PlayStation ‘Was Lucky To Survive’ The PS3 Era, Says Former SIE Boss

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'We Are Happy To Have Survived The Experience'

Story Highlight
  • Former SIE boss says Sony risked a lot with PlayStation during the PS3 era. 
  • It could’ve ended their console journey for good, but he’s happy they survived.
  • PS3 had all sorts of issues, including inflated price tag, development issues, and more.

PlayStation 3 is widely regarded as one of the weakest generations of Sony’s consoles so far. It was outplayed by the Xbox 360 in all ways during the era, and former SIE boss says PlayStation was lucky to survive the PS3 era. 

Why it matters: The PS3 had all sorts of issues, from an inflated price tag to lackluster titles at launch and development obstacles. It put PlayStation in a tricky situation that could’ve cost them a lot. 

Shawn Layden says Sony was lucky to survive the PS3 era

In an interview with Eurogamer, former SIE president Shawn Layden revealed the hurdles they faced during the PS3 era. He said they tried too many things with the console compared to the previous generations. 

We flew too close to the sun, and we were lucky and happy to have survived the experience, but it taught us a lot.

– Shawn Layden

Sony PlayStation 3
PlayStation 3 went on to sell 87 million units

With PS3 they built a supercomputer and put Linux on it. All of these were risky moves but he’s glad they survived the time, and it taught them a lot, which eventually led to PS4, the second best-selling console the company has ever released. 

Furthermore, he said that the PS3 experience taught them it’s not necessary to build everything in-house to manage costs. It’s fine to outsource certain components and get help from other parts manufacturers. 

Ultimately, the PS4 helped Sony understand what the audience wanted; a multimedia-like experience that the Xbox offered. Despite its shortcomings, the PS3 ended up selling more overall units than the Xbox 360.

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