Sony May Go More Casual With The PlayStation 4

What is Sony's intention with the next PlayStation? We keep getting the feeling that the electronics giant will be shifting gears to the casual and mainstream markets.

Recently, we heard the PS4 might not be a massive technical powerhouse and in fact, it may not boast that much more raw power than the PS3. Then we get an interview with SCEE vice president James Armstrong (via GamingBolt), where he says the following:

"It’s hard to say right now.I do not think we’ll have a console with a lot better graphics than the PS3 currently offered.I believe the future will be to offer consumers better and more accessible experience .The aim will be to make more people enter the world of video games and try to design titles for women."

It's frightening for the hardcore gamers to realize that such a statement reminds us of the Wii... Nintendo's latest machine was such a tremendous success out of the gate that both Sony and Microsoft eventually dove into motion sensing. Furthermore, while the casual/mainstream crowd is typically familiar with the Xbox 360, the PS3 is frequently the hardcore gamer's console. And no, this isn't to say there are no hardcore gamers who only own a 360; that'd be absurd. What seems apparent is that if you're only a casual fan who plays every once in a while, chances are, you have a 360 and not a PS3.

So what's Sony doing here? What are they planning? The Wii was huge for a little while but definitely lacked staying power, primarily because a video game console needs games to survive in the long run. Gimmicks always wear thin with the consumer; it just gets boring really, really fast. Should we believe Sony is just going to release a new console that isn't much more powerful but more "social?" Designed to cater to those who aren't even gamers? I.e., the Wii?

But hey, we shouldn't jump to any conclusions. Nothing concrete is known about the next PlayStation yet. Let's remember that.

VIA psxextreme