology race as a factor in how to define the next generation, and gives Nintendo’s Switch as an example.
“To give you another example of my point of view: Nintendo Switch was groundbreaking in how you took a home console and made it mobile. It was something you haven’t seen in many people before. It tore down that wall, by that many people may not have known existed. ”
He also notes that they haven’t seen everything the upcoming consoles have to offer. Therefore Inaba hopes that the PS5 and Xbox Series X might still bring with it the qualities of a game changer, which besides Switch e.g. also saw the Gameboy and the DS.
“And if that’s the case, maybe you can blow me away”, Inaba is cautiously optimistic.
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