Sony‘s bringing PlayStation back to the Tokyo Game Show 2024 after a hiatus lasting several years. The company has largely moved away from physical events, and will be returning to the upcoming show for the first time since 2019.

Microsoft apparently skipping Tokyo Game Show 2024 as PlayStation returns

In a rather strange twist, the exhibitor list does not include Xbox or Microsoft even though the company has been increasing its presence at physical events. Microsoft has also been attempting to increase its visibility specifically in the Japanese market, where it has always been at a disadvantage.

That said, a month prior to TGS 2024, Microsoft will be setting up its “largest booth yet” in Europe at Gamescom. Neither Sony nor Nintendo will be in attendance.

Other notable companies coming to TGS are Bandai Namco Entertainment, Capcom, Koei Tecmo, Konami, Sega/Atlus, Square Enix, and Ubisoft.

It’s unclear what Sony will be exhibiting but we do know that the company will be sponsoring the Indie Game Project.

In total, TGS will have 731 exhibitors spread across “the largest-ever 3,190 booths,” according to a press release by the organizer. The event will take place between September 26 and September 29 in Mihama-ku, Chiba City, Chiba Prefecture.

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Wild speculations emerged over the weekend that Sony Interactive Entertainment is gearing up to cease production of PlayStation game discs, after a Japanese report was taken out of context. Although the report itself is in English, it pertains to blank optical disc production specifically in Japan, and has nothing to do with Sony’s gaming business.

PlayStation game discs ‘marked safe’ from cuts

According to Mainichi Japan, Sony’s cutting around 250 jobs from its recordable media business. The usual engagement farmers on X shared the report with misleading text, leading to another round of console wars and a strange panic among fans.

Popular X user Wario64 was one of those who shared the report and got hit with Community Notes, but that understandably didn’t stop the console warriors.

It certainly doesn’t help that that an all-digital future is a recurring topic in gaming circles.

Recently, veteran U.S. market analyst Mat Piscatella opined that Sony and Nintendo will both eventually embrace a digital future, with Microsoft already heading into one as it’s increasingly moving away from physical releases. Piscatella reckons that by PS7, PlayStation game discs will be a rarity.

Meanwhile, Nintendo is expected to hold the line for at least two more generations.

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A newly-published Sony Interactive Entertainment patent reveals an interesting idea for fully customizable PlayStation controllers: draw your own controller with electrical ink. The company has acknowledged that standard off-the-shelf controllers don’t work for everyone, and has set out to solve that problem.

How fully customizable PlayStation controllers would work, per Sony’s patent

As spotted by Exputer, the patent describes a “user-customized” controller that comes without any default buttons, allowing players to draw buttons how they see fit using conductive ink.

If the patent ever comes to fruition, Sony’s custom controller kit would come with “special purpose anti-fatigue buttons.” As an example, Sony says one such anti-fatigue key would allow players to press a button once and the gaming system will assume that the button is held down. So, in other words, if you want to sprint with a simple button press as opposed to holding a stick down, you’ll want to use this anti-fatigue key.

“Computer games typically involve use of an off-the-shelf game controller which some people may find difficult to manipulate,” Sony argues.

Worth reiterating that companies routinely patent ideas. However, many of the patents we’ve seen over the last decade have resulted in actual products — like the PlayStation Portal — so never say never!

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Former Sony Interactive Entertainment executive Shawn Layden reckons that it’s time for PlayStation vs Xbox debates to end. His proposal: “one standard home console technology.” Layden believes that the differences between both platforms are negligible, which was not the case in the past.

Companies need to get PlayStation vs Xbox platform war ‘out of the way,’ says Shawn Layden

Speaking at IGN Live 2024 (via GamesRadar), Layden said that Sony and Microsoft used to manufacture their consoles with very different architectures, making the differences between them noticeable. However, that is no longer the case, with both companies producing very similar hardware using the same type of technology from manufacturers like AMD.

Layden said that things like “ray tracing differentials” aren’t very noticeable, especially since most players don’t have high-end displays. “Xbox, PlayStation, high-end PC — that’s almost at a plateau where all things being equal, they’re pretty much the same,” Layden remarked. “We’d be in a better world if we could get down to one standard home console technology that we could come together, and get this platform war thing out of the way”

Layden’s suggestion hasn’t been well received by players who believe that both Sony and Microsoft should have competition in the market.

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Former PlayStation executive Shawn Layden has said that the cost of developing AAA games will continue to hurt the industry, which is currently reeling from ongoing layoffs. Offering his advice on making games faster and cheaper, Layden said that devs need to stop chasing lengthy games and photorealism where it’s not needed.

Only a small percentage of players are finishing lengthy AAA games, says Shawn Layden

The need to stop obsessing over realistic graphics and game length are just two recommendations out of many that Layden offered to GamesIndustry.biz, but they stick out the most. He pointed out that only 32% of players are finishing the games they start, so devs are “making a lot of game that 68% of the people aren’t seeing.”

Layden didn’t say where he got the data he’s quoting, but we have seen trophy statistics for some major games, like Red Dead Redemption 2, that suggest that a large number of players aren’t actually finishing games.

Speaking of photorealism, Layden said that some of the graphical improvements that devs are chasing are barely noticed by the average player, but they are costing a lot of time and resources to implement. “We’re in the realm of differences that only dogs can hear,” he remarked.

Do you agree with Layden? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

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Xbox boss Phil Spencer recently took aim at Sony over its PlayStation content exclusive deals, which has drawn the attention of former PlayStation executive Shawn Layden. Spencer, while talking about Call of Duty, referred to Sony’s past content deals with the franchise as “slimy platform things.”

Spencer irked by PlayStation exclusive deals but Xbox has a history of them

Layden didn’t have any words to share, but did use gifs on X to communicate his thoughts very clearly.

Layden was also seen interacting with quite a few tweets that were either critical of Spencer’s comments or seemed amused by Layden’s response.

Many have argued that Spencer was making a general reference to platform exclusive deals, but he was specifically talking in context of Call of Duty’s 10 years of content arrangements with PlayStation.

Although Spencer has been a huge advocate of dropping exclusives, Microsoft continues to enagage in exclusivity wars, so his comments are a little baffling. Even if we ignore the Xbox 360 era, Rise of the Tomb Raider was famously taken off of PS4 for a whole year while Spencer was in charge. Games like Starfield and Redfall were in development for the PS5 when Spencer-led Xbox bought ZeniMax and pulled them off of Sony’s platform, and so on.

Let’s not forget Matt Booty discussing spending Sony “out of business.”

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Former Microsoft executive Mike Ybarra has said that the sheer size of Microsoft Gaming now warrants having some Xbox games on PlayStation and Nintendo platforms. Ybarra’s comments follow confirmation by Xbox boss Phil Spencer that more of the company’s first-party games will go multiplatform in the future.

Microsoft to become the world’s largest publisher with Xbox games on PlayStation and Nintendo

Ybarra, who spent two decades at Microsoft, acknowledged concerns about the future of Xbox hardware by fans once more first-party games go multiplatform. However, he’s of the view that Microsoft Gaming is beyond the point of hardware sales, and needs to focus on its ambition to be the world’s largest publisher.

“You have to put emotion aside and focus on the teams, players, and business – and make hard decisions,” Ybarra said. “Given the size of Microsoft Gaming now, it’s just not sustainable to not be embracing all platforms. They are taking their players in this journey, and that is not easy, but this is the right plan for their teams and players.”

Microsoft hasn’t said which games it plans to release on PlayStation and Nintendo going forward, but rumor has it that Halo is one of the first-party franchises going multiplatform.

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Xbox boss Phil Spencer has pretty much confirmed that more Microsoft first-party games are headed to PlayStation platforms. This news is neither surprising nor a revelation, but there continues to be debate over how far Microsoft plans to go with its multiplatform pivot.

Microsoft sees Xbox games on PlayStation as a ‘benefit’

During an interview with IGN yesterday, Spencer was quizzed about releasing games like Doom: The Dark Ages on PS5 after spending billions of dollars acquiring ZeniMax. Spencer said that he is often asked what the benefit of buying an Xbox console is if Microsoft will release its games on multiple platforms. He is of the view that Xbox first-party games launching day-one on Game Pass and being cross-compatible with PC is the biggest advantage of investing in Microsoft’s hardware.

“Our commitment to our Xbox customers is that you are going to get the opportunity to buy or subscribe to the game — we are going to support the game on other screens,” Spencer said. “You are going to see more of our games on more platforms, and we just see that as a benefit to the franchises that we are building.” Spencer added that players simply “love to be able to play.”

So, there you have it… straight from the horse’s mouth!

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New Sony Interactive Entertainment CEOs Hermen Hulst and Hideaki Nishino have made some big promises about future PlayStation games and experiences. The duo, who replaced veteran Jim Ryan, say that SIE’s new structure will ensure “increasingly incredible experiences” and “greater creativity.”

PlayStation ‘consistently the Best Place to Play’ games, says Sony

Sony published a joint letter by Hulst and Nishino to mark the start of their new roles on June 1, in which the duo said that PlayStation’s restructuring was important to simultaneously achieve the goal of improving profits and delivering better products and experiences to players.

SIE’s profit margins had recently come under the microsope due to increasing game budgets. Shortly afterwards, PlayStation underwent mass layoffs as part of organizational restructuring that took place prior to Ryan’s departure.

“Over the last 30 years we have consistently delivered the ‘Best Place to Play’ and the size of our community of players and creators has grown tremendously,” Hulst and Nishino wrote. “While having two CEOs is a new structure for SIE, we know this will foster greater creativity and innovation as we look for new ways to grow the business, always keeping our community at the forefront.”

You can read the full letter on Sony’s website.

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PlayStation’s priorities may shift from chasing better graphics to crafting “immersive narratives” over the coming years. This statement comes from PlayStation’s head of production and Head of Product, Asad Qizilbash, as part of Sony’s “Creative Entertainment Vision” project.

PlayStation to prioritize immersive experiences, including mixed reality

Qizilbash explained PlayStation’s long-term vision in an interview on the company’s website. “In terms of gaming’s future,” said Qizilbash, “I envision games becoming more personalized due to advances in technology and AI, enabling customized experiences for each player…The focus is going to shift from graphics or visuals to immersive narratives that resonate long after the controller is set down.”

This doesn’t mean that graphics will stop being important to PlayStation. Instead, Qizilbash says graphics have already reached a point where game assets could be seamlessly integrated into films and television. According to Qizilbash, Sony is uniquely well-equipped to capitalize on this potential.

He went on to describe how new technology will “democratize” media production and talked about the future he sees in mixed reality. The latter included immersive theme park experiences, which PlayStation is already experimenting with.

These themes were viable in Sony’s recent Creative Entertainment Vision video, which depicted where things could be ten years from now. It starts with a small group of developers creating a game using a VR workspace. Their project becomes a multimedia franchise with an attraction at a futuristic augmented reality PlayStation theme park.

Granted, Sony is engaging more than a little bit of creative license here. For example, the video’s holographic PlayStation controller seems a little impractical. Still, it matches what Qizilbash says about the company’s new focus on immersion and mixed reality.

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