With Detroit: Become Human, Horizon Zero Dawn, and Days Gone, we’re seeing PlayStation exclusives come to PC, with Sony saying that it’s easier to make PS games available on the latter platform.
While it’s great to introduce Sony’s incredible games to a wider audience, PC gaming shouldn’t be a primary focus for Sony. Here’s why.
Microsoft Currently Dominates the PC Gaming Market
Earlier in 2021, in a GQ Magazine interview, Sony’s CEO, Jim Ryan, said that the tech giant’s “ease of making [PS games] available to non-console owners has grown” regarding bringing PS games over to PC.
And while it’s no bad thing for more people to enjoy Sony’s wonderful games, there could be an impact on the quality of future Sony games if the company commits to PC gaming.
And what would that commitment look like? Would it simply be bringing PS games over to PC, or would this develop into Sony’s own line of PC gaming tech? Would Sony design a dedicated launcher for PC like Steam?
No matter where Sony starts, it has its console rival, Microsoft, to deal with.
Microsoft currently dominates PC gaming. Namely, because the vast, vast majority of PC games run on Windows PCs, and who owns Windows? That’s right. Microsoft.
Besides this, Microsoft has excelled at delivering games for both consoles and PC. You’ve got Xbox Game Pass and Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, Microsoft’s service which provides a range of high-quality games for you to download on either your console or PC.
While Sony has a great games-for-subscription service with PlayStation Now, it’s not as developed as Xbox Game Pass, namely in that you can stream games to your Windows PC, but you can’t download them.
So, you’ve got a company—in Microsoft—that’s experienced in creating both the software and services required to run PC games and has a huge monopoly on most things PC gaming. That’s a tall order for Sony to match, let alone beat.
What Could an Unlikely Partnership With Apple Look Like?
Let’s look at Sony, Microsoft, and Apple for a second:
Microsoft has a vast reach in both console and PC gaming. Sony, in console gaming, but not PC gaming. Apple, in its computer hardware and software, but not in PC gaming.
So, could Sony partner up with Apple and tackle Microsoft’s dominance together with a PC gaming offering of their own?
A Sony-Apple partnership in this way probably won’t happen… but let’s entertain that it does.
How Could Sony Partner With Apple?
While we can only theorize what this partnership would look like, there are a few neat ways in which Sony could team up with Apple.
Sony Could Create Exclusive Apple Ports
First, Sony could team up with Apple to release select Sony exclusives only on macOS. This would open up gaming to the Apple community while delivering a fantastic first impression, if done correctly.
Sony has the games, it just needs the correct software to deliver those games on to macOS. And, while Macs and MacBooks might not be there yet in terms of the power required to deliver a top-notch PC gaming experience, future M1 editions could certainly get there.
Sony Could Test an Exclusive Project That’s Tailor-Made for Macs
A big reason that Macs have a hard time running games is down to their operating system—macOS. As most, if not all, PC games run on Windows, it takes additional effort to translate that software to the operating system that Apple designs Macs for.
While this can come across as gimmicky, Sony could test a new IP exclusively for macOS. This removes the need to translate or redevelop an existing project and also creates an intriguing situation—that Apple has an exclusive PC gaming title, and it’s being developed by Sony.
Sony Could Help Bring MacBooks Into the Gaming Scene With a Sophisticated Translation Tool
A third way in which Sony and Apple could partner is if, instead of developing exclusively for Apple, Sony develops its own translation tool for Apple that allows for most PC games to be played.
Currently, Rosetta is being used as a translation tool for M1 Macs to run applications, including games, built for Intel chips. While some games also run natively on M1 Macs, a translation tool that might allow for macOS games to play Windows games could be huge.
While this does should like extremely wishful thinking, if a Sony-Apple partnership ever happens, then, hey, anything might be possible.
Why Sony Shouldn’t Partner With Apple Even if It Could
Let’s say that Sony is thinking of partnering with Apple. If that’s the case, there are still ample reasons it shouldn’t.
Namely, if any of the ideas mentioned above aren’t extremely well-executed, then the whole thing could backfire, causing Sony’s PC offerings to appear lukewarm, Apples’ foray into PC gaming to be unsuccessful, and Microsoft’s lead in PC gaming to increase.
Pulling off any partnership that goes against the key operating system of PC gaming, as well as a company that is supremely well versed in PC gaming, sounds like a dangerous move and one that could devote an extraordinary amount of time and effort.
The only Mac-related thing that Sony should focus on is bringing PS Now to Macs.
Also, Sony has plenty on its plate to be working on, such as developing multiple new projects with many new IPs, producing enough PS5s to meet demand, and perhaps improving its social experience. Too much time spent branching into PC gaming could detract from this.
Sony Should Focus on What It Excels At… Crafting Outstanding Games
We love Sony for its outstanding games and the wonderful consoles it produces. Too much of a focus on PC gaming could detract from what makes Sony great.
Sony is arguably the biggest company in gaming and a key reason is down to the quality of the games it produces, alongside the consoles to play them on. Focusing on this, alongside updates for the PS5 and its services, is what Sony should be—and likely is—doing.
While it’s not there yet, we’re now getting a taste of what the PS5 gaming library could become—and it could be Sony’s best offering yet.