Console war will 'reinvigorate' flagging industry, says Sony boss

The next battle for console market share between Sony and Microsoft will help bring a new era of prosperity to the games industry, a PlayStation executive has claimed.
PlayStation America boss Jack Tretton was asked by Fox Business on Wednesday for his views on the US games retail sector contracting for fifteen consecutive months.
<figure style='font: 14px/23.79px "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px; outline: 0px; border: 0px currentColor; width: 460px; color: rgb(38, 38, 38); text-transform: none; text-indent: 0px; letter-spacing: normal; word-spacing: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; display: block; white-space: normal; position: relative; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;' class="responsive single-article__canvas single-article__canvas--full zoomhover" title="" data-media992="http://cdn.medialib.computerandvideogames.com/screens/dir_3056/image_305620_460.jpg" data-media768="http://cdn.medialib.computerandvideogames.com/screens/dir_3056/image_305620_700.jpg" data-media480="http://cdn.medialib.computerandvideogames.com/screens/dir_3056/image_305620_480.jpg" data-media="http://cdn.medialib.computerandvideogames.com/screens/dir_3056/image_305620_320.jpg">http://cdn.medialib.computerandvideo...305620_460.jpg<figcaption style="margin: 5px 0px 0px; color: gray; line-height: 1.35em; font-size: 1.2rem; display: block;" class="zeta caption-tr">PlayStation America executive Jack Tretton</figcaption></figure>"We're talking about the seventh year of a console and I guess if you used a TV analogy, you might say, boy, the re-runs of a show we released seven years ago aren't doing as well as before," he replied.
"The new machine, and the new console war is going to reinvigorate the industry," he added.
Market interest in physical games has waned for several years, following what is considered an all-time industry peak during 2009 and 2010.
Since then, several publishers have become bankrupt (including THQ, Midway and Atari US) along with scores of games studios closing (Leamington Spa based Blitz becoming the most recent).
Major retailers, including GAME, have fallen into administration as debts have mounted, while much of the developer workforce has moved from triple-A games production to the fast-growing mobile and free-to-play markets. It is also commonly said that the flagging games market has led to more conservatism by publishers as profit margins are squeezed.
New consoles, said Tretton, will be the answer to these issues.
"This will be the biggest launch in history, and you are going to see validation that gaming is healthier than it's ever been, and the console is at the top of the entertainment pyramid," he said.
Tretton was also asked to discuss the advantages the PS4 has over its newest rival system, Xbox One. In response, he claimed that Sony is delivering a more powerful machine at $100 less with, he said, the best and most diverse console launch game line-up.
Sony has confirmed a PS4 release date of November 15 in the US and November 29 in Europe. The console will be available in 32 countries this holiday priced at £349 / €399 / $399.

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