My first pass at this was October 17th, 2019.
Of course life happened, and in pondering on it, I wasn’t really sure WHAT I wanted from Sony’s next console. Of course the games come first, these pieces of art which have helped keep the brand at the fore (and redeem themselves with).
But what else do I want from this possible pizza oven?
Apart from a good slice of ‘za, it’s time to dig in and make some nonsense, and maybe not-so-nonsensical calls about Sony’s next console release!
HOLOGRAMS
Look, I love nonsense so of course I’m going to start there. We’re not anywhere near holographic technology, but the idea of it is always fun. So imagine if a console was suddenly like “SURPRISE! WE HAVE HOLOGRAMS!”.
That would certainly change the way we interact with our game-worlds, and could potentially see immersion reach a whole new level.
But I’m guessing we’ll just see an improved VR system…maybe?
BACKWARDS COMPATIBILITY
This is the one most people wanted back with the PS4. While PlayStation Now assisted with this partially, the service is not yet global so it’s only a “most people can play it”.
And yeah, we’re getting remasters or re-releases BUT…it comes with the caveat of your having to re-purchase them.
So c’mon Sony…figure out the software emulation you need, and bring us the PS1 to 4 backwards compatibility we all want. Do the thing. Make it happen.
The DUALSHOCK 5
The DUALSHOCK 4 was almost contentious on release. “What’s the giant touchpad for?”, “Does it offer value?”, “BUT MY LOGO…”. I don’t know if the third one is valid, but the other 2 are. While it hasn’t been exploited to the utmost degree, it’s proved to have a certain worthiness as an extra input and control mechanic. Along with the also underused gyro, the DUALSHOCK 4 did enough to reinvent the long-established and preferred controller for the system.
So what does the DUALSHOCK 5 need to do, if anything?
There’s been a lot of concepts out there, and I have to say the idea of an a touchpad LCD screen could be LIT. Another screen to use during gameplay, along with the current touchpad capabilities sees a multitude of new options for players to use while gaming. And could you imagine reading your toxic messages immediately on the controller? Ahh, gaming.
Beer Delivery
Yah okay, this is a bit of nonsense too, lmao. But if the PS5 could grab me a beer while gaming, that would be just great.
Now Going Global
If you don’t know what PlayStation Now is, it is, and I quote, “Hundreds of PS4, PS3 and PS2 games, available on demand”. It’s just not available everywhere.
Streaming or On-Demand will be a big part of the next generation of consoles and it’s fair to say that Now has some catching up to do. While we have the likes of the monthly games with the PlayStation Plus service, on-demand will provide a large grab at the market of consumers who…well want to consume. And Now could do this.
Whether or not its cooking time has been due to refining it for the current generation or the next is anyone’s guess, but it has to be ready for the PS5.
THE GAMES
Ultimately this is the most important factor. I opened this piece with it, and close with it, because this is what got PlayStation back into the market.
And after an INCREDIBLE showing with the PS4, they have more than enough to retain their audience and keep pulling in new users.
With sequels no doubt lined up for Marvel’s Spider-Man, God Of War, Horizon Zero Dawn and more, along with possible re-releases in The Last Of Us Part II and Ghost Of Tsushima, the console is ready to start strong.
If it can look at retaining exclusive software and/or content releases from third-parties like Epic Games, Capcom, FROM Software and the cadre of indie developers who work with the system, then they’re set.
And that’s what I want from the PS5.
I’m sure there’ll be other things they’ll come up with to surprise us. I’m just a long time fan of the system who’s happy with where it’s ended up and is excited to see where it’s heading.
And if it does end up being a pizza oven, then that’s just a bonus.
