Fans were left disappointed by Microsoft’s Inside Xbox stream on Thursday because gameplay was promised and that promise was met by a dismal display of actual gameplay. Sure, there were brief glimpses of it to let gamers know what to anticipate later this year but calling your stream a ‘First Look Gameplay’ was misleading, and Sony can’t make that same mistake. The Japanese Giant needs to show us what PS5 can do!
From the little we have already seen, we can already imagine what Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla and Scarlet Nexus might look like on PS5 but to get a true sense of what it is capable of we need to see a direct comparison with PS4 Pro. The Last of Us Part 2 has yet to be announced for PS5 but it’s a safe assumption that it will be, and the best way for Sony to demonstrate the power of the new console is to present TLoU 2 on PS4 Pro and on PS5, side-by-side. This is the perfect opportunity for Cerny to literally point out the improvements in visual fidelity and loading times (or better yet, the absence of them). Frame rates, higher resolutions, textures and ray-tracing can be easily comparable, making it easier for viewers at home to understand. It would also serve as the best time to officially announce The Last of Us Part 2 for the new system.
However, graphics are unlikely to see a massive shift in performance which is why it’s important to show how immersive PS5 is. We already know what games will potentially look like but more importantly, what will they feel like?
The PS5 has a brand new controller called DualSense which promises to immerse players like never before. With haptic feedback support and adaptive triggers, DualSense makes it possible for players to feel motion, tension and textures. Right now it’s impossible to comprehend what that might even feel like because without actually holding the DualSense controller it’s all buzzwords on a page. It’s going to be challenging but it is integral that Sony effectively conveys the benefits of these innovations, otherwise it will be quickly shrugged off as a next-gen gimmick. Sony has obviously worked extremely hard to incorporate this new sensation into the experience, so it would seem counter-productive for them to ignore it in their official PS5 reveal.
Another improvement over PS4 Pro is the Tempest Engine, which is a chip inside the PS5 dedicated to recreating realistic three-dimensional audio. Besides expensive headphones and TV speakers, audio technologies have been somewhat overlooked, so Sony has the chance to hit the ground running and convince audiences that Tempest is worth paying attention to. Like touch, sound is another component of immersion that Sony believes is worth heavily investing in, and even though the full breadth of Tempest will be difficult to convey over YouTube they need to attempt it in some capacity as it is vital in understanding the full picture: This is what PS5 can achieve!
Sony has yet to announce their event schedule but rumour has it the PS5 might be officially announced as early as 4th June.
