Katarzyna Petru
Is the race for increasingly powerful consoles coming to an end? Naoki Yoshida, producer of Final Fantasy XIV, in one of his latest interviews, put forward a thesis that may cause quite a stir in the industry. According to him… the next generation of hardware might not be needed at all.
Are consoles strong enough already?
Yoshida pointed out that players are satisfied with what is offered today by Xbox Series X, PlayStation 5, and Switch 2. According to him, the new generation would not bring a revolution – the current consoles still meet market expectations. In other words: there is no hurry because the technological leap is not as noticeable as it used to be.
Expensive Hardware, Expensive Problem
The head of Final Fantasy XIV did not hide the fact that one of the biggest brakes is the prices. Sony and Microsoft recently raised the prices of consoles, and Yoshida emphasizes directly: “hardware is just expensive.” This means that players are increasingly less likely to think about upgrading to newer equipment – especially if the one they have is working flawlessly.
Square Enix is ready, but...
Although Yoshida dampens hopes for a quick generational leap, he reassures: if new platforms appear, Square Enix will be ready for them. The only question is – do players really need another box under the television?
New Directions in Game Development
Interestingly, the future may not lie in the next generations of consoles, but in new forms of gaming. Yoshida pointed to the upcoming ROG Xbox Ally, a hybrid handheld from the Xbox family that combines mobility with console power. This could signal that the industry, instead of the classic race of "who has the more powerful hardware," will move towards diverse experiences and new ways of playing.
The only question is: will the Xbox Series X actually be Microsoft's last console, or is this just a temporary slowdown?
