Sticking To Your Guns

The Playstation 5's Plan To Win The Console Wars

- Jennifer Lee

Where I live, there is a hawker selling prawn noodles from a stall that he’s manned for the past 50-odd years. His noodles are slippery and chewy, while the broth is rich and tastes of prawn (as it should). Garnishes include shrimp, an egg, spinach, and fried onions.

This hawker makes every bowl identical, and has been for the past 50- odd years. You can’t customise your bowl, nor can you request he leave out certain ingredients. Don’t like egg in your bowl? Tough luck – fish it out and don’t eat it.

Despite this, they’re the world’s best bowl of prawn noodles. They may even be the world’s best bowl of any noodles, period. Don’t take my word for it – there’s always a line and a half down the block for his noodles, from the time he opens to the time he runs out of broth.

That's just about how Sony seems to be approaching the next generation of the US$160 billion video game business. Sony's showcase online event Wednesday for its coming PlayStation 5 console confirmed the company's proudly, powerfully conservative notion of what is fundamentally important in the mass entertainment industry.

It's not ultimately about how people buy and consume your product. It's not about consumers engaging with one another. It's not about prices. It's not about technology. It is not even about innovation.