Immersive gaming, the next era of video games

PlayStation is looking to become one of the most innovative companies on the market, and although competition remains fierce, its concepts aim to address a new type of experience.

Gaming is also an industry in need of transformation, and although the business model is moving towards subscriptions and cloud gaming, companies like PlayStation also believe that it must deliver immersive experiences for users.

Rafael Stival, marketing director for PlayStation in Latin America, mentions that 30 years ago, when the console was launched on the market, it represented a technological push for the industry, which was reflected in the type of stories that were created and now they are looking for a new approach for the future.

At CES 2025, the company showcased the Future Immersive Entertainment concept, a technology that uses technologies such as Virtual Reality and a system of high-definition panels to incorporate people into an environment based on experience and the senses.

Inside this room, attendees have surround sound, haptic technology in weapons, and even aromas that build an atmosphere straight out of The Last of Us II, where characters reacted to user interaction.

For now, it is a concept and will likely not materialize or arrive until several years in the future, but it is an experience close to the metaverse in the world of video games, albeit with the need for a physical infrastructure.

Stival also highlights that he maintains PlayStation's idea of ​​finding ways to make players part of its stories and exemplifies this with the PlayStation 5's Dualsense, a controller that connects through haptic elements with video games to make them closer to people.

30 years of PlayStation

In 2024, PlayStation celebrated its 30th anniversary and represented a turning point for gaming by diversifying content aimed at teenagers and adults, in addition to advancing its graphics.

"Its 3D graphics processor allowed studios to create games with mature content, violent images or realistic scenarios," Serkan Toto, an industry analyst based in Japan, told EFE.

Among the titles of this type that gained popularity from the first stage of PS1 are the car racing simulator Gran Turismo, the 'survival horror' saga with zombies Resident Evil, or the action and spy title by Hideo Kojima, Metal Gear Solid, all of them considered milestones in their respective genres.

Although there were already consoles for playing at home in the 1990s, such as the Sega Saturn or Nintendo 64, and not only in arcade stores, Stival highlights that the entry of the PS1 into the market expanded the options for staying connected to video games in a faster and more user-friendly way.

This has allowed the company to become one of the main markets in Latin America, and at a global level it has “an important role and participation within the global strategy” of PlayStation, says Stival, who adds that one of its priorities is to understand the needs of local consumers and offer them the right experience.

“We see Mexico as having great opportunities for the gaming market precisely because of the consumer, the passion they have and all their expectations regarding our launches,” said the executive in an interview from Brazil.

According to data from Tecnológico de Monterrey, in 2023 the video game market in the country reached a value of 39.4 billion pesos and the category with the best performance was hardware, with an increase in sales of 11%, up to 14.1 billion pesos.

In this context, Stival highlights that Mexico's potential is also replicated in Brazil and other countries in the region, such as Argentina or Colombia, where year-on-year growth in terms of sales has been observed. "We understand Latin America as a whole, as one of the main global regions so that we can continue to show this positive growth and keep the community even more engaged with our brand," he points out.

Nintendo, a historic competitor of PlayStation

This Thursday, Nintendo introduced the Switch 2 to the world, a move that will generate greater competition in the video game market, since the PlayStation 5 is in its fifth year in stores and its sales could be impacted by the new version of the hybrid.

It is also important to note that competition between the two Japanese companies is not new. The PS was very close to never seeing the light of day, due to a failed collaboration between the Japanese firms.

However, after its differences with Nintendo created uncertainty at Sony, the company decided to develop a platform that used the CD as a support instead of the usual cartridges alone, finally opting for the latter option, which would change the future of the video game sector.

The PlayStation was launched in Japan on December 3, 1994, and the following year in Europe, the United States, and other markets. It easily outsold its main competitors, the Nintendo 64 and Sega Saturn, in the same generation.

Today, PS 2 is the best-selling console in the history of video games, with 160 million units sold worldwide, followed by the Nintendo DS handheld with 154 million, and in third place the Nintendo Switch, with 146 million consoles among users so far.