Still haven’t surpassed PS1, PS2, PS3, or PS4 sales.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_best-selling_game_consoles
I think it is because it launched without that many games and honestly sure there was improvement, but not as much as the jump from PS2 to PS3, or PS3 to PS4.
I think it has surpassed all those consoles at this point in their life cycles. Or at least it did, maybe it is sliding in that metric.
I don’t think there is really any games and also mod support is basically nonexistent on consoles.
There are games, but few exclusives (just 18 the last time I checked). If you want to play modern games and don’t want a PC, it’s fine for that, without really being special in any way. It is a difficult value proposition for owners of the previous gen, since the jump in visual fidelity is much smaller than between prior generations (an inevitability that isn’t Sony’s fault) and since the previous generation is still being at least partially supported and was strongly supported for a very long time. However, over time, most have clearly made the jump and with the release of GTA VI (timed exclusive for PS), the system will see another significant boost.
Mods are not really a factor on consoles. Very few console gamers care about them. Xbox has slightly better support with fewer restrictions, but there are only a handful of games with support (mainly Bethesda RPGs). It clearly hasn’t helped the competition from Redmond.
It’s because of this:
https://www.vgchartz.com/article/465289/ps5-vs-ps4-sales-comparison-june-2025/
Align PS4 and PS5 sales to their launch date, and you’ll see that the PS5 has been lagging behind. Not by a lot, but it’s noticeable. This is despite the fact that The Xbox Series X/S is doing a bit worse than the Xbox One, and the One did a lot worse than the 360. Nintendo, of course, is in another room doing its own thing.
Sony expected every generation to sell better than the last. The market has clearly hit a saturation point, so that expectation is no longer valid. Combine that with the fact that Moore’s Law (originally defined as the price per integrated component dropping) is completely dead. That means you can no longer expect better hardware to get cheaper. You might be able to find fabs that can give you more performance, but it’ll cost you.
This is why the GabeCube is a good idea from a business persepctive. It will likely have better performance than the Xbox Series X/S, but not as good as the PS5. What it can do is be affordable with good enough hardware. The specs appear to be a bit Frankenstein, which is what you’d expect if Valve grabbed whatever deals on things they could find to put something together.
Nice style, fast lodaing screens, 4k and good graphics. But to me, it is just an upgraded ps4. Graphics didnt leap as far as 8bit-16bit-ps1-ps2-ps3. Big focus on improving visuals lead us to have great visuals barely changing overtime, but gameplay didnt evolve.
gameplay didn’t evolve
Massive understatement. The PS5’s biggest titles were remakes and direct sequels. Coupling it with the “upgraded” versions of PS4 games like Ghost of Tsushima, Last of Us Part 2, and GTA5, even the marketing seemed to boil down to “This is just a really nice PS4.”
I got a PS5 shortly after launch which was a chore; I subscribed to a discord group to get notified about new store drops so I could find one at MSRP to avoid scalpers. The only exclusive I played through was the Demon Souls remaster. Ive played other games on it too but they are all cross-platform and I could’ve played them on my gaming PC.
I never got the PS5 because the PS3 -> PS4 jump was too underwhelming, when PC is pulling away so many games. And it’s not about or solvable with exclusives, because there are literally no games I can think of that would make me buy a whole console just to play. Imho PC gaming, especially in the Golden Age of Indies, is just too strong an argument unless you are a console-only gamer.
It… does feel like a success, though?
it feels like it’s winning, but it doesn’t feel as successful as the numbers show it is. Everyone has a PS5 but a lot of them are collecting dust already.
Everyone has a PS5
Feels like a success to me?
Consoles are usually sold at a loss and profit is made on the software i.e games and nowadays subscriptions. Selling hardware at a loss with no follow up is going to hurt.
If no one is buying new games, that is bad for Sony and bad for the industry. Part of Sony’s business model is built around the revenue from digital game sales and PS plus memberships. You ain’t makin money from those if no one is using the consoles they bought.
The only reason I got a PS5 was because my PS4’s HDMI port got damaged somehow. The controller is a significant upgrade if games use it, but not a lot do. Looking back, I probably would have been fine without it at all since I have a Steam Link and that works great in the TV
The main reason why I got one was because my PS4 was on its last legs after the hammering it got during 8 months of covid lockdown and furlough, and the whole console was cheaper than a new graphics card for my PC (+the other upgrades it needed to accommodate it).
The new controller is epic and that astrobot demo game really showcased its capabilities, but no other games have used it, even other exclusives like god of war. Wasted opportunity.
Yup think the PS5 is going to be my last console purchase. In future if i get the itch to play on the tv i’ll plug my laptop into the TV.
Exclusives? So PS5 isn’t as good as PS4 because you can play more of its catalogue on other platforms? This feels like a bad take to me.
People here already mentioning a lot of other good points that I think are bigger contributors to the feeling of the PS5 being less successful than it is.
I don’t think it really is a success at least not a success in sony’s eyes an I hope they have a plan on what to do about the excess ps5s after it got the final nail in the coffin.
My partner got a ps5 at launch to play the new final fantasy game. He played through it and it’s pretty much been collecting dust ever since. We still use the ps4 as a TV box (Netflix plex etc) I seem to remember every time we wanted to attempt using it the ps5 wanted to update for hours, and then the update finishes and the friggin controller wants updating now. Back to the ps4 for TV, back to the pc for gaems
I was going to get a PS5 since Steam Deck is finally running out of steam for games I actually care about. (And after the hassle a friend building his PC had, desktops scare me)
But then Valve announced Gabecube anyway, so the only reason I’d want one is for maybe reselling physical games after beating them. And I already have a Switch 2 to do that with.
Which games are you struggling with on the Deck?
What kind of issues did your friend have building a PC? It’s a rather straightforward process, really. You can make mistakes, of course, but if you prepare your build carefully, maybe get a second or third opinion from people with experience and knowledge, read a tutorial or two, then few things can really go wrong. I’m willing to help with the selection of components and some tips on the building process, if you want (I’ve been building PCs for decades, if that counts).
I get the appeal of the “Gabecube” (I hope this name sticks) for you though, but keep in mind that it is a relatively limited system in terms of power, quite a bit below current-gen consoles by current estimates and especially limited by its relatively small amount of VRAM. It should be able to play every Linux-compatible game for now (the most demanding at low settings only), but sooner or later, the limited GPU (which can not be upgraded, unlike on a normal PC), will result in games just not running well enough or not even booting, similar to certain newer games on the Deck. It is considerably more powerful than the Deck though.
It really depends on the price whether or not it’s a good low-end gaming PC. Hardware prices are not exactly ideal at the moment (RAM is the current sticking point, but GPUs aren’t cheap either), so if the Deck manages to be more affordable than a comparable budget build - kind of like the base-model Steam Deck has been a very impressive value proposition - it might be worth it.
Now is not a good time for PC building, AI made both RAM and SSD expensive.
