Sony Unveils PlayStation 5 – The Highs and Lows

Well, today is the day that many of us in the gaming scene has been waiting for. We’ve got our first real look at the PlayStation 5 and the games that’ll be coming out for it. Sony is known for showing up at E3, except in recent years, when they literally have not shown up for E3. Still, their ‘E3’ show this year lived up to their usual hype in many ways. That’s not to say everything was perfect, however. Here are the highs and lows of the PlayStation 5 reveal.

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High: Everything Looks Pretty

It should go without saying that games on the next-gen consoles should damn well look pretty. However, the devil is in the details with PS5. Literally. The PS4 generation already did a pretty good job delivering on incredibly life-like graphics. There really wasn’t that much room for improvement with the PS5. However, as we saw in the trailers for games like Gran Turismo, the detailing of the games looks unbelievable. Every detail is now fully rendered, creating a more immersive experience than we’ve seen in generations past.

Low: The Load Times Weren’t Shown Off

One of the big selling points of the PlayStation 5 is the Solid State Drive. The theory is that this system will be able to basically remove load times from existence. So why not show us that?! How cool would it have been to go from a start screen directly into the game? Show us an example of someone fast traveling and instantaneously being in the new setting without having things load in. We did see a little bit of the system’s capabilities in the level design of some of the games. I didn’t spot any instances of an area cleverly hiding loading zones.

High: Some Major Game Announcements

I obviously can’t talk about the highs and lows of the PlayStation 5 without mentioning the games. Sony certainly brought it in terms of the line-up of games we saw. Not everything is a launch title, but we’re definitely in for some exciting new releases over the next twelve months. Some of the highlights for me were a new Oddworld game, Ratchet and Clank, Demon’s Souls: Remastered, and Horizon 2. I also need to give some major props to Resident Evil VIII. That’s two Resident Evil entries in a row where I didn’t realize it was a Resident Evil game until the title card dropped. We also saw Square-Enix’s Project Athia, as well as Ghostwire, which I swear had been canceled.

Low: Not Much Game-play

I was harsh on Microsoft for not having much game-play in their trailers, so I would definitely be hypocritical to not yell at Sony for the same thing. We live in an era where game-play is so important because anyone can make a movie that looks good enough for a trailer. But having someone sit and play the game is always the true test. So shame on you Sony for not showing us more. Now, I don’t judge them as harshly as Microsoft because unlike Microsoft, they really didn’t promise us game-play. I’m not saying that’s okay, but it’s better than being lied to.

High: The Development Teams Are Diverse

Sony has spent a lot of time, energy, and money bringing wrangling a great group of developers to make games for their consoles. Whether you want some cutesy fun, some chilling horror, or some beat em up action, this show had a game that would be for you. They also seemed to remember that as much as it isn’t liked in the community, exclusives sell consoles. Spider-Man and God of War weren’t just great games and game of the year contenders, they were PS4 exclusives and that helps move consoles. Sony looks poised to secure a good section of the market once again.

Low: No Price Point and No Release Date

The number 1 thing I was wanting from this showing is the thing I did not get. You can have all of the good games you want, but if the price point for this system is not right, then it’s not going to matter. So why did Sony choose to omit it? Let’s look at the best and worst-case scenario. Best case scenario: they’re waiting for Microsoft to announce their price, so they can drop their pants and do the helicopter dance on them again. Worst case scenario: The price point is higher than we want it to be, and Sony knows to announce that during a pandemic when millions of people are out of work is not a good look. I’m glad there’s going to be a digital-only version. That’s very smart. My hope is that we’re looking at $399 for digital-only and $499 otherwise. Fingers crossed.

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Lead Image courtesy of Sony