Ken Kutaragi believes that as server-side AI continues to develop, dedicated gaming consoles may lose their necessity in the future. He described the potential end of the console era as a "very real danger."
Ken Kutaragi stated that current high-performance devices are extremely expensive, and continuously driving up local hardware costs is not a healthy development path. He recalled that one of the goals of the PS4's shift to an architecture closer to PCs was to reduce platform development difficulty, an adjustment that proved effective; today, some PCs can cost as much as cars, prompting the industry to reconsider whether it should continue in the same direction.
He cited platforms like Google Gemini as examples, pointing out that many AI capabilities are not run locally on the device but are deployed on servers and within the network. As these platforms continue to evolve, server-side processing may offer richer and more efficient experiences, eventually eliminating the need for any dedicated gaming consoles.
It has been nearly 20 years since Ken Kutaragi left PlayStation. He currently serves as the CEO of Cyber AI Entertainment, an IT consulting and services company, and maintains close ties with the AI sector. He did not provide a timeline for the aforementioned changes, and there is currently no evidence that server-side AI is ready to replace gaming consoles.
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Ken Kutaragi, known as the "Father of PlayStation," stated that the console era faces a "very real danger." He believes that AI platforms may evolve to a point where dedicated hardware is no longer necessary. He made these remarks in a recent interview, emphasizing that these are his personal views and do not represent Sony's overall stance. It has been nearly 20 years since Kutaragi retired from PlayStation. In this interview, he reviewed the current state of the video game industry, with a particular focus on the hardware sector.
The gaming industry is changing rapidly. From the widespread application of AI in game development to the potential imminent obsolescence of physical media, the industry has evolved to the point of being almost unrecognizable compared to when the original PlayStation launched in Japan in 1994. Today, Sony views AI as the future of game development and is actively pushing to phase out physical media, planning to stop producing PlayStation game discs from 2028 onwards. Now, the creator of the original PlayStation has also shared his thoughts on the future direction of the gaming industry.
In an interview with Christopher Dring of The Game Business, Ken Kutaragi explored the possibility that we may be rapidly approaching the end of the console era as AI reshapes the industry landscape. He stated that AI is a valuable tool capable of achieving more in a more "elegant" way, and that the console era is indeed facing danger.
"Currently, these devices are ridiculously expensive, which is not a healthy situation. One of the original intentions behind shifting the PS4 architecture from a console-based to a PC-based foundation was to make it easier for developers to create content for the platform, and this approach indeed proved successful. However, PCs are now so expensive that their prices can rival those of cars. Why should we continue to develop in this direction? Google Gemini and many other AI platforms do not run on end-user devices but operate on the server and network side. They may continue to evolve, enabling more things to be done in a more elegant manner. Perhaps an era where consoles are completely unnecessary is approaching. This is a very real danger."
Ken Kutaragi maintains close connections with the AI field and currently serves as the CEO of Cyber AI Entertainment, a company providing IT consulting and services.