Tokyo, Sep 6 (IANS): Sony Interactive Entertainment on Tuesday announed that its veteran PlayStation hardware chief Masayasu Ito, who joined the company in 1986, will leave on October 1 to spend a retired life.
The 60-year-old executive vice president spent over 36 years at Sony, and was instrumental behind the engineering for both the PlayStation 4 and 5 gaming consoles.
According to Engadget, Ito was transferred to the console division in 2000. He later became the Executive Vice President of Hardware Engineering and Operation and representative director of Sony Interactive Entertainment.
In a recent blog, he said that the company began conceptualising PS5 in 2015, "and we've spent the past five years designing and developing the console".
"We felt it was inevitable to make a generational leap in terms of performance in order to deliver a new, next-generation gaming experience. However, to do so, we had to balance every aspect of the system, from focusing on reducing the noise level to enhancing the cooling capacity, more than ever before," said Ito.
The Japanese tech giant said late last month it is increasing the price of PS5 in select markets due to the global economic environment, including high inflation rates.
The new recommended retail price (RRP) is coming in select markets across Europe, the Middle East, and Africa (EMEA), Asia-Pacific (APAC), Latin America (LATAM), as well as Canada.
"The global economic environment is a challenge that many of you around the world are no doubt experiencing. We're seeing high global inflation rates, as well as adverse currency trends, impacting consumers and creating pressure on many industries," Jim Ryan, President and CEO, Sony Interactive Entertainment, said in a blogpost.
The PS5 was launched in India for Rs 39,990 for the Digital Edition and Rs 49,990 for the Blu-ray version.