Despite some debate over when the next generation Sony console is likely to appear…one thing we do know for certain is that there will be a PlayStation 5 in the next few years! With consoles being challenged from multiple directions in what is an increasingly complex and diverse gaming marketplace, it is essential for Sony to deliver something outstanding when the PlayStation 5 is ultimately released.
Analysts are yet to agree on whether this will be in 2018, 2019 or even 2020, but it is still possible to examine a raft of critical features that could be part of the PlayStation 5 generation.
PlayStation 5 – Better launch and early titles
The first concept is quite a simple one – simply ensure that better titles are available at the launch of the PlayStation 5, and in the early weeks and months of the system’s lifespan. In all honesty, the launch titles for the PlayStation 4 were pretty mediocre, and the scene didn’t really get going for at least a year after the release of the console. Sony should make the PlayStation 5 more exciting, far more quickly.
Compact and portable
Perhaps it isn’t realistic to expect this from day one, but Sony is competing in a completely different gaming marketplace nowadays, and is up against extremely convenient devices, in particular smartphones. Sony needs to follow suit with this ethos, and produce a compact and portable PlayStation 5 sooner rather than later.
Flash storage
Games consoles increasingly need to mesh with other devices and media, and offering SSD storage instead of HDD could assist Sony in ensuring that the PlayStation 5 is lighter, quieter, and crucially simply runs faster. Perhaps this could be an optional extra for consumers wishing to pay a little extra for the console.
More consumer choice
Speaking of which, Sony could appeal to gamers more by offering various versions of its base PlayStation 5 console. Choice is the byword of consumer electronics nowadays, and certainly Sony should bear this in mind and try to make the PlayStation 5 as flexible as possible.
Open-Source OS
This would be a unique proposition for a video games console, but an operating system which was open-source in nature would open up the PlayStation 5 to mass development of apps and games by the incredibly talented developer community. This would only be a good thing for PlayStation 5 software.
Social networking
Somehow the PlayStation 4 fails to quite deliver in this department, and the ubiquity of social media means that improved social networking via Facebook, Twitter and other more niche social platforms would be an extremely big plus point for the console.
4K games
This is an absolute must for the next generation PlayStation 5. There is no doubt that 4K resolution technology will be mainstream by the time that the console is released, so Sony must ensure that the PlayStation 5 delivers true 4K gaming out of the box, and future proofs it possibly with the ability to run 8K video.
Retro games in high def / 4K
If Sony could deliver backwards compatibility in 4K resolution this would be a massive technical achievement, and it’s something that would be extremely attractive to gamers. At the very least, improved backwards compatibility in full HD from day one should be considered essential, and really something that consumers should demand as a bare minimum.
Virtual reality
Sony is hoping that its PlayStation VR system will be a massive hit when it is released later this year. This is far from a certainty, but if the corporation is serious about developing virtual reality as a form of mainstream console gaming, it surely must include PlayStation VR technology in the PlayStation 5 from the day that the console is released. Sony already faces challenges from other virtual reality systems, and anything that can boost what is certain to be an expensive peripheral will be extremely welcome.
Disc-based gaming
Video gamers are definitely not ready to abandon the humble disk drive, despite the steadily increasing popularity of streaming and downloading games. This was a central facet of the PlayStation 4 success story, and it only should certainly retain the disc drive, and concurrently disc-based gaming, in the next generation. In addition, it is possible that the PlayStation 5 could feature a 4K disc player, if indeed the technology is not obsolete due to downloading by the time that it is released.
Better streaming service
PlayStation Now has been a success for Sony, but with the improved broadband speeds that will be available by the time that the PlayStation 5 is released, it could be significantly improved. The possibility of streaming current generation titles in real time would be extremely attractive, even if it is undoubtedly a technical challenge for the manufacturers.
Let PC fans use Steam
While all technology manufacturers like to pretend that their own particular devices are solely utilized by consumers, and all competitors are ignored, the reality is that there are many console gamers that also use the PC steam service. Sony could show a maturity that is rarely associated with its rival Microsoft by integrating the Steam platform with the PlayStation 5; winning over regular PC gamers to its platform.
Wireless charging
Wireless charging is becoming a ubiquitous technology in mobile phones, and this would be extremely welcome in the PlayStation 5 as well. Certainly the technology is available in order to achieve this, and gamers are well and truly fed up of plugging in their controllers on a regular basis in order to charge them.
Improved PlayStation Store
The PlayStation Store is of an acceptable standard, but it is hardly as intuitive and easy to navigate as the Apple App Store, for example. Sony wants people to download games…so make it easier, more enjoyable and cheaper. Or people will not do it!
Cheaper than the Xbox Two
It seems unlikely that Microsoft will make the same mistakes again, but the PlayStation 4 launched at a cheaper price point than the Xbox One, and Sony fans would love to see this repeated in the PlayStation 5 / Xbox Two generation.
Please, please, please…less updates!
Finally, all modern consoles are plagued by inordinate updates, and pretty much all gamers would love to see these diminish in regularity significantly.
