PC Ports, Not a Handheld, Might Be the True Limiter to PlayStation 6's Power
Recently, it seems that the cross-development of games on PC maybe the least limitative factor in the developing of PlayStation 6 games as compared to a rumored portable device. According to Bryan Heemskerk of Massive Damage, game developers will never for sure be pushing the console to the max if that means risking the development of a subsequent PC release.
The Handheld Isn't the Hurdle Many Assume
According to Heemskerk, scaling the games down for a small PS handheld is now less of a technical challenge. For him, today we are past the day of resolution in which upscaling tools like NVIDIA DLSS, AMD FSR, and Sony's PSSR are really fastly improving. Oftentimes for developers, it becomes more of a task of working with a handheld by lowering the resolution than lowering the overall settings or scales the game with more emphasis on cool visuals.
Also, given its grip on the markets, Sony would have its portable system be seen as a baseline for development, something Microsoft could not achieve with the Xbox Series S due to its market share.
The Real Bottleneck Develop for Diverse PC Hardware
Now the bottleneck centers on the fact that every PlayStation game is, by definition, a game planned for a port to PC, which means large windows of diversities in PC system configurations will have to be taken cared of by the developers, including:
- Obsolete hardware like entry-level graphics cards from some generations back.
- Storage space bottlenecks that are way below what an optimized SSD will provide a console.
This potential for a game to run on such an incredibly broad range of PC hardware makes it less likely for developers to create games that fully exploit the unique high-end possibilities of a unified console like the PlayStation 6. Actually, such developments would cause huge headaches and work for them in developing the PC version later.
Contrasting Examples in Game Development
Heemskerk cited other cases in this regard:
- An example of a multiply platforming/PC port would be Metal Gear Solid Delta Snake Eater-a remake of a title that really stressed the limits of the PlayStation 2. Yet this latest multipurpose version is said to have technical issues that are not very much improved from the last-generation Metal Gear Solid V.
- Examples of consoles exclusive are Death Stranding 2 On the Beach (PS5) and Metroid Prime Remastered (Switch), both insisted upon as games that go to the extreme in terms of capability for the respective consoles because their development did not keep in mind a subsequent PC port.
How This Affects Next-Gen Tech
To add to this dilemma, AMD, which is likely the hardware provider for the PS6, does not enjoy the monopoly it needs to generate mass adoption of these console-unique features on the PC platform. Should AMD succeed in rolling out a revolutionary feature for PS6 that developers will want to adopt, they might be put off by the lack of support on PC platform in view of PS6 almost being bundled with the game.
At the end of the day, more than any other single factor, the requirements forced by the disparate and often less-powerful market represented by PC will shape the technical ambition of PlayStation 6 games.
