The PlayStation 5 is the successor to the hugely popular PlayStation 4. There is a lot of pressure on Sony to get the PS5 right in order to continue the success of its PlayStation lineup. Here are the things that Sony need to get right for the PS5:
1. Get Backwards Compatibility Right
It has been confirmed that the upcoming PS5 will feature PS4 backwards compatibility. But how this backwards compatibility is going to run is still a big mystery. There are rumors that the PS5 will have a PS4 and PS4 Pro mode in which the PS5 hardware will run at PS4 or PS4 Pro speeds for the PS4 backwards compatibility. This means that PS4 games running on PS5 will run the same as on the PS4 or PS4 Pro. If this is true, it would be a mistake by Sony in my opinion. Games such as God of War (2018) have a high framerate mode on PS4 Pro in which the framerate is unlocked. God of War runs at 40 to 50 fps in this mode, and many other games with high framerate modes fail to reach the 60 fps sweet spot. By utilizing the power of PS5, these titles should be able to easily maintain a solid 60 fps. Here's hoping that Sony will get this right.
Another feature that would make Sony sell a lot of PS5s would be PS1, PS2 and PS3 backwards compatibility. Imagine being able to play the whole library of the PlayStation line on just one machine.
2. 60 Frames per Second or Higher
Most PS4 games only ran at 30 fps with games such as Uncharted 4, Horizon Zero Dawn, Bloodborne and Spiderman being limited to the said framerate. This put off a lot of PC enthusiasts who are used to playing at 60 fps or higher. This is understandable as going back to 30 fps when you are already used to 60 fps is very hard as 30 fps just feels choppy in comparison. Sony needs to mandate the developers to aim for at least 60 fps when developing games for the PlayStation 5. An optional higher framerate mode that would go beyond 60 fps up to a possible 120 fps in exchange for a lower resolution would be a nice addition as well. This would be possible as the hardware of the upcoming PS5 is a lot more powerful than both PS4 and PS4 Pro.
3. Expandable Storage
One of the most underappreciated feature of PS4 is the replaceable hard drive as well as the support for external hard drives. With the PS5 using a presumably proprietary SSD, having a replaceable storage wouldn't be as straightforward as with the PS4. Even if Sony makes the storage of the PS5 replaceable, SSD prices is still very high and having a proprietary SSD would mean even higher prices. One solution is the support for external storage devices. With PS5 games requiring the proprietary SSD, external hard drives cannot be used to run games from. However, the PS5 can still use the external hard drive for storing games. This would require games to be transferred from the external hard drive to the internal SSD to run, but that would still be better than deleting games you want to keep.
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| The Original PS4 |
4. A Quiet System
Many users complain about the fan of the PS4 sounding like a jet plane that's about to take off. Not all PS4 units run loud, and some of this is due to dust buildup. However, I regularly clean my PS4 Pro but it still sounds like a jet engine. A lot of original PS4 also have this issue, but thankfully, the PS4 slim is mostly unaffected, most likely due to its more efficient hardware. This shows that the cooling system of the original PS4 and PS4 Pro is barely adequate to cool the said systems. Sony should make the cooling system of the PS5 be capable of cooling its powerful hardware and not rely on the fans spinning at max speed at all times.
5. Get The Price Right
The PS4 launched at $399, a full 100 dollars less than its main competitor, the XBox One. This advantage helped Sony sell a lot of PS4 consoles. The same will happen if the PS5 is priced accordingly. With the powerful hardware of the PS5, selling it at $400 would be challenging even for Sony. However, selling it at a lot higher than the launch price of PS4 would do a lot more harm than good. Sony will need to find the right balance between profit and competitiveness.
Sony getting these things right will ensure that the PS5 will continue the success of the PS4.
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