Well, it’s not wood-panelled, and it doesn’t have a handle, but the PlayStation 5 certainly has a distinctive look. After Sony’s stellar Future of Gaming event last night we finally got the all-important first look at their next-generation console, as well as the digital-only, disc driveless PS5 Digital Edition.
While the console was thrust into the limelight last night, we’re still in the dark on either version of the PS5’s price and launch date beyond Holiday 2020.
The console’s appearance left us impressed with its striking departure from Sony’s traditional PlayStation aesthetic. The console’s curved black core encased in sleek, flowing white wings and accented with blue LEDs would look at home in Commander Shepard’s quarters aboard the Normandy.
With Grand Theft Auto V announced as a launch title, we’re left wondering if the console will pulse red and blue as you speed around Los Santos trying to lose your wanted level.
During the PS5’s unveiling little attention was paid to showing the console being laid on its side but Sony have since confirmed that both versions of the system can be laid flat with a little help from the included stand. Although it looks frumpy and considerably pedestrian sitting horizontally, there’s no need to go out and buy a new TV stand just yet.
Speaking about the console’s design in an interview with the BBC, Jim Ryan, President and CEO of Sony Interactive Entertainment remarked, “The PlayStation sits in the living area of most homes, and we kind of felt it would be nice to provide a design that would really grace most living areas. That’s what we’ve tried to do.”
Yesterday’s showed us that Sony, like Microsoft, will have 2 variants available at launch. One physical media-focused console with an Ultra HD Blu-ray optical drive, and a second slimmer, digital-only console titled the PS5 Digital Edition. Both consoles will feature solid-state drives for much shorter load times, as showcased in the stunningly beautiful Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart. We’ll have to wait until closer to launch before we know if storage size will vary between the two versions of the console.
Speaking without specifics in the same BBC interview, Ryan says that many PlayStation players “are purchasing solely digitally these days” and the decision was made to offer them that choice. The PlayStation Blog noting the “PS5 gameplay experience will be the same” and echoing Ryan’s sentiments around giving gamers the option of choice.
The transition is undoubtedly multifaceted, possibly a result of the consoles’ high manufacturing costs, limited production capacity, and disc-pressing supply chain issues related to COVID-19. The shift towards digital distribution accelerated by lockdown and the steady decline of brick and mortar retailers also likely playing into Sonys choice to offer the two SKUs.
Beyond the system’s HDD and disc drive (or lack thereof), the only other features mentioned during the reveal included raytracing, 3D Audio powered by the Tempest Engine, and the DualSense’s haptic feedback and adaptive triggers. No word on the PS5’s backwards compatibility at this point either.
The question of price remains unaddressed, for now. With speculation ranging anywhere from €400 to €650, Sony remain committed to talking numbers closer to the Holiday season.
Being intentional in their messaging, Sony have emphasised getting the value equation for the PS5 right, not the price. Speaking in an interview with gamesindustry.biz Ryan said, “In our area it means games, it means number of games, depth of games, breadth of games, quality of games, price of games… all of these things and how they avail themselves of the feature set of the platform.”
Coupled with his focus on “generational transitions” and the “unique benefits of moving from one generation to the next” in Ryan’s closing remarks, it looks unlikely that Sony are positioning themselves to sell the PS5 at a loss.
However, in this perpetual game of chicken against Microsoft, Sony do have an out, and could potentially bring the PS5 Digital Edition to market at a lower price point. Unlikely to undercut the Xbox Series X by much, if at all, as a lower volume of PS5s with disc drives in the wild would ultimately be detrimental to Sony’s profits from sales of physical games as well as Ultra HD Blu-ray movie sales.