I'm not expecting a PS6 to come out at the same interval that Playstation has released previous consoles. PS5 still hasn't outsold a single previous Playstation console iteration (besides the Vita), and there's going to be a noticeable paradigm shift when the Switch 2 releases using roughly PS4-level hardware. If the Switch 2 sells like crazy, developers aren't going to be targeting the max potential of the PS5, they're going to be targeting the max potential of the Switch 2, ensuring that they'll be able to release their titles on every platform. The public appetite for cinematic, hyper realistic games is dying down, and the appetite for convenience and games that are mechanically fun is higher than ever.
All of the most popular games of the past few years haven't been graphical powerhouses, they've been games that have some kind of hook. Elden Ring's difficulty and scope, Among Us's social element, Animal Crossing's cozy aesthetic and social features, Fortnite's unbeatable rate of free content, Call of Duty's reliable and familiar shooting gameplay, Minecraft's goliath popularity only seems to be increasing... These are the games that are captivating players. Meanwhile, responses to Spider-Man 2, God of War, and the constant re-releases of The Last of Us have been completely lukewarm. People are tired of having the controls wrested from them to listen to the drama and look at the hyper-realistic arm hairs of the protagonist gently bristle in the wind. Am I saying cinematic games are an obsolete artform and you're an idiot if you like them? No, of course not, stupid!! But "wow, look how real it looks" just doesn't seem to be moving systems anymore, they don't have a viral quality like they did back then, and I think the average player wants to have a fun, highly interactive experience, not Sony's imitation Hollywood.
Making a PS6 after the public disgust this PS5 Pro has created isn't just unlikely, I'm not even sure if it'll be possible for a long time. If people don't care about realism and fidelity and we can already play 100 player battle royales in 1440p 120FPS on the standard PS5, what experience is going to come out 5 years from now that can't exist on the PS5? I think on a performance and convenience level, the PS5 was a necessary and appreciated upgrade to the PS4, but I think we've reached the point of ultimate diminishing returns, and the focus must return to making irresistible GAMES, not hardware.
If I can somehow tie this back in to Kingdom Hearts, because for the love of all that is holy we drift further from that game each day; I'm happy Kingdom Hearts has stuck to its delineation of cutscenes and gameplay. There's nothing that kills my fun more than extended conversations and story that take place during an unskippable 'walk-and-talk' portion of gameplay. I get the story the first time I play, and then on replays I really prefer to just focus on the game and mechanics
