Sony's latest console, the PS5, has been out for a couple of months now at this point. Grabbing one of these is still as difficult as it was at launch, mostly due to scalpers clearing out most of the stock from most major retailers. The PS5 does promise a bunch of new games, including a successor to the critically acclaimed God of War, the fan-named God of War: Ragnarok (as no real name has yet to be confirmed), set to release this year.
Fans of the series will be pleased to know that God of War: Ragnarok may very well release on PS4 as well, as there has been no legitimate indication of this year, possibly serving as one of the swansong titles for the machine that served us well over the years. That being said, there is a multitude of reasons as to why fans of the series should invest in a PS5 before the game comes out.
The God of War Ragnarok Sequel Will Play Best On The PS5
It is without shadow of a doubt that PS5 is a stronger machine than its predecessor, and thus, the game will likely perform a lot better than any potential PS4 counterpart. A substantial boost in visual fidelity is to be expected with better framerates to boot, and the loading times are sure to be reduced by a large margin, on account of the new SSD. PS5 also features the new DualSense controller with next-gen haptic feedback. 2018's God of War relied a lot on the Dualshock 4's rumble to translate the intensity of its combat systems to the player, so it seems like a safe bet that the game will take advantage of the DualSense's haptic feedback and adaptive triggers to make the combat feel even more visceral and authentic.
Much of God of War's charm and atmosphere comes from its jaw-dropping visuals and the aforementioned feedback-heavy combat systems. Both of these features are most likely to play better on Sony's new machine and a 60 FPS is to be expected from such an early-gen title. Similarly, the DualSense feedback may provide another layer of immersion, such as giving different feedback for various weapons and characters, if that turns out to be a thing. These add up a lot to the game and experiencing this on the latest hardware may be a lot more enriching than fans are expecting it out to be.
Fans will Need A Next-Gen Console Anyway
As melancholic as it may sound, the eighth generation of consoles is reaching its end. While many games will continue to receive support for the next couple of years, some games like Destruction: All-Stars are being developed exclusively for the PlayStation 5, even though the PS4 could probably handle it.
Most gamers are going to need a next-generation console anyway. Waiting out on one means missing out on some of the finest PS5 titles available right now, such as Demon's Souls Remake and the upcoming Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart among others. Purchasing one, if available, is sure to serve players for upwards of 5 years, and if the recent generations are anything to go by, possibly even up to 7 to 8 years. Investing early will almost certainly provide a lot more value to the purchase.
There may very well be players who are waiting for a price drop to get their hands on a new console. The PS4 launched at a price of $400 and it took around 2 years for it to drop to $350 in the US. This decision was probably made to push the sales as the console hadn't picked up much pace in its exclusives department just yet. The PS5 is retailing at $500, $100 more than its predecessor. The console is selling pretty well for now, so well in fact that it's sold out almost everywhere. The exclusives seem to be dropping at a steady pace and each and every one of them looks to be a heavy-hitter, which further diminishes the possibility of this happening.
A Great Time To Complete Backlogs
Sony has announced its PlayStation Plus Collection in the past which will include some of the best PS4 games. Among this list is the original God of War. The sequel's story will most likely be related to the original which is just one of the many reasons players should play this game. In addition to this, the series has a pretty strong lore element to them which can mostly be understood by playing through the first game. As mentioned before, the collection does come with a bunch of othe ifr exclusives that are just too good to pass on. Games like Bloodborne and Uncharted 4 are arguably some of the generation's finest games and investing in a PS5 with a PS Plus Collection early will give players plenty of time to work through this enormous catalog while still leaving ample time to get excited for what's in store next.
A Growing Catalog Of Games
While many may agree that Microsoft's offerings in the gaming subscription market have proved to be better than Sony, it's not to say that they aren't trying. As much as the company is focusing right now on putting most of its money towards high-quality exclusive titles, PlayStation Plus is slowly and steadily moving in to capture some of this market at a reduced cost.
Just this month, the service offered a sizeable collection of high-quality games such as Shadow of the Tomb Raider and Greedfall to its subscribers for a really low price. With the future promise of games like Destruction: AllStars available for the service on the launch, the service is growing up to give its competitor a run for its money and its customers, another reason to invest in a PS5 as early as possible, possibly even before the God of War: Ragnarok sequel's release.
God of War: Ragnarok is slated for a 2021 release.