Ito first joined Sony in 1986, where he initially worked on in-car audio equipment before joining the PlayStation division in 2000 to lead hardware engineering. Here, Ito oversaw the development of numerous key PlayStation products, including the PS3, the hugely successful PS4 - which went on to sell over 117 million units - and, starting in 2015, the PlayStation 5. Alongside Sony’s flagship consoles, Ito also had a hand in many other notable PlayStation hardware releases, having created of the likes of the PSP, PS4 Pro, and PSVR headset. Discussing his engineering philosophy ahead of the PS5’s release back in 2020, Ito explained, “Our team values a well thought out, beautifully designed architecture…As a result, we’re able to achieve our goal of creating a product with a high degree of perfection and quality.” Bloomberg reports the 60-year-old Ito will be working on a “mobility related assignment” within Sony Group from October, and will stay on as an executive advisor to SIE’s Platform Experience Group until March 2023. Current director and deputy president Lin Tao will step into Ito’s role following his departure.
