Mark Cerny has been with PlayStation for many years, leading the development of the PlayStation 4 and 5. In his eyes, these two consoles have played a vital role in the technological evolution of gaming.
Talk to Gaming IndustryHe expressed surprise at how the developer has honed in on the PS5's capabilities: Before the studio prioritized 60 frames per second, he thought the game would stick at 30 frames per second because it would allow for more detail in the game's art style.
Similarly, he didn't expect ray tracing to be used much, even though it was a key technical feature for some of the PS5's launch games – the decision to add it was “fairly late,” and he wasn't sure, given the “difficult” work on a console like the PlayStation 3.
He was surprised by that, but didn't mind if he was “totally wrong” about the technology: “I'm very happy that it was adopted so early.”
Consoles and “Hardware Freedom”
Cerny, a longtime console veteran, believes the freedom of the hardware, especially when it comes to multiplatform gaming, gives Sony a chance to lead by example: What's in the PS5 can either reflect current tech or something that could be “100% adopted” in the future.
He argued that porting PlayStation games to the PC is “simpler.” [conversions] More than many people thought. “In addition to the minimum spec improvements such as increased CPU and RAM, Ghost of Tsushima or Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart It wasn't that difficult.
However, he stressed that this isn't a move to enter the PC market like Microsoft has, and that Sony is simply happy to “not be tied to specific standards.” “From time to time, we want to show the way for the industry as a whole, and we think that our efforts will benefit PC players as well.”
Cerny's vision for gaming still has consoles at the core, and as long as Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo “keep making great packages, the future for consoles is pretty bright.”
GamesIndustry's full interview with Cerny, including his time at Atari and his journey to becoming a support developer, can be read here. here.
