Sony has been bulldozing the competition since its announcement of the PlayStation 4. The console’s $399 price point accompanied by Sony’s commitment to both gamers and developers has given it a noticeable edge heading into the holiday season. However, not everything is perfect.
On August 20th Sony representatives will step on stage to discuss the future of PlayStation. While it’s in a great position heading into the Fall season, there are a few areas of weakness it should address if it wants a perfectly smooth ride.
The game library isn’t enough
As a PlayStation fan I’m not even close to being sold on the PS4 launch library. Killzone: Shadow Fall is the leading pre-order title by a long shot, and while it appears to be a good game, it isn’t the bombshell that Sony needs to keep PlayStation gamers invested. Frankly, neither is Knack or any of the other launch window games. The first few months of the platform’s existence will rely heavily on multiplatform titles such as Watch Dogs and Battlefield 4 as proven by pre-order charts.
When I look at the Xbox One’s launch library, I see a couple games that I feel do a much better job of making the console substantial at release. It’s far from perfect, but Forza 5 looks like a much more progressive racing simulator than the PS3’s Gran Turismo 6 and zombie games are always a blast, so thank you Dead Rising 3.
It’s perfectly normal to not have any blockbuster exclusives until a year or two after launch, but consumers are less forgiving than ever. The Wii U is in dire straights right now due in-part to its lackluster library. I fear the PS4 is setting itself up for a similarly hard time with only the benefit of multiplatform titles to save it from strong criticism.
This is next-gen?
The big selling point of the PS4 is its hardware which will produce the best game visuals in console history. As great as that sounds it won’t be a driving force for long-term sales. Many games on the PS3 and Xbox 360 look perfectly fine (i.e. The Last of Us and Halo 4). This isn’t a jump similar to the PS1 to PS2 or even the PS2 to PS3. Diminishing returns are rearing their ugly head, and although visuals are utterly fantastic, their improvement is less noticeable than ever before.
Meanwhile, the Xbox One comes with Kinect v2.0, a device that is impressive to many consumers. Gamers might not be thrilled about it being included with the Xbox One, but when the commercials start running this holiday season you can bet that many non-gamers will be compelled to try out the Kinect’s technologies for themselves.
Sony needs to detail why consumers should invest $399 in a new platform during a time of economic turbulence. Without the inclusion of a PlayStation Eye, it might have to rely on its new and improved operating system to make its point heard.
No backward compatibility
The PS4’s lack of backward compatibility is particularly disappointing, especially since it uses a Blu-ray drive just like the PS3 did. However, in an effort to drive the console’s price down Sony has gotten rid of what was a standard for several generations.
For a lot of consumers keeping several consoles hooked up at the television is asking a lot. In my case, there simply isn’t enough room for more than two consoles to be connected at a time. As in generations past I expect there will be new PS3 games that warrant my attention even after the next-generation begins (The Last Guardian?). Games like Persona 3 and God of War 2 didn’t come out until the PS3 was already on store shelves. Similar must-play games are sure to come for the PS3. Even if not, I know I’m going to want to revisit Grand Theft Auto V for some crime action.
The only option Sony has is to somehow deliver these games digitally. Rumor has it Gaikai could be the solution, but its integration is yet to be fully detailed. That’s your cue, Sony!
Where’s the Vita?
The PlayStation Vita is only up to 5.5 million units sold putting it in the same figure territory as the dead Sega Dreamcast. It’s an extremely sad sight given the quality of Vita’s hardware.
In its present state, the Vita goes against everything Sony has stood for over the years: tons of exclusives, competitive pricing, and lengthy life cycles. Sony needs to either go all-in with support to make it relevant, or pull the plug. With rumors of a PS4 + Vita bundle for $499, Sony might be showing its unrelenting dedication to its platforms. It’s going to need more than that, though.
Chapter 2 of the Yellow Light of Death saga
Sony has opted to package its power supply within the PS4’s housing, unlike the Xbox One’s external power brick design. Considering the PS4 has next-gen leading hardware temperatures can pose a serious problem.
AMD chips aren’t known for handling temperatures very well. I would hate to see the PS4 become the controversially unreliable platform that the Xbox 360 was during its early years. High failure rates are a serious fun killer, so hopefully it has put enough time in during testing to ensure that the device can adequately cool itself during long game sessions. Demonstrating that the hardware can handle serious loads would be something worth its time.
