![\"Hand](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/SEI_293360871-7302.jpg\")
\n\t\tIs the PS5 as far as console evolution goes? (Credits: Getty Images)<\/p>\n
\t\t
\n\t\tIs the PS5 as far as console evolution goes? (Credits: Getty Images)<\/p>\n
A reader paints a bleak picture of the current console landscape and suggests that Sony<\/a> already knows the PlayStation 6<\/a> will be only for a small percentage of rich fans.<\/p>\n It\u2019s been obvious from the start that Sony has no intention of reversing their decision about physical media<\/a> on the PlayStation 5<\/a>. This wasn\u2019t a conversation or a proposal; this was them telling their fans they can like it or lump it. There is no alternative: physical discs won\u2019t exist after next year and then the only place you\u2019ll be able to buy games is from the PlayStation Store.<\/p>\n There\u2019ll be codes in a box in shops but that\u2019s not going to be popular with either customers or shops. So beyond that it\u2019s literally Sony or nothing, which is obviously exactly how they want it. If they\u2019re the only way you can buy games then they can charge whatever they want and there\u2019s nothing anyone can do about it. They also have no incentive to offer fair refund options; they\u2019ll just keep it as it is.<\/p>\n So your options are either buy an Xbox<\/a> (who\u2019s going to do that?), buy a Switch 2<\/a> (it doesn\u2019t have all third party games), or buy a PC (who wants that hassle?). Sony, of course, know this and the unattractiveness of the other options is exactly why they\u2019re doing it. They\u2019ve got us all trapped in a situation where either we play by their rules or we have to go find another hobby.<\/p>\n I don\u2019t want to take up knitting though, so what are my options? I realise I\u2019m being dismissive of PC gaming, and a lot of people seem keen on it, but I hate messing around with hardware and options and all that business. And so many games seem to have problems on PC even when they run fine on consoles. Plug and play is all I want and that\u2019s exactly what consoles offer. Or at least they did until performance modes and all that other PC nonsense started getting into console games too.<\/p>\n The Switch 2 is probably something I\u2019d like to have anyway, but while it does have decent third party support it all seems very random and you can\u2019t count on anything definitely coming to it or not. Except I would bet quite a bit that GTA 6<\/a> isn\u2019t going to make it.<\/p>\n \t\t\t\tExpert, exclusive gaming analysis\t\t\t<\/p>\n Sign up to the GameCentral newsletter<\/a> for a unique take on the week in gaming, alongside the latest reviews and more. Delivered to your inbox every Saturday morning.<\/p>\n So Sony has got us by the short and curlies. I don\u2019t like that and I don\u2019t like companies treating me like a sentient wallet, but that\u2019s the situation we\u2019re in now. If Xbox were in a healthier place they\u2019d be just as bad, heck they tried to pull all this off years earlier with the Xbox One, but they\u2019re kind of stuck trying to play the underdog card and hoping people will like them again because\u2026 Halo<\/a> and Gears Of War<\/a>? Yeah, that\u2019s not happening.<\/p>\n \t\t People have been talking about the end of consoles for years, but it\u2019s mostly been just exaggerations and doomers trying to stretch a point. But now it feels like we\u2019re actually there. There is going to be a PlayStation 6 but it\u2019s going to cost a grand and that means only a tiny number of people are going to buy it \u2013 it won\u2019t be a mass market device anymore. It\u2019ll be the opposite of what the PS1 and PlayStation 2 were.<\/p>\n To what degree Sony could\u2019ve done something about this I\u2019m not sure. They can\u2019t affect the component crisis, but they could\u2019ve definitely tried to do something about development times and pushed companies back towards making double-A games acceptable. Or just pushing shorter games, like Spider-Man: Miles Morales<\/a>. But no, they didn\u2019t do anything sensible like that or make any attempt whatsoever to stop console gaming flying off a cliff.<\/p>\n You would\u2019ve thought they might, considering that\u2019s how they make their money and all, but no. So what is the future of PlayStation and non-Nintendo consoles in general? The PlayStation 6 is a novelty, in my view, and they know it. Just like the Steam Machine and Project Helix. They\u2019re hyper expensive PC\/console hybrids for super fans only and the companies know that.<\/p>\n I think the future of PlayStation is the handheld they keep hinting at<\/a>. It\u2019s going to be like a lower-specced PlayStation 5 (kind of like the Xbox Series S to the Xbox Series X) and it\u2019ll keep the PlayStation 5 going for another eight years or so. There won\u2019t be any PlayStation 6 exclusives, it\u2019ll just upscale and boost PlayStation 5 games.<\/p>\n \t\t I feel that\u2019s been kind of obvious for a while now but there\u2019s literally nowhere else to go. You can\u2019t make something more powerful than the PlayStation 5 and have it cost any less than the PS5 Pro and you can\u2019t make exclusive games for a console that hardly anyone owns (which admittedly is something Microsoft has yet to learn).<\/p>\n So that\u2019s it. Console gaming got as far as the PlayStation 5 and then stopped. I\u2019m sure the PlayStation 6 will be able to do some little extra tricks and improvements, but the underlying games will be PlayStation 5 games, designed for what by then will be last gen hardware. Those that were complaining that this gen seemed like it\u2019s barely started don\u2019t know how right they are\u2026<\/p>\n By reader Ruben<\/p>\n \t\t The reader\u2019s features do not necessarily represent the views of GameCentral or Metro.<\/p>\n You can submit your own 500 to 600-word reader feature at any time, which if used will be published in the next appropriate weekend slot.<\/p>\n Just contact us at gamecentral@metro.co.uk<\/a> or use our Submit Stuff page<\/a> and you won\u2019t need to send an email.<\/p>\n Arrow Arrow Arrow![\"GTA](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/SEI_302711899-2c41.jpg\")
\n\t\tGTA 6 \u2013 probably not coming to Switch 2 (Rockstar Games)<\/p>\n![\"Valve's](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/SEI_300163667-3ab6.jpg\")
\n\t\tSteam Machine \u2013 too expensive for most people (Valve)<\/p>\n![\"Mock](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/SEI_296599912-c2f4.jpg\")
\n\t\tThere will be a PS6 but it won\u2019t be cheap (Metro)<\/p>\n
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