With the release of Playstation 4 in late 2013, there were many expectations set by fans for what was yet to come. Some people wanted better visuals, while some wanted better features. There were also a few hardcore fans who just wanted it to be stronger than Microsoft's Xbox One. In the end, PS4 was many steps up from the PS3, but it was not perfect by any means.
We stand in 2020 right now as we await the arrival of Playstation 5. And the excitement of gamers around the world is through the roof. But what are some of these expectations that Sony has to take a note of this time?
10 Should Fix - Motion and VR Content
No matter how thrilling the virtual reality experience is advertised to be on Playstation 4, the truth is it very similar to the PS3's Move, which was identical to the PS2's PSEye. Basically, a novelty item. It is an interesting concept for sure, but is not executed to be a must-have.
The point is, it should be, as the cost of the Playstation VR kit is almost as much as the main console. With Playstation 5, Sony needs to make the best use of PS VR, and stop it from becoming just another showpiece on the shelf.
9 Should Keep - Dualsense Controller's Bluetooth Support
Now, if there is one thing that people absolutely love about the Dualshock 4 controller, it's thethat fact it works with Windows and iOS devices. It was a big step up from the Dualshock 3, which was confined to work on PlayStation and required multiple different techniques to work on any other platform.
The new Dualsense controller looks great specs-wise, but will it flawlessly work with other platforms? Hopefully, yes. But there is a little chance that for the sheer effort of building a new controller, Sony disables the open Bluetooth support for a while.
8 Should Fix - Crossplay
The modern era of video games is standing on the back of multiplayer games. Most of the developers and publishers know this and are building battle royales and other online games rapidly. Even the single-player games are being integrated with some sort of multiplayer element.
It is high time for Sony to forget their old mentality and build a platform that natively supports crossplay. It will encourage people to buy it, for the added bonus to play each and every game online with friends, despite the platform.
7 Should Keep - Supporting Single-Player Games
Now, crossplay is good to satisfy a lot of gamers—both young and old. But there is a big market for people who purchase a console for a single-player experience. These people range from an average person busy with family and work to an introvert gamer who loves playing solo.
Sony has always appreciated the single-player games, releasing many, including Spider-man, God of War, Days Gone, and more. Looking at PS5, let's hope Sony's approach remains the same.
6 Should Fix - Multi-Tasking & UI
Playstation 4's interface and UI are good enough, but there are a plethora of opinions about it that say otherwise. This means there is a gap which directly connects to the overall user experience of PS4. Many people consider the UI of Playstation 3 to be better than PS4 in many aspects.
Maybe, with the release of PS5, Sony can take a look back at the classic XMB design and build upon it, instead of focusing much into the designing, they can put effort into creating the most seamless transitions between menus.
5 Should Keep - Game Recording and Replay Features
Here's one of the essential features of PS4. There was a visible lack of in-game recording in PlayStation 3, which led to people buying separate game recording devices just to put a high-quality video on YouTube. PS4 fixed that by giving players easy access to Record, Upload and Stream gameplay videos online.
With the sheer success of this feature, it is safe to say that Sony is going to put effort into streamlining this further for PlayStation 5. One amazing add-on to this feature could be the ability to move the camera in the recorded gameplay.
4 Should Fix - Free Multiplayer
"Playstation 4 does not allow free multiplayer" It was probably the biggest point of discussion back when PS4 was released. The completely free multiplayer of PS3 was replaced with monthly paid service on PS4, just to make PS Plus a success.
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A lot of players right now have accepted it, but there are still people wondering why they should subscribe to PS Plus just to play a game online. Especially when they are already paying for the full game, as well as for the internet connection.
3 Should Keep - Design Aesthetics
With the release of PlayStation 5 closing near, a lot of fans are in a panic mode. The main points of panic are mostly related to what features and games will the PS5 offer. But there is another concern that is related to the design of the console. The Dualsense controller looks white and black with an oddly new design. Some people like it, some think it is a clone of Xbox.
The truth is, it is much closer to the style of the PSVR. Which subtly hints to the fact that PlayStation 5 might opt for a similar design. However, a lot of leaked images online showcase a console that doesn't match the minimal style of PS3 and pS4.
2 Should Fix - Complete Backward Compatibility
There are reports that the PlayStation 5 will indeed support backward compatibility. But history has told us not to trust that until it is officially revealed. There is a chance that the backward compatibility could be a strategy, and there can be a paywall or selected games that work.
Sony should, however, let people play the whole backlog of games on the PlayStation 5. Something that will really help the sales would be to allow the players to play games from PS3, PS2, and even PS1.
1 Should Keep - Third-Party Application Support
The main reason for owning a PlayStation is to play games, which is obvious. But with the rise of the internet and online accessibility, companies cannot rely on games alone. So they have instead made their consoles into full-fledged entertainment devices.
Knowing this, it is imperative that Sony keeps its third-party application support to the maximum. A lot of people will be turned off if there is a lack of certain applications which are provided in the rival console.