Following the PlayStation 3's launch in November 2006, a recurrent complaint heard from the development community was that the system was simply too difficult to make games for. This complaint was borne out time and time again during the first couple years of the system's lifespan, as PS3 games commonly trailed their Xbox 360 counterparts. Other developers, such as the recently changed-of-heart Valve, simply refused to develop their games for the console.

　　The PS3 could be considered middle-aged. Sony doesn't intend to make that same mistake for the PS3's follow-up. Speaking to UK gaming magazine Develop, Sony Worldwide Studios president Shuhei Yoshida said that a prime directive has been to more directly involve software developers in the creation of new hardware.

　　"When Ken Kutaragi moved on and Kaz Harai became the president of SCE, the first thing Kaz said was, 'Get World Wide Studios in on hardware development,'" Yoshida said. "So he wanted developers in meetings at the very beginning of concepting new hardware, and he demanded SCE people talk to us [developers]."

　　Yoshida went on to state that this development strategy is being incorporated into "future platforms" from Sony. "Yes, we are undergoing many activities that we haven't yet been talking about in public," Yoshida stated. "Some future platform related activities."

　　Just when Sony's next console will arrive is anyone's guess. Many analysts and industry executives are under the impression that the current console generation will extend well beyond the traditional five-year cycle, thanks in part to the introduction of Kinect and PlayStation Move later this year. Sony has also been adamant in painting the PS3 as a device with a 10-year lifespan.