My Hopes For The Future Of PlayStation
I’ve been a fan of Playstation since the first, and I always find it interesting how Sony’s strategy for each console changes as time passes. Now, I’m not a blind Playstation fanboy as I primarily play on PC nowadays, but if I had to choose between Xbox or Playstation, I will pick Playstation purely because of the IP’s and exclusives available. This leaves me slightly torn, as Xbox has incredible value with their console with the Xbox Game pass – but none of their exclusive titles entice me, so I have no reason to make a console purchase.
The Playstation 5 is right around the corner and despite the rocky start of the PS3, Sony has been back on top throughout the PS4’s lifetime – almost harkening back to the Playstation 2 days. But that’s what has got me slightly cautious; Sony tends to get too big for their boots causing them to assume too much about the consumer. After the PS2 was a success, Sony completely dropped the ball when the PS3 released – taking years for the PS3 to start gaining traction after a huge marketing push.
If the rumours are true, we have some good PS5 launch titles on the horizon – primarily a new Insomniac Games title, a rumoured Demon Soul’s remake, and Gran Turismo 7. That being said, the make or break for many may be down to the backwards compatibility. It’s already confirmed to be PS4 backwards compatible, which is a huge plus. A big bombshell would be the announcement of PS1-4 backwards compatibility. Imagine being able to put any Playstation game into your PS5 and being able to play it – no game being stuck behind the console generation they were originally released on. It’s always been a pain to have to find the Playstation 2 or 3 when you fancy playing games on that particular console, let alone having a TV that supports the input cables for the PS2. It would be a total game-changer, no pun intended.
PS Now and Xbox Backwards Compatibility has already shown that there is a huge demand for the convenience that backwards compatibility offers, and I feel omitting this from the next console generation will hurt Sony in terms of selling points in the long run. The PS5 is rumoured to be revealed in February, so not long until we find out the full details.